adventure in LA

What a great day!  I almost changed my mind at the last minute and I am so glad I decided to go watch some of the Special Olympics!  It was easy to take the train, subway, and bus.

On the way to the pool I met a Belgian couple whose daughter won a gold yesterday.  We walked to the pool together and I got to hear a bit about the event from their point of view and answer a few of their questions (Do Americans really eat doughnuts for breakfast?  Is USC the biggest campus in the country?).

The swim meet was running ahead of schedule so there were not much was happening when I arrived, but eventually I got to see the prelims of the 25 backstroke.

Inclusion, dignity, and respect for all.

This was definitely not just for show but was truly demonstrated.  Teammates, volunteers, officials, family, lifeguards, and spectators made it a supportive environment.  Enthusiastic cheering from the stands and arm pumping in the pool created a warm, fuzzy feeling!  To see so many people from so many countries working together to include people who may be taunted or worse other times left me with a feeling of hope.

Since I had some free time before I needed to home I chose to visit the festival.  Google was using a 3D printer and showing some hands they had made, Coca Cola was sharing soft drinks they sell in other countries, and some groups were providing opportunities to send messages to athletes or make signs.

Of course it was a chance to pick up some loot, too!

On the bus ride home I ran into someone I had met on the first bus.  He encouraged me to go to the convention center and it was smart to listen to him because I had the chance to chat with some Hungarians (who had won gold in bocce), watch rollerskating races,

see cheerleaders (wearing Special Olympics uniforms),

and catch a high-energy game of handball being played by Germans and Russians.

I saw two people I knew during the day.  One was a Claremont friend who was at USC with her family for the day. The other was a fellow from Bolivia who had stayed in Claremont before the games began.  We had chatted a couple times and were very happy to see each other again.

If you are close by I would encourage you to attend an event!

As I Like It

The idea of driving to see outdoor Shakespeare was unappealing, but I was happy to cycle to a college campus to see Twelfth Night.  I think I last saw in the 80's at the Stratford Festival.

This production started with an improv group.

We sat toward the back so we could sit with back support.

It was definitely good to bring something to soften the concrete benches.

Of course it was great to with D., but it was nice to see 

neighbors, friends, and people we work and volunteer with.

It was also good to support Ophelia's Jump,

which was trying to recover from being rained out the weekend before.

Torch Run

Los Angeles is host to the World Summer Games for Special Olympics and our town is hosting athletes and coaches from Bolivia, Latvia, Georgia Republic, and Curacao. 

 Today one leg of the torch run passed through town.

I missed the actual run, but my friend caught part of it.

Swimming events are at USC and I don't want to fight the traffic, but maybe it is worth the trip.  Or take a train downtown to watch bowling?  Or to the convention center to watch handball and rollerskating?  I'll keep you posted!

Ridin' down the freeway

It isn't a coincidence that we live close to work, the library, and other essentials of life.  We aren't fond of driving.  I grew up in a one-car family and we were taught how to use the bus.  After leaving home I followed the location, location, location mantra when looking for a place to live.  Since receiving a driver's license over six months ago R. has touched the steering wheel twice.

Recent events have not encouraged me to drive.

sigalert map from 6:15 this evening
happy to be avoiding this

from the NY Times
The people in the cars were not hurt after abandoning their vehicles and running to the hills.  But then the emergency vehicles could not get through.  Scary.

from CNN
And this part of a major freeway washed away.  The driver was okay.  I can't even imagine the logistics of turning everyone around and getting them on their way.

Of course it means that we are missing out.  We don't have theater subscriptions, we haven't been to the beach yet this summer, and we don't go to many big museums.  I trade that for walking to the dinner theater, cycling to the pool, and visiting the little museum on campus.  Life is full of choices.

Food as entertainment

I know, I know - eat to live, not live to eat.  Or eat food, not too much, mostly plants.  But food for fun has a place.

I went with a friend to Ranch 99 Market.  I love imagining what I could cook with the huge selection of fresh noodles, spices, and canned delights.  It is a little sad that the American

 I wasn't sure what Ramune Flavor meant and after looking it up I am still unsure.

It seems a bit like saying Fanta flavor.

 How can someone resist Hello Kitty seaweed?

 I also felt obligated to try Garlic Danish Victory.

A. wants to celebrate his birthday with a lot of friends and talked about buying food a membership warehouse club.  He had never heard of similar stores that don't have memberships so we visited one.  more entertainment.

In each aisle we had to ask, "If you could buy only one candy/cookie/flavor of ice cream/etc. what would you choose?"  Amazing how entertaining food can be.  I chose Junior Mints and D. chose a new kind of M&M (did you know there are more than two kinds of M&Ms?).  A. couldn't choose.

More, more, more

The local colleges have a lot of applicants and if your ride around it looks they are making room to accept more of them.

 It looks like the new dorms on the south side of CMC might be ready by the time classes start.

This project at Scripps is just starting.

The back and front of new dorms at Mudd.  If you look carefully you may be able to see bumps on the exterior.  I wonder if these are supposed to represent warts, which the students said they wanted.

It is too bad I no longer take care of kid who enjoys watching construction vehicles.

Pleasant surprise

It is good to be intelligent (and charming and good looking), but it is great to be lucky!

I took a risk several weeks ago and booked a campsite, the only one that I could find that was available in reasonable driving distance.  And why was it available?  Because there was an out-of-control fire in the area.  It started June 17 and figured it had to be contained at some point.

I finally gave up and at 11am on Saturday was looking into how to get a refund and saw that the status had changed to open!  No one else was home so I called A.'s friend and started packing.

We arrived to perfect weather, a great campsite that included bear boxes, and hiking trail a few steps away.

The hike included a creek crossing ended at a lake.  We saw two people fishing and that was it. So lucky!!

Not surprisingly campfires were forbidden, which made it challenging to make s'mores.  We persevered.

This morning those of us who were able to sleep last night went for a hike in the other direction.  There was a log crossing but nothing exciting before we turned around.

After breakfast, a rousing game of Uno, and cleaning up we set off for home.  I can't wait to return!

communication

When we lived in Denmark we had a magicJack, which is a form of Voice Over Internet Protocol.  We paid a fee and had unlimited calls to and from the US through our computer and even got messages when we weren't online to receive the calls (h/t Charles).  With the teenager overseas we have had to learn how to be in touch new ways.

There was a postal strike in Germany and who knows when the backlog will catch up with the paper mail I sent.  I tried facebook messages, email messages, and skype messages.

But then R. asked if I got the imessage.  I looked on the computer and saw nothing.  Later in the day I turned on my iPod to check something and there were the messages!  R. was still awake so we chatted (text, not voice), which was great.

Germany on the left, Poland on the right

Plus pictures could be sent without having to transfer them to the computer.  I feel so modern!

This post motived me to figure out how to change the imessage setting on my computer.  Ta da!  I am pleased, but am also looking forward to being face-to-face!

Definitions

What is a vegetarian?  If one avoids animal products except for meatball sandwiches is that person a vegetarian?  How about someone who doesn't eat meat except in someone else's house when it is being served?  How about eating animals only in order to give blood?  And is there some Grand Exalted Vegetarian who hands out the approval?

In 1994 we started keeping a vegetarian diet at home to avoid issues about separate meat and dairy dishes for visiting friends who kept kosher.  We still don't serve meat at home and try to follow the same pattern elsewhere, but no one monitors any one else's meat consumption.

BUT yesterday I went to the market to buy liver in hopes of being able to donate blood.  I was hoping they would prepare it in their deli and didn't have a plan in case they would not.  The butcher said they had been given a small supply on the previous day and wouldn't get more until the next day.  He suggested roast beef from the deli, which would not need cooking.  I looked at it and decided I couldn't do it.  I even looked at hot dogs, but they were only 6% iron per serving.  Not worth it.  I had more grapenuts and raisins and had no problem giving blood on the second try.

All this has me thinking about being a vegetarian.  I decided that I can call myself what I want and eat what I want and let the people who care more deeply choose the label they want.

Claremont's Grand Old Fourth

Last year I admired a friend's shirt, which had the city's logo and the year's winning theme.  Guess who is now on the committee and got to wear a handsome shirt!  At least it provided me with a new angle for the blog.

During the year I went to meetings during which we chose the theme, talked about fireworks and the drought, and a few other topics.  The city people do almost all the work but I appreciate having a few other people involved.

Answering questions and selling tickets to the fireworks was my first task.  Not spending the whole time chatting was only a small challenge.

After my shift I had a chance to listen to a couple of speakers at the T. Willard Hunter Speakers' Corner.

I heard the reading of the Declaration of Independence and talks about the state of school funding and why Pilgrim Place is the conscience of the community.

The Grand Marshall

My next duty was escorting parade dignitaries to their vehicle.  A reception was held to gather them in one place, an event that was started after having distracted people miss the parade.  I was lucky that the people I escorted were happy to walk with me.

I was worried I would miss the parade, which is my favorite part of the day.  D. saved a spot for me and I was there in time to see Uncle Sam, Girl and Boy Scouts, a couple marching bands, 

and the Sycamore School float, which celebrated the beginning of a year of celebrations.

The grand finale was the fireworks show, where I walked around like a cigarette girl, but sold glow items instead.  I finished my shift in time to join friends on the field.

Because of the drought the fireworks were almost cancelled (it takes a lot of water to make the area damp enough to prevent a fire), but it was decided to have a show with smaller rockets, which don't go as high.  People were concerned about the quality and the consensus was that a good time was had by all.  You might be able to see a brief version here.

What a great holiday!  I was sorry not to be celebrating in Ohio, but there is always next year.

Life in Threes

The first strike was having D.'s folding bicycle stolen from the bike rack outside the new building.

If you look carefully on the far left you can see that the old bike rack was right by the door, reached by rolling your bike up the ramp or carrying it up the stairs.

The new bike rack is about where the pickup is parked, which means it is right next to the street.  This makes sense in terms of ease of parking, but I worry that it also makes it easier to pull up, cut a lock, and drive off with a bike.  Or maybe it was a one-shot deal and it was bad luck for D.

The good news is that somebody else won a bike at a 5K race and didn't want it.  He had the receipt and was happy to sell it to D.

The second strike was the loss of A.'s iPod touch.  Last year at cello camp his sessions were at 9a, 10a, and 11a, meaning he was done at noon with no breaks.  This time his sessions were at 9, 11, and 1p, which left a lot of time to fill.  Some of it was filled with digital entertainment, which I held onto during when he was in class.  I kept the ipod in a special pocket where I also kept earbuds.  I must not have zippered it because it was no longer where it was supposed to be, but I didn't realize it until Saturday.  I sent many emails and people said they didn't have it but they would look.  I was distraught because A. had saved up his money to buy this.  I was amazed how calm he was, asking if he could go without it for a year and then get a phone as a gift in a year.  Not what I was expecting to hear!  I was so impressed that he was accepting of my huge mistake that I told him maybe.  Imagine how disappointed he was when the camp director told me it had been found and that we could pick it up today!

The third strike should have been the easiest to solve.  After doing laundry I was missing a pair of exercise shorts.  Maybe they fell out of my bag at the health club?  They would have been smelly but the person in the changing room said they would have been washed and sent to the front desk.  Nothing!  Well, they were several years old so it wouldn't have been terrible to replace them, but the company no longer sells the same kind.  I looked at the brand I used to wear before that and the reviews were awful!  I will look around the house again and look in the lost and found again, but I need to shop a bit more.  Bummer.

At least the three strikes have passed and now we can look for three good things to happen.

More summer days

A. and a friend were bored and decided to make lemonade with the friend's lemons.  The friend's mom suggested a lemonade stand the idea took off.  They made a sign, bought ice and cups, and filled the wagon to make the trip to the market in town.

I am amazed how generous people are!  The kids charged fifty cents, which some people told them was too low.  Some people gave them money but passed on the lemonade.  Others bought a cup for themselves and several other people.

A. answered honestly when asked what he would do with the money (no, not charity - he is saving for a video game system - play station something).  His friend said he wasn't sure what he would do with it.

After covering costs for the ice and cups the pay per hour wasn't great, but A. said it was fun and it did pass a lot of time.  He is also doing some childcare and is available for dog walking, even in the warm weather.

Only fifty-seven days until school starts.