Now that it’s clear that I’ll be working from home for awhile, it’s time to turn our office from the catch-all room it currently is into a place where I really want to spend time. The sewing supplies need to be packed up, the books and CDs will be sold or donated, and it generally needs some life to it. Maybe I’ll paint the stuff on the desk; I’ll definitely put up some pictures. My husband and I might need separate desks. I say might, because I’m attempting to do this for next to no money. We’ll see what Ikea has.
I’m always a sucker for before and after stories, so here’s the current set-up, warts and all.
I love the little star jasmine flowers and the way they smell. So when I realized the the big bush in the side yard was, in fact, star jasmine, I was ecstatic.
It’s the first of what promises to be many sad, gray rainy days here in normally sunny California. I’m posting this picture of palm trees to cheer myself up. It was taken earlier this week at Las Palmas Park.
Still love the birds of paradise, people.
I don’t care how gaudy they are, I still love them. Apologies for the poor photo quality, I couldn’t go into someone else’s yard just for a closer picture.
The landlord for the new house does a fabulous job at maintaining the lawn / garden. There are a ton of flowers, not just the calla lilies. There’s also a palm tree. I kind of love the palm tree.
There are a ton of calla lillies in the yard here in the new house. I like them.
The house we’re moving to has an old, non-functioning intercom system. The landlord says that if we’re up to fixing it we’re more than welcome to take a shot. I’m certainly not up to it, but I love the retro-ness of the main control panel.
I don’t know what says Spring more than two flowering trees.
I still can’t get used to how many snails there are here. They’re worse than the slugs in Seattle.
I freaking love tulips. In Seattle, April and May were always tulip season. However, Disneyland had a bunch blooming while we were there. Changes in latitude… I bought some this weekend, convinced that they’re in season for California.
On the walk into the building this morning, I saw a ladybug in the decorative grass. Ladybugs are happy.
Say what you will about Disney (and lord knows I’ve probably said it) there are two very true things about it. First, it’s way more fun if you’re a kid or with a kid. Second, it’s American in a way that not too many other things are. John Wayne. John Phillip Sousa. Puritans. Apple pie, hamburgers, and McDonalds. That independent streak that once caused me to have a discussion with an Austrian about why Americans can’t ask for help. (We just can’t, ok?) I don’t know if it’s the storytelling or the marketing or the entertainment or the size of the company or all the stuff it makes or the fact that “safe” is the word it wants its customers to associate with it or some combination of all those things that make it American.
Whatever. Disney’s been a big influence on American culture. Here’s a side view of the Walt Disney and Mickey statue in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle and one of Main Street USA (as envisioned by Disney circa 1890) at sunset.
One of the things my husband learned the semester he interned at Disney Imagineering was that the park allows feral cats to live in Disneyland to control the rodent population. They like Tom Sawyer’s Island (pictured below). I saw one running around California Adventure at dusk on Monday. That was a skittish cat.
We went to Disneyland last year too, and one of the things that was noticably different this time was that Disney has started selling re-usable bags, organic cotton t-shirts, and fresh fruit in the park. The cynic in me says: Disney wants us to think they’re green? How about not inflicting more plastic crap on the world? Or taking some responsibility to clean up some of the mess that the old cheap plastic crap has already caused? The more reasonable part of me says that this is a first step and that if it proves profitable, they’ll expand it and if Disney did start buying organic cotton, how much change could they effect? Probably a lot.
I bought one of the shirts and a bunch of fruit to improve the sales numbers.
One of the things I like about Disneyland is the mid-20th century style posters they use to advertise the rides (mostly in Tomorrowland, but other places too).
Disney takes its theming seriously: even the free bathroom shampoo bottles have Mickey ears.
My daughter is old enough now that I sometimes actually get to stop and look at something I want to when we go through aquariums and museums and the like. Sea dragons are awesome and I was able to convince her to pause long enough for me to take this picture.
Another day off school, another trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was the last nice day for awhile. The rain and cooler weather will settle in tomorrow.
It was ridiculously warm yesterday: 76 degrees. My daughter and I played outside when we got home, and I took a couple of pictures.
