Since we lost Wrangler (something I still really can't fully talk about) we've kept our eyes on Craigslist and the local shelters. Though Rain does not have the history I do, she understood that since my first memory, I've always had dogs. It's built into my psyche. Not only do I feel unsafe without them but...the loss of that leaves me feeling not quite whole. So though we just lost Wrangler, we understood that Maddie still has mouth cancer and it is an inevitability that we will lose her as well. We wanted to take in another dog before that happens. That way, Maddie would help keep the new dog in line and when that terrible time comes that we have to put her down because the tumor is too large in her mouth, we'll be forced to not close ourselves off. After all, that dog would be there to remind us that though the loss is substantial, the relationships are worthwhile.

With that in mind, we had been looking forward to the Super Adoption event that was held this last Saturday. Shelters from all around the area would bring hundreds of cats and dogs to the event, already spayed, microchipped, and ready to go home. Because Rain worked the night before, Tabby and I took my sis and we went and looked for ourselves first. At first, I was disappointed since there were very few dogs that met what we were looking for. We wanted a large breed dog because I've never liked small dogs and we wanted a senior, because they tend to be so well mannered already and so few people are willing to even consider them. The problem was that the shelters were bringing only the dogs they thought most likely to be adopted. That meant small and young. I only saw one dog there that they admitted was a senior (out of hundreds, remember) and there was perhaps three or four that would qualify for our definition of large (80 pounds or so). On our first round, we were just looking for what was available. A little dog with an adorable face caught our attention the first time but we still went around the second time. I asked the staff after possible dogs left at the shelters that would meet our hopes. There were exceedingly few. One was a golden lab that was undergoing heartworm treatment, the exact same thing that we just lost Wrangler to. The staff woman tried to write it off as being something minor, though the dog had just begun, and in some ways I was angry because it belittled the loss and the threat these dogs represent to the community but I was also saddened because I have been hearing more and more about other heartworm cases. The main reason we put Wrangler down when we did was because his threat to the community. But because of the dogs being brought here after Katrina and the laxadaisical attitude people hold for its seriousness, it looks to be spreading anyway.

We would have left then but I remembered that small dog that had caught our eye. Within a few short minutes he had won our hearts. He is much smaller then any dog I'd usually consider, though some referred to him as large. He's 25 pounds and they told us he was 8 months old. In many ways, he was the opposite of everything we were looking for. But there was something in his eyes. We ended up adopting him. Soon after, we found out that in fact, he was not 8 months, that he was much closer to 5 1/2 months. That's the youngest dog my family has had since I was 11 and a rott pup followed me home. Also, he has the promise of getting much larger. Perhaps 4 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier, which makes us happy. He's really adorable and though he and Maddie had a rough beginning, they now get alone splendidly. He has yet to show very bad habits beyond a tendency to be mouthy when playing and jump up toward the table when there's food.

We will have him tested for heartworm ASAP.

In good news, something strange has happened with Maddie's tumor. It seems to have receeded. It no longer looks angry and she can close her mouth all the way again. It seems to be pulling away from the jaw and though it sound weird, it looks like if it continues to do that....that it'd fall off. It's the oddest thing but where the molar used to be almost fully encased, the tumor has pulled back, exposing the whole thing and allowing the top teeth to clench without causing problem. We tried to get a picture but were unable to. It seems very possible that the doxy (antibiotic) we're giving her is helping. Wouldn't that be an irony? That the simple med that was the first, supposedly-easy step for treating Wrangler, and the reason he had to be put down, might actually extend Maddie's life, something that we were told was little more than impossible?

We'll see.

Pics.

 

 

...560 pages? Well, the answer is definitely not two. But I digress.

On Sunday after a sedate Easter dinner with kids and family, Rain and I were going to print out a copy of my novel so that I could finally have Tabby do the first complete read through. I don't know what we were thinking. Obviously we weren't. It was late and we were both tired. So after a couple chapters were printed, this was the conversation:

Her: Wait, how many pages is this again?

Me: ...560.

Her: And each page is 50 cents. Alright, what's half of 560?

Me:....Oh shit. A lot.

Her:Yeah.

Me: Cancel! Cancel! Cancel!

Her: I'm cancelling! I'm cancelling!

Yeah so moral of the story? Do not print out a copy of your novel at Kinko's. That will be a several hundred dollar print. Yeah. No. So instead we came home and used up both our almost-full black ink cartridge and color cartridge. And we had to buy a new cartridge in the morning to finish printing the last seven chapters. You'd think a full ink cartridge would go further than that, wouldn't you? Apparently, it really only has about 350 pages worth of ink in it. I suppose under normal circumstances, that's more than enough. In ours, not quite.

Though we did not end up printing at Kinko's, we were still considering binding it at Kinko's. The lady assured us that they could bind anything up to two inches thick. We ask how many pages is in that. She ended up telling us the 560 pages would definitely be less than that.

Uh, no.

Quickly into the printing, we realized this was not so. In the end, it was about 3 1/2 inches thick. Quite impressive weight. In the family, threatening to hit someone upside the head with my novel is now a very gruesome threat. Though it appears impressive, I know quite well length means nothing to the quality of a piece. So, I was very nervous about the first full read-through my novel was about to get.

Usually, there are people reading along with my writing. Though I do not post my original work on the internet, I do have several great friends who are kind enough to be my test-readers. But family life has been so chaotic that writing was something I did on my own time and really didn't try to bother people with. At least until the end. By the time I finished it, I had read over this thing so many times, I was sure that I had lost perspective for the sheer amount of times I have reread this thing. To ensure that my style remained consistant and the voice was strong, every time I spent more than three or four days away from writing, I'd reread the entire thing, editing along the way. I know exactly what is happening, what has happened, and what is about to happen, from seeing one or two sentences off of any page.

I was very nervous for this first reading. There were several points that I thought might be questioned. I worried the length meant I didn't do well with pacing. I was trying to be as critical on myself as possible, hoping that it'd help when I was having to accept criticism. As my fellow writers know, criticism is a terrible blessing. We know we need it. We know it'll make us stronger. And we know we're going to hate it. Like I said in the previous post, I expect to be told where I suck, to become upset, for it to be insisted, and for me to slowly come to accept the advice.

But when Tabby finally read through it....I was surprised that she seemed to enjoy it. In the end, her feedback was extremely positive. Though she did warn that it might not exactly be an easy sell since there isn't really a conventional relationship in the whole thing. I knew this. I hate the fact that conventional means sellable but I also understand it. Still, I was shocked with how little criticism I received for it. Especially since I know Tabby has no problem telling me when she thinks something needs to be changed or needs to be removed. She will tell me when she thinks I've done something stupid. I even know the tone of voice she uses while doing so. The fact she hasn't...I'm not quite sure what to think of that. Obviously, she's only the first test-reader but I'm very pleased to have such good feedback after all the amount of work I put in this. For about a year and a half, I have been slaving over this. Writing, editing, reworking, plotting, constructing backgrounds and dates, studying....I put a hell of a lot of work into making this the best possible thing I can produce at this point. I know that a writer is always developing and that should I walk away from this for three months and come back, I'll still want to edit it to perfect the phrase with what I've learned during that period of time. Still, I'm happy with the end product.

Is it perfect?

No.

Is it sellable as a first novel?

There's some doubts.

Am I happy with the story and its intricacy?

Yes.

Am I proud of this accomplishment?

Twenty-Seven chapters. 560 pages. A year and a half of hard work and something that accomplished my original goal despite life's constant insanity? Hell yeah.

 

 

 

 

Share a song you and your mother both love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008 is the Year of the Rat.  Which animal year were you born in?

The Year of the Tiger, same as my mother. I've always found this some little bit great.

I think the description of people born in this year is a lot like me. Though there are a couple that I don't think are.

Tiger people are sensitive, given to deep thinking, capable of great sympathy. They can be extremely short-tempered, however. Other people have great respect for them, but sometimes tiger people come into conflict with older people or those in authority. sometimes Tiger people cannot make up their minds, which can result in a poor, hasty decision or a sound decision arrived at too late. They are suspicious of others, but they are courageous and powerful. Tigers are most compatible with Horses, Dragons, and Dogs

- Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco.

 

 

 

-image found here

To assure that my last post is tempered.

Five things I am thankful for today.

1. I have curtains in my diningroom finally. Now we can work in here at night and not have people halfway down the street be able to see us. I appreciate mom and grandma's time and attention to this.

2. New slippers. I've been meaning to mention this but it hasn't made it on the list yet. They are finally broken in and are very warm and comfy.

3. A good cry. I knew I needed to discuss what is happening in life on my blog at some point. I knew I needed to be able to look back in a couple years and say, "Yep, we overcame that." I think the post accomplished that. I also got a good cry out of it and feel so much better now.

4. My penset. I was using one of the pens from it earlier. I really love them. They have such a great weight to them.

5. Tea. My friend Mandy would laugh at this but tea really does make the world so much better, IMO. So I am thankful for the set of tea my parents gave me for Christmas. I think I've already drank half of it.

Today, after dropping Maddie off at the vet, Rain, mom, and myself all went to Home Depot. Hardly an unusual circumstance. We even have a Home Depot Card. I knew when entering the store exactly where the shovels and hoes we wanted were. We have been spending that much time in that store over the last couple months. We have started to feel at home there. Who cares we're women amateurs. We belonged.

That is until we were looking at Christmas decorations and thought we heard a mouse or a kitten. Rain is the first to point this out. Then me and my mother joined in looking for the kitten. Very soon we figured out that it was not a mouse or a kitten. It was in fact the christmas decoration, the light figure moving its squeeky head.

Even in the very center of Home Depot with tools in the cart and a membership card in pocket, we were all reduced to cooing over the possible mews of an invisible kitten within 5 seconds.

I know the man who was behind us was about to laugh his ass off. So nice of him to wait until we were out of earshot.

Despite taking a big step back for Women In Warehouses, I'm kind of more disappointed that there wasn't a kitten.

 

to screen I Am Legend for me.

Now, I know many of you know of my mortal phobia of Zombies. If you don't, tell me and I will write a post explaining my Zombie insanity. The short answer is I have a huge phobia of Zombies yet always want to see a new adaptation to Zombie movies.

Mom got me about three weeks ago and told me that we needed to go see I Am Legend. She shares some degree of my Zombie madness so from her body language I could tell it was a Zombie movie. Of course I know technically it isn't. But you know what, if people suddenly come down with some illness, lose their humanity, and start becoming cannibles, they are zombies, IMO! And I shall be tempted to see a movie about them. Well I suppose they could be vampires too like the original story this was based off of but I'm not scared of Vamps.

So Mom and I made plans to go see this movie early in the morning. Because I must come out of the theatre to the brightness of day. Yes, I know Zombies could suddenly start walking the earth during daylight hours. I have of course seen Day of the Dead. In its multiple reincarnations. But at least I could see them from further away and get a good headstart. Thus is my reasoning.

I have resigned myself to seeing this movie. However, I'd really like to talk to someone who has seen it before me just so I can ask one question.

What happens to Will Smith's dog?

Yes, you heard me. I am going to watch a movie where people are torn apart and eaten and all kinds of ghastly things. But I want to know nothing happens to his dog. Going into a movie like that, I have already prepared myself for that type of terribleness but you know what? I really can't have zombies and pets dying in the same movie. It's just too much for my little heart. And should something happen to his dog (Which I know surely will happen), can you at least tell me when to plug my ears and look away?

It might be a weird mission but it is of the highest priority.

This message will self-distruct in 4-3-2-----

 

Yesterday evening, Rain brought myself, Tabby, and Mrs. Meyers’ mom to see the musical Evita! It was a great deal of fun getting ready for the event. I like dressing up and trying to look pretty. I have a pantsuit that I like quite a bit and paired it with a glittery top that has gold in it but I tried not to hold that against it. Unfortunately, because of the top choice, I couldn’t wear my favorite black and white pumps. But it did give me the opportunity to wear some BDSM inspired boots. Added some bling. Haha, yeah, cannot believe I typed that either. Because of the top I wore, I couldn’t wear some of my wonderful necklaces but I think my ability to wear seven earrings helped make up for it. I also got to do a five-strand braid with the tail made into a knot at my nape. Then got to play with some make-up…. Alright went a little too long on about my look but now I’m about to go on about Mrs. Meyers’s mom.

 

L looked fabulous. Mrs. Meyers cut her mom’s hair the day before and I love it! I was a little bit jealous of it too. It was only yesterday that I got the wild urge to cut my hair down to a longer bob. Not that I’m upset with my long hair. I love to braid it and it’s fabulous. But I do miss having a cut little bob that does that bouncy thing when I shake my head. It was nice being able to work on L’s new do. It was also fun being able to play with her make-up. She was also the only one of us to wear a dress. So woohoo.

 

Rain and Tabby looked fabulous too, of course. But I think going on with the shot by shot of our getting-ready process is boring and I’m sure everyone has forgotten the first sentence of this post already.

 

Btw, it was: Yesterday evening, Rain brought myself, Tabby, and Mrs. Meyers’ mom to see the musical Evita!

 

Now, I must tell you how much I love Evita. A lot. I love it a lot. Ever since I saw it as a 10 year old girl, I’ve just loved everything about this movie. The music! The lyrics! The cinematography! The dancing! Antonio Banderas! Ooh, I just love it all. I soon had the entire soundtrack (which is pretty much the entire movie) on tape and listened to it constantly. Then I got it on CD and DVD. I know the entire movie by heart. Random Irony: Don’t Cry for Me Argentina is probably one of my least favorite songs from the entire movie and seeing it on stage has made that even truer.

 

So Rain and I were looking through the city’s list of theatrical offerings and she came across Evita. I might’ve squeed a little. I’m not sure because I think my mind went black at the mention. I just shut down. Yes, I have loved Evita that much and for that long.

 

I’ve seen the Broadway show on TV and the internet a couple times. Not the entirety. Just little snippets here and there. Strangely, I wasn’t impressed. I understand that what makes a movie so special might not be there on stage. And visa-versa. But was I going to turn down an opportunity to see the show? Hell no! And Rain is just the most amazingest person in my life ever and this just proves it again. I love you, Rain. I really do. Not just for the Evita thing, but god it helps!

 

When we got there, I started to actually wrap my head around the fact that I was going to see Evita in a new way but still based in what I loved. I was just so excited by the idea of that! By the time that BMW or Lexus woman was on the stage (announcing how BMW or Lexus or some other richie rich car company cared about the community and was sponsoring this show to the richie rich part of the community), I didn’t hear a word she said. Thank god, I’m not their market audience anyways.

 

Then the show began! I might’ve cried a little bit. I really had to fight hard to keep those tears back. Not only because it’d be embarrassing but it’d be really hard to watch the show while crying! My first thought was: This is THEBESTESTTHINGEVER!!!!! Yes, with five exclamation marks. The singing! Damn, this was how chorus members were supposed to sound! The music made my skin shiver and the lyrics (even in Spanish.) were just as strong. Che was great. He was a strong presence who did a good job filling Antonio’s boots without just copying his performance.

 

I wasn’t impressed with Evita’s first appearance but I was open to be proved wrong. I was never proved absolutely wrong but I did come out thinking she wasn’t too bad. They did a very good job at getting the story started and capturing a lot of the things that I didn’t think they’d be able to get across on the stage just because of the restrictions inherent in the medium. The dancing was really very good. The lighting was great and powerful though anyone with any type of seizure disorder wouldn’t have been able to enjoy it.

 

Rain said she had some difficulty understanding what was being said. I was struck by how much the actors were pronouncing all the words. They seemed to be dotting all their I’s and crossing all their t’s. Of course, a lot of it was being sung so I’m sure it was more difficult because of that. Also, Rain has never seen the movie and I know it by heart. Even then, there were some times where I had trouble understanding what they were saying. Of course those were in the scenes or songs that weren’t in the movie. It seemed to be when the singer didn’t pace him/herself properly and didn’t have the right amount of breath or at the end, where they were obviously starting to get a little tired.

 

There was one new scene in particular that couldn’t have been used in the movie because it’s so classic theatre but it was just great. It involved Peron and other political figures playing musical chairs in rocking chairs. I really loved this. It had humor and got across perfectly what it was meant to (the scramble for the top chair by a group of individuals whose alliances changed moment to moment) even while doing something that would never be accepted in movies but was fabulous on stage. I could watch this scene again and again. Maybe because it was one of my favorite little lines from the movie that was an entire song.

            “One always picks

            The easy fight.

            One praises fools,

            One mother’s light.

            One shifts

            Left to Right.

            Politics

            The Art

            Of the Possible!”

 

Yes, I did just type that up from memory. Because I love it that much.

 

Soon upon this giddiness of new interpretation was the scene of Evita meeting Peron. At first, I was unimpressed. I thought it was a rather important scene because these are the major players of the entire story. But they seemed to just have Evita standing next to Peron and Peron standing next to Evita. Singing. However, it redeemed itself towards the end. It had Peron walking away from Evita and continuing to shmooze while watching her out of the corner of his eye. One of his top soldier guys walks past her, obviously interested. She ignores him. That’s when Peron comes back and is serious about her “preposition.” Obviously, he was testing her to make sure she didn’t jump just any man in a high ranking uniform. That had its own charm and I really appreciated it.

 

Another thing I found pretty amusing about this scene was that it started in the scene that in the movie had Peron throwing a fundraising event for the victims of an earthquake. There was a shot in the movie that had him at the mic and he’s preaching about having “The People” finally running the government. It was supposed to be ironic since he’s preaching to the very rich people of Argentina. People already running things, obviously. And at this point in the show, I was just smirking to myself since I was sitting in a version of that audience right then. And the main character of this movie is screeching out “Screw the middle class! I will never accept them!” Meanwhile, a very great deal of this audience for the show was solidly middleclass. For god’s sake, a woman from BMW or whatever introduced this movie! It was very amusing to me to be sitting in that audience for that play at those times. It’s still hilarious.

 

I loved the chorus throughout this entire show. They did a great job with getting across the feeling of being a larger group. The movie showed huge overshots of hundreds of people in one place. This small chorus was able to get that across very well. I did enjoy little things like the mistress Evita throws out of Peron’s bed soon after their meeting. They had this mistress singing the song “What happens now?” which in the movie was mostly Evita’s song. But really the lyrics of this song was much more suited to the woman who is more beaten down by the world and not aiming too high.

            “I don’t expect

my love affairs

            To last

            For long.

            Never fool myself

            That my dreams

            Can come true.

            Being used to trouble

            I anticipate it.

            But all the same

            I hate it.

            Wouldn’t you?”

Yes, by having that pushed-aside mistress singing this instead of Evita, it showed the difference between the women who often lined these men’s bed and Evita, who made something of it.

 

I also really liked how this show did a better job at illustrating Evita being so popular because she represented what the workingman/woman dreamed of making themselves. For example, Peron and the men working for him took off their jackets, rolled up their sleeves, and said they were ordinary men. Meanwhile, Evita came up to the mic with a full ballgown and jeweled choker. Both represented what the commonman/woman saw in this power couple. I remember during a scene where Che is singing about Evita being High, Flying, Adored. There was a little extra (could it have been the same actress playing the mistress?) who had helped Evita out of her ballgown. While Che and Evita sang, the little extra hugged that ballgown to herself and was obviously dreaming about wearing it herself, about being the woman on that podium, about being Evita. That was a great little moment. This show did a very good job at incorporating the feel of Argentina political turmoil throughout the whole thing. I loved how they often showed real photographs above the scene. However, the last half of the show felt a bit sloppy. Like it was unsure how to wrap things up.

 

The movie did a good job because they really linked the beginning of the show (big funeral scene) with the end. Classic story arc and it worked really well in the movie. I think they probably should’ve done that here. Evita’s illness and decline made me more uncomfortable than sympathetic or particularly moved. She was hunched over and moved like an old woman. I suppose they felt this was the only way to get across the extent of Evita’s illness. But it pretty much just made the actress look like she pulled a muscle or was constipated. In fact, at the end of a scene with Che where she stumbles away and is supposed to fall while the stage goes to black, her shoes must have squeeked on themselves or something. It sounded like a fart and right on that constipated stomach hold, made me roll my eyes. I think the extent of her illness could’ve been better portrayed with far less. Considering the exuberance and high-power that Evita ran across the stage (and life) with, she could’ve gotten across the same thing with just the absence of that spirit. I suppose, I could’ve enjoyed the second half more with a different actress.

 

Sadly, I really was mentally urging Evita to die sooner to put the actress out of her misery. Again, the chorus and Che was great. But in this instant they were great despite the mess going on onstage. Peron was pretty good. Definitely played second fiddle to Evita and Che but he as a character was really supposed to do that. He seemed to have a little bit of a darker edge to him and I liked it. At one point, he was somewhat flirtatious with one of the women on his lap (that were supposed to be young, perhaps early teen?). Usually, for me darker is better and I think that helped his character stand out at certain moments.

 

In the end, I think the show went too far trying to get across the history and not enough taking into account the format of the story. At the end, Rain turned to me and asked, “Was that the end?” The fact that she had to ask that at all (and I took a moment to be certain for myself) says a great deal.

 

It was really a very good show that made a great movie and would perhaps make a great show on the right nights with the right actors. Am I happy that I saw it? Most certainly. Otherwise, I wouldn’t write up such a long review of what I thought about it. I want to preserve the memory of the entire experience. That’s what really made this show great to me; the entirety of the experience. Alone, it was probably a very good show that did a great job at using new ideas and perspectives on the stage even while falling to some very old and familiar pitfalls.

 

I really loved going to see this show and would definitely be up for seeing it again. Of course, I still look forward to watching the movie with Rain so that she can have the chance to see it a little bit like I do. Thank you, Rain, for bringing me to see a new take on one of my all-time favorites!

Who would you trust with your life?

If I am a friend of someone, I would trust them with my life in some fashion. And I'd hope they'd trust me with theirs. Now, of course, there is one situation which I judge all situations by.

Anyone who knows me, expects this one to be the first and foremost in my mind:

ZOMBIE ATTACKS!

OK, Zombies are walking down the street. Oh shit. My deepest nightmare has come true. They made fun of my phobia for years. But who do I trust?

mrsmyers -as my first best friend, I know I can trust her. as a big horror movie buff, I know I can trust her not to freak out. I'm handing her a machete and patting her on the back.

Tabby -not only did she give me life, but we have a pact that should one of us get bitten, we will not hesitate to pull the trigger. That's love.

Rain On Your Skin -there's no situation where I wouldn't trust her implicitly

Blasphemous - if you haven't seen K angry, you have no idea of her powers. I'd want her covering my back in a zombie attack

oracleofdoom - just like myself, she's read up on this eventuality and doesn't blink an eye at having a Zombie outbreak kit. In fact, she shall have one too. That's my girl.

Tea and Crumpets - yes, she laughed and didn't take the threat seriously. But then she saw the walking undead. She's got a clear head, steady hand, dark sense of humor, and good landspeed. She's on my Zombie team.

Snape's Girl - Yes, there will be trouble when the Zombie start having have decayed eyeballs falling out of their faces. But I'm sure we can train her to focus on the nose and aim. There, problem solved.

Flavia - She's a survivor. I would never underestimate her. Especially with a machete.

 

There you have it. My Zombie Squad. We are ready in case of an outbreak of the walking dead and I am more than willing to put my hands in those women's hands. Should my worst nightmare come to be, these women will be there right beside me. They may have to deal with my gloating but I'm sure they'll take it with grace. Hey, Christy, did you notice that when I'm added up with them our Zombie Squad adds up to Nine people. Damn straight. No, you can't add Siobhan to make it ten. No. No, we're not abandoning the kids. Everyone else is taken care of. Stop rolling your eyes at me. However way you twist it, I'm not letting you add it up to an even number. So there.

Tabby walked out today to go pick up Rain On Your Skin for work. She paused to call me out. Telling me to come smell the air. It smells like a campfire outside! Of course, yesterday we could start to see out Air Quality in the SJ Valley go to hell from the fires in the Northern part of the state. But this morning, it smells like a campfire and looking at the street lights in the distance, you can see smoke!

So Tabby had me go look up a local news station to see if they had anything to say about it and indeed they do:

Air Quality Emergency Warning: Stay Indoors

 

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is telling Valley Residents to stay indoors, if possible. The emergency warning was issued after smoke from two major wildfires is drifting into our area.

 

My favorite quote is:

"If you smell smoke, you're probably breathing in toxic particles."

 

And so . . . Does that mean I'm going to turn into Spiderwoman or something?

 

Well, you gotta admit I've got the rack for it. Not those kind of toxic particles? Aww . . .Shucks.

Seriously though, with all the crap that often drifts from the coast to be caught in the SJ Valley's air, I'm not really as traumatized by the idea of toxic smoke pouring in from over the coastal mountains. That is, if it weren't for the fact that my father is suffering a debilitating lung condition right now and is already on Oxygen . . . Ok, maybe I am concerned . .

Here's some pics taken by me a few moments ago of the air condition outside 

 

Yeah, on a clear day, that sky should be BLUE. And um, we should probably be able to see foothills (if not the mountains) on a truly clear day. But as you see from that picture, today we'd be lucky to see any true clouds. Welcome to Sunny California!

We need some more rain. Maybe Rain On Your Skin will lend us her prophetic services?