About Me

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The basics: Single mom with two boys, one born in ’85, the other in ’96. So Cal native living on the north coast of San Diego and hoping to never leave. Cast of Characters:

Sweet Prince (or SP) – Boyfriend of many years.

MusicMan – DS1. Born in 1985. My creative, loving, sensitive soul.

SportsBoy – DS2. Born in 1996. My sports loving boy with a quick smile and fruitcake personality.

Copying some other About pages I found on NaBloPoMo, here are some random facts in no particular order which I will add to as I think of them (updated a bit in 2011 and again in 2013):

• Only child
• Raised in Orange County CA (The OC baby!) when it was nearly 1/2 strawberry fields and orange groves.
• Took up the accordion when a salesman came to our door when I was 6. Vividly etched in my memory because I hated that damn instrument!!! Now, it’s become a bit of a notorious tidbit from my history and something to laugh about. Ah well…
• Played that darn accordion and marched in the Strawberry festival held in the OC way back when.
• Moved from the accordion to the piano and also started dance lessons around the age of 9 – whew!
• Took tennis lessons and played in one tournament – lost miserably – never did master the serve, but I loved playing.
• Danced with my class as the half-time entertainment for a Lakers game back when Magic and Kareem were playing – another image etched in my memory – the players coming off the court heading into the locker room passed right by us as we waited to go on. They were huge! Also, dressing for the event in the LA Kings locker room at The Forum.
• Attended a Montessori school who’s owners and teachers had learned the program direct from Maria Montessori. It was perfect for the way my brain works with learning.
• Transferred to the Bishop’s School in the 10th grade. Lived on campus. What a culture shock!
• Hobbies as a child included bird watching, crotchet, stamp collecting and baseball card collecting. Yes, I was a geek from the start!
• I’ve been a baseball fan since I was 9
• I hate clutter
• I’m a Capricorn born in the chinese year of the dragon. Actually, a triple Cap according to an analysis my friend did.
• I need 8 hours of sleep a night – not negotiable
• I hate gyms
• I was raised by Republicans (though not right wing) and voted that way until I started paying attention to the process. Switched to Democrat in 2000 though I don’t just vote the party line at all.
• I love to read, but am always having to make time for it.
• I love to cook – IF I have time for it.
• I love playing in the garden (oh, there is that time thing again!)
• I love the sound of the ocean
• My glass is always half-full
• I have no patience for wallowing
• What, me worry? Yes, call me Alfreda E Newman, but I think worrying is a complete waste of energy. I think the AA Serenity Prayer says it all on that topic.
• I’ve been called ‘pragmatic’ by more than a few so I guess I am :->
• My radio station pre-sets are sports talk radio, one local music station (saved for the morning show), and politics.
• My TV is tuned either to ESPN, Padres games, HGTV & MSNBC.
• I am also not a movie goer. I’d rather be out at a ball field or on the trails.
• I have never seen Titanic and don’t want to (am I the ONLY straight woman who can say that?)
• Given my interest in politics, I should disclose that I have run for and won elections. In high school I was the senior class Treasurer (talk about a sign of things to come!!) and then this year I was elected to the local Pop Warner Board – as Treasurer of course. UPDATE: Filled out that 2 years term, took a year off, then was asked back for another year (2011) and I swear that THIS TIME I AM DONE!!
• (Ok, I just read through all the stuff I listed so far, and hey, aren’t you just dying to invite me to a party?!! Yeah baby. I really need to think of more interesting things)
• I once traveled across the country of Sweden on a motorcycle. Stockholm to Gothenburg. (better)
• I love going to concerts, and my favorite, concert companion is MusicMan. Aerosmith, Duran Duran, Van Halen, Jimmy Buffet, Rod Stewart, The Eagles, Sting, Alanis and a few Jingle Balls are what we’ve attended since he turned 16. SportsBoy got to see American Idol on tour from Season 2 and Clay Aiken’s Christmas concert. UPDATE – oh, HUGE UPDATE right? How can a list About Me NOT include my intense passion for Adam Lambert? Yes, he supplanted Clay as My Most Favorite American Idol ever. I also stopped watching after his season because….what’s the point? Several GlamNation concerts later and I am more convinced than ever that Freddie Mercury lives on in this beautiful entertainer. UPDATE 2013: – In 2012 Adam Lambert toured with Queen – didn’t I tell you he was Freddie Version 2?
• My favorite way to travel is on a cruise ship. Went 5 times as a teen with my parents to various places. Alaska is the favorite destination hands down. I was thrilled to introduce my Sweet prince to cruising and went on a  local Mexico cruise twice and dream of more.
• I have not paid for a haircut in 15 years. DIY all the way!
• I am officially a CCL in training – Crazy Cat Lady – I only have two 🙂
• I bought my first house when I was 39 (my goal was before I was 40 and I did it!)
• I discovered very quickly that watching Trading Spaces had seeped into my brain and I LOVE painting with color!
• I’ve participated in 3 Breast cancer 3-day walks and loved each one. Had to stop due to lack of proper training time and fundraising sources.
• I took up working out more intensely (read, something more than just walking) in 2009 when I joined a circuit training group. Met THE BEST group of people ever. When we lost access to the gym, I panicked at the thought of falling out of shape again and took up running. Yes. Me. I run. As of April 2011. It is crazy assed and fun. Alex (SportsBoy) has taking up triathlons and between his races, my friend’s races and my own, there is no such thing as sleeping in on the weekends anymore.
• Update 2013 – I am a runner officially. My longest race event is still just a 6k, but in weekend trail runs I have now topped 13 miles. I have a goal to run a half marathon on 2014.
• Update 2013 – Still a perpectual volunteer, I am co-chairing the parent committee for the teen’s high school football team. It is HARD WORK! So many hours of meetings and emails and events to coordinate. Thank gawd I am only a secondary chair and that the main one is a coordinating queen.
• Update 2013 – I am a writer! A PAID writer! In late 2011 I started helping out my running friend with her affiliate marketing sites online and I ended up focusing specifically on writing the content for the sites including putting together and e-book on Building a Pergola. Don’t laugh – we sold $1000 worth of those through the end of May this year! She also recommended that I start writing for Blogmutt and I am very glad she did. Somehow in between my day job and the football thing, I do my best to send out 20-30 posts a month and it has really been fun and helped to reducde financial stress.