My Continuing Art Gallery

People that have never been to Escondido must have the most interesting impression of it based on my pictures.  That makes me chuckle a bit as it is not a very artsy fartsy town - just normal folk living here life.  It does seem each time I go out I find more are to take pictures of.  Escondido is not heaven but I do love that it has a history and identity.  Having those definitely separated Escondido from most Southern California towns.  So here are my pictures of the art I found this weekend.  I really like the lollipop statue and think I may have posted that before.  But I really like the chess grafitti street art.  The mural was huge but because of lighting I could not get it all but I got the crown and the queen and think they look awesome.  I am sure there will be card versions of them in the future.  My continuing Escondido Art Gallery.

Woofstock 2012

Yesterday they had the first annual Woofstock in downtown Escondido.  My friend Carla has 3 dogs and volunteers at the shelter so I told her I would come down and hangout.  It was totally packed with vendors, groups, and people with their dogs.  I do not hate dogs but cannot say that I am a dog lover.  Carla had a dog named Ernie from the shelter that is up for adoption.  He is super cute and I am sure will get adopted very soon.  He garnered a lot of attention so I just started answering questions for all the people although that was Carla's job.  I could not remember his name so I just kept making up new ones, he was fine with it.  Got  tons of samples and gave most of them to Carla and the new neighbors.  Carla and I met in Spanish class and we bumped into both another student from the class but also our teacher.  She had a booth of knitted stuff and it was cool but I had no use for it.  Small world, well I guess not if you leave Escondido once in a while but who needs to LOL.

Thoughts from the Yard

Wow my yard is looking pretty good - what do you think?  Of course it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the Mexican gardener that comes each week but I still enjoy it!  Ah it has been a little crazy for me - what is new?  Work is totally picking up.  It is good to be busy but then when I get out I am sooooo lazy.  I have really been struggling with getting exercise.  I just need to find that motivation again.  That is high on my priority list but no success this past week.  Other than work the mail has been keeping me busy.  I have my neice that always mails me and man is she hard to keep up with.  But also I have 3 nieces and a nephew in college and they have been writing me like mad also.  I don't Skype.  I think it is super cool but I just don't feel like signing up for another thing.  I try to make my mail interesting for them and this weekend I mailed them all Mexican lottery tickets (that is not code or anything - just scratch tickets that I bought in Mexico) and finger puppets.  I dunno - I just do my best.  But I do know they absolutely know who is their craziest and favorite, I will admit, uncle.  So things are not great but they are not awful and I just focus on the fact that I get to see scenes like the above pictures everyday and it is I do appreciate that.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Oh crazy world.  I had a first date set for last Friday night and he flaked last minute on me.  I was looking forward to it as he was age appropriate and local.  He said an amiga invited him to the movies and so he was going to go do that instead.  It was not annoying as it could have been - whatever.  I heard "I Love Rock n' Roll" that day on the way to work and then "She's Gone" at lunch so there was just no ruining that day no matter what.  On Sunday he contacted me and asked me to meet him on Sunday.  I said,  "sure love to.".  He even apologized for Friday.  He set a time and a location and I said that it was perfect and that I could not wait.  After everything was all arraigned I blocked him from being able to contact me online, by phone or text - and obviously did not go to the designated meeting spot.  How cunty of me LOl, again I say whatever.  Instead I did some errands around town with my friend and look at this AMAZING picture I took!  There was a cool forclosed house as we were out and about so we checked it out.  It needed some TLC but as we inspected the grounds, and yes peaked into the windows, I found this most amazing hibiscus.  I totally made the right choice.  I love taking pictures and finding the beauty in everyday.  Just look how radiant that flower is.  I would be upset if I had not found this and been able to enjoy it in person.  Hope you enjoy too.   

Toys in the Attic

I was looking around at movie previews and came across this one.  How odd and interesting does this look?  It has me sooooo curious.  I cannot tell if it will be awesome or yawn-some but it has me intrigued.

Bate's Nut Farm

Seems each Sunday as of late my new friend Carla takes to see so other local type thing that I have not been to before.  Today we went to Bate's Nut Farm -- how fitting is that???  They used to grow the nuts there but now they just bring them in and package them there.  It is very pretty with a cute little farm house store the was filled with all sorts of goodies but also gifty type stuff.  The grounds had a petting farm and a lot of tree so the best thing ever in SoCal - SHADE.  Here are some pictures to enjoy the very nice day that I enjoyed.

Look at me!  I am a cyborg!  How awesome are these???  The spoon is supposed to be a nose guard but I liked wearing it up like a "third eye".  I should have bought these.  I think I can work the steampunk look.

Ebony and Ivory Live Together in Perfect Harmony.  Side by Side on my Piano Keyboard, Oh Lord, Why Don't we?

Heeeey.  I's no fat.  I's just fluffffy.

Autumn is here - even in Southern California!

Look at this saw blade succulent.  It's a plant - it's a weapon!

Lawrence Welk

My mother's friend is a bit nutty yet sweet and is always wrangling bargains.  She has timeshare and is using a week to come here to the San Diego area.  She is actually going to be staying at the Lawrence Welk Resort which I have talked about before and is just 5 minutes from my house.  She won't be here for a year but is putting it all together now because she has to do everything super early in order to use all her points and mileage and stuff.  My mother asked me to contact her and see if I could help.  Her friend loves deals so I sent links to where they could by half price tickets to the theatre - both at Lawrence Welk and San Diego.  I also sent her a link to a local company that has all sorts of 2 for 1 promos which she loves.  And sent links to some really great places that have awesome happy hour specials.  With that one email she has since emailed me back 6 times -- now remember the trip is a year away.  I answered all her emails and it makes me feel good because I really do have an insider's view of San Diego now.  I guess I still think of myself as a New Englander but I really have learned a lot about this area.  But moreover I told my mother that her friend can email me as often as she wants and I will always respond because I know it makes my mother happy.  She has other friends that have come out to visit that I have helped and spent time with them too and it makes my mother proud.  She loves that her son is so friendly, welcoming and sincere.  It makes her feel good when her friends speak highly of me and in turn it makes me feel good that my mother feels good.  I really do adore my mother.  I am not a mommy's boy, seriously I am not, but I am grateful that I have the mother that I have.  Perhaps it is because we are so much a like.  Ultimately her happiness is very important to me.  I want her to have pride in her son.  With that being said I was over near the Lawrence Welk today so I took pictures and sent them to both my mother and her friend.  It is very pretty over there and the keep the place immaculate so here are the pics for you to see.

I Believe

Another weekend and another video made.  I know for you it is like watching someone else's home movies and how fun is that.  But I cannot tell you enough how pleased I am with this one.  I really thought about the images and although they are only 95% mine own, the found images speak loudly to what I wanted to say.  In addition this is my absolute favorite song of all time.  I know I have a lot of favorite songs but truly and sincerely this is the song.  Not once I have I ever heard it and not thought how much I love it.  Also it tells of what I want, what I have always wanted.  It is why I am here and it is what I am waiting for.  It not Hallmark-y but earnest.  I want to be able to listen to this song and look at someone and think to myself that it says perfectly what I am feeling about him.  It truly is not a tall order to fill.  I do not want a fairytale.  I do not want a fable.  Millions of people around the globe have this.  Billions of people throughout the ages had it.  I am not owed anything.  I do not deserve anything.  I am not entitled.  I am only honest in that I know this exists.  The trick is, and what I have not been able to figure out, how to make it exist for me?  Perhaps that is some of the problem - you cannot make it exist, it just does.  In the meantime this was a very positive use of my energy today and I feel pleased.  Good things will happen soon.

I Could Not Be Mean

I often send folks scratch tickets, especially the kids.  They are inexpensive and easy to mail and if someone hit it big then I would truly be happy.  While at the dollar store I saw that they had joke scratch tickets.  I thought it would be funny - specifically with my nieces and nephews.  The real tickets that I send them are different looking to them since they are from California so I did not think they would realize the tickets were fake.  I bought them and left the store chuckling to myself.  Once home I had second thoughts that perhaps that was not a funny joke but a mean one so I told my sister what I was plotting - SHE WAS HORRIFIED.  She really gave it to me.  "Don't do that!"  "That is so mean and cruel!"  "They will not think it is funny."  OMG I felt like a turd and all I did at this point was buy the tickets and consider sending them but now I felt totally awful.  End of the day I decided it would not be a funny joke and that I would not send them.  I need to be nice to the kids as one day I am going to need someone to change my diapers LOL.  Long story short - if you do receive a lottery ticket in the mail from me rest assured that is a true and actually California State Lottery ticket and not a fake one like the ones above.  Good Luck.

My Home

I spent my Labor Day night making this labor of love -- ahhh that is a bit much LOL.  I am very excited over this.  I hope you enjoy my view.  Let me know what you think!

Me After You

I came across this video today.  I have not posted a video in awhile but I really enjoyed this song right off the bat.  I do not know anything about the singer but I love the quiet strength in the song and found myself singing along right away.  The video is pretty cool too.  I love the vintage movie images.  I need to find out more about this signer.  Enjoy.