CURRENT MOON about the moon
MY FIRST AND ALWAYS LOVE...THE SEA...NOTHING BETTER THAN BEING ON A BOAT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OPEN OCEAN...
I LOVE DISNEYLAND!
my beautiful son, my wonderful family, great friends...any ocean/beach sport...sailing, snorkeling, surfing...laughing until it hurts, driving with the sunroof open in the winter, fast cars, loud music, tattoos, sushi, real mexican food, VWs, hummer h2s, belgian chocolate, french wine, renaissance art, poetry, warm fuzzy blankets, a fireplace on a snowy night, uggs (don't ever tell me they're "out" - i bought my first pair in 19-goddamned 85. EIGHTY-FIVE, PEOPLE!), stiletto boots, bananas foster, fresh flowers, hot sand between my toes, ocean air, salty sun-bleached hair, shave ice, kukui oil, fresh pineapple & mangoes, macadamia nut pancakes with coconut syrup...ummm, i think i miss hawai'i! travelling the world...i've been to 16 countries (16 more on my go-to list!), 5 provinces and 49 states...alaska is the only one i haven't been to yet, but we're planning a trip this or next year, whenever i can fit it in! but all of this travelling is still not enough for me. this world is too big, too beautiful and too interesting to just sit in your house. so many more things i want to see, do and experience, because life is short! i thank god, my family and my former job for giving me the opportunity to see so much of the world. i am truly blessed for this, i know...
*~~~SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DRIVING RULES~~~*
1. You must first learn to pronounce the city name, it is L A
2. The morning rush hour is from 5:00am to noon.
The evening rush hour is from noon to 7:00pm.
Friday's rush hour starts on Thursday morning.
3. The minimum acceptable speed on most freeways is 85 mph. On the 105 or 110, your speed is expected to match the highway number. Anything less is considered "Wussy".
4. Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. L A has its own version of traffic rules. For example, cars/trucks with the loudest muffler go first at a four-way stop; the trucks with the biggest tires go second. However, in Malibu , SUV-driving, cell phone-talking moms ALWAYS have the right of way.
5. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear ended, cussed out, and possibly shot.
6. Never honk at anyone. Ever. Seriously. It's another offense that can get you shot.
7. If you are in the left lane and only driving 70 in a 55-65 mph zone, you are considered a road
hazard and will be "flipped off" accordingly. If you return the flip, you'll be shot.
8. Road construction is permanent and continuous in all of L A and Orange counties. Detour barrels are
moved around for your entertainment pleasure during the middle of the night to make the next day's
driving a bit more exciting.
9. Watch carefully for road hazards such as drunks, skunks, dogs, cats, barrels, cones, celebs,
rubberneckers, shredded tires, cell phoners, deer and other road kill, and the coyotes feeding on any
of these items.
10. MapQuest does not work here, none of the roads are where they say they are or go where they say
they do and all the freeway on and off ramps are moved each night.
11. If someone actually has their turn signal on, wave them to the shoulder immediately to let them
know it has been "accidentally activated."
12. Do not try to estimate travel time, just leave Monday afternoon for Tuesday appointments, by noon
Thursday for Friday and right after church on Sunday for anything on Monday morning.
*~~~BASIC RULES FOR DRIVING IN NEW JERSEY~~~*
1. Turn signals will give away your next move. A real New Jersey driver never uses them.
2. Under no circumstance should you leave a safe distance between
you and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by somebody else, putting you in an even more dangerous situation.
3. The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the
chance you have of getting hit.
4. Never, EVER come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No one
expects it and it will result in your being rear-ended.
5. Never get in the way of an older car that needs extensive
bodywork. New Jersey is a no-fault insurance state and the other guy doesn't have anything to lose.
6. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure
that your ABS kicks in, giving a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to stretch your legs.
7. Never pass on the left when you can pass on the right. It's a
good way to prepare people entering the highway who may be unfamiliar with the rules of the road.
8. Speed limits are arbitrary figures, given only as a suggestion,
and are apparently not enforceable in New Jersey - especially during rush hour.
9. Just because you're in the left lane and have no room to speed
up or move over doesn't mean that a New Jersey driver flashing his high beams behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot.
10. Always slow down and rubberneck when you see an accident or even someone changing a tire. This is seen as a sign of respect for the victim(s).
11. Learn to swerve abruptly. New Jersey is the home of
high-speed slalom driving thanks to the State Highway Department, which puts pot-holes in key locations to test drivers' reflexes and keep them on their toes.
12. It is traditional in New Jersey to honk your horn at cars
that don't move the instant the light turns green.
13. Remember that the goal of every New Jersey driver is to get
there first by whatever means necessary.
14. In the New Jersey area, 'flipping someone the bird' is
considered a polite New Jersey salute. This gesture should always be returned.
15. Crossing two or more lanes during a single lane-change is considered "going with the flow."
16. Should you have the misfortune of finding yourself at a very busy four-way stop, forget everything you know about the governing rules regarding this situation. In fact, don't even TRY to figure it out. Just say a prayer, go fast, and thank your lucky stars when (if?) you get through the intersection unscathed.
17. Heavy snow, ice, fog, and rain are no reasons to change any of the previously listed rules. These weather conditions are God's way of ensuring a natural selection process for body shops, junkyards, and new vehicle sales.
THANK YOU & HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY ~ NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES
ANYONE WHO LOVES AND APPRECIATES THE SEA AS MUCH AS I DO...SURFERS, SAILORS, FISHERMEN, ISLANDERS, ISLAND LOVERS, CONSERVATIONISTS...FELLOW MARTIAL ARTISTS...AS WELL AS FLIGHT ATTENDANTS, PAST AND PRESENT...OR ANYONE ELSE WHO SHARES MY *MANY* INTERESTS. AND I'M NOT SOME CRAZY, RADICAL FAN, BUT IT WOULD MAKE MY LIFE IF I WERE TO MEET BONO!
^^^BALBOA, CALIFORNIA...I AM SOOOO FORTUNATE TO HAVE GROWN UP IN BEAUTIFUL ORANGE COUNTY!
"There's a time when every girl learns to use her head...tears will be saved till they're better spent." ~Romeo Void
where to begin??? i love all music...it makes the world go around. my favorite is classical/opera, followed by punk, hawai'ian and rap. how's that for diversity?! i will always love the music of my youth: depeche mode, the cure, the cult, english beat/general public, billy idol, p.i.l., sex pistols, afrika bambaataa, the clash, social distortion, bad brains, dead milkmen, circle jerks, gene loves jezebel, siouxsie & the banshees, strawberry switchblade, cocteau twins, ultravox, boomtown rats, x, chili peppers, alison moyet/yaz, b-52's, OMD, dramarama, romeo void, the smiths/morrissey, tom tom club, psych furs, the fixx, the alarm, new order, pet shop boys, blancmange, suicidal tendencies, violent femmes, big audio dynamite, berlin...dancey/90s stuff like lisa lisa, madonna, will to power, prince, stevie b, p.m. dawn, expose...terence trent d'arby (now known as sanandra maitreya, fyi) and george michael hold a special place in my heart...and michael jackson rocks, regardless...ratt, aerosmith, scorpions (there's a fun story there, hehe), crue and all the other hair bands...old stuff like the eagles, elton john, ccr, carpenters, fleetwood mac, abba, gordon lightfoot, chicago, stevie wonder...delerium, lit, creed, linkin park, ozomatli, stabbing westward, green day, good charlotte, fall out boy, bitter:sweet, jem, team9, bep, pink, maroon 5, marcy playground...cypress hill (ask me about THAT story!), tupac, eminem (GENIUS!), nelly, outkast...european clubby stuff like the tamperer, eiffel 65, robbie williams...italian singers eros ramazotti and mietta...i like country, too, but the only cd i have is trisha yearwood...i love melodies and harmonies, so yes, i listen to five, backstreet boys, n'sync, a*teens, sclub7 and all saints...and what kind of california girl would i be if i didn't mention the beach boys??? and last but not least, MY HOMEGIRL GWEN STEFANI and NO DOUBT!
love love love 'em! endless summer, blue horizon, north shore, the perfect storm, amadeus, midnight run, casino, heat, the saint, top gun, legends of the fall, fargo, sideways, muriel's wedding, crash, gangs of ny, 8 mile, 15 minutes, 21 grams, napolean dynamite, ocean's eleven, 40 year old virgin, bowfinger, pirates of the carribean, shrek 2, murder by death, ghost story, cinema paradiso, mediterraneo, stanno tutti bene (with marcello mastroianni), the deli, four rooms, mystic pizza, one flew over the cuckoo's nest, deliverance, roman holiday, arsenic and old lace, sunset blvd., (most old hollywood movies, really), anything bette davis and john candy...once in a while i get to catch a silent movie early in the morning...TBC
aside from british comedies such as absolutely fabulous, da ali g show, keeping up appearances, are you being served? and coupling, I AM TOTALLY OBSESSED WITH THE DEADLIEST CATCH...i watch each episode over and over because i wish i were right there on that boat with them! also lovin' the new BEACH PATROL: HONOLULU...gotta get my hawai'i fix somehow! all csi's, numb3rs, close to home, criminal minds, grey's, brothers and sisters, six degrees, damages, investigative reports, cnn, cspan, court-tv, FOOD NETWORK, planet earth...it's nice to have a child so i can watch cartoons again (foster's home for imaginary friends, naruto, spongebob and grim adventures of billy and mandy!!) ...it looks like i watch tv 24/7, but actually i only do in the middle of the night or when my son is at his father's...thank goodness for On Demand!
my favorite author of all time is edgar allan poe. also anything by vincent bugliosi and dominick dunne. i like art, history, true crime, philosophy, biographies...anything thought-provoking. poetry - longfellow, shelley, lord byron, frost, howitt, segar, yates. i like to read several books simultaneously. i especially love to read the histories of california (where i grew up) and hawai'i (where i spent much of my time growing up and consider to be my second home). currently reading "michaelangelo and the pope's ceiling," "stoked: a history of surf culture," "an illustrated history of the civil war," "the walmart effect" and "working on the edge," which is about alaska crabfishing. three books i read over and over are "the dreadnoughts," (the first warships to be built without sails), which my dad gave me when i was 18; "a night to remember," about the sinking of the titanic; and "the perfect storm." my most prized possessions are a book about the titanic that was printed one month after the sinking and was in my step-mom's family for 75 years until they passed it on to me; and a ship's logbook my dad gave me for my 16th birthday - for the boat he knew i hoped to one day have.
JESUS CHRIST...goes without saying * FATHER DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI...who my son is named for * ALL OF MY FRIENDS SERVING IN THE ARMED FORCES...next time you think you're a manly man, i'll show you video of my friend ERIC and his unit dodging bullets to their heads from enemy fire * MY AUNT AND UNCLE IN CALI...who take care of me like i am their own daughter and are always there for me * MY FATHER (1944-1991)...an award-winning laguna beach artist who shared with me his love for the sea. he showed me all the beauty of God's world and taught me to appreciate the gift of life. he was always full of love and laughter, despite being born blind in one eye * MY STEP-GRANDFATHER (1918-1989)...who helped raise me after my mother died and taught me how to use my head, think and analyze situations * MY GRANDMOTHER (1926-1999)...who raised me...sigh...although i really didn't like her at all, she was the absolute meanest person i have ever known and she beat the living hell out of me on a regular basis - often for no reason at all - she DID raise me to be tough and streetsmart. i know deep down that if i didn't go through what i did growing up, i would never have been strong enough to deal with what i've gone through these last few years (to give you an indication of how tough this woman was, she survived cancer FOUR times - and ended up dying of FOOD POISONING.) * MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER...from the philippines...who, at the age of 12, stowed away on a u.s. merchant marine ship and fought four wars for the united states, not even being an american citizen * ALL OF MY FRIENDS who are dealing with dibilitating illnesses...the way you face life with laughter and courage is an inspiration to me. JOANNE, GINA, LAUREN, BRANDON AND JASON, stay up and my constant prayers are with you!