Tag Archives: kayaking

A Couple of Things…

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1. As the seasons change from summer to fall, I continue to kayak until conditions change to when it’s so windy when one paddles, you barely move. But for now, the perfect conditions prevail.

photo of Channel Islands Harbor kayaking

2. I saw a great t-shirt that read: “I’m not completely useless. I can be used as a bad example.” #TrueDat

Steinholding competition
Man on left won the competition

3. It’s that time again when beer-filled steins are aplenty, bratwurst and sauerkraut sandwiches are all the rage and people arrive wearing goofy German clothing, of course I’m speaking of Oktoberfest. I attended the 2nd annual Oktoberfest at the Ventura Fairgrounds this week and I was a little annoyed that you have to pay to get in, you stand in line for an “over 21” wristband, you stand in line for a beer ($15-$30 each), you stand in line to order food and then wait in line to pick it up and while all the time you’re being overwhelmed by German polka bands.
I did indeed enjoy the sandwich along with a warm soft pretzel straight out of the oven along with my beer (sorry…did not opt for German). I also enjoyed the Steinholding competition. I had never witnessed (nor heard of) one before. People lined up with a beer stein in front of them filled with water (no need to waste good beer), and then they pick it up and the last one to hold it with out spilling a drop wins. Turns out, there’s a US Steinholding Association which delineates rules for the competition. I won’t list all (you can read them here), but these are my favorites.

  • The arm holding the stein must remain parallel with the ground and, from a side view, should remain close to perpendicular with the line of the torso from the neck to the bottom of the rib cage.
  • If any amount of the liquid filling the stein spills or drips off of the stein, the competitor is immediately disqualified, regardless of the number of strikes otherwise assigned.
Photo of friends David and Marnie with me

I did mention people dressed up in their best “traditional” German garb, well I came across two of my father’s friends (and mine), David and Marni who were all about the festivities. It was good to catch up with them!

Late for the Sky advertisement
Aaron Orbit and Travis Greer

4. Congratulations to local filmmaker, Travis Greer, on his short film, “Late for the Sky.” I caught a screening of it last weekend here in town at the Cinefest held during ArtWalk Ventura. Both Greer, and local musician/artist, Aaron Orbit starred in it and it was really well done. I was enthralled by the cinematography. The close ups were amazing and truly mesmerizing. A job well done and the film was the winner for Best Comedy.

5. Checked out an early morning screening of “Digger” this past weekend. We’re talking 10:10 am which one would think is too early for popcorn, but not this popcorn lover! “Popcorn for breakfast, it’s your choice!” should be the campaign of the next Orville Reddenbaker ad run.

As for the movie, if you see it, I hope it sticks with you and makes you think. You need to pay attention and follow the plotline. #Deep

Digger movie poster

6. Things that live in my head rent free:

  • Tom Cruise’s latest movie, Digger
  • (To be continued…)

7. Why is prostitution illegal and not porn? Of course prostitution is legal in areas of the state of Nevada; and as I delved into the subject, I found that porn is argued that it’s a first amendment issue with actors regarding “artistic expression.”
But if a woman is 100% willing and not under duress, why is it illegal? It’s her body.
I thought of this workaround: Start a FansOnly page, and prostitute one’s self, but position it as being hired for an art project so she would film it in order to post it so it would pass the First Amendment rights provision. The “John” would either give consent to be filmed or be blindfolded, which could be fun.

While researching this, Wikipedia provided this tidbit: “Prostitution is illegal in every US state except Nevada, where licensed brothels are permitted in some counties, and Maine, where selling sex is decriminalized but buying sex is illegal.”

artwork of Famous last Words episode

8. If you get a chance, watch the episode of Famous Last Words on Netflix featuring Gloria Steinem. There are now three episodes, I’ve seen Steinem’s and Jane Goodall’s, and will get around to watching the one with Eric Dane who passed away from ALS. At the time of the recordings, the person being interviewed is promised that no one will see it until they have passed away. But you can’t help but think what other episodes are in the can just waiting for that someone to die. #KindaGrim

9. From my favorite quotes file: “Why is it immoral to be paid for an act that is perfectly legal if done for free?” – Gloria Allred

A Couple of Things…

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1. I recently took another trip up north. This time the destination was Graham, Washington for a baby shower. You know this has to be special to travel 1,116 miles…for a baby shower. Also, if you know me, it has to be special for me to attend ANY baby shower. Well it’s my dearest friend Linda’s son and wife’s first baby.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t 100% thrilled about going as I just went to Portland last month, but I’m so happy I did because I had a blast! For starters, we flew up to Portland out Santa Barbara which is a fuckin’ cakewalk. Then Linda’s sister, Candy picked us up and took us to her home where I finally got to meet her husband Morris. It was as if we had all been friends for years, no topic was taboo. Great food, drink and conversation!

Candy drove us the next day up to Graham, Washington where we spent a couple nights at a local Comfort Inn. and while the motel was clean and safe, the neighborhood not so much. Tip to the wise, GoogleMap your destination and use the street view to get a lay of the land.

photo at baby shower
Left to right: Mama to be Isabella, Linda, Candy, me with proud papa above, Nicolas
Nicolas tuning his sitar.
Nicolas did a performance for us on his sitar, totally self taught. It was beautiful. I wish I could share the video here.

It was great to catch up with Linda’s family and the baby shower turned out to be delightful. I was dreading the games, but they were short and not embarrassing at all; well at least not for me. During baby charades, I picked (slips of paper out of a bag), “baby’s first steps” which everyone got right away. Then Morris walked in just in time and we basically coerced him into playing and he picked “giving birth.” Yeah, you get the picture. He was a good sport about it, I’ll give him that!

photo of Mt. Rainer
While leaving Graham, WA, I took this photo of Mt. Rainer.

We arrived back in Portland Sunday afternoon and my daughter Sydney and mate, Nate came for dinner which was the icing on the cake! #AwesomeTrip

2. I found an article about the best and worst place to place your cat’s litter box and that reminded me of one of the perks of being pregnant, other than bringing a new life into existence, is that someone else needs to clean out the litter box.

Vets say this is the worst place to put your cat’s litter box

Pregnant women should avoid cleaning litter boxes primarily due to the risk of toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can have serious health implications for both the mother and the unborn child.

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which can be found in cat feces. 

3. My good friend Maggie brought up a very good point recently about our mutual friend Carlos. He’s quite adept at being a Wingman but exceptional when it comes to being a Cockblocker when required. #WorthHisWeightInGold

4. Have you ever wondered what is the best sleep position? Well you can read this article I found on MSN.com. I looked it up after having a conversation with Morris (#1 above) who is a retired doctor who specialized in migraines. He mentioned that if you sleep on your left side, it help with your brain. The article backs this up. ““If you’re lying on your left side, it may actually be better for clearing the waste product in our brain,” he says [Dr. John Saito]. This is called the glymphatic system, a brain’s specialized waste clearance network that washes away harmful metabolic byproducts, including proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease, while we sleep. 

I tend to start on my left, but it’s a crap shoot after I fall asleep.

5. I just heard the Los Angeles Lakers are being sold again for a record $12.5 billion, just 14 months after it was bought for $10 billion. I guess the NBA Board of Governors must still approve the sale (next meeting in September), but tell me this, doesn’t this sound like house flipping. And who will pay the price? Yep, the fans.

6. Speaking of basketball. I’ve started back with regular visits to my chiropractor earlier this month and he was determined to get me back on the court. He asked if I was still shooting and I told him no because I haven’t been able to hit a three-pointer since my knee replacement (10 years ago now!). He started working on my hips, knees, ankles and feet. I’m back on the court and first things first as I’m working on the muscle memories of just making a basket and little by little gaining more distance. We’ll see and you know I’ll report when it happens!

7. I’ve been taking full advantage of the summer weather here at the beach. Inland it’s a heatwave, at the beach…it’s just beautiful. Got Maggie out for a ride up the coast, and Linda out kayaking in the Channel Islands. One works your legs, the other your arms.

Pam and Maggie wearing bike helmets
Linda kayaking

8. There are a number of tribute bands I enjoy and some I tolerate; however, you will never ever see me at an ABBA tribute band show. #PersonalChoice #TrueDat

ABBA album cover
photo of movie poster

9. Who the hell has seen the movie, The Drama? I need someone to discuss it with. You can see it on HBO Max. #CommentBelow

By the way, I no longer envision Edward Cullen when I see a Robert Pattinson movie. #ThankGod

National Treasure official artwork

9. The Hollywood Reporter reports “National Treasure 3” is finally real and the director confirmed they have a script. (see article)

I don’t know why I’ve seen the original and #2 so many times. I guess I find them ridiculously fun!

From my favorite quotes file: “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn

A Couple of Things…

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1. A few blogs ago I shared about how I detach my camera from my desktop computer and that I would cover the lens on my laptop to avoid any possible malware spying called camfecting or camhacking. I was checking my texts recently when I broke out in a cold sweat and realized my phone also has a camera, and after a quick search, yes, the commie rat bastards can also spy via your phone’s len.
And while Norton wants to sell you their anti-virus software, they do provide tips on what to look for on their blog (click here).
My tip, never leave the camera in “selfie” mode.

2. Sunday, June 28, one of the Big Bear eaglets, Sandy, accidentally fell from the nest. I saw a video showing the fall where the eaglet landed on a lower branch and then one of the parents quickly arrived to monitor the situation to make sure she is protected and fed. It was reported Sandy took flight to a nearby tree so she is fine.

The next day, the second eaglet, Luna, took flight to a nearby branch, where one of the parents kept tabs.

The eaglets return to the nest nightly for now. See story: https://youtu.be/6sKl7bQ_JNc?si=pvl3qw3yXW9UBq9N

Nature is brilliant!

3. As I’m sure with everyone who saw the report, I’m extremely sad to learn that actor Danny Glover was given an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. If you check out his resume of films and television, you can’t deny he had a full life and has been one of our most prolific actors with over 200 credited roles. Some of my favorites are Death at a Funeral, the Royal Tenenbaums, Angels in the Outfield, the Color Purple, and of course the Lethal Weapon series. IMDB.com has a career retrospective you can watch. I was surprised to see he was in the movie Saw. Too scary for me.

I wouldn’t wish this disease on anyone.

photo from City of Ventura FB page

4. The Fourth of July was a hoot. The City of Ventura held a fireworks show on Friday, July 3 atop the downtown parking garage. The actual holiday featured their annual Pushem/Pullen parade which I contend is the only parade with more people in it than watching it, followed by the Downtown Holiday Street Fair. Both days brought thousands of people downtown.

5. I went kayaking in the Channel Islands Harbor with Maggie. Saw a dozen or so sea lions lounging in the sun, tons of birds including a Blue Heron and a very large pelican whom I called you’re majesty as we paddled by.

6. I’ll admit I caught a bit of the World Cup fever until “He who won’t be named” intervened. I thought it would have been classy for the red tagged USA player, Balogun, to still not play even though FIFA overturned the penalty. But alas, he did. Some call it Karma, others say USA just didn’t play with heart; regardless, they lost to Belgium.

Side note: the FIFA World Cup trophy is made of solid gold and is kept at the FIFA World Football Museum in Zurich, Switzerland but leaves for special occasions. Wikipedia states, “Only a selected few are officially allowed to touch the trophy with bare hands, including players and managers who have won the competition, heads of state, and FIFA officials.”

7. I’m excited to see The Odyssey when it comes out which I’ll try to see on an IMAX screen. Meanwhile I guess I’ll take in Toy Story 5. #CravingPopcorn

8. I’ll be visiting my daughter in Portland soon. Stories to follow!

9. From my favorite quotes file: “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Couple of Things…

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1. I kayaked for the first time thanks to my good friend Diana.  She took me out in the Ventura Keys on a gorgeous calm morning recently.  It’s a little cumbersome getting all the equipment together and launching these water crafts, but it’s great for the senses and helps tone those arms.
Next time I’ll not only bring gloves to prevent blisters on the inside of my thumbs but I’ll remember to relax my shoulders and let my arms do the work…Oh! And maybe Bloody Marys in the water bottle.

2. My father celebrated birthday #83 In October.  Dinner at Aloha, a little jazz at Squashed Grapes, it was a good night. 🙂

3. I gave my father a copy of this photo in a frame for his birthday.  Yeah, that’s me and dad on the far left, I must have been around 8 years old.  An old friend from school came across it and sent it to me earlier this year.  She’s next to me with her father, her name is Laura. What a treasure, no?  Look at how geeky we look, and trust me, we worked hard at getting all dolled up like this.  My mother is mostly to blame for the hairdo, however, the dress was all me.

4. Also in October, the Ventura Breeze celebrated their 10-year anniversary.  Sheldon, the publisher, takes the staff out annually to help show his appreciation.  I also celebrated my anniversary with the paper; Sheldon asked me if I would write a Ventura Music Scene column four years ago.  Well he didn’t have to ask twice and I haven’t missed a single deadline either!

5. Making ice tea is a fine art, one that eludes many fast food employees. Too much ice and you don’t get enough beverage, not enough ice and you end up with warm tea. And don’t even get me started on Arnold Palmers and the proper tea to lemonade ratio (2:3 by the way).

6. In September, I saw my first owl in the wild. It was sitting in a tree in the parking lot behind City Hall.  He hung out for several weeks, but I haven’t seen him lately.  I have to say, it was thrilling!  I wish I had a better photo; I took this one with my cell phone camera. Many thanks to Derrick for bringing me out to see it.  This has been crossed off my “to-do” list.  #IDontBelieveInBucketLists

7. I mentioned surviving another birthday last time around, but I came across this photo and thought I’d share it.  A quick toast:  “Here’s to family and friends, missing friends, and surrounding yourself with people who make you feel great.”

8. I saw this photo shared on social media with the caption, “They did not think through this water fountain.”
My response, “Or did they?”

9. Confession:  I took part in Hands Across America.  I had my bosses’ kids in the car with me (yeah I got suckered into babysitting for him) and I saw people lined up with a big ole’ gap in the line, so we all hopped out and took part on that day, a Sunday, May 25, 1986.
9a. Another confession:  I’m glad I did.

10. Could fighting intolerance be considered an oxymoron?
How about being the example: demonstrate tolerance & kindness.  Be mindful about it, do it with purpose.  Sure you can pray about it, and worry about it but how about trying to calm your area (your mind, your body, your home, your community, your country, your world, your universe).  You have more power than you think.

11. Mad respect for Taylor Swift. She counter sued a DJ who was suing her after she complained that he grabbed her backside and he was fired from his radio job.  He was suing for millions.  She sued for $1 and won.

I was watching social media’s response and the one that hit me hardest was a local radio announcer who said, “She should have gone to the police.”  He thought it needed to be reported.
I guess that’s easy for a man to say. But as a woman I can’t even count how many times my backside has been grabbed by male acquaintances and total strangers.
I think Taylor handled the whole event tactfully.  She went to his boss and reported it. She counter sued, and she won.

12.  From my favorite quotes file:  “Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” – Nora Ephron

Thanks for listening!