Seeing my fears come true...to someone else

Several former students and colleagues live and study in Southern California, and even though we only live an hour from each other, i'm not too good about keeping in touch or reconnecting. Actually, i'm horrible at that, but that's a story for another day. Today we met up in Point Loma and Mission Beach to hang out and share a meal.

We were going to swap out to take group photos, but a passing motorist offered to take our pictures for us. How nice! :) Here we are--i, of course, am the one with wild hair.

Because carpooling was not an option, i took the train down and back. I've taken the train late at night several times, and even though it probably isn't the wisest thing, it's never alarmed me to be waiting alone at the station in the dark. What i DO fear is sleeping through my stop. It's not like an airplane where everyone has to get off at the destination, nor do conductors wake up passengers. One late night--the train was to arrive after midnight--the lulling clack clack and gentle sway sent me deeply asleep in between stops, even though they were only about 12 minutes apart. I kept starting awake, fearing i'd slept through Fullerton, especially since the train only stopped for a moment or two. If i missed Fullerton, there were no other south-bound trains to catch from further up. It would be Union Station for me, or calling someone at one in the morning, oh boy.

Well, tonight those fears were realized. The guy seated diagonally from me slept soundly through Santa Ana. I felt sorry for him. That stop was announced loudly, several times! If i'd known he was getting off at Santa Ana i'd have tried to wake up, but two stops later, even the conductor had to shake him. I think he was going to have to go all the way to Union Station and catch a train backward. :(

Whaddayaknow...

30 is the new 50. I received an invitation to join AARP today!

When i called to be taken off the mailing list, i asked about this mix-up. The operator said you can be as young as 18 to join AARP. How strange.

Good thing i've come to terms with 30; this would have put me over the edge a few weeks ago!

soul searching

Having hidden from
myself for so long, i do
not know where i am.

Spring is sprung

I enjoy Spring. I enjoy all the seasons, but i love spring flowers greatly. My mom planted sections of the backyard by color (some annuals, some perennials, some things in pots).

We vigourously trimmed the wisteria and it finally bloomed! My mom thinks threatening to dig them out makes plants cooperate. :)

One of my favorite flowers: gerbera daisies. I love them in all colors but especially yellow. This guy grows in a pot with a native daisy thing.

An old-fashioned miniature rose also in a pot on the patio. A blooming Rosa Banks is there too--blooming, according to my mother's theory, because she announced it had one last chance.

The orange section: there's an heirloom tomato, red salvia, and golden lilies planted nearby.

Willy-nilly lack of reason

Between taking classes and teaching classes, i drive nearly 300 miles a week. I hate that about my lifestyle, especially at $3.53/gallon, but it can't be helped for the moment and i make recompense by walking to church, the library, the grocery store, and the post office.

Driving that many miles and hours without a cd player or functioning tape deck in my car, the radio is on a lot. Usually it's tuned to stations with few commercials: public radio, e.g. but even that has blurbs and sponsors and senseless adverts.

If i hear one more blurb from Flex Your Power (and i'm so miffed, i won't deign to hyperlink) about how much energy we'd save if Californians replaced all their inefficient washing machines, dish washers, dryers, and water heaters, i'll scream. Better yet, i'll write my favorite radio stations and Flex Your Power, although i doubt it will accomplish much. IT WILL NOT SAVE THE WORLD to chance your water heater. Sure, it'll save some energy. It will not, however, address the energy used to make the new whatever, the energy to ship the new whatever to the store and then transport it to your house, or the energy to haul away your old whatever. Worst of all, where on earth do they propose to put 16 million old water heaters, dryers, washing machines, and dish washers? Throw the thing out when its useful life is completed, wrap insulation around it, only run full loads--there are better ways to save water and energy. We don't have enough planet to dump old things just because there's a new and improved thing. Prime agricultural land in California has already been paved over. We shouldn't waste any more.

This lack of logic also goes into the marketing of hybrid cars. They do, in certain driving conditions, use less gas. That's no excuse to ship older models overseas or to Mexico, or to dumps or scrap lots. Then there's the whole issue of their toxic batteries.

We could have a grand standard of living--people did in the 1920's and 1950s and thought they were at the height of consumerism--while consuming much less, and that includes so-called eco-friendly stuff too. Just because it's called "green" by the manufacturer does not make it green, and using more than one needs is far from green.

Rant over.

Except, oh, did i mention hearing news about a California legislator's brilliant idea to raise oil taxes by 8%? As if gas, and everything transported by gas (= almost everything), hasn't increased in price enough? Close the loopholes about yachts already, and give us better public transit, and then i might re-elect someone who proposes an increased oil tax. Over my dead body if i'd vote for him before that.

Fullerton

These are from my self-directed field trip yesterday afternoon. As i walked around taking photos i was sure someone was going to ask me what i was doing: one of my classmates nearly got arrested while measuring Pershing Square. Alas, i must look harmless. No one asked me anything.

This is the North-bound side of the Santa Fe Depot. Many a time i've scampered here to take the metro or train into Los Angeles! The depot was built c. 1930 to replace the Victorian Depot, which was built in 1888. That one was wooden and looked a lot like the station where Anne of Green Gables waits for the Cuthberts. This one is Spanish Revival. I like it. The benches, ceiling, and lighting fixtures inside are grand, even if it's just a small station.

This is the Chapman building, one of the tallest in downtown Fullerton. I've read that it's supposed to echo the style of Chicago's sky scrapers, since Chapman hailed from that city. Note how the building is only 5-storeys--apparently, that's a Fullerton historic area ordinance currently being challenged. This and the Landmark Plaza building are two of my favorites on Harbor Boulevard. I also really like the Villa del Sol building, which used to be the California Hotel.

This was the Union Pacific Railroad Depot. It used to be at a different site but was moved here around 1980 and became the Old Spaghetti Factory. The structure is largely intact, although many of the furnishings are different. An evening manager nicely showed me around a few weeks ago and he knew a lot about the building.

Fullerton has spiffy modern architecture too, like a Streamline Moderne home and a futuristic car wash. I like well-done buildings from that era, like Neutra, but i must admit a weakness for Spanish Revival.