Everything IS Illuminated

I've been known to dress my dog - on occasion. I am - I believe - fulfilling some maternal aspect of my being that's for want while wading through a childless life. The first year I had my puppers, I made a witch outfit for her to wear during Halloween. Last night I mod-ed a black hoodie she's had for a while, to keep her warm during cold nights and when we go camping.

She has her typical, I-can't-believe-you-dress-me, look on her face; and though she may not be officious, she is a damn good sport.

Pidgies

It's been a while since I've chronicled anything here. Not for lack of material, mostly because of a lack of time. I spent a lot of time in June and early July out of town - some for good reason and some for bad. Perhaps it was this time away that kept me from noticing the Pidgies. But now that I'm back and settled into the work, home, sleep, routine again, I can make a dutiful blog and honor my baby pigeons.

(A little background)

Baby pigeons have been on the same level as unicorns to me for a very long time. Or, maybe I should equate it to old Nessie. We're talking about the "whatever, they don't exist" level. However, at some point, they (baby pigeons) moved from the I'm too old to believe category, to the semi-retarded and unjustified fascination category; that same level that many of my friends have insisted on being at with unicorns and that same level at which I have steadfastly refused to join them...at least in regards to unicorns. I'll stick with my baby pigeons and Mount Rushmore, thank you very much.

My fascination with the non-existence of baby pigeons comes from the fact that I see pigeons everywhere, and yet, never in my 28 years had I seen a baby one. This seemed a little ridiculous. I would sometimes ponder the absence and many times tried to engage people in conversation around the anomaly: Do they migrate here? Are they born grown up? Do they do the opposite of spontaneously combust?

Of all my conversations, there were only two things that I learned:

1) No one likes pigeons
2) No one had ever seen a baby one


I also happened to learn that no one cares. But, I care! I cared a lot. And the more I thought about it, the more it fascinated me. And then it happened. A year ago, I saw my first baby pigeons. They were in the brush behind some rocks in the courtyard at my company's new headquarters. They were small and cute and so very perfect. They were too young to have any of the deformities that living the harsh life of a winged cockroach will impose upon an animal. They had baby feathers and screamed for food from momma. There were two of them, brother and sister in my mind, and they followed each other around (much like their grown counterparts) and I even saw them as they learned to fly.

As you can imagine, I was ecstatic. I told just about all of my coworkers, who pretended not to care. I could see that some of them realized I really may be crazy, but others...I saw them and their pretending not to care. Staring prolonged because they couldn't admit that this was the first time in their lives they had ever seen a baby pigeon.

It's an odd thing to see. Not only because it is extremely rare, but because, in a lot of ways, it changes your whole perspective on the animal. You realize that it is a living creature with a life cycle very real and similar to that of other animals. No longer will kicking and tormenting these birds come with such ease. From here on out you will be forced to reconcile with your past, the one where you fed alka-seltzer to a pigeon and orphaned her babies.

Anyway, maybe not for you, but it did something in me. My fascination continues to grow, with my need to defend them ever stronger. The great underestimated and under-appreciated Columbidae.


Myrta and Paul - Gen2 babies from Spring '08



Myrta and Paul with Momma looking on

My Imaginary Band

When Tracy and I start a band...this will be our promo photo! (Joshua Tree N.P. 3/08)

FYI

I was coming to blog for some other reason. I had something I was going to ramble about but on my way here, I got sidetracked. Reality is, when I was typing in my blog URL, I mistyped and forgot the "510" portion - ending up at www.beckside.blogspot.com. I tried to get that URL when I first got to Blogger but, obviously, it was already taken. I had never tried to go to that URL before tonight.

I have to say, even though the blog's been dormant since '05, I'm not angry. The title of said blog (if you haven't already clicked on the link) is "Pickles Bickles". For any of you out there that remotely know me...you get it. If you don't get it, I'll explain.

I LOVE pickles. Pickles are the most awesomest food ever; and in general other than pickled cucumber, I also like other pickled vegetables. I think second in line behind the cool cukes would be daikon - or Japanese radish for all you gaijin out there. So, imagine my surprise that a blog using MY URL would have a ME title for it!

A few more facts about pickles and me:

1. I've been eating them for approximately 28 years
2. Once a babysitter told me I'd turn into one (the old "you are what you eat" adage)
3. I used to drink pickle juice straight from the jar
4. I consider pickles a staple when grocery shopping
5. Sweet pickles are gross (and hence, relish is completely uncalled-for)
6. I own a green van, whose name is, yup, Pickles

So there you have it folks, a salute to Pickles Bickles and the nameless that stole my URL. And to all the rest of you, go eat a pickle, you've earned it!

Murphy's Law

So, this morning, I got prosecuted under Murphy's Law. Perfect day to sleep in. I scheduled myself for usability testing today and don't have to be anywhere until about 10am. Awesome, I think as my alarm starts going off at the normal time this morning, I get to sleep in at least an hour! Which is really just about all I need to feel pretty darn accomplished.

But, wait, what's that annoying car alarm sound? Oh, it's a car alarm going off. Fuck...of course. Wait for it. Wait for it. FUCK!

Ten minutes after I would have normally woken up, a car alarm goes off, and then proceeds to go off for the next twenty minutes. Yup. Sleeping in time over.

Ok, so I'll look and make sure none of my neighbors' cars are getting stolen. Oh, look at that, it IS my neighbor's car. And she's in it. FUCK.

Apparently, my neighbor got a new-to-her car that was equipped with a car alarm that apparently will keep her from going anywhere until she figures out how to turn it off. She was on the opposite side of the street where the alarm was triggered and proceeded to go off. Then she decides to start the car and start driving around - at first I hadn't realized it was her in the car and I was very excited at the prospect of the person driving very very far away. But no, it was just my neighbor who decided to just move the car from the opposite side of the street to our side. Thanks.

Then the Mohammad starts laughing at her and offering no help at all. By this time, I'm up. No point in even trying to sleep in at this point. I yell at Mohammad for not being the slightest bit helpful, doesn't anyone know how to disconnect a battery?? For Christ sake. Throw on clothes, go outside, open the hood and look at what I need to disconnect the battery...oh, and Hi, good morning.

Then, just as I'm about to go back in for the right socket, the key goes in the passenger side door and wahlah! no more alarm.

Great, thanks, oh, and good morning to you too. Jerk.

Take One for the Team

One of the most common questions I hear about my job is, "So, you must get LOTS of free tickets." Of course, this question comes after quite a bit of explaining about WHAT the company I work for does. I often see the literal light go off in the brain once I've done a sufficient job - then comes the, "Oh, so there must be lots of perks."

For a while after starting at Stubhub.com, this was actually, not the case at all. I think in a six month period I had been to one SF Giants game - as a team outing; we sat in the bleachers in right field and bought our own beer. The perk was we weren't working.

Now, after almost two full years, an eBay buyout and MLBAM deal later, I can say, yes, I get perks. Albeit, not as many as you'd like to think, or I'd like to take advantage of, but yes, there are perks.

It really dawned on me the other day, as I sit in a Mezzanine suite at Oracle Arena watching the GS Warriors try and beat the Nuggets out of a playoff spot.

So, as I'm sitting there drinking beer in a movie theater seat mid-way up from the floor, I realized that that game completed the link and I had finally seen the major professional sports live and in person. It just so happened that my job helped me do that and that besides MLS and NHL, I have enjoyed each of the sports from some ridiculously posh spots.

I have now seen the SF Giants, Oakland A's, Oakland Raiders and Golden State Warriors from a suite locale. I sat in the Diamond Club of McAfee Coliseum watching the A's from literally 50 feet behind Big Blue and Home Plate. In Chicago, going to see the Cubs in Wrigley Field amongst the brick and ivy was amazing enough, but then, I also got to see them from across the street from an exclusive Rooftop party locale built specifically for watching Cubs games. Think Club style with bar, buffet and flat screens on second floor and bar, buffet, flat screen and bleachers on the roof.

I have to admit it's worth bragging about. Now if only the front row Rolling Stones tickets could be attributed to my work as well (and not the hubby and local radio), I'd be sold to the company for life.

Choke Your Heart Out

Tonight for dinner I ate an artichoke. By all means not so exciting, except for the fact that the artichoke came from one of the two artichoke plants that me and the hubby planted nearly a year and a half ago.

Now that, my readers, is exciting. It was so beautiful and I really had wanted to take a picture, except in the heat of the moment I simply forgot. There was a lot of thought and emotion that went into actually deciding to cut the cute little veggie off it's burly stalk and definitively plop it into a pot of water and cook 'er up.

I've always boiled my 'chokes in the past and eaten the yummy leaves with a side of ranch. I didn't have any ranch and well, I was hoping there was some other, perhaps more dignified, way of consuming the vegetable. Alas, my searches on the internet provided nothing except the idea to cut the threatening thorns off - for aesthetics (only proper, I thought) - and mix up a delicious honey mustard dip in place of the boring - yet dependable - ranch.

The artichoke was, I must report, a little tough, but for all intents and purposes, exceptionally yummy - if not a slight bit bland on flavor - and every bit satisfying.

I am now dutifully waking up early enough in the morning to water the remaining three blossoms. The plant that brought me tonights veggie side is also bearing two others and the second plant, although a bit less fertile, is bringing forth one more.

As a last homage to the now food baby 'choke, I promise to take a picture of her remaining siblings; and if I get that particular whim, perhaps even take a picture I will eventually hang on the wall.

Ah, the whimsical feelings of an urban gardener. So be it.

24 Hours of Stuff

A few of the things from the last 24 hours in my life:

1. Cried in my Photo instructor's office about my life and the pressures of creativity

2. Played lots of pinball - including vintage games - and an ancient "bowling" game

3. Ate too much mexican food

4. Woke up on the couch to my husband snoring and Robot Chicken way past over

5. Took two photographs of Nick's Liquor Liquor Liquor across the street with the pinhole "Cooler" camera I made a few weeks ago

6. Found a DVD that I've had from the video store for a month

7. Helped my husband compose a condolences letter to the parents of his 8 year old daughter's dead mother

8. Talked with a friend about life, the Oscars and kicking the habit

And now it's time to go to bed again.