Shawna’s Whimsical Weblog

I finally have gotten around to uploading the photos from Easter weekend, when Larry and Sally were visiting. I had put them on my old work computer, just before I started to use my new laptop almost exclusively. However, since I had to download a couple of Veronica Mars episodes (woo! VM in the houuuuuuuse!) the old laptop came back out. So without further ado you can check out our visit to the Wild Animal Park and the Carlsbad Flower Fields.

I’d be remiss not to make a post about the ongoing World Cup. I have watched A LOT of soccer in the past few weeks. I’m not as dedicated to watching the matches as my brother (who DVR-ed them all), but still many a free hour has been spent in front of my brother’s HD TV. Good lord, HD broadcasts are a beautiful way to watch the beautiful game.

I was originally rooting for Cote d’Ivory due to the fact that they had my favorite defensive duo from Arsenal in Eboue and Toure. But after Argentina and the Netherlands made quick work of them, I was left with noone to root for. Being an American mutt doesn’t really lend itself to loyalty to a fatherland. I’m supposedly 3/8 Irish, 3/8 German, 1/16 French, 1/16 Golden Retriever and 27/500 other.

I guess I could root for ze Germans. After all you do have Lehmann in goal (yet another Arsenal player) and he does always have this look on his face that says “What the fuck are you doing?” I can’t read lips, let alone lips that are speaking German, but this is what every play he’s involved with looks like:

Jens Lehmann (cursing with the ball in hand): “What the fuck are you doing?? I had to touch the ball!”

6′10 German defender named Shweinshtupper (looking ashamed): “Ach! I have failed the German machine! Now my wife will not have efficient German sex with me.” **

**translated from German

The fact that Klose has made some pretty, pretty plays makes rooting for them pretty easy as well.

So who do I root for in the remaining matches? Well after much analysis, modern science has presented me with a careful game plan. Bad hair. I have seen some awful, awful hair out on the pitch, and I am avidly rooting against it.

Let me demonstrate. Last night I watched the Argentina vs. Mexico game. Here are some of the prominent members of the Argentinian squad (obviously heavily influenced by Fabio):

And now the Mexico squad (obviously heavily influenced by the fact that they have barbershops):

I was clearly going to cheer for Mexico. The picture doesn’t do him justice, but Mexico’s captain (pictured here center), is actually swoon worthy. At one point in time they had to stop the game to clear off the virgins who had thrown themselves onto the field for him.

If you’re curious as to who gets the vote for worst team hair? That would go to Spain. Their striker, Fernando Torres, is trying to pioneer a new haircut that I have deemed the Mollet. Yes that’s right, it’s part mohawk, part mullet. (Seen here to the right). So for the upcoming Spain vs. France match, I will be channeling that 1/16 French in me. Down with Spain! Down!

27 weeks

Had my 26.5 week check-up on Monday. Blood pressure and baby heart rate are looking good. I guess I might have had what some would consider my first cravings. I’ve been having a toasted bagel with cream cheese every day this week. I continue to display tell-tale pregnancy maladies. My latest discovery is pins and needles in the arms. Hooray for decreased circulation! Next week is when the fun begins. That’s when I will take a glucose test (for gestational diabetes) and I will start counting the fetal movements on a daily basis (to make sure there is no fetal distress).

My summary of my L.A. weekend.
Train travel: good. L.A. driving: bad.
Science Center: good. Pretty flowers: better.
Food: good. Frozen Yogurt: Super tasty.
Watching movies with friends: good Sci-Fi Channel movies: oh dear god no.
Getty Center Architecture: Good G.C. Exhibits: Meh

More pictures of pretty people and things here.

Wendy slides down Green Valley Falls

The scooby gang sojourned to the Cuyamacas last weekend hoping to partake in some good clean outdoor fun. Dorothy was our fearless leader, coordinating our meals and accomodations at Green Valley Falls Campground. It was a scorcher of a weekend! Any thoughts of hiking any mountains were quickly replaced with thoughts of lazing in our campsite or soaking in the cool waters of Green Valley Falls. After enjoying a bit of both, Dorothy, EK, Brian Scott, Wendy and the dogs headed off to Cuyamaca Lake to try their hands at fishing. My brother, Angela and I decided on a short hike near the lake, the Marty Minshall trail. I had trekked this trail last year with Jeannine and Dale and had been very pleased with the number of wildflowers. The flowers were not nearly as numerous, but as there was less water in the lake we were able to visit the would-be island (now a peninsula) in the Lake. Our timing was impeccable and we got to see a Great Blue Heron feed her rather large babies. They were nestled in a pine tree (!) some 25 feet off the ground. We tried to catch a glimpse of our compratiots across the Lake, but we were too far away. We returned to camp just in time to join the mosquito buffet. Fortunately as the evening cooled, we could slip into more layers and the mosquitoes subsided. It was now time for super tasty Korean BBQ spareribs (prepared by EK and Do), accompanied by veggies and rice. Of course no camping trip would be complete without the requisite smores.

Angela in a Black Canyon Pool

The next day proved to be another hot one. The fishermen, who had been thwarted the day before, decided to rent a boat and head out onto the Lake for another go. My brother, Angela and I went in search of an Afoot and Afield hike which was supposed to offer a refreshing creek with swimming opportunites. Our destination: Black Canyon in the Cleveland National Forest. My car had little problems with the graded dirt road running 7 miles North from Ramona that would land us at our trailhead. Parking our car just past the Black Canyon Road Bridge, we hiked down a more delapidated road that intersected Santa Ysabel Creek. We were the only ones around to bask in the many natural wonders we encountered. Large dragonflies, crawfish and a hummingbird greeted us at the intersection. After a few photo ops we head up the short trail to the East. The overgrown plants were an obvious indicator that the trail wasn’t often used. Keeping a watchful eye for the prevalent poison oak we enjoyed the breeze and shade provided on the trail. It wasn’t long before we encountered our first pool which housed sizable dragonflies and fish (larger than the ones our fishing compatriots were to find that day). Scrambling over and around boulders we came across a rope that led up to the first swimming hole (read: body of water not covered in algae). Phew! The pool felt great! There wasn’t too much shade available but we still settled in for lunch. We were so happy with our hike selection! After lunch Angela decided to venture on further up stream. This is where she found the redneck swimming hole. A much larger and deeper pool was to be found 100 yards further east. Here there were 30 individuals drinking beer, smoking, sun-bathing, cliff-jumping, cussing and generally having themselves a good time. Angela was enraged by the litter and set to cleaning up what she could, while my brother and I talked to one of the locals. As it turns out this pool was easy-access. Just up the hill was a place you could park your car (had we continued on down the road we had originally come in on). The local informed me that Cedar Creek Falls (a very similar pool I hadn’t visited in 10 years) had filled in with sand after the fires and was just now starting to empty out. No wonder this pool was so packed with people. Our group had enough sun for one day and decided to head back to civilization in search of Dairy Queen. We were very suprised to find that Ramona did not possess a DQ and ended up settling for Costco softserve. All-in-all it was a very enjoyable camping weekend.

To see my minimal pictures from the trip, click here.
To see my brother’s more exciting and extensive collection, click here.