Unfurl

On Life. Just Life

It's official.
Mirna has a bump!

On Death and Life

Per previous post, I was in Modesto, CA this weekend... the reason for my delayed Photo Phriday was that my sister and I went up to Modesto for my Aunt's service.
We opted to go up on Thursday night (flying into San Jose) and spent the night with my Aunt Mary K and Uncle Bill. Cousin Jay flew in from New Jersey so the Simpson side of the family was well represented.

BETTY LOU VARGAS [Aunt Betty]
JUNE 11, 1921 - FEB. 18, 2008 Betty was a native of St. Paul, Minnesota and a resident of Modesto, age 86. She was interested in art and was an Artist herself, she was an avid reader and loved to travel. She is survived by her husband, Raidesel Vargas of Modesto; and her son, John Vargas of Sparks, Nevada. She was predeceased by her children, Nancy Lynn Vargas and Jeffrey L. Vargas. Visitation will be held from 3:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Friday, Feb. 22 with Services, same day, 4:00 P.M., at McHenry Chapel-Franklin & Downs. Private committal at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery. Remembrances may be made to Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1663, Modesto, CA 95353. www.modbee.com/obituaries
Published in the Modesto Bee on 2/21/2008.

I'm so glad we went up for the service, and that we were able to spend the day with my Uncle Ray-- who's nearly 90 and still as handsome as ever!! We used to visit them frequently, but it's been a while. I even forgot that Uncle Ray and Aunt Betty were my godparents, until Uncle Ray told me that he and Betty wanted to adopt my sister and I after my mom passed way. The picture here was taken in front of their house in San Jose. I'm the sceptical blond in the front row.

They moved to Modesto 8 years ago! I had never seen this new house they bought (and you won't either, I forgot my camera!) They turned one bedroom into a studio so my Aunt Betty could paint. I walked through the halls of my Aunt Betty's house admiring her paintings and I came across a Family Photo wall. I recognized my Grandma and Granddad (Betty's brother and sister-in-law), my great grandmother Simpson (Betty's mother) and a photo I have never seen of my Great Great Grandparents Jay Ferris and his wife (name unknown at this moment).

As I stood there at the wall looking at pictures a woman came behind me and said, "La Familia."

"Mi familia!" I said, turning to look at this dark haired, dark eyed woman a little older than me.

"Mi familia" she said.

"I guess we're related then!" I learned that she calls my uncle Ray, "Uncle Red" because his name is Reidesel. She pointed out her mama, abuela, bisabuela los primos.... tio Red y su hermanos...

I came home with a tamale recipe that upon closer inspection calls for 12 pounds of meat. The Vargas family is much larger than the Simpsons!

Photo Phriday (delayed)

Better than a message in a bottle...


My new shoes (wish I could wear them to work!)

(sorry for the blur, but I'm not a morning person... perhaps I'll try some evening)

There were broken dishes...

I saw this meme on a fellow bloggers blog. Grab the closest book. Go to page 123, and copy the fifth sentence. And the following three.

From Linda Hogan's The Woman Who Watches Over the World (my new favorite book):

There were broken dishes I remembered, lying on the ground alongside other discarded, burned, or otherwise broken goods. An instant iced tea jar still contained brown crystals of tea. I picked up a chip from one of the dishes and put it in my pocket along with the plant fossils from the "tankque," our name for the man-made waterhole. I carried away mementos not only for the memory and connection, but as if these things would prove my life, my tribe, my worth.

And so I ask, what do you carry to prove your life, your tribe, your worth?

(not so) Wordless Wednesday

Backrow L to R: Granddad, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Great Grandma Simpson, Aunt Betty and Uncle Ray.
Front row- Cousin John, Debby. I seem to be MIA. Or not here yet. Since I am four years younger than Debby (look at her posing for the camera in her red dress and matching tights) I am pretty sure I am not the one taking the photo.

Aunt Betty passed away the day before yesterday (she sure was a dish!). (Uncle Ray is still with us but he must be sad. He and Betty were married for over 50 years for sure) She was actually my great aunt, my granddad's very much younger sister. The last of the Minnesotan Simpsons. We had not been close the last few years. She and my Uncle Ray had moved from San Jose to Modesto. They were older and didn't travel much. I think they stopped travelling all together. And I didn't have much call to go to Modesto.

I was busy with my life. (you know how that goes-- work, home, writing, friends, busy busy). I think the last time I saw them was for Granddad's funeral in 2004. (This is a problem with my family-- too many funerals and not enough weddings!) The truth is I didn't make the time to go visit. And except for the occassional Christmas card, didn't make the time to keep in touch much either, relying on my sister or my Aunt Mary K and Uncle Bill to keep me posted.

My fondest memories are of going up to their house when I was a kid, swimming in their pool. I could say I'll miss Betty... but really I've missed her for a long time I guess.

Pray it forward

If you're like me you go through the routine of your day. Maybe you start out with a latte at your favorite gourmet coffee stop on your way to work. Maybe you get ticked off at the guy who cut you off or the woman who is going too slow. In the fast lane.
You go to work. You have lunch with friends, run some errands on the way home, cook dinner, tinker around on the computer a bit then go to bed.
You start the whole thing over the next day.

And maybe somewhere in the routine of the day you come across a post on a blog by a woman who asks the question:

....what you would do if you had only 12 months left to live. What would be really important for you, the things that mean so much, that you would regret if you didn't do them and left this planet soon....
READ MORE HERE

.

As you read further you discover that this young woman, young mother, who's name Jen is similar to your own but she has only one 'n', is asking the question because she has an agressive form of colon cancer.

Maybe that gets you to thinking about what really IS important.

You wonder what WOULD you do. Or maybe you just DO.

Not even for Obama

I got all excited about Obama and signed up for the email list. They send a lot of emails. That I delete. Usually without reading. This one caught my eye, however, because of the subject line

Come to Texas for Barack

So I read:

Dear Friend,

My name is Mitch Stewart, and I'm the Texas Field Director for the Obama campaign.

Barack's won the last eight primaries and caucuses decisively, and we're heading into the next set of contests with a lot of momentum. But the race for the Democratic nomination is still extremely close.

The March 4th primary in Texas is the single biggest remaining contest, and we need supporters across the country to get involved.

Sign up to take a trip to Texas before March 4th and help Get Out The Vote for Barack

With all due respect to my good friend Julie, and her fine family whom I have met and who graciously hosted me in Winnsboro, Texas... can I just say, I am NOT a fan of Texas. I won't be going. Not even for Obama.

Y'all feel free to sign up and go to Texas. It's a lovely place with big trucks and guns and oil and republicans.... Obama is surely going to need the support.

Interview with a Blogger

So I came late to the Interview A Blogger Party happening over at Citizen of the Month... but when someone bailed, I offered to step in. Neil shot me an email with a link to a website, and I couldn't find a contact us page, or an email addie, so I left a comment which to this day has been unanswered....

Along comes Nat. She tells me, "We are to interview each other for The Big Interview Project." And so we did!

Great fun to meet a Canadian/Canadien. She's an interesting gal, and turns out we have a lot in common... except she runs! in winter! in Ottawa! brrrr. I live in sunny Southern California, and if I make it out for a mile walk, when its 56 degrees farenheit, I'm feeling SO proud of myself.... and rugged.


View Larger Map


Nat's a bit heartier. And was most gracious in answering my oddball questions, including the one about the vegetable. I've always wanted to ask that of an job applicant but.....
and quicker on the draw in posting her interview with me.

Why do you blog? and Which came first, From Nats Brain or See Nat Run?

I started blogging a few years back with a blog called Afraid of Diving. But I decided to scrap it, it lacked direction and really wasn't going anywhere. I was a reporter at the time and it felt like work. Now I don't write so much for work. I talk to people a lot. So now I feel the need to explain the world as I see it. It's my personal soapbox.

From Nat's Brain came first, but I started running more seriously -- and didn't think the running stuff fit in with the other silly things I write about. I find that no matter how far I run, or how I work out there is usually something to say. Maybe it's because it's such a physical thing that the mind wanders. Who knows...


and speaking of running... I read one of your posts from last year
where you mentioned you finally considered yourself a runner. How long
have been running?

My first "run" was in November 28, 2004. I went less than 2 miles. I am a bit pudgy and hated running in school. In fact, they called my mother in Grade 8 (Secondaire 1 in Quebec) and told her I was being uncooperative in gym class. I refused to run the bridge. But as I got old older, I became fascinated with the idea of a marathon. It seemed like a superhuman thing to do. The zen of me and the pavement. And the idea really really made me laugh.

I met a trainer in Nov. 2004 who said she could train me to run the marathon here in Ottawa in May 2005. I did it. But it was ill advised and it took me a year to recover. I started running seriously again in early 2006. I learned that I really need to have confidence in what my gut is telling me. But I digress. I am slow as molasses in January but I love it.

how much do you run daily/weekly?
I run three or four times a week. Right now I'm marathon training so I run about 4.5 miles three times a week plus a long run. When I'm not training I run 10 to 15 miles a week. I'm hitting peak marathon training so last week I did 30-odd miles, this week is a "recovery" week and I only ran 18.

how many marathons have you done?
Just The National Capital Marathon in 2005. It was an amazing experience. All these races are. I am training for the Shamrock Marathon in March. The famille and I will be piling into the car and driving to Virginia Beach. It's less than a month away -- and I am only freaking out a little bit. The goal is to do one marathon a year and a few halves. (I love the Half I have run many.)

How many shoes do you wear out when you're in training for a marathon?
I'm hard on shoes. I switch them every 250 to 300 miles. I'm on my second pair for this training run. Weird things hurt when they start to go . I always buy the same brand (Brooks Ariel size 9.5B). I love these shoes. Love them. Speaking of which I need to buy a new pair.


and what's your post run shoe of choice--obviously not high heels.
I am big barefoot fan or big socks. At work I do have to wear appropriate footwear which does means heels from time to time. But around this point in marathon, it's about putting as little stress on my feet as possible. So I wear Docs at work.


(On the heels thing -- Katie Holmes apparently did the New York City Marathon. Many people are of the impression that she cheated and only ran part of it. I tend to agree. There were two things. (1) She ran without a sports bra -- she would have had so much chafing her nipples would have bled and (2) she was seen at a movie premier that night wearing heels. If I had to I suppose I could but usually your feet are just tired, heels are hard on them.)

Back to Nats Brain... you mentioned you are a child of the 80s.
Thats funny because I was thinking we were the same age (sort of) but
I consider myself a child of the 70s (I'm 43) So, what does being a
"child of the 80s" mean to YOU?
Wow. Good question. I'm 37. And remember little prior to being 10, it seems to be the first decade where I see my place in the world. I remember the recession and people having to sell their homes as interest rate went through the roof and people had to move and how hard it was to find work once I completed my degree. In Canada, it was a time of budget cuts and of my mom (specifically) being worried about losing her job. You work hard, and then when got there you work harder. I'm not sure we see that so much anymore.

But the 80s were a time of excess. I formed my opinion that we need to help our fellow human and brought me to a place where I could truly explore alternatives to the mainstream way of thinking. It also means I have the lyrics to some truly bad songs imbedded in my head. George Michael will always be from Wham! Michael Jackson had a career and a nose.

How did you come up with the Flakey Friday? (maybe I'm a little
dense... or that glass of wine with dinner is kicking in) I don't get
the theme of Flakey Friday. Or maybe thats it. Anyway, explain
please!
Well I wanted to write about Pierce Brosnan. And the time, it struck me as a stupid thing to write about. I was being a flake. (Really the entire blog is flakey.) The concept being that I would discuss something lighter and a bit on the ditzy side. Stupid stuff like my ode to the Buttertart. I am actually not sure I am going to keep it to be honest. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

How many posts a week do you do ? and how many blogs-- besides
Citizen of the Month-- do you read?
My running blog is really where I post the most. So I post there after every run and include mileage, and all that (about four or five times a week.) In theory I'd like to post to FNB three or four times a week. But time... motherhood. I try to keep it positive.

Well, I signed up for Google Reader so it's a bit of a long list. I'll go update my blog roll and people can go check it out. I subscribe to about 50 blogs as well as four news feeds. A lot of running blogs and a few this and that blogs. Big blogs, little blogs, in between blogs. Most people don't post every day.

And here's from the marketing side of my brain: do you know who reads
your blog? where they come from? how many readers a day/month?
I think I know about four people in RL who read my blog. A part from that many are people who have followed me back from a comment and the like. In general terms, I'm not sure where the rest of them come from. I have little blog. The running blog is read mainly by runners. Most of whom found me through the Runners' Lounge (I think.) My attitude to blogging is that it shouldn't be work. So I don't really worry about readership too much. I reckon if I'm doing blog related stuff and it's fun to me. Then I'll keep doing it.

And is it true PR people laugh at us marketing people?
No. No. We aren't laughing. We would like to reassure the marketing people that at no time would we be laughing at marketing. We were .... indulging in... some vocal exercises that's it.

or from my smart alec side... is it true that PR people are really
just frustrated reporters?
Too funny. I think it depends. PR pays so much better the hours don't suck, and you don't have to call parents and say stupid things "Hi Mrs. Smith, your son Billy died in a horrific crash. Can you tell us about him?" I think that's wrong. In my present job, I get to say no. "No, you cannot speak to Mrs. Smith. No you cannot hang around the ED. It's a weird thing how into our lives reporters and media are. So that bit I don't miss. I do miss talking to people and hearing what they have to say. It's the whole tell me your story. (Which is why I ended up doing three interviews for Citizen of the month.)

Now the folks I really worry about are the folks who have ONLY ever done PR. It's all they know. As one of the best writers/communicators I know said to me. They can't teach you communications and public relations. You either get it or you don't.


or from my even more smart alecky side... is it true that PR people
and Reporters are really just frustrated novelists?
Reporters definitely. I know more reporters who are waiting to write The Great Novel.
PR people not so much. We are too busy coming up with excuses.


Seriously, do you consider yourself a writer?
Like you, I think writing is one of the few creative outlets I have. I am a writer by trade. It's a large part of what I do. (Debatable how good I am at it. Some days I suck.) The problem I find is that every one thinks they can write. In fact, few people can write well and keep it entertaining. Words have to flow. They have a rhythm. I love words. I love talking about words. Language is just such a gift.

And finally.... if you could classify yourself as a vegetable, what
would it be?
A Turnip.


Thanks for playing Nat! and like I said in my email... come on down for the Rock and Roll Marathon if you must run... I'll take you to dinner.

Photo Phriday: Phebruary 15, 2008

Two Photos:

Ball in Tree. Haleiwa, December 2007

and this one's for my friend Eeeeeebie.


www.indianajones.com

Happy Valentines Day

While I don't agree politically with Ben Stein (he's a little conservative) I do think he is well intentioned and honorable, not to mention a damn good writer. This commentary and the one Stein wrote for mother's day brought tears to my eyes.

Just goes to show you, we (liberals and conservatives) are not as far apart as the current political climate (or the media's portrayal of the climate) might suggest. We all want the same things out of life. And we all rank as important the people in our lives. Not the stuff, not the laws, not the budget, nor the primaries but the people.

So this Valentine's Day I'm taking the opportunity to show a little love for one of my favorite conservatives, Ben Stein.

Wordless Wednesday: February 13, 2008

Solitude

Twofer Tuesday

A follow up to Monday's post about the passport, and today's second post. This Twofer Tuesday may be another new feature of my blog.
Or not.
We'll see.

Anyway, I let my passport lapse. I had kept an up-to-date passport for many years. And I used it. But the last few years I have not done much travel. In fact, I think the last time I left the country with my passport was 1993 when I went to Argentina as part of a Group Study Exchange Program sponsored by Rotary International. (That's where I met Martjavascript:void(0)
Publish Postin aka Eebie)

Anyway, my passport expired and I had no travel plans, so I didn't bother updating it.

However, since new law sort of went into effect regarding travel to Mexico I realized I couldn't even leave to head down to Rosarito for Lobster lunch!

So last Saturday I went down to the post office (I had to have an appointment) and applied for my passport. For details on how to apply for a passport, or to find a post office or other facility near you, check out the Passport office online.

And even though the passport office says it will take 4-6 weeks to process, I got mine in 9 days. And I didn't expedite it!

So, I can only conclude that They want me outta here! or the post office guy likes me (he is kinda cute, I think I may have some more packages to mail)

.... what would you do? book a flight outta here? or go mail a package?

Google Girl Strikes Again

At work I'm known as Google girl. Well, I've found a new google tool, Google Gadgets. Lots of fun ones, like:



and my personal fave:

Monday's Mailbag February 11, 2008

Another New Feature. I thought this one up all by myself.
Probably not as cool, on a regular basis, as Photo Phriday, but here ya go.
In the mail today: two valentines and a passport.

Where should I go?

Great Books

Raffle over at Flawed But Authentic
for FREE BOOKS.

Photo Phriday

New Regular feature for my blog.

UPDATE #2 I should probably tell you that this photo was taken on my Hawaiian holiday at Waimea Falls.

Join the fun by posting a comment with the URL to your Phriday Photo.

BTW: I got this idea from Karen the Shama-lama-mama and her smart alekey comment about my Worldless Wednesday photo. :-)

UPDATE: I just realized the photo wasn't showing... oops. Probably because I had the Height set at 0 pixels! I'm dangerous with a little HTML.

Wordless Wednesday

I was totally going to do a Wordless Wednesday post, just ilke my friend Karen, the shamalamamama.

However....

1. I don't think I can even come close to that beautiful picture she posted, and

2. I can't go wordless. That's like naked to a writer. And with the whole election thing still on my mind, and on my fingertips, well, Wordless Wednesday Will Wait.

So I cruised over to the KPBS Citizen Voices blog (yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment, I know) and there is a great post, Sporting the Red, White and Blue Beads by Charles Hartley. He kinda puts the whole "polarization" issue into perspective:

.... While I agree that the polarization is unfortunate and a bit unseemly, sometimes we take our problems a bit too seriously. To borrow and adapt a line from the film Dogma, "I have issues with anyone who treats democracy as a burden instead of a blessing. You people don't celebrate your freedom; you mourn it."
.... read the rest of the post

It is an honor to vote, a responsibility, and one I cherish. Heck I was absolutely giddy getting those "I voted" stickers. My only regret was that I voted AFTER work, and no one saw my awesome collection.

And if you believe our troops are fighting "for our freedom" then you should be voting and celebrating that freedom. If you don't believe that, then all the more reason to vote.

So if you missed out, there's still time to register for the next election (in California).

--Now we can try WORDLESS WEDNESDAYS next week---

Third Time's a Charm

My friend Aaryn B. put up this great post about voting... and turned me onto this great essay, In Support of Hillary Rodham Clinton: Good-bye to All That, Part II, by Robin Morgan.

I scanned it, got a little gut reaction and posted a comment over on Aaryn's blog.

Then my friend Nancy sent an email, quoting the same essay.

And then I voted. (see previous post, and note that I only voted once but asked for extra stickers... I only voted once)

As I stood in the styrofoam voting booth I stared at the names on the Democratic Party ticket... most of which are no longer in the running... and I thought I had made up my mind. But as I stood there, much of what Robin Morgan wrote ran through my mind, especially excerpts like these:

Goodbye to the double standard . . .

Hillary is too ballsy but too womanly, a Snow Maiden who’s emotional, and so much a politician as to be unfit for politics.
She’s “ambitious” but he shows “fire in the belly.” (Ever had labor pains? )

....

Goodbye to the toxic viciousness . . .

Carl Bernstein’s disgust at Hillary’s “thick ankles.”
Nixon-trickster Roger Stone’s new Hillary-hating 527 group, “Citizens United Not Timid” (check the capital letters).
John McCain answering “How do we beat the bitch?” with “Excellent question!” Would he have dared reply similarly to “How do we beat the black bastard?” For shame

....

This is not “Clinton hating,” not “Hillary hating.” This is sociopathic woman-hating. If it were about Jews, we would recognize it instantly as anti-Semitic propaganda; if about race, as KKK poison. Hell, PETA would go ballistic if such vomitous spew were directed at animals. Where is our sense of outrage—as citizens, voters, Americans?

....

Goodbye to the phrase “polarizing figure” to describe someone who embodies the transitions women have made in the last century and are poised to make in this one. It was the women’s movement that quipped, “We are becoming the men we wanted to marry.” She heard us, and she has.

....

Me, I’m voting for Hillary not because she’s a woman–but because I am.

—Link to Robin Morgan’s website

When did being a feminist become a dirty word? Why is it ok that we call Senator Clinton "Hillary" but we call Senator McCain/Kennedy/Obama just that? or by their last name. Why do we judge Senator Clinton by her looks more so than the men?

I won't say that Robin Morgan's essay swayed me but it made me think. More than anything, it sparked that feminist fire in my belly.

Bottom line, I'll be happy with whoever goes up against the Spend And Spend Republicans come November.

Two Fer Super Tuesday

Second post for the day!
I voted... did you?

Vote California!

This from the Barak Obama Campaign folks... a little primer on voting:

Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to at least 8:00 p.m. Anyone in line at the time the polls close is allowed to vote.

Voters have the right to cast a provisional ballot even if their name is not listed on the voting rolls. If a voter is at the wrong polling location and has time to get to the correct polling location before polls close at 8:00 p.m., they should go to the correct one and vote with a regular ballot instead of voting with a provisional ballot at the wrong location.

If you declined to select a political party when you registered to vote, you can still vote for Barack Obama if you request a Democratic ballot from the poll worker. Make sure you mark "Democratic" in the appropriate space or the vote might not be counted.

Voters have the right to return a completed vote-by-mail ballot to any precinct in their county.

If you have any difficulties, you can call the California Obama Election Protection Hotline:
o LOS ANGELES: (310) 801-9546 or (310) 779-0816
o SAN FRANCISCO/BAY AREA: (510) 520-5025
o OAKLAND/EAST BAY: (415) 606-6043
o SAN DIEGO: (619) 770-7105

Citizen Voices Blog Launches Without Me!

KPBS has just launched the Citizen Voices Blog today.

Without me.

They had the opportunity to talk about the project, partisanship and politics and the upcoming election on the KPBS These Days program, hosted by Tom Fudge.

I must say, it looks like an interesting lineup of political bloggers. And of course in hindsight, it's probably just as well I'm not in the thick of it. Now, I can focus on my other writing projects. So instead, I look forward to reading the blogs, commenting, and adding my own spin here on my own blog, on my schedule.

Have fun everyone.

And if you're in one of the Super Tuesday States-- DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!
And if you're not registered to vote, you'll miss out on the primaries, but don't let the general election get by without your vote!

PS: it couldn't be any easier to register to vote in California. Not sure about the rest of the US.

The Hawaii Stories: Dawn Bicoy

“You like play chalk?” I asked.

“Excuse me?” she asked, as if she hadn’t heard me.

Looking into her eyes, trying to connect, “You like play chalk?” I repeated, sure that she would understand, or somehow recognize me.


It was crazy, really, to imagine that she would know me.

I wore a gray hoodie over a black dress that was really a beach cover-up and with my still sandy feet and salty stiff, salon red hair I looked very different than the ten-year-old tow-head I was thirty years ago.


If it weren’t for the newspaper clipping I carried I wouldn’t have recognized her either. She stood almost five feet tall, still the same olive toned skin, brown hair and soft eyes. Dawn Bicoy, all grown up, singing in a jazz band at Makaha.

“I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head.

I felt like I was speaking a foreign language, and I was. I was speaking pidgin English, the language of my childhood. It was the language of jacks and jump rope and Barbie dolls, the language of eating guavas and li hing mui and running from imaginary wild boars. It was the language my parents hated, the language I needed to know to fit in.

* * *

The neighborhood we lived in was new and all the families were young with kids. Our house had the best view of a distant Pearl Harbor, the result of an architectural misunderstanding—or so the story went—that put our house a good ten feet taller than any other in the neighborhood. Dawn’s family moved into our neighborhood last. Their house was custom built and had a swimming pool.

My new best friend Dee Dee Wong and I weren’t sure if she were a boy or a girl so we walked arm in arm around the cul-du-sac, once, twice, maybe three times. We stared at this kid sitting on the low lava wall that defined the Bicoy property.

Dawn was the first to speak. “You like play chalk?” she said. Dee Dee and I looked at each other and shrugged, walking towards Dawn, her outstretched hand holding a piece of chalk.

We sat on the sidewalk and began to draw.

* * *

“You like play chalk?” I repeated. Dawn looked confused. “I KNOW your mother told you we were coming,” I said as I watched recognition light up Dawn’s eyes.

“Oh my God,” she said. “Jennifer?”

I nodded.

“Oh my God,” she said again. “I’m gonna cry.”

“Me too,” I said, laughing, crying, smiling as we hugged. “That was the first thing you said to me. Don’t you remember? We drew with chalk on the sidewalk in front of your house.”

I may get rich yet!

For the last couple of years I've been sure the housing market was a bubble about to burst. I did the math. I could not see how people with regular incomes and 100 percent financed mortgages, and Hummers, could afford houses in Southern California. Recent turn of events in the market have proven me right. Good for me, good for anyone else that hadn't already gotten into the housing market, and bad for those folks who are way over-extended and sitting on houses with sinking values.



Unfortunately, I'm not as good at predicting the stock market. Last year I bought Yahoo stock. I really wanted Google (at work I am known as Google Girl) but at 300 some odd dollars a share, even buying a couple of shares seemed like a lot of money. Besides, I was sure it was overpriced. (Note: Google is now worth over $500. I could have made a cool thousand.)

And Yahoo. The number one visited site on the internet.
I was sure if they could just get it together, they could make some serious coin.

Um yeah.
Not so good picking stocks, am I.

I watched my measly little investment go from $35 per share down to under twenty. (I bought high, you're supposed to buy low) I didn't invest much. I hung on. and on. and on.

But today I may be vindicated! and sorry I didn't buy more.

Microsoft Unveils $44.6 Billion Bid
For Web Ad, Search Rival Yahoo
By KEVIN J. DELANEY and ROBERT A. GUTH
February 1, 2008 7:06 p.m.

Microsoft Corp. on Friday went public with a $44.6 billion offer to buy Yahoo Inc., in a bold attempt to dramatically expand its online business and compete more effectively with Google Inc. in services ranging from email to Internet advertising sales.....continue reading--->