Oops, forgot one...

My mom! Hero number one!!! Relaxed, happy, lover of life and of people. Passionate devotee of lifelong education as both teacher and student. Artist and supporter of the arts. Embodies the idol of selfless parental love and service. Mentor and friend to many. Hey, it's okay to praise the people you love while they're ALIVE! Tell someone today how much you admire them.

The List

JK Rowling, Dolly Parton, Diane Von Furstenburg, and Annie Leibovitz! These are the women on my list of heros, their work and spirit challenge and elevate. I admire them so much! Each one of these outstanding women are fiercely individual, driven, compassionate, passionate, unique, talented, and beyond successful. I hang off of every word written by Dolly Parton, would loved to have lived a life like Diane Von Furstenberg, connected with people and landscapes like Annie Leibovitz, and be published and read by millions like J.K. Rowling. These women leave me totally inspired and motivated to create.

First Loves

When I saw this t-shirt my heart skipped a beat! River 4ever!

Must Have Cleaning Product

I had heard of bon ami before. Cleaning and household bibles have made mention of this miracle scouring and polishing product. I picked it up from my local grocery shop, the major one not the specialty one. Tried it yesterday and loved it. Does not smell like chemicles, doesn't dry out your hands, and seriously made my sink sparkle! Now back to the war in Iraq and other pressing issues... 

Check out bon ami's website ( http:www.bonami.com/products/ ) for more product information, and to enjoy their super cute vintage ads.

Happy New Year!

A splendid and steadfast new year. Indeed! 

It was super fun to get out of town for a few days with my sweetie. We love San Francisco! And it was a beautiful night. The negative ions in the air did us some good. Although it's been the strangest thing; we've been so sleepy since New Year's Day. Sleeping 12, 13 hours a night. Really weird. Are we hibernating?

Highlights of our trip:

• Finding out that our concert venue was only two blocks away from our hotel! Yay for walking!
• Not being searched by security. Cameras were a-okay!
• Being squeezed into the best seats in the house by American Music Hall staff. So accommodating! 
• My first Manhattan!
• Beer-Can Chicken.
• Watching Zach Hill lose his mind on drums. It was also amusing to watch some of the crowd below, intoxicated on psychedelics, I'd assume, lose their minds as well.
• Dancing with Tipsy
• Getting to know our lovely balcony neighbors, Chanda and Janette. Chanda snuck out of her house when she was 12 to see Mr. Bungle play at the Omni in Oakland. Dedicated fans are the best!
• Having the gentleman next to us not die from his overdose. He just needed to sleep it off in the paramedic van out front. Whew.
• Kisses at midnight!
• Champagne toasts at midnight!
• Fantomas!
• Director's Cut!
• Meeting Buzz Osbourne.
• Sleeping, cuddling, and sleeping.
• Honeymooners marathon.
• Managing to leave the hotel with barely enough time to make it to the museum before it closed.
• Great parking in San Francisco!
• Brisk afternoons.
• Seeing the renovation of the Academy of Sciences building. All school children, in Sacramento, go there for field trips. It had been many, many years since I had been there last. It's so gorgeous! 
• Indoor rainforest.
• Humidity.
• Aquariums! So many fascinating plant and animal species. Breathtaking.
• Running out of time and camera batteries...
• Samosas, naan, raita, lamb vindaloo, rice pilaf, and tandori chicken for dinner.
• Twilight Zone marathons.
• More sleep.
• Coming back home! There's no place like home!

Whoa! That's a lot of highlights. We had a great trip.  Happy New Year, Everyone! Have any words of wisdom for 2009? I'd love to hear your thoughts.