Monday, October 22, 2007

Fire Update

Just wanted to post a quick message to let everyone know we are okay. Luckily the fire that was miles away from our house is now under control and we were never in immediate danger. Everything does smell like one big campfire, though, and we were told to stay inside as much as possible until further notice as the air quality is horrible.

I have to laugh that I posted the message about the Santa Ana winds yesterday. By the time dinner rolled around, we had a major fire of our own nearby, fueled by these winds. Luckily, we have very little loss with our fire as compared to the area surrounding Malibu. I still like the Santa Ana winds. Just not the problems that come along with them.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

"They're Here."

Lance woke me up early this morning after his walk with Sofi. All he said was "They're here." I thought in my sleepy state - Who's here? Aliens? The Mafia? The police? The cast from the Harry Potter movies? I mean - It was only 6 a.m. or so and for him to wake me up, it had to be someone special.

It turns out he was referring to the Santa Ana winds. This is our second year of experiencing the Santa Ana winds and I have to admit, I never cease to marvel at this geographic phenomenon. (Another name for them is the Chinook winds and I will never forget what these are because I missed this question in my US Geography class in college.) All of the pine needles from the tree outside of our fence are now are back porch and the cool breeze you expect to feel as you watch the leaves on the trees blow turns out to be quite hot instead.

Even though these winds can cause great destruction, as seen as the massive fire in Malibu this weekend, I feel they are, in a way, magical. Like, as Jack Black says in the movie "The Holiday," anything can happen when they blow. What an amazing world we live in. I knew I majored in Geography for a reason.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Carpooling

WARNING: THIS IS A FUNNY COMMENTARY ON OUR MARRIAGE. NOT YOUR USUAL "WHAT WE ARE UP TO" POSTING. HOPE YOU ENJOY!

We decided early on in our marriage that Lance would be in charge of anything relating to the cars. This includes maintenance, tab renewals, car washes--you name it. Occassionally, I will fill up the car with gas, but that is pretty much where my role ends. I also discovered early on that waiting until the last minute to do things is just part of who Lance is. ( I must admit I procrastinate a bit myself...but only with certain things like sending birthday gifts or doing homework.) He will always get things done...just on his own timetable.

With these two facts revealed, you can now guess why my Rav4 is sitting in the garage, waiting for the '08 tabs to be delivered and we are forced to carpool to work every day. Lance gets to hear me kindly "urging" him to hurry up while he gets ready every morning, listen to my grouchy comments at the radio annoucers and put up with my not so chipper attitude about his choice of conversation on the way to work. I think next year we will have our new license tabs well before they expire. Lance will remember this week and be sure of that.

To his credit, he usually just chuckles at my comments and thinks my "I wish we didn't have to carpool, don't talk to me before 9 a.m., I hate mornings" attitude is cute. I think one of the most amazing things about our relationship is no matter how flawed we are as people, we have the ability to look past those flaws and see the good in each other. And laugh and tease each other about our silly mannerisms. Maybe that is what love is. Whatever it is, I can't WAIT until I can drive myself to work. Less stressful (and peaceful) for all involved.