Alive in Wonderland

I didn't sport a feather boa

Here I am at the Ducks game last week. I'm wearing the pink Ducks' jersey my brother gave me and I'm hugging a Duck. My prediction at the end of last year has come partially true: I'm wearing a big Ducks' jersey, but it doesn't say "Ducks Chick" on the back and I didn't sport a feather boa. So, I haven't gone completely over to the other side.

Haven't a clue what I'm talking about? Here's what I wrote at the end of last season:

Hockey-me vs. Girl-me

I was utterly blissful sitting in our borrowed seats at the Honda Center--The Ramones blaring, Ruby's tri-tip slider perched on my lap, and oh, yes, my big orange foam finger patiently waiting for the first goal...

Throughout the game I found myself locked in an internal dialog that pitted my new-found hockey me (my
masculine self) against my girl me. Kind of like when you see a little devil on one shoulder of some poor
conflicted soul and then a little angel on the other. Neither of my "me's" is good or bad, just indifferent
to the other's point of view.

It went down something like this:

Girl-me: Oh no, that tri-tip must be a gazillion calories.
Hockey-me: Frick! Is that horseradish mayonnaise?

Girl-me: Is anyone going to clean up that blood on the ice? Someone is going to slip and fall...
Hockey-me: Drat! Blood? I missed it, what happened?

Girl-me: That's it Perry, playing well is your best recourse. Nice shot.
Hockey-me: Make them pay, Perry!

Girl-me: I think I will ask this nice gal in line at the women's restroom about the rules of the game.
Hockey-me: I think I'll just react with the crowd--scream insults, look peeved and motion fiercely toward the ref--find out what the deal is later on Adam Brady's Blog.

Girl-me: Oh, I hope his wife isn't watching.
Hockey-me: He totally deserved that body check.

Girl-me: I don't want Ben (our four-year-old son) to ever play hockey.
Hockey-me: I want Ben to be the best hockey player that ever lived!

It was an exhausting night, as you can imagine, with all the quarreling and posturing between the two "me's." It's going to get brutal next season when hockey-me insists on wearing a Ducks' Jersey with "Ducks' Chick" sewn onto the back and a bright orange and black feather boa around my neck.

See you next year, Ducks! I still love you! Get some rest, maybe take some time for yourself to reflect. Treat yourself to a massage. (That's girl me talking, alright.)

Now you're all caught up!

Orange County Daily Photo: Dana Point Harbor

We spent the day after Thanksgiving exploring Dana Point Harbor.

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Today I'm listening to Split Enz "Six Months in a leaky boat."

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Orange County Daily Photo: The jetty in Dana Point

We spent today in Dana Point. We desperatly wanted to avoid anything shopping related and I certainly didn't want to post a picture of a mall and all that madness.

That's my family up there on the jetty. My son, Ben, had a breakthrough today--he was so brave! He climbed on top of the jetty even though he was afraid. Larry kept telling him, "Ben, do it even though you 're scared. That's what bravery is all about." After he conquered half the jetty, he wanted to climb everything in sight.

Emily would have done more rambling, but her high(ish) heels prevented true real exploration. So instead we wandered barefooted through the tide pools. I will post more pictures tomorrow.

Still taking a break from any real writing on my blog--just enjoying the holiday. Hope you are as well.

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Today I'm listening to: Aztec Camera "Walk out to winter."

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Orange County Daily Photo: The Great Park Balloon in the sky

This is my picture for SkyWatch Friday. Click over to SkyWatch Friday and see the sky from around the world.

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Today I'm listening to Ben Folds' "Such Great Heights"

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm busy getting ready for my whole family to come over this afternoon, but wanted to send out a big THANKS to all of you!

If you've had it with that Puppy Cam everyone (Mental P) is talking about, head over to the Turkey Cam at Disneyland. From 12 - 4 today you can watch Pumpkin the turkey do....em, whatever it is turkeys do when they aren't gracing our Thanksgiving table.

Orange County Daily Photo: Surprises

I love a surprise. When I downloaded my pictures I was so happy to see this seagull following my kids as they ran on the beach in Huntington.

That's all a kid needs--a big beach to explore.

With Christmas hot on my trail, catalogues clogging my mailbox, and commercials for Brats Dolls baffling my sensibilities, it's good to remember kids really don't need much to be happy. I wish you could have heard them laughing. We were there for hours.

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Today I'm listening to: Three different versions of "I shall be released," sung by three of my favorite artists: Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, and Jack Johnson. Such a beautiful song.

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Orange County Daily Photo: PCH and Main Street

It was blustery and cold down at PCH and Main Street in Huntington Beach yesterday--it finally felt like Fall. This old car pulled in front of me just as I was taking the picture, which made me happy.

Today I am listening to: The Waterboys "The whole of the moon"

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Holiday party survival tips (Two more dreadful party personalities)

I posted my "Holiday party survival tips" aka "The four dreadful party personalities" on my blog at The Orange County Register. So, if you missed it, you can go HERE to read it and leave a smarmy comment.

I wrote this about a month ago and now feel the need to add two more personalities you don't EVER want to get cornered by at a party.

The instant BFF (just add wine)

Favorite topics of conversation: Nothing seems off-limits. Should she break-up with her boyfriend of seven years? Will he EVER ask her to marry him? In-depth analysis of each of her boyfriend's friends. Why she doesn't use OB tampons anymore.

How to handle: Dead straight honesty! Tell her EXACTLY what you think she should do. Get explicated with your own detailed, gory relationship stories. Give her a "take away" by sketching graphs and charts on a cocktail napkin. For instance "Likelihood he is cheating on you" graph or a chart of her reproductive capability over the next 15 years.

Person with distracting hair or manner

Favorite topic of conversation: This person, has no outstanding personality fault, God bless 'em. They simply have something bewildering or annoying about them that makes it impossible to concentrate on whatever it is they are saying--like a really bad toupee, big power hair, or a constant folding and unfolding of their napkin.

How to handle: Pretend you are in a scene from a Coen Brothers, Christopher Guest or Ben Stiller movie and this person one of the "quirky" characters you're meant to embrace. Feel free to ramp up your own distracting manner and enjoy the party.

Orange County Daily Photo: Old Town Tustin

Just one of the many advantages of having a giant for a dad.

The Vintage Lady is my favorite store on El Camino Real.

Old Town Tustin doesn't have a lot of draw for me but, there are a few fine places. Rutabegorz, The Acorn Naturalist, and The Vintage Lady are the best spots. The city also made this perfectly square little park (pictured above), which was nice of them.

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Today I am listening to: Chet Baker's "Let's Get Lost."

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

30 Seconds Sunday: Disneyland during the holidays

30 Seconds Sunday is meant to give you a quick look at a different location in Orange County every week. This week we went one night to Disneyland to see the holiday decorations and the special firework show they put on only through the holiday season.

Another 30 Seconds Sunday: Newport Beach at Sunset.

Orange County Daily Photo: Lookout in Corona del Mar

These lookout binoculars wouldn't do much good on this foggy morning, but I liked their shouting orange color against the grey.

My kids are home for the next week so I don't know how much writing I will be able to do.Oh, I wanted to mention I am also writing for my husband's company blog: The Lounge at Broughton Hospitality. Which is mostly travel-related links, pretty pictures, and company gossip rumors news. So, if you just can't get enough of my imperious opinion-giving or marginal taste you can visit me there, too.

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Today I'm listening to: Squeeze's "Last Time Together."

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Orange County Daily Photo: The Great Park Balloon

Arrived at The Great Park too late to ride on the Great Park Balloon, but we had fun running around with George. We will try again tomorrow.

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Today I'm listening to: When in Rome's "The Promise."

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Orange County Daily Photo: Walt Disney

"It's fun to do the impossible"

-Walt Disney

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Today I'm listening to: Cat Steven's "The Wind"

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Orange County Daily Photo: Giant Wheel in the sky

The Irvine Spectrum's Giant Wheel is one of my favorite things to photograph. You can see my other photos of it Here and Here.

Something about this particular picture of it makes me happy.

For SkyWatch Friday. If you ever ask yourself, "I wonder what the sky looks like in Pensacola today?" You can go to SkyWatch Friday and see the sky from every corner of the planet. Believe it or not, there are over 350 people in the world who think this is a spectacular idea and enter their photos every week--mine's just one.

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Today I am listening to: Crowded House "Weather with you."

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Behind the scenes at the OC skateboarding shoe maker etnies

 

(Click anywhere on the story above to view the Whrrl.)

Last week OC Family Bloggers were invited to tour the headquarters of etnies, the action sports footwear and appeal maker. They showed us how they make skateboarding shoes, told us about their "Grow with me" toddler shoes, served us lunch and let us go shopping in the company store. You can go to my blog post at OC Family for the whole story. 

Pierre Andre Senizergues, the founder and CEO of etnies was charming with his French accent and passion for skateboarding. Check out my video from the day. I used The Cars as my soundtrack in the beginning. After listening to "Let the Good Times Roll" 115 times, I was reminded how much they rocked.

Notice the guy with the "Rock n Roll hair" in the video.

Orange County Daily Photo: Corona del Mar in the fog

Today down in Corona del Mar. The fog was beautiful and a welcome change from the heat.

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Today I'm listening to: Ultravox "Vienna."

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Orange County Daily Photo: Balboa Island (Part 2)

I am listening to: Jason Mraz's "Butterfly"

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.

Marcy's "Glamorous in Real Life Party"

This post is for my friend Marcy's G.I.R.L. Party--that's Glamorous In Real Life. It's a chance for moms to parade the posh plight of motherhood. (Read sarcasm here.) Think of it as a domestic disaster dog pile with bloggers from all joining in the humiliation fun.

I'm throwing my tiara into the ring with this: Note found on the bathroom door.

Roller Skating, it's the new laundry

This is how it happened: I was working on a story for the Register on The OC Roller Girls, and after attending a couple of practices and going to a few Roller Derby bouts, I started to get smitten with skating. Though not enough to be a roller derby girl, PLEASE ...me? I have weak ankles and a well-developed fear of girls pushing me to the ground. But roller skating...remember roller skating?

I grew up in Huntington Beach and in the early '80s I spent most of my time applying my roll-on lip gloss, feathering my hair, and skating to Earth, Wind & Fire at the Holiday Roller Rink in Fountain Valley. No girl was more dedicated to her roller skates than me. Every weekend I was there, the scent of Love's Baby Soft permeating from my satin jacket and rainbow shirt. I had my own white skates with big yellow wheels AND I had the '80s version of flair--pom-poms.

Yes, some of it was about the boys, but a lot of it was about the pom-poms.

Now, I'm a wife and mother of two kids--how can I work roller skating into my life? My friends will surely roll their eyes and toss the idea in to the growing heap of "things Suz got all excited about and quickly forgot." (That heap has cost me a bundle.) But, when I mentioned it to them they wanted to join in, and when I wrote about it on my personal blog, I got a huge response from moms all around the country. THEY WANTED ROLLER SKATES! Geesh! Okay then.

I ordered my roller skates and my husband got me the pom-poms for our anniversary. Here they are...

[caption id="attachment_3606" align="alignright" width="300" caption="My new roller skates."]

Now, to find a place to skate. I ended up with a girlfriend of mine and our daughters at The Holiday Roller Rink in Orange one Saturday morning for a quick lesson and then open skate. After my first spin around the rink it felt like my skates and I had never parted--it was just like 1981 again. My girlfriend who hadn't been on her skates in (ahem) a long time, too, was having the same "Peggy Sue Got Married" moment. As we heartlessly lapped our struggling seven-year-olds we sunk deeper and deeper into a nostalgic trance.

The whole rink experience is largely unchanged and really geeky. They still do the hokey pokey, play Redlight/Greenlight, and blast Queen's "We will rock you" as everyone stomps their skates to the beat. Just to clarify, when I say "really geeky," I mean "totally awesome."

I admit, I did feel a little silly breaking out my skates in Newport this past weekend to skate while my son rode his bike down the bike path. I mean, I am "of a certain age" when cute can be translated, to some, as pathetic, or just plain dorky. I did contemplate walking instead. But then I thought more about it and as I laced-up, fastened my hot pink helmet and straightened my "Hello Kitty" t-shirt I said (to myself), "This really makes me happy. I'm really beside myself with flippin' happiness right now." And if being (fine, I'll say it) 40 years old has taught me anything, it's "Take any 'happy' you can get."

Great, now I really sound like a biddy, but it's true. I don't care if roller skating comes across as a clear grasp at my fleeting youth, I'm going to do it anyway--with flair!

Here's a video I made about my new passion: I Got a Brand New Pair of Roller Skates.

More embarrassing & immature behavior from me:

• A little too happy about a happy meal toy.


• 10 things mommy wishes she could stop doing.


• Honey, I'm going to have to write you up for tonight's dinner.

Quick links:

• OC Moms home


• Mom forums

Orange County Daily Photo: Balboa Island

Hanging on to summer in Orange County *)

Today I am listening to: The Style Council's "Speak Like a Child."

You can go to my BLIP.fm Channel to listen to all my songs.