My Afflation

Or how I managed to ruin my son’s birthday Yesterday Josh turned 15. Last night I was all set to tell the world about what a great, yet small and simple celebration we had. I guess I’ll start with that.Last year and this Josh didn’t want a party because the majority of his friends are in OR and he wants to go back there for summer. He has friends here in CA, but still considers OR to be his home. The Setup: Josh asked me to pick him up a cake, I told him that I was stuck in traffic. What he didn’t know was that I had already ordered a cake and it was safely tucked away buckled in the back seat. There was traffic, but after I passed it – smooth sailing home. During the day Josh had also asked if he could open his present . I told him that he had to wait. Luckily he didn’t press the issue. Cake and Presents: We had cake and presents and Josh gave me a hug. Pretty good since he has reached the “Mom is not cool” stage. My son does love me and I love him and everyone knows it. He only show

Try it, you’ll like it!!! My daughter is the big Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus fan in the family and she really, really, really, to the n th degree really wanted to see this movie. And since we didn’t make Shark Nights like I had planned, I promised to take her to see it. I was pleasantly surprised. Truth be told, I would see it again just for Billy Ray Cyrus and Rascal Flatts . The story flowed well, with a well-written plot. A sweet teen love-story sans sex and (not too much) drama. There's a plot-twist or two to keep you interested, some the physical comedy that the TV show is known for, and plenty of songs to warrant me buying the soundtrack for my daughter. Being a Disney movie with a music star in it I wasn’t sure if I was expecting a bad musical or a large screen version of the show. Blessedly, it was neither. The music scenes carried the movies along like any good soundtrack and enhanced the country feel of it. It was more emotionally mature than the TV show on

Did you know there is still time to sign up for this year’s NAB Show -- April 18-23 in Las Vegas. Tuvel Communications has a sweet deal for you, too. My readers can get a free exhibits-only pass. (My bad for posting this so late) here is the offer: Free Exhibits Passport Code: TP01 This pass includes access to the exhibit floor and the opening keynote - a $150 value.  Please pass along and visit http://nabshow.com/passport to redeem!  Make sure to register by April 9th, or an additional on-site registration fee will apply! Links : Twitter - http://twitter.com/nabshow Facebook - http://cli.gs/nabshowFB LinkedIn - http://cli.gs/nabshowLI   And yes, I will be there !

Starting sometime yesterday and continuing into today I have been feeling increasingly sad, overwhelmed, down, but not anxious . I am feeling off emotionally, and usually will listen to Christian music to "reset". I was listening to Women of Faith 's version of " Blessed Be Your Name " and couldn't stop crying. And I repeated it three or four times hoping that a good cry was all I needed to reset. Unfortunately, I am still out of sorts and on the verge. Verge of what? I don’t know. An emotional breakdown or eruption for sure. Even in the darkness, my heart will choose to say, "Blessed be your name" I have to hold onto that. I am emotionally at the end of my rope, and there’s no knot to hang onto. I woke up sometime in the night with a picture in my head and the question “What does your soul look like?” The picture in my head was … it was as if I could see inside myself and see my soul. Perhaps too much Bujold -- recently finished Horizon

I’m stoked, and should have posted this weeks ago when I got the message from @ LBMatt that the Port was sending me something. Things have been ( insert favorite phrase here ) – CRAZY BUSY . ©Annette Holland – This photo was taken at the Long Beach Photo Tweetup on March 7, 2009 from the Admin Building rooftop. Thank you, Matt and the Port of Long Beach for such a wonderful opportunity. The contest was for the top three spots in this contest. @ Oakmonster won one of the spots too. Filed under : Better late than never

Just listen. Even after all these years, Keith Green is still a powerful witness. And this is my favorite Easter Song

A total stranger knows things about you like: you’re a night owl you only watch Castle you have two kids, their names, hobbies, and ages you are a photography nut you tweet a lot Now mind you, this person mostly just follows me during the day, or I thought she did. We found it quite funny that she could tell her friends things about me and yet tonight was the first time we had met in person. Just more proof that I need an intervention. Or that this new policy of transparency is something that I am really, very, extremely good at. On the other hand, I could just tweet too much information .

is some rest, peace, and quiet. And I got it. Out of the blue. Out of the kindness of a stranger’s heart. Tonight I was offered hospitality, and I took it (partly feeling like a heel, but would it have been ruder to reject the offer??). I felt a little weird accepting such a gracious and spontaneous offer, but you know what, I’m glad I did. Joy is not too thrilled though. She wanted another night in a hotel, which was my plan for this weekend. My current situation makes everything harder on everyone. I don’t know how to fix it (anyone want to adopt me and then leave me a small fortune?) One of these days I will get things figured out. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy this time of respite.

I couldn’t resist. Resistance was futile. I remember on my very first website (hosted at UCSD and probably so far gone not even the wayback machine can find it) I had a Trek badge. This is so much cooler!!! I need a different picture though. There is a reason the app says “no hair in the face” which I didn’t pay attention to until I saw the finished product.   Go Trek yourself !

So you’ve seen the commercials and may have even wanted to go to the showroom. Now you can. DirectBuy of California is offering a free visitor’s pass to any of their 17 locations. Visit the site: http://www.directbuy.com/About/directbuy-california.html to sign up for your free pass. Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post

I missed #GNO again, but @ Carissa_MomIF , wonderful woman that she is, got me the questions. Seems last night’s guest was @ inspiremetoday . In your everyday life, what inspires you the most? Nature. The colors, the smells, the peacefulness of it all when you can get away from the craziness of our busy lives. Nature inspires me to rethink my plans, goals, etc. Inspires me to re-center myself so that I can be the best person possible, for myself and those around me. What are you the most grateful for in this moment? For all the help my mom has been giving me over the last two months, especially with my son. He’s not a handful, but I work far from home and she’s taken up a lot of tasks that I should be doing. What is the kindest thing you've done for someone else today? I honestly don’t know. What is the kindest thing that someone has done for you today? Image of Henie I met @ Hennartonline for lunch, but she treated.

Vasquez Rocks - in passing 98/395 Originally uploaded by Nannerlady

Image by kattebelletje via Flickr In honor of all the belt-tightening going on around these days, here is a pretty tasty and filling low-cost stew. This is also a protein-rich, yet meatless, meal. (Don’t faint Rachel, there’s got to be a few vegetarian Texans by now ) . Serves 6. Ingredients 2 teaspoons vegetable or olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 3 cups water or broth of your choice 1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed 2-3 medium carrots, chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (or to taste) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained Directions 1. Sautee onions and garlic in the oil 2. Stir in remaining ingredients 3. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer about 40 minutes. Serve with bread or rice.