Sunday, July 31, 2011

Whole Foods Parking Lot

I'm been patiently waiting the Whole Foods Market to finally open its doors here in Boise.  They've been promising one since I moved here in October 2004, so I'm not holding my breath.  While reading this other blog, A Cup of Jo, I came across this great youtube video that really said it all about shopping Whole Foods in Los Angeles.  I'm dying of laughter, check it out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU&feature=player_embedded#at=37

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Too Hot to Trot

Today it is so hot outside, my eyeballs are sweating.  If it were decent to walk around naked in public, today is a day that both David and I would be pretending to be Adam and Eve.  And I'm not talking in a kinky way either, just plain old fashion comfort.  It's so hot that clothing feels restrictive.

But our hunger got the best of us, and our Costco run isn't until tomorrow so our cupboards are pretty bare, so we decided to brave the weather.  We rode our bikes down town to get some lunch.  Luckily it is basically down hill the whole way.  It's not a steep hill, in fact its such a small grade, most people hardly notice it unless your on a bike.  Its just enough to make it easier going into town.  Unluckily that meant the ride home was harder and hotter and after eating delicious, but hot Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup, I thought I was going to have heat stroke when I wasn't in the shade of the trees.



When we got home, poor Linus with his permanent wool coat ran straight into the house and sprawled on the basement floor.  This is especially unusual behavior for him... its usually hard to get him to come into the house.  All I could think was my friend from New Jersey saying, "Ya know its hot when...!"

Now we are all complete vegetables... cooked vegetables at that!  Maybe time for an ice cold shower to snap me back into action... how do you beat the heat?  I'm open to suggestions!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

These Days




these days i'm reading more and computing less.
these days i wonder exactly what will come to pass and when.
these days i am looking forward to re-launching and designing again (something i love!)
these days i'm trying to enjoy downtime more.
these days i'm missing my family.
these days i'm loving riding my bike to and from work.
these days i'm trying to find me again, and not the person i've suddenly noticed in the mirror.
these days i'm trying to be more spontaneous.
these days i have really been digging the blogs a cup of joholding the world in a paper cup, & marta writes.
these days i'm missing the incredible summer storms in wisconsin.
these days i miss my friends there too!
these days i'm completely horrible at responding to emails. (sorry!)
these days black board shorts, a headband, and a loose tee are my go-to.
these days i can't quit scratching my sunburned legs or my husband's itchy back.
these days i need to take the time to finally get a manicure and pedicure.
these days i am so thankful for an awesome, supportive family and friends.
 
these days i am so happy for hot sunny weather.
these days i'm still staying up too late reading beside my hubby.
these days i'm glad he is such fun to be around.
these days i'm stoked about my library card - free is good.
these days i'm dreaming about the addition we want to put on our house.
these days i'm having fun planning a trip to spain next spring.
these days i'm trying to get into focus. 
these days i've decided to start playing tourist in my town to shake things up a bit.
these days i have a case of serious baby fever.
these days the nomad in me wants to pick up and move someplace new.
these days the settled part of me dreams about a home and family in boise.
these days i am so in love with my handsome husband.
these days i am feeding off of your nice feedback. (Gracias!)

ps. these days i must give credit where credit is due... this blog post idea was copied from the blogger marta writes, and i made it my own. 

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Legalizing Drugs: To be or Not To be?

Hello All,


Today I read an article (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/us/17salts.html) about people across the nation showing up in hospitals after snorting bath salts.  Apparently they get really aggressive after the high, and the doctors have been stumped because even after administering the sedative/tranquilizer nothing has worked, and they've actually had to admit people into the psych ward for 24-48 hours to get the stuff out of their system. 


My older sister Katie and I have very different views on drugs/drug policy, and I sent her this article per our ongoing discussion.  The question being posed to her by me is simple: Are we going to outlaw bath salts now because a small group of people are using them inappropriately?


The thing is, people are always going to find ways to use drugs no matter what.  Its human nature to do the thing we're told not to do (Adam and Eve http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_and_Eve ring any bells?) Instead of making things (like bath salts) illegal to use, why not legalize them, heavily tax them, heavily regulate them (Like alcohol or prescription drugs), and in turn, make the criminal actions done by people under the influence of said stimulants not only illegal, but more harshly punished.

Yesterday, I was talking to a young man I know that just graduated from a prestigious private High School in Boise. He was an intern in my office last year, and he stopped by to say hello.  I asked him how easy it was for him to get alcohol.  He said he might be able to get his cousin to buy some for him, but his cousin lives in Wisconsin, so it's a moot point.  I then asked him how easy it was for him to get marijuana.  He said he could have some within the hour if he wanted it (he has grand political aspirations and has no interest in drugs).  All he had to do to get some pot was just make a quick phone call to some kids in his school, and voila.

If marijuana were regulated the same way alcohol, or even in a more strict way similar to prescription medications, it would be a lot harder for kids (and everyone) to get ahold of.  Plus, the taxes generated alone would help fix our failing US economy.  


I was recently in the hospital with Kidney Stones.  They gave me a huge prescription for Norco.  It made me violently sick.  So they gave me a prescription for Percocet and one for Toradol- both incredibly potent painkillers, but no one reclaimed the Norco from me.  Now, I'm not someone who abuses the system, but it made me think, how easy would it be for some unscrupulous person to go into the ER not just to get high (while I was there they kept injecting me with morphine), but to get prescriptions for drugs they could turn around and sell on the black market fairly easily?  


Strict regulation combined with stricter punishments for criminal acts under the influence of said drugs seems like a more logical way for keeping drugs away from kids than the current system.  


My sister disagrees.  Katie's tennis partner is a police woman in New England.  According to her, legalizing pot just puts more stoned people on the street – a nightmare for anyone who’s involved in public safety http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-pot-drivers-20110703,0,3288424.story

Katie did say that she understood the need for a mind numbing substance for people who are dying of cancer or other painful illnesses, but she, and many like her feel that it’s a system that will be abused for sure.

Isn't it a system that is already being abused?  By legalizing marijuana will that suddenly make more people start smoking pot?  Or is it so easy to get now that the same people who would otherwise have smoked pot be the same people smoking pot after the drug is legalized- with the few exceptions of the terminally ill patients that would now be legally allowed some relief from their pain?  

I think we may see a spike in drug use followed by a steep decline once the regulations were fully in place. 


Thoughts anyone?  

Friday, July 15, 2011

Burgers in Boise

Recently, I have been craving foods that I'm not supposed to be eating- bread for example, I would love a french baguette with butter right now!  But alas, I really want to get past this colitis mumbo-jumbo, so... I'm watching David eat the yummy things I can't and living vicariously through him.

Anyway, on one of these such occasions, David and I went for a walk through downtown and ended up at The Piper Pub, which has been in Boise at least as long as me, and probably a lot longer.  I consider it a Boise staple.

We sat down for lunch and I ordered a Gluten-free salad and David order and proceeded to chomp down on what he considers the best burger he's ever tasted (at least in Boise.)

Because of its gargantuan size, I decided that it deserved a post of its own.  David has officially proclaimed the burgers at the Boise's old faithful, The Piper Pub to be the best in town... definitely check them out if you haven't already.

Look at how HUGE they are- I think they may be bigger than his face... YUM!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Skyping with Kitty

One of my favorite things to do in the whole world is chat with my niece Kaitlin (I call her Kitty) on Skype.  I'm sure if we lived close enough to her, my favorite thing would be to play with her in person, but alas, no dice.  They live on the LEast coast and we live on the Best- I mean West coast. ;)

Anyway, I thought I'd start a new feature called "Skyping with Kitty," but after starting it, I don't think other people (except maybe my mom, my brother Morgan, and his wife Deb) would find it half as entertaining as I do so... I figured I'd just dedicate one blog post to "Skyping with Kitty."

When Kitty calls me on Skype I hear her little pip squeak voice say "Hi Auntie Bel!"  "Hi!" "Hi Bel!"  "Hi Auntie Bel!" until I acknowledge her.  Then she usually doesn't have much to say to me.  Today was different.  

Today, Kitty showed me her toes- painted pink- and her new doll who she has named "Baby Doodle."  She named her this because my mom calls Kitty her "Doodle Bug".  She also has a doll named "Baby Cindy" and a doll named "Dolly".  She certainly loves her babies!

Then Kitty and I read the book, "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day" while she ate her lemon yogurt and snuggled in her Gee-ma's bed.  She LOVES this book.  Gee-ma is my mom who lives with my brother and his wife and takes care of Kitty while they are at work. She also cooks them dinner most nights and babysits whenever they want to go out.  Pretty nice set-up, huh?!  Anyway, like I said, Kitty loves that book, and she parrots me every time I say "...very bad day."  It's possibly the cutest thing ever... that is until I heard her say "Thank you" (unprompted) when I finished reading to her.

Kitty always insists we play with my dog Linus for a while.  Kitty is fascinated with him because one of his tricks is to bark on command.  Kitty likes to tell him to speak...  

It went something like this: 
Auntie Bel: "Sit Linus. Okay Kitty..."
Kitty: "Speak, Yinus".  
Linus barks.  Kitty laughs.  
Kitty: "Speak, speak Yinus!" 
Linus barks again and gets excited Kitty Laughs harder.  

She would have done this all day if Linus had stayed put.  

My first dog that I ever own on my own is Stela and now she lives with my mom, which means she lives with Kitty.  And Kitty thinks Stela is her dog.  I adore that dog more than I can say, she's my dog-soul-mate if there ever was one.  But my mom needs her because she's such an awesome friend, so she stays with mom... and now I guess that means she is Kitty's dog.  Anyway, I always ask Kitty, "Where's MY Stel-Stel?"  Kitty gets very serious with a concerned look on her face and she says "No, MY Stel-Stel. You Yinus."


Kitty always goes to get Stela to show her to me and she likes to put her arms around Stela's neck and give her loves.  Poor Stela!  Although she is quite loved by the little miss, sometimes Kitty gets a bit aggressive and in her affections... She says "Oooh!  Stel-Stel's soooo cute!" And hugs her harder until Stela is looking up at the adults in the room and begging to be released.  But Stela is ever so patient with Kitty and allows her to drag her around and love on her.

Arwen, my brother's dog, does not put up with Kitty even touching her for too long without growling.  Kitty thinks this is funny and she will actually do things to the dog to produce a growl like stomp on her tail.  Poor Arwen!

My mom and I started chatting briefly before said good-bye, and Kitty doesn't like to be ignored when we talk so she's always popping in front of the screen and saying, "Auntie Bel, look...".  When mom and I were finished chatting, I said, "Let me say good-bye to Kitty."  She heard this, perked right up, and ran over to Gee-ma and told her that she had to say good-bye to me.  "Let me talk."  She gets really animated and makes these big kiss smacking noises.  It all melts my heart.

Morgan certainly set a high standard for adorable, polite and sweet children... when its my turn, I've got a lot of work to to do!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The "F" Bomb

A little rant...

Today while I was at work, I decide to take a mini break and check my facebook page.  I play a mean game of scrabble (ongoing) with a good family friend, and I like to check in every once in a while to see if its my move.

Anyway, when I logged on to my account the first thing that caught my eye was in the news feed: my niece Jennah wrote a really nasty little note to my niece Holly (her younger sister) in which she called Holly the f-word.

Now, maybe its my age catching up to me, but I have to admit I almost fainted... she's only 14 using language like that!  Whoa!  I think I finally understand when my mother used to say things like, "Your grandfather would just die if he hear you talk like that."  I didn't drop the "F" bomb until I was at least a senior in high school, and maybe not even until college- or if I did it was rare, and I don't remember ever calling someone a "F".

I called Jennah up and told her to remove the comment/post it immediately.  That is just not something you write in a public forum, let alone say to your not-quite-12-year-old sister at the age of 14.

She's a good girl and she removed it immediately without even trying to plead her case.  She's much better behaved than I was in that way... I always pleaded my case, even when I know I'm wrong (I should have been a lawyer!)

I actually remember sitting in a car with my older brother John (the girls' dad), and using the word "$h!t."  I remember the lecture I got from my big brother.  Oy!  It lasted forever, and it went something along the lines of, "Nice girls don't use language like that."

Maybe I'm a hypocrite for getting so upset with Jennah... I have to admit, that I talk like a sailor now.  I drop that word all the time and I hate it.  It sounds so unintelligent and crass, and frankly, I'm better than that.  I suddenly feel guilty for possibly passing on my foul mouth to my very impressionable nieces whom I love!

Plus yesterday, when I got home from work, I let Linus into the front yard with me while I checked the mail.  He loves the front yard where he rarely gets to go, plus I do this from time to time (more often lately) to remind passersby that we not only have a security system, but we have a dog as well.

Bad idea...

Linus saw a skateboarder cruising down the street and took off faster than I have ever seen him move into traffic to bark at the feet of the boarder.  Besides almost killing himself, he came close to causing a huge accident on our busy street.  I screamed his name, cars honked loudly, but he somehow made it across the street and got to the skateboarder... Barking away.

The little jerk skateboarder got off his/her (I honestly couldn't tell- yesterday I thought it was a girl, but today I saw the same kid and thought it was a boy) skateboard and started yelling obscenities at me and kicking Linus.  Combined with the honking vehicles on the street, I was trying very hard to keep my cool.  But then the little SOB said something nasty that I don't remember, and kicked Linus one more time for good measure (apparently) and I lost it.

I started yelling back with equally foul language and I fiery vigor that I rarely get worked into.  The skateboarder took off scared at something I said.  I was in such a frenzy with everything going on I seriously don't remember much other than the "F" word being used.  It was awful.  I felt awful about it even as it was happening.

When I finally got Linus back into the yard and then into the house scolding him sternly for his reckless and flat out unacceptable behavior my blood was really pumping.  I hate getting so worked up, because it kind of stays in me for a while and I get edgy and- well, the best way to describe it is the New Yorker in me comes out in full force, and she is not nice.  She is hard and angry.

Sunday, David and I went and saw the movie Midnight in Paris at the indie movie theater the Flicks, and I think that movie, combined with the above stated events has really got me to thinking, what's happened to me?  To everyone?  Why have we let our vast English language get so small and uncouth?
   
Is it because time moves faster these days?  Technology is ahead of linguistics, perhaps?  Did we behave better as a society 10 years ago?  20?  30?  Spell-check, Twitter and texting have certainly done nothing for our vocabulary or our ability to spell.

Why is everyone so angry all the time these days?  I say angry, because there has to be a reason people use language like that in every day conversations, I mean they aren't nice words and usually they're used to spout an angry point of view (i.e. you F---, F-ing A--Hole!, F--- You!)  I also can't believe high school and college age kids would scream curse words like that at a total stranger- an adult no less- like that person did at me.  And yet, I stooped to their level and screamed them right back.

My mother was horrified when I told her.

How do you feel about the "F" word?

Well, this little incident with Jennah has certainly woken me up today.  I need to call and thank her.  I'm lucky to have such wonderful nieces and nephews to teach me these things- especially before I have kids of my own!  From today forward I am going to find as many other words to explain things as possible... no more swearing.  It's too easy and it just sounds ignorant.

Me and my beautiful nieces- Gabby, Hannah, Kaitlin, Holly, Jennah, and Moriah at my wedding



Who could possibly want to kick this sweet boy?

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Happy Anniversary!

Today is the one year anniversary of our wedded bliss...

I love you more every day Mr. David J. Lopez!

All photos by Krakora Studios







Saturday, July 2, 2011

Ship Drawings...

Does it get any cuter than this?!  
Needless to say, his booth was one of the most popular at the Saturday Market this week!