Las Vegas!

I'm back! Now to share the highlights of the trip (and lots of pictures!)

My mom and I flew out on Thursday afternoon and, even though we've both flown before, I don't think we'll ever get used to the sensations of taking off and landing without getting nervous. I got a window seat (albeit by the wing) and managed to take some pictures that turned out way better than I thought!

Bye-bye, ground!

I wish I'd known I'd see no green in Las Vegas!

Bye, fields of California!

The snow-capped Sierras in the distance, covered with clouds

Above them... as if you couldn't tell...

I find it so remarkable how the mountains just... end

When we got to the hotel room, on the 24th floor, I was so excited that I tried to take a picture of the view but instead got a shot of my awesome dinosaur shirt...


On the shuttle bus to the hotel, a handsome, tall (6'8") man from Brazil was guessing where everyone was from. He got the Hawaiian couple right, but looked at me and my mom and said "You're Canadians, right?" We laughed, and it turned out that morning he had met some Indian women from Canada and thought we looked like them. That's the second time this month that I've been mistaken for an Indian. I looked at my mom and said, "He must have never seen any real Indians!"

The big buildings were so... big! I couldn't stop gawking. I'm only used to seeing redwood trees that high!

That night we met up with Ajla, who has been my "online girlfriend" since we met years ago on an SGA forum on Gateworld. We're currently working on a graphic novel together! She took us to a lovely place called Town Square where all the locals go to escape the glitz and glam of the strip. I was lovely! Thanks, Ajla!

Ajla and I on a footbridge in Town Square

The first time I've ever seen a real one!

After that we drove around a bit as Ajla took us sight seeing.

Paris

The inside of the Bellagio was decorated as a garden. Check it out!

I don't know what it is, but it's kinda cool looking

This thing scared me

A chocolate fountain!

Glass flowers... I admit... my first thought was "What if there's an earthquake?!" You can never take the California out of a California girl!

Paris

I am jealous of Ajla's effortless beauty... ignore the thing on the right

My mom and I outside the Bellagio

While waiting for the next fountain show thing, this drunk guy staggered up to the group of us tourists and started shouting about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "And what about the Indiannapolis! Do you fucking remember that?!" We ignored him, of course, and after he staggered off we couldn't help but wonder why he went on an historically accurate rant, especially since he was too young to have remembered the atomic bombings, anyway!

The fountains!

In action:

Next we went inside Paris, where the ceiling is painted like the sky. It was so neat! And a great way to get business -- it creates a sense of timelessness so that, even though it's night outside, you don't necessarily notice and feel energized.

Ceasar's Palace

Needless to say, we were exhausted by that night! I got a good shot of the view from the window, too.

Unfortunately, tired as I was, the combination of coffee at 5, the howling wind 24 stories up, and fretting about pitching my script the next day (and, I admit it, texting friends back home) kept me up. I only managed about four hours of sleep that night. Here's an example of what the wind sounded like!

The view in the morning

The mountains were so odd to me -- just eroding rock -- like something you'd see on Mars. A very lunar landscape!

The whole city seemed so bizzarely futuristic to me. The monorail you see below is driven by... no one! I was convinced a villian was going to take it over!

We went to a few panels in the morning (one on children's TV programming with one of the women who runs Sesame Street! And another on the ethics of teaching screenwriting -- both of which were very interesting) then I tried to practice my pitch with little success.

Me and my beautiful mommy before the awards ceremony

You'll never guess who I saw on the way to the awards ceremony. Seriously. You'll never guess. No, not Joaquin Phoenix. Not Brad Pitt. Not Hugh Jackman. Way cooler than that. Are you ready for this? ...My next door neighbor.

We spotted each other from a few feet away, then stared as we neared, each thinking "How funny, that girl/man looks exactly like..." until it hit us that we were seeing each other. In Vegas. We stopped and laughed in incredulity, each having had no idea that the other was going to be there. The funny thing is, I was wearing heels, so when I first saw him I thought it couldn't be him since he wasn't taller than me!

I later also ran into a classmate, at the most random location, however since I knew he was also gonna be in Vegas for a wedding, it wasn't quite the shock. But still, what are the chances? Maybe I should have gambled... I seemed to have good odds!

Once at the awards ceremony, I finally got to meet the two awesome guys (pictured below) who were in charge of the student scriptwriting competition. When I came up to accept my award, I also said something for my fellow winners who couldn't be there. This is the second year in a row that my school has swept first, second, and third in this competition. Wow!

Me babbling

Accepting my award

After the awards were given out, the other top winner and I had the opportunty to pitch our scripts to an agent. I was so nervous that I could feel sweat trickling down my arm. Somehow, the first half of the pitch went off without a hitch (even though the agent would criticize us in front of the audience as we went) but then, by responding to some blanket statements she made about Americans being too stupid for my movie and how detrimental it is to have a female lead, I, apparently, "talked back," which was a big no-no.

Lesson learned: Be a product, not a person. Learn how to eat shit.

Two things I must learn how to fake in order to get anywhere in this business until I have the power to call the shots.

A professor from my university, Baback Sarraffan, who taught me TV Production, very often wins for the music videos he produces. Here we are with our plaques.

Yes, I know you can tell that I was nervous.

With Mommy

Needless to say, I was very glad to have it over and done with!

Taking a moment to relax and fill my sister in on what happened

We explored the hotel a bit after that. Check out this pool they have on the roof of the third floor!

And... Barry Manilow was everywhere...

A wedding... thing

The hotel was so tall that I couldn't even lean back far enough to fit it in the picture!

Donald Trump's tower of golds. Seriously. Everything inside of it is gold, too. It's bizarre. Like, really bizarre.

BAM! Another notch!

We headed to the Luxor to go see the Titanic artifact exhibit with Ajla that evening. Unfortunately, we got to the MGM Grand 15 minutes too late to see the lions in the lobby exhibit, but we still got to see lots of people frequenting the casinos. Women who wanted the whole world to know that they had boobs and an ass and make-up, all of which screamed a silent desperation that was sad. Little old men and ladies in motorized wheelchairs sitting at the slot machines, gambling money you know they didn't have to waste. All haloed in cigarette smoke.

As one beautiful young woman who rode the monorail home with us that night put it, "It's eternal hope. It's part of being human -- that resilliency -- always hoping that this time you will win." That made me see the gambling differently -- she had a great outlook! Thanks, whoever you were, and I hope your feet aren't still killing you from those heels!

Little New York

The Luxor!

I don't know if I've yet mentioned this on this blog, but I have been an ameature Egyptologist all my life. I loved the architecture of the Luxor!

The sphinx!

A sphinx and obelisk

Once Ajla arrived, we went into the exhibit. At the start, you are given a boarding pass with the name and information of a passenger who sailed on the ship.

Not only am I an ameature Egyptologist, but I was one of those 13/14-year-old girls who was obsessed with the Titanic when the film came out. Not only did I want to learn everything about the film (yes, it admittedly inspired me to persue filmmaking) but I was thirsty for the history. I used to know the prominent passengers and officers backwards and forwards, the layout of the ship, the order of events and the telegraphs warning of ice, and much more. I couldn't get enough. I still am fascinated by the moment in history, and much of my old knowledge flooded back to me as I toured the exhibit, however, I know I would have been in tears had I seen it when I was 14.

They not only hard recovered artifacts on display, but had also recreted sections of the ship, complete with sound effects, so that it really felt that you were in third class, then first, then on grand staircase (complete with the ornate glass ceiling!), the promenade deck, then... groaning metal. They had a huge hunk of ice to touch to remind you just how cold 28 degree water is. Those poor people.

There were many dishes that had been recovered, along with a few metal instruments and cookware, but among the most shocking artifacts was a pair of pants and shoes from a victim, along with a pair of glasses.

The Big Piece was also there -- for those not familiar, this is the giant section of the hull that you see in almost every documentary about the wreck. It was amazing to see such a large section of the ship, complete with some of the glass windows intact. Wow.

At the very end, you can look your passenger's name up on a plaque on the wall to see if you lived or died. We were all first class, so we all survived. But seeing the names of the saved vs. the lost was shocking. Nearly all first class passengers were saved. Nearly all third class passengers were lost.

This exhibit is going to be in Las Vegas for the next 10 years, and I highly recommend it!

We had tried to call it a night early, but since we're all history nerds, it was still a bit late when we finished. But that meant we got to see the Luxor and the strip in it's glowy glory.

Stargate!

Outside the Luxor

Excaliber

Little New York at night

The next morning was already time to leave! We attended another panel on the TV Writer's Room, which was fascinating (talk about frat hazing! You should see what goes on behind the scenes of your favorite shows!) and I was able to talk to the TV writers on the panel afterwards, which was great. I briefly pitched my script to one, and he was much more hopeful than the agent had been the day before. "You just gotta find the right people to work with you on it," he said, echoing my conclusion from the night before. Preferably someone who doesn't think Americans are too stupid.

It was already time to say goodbye to a city that, while I appreciate it, I don't have much love for. It was fun to visit, but the strip is tacky and dirty and loud and a very bold celebration of commercialism and capitalism. For someone who finds beauty in the green and growing, it was definitely not the place for me. Not to mention, they have to recycling system!

The slot machines by the lobby

The fancy lobby

Grandma gave me $40 to play the slot machines. "If you win," she said, "we'll split the winnings!" This picture was for her. I actually only spent $20 of the money she gave me, since I was frightened by how easily it was fettered away!

The noise and the stench of cigarette smoke were always enough to make me walk through this portoion of the hotel as fast as possible.

Before we left for the airport, Ajla and her mom came to the hotel for a chat. It was great to see Ajla again and to meet her gorgeous mom, but it was so sad to leave and say goodbye. I hope we see each other again soon, Ajlita!

If I already look like a witch now, imagine when I'm old!

With my online girlfriend ;)

Our amazing, and gorgeous, mommies!

The flight back home had some turbulence, but was short. It was so nice to see green again, and to see our mountains. All in all, it was a lovely trip. The highlight was definitely spending time with Ajla, but schmoozing with industry professionals was also kinda cool. But not as cool as my online girlfriend. ;)

Mackenzie's Momma -- Glad to hear you're spreading our video insanity! LOL! I can't wait to see your beautifully dorky goat pictures! I keep thinking about shaving ours, now, since they've nearly rubbed their rumps naked from itching!

Tracie -- You nominated my blog? Wow, I'm so honored! Thank you! :) And if you're curious about the colorful characters of Santa Cruz... Google Pink Umbrella Man, lol.

Early Summer

Chee Chee is a hot pup

It's friggen hot out. I mean, it's 11pm, and it's almost 70F. In APRIL. It got up to 101 F today. Yesterday it was 95 F and broke the previous record from over 100 years ago. However, that temperature was recorded the day after the infamous 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, in which much of the area burned and the smoke increased the heat.

This year is just bizarre. A week ago it was 35F at night. The winds were blowing so strong that I thought the trees were going to fall over. I watched as our metal table and chairs slid across the deck.

We've been watching the wonderful PBS series We Shall Remain. Though watching it and hearing it are two different things. With the doors and windows open to cool off, all of the abundant life outside can be heard. I love it, but it can get annoying when you have to keep rewinding the DVR to listen to an historical fact. Check out how loud the tree frogs are (they even drown out the crickets!). Our peacock is in the middle of his mating season, so he squawks at any loud noises... unti, of course, we try to make him honk for the video!

I started recording again after we did get him to honk.

Yes, he does that about every 15 minutes or so when a noise displeases him, which makes hearing anything difficult and relations with the nearby housing area nearly impossible.

Yesterday we improvised and made our own slip and slide to have some fun!


Here are some more beautiful little wildflowers.



We're supposed to get rain on Friday. Everyone is laughing at the prospect, but given the dramatic weather the past week, I wouldn't doubt it! Unfortunately, I won't be here to find out, since I will be in Las Vegas accepting my national screenwriting award. My mom's coming with me and we're meeting up with one of my long-time SGA internet pals, so wish us luck!

Oh yeah, and before the heat struck, we made a new video.

It's a Wonderful Life

Mackenzie's Momma -- I would love to see some pictures of Fawn in all her silly glory. ;)

Tracie -- The Lost Boys "makes your town look all dark and mysterious and ,well, full of vampire"? This I must see. Because as far as I know, Santa Cruz is full of men with pink umbrellas, people with dreads, natural foods shops, hippies, street musicians, and surfers, to name a few. It's quite amusing to imagine it "dark!"

Goat Herding

Yes, spring is here, which means lots of green things. Green things are why spring is my favorite season. I am a nymph or tree spirit or Artemis at heart. Remember all that miner's lettuce I photographed earlier? We had some in a salad!

But as anyone who followed this blog last summer knows, green stuff turns into brown stuff which can turn into orange stuff -- fire. People around here seem to be being extra cautious this year after all of the fires last summer, and are cutting and trimming the wild grasses on their property while they're still green. Before we set an weed whackers to ours, however, we made use of our natural lawnmowers -- the goats and Sheepy!

Patch with her momma, Cora.

Tumnus or "Tum Tum"

Some pretty little white wildflowers

The only problem with the goats is the fact that they often don't eat what we want them to, and often do eat what we don't want them to. So Alex "hired" me to guard several native bushes that we didn't want them to eat. We filmed the "opening ceremonies" that was supposed to be the goats nancing about in frisky fun, but instead turned into drama. Patch tried to shove her way out then got her hips stuck, while Tumnus tried to climb underneath her and nearly choked himself. All were no worse for wear, the poor fools, but Alex was obviously worried. And she has every right to be -- they're her goats and she bottle fed Tumnus after his momma, Banana, died after giving birth three years ago.

The Incident

I'm not sure what took over me, but I took a very fun approach towards herding the goats and Sheepy away from the bushes! Teyla was on a leash so that she wouldn't interfere, and by the sounds in the background you can probably tell that she was not happy about being left out.

The Goat Herder

This should be an Olympic sport!

The Bush Defender

I enjoyed my job a little too much, I think.

"Bye!"

Despite all the drama, the goats were no worse for wear and happily scampered back into their pen.

Patch Goes Home

But Chee Chee and I were still vigilant, guarding the path. Just in case.

Sentinels

Teyla then bounded down and helped herd Sheepy back into her pen, as well. She's gotten pretty good at it, too, for a pup with no herding training, relying on instinct! Then again, she is an Australian Shepherd!

And this post is dedicated to Mackenzie's Momma. :)

Mackenzie's Momma -- Isn't it odd how neglected that news story was? Or rather, event was? I think you've probably got it pinned - they don't want to encourage any others to attempt something similar. The short story is something that just popped into my head but I wrote for class. I'll hand it in to workshop in a week or two, get feedback from classmates, then rewrite it. It's the best way to learn how to self-edit and strengthen your craft.

Tracie -- Yeah, wouldn't you think that would be useful news for the whole country? Very strange. The Lost Boys! Gosh -- I have yet to see that but given it was filmed here, I really ought to. We could be known for worse things. ;) Hmm, turn the short story into a novel? I admittedly could (it's already 30 pages and has lots of room for expansion). Unfortunately, there's no market for short stories anymore, but I always keep all of mine for potential future novels or scripts. :) So maybe this one will come back! And if it does, I'll be more than happy to autograph it and send it along with a picture of Teyla. ;)

Apocalyptic Bus Ride

So, um, did anyone outside of the Bay Area read or hear about the chaos and panic in California yesterday? I didn't think so. I wasn't home till around 11pm but was shocked that there was little to no national coverage of the event given how frightened people in the area were. Someone cut a massive fiber optics cable as an act of vandalism (I'm confused on how this is not terrorism). Wanna make some cash? There's a quarter of a million dollar reward on this vandal. Check it out.

Yesterday it was $100, 000, so I looked to my friend Matt, who was giving me a ride home, and joked, "Hey, we're not going home -- we're gonna find this guy. That'll pay for grad school!" And then some.

It was a real wake-up call demonstrating how reliant we now are on the internet and cell phones and plastic cards. One of my friends, bless his heart, spent 90 minutes trying to get cash from ATMs all over town to pay for gas to drive to school. When he went directly to a bank a cop standing guard outside told him that he couldn't enter because there had been a security breach, but that he didn't know any more than that. My poor friend was convinced that DC had been nuked.

I think I was just as frightened, however for an entirely different reason. I felt I had caused it.

About a week ago I finished a first draft of a short story I'd written on a whim -- a sort of Sci Fi "What if?" tale that came to me while I was bored one bus ride. I'm going to share the opening of the story. You'll see why.

Serenity looked straight in front of her as the bus bounced and rattled towards downtown San Jose. No one else seemed too bothered by the clouds outside – trailing white gathered around motley blue and grey, drifting towards the city from the West. She shifted Theodore in his ring sling, tugging at the cotton of her dress that was starting to stick to her stomach from the heat of his three-month-old body and the ninety degree weather outside. He was still sound asleep and she ran her fingers through the brown of his featherlight curls before looking ahead once more.

Her eyes lingered on the girl in the seat in front of her, watching as she rooted around in her backpack, admiring her the thinness of her flaxen hair tied up in an elegantly messy knot, the beads of her earrings, the smooth tequila tan of her skin, and wondered what it would be like to be blond and to know you were beautiful.

Serenity’s heart caught in her chest when the bus jolted and rattled and she instinctively rested a hand on the back of Theodore’s head to press him to her. She looked out the waterstained window. The cloud nebula was darker than before, churning. She caught a flash of light below the mass, then another. Lightening. She glanced around at the other passengers. A man in a suit shifted and read the paper. A woman ate an apple and checked her e-mail on her laptop. The driver focused on the road ahead. Serenity rose, holding onto the back of the seat before her, spurred by a sudden need to get away from her seat. To get out of the bus.

A few people glanced at her as she rested her palms against their seats, shuffling forward on the unsteady rubber. She saw another flash from below the cloud and glanced behind her, holding onto one of the vinyl straps that hung from the luggage rack. A few passengers blinked at her but none noticed the sky. No one ever noticed the sky anymore because no one looked up.

The bus driver saw her out of the corner of his eye. “Can I help you?”

She pivoted to face him.

“Are you getting off at the Caltrain Station?”

“Yes,” Serenity cleared her throat. “I’m going to Santa Cruz.”

The driver nodded. “We should be there in about – ”

“I want to get off at the next stop.”

The driver glanced to her. “You just have to tug on the cord – ”

A clap sharper and swifter than thunder sounded and the bus jolted with a violent flash of bonewhite. Gasps sounded from the passengers as they were jilted and screens went black with dying hums. Serenity’s knuckles were white around the strap.

“Everyone okay?” the driver hollered as he navigated the freeway.

“What was that?” a woman asked.

Serenity sank down until she touched the floor, scooting herself behind a large suitcase that sat in the wheelchair space. Theodore had awoken and fussed.

“I think we were hit,” a man answered.

Serenity lightly bounced her son, attempting to calm him, her eyes on his chubby cheeks as he squinted and blinked.

“That was crazy,” another man said. “I never thought – ”

There was another clap as lightening struck the road ahead. Serenity closed her eyes against the flash. The noises of the passengers around her were drowned out by a boom that wrenched metal from socket as another bolt cleaved a car ahead of them, sending the vehicle careening into the windshield of the bus. Serenity could hear the groan and tear and screech of monstrous metal as the suitcase pressed against her. The floor vibrated from the tires and she knew that they were still moving forward, then there was another crunch and bang of collision, then a tinny hissing as her gravity shifted. She managed to catch herself as the bus lilted before it slowed.

She felt the meat of her palm begin to sting and when the bus had nearly stopped, she straightened and glanced to her hand. A shard of glass the size of the curve of her fingernail was embedded in her skin. Theodore pressed into her left breast as he strained against her, causing her to gasp. Horns were blazing outside and someone on the bus was groaning. She kicked the suitcase aside and it toppled off of her, glass tinkling in its wake. Serenity blinked in the darkness of the windshield being clogged by cars, the ceiling smashed down so low that she couldn’t stand.

Light was still filtering in from the windows and her eyes adjusted enough to make out the mangled, detached arm of the driver lying amongst the shattered glass on the floor. She felt bile sour her throat as one of the lifeless fingers curled. She couldn’t see the rest of the driver but blood seeped from the metal. There was another groan from the back of the bus and she struggled to rise, her arm snaking Theodore’s spine as she shuffled. She kicked away as much glass as she could, knowing it would stab right through the flimsy soles of her flip flops, then hunched her way further down the aisle.

The left half of the bus had been torn off against the concrete lane divider, having wrenched half of the passengers out with it. Theodore was crying now and Serenity was able to straighten. The clap and bang of the flashing light continued outside and Serenity glanced over the remaining passengers. Something tickled her toes and she took a few hasty steps backwards when she saw blood pooling in the aisle. Her nostrils flared as she noticed some of the blood trickling from the blond girl’s head. The young Nordic woman lay at a grotesque angle, her broken neck laying her cheek against her breast, and Serenity coughed as she began to gag.

She clutched Theodore to her as she lurched forward to vomit, the pink and bubbly contents of her stomach settling into the blood. She wiped at her lips after several dry heaves, then forced herself to straighten. Her voice croaked. “Is anyone alive?” She listened for a response, furtively glancing to what was left of the other passengers. The groaning had stopped. Serenity forced more steadiness into her voice. “Is anyone alive?”

There was no response. Theodore’s cheeks were getting rosy from his sobbing and she noticed his diaper bag resting on a nearby seat. She picked it up and slung it over her shoulder before making her way to the emergency exit window one row down. The luggage rack had broken loose and the pole had been rammed clear through the seats, including the one she’d been sitting in minutes before. For a long moment she couldn’t look away from the aluminum pole through cheap upholstery until she realized she was shaking and Theodore was clawing at the v-neck of her dress. She awkwardly angled over the pole and wrenched the red handle of the exit. The side of the bus opened and she stumbled outside.

That was long, I know, and still needs work, but here's why yesterday frightened me:

Serenity had just left her mother's house, my mom had just dropped me off at the bus stop. When I tried to call my mom to let her know I got on the bus okay, the call wouldn't go through. I didn't think much at the time and sent her a text. Then more people on the bus began to talk to strangers, asking if their phones were working. Two beautiful blonde girls (I think they were sisters) were seated in front of me, in the aisle beside my seat, and were panicking since they were on their way to the airport and couldn't get a hold of either of their parents. I looked down -- I was wearing a dress and cheap immitation ugs. We were stuck in mountain traffic as it stormed. We eventually passed two gruesome accidents where people lay bleeding. I hope they were okay. One of the cars had been thrown all the way over the lane divider.

The situation was so similar to my story that I felt like I needed to protect the blond girls just in case I had somehow brought this upon them!

The battery power on my phone was ticking away, draining as it tried to connect and receive messages. When I finally did get a message it was from a friend in Las Vegas (hi, Ajla!) then later another from my mom, sounding very worried since I hadn't confirmed that I was on the bus and okay. I'd told her about a rape story that should make anyone's blood boil and it had gotten her paranoid, the poor thing.

Luckily all has ended well (the internet is obviously working again!) but wow. I told the blond girl about the beginning of my story and she laughed, saying "Now I know who to blame!"

"Yeah," I said. "That stupid brunette on the bus!"

Always Entertaining

Downtown is always interesting. Check out some of the unique sights from last Friday evening:

I'm not the biggest fan of theater, but I'd like to check this play out based solely on the advertising!

No offense if you're into this kind of thing, but I was deeply disturbed. Alex said it made her feel like we were in France.

Um, I'm not sure, but it looked rather ceremonial to me...

In other news, according to a recent study, "the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has nearly doubled since 1990, rising from 8 to 15 percen," "the number of people willing to describe themselves as atheist or agnostic has increased about fourfold from 1990 to 2009, from 1 million to about 3.6 million. (That is about double the number of, say, Episcopalians in the United States.)," and "the percentage of self-identified Christians has fallen 10 percentage points since 1990, from 86 to 76 percent." You can read the Newsweek article here.

While I understand that the shifting cultural tides are grounds to make many in the mainstream nervous, I can't help but smile at these numbers. Especially after the Bush administration, we need more separation of church and state. As someone who has studied Latin and translated parts of the Bible from Latin to English, I have been astonished by how very different the meaning in Latin is from the "poetic license" of English translations. Not to mention that the Bible has gone from Hebrew to Greek to Latin to English -- all languages that do not always correlate to one another. And there are people who believe the Bible word for word. A lot of them, in fact. That idea horrifies me.

I should know. I write fiction.

Mackenzie's Momma -- Aww that Husky sounds so beautiful! I love Huskies. :) The pair of dogs we had when I was growing up were part wolf, part Malamute and part lab. Gorgeous, intelligent beings!

Tracie -- Aww thanks for the link! Maybe I can get Teyla in! :D

Doggies!

This post is one for the dogs! Literally -- I've been gathering pictures of dogs for a few months and now it's time to share. Most of these are from the fall, and they're all adorable.

Meet Lily, my professor's lovable chocolate lab:

Matt's leg, Lily, and Maria's leg

Lovely Lily

And here's a great bear of a Newfoundland that we met on a hike.

A Newfie!

The Newfie and the sweet girl who let us take his picture

Back in November, some relatives from Iowa stopped by for a visit, and brought their "kids," Heidi and Clancy.

Heidi

:)

Clancy

Clancy and Chee Chee and Teyla lying frog-legged in the background

And here is Cosmo, my best friends' roomate's dog. Isn't he gorgeous?

Cosmo had an emergency -- his water bowl was empty!

Cosmo showed me his goose toy -- apparently he doesn't play with just anyone. I was honored.

And last but certainly not least, Mr. Chee!

Mackenzie's Momma -- You have great luck with those radio station giveaways! That's awesome. I've been able to find Script Magazine at my local Borders, so I imagine you could find it there or at a Barnes & Noble or the like.

Tracie -- You know, I wish we had some of your rain! We're supposed to get more Monday and Tuesday, but I have a bad feeling that it won't be near enough to begin to alleviate our drought. :(

Spring!

First, the big news that I've been very late in telling. An article about me and Andromache will appear in the June issue of Script Magazine, so be sure to check it out!

Also... spring is here! While I am still constantly hoping for more rain to help ease the drought, I am definitely enjoying the warm weather, the green, and the wildflowers. However, I've developed allergies so my eyes and nose aren't exactly enjoying the season!

How are you all faring? I've once more become a bad blogger...

I live for sights like this

Rare, indigenous wildflowers

Miner's lettuce

Yum!

Teyla was up to some mischief while I was sitting and enjoying this view. See what shenanigans she was up to at the back of the manure pile...

Dirty puppy

Then something really exciting happened. A plastic bag blew loose.

I love spending time with my littlest sister, Teyla.

A pair of Canada Geese have also nested nearby, however they recently abandoned their nest. After watching and waiting until we were sure the nest was abandoned, we decided to incubate the eggs ourselves. I've candled them and know that three for certain are "quitters" (four of the eggs had been pushed out of the nest and these may have been among them) and am not sure if the others are even fertilized, but I'll wait and see, just in case!


And here's someone I may have not introduced before: Clara the guinea pig!

Here she is last week, exploring my room. You can hear Alex and I make a reference to our Stargate Atlantis fan film in which Sheppard was afraid of Clara.

Mackenzie's Momma -- Diablo Cody wrote the film Juno and won an Oscar for it. :) And I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels more comfortable around farm animals than in clubs. How the heck did you get sucked into a club when you were there for a Country concert???