Woofstock (pictures by Kaya W. and Naomi C.)

Pictures by Naomi:

We entered Baby into a "Best Trick" contest after Mike and the kids spent no more than 24 hours teaching her how to jump through a hoop.

The stage area where the contests are going to take place:


Waiting for our turn in the contest:






The trick:


Waiting for the results:


Baby didn't win, but she should have! A lot of people came up to us and said she should have won, and her applause was by far the loudest. I think the judges knew one of the other contestants or something.

So, the kids wanted to buy her a shirt for being such a good sport. This is what they picked out:





We went to the car to eat some snacks, and play with the dog before it was time for me to start my volunteer shift.

Kaya humoring me:


The rest of the pictures are by Kaya:

Me with my volunteer backstage pass:

(My shirt says "Classy Lassie," and I think it was perfect for an event such as Woofstock.)

These are my favorite pictures, all of which Kaya took, of Mike and Baby playing:







































Now Baby gets to rest a bit:








And now Baby gets to do her favorite pastime, which is climbing trees:




Kaya's a very good photographer, don't you think?

I have a video too of the kids and Mike practicing in the driveway with Baby and the hoop (tire) that she jumps through, but I can't get it to upload to YouTube. I will continue trying and hopefully post that too, as live and in action is really the way to see this trick. I still think Kaya did an excellent job catching the essence of it on film though. It's really neat to see the kids be so proud of their dog.

I declare Woofstock a total success. It was so cool to see all the dogs interact with one another, to see proud owners parade their dogs around and to talk to other dog owners about the wonders that is owning a dog.

OK, some things ARE free

This radio, for instance:


It's an old Sony radio that was on the side of the road across the street next to a sign that said "FREE STUFF." We plugged it in, and not only does it work great, but it tunes in every radio station that my MP3 player doesn't get!

And it has a place for batteries too so I think it is coming with us to Earthdance this weekend.

I'm in love with this radio. It is my hero.

Letters with Love (and Self-Addressed Stamped Envelopes)

So I picked up this bumper sticker at the KMUD (my favorite radio station) Booth at the Blues by the Bay Festival. It was a very cool bumper sticker, and I was planning on putting it on my laptop or my thermos. The sticker was "free," but I put a couple of dollars into the donation bucket for it. Because nothing is free, y'all.

And then it (the sticker) went missing... only to reappear later on Mike's thermos.

Which is NOT my thermos (my thermos gets washed daily - Mike's thermos behavior is questionable).

So, being the optimistic and creative being that I am, I decided to be very happy that Mike liked the sticker so much. And then I wrote this letter to KMUD:

September 9, 2008

Dear KMUD,

First of all, you all are so awesome. Thank you so much for all that you do.

Second, please accept this meager donation* regardless of whether or not you can complete my request.

Speaking of which: Do you have a bumper sticker that is black and white and says "People Powered Radio" that you can send me? If so, I have included a self-addressed stamped envelope. If not, that's OK.

Thanks again!

A loyal listener,
Naomi C****


And then I sent it to KMUD. I hope it works. (But if it doesn't I will still be my optimistic and happy self.)

*$2

Happy Friday

I hope everyone is having a really great day. I don't have much to say. This weekend is Woofstock, another week has gone by at the gallery, Mike and I are working to get his art into as many places as possible and having success (the only hold-up is that Mike can only make it so fast), I've been taking Magnesium and I think it is helping my positivity and activity and motivation a lot. I stopped using an alarm clock quite a long time ago and go to bed fairly early most nights, waking up like clockwork around 7 AM. Quiet mornings full of peace all to myself, when I can read without interruption, get some housework done, go for a walk. It's my absolute favorite time of the day now.

So that's what's up with me. How about you? I miss my loved one's voices, hope to hear from you, plan to call you. xxoo

News Flash: Everyone Who Camps Should Own This

My self-inflating roll-up mattress, that is.* It is a DREAM! It rolls up to the size of a yoga mat, and Mike and I figured out that if you unroll it and leave it alone for about 30 minutes it really does fill up with a whole bunch of air all on its own! And then you just blow into it a bit more to top it off, and voila! It's amazing! And I only paid $34 for it. Worth. Every. Penny.

Now I just need to get ear plugs to block out the racket of my fellow campers who are either independently wealthy and don't have to work the next day or are from a different planet and therefore don't need to sleep.**


*Well, not MINE exactly, but one LIKE mine would be ideal.
**Or yeah, the next day was Labor Day and technically I didn't work the next day either, but I just like to sleep more than other people, maybe?

Edited 9.4.08 to add: I slept really comfortably on this mattress, in case that wasn't clear. The self-inflating part is only a bonus, and not the whole show. Seriously, folks. I slept really well ON THE GROUND. You have no idea what a huge accomplishment this is. Maybe you do. It is HUGE. Like, Donald Trump HUGE. You know what I'm talkin' about.

Sounds Like Beloit

So I have this story, and it just cracks me up. Why I am telling this to you: frankly, I'm sure the only other people who will find this even remotely funny would be my good ol' Wisconsin folks.

So here goes:

The Man of the House, in other words The Artist Momentarily Referred to as Warren Lake, that is My Boyfriend Mike, was eating cookies. These cookies had been purchased at our favorite local grocery store, in this case Murphy's of Sunny Brae, by said cookie-eater (that being Mike).

As he was munching these so-called delicious baked treats he wondered aloud what ingredients went into such fantastically scrumptious cookies (not very good ones, I'm afraid). Then he wondered aloud where these cookies were made, since they must have been shipped from "somewhere far away" or they wouldn't have needed such preservatives in them!

"BEE-LOW-IT," Mike said.

"What?" asked Naomi, that is, The Woman of the House, known by some as West Coast Midwestern.

"They are made in BEE-LOW-IT.... well you should know where that is, since it's in Wisconsin."

So, Naomi decided to look for her own self, and sure enough they were made in "Be-lo-it," that is Beloit!

After much laughing at a befuddled Mike, that is, The Man of the House Momentarily Called Warren Lake, Naomi (The Woman of the House) explained how to pronounce this mysterious little city in the southern part of the great state of Wisconsin.

But as the so-called Mr. Lake was more interested in eating cookies than in learning how to pronounce "obscure" towns from a state he is nowhere near to, the entire explanation was basically lost on him.

The End

(Oh, well, maybe he'll keep saying "Bee-lo-it," and I will continue snickering. One can only hope.)

To the Willie Nelson Show and Home Again (a picture blurb)

'Tis the Season of the Music Festival

This Saturday is the Blues by the Bay Festival, for which I will be a "Volunteer Site Manager." Last night there was a "Volunteer Orientation" meeting and my volunteers from last year were concerned that I had gotten demoted. That made me laugh. I reassured them that I had not been demoted, I had willingly given away my assistant director position and hoped to actually be able to enjoy the music and goings-on this year instead of only having time to run around with my walkie talkie and fix problems.

Although the current assistant director informed me that I would indeed have a walkie talkie as she might "need me." Oh boy. You know, I really love it though. I'm excited and very much looking forward to seeing everyone from last year again, and meeting a bunch of new people. Good times, great blues, yeah yeah the blues is alright!

Sunday, Mike and I head to "Dimmick Ranch," an hour or two southeast of us, to see Willie Nelson! We will be staying overnight in a tent! So I guess you would call that "camping." I bought myself a "self-inflating camping air mattress," which if you would like to know what "self-inflating" means, it means INFLATE IT YOUR OWN DAMN SELF. I joked to Mike that that would be a good use for all of my hot air, and he just nodded at me wide-eyed with a very serious look on his face. I had Josh and Kaya try it out for me when they were at our house and they reported that it is far more comfortable than sleeping on the floor. YES. That's exactly the effect I was going for. (Although they both insist they actually like sleeping on the floor, I remain suspicious of this fact. Mike tells me it's a "kid thing.")

Then the next weekend, September 7, will be the aforementioned "Woofstock," for which I will be a stage hand (that means: get things for the bands). And then the weekend after that will be "Earthdance."

I am so psyched about Earthdance. Last year it was so unknown to me that I was a bit too anxious about it all. Now I know exactly what to expect, and I know the gang that will be on my crew, which is background security, a lot of fun and truth be told a pretty privileged crew.

You know, I would have never guessed that in moving to California I would end up being wrapped up in all of these music festivals, but I have to admit I just love it. My grasp of how to put on a festival is now much more advanced than I ever might have guessed. It's skill-building in addition to being thrilling and challenging, and in addition to the absolutely gorgeous warm sunny weather that so far this time of year has graced me with, I just love this time of year because of the the music festivals!

And really, there are literally dozens of festivals that I miss out on every year, because there are just so many big festivals around here that there are too many to participate in. So, I guess if I really wanted to, I could make a career out of this. It's an actual option... and if I have learned ONE THING in life it is that you never completely know what path your life is going to take...

(The fact is I never would have guessed I'd be going to a Willie Nelson concert, if I were thinking about it.)

Woof

So, my friend called in her favor that I owed her. She filled in last minute for me on a volunteer position at the jazz festival I worked on back in March so I knew I would be summoned sooner or later. You will never guess what I have gotten myself into. Seriously, you will never guess, so I will tell you.


Wait for it.



Wait for it.



Are you ready?






I am going to be a stage hand at Woofstock.




Yes, it is as awesome and hilarious as it sounds.

You see, my friend serves on the board for the Humane Society, and at her last meeting they were discussing this one particular band that will be playing (Yes, there are bands at Woofstock. And dogs. Lots of dogs.), and how this band requires a reliable volunteer who has some experience with bands and who will remain sober through the entire shift. (What kind of a world do we live in when remaining sober through your shift is something that needs to be verbalized?) My friend immediately thought of me, what with my recent experiences of dealing with lots of bands (I worked as assistant director on two local festivals here since I have moved here), my obvious reliability and my ability to remain sober while on the job. (She knows this because we used to share an office when I worked briefly at a nonprofit here managing the "Angel Fund," and I never once came in drunk, not even once!)

So, it's a four-hour gig on a Sunday afternoon in September at a fundraising music festival put on by the local Humane Society to raise, well, funds to do important stuff that needs to get done for dogs. And, if it isn't obvious, all friendly dogs are welcome at Woofstock, so this should make for a really interesting afternoon.

Maybe I can borrow Baby (the friendliest sweetest dog you'll ever meet, who happens to be a Pitbull) and bring her too. Only time will tell.

Theories about the Universe

There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

There is another which states that this has already happened.

-Douglas Adams in "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe"

My Digital Scrapbook

I made a few "scrapbook pages" of my Wisconsin trip, and then sort of gave up on the entire project for a while - the summer's been busy, blah blah blah, enter sorry excuse here.

Anyway, I'm going to post pictures of my beautiful trip home to Wisconsin soonish, but in the meantime, here are my scrapbook pages for your possible amusement/enjoyment (you will at least enjoy them because there are the cutest little kids I've ever seen in them - what I'm not biased, just a proud aunt here).



After the rain comes the rainbow:


Sadie's table dance (and cute ponytail):


Taking turns taking pictures and playing games around the table:

The Cure for Anything is Salt Water

I read this quote yesterday, and I really liked it. So much so that not only did I write it down in my journal, but now I am posting it here:

"To be lonely is a state of mind, something completely other than physical solitude."

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea."

~Danish writer Karen Blixen

When I first decided to move here, part of the motivation was that it was known as a quiet, peculiar place near the ocean right smack dab in the middle of the redwoods. That, and someone* told me it was a good place to heal. And heal I have. Some of the hurt might have been something I created in my own head, but that didn't make it any less real.

My home is a beautiful place, even with its many flaws. I deeply hope that my family and friends will have a chance to experience this place as I have, to see its beauty firsthand.

*it wasn't Mike that told me this either

Think of It as Chill

When I said to Mike, "We're boring. But I guess I'm OK with that," he replied, "I like to think of it as chill."

Yeah. Chill. What's so wrong with that?

Sometime around 11 PM last night...

The walls rattled and the couch rocked for what felt like almost a full minute. Just in case I forgot I live in California.

I wonder what the cows think of earthquakes. So far they are far less disruptive and annoying than Wisconsin tornadoes. So far.

Humboldt County, The Movie!

My favorite weekly, The North Coast Journal (or the NCJ), informed me today that there has been made an independent film about Humboldt County called, aptly, Humboldt County. There will be a screening of it in Eureka at the 101 Wild Rivers Film Festival on August 27, and I am excited!

Here's the trailer, compliments of YouTube:


Disclaimer: I did not create this film, and have not seen it, so I have no idea if it is a true representation of the Humboldt I know and love. But I will gladly give you a full report once I have seen it. Who's excited! (It's me.)

A quote from the NCJ, which is a quote from one of the directors of Humboldt County (the movie!), Darren Grodsky, seems like a good thing to, uh, quote here. So, here it is:

"The movie Chicago doesn't represent the entire essence of Chicago, nor does Casablanca or Philadelphia. It's a way of getting an inroad into the film, to set up a certain expectation. We don't pretend that we made a film that represents the entire county and everything that it is. It is certainly a very small slice of the diverse range of people and lifestyles there."

So, as I have many film festival going friends back in Wisconsin I can only wonder if any of them saw Humboldt County. I imagine I would have heard, but you never know...

A Memory that has Served me Well

When Mike and I were packing up my things to move me out to California, he asked me if he could get rid of all the mismatched flatware*, since there was plenty of matching flatware**. I wouldn't let him, and told him if he wanted to get rid of some of the quantity of spoons, knives and forks that I had, the matched would have to go. I love my mismatched flatware, and I think it's far more interesting on the table than a set that matches. That's just "too matchy matchy" for me, as my mom and sisters say (you do too, Sisters, I've heard you. It's OK, I say it too).

This conversation occurred well over a year ago, and yet the recollection of it still makes me smile every time I'm washing or drying spoons and knives and forks (which is, like, ALL THE TIME).

*As a side story to the one above (and also how I came to possess both mismatched AND matched flatware), when I was first moving out of my parents' house, Mom and I went to the Johnson Creek Outlet Mall together and picked out interesting designed spoons, forks, and knives, sold as individual pieces in sale bins at the Oneida store. We had a lot of fun, and I have some really cool pieces, especially the butter knives! When I set a table I try not to have two of the same of anything. Just for fun.
**(And WHY do I have such a large quantity of flatware?) At some point my mother gave me her old matching set of flatware, which is lovely, just not my eclectic style.

My Neighbors are Goats, Geese and a Horse

The goats that live across the street follow the horse that lives across the street around the yard. The horse seems slightly annoyed by this, pausing every few steps and looking down behind her at the three little black goats. Whenever she stops and looks back, the three goats freeze in their tracks, and I can almost hear them saying, "Whaaaaaaaaaaat, we aren't doing anything!" But no matter how many times Horse gives Goats "The Look" they persevere.

When the Man of the House came out to get the newspaper off the end of the driveway the two white geese were standing at the fence squawking up quite a racket.

"Hi, Geese!" called out the old man.

My neighborhood is so great.

A Variation on the One Dinner Recipe I Know By Heart, Plus Losing Weight and How Work's Going

We made Mexican Lasagna "Ranchero Style" last night using chicken breasts instead of hamburger meat; Mike boiled the chicken and then pulled it all apart and mixed in the taco seasoning and a can of black beans (last time we used pinto but thought black would be delicious with chicken, which of course it was!). And then when I got home from work I put it all together and cooked it. It was a great team effort and DELICIOUS! Oh, and we also added a can of our favorite enchilada sauce, soooooo good (it's Carlita brand, and I'm telling you, I've never known something in a can to be so good, until now; try it, you won't be sorry). We served it up with sour cream on top (I cooked the olives in this time, somewhere in the middle on top of the first layer of cheese). It's fun to make food up together.

In other news, I've been doing this push-up challenge called hundredpushups.com and I though I have yet to be able to do a "real" push-up, I'm up to I think about 90 "knee" push-ups, and this week my clothes are fitting visibly better, and my abs and upper body is definitely more toned. Sooooooooo exciting! (I'm telling you, yesterday I wore one of my favorite dresses that hasn't fit in a while, and I looked smokin' hot. Just sayin'.)

On a similar note, Mike's been taking my car to his work in the morning, and then I have been riding my bicycle to his work (two miles) to get my car on my way to my job, which I work week-daily from 12-7. I love having my mornings to get lots of stuff around the house done and work for our business, run a few errands... plus I found a way to get a little exercise and fresh air in before I go sit in the gallery all afternoon. So, life is good.

Also, because I love so many rich and fattening foods (who doesn't, but anyway) I have been focusing really hard on doing physical activity everyday, even if it is just a relatively short walk, and controlling my food portion sizes. It seems to be working! So, let's stay positive on that. I can't diet, it's just not in my genes, seriously; but if this keeps working, this is a lifestyle change I can live with.

P.S. Working at the gallery is going really well, by the way. The owners are all really easy-going, plus they want lots of my opinions and advice on how to best proceed and make this business the best that it can be. Anyone who knows me knows I love to give my opinion (who doesn't, but anyway). And the shops on either side of me, one is a tattoo shop and the other is a garden supply store, are full of really nice people, so that is also good.

Now I gotta stop stalling and do my push-ups for today. I have been doing this for about a month, and now that I'm bragging about my progress, I can't let it slip now!

Updated to add: I dedicate this post to my friend, Sunshine Blizzard, for whom I am very grateful to know. It is because of her that I have gotten on this 100 push-ups challenge and gotten my health and weight moving back in the right direction. Thanks, E!

Of Course, I Mean, What Do You Expect, Really?

Of course, just when I decide to actually give cooking on a regular basis a try, another commitment finds its way into my life. I am going to have to find dishes that can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until I get home from work so I can just throw them into the oven. When I get home from the gallery it's time to list auctions on eBay, and in the mornings before I go to the gallery I photograph the items to be listed, and then while I'm at the gallery, I adjust the photos and create layouts, among the trillion other things a person has to get done in a day to be truly productive and stay on top of all the stuff to do. And still, I'm not ever done. (Does that sound whiny? I am not whining, I swear. I'm simply stating.)

I saw a question the other day somewhere: "What is your idea of a perfect day?" I immediately thought, "One where I get everything on my to-do list done." Seriously. And so far, I have not had a perfect day. Who has, I'm sure.

But if anyone has any recipes that are one-dish delights, can be put together and then refrigerated, to be cooked later, will they please share them with me? Please oh please? I accept emails and letters and phone calls. You know where to find me.