2005 Volkswagen Jetta 2.5

I did it! I got my license and bought my first car all in a weeks time. I've been car shopping for a few weeks now and had narrowed my search down to a 3 Series BMW, a Z4, or possibly a Pontiac Solstice. Then on Friday morning, the day I was heading out to test drive cars after two previous visits to dealerships, I got a car insurance reality check. Being a brand new driver some places wouldn't even insure me. Those that would had astronomical premiums. Insurance alone was higher then the car payments I had planned on so I had to completely rework my budget and put off my dreams of driving a luxury/sports car. Boo.

I went back to my car research and came up with a plan B. At the top of the list, a Volkswagen Beetle and a used BMW Z3. Both had everything I was looking for and were priced right. Off to CarMax to spend the afternoon test driving. I brought Jeff with me so of course we had to take out some cars for him too. The first on the list, a Chrysler 300 with the SRT8 package. Ooooo, Ahhhhh. It has everything, power, luxury, a big fat price tag.

Moving on. Next we took out the convertible VW Beetle. Immediately we started having problems with the top indicator light. It kept saying there was a problem so we couldn't test that specific car. We took out a second Bug, which was fine, but the problem with the first one tainted the whole thing for me. I also felt it was a little too low on power. You really have to hit the gas to get it to go. Jeff suggested a Jetta. DUH! Of course. I had considered it many times before. We glanced over an older model Jetta and then discovered a 2005 across the lot in Silver. I never thought of myself as a silver sedan sort of girl. Booor-ing! But as soon as I was behind the wheel I knew this was the car. Aside from lacking in the sun-roof department it had all the bells and whistles I was looking for and then some.

6 Disk CD Changer
Dual Climate zones
Leatherette upholstery (no cows harmed in the making of my Jetta)
Two seat warmers
Power everything
and it came with Z rated tires to boot.







We finished the day test driving a BMW 330i, which was REALLY nice but out of my price range. Jeff says it's his next car. He loved it. Secretly, I hope it is his next car.

In the mean time, if you see me cruising in my Jetta, give me a wave.

The San Diego Zoo - 1st Visit

The day the wildfires started Jeff and I went to the San Diego Zoo. Being "zoo people" we knew that we would be buying a membership so that we could visit often. As you all probably know, the San Diego Zoo is slated as being the best in America and of the best in the world. Seeing everything in one day is virtually impossible not to mention they have a second location, The Wild Animal Park we still haven't seen north of the city. If Jeff and I go to each once the membership has paid for itself so it was well worth it.

That Saturday afternoon we made it through about 2/3 of the park. There is almost too much to describe. For me, the highlights were the Polar Bears, the Great Apes, the Koalas and Jeff and both agreed our most favorite animal to watch was the Black Panther (Jaguar) which was very active as he paced just in front of the visitors. Even as an avid zoo enthusiast I can't recall ever seeing one before. It was pretty cool.

We didn't take a lot of photos but here's what I do have.



Many of the Tortoises at the San Diego Zoo arrived full grown in the early 1920s. Their actual age isn't known but they are believed to be over 100 years old.


Birds were fluttering all around the bird house.

San Diego Wildfires 2007

As many of you know Jeff and I were in the direct path of the San Diego wildfires that started Sunday morning and are continuing even now. Fortunately we can say we are completely safe and our home and belongings have not been hit. This is more then we can say for a lot of our neighbors and coworkers living in nearby neighborhoods. I suspect when we return to work we will learn of many friends and acquaintances that have lost all their earthly possessions. As of today 560,000 people have been evacuated, more than half of San Diego County. We were next to be called when the fires turned and headed west. While we were packed and ready to leave at a moments notice we were fortunate not to get the reverse 911 call warning us to flee.





Here's the time line we experienced to let you all know how things have progressed.

-4pm Sunday: We were driving home from the zoo when we saw the orange sky and what looked like dark low clouds. As we rolled into University City (our neighborhood) we smelled the smoke and saw the haze in the air. It looked like a thin fog but made it hard to breathe and stung the eyes.

-8pm Sunday: We headed over to the pool and found the ash collecting.

-6am Monday: I woke up and we decided Jeff would stay home while I went to work. The night before we heard stories of people not being able to get back home to retrieve their animals before the mandatory evacuations came and we didn't want to take any chances that we couldn't get home to get the cats if we needed to. I guess this was the beginnings of our evacuation plan. During the ride to work light ash swirled around and the small of smoke continued.

-7am Monday: Shortly after getting to work they decided to close my office. When I got back Jeff had the cat carriers out and ready to go. At that time there was talk of major road closings and gridlock on the highway so we weren't sure if we should plan our evacuation by car or motorcycles. Obviously the bikes could get out fast but we'd have to contend with the kitties and the toxic air. It took us several more hours to decide the car would be the best bet. After all there were evacuation centers in the city (Qualcomm Stadium) which would serve us fine and wouldn't require us to sit in gridlock. Plus we could fit more of our things in the car.

-9am Monday: Jeff's office closed.The Witch Creek fire was about 15 to 20 miles away.

-12pm Monday: The fire started to turn due west rather than southwest in our direction. The smoke eased up but ash continued to collect coating everything outside in a dull brown/gray color. I got the call that there would be no work on Tuesday.

-7pm Monday: Smoke began to intensify significantly outside. The calls for evacuation were coming closer to our neighborhood. We moved the motorcycles to the basement to avoid ash collection and burning if the fires came. The Witch Creek fire was 11 miles from our house.

-9:30pm Monday: We got notice, via the news, that our area was issued as a voluntary evacuation zone. We decided to wait until the notice was mandatory since several hours were going by between evacuation notices.

-11:30pm Monday: We were getting tired so we packed our clothes and made a mental list of things we needed to grab including birth records, tax records, insurance information, photos, cards & letters, iPod (what?), and bedding.

-1:00am Tuesday: Sleep, with the TV on.

-8am Tuesday: Didn't get a call to evacuate overnight. Yay. It seemed the fires progressed on a western path avoiding us. The news reported that so many people in San Diego were volunteering that they literally had lines of people showing up at evacuation centers and more people than volunteer opportunities. I signed up at Volunteer San Diego which emails people as needs arise. I got a call to volunteer tomorrow serving food at Qualcomm Stadium but I also got the call that we're heading back to work in the morning so I won't be able to help out until the weekend. I'm sure there will be a great need for volunteers over the coming months.

-4pm Tuesday: The air quality greatly improved in our area so we went our for a walk through the outdoor mall around the corner. Everything was covered in soot and half the stores were closed. The only other people out were others experiencing cabin fever and a few die hard shopping teenagers.

-6pm Tuesday: Watching the press conference on TV. These fires are being called the worst in California history. While they still burn, they are progressing more slowly due to the change in winds. The Witch Creek fire is 9 miles from our house. The Harris fire is 15 miles away.

I have had lots of calls and emails from concerned friends and family. Please know that we are totally fine and safe and have an evacuation plan. Things are getting under control and the city of San Diego has been incredible about getting people the notice they need to get out in time.



If anyone is interested in giving to the Red Cross in San Diego they are taking monetary donations that will go directly toward the wildfire efforts and will be spent immediately. You can check out their official website at www.SDARC.org



Here's is the Google Map of FIRESTORM 2007 as they call it on the news. It is being updated regularly.


View Larger Map

Knott's Scary Farms

PA105834, originally uploaded by lead.salad.

Last night Jeff and I went to Knott's Scary Farm with my coworker Marleen and her boyfriend Terrance in Orange County (O.C.). By day, Knott's Berry Farm is a large amusement park catering to the L.A. area and much of Southern California. By night it is transformed into a freak show teaming with monsters, haunted mazes and banks of creepy fog. Oh, and about 50,000 terrified teenie-boppers.

This was Knott's Scary Farms 35 annual Halloween Haunt making it the first amusement park in the country to transform itself into a haunted ghost town. Since they started the trend many other have followed suit including both Disney and Universal Studios. Knott's however still boasts the title of largest in the country. Unfortunately, it can also boast the title of most crowded and longest lines.

The park had 13 haunted mazes set up with a variety of themes. Again, the long lines kept us from seeing most of them, including the Doll Factory, Beowulf and the Grudge II which I would have liked to have seen. We were able to get into Lost Vegas, Lore of the Vampire (my favorite), Black Widow Caverns and Red Beard's Revenge.

Actual rides were out of the question. Two hour lines were the norm and since the park opened at 7 (with an hour wait to get in) and closed at 2am even the most efficient park goer would be hard pressed to get more than 4 or 5 attractions in.

The detail they put into the park was impressive. Nothing was overlooked including the skeletal transformation of the main fountain, the menacing movie titles at the theater and even the subtle thumping heartbeat you feel when wandering over a grave stone at the cemetery, which few found as it was well off the beaten path. (No pun intended). The professional monsters were true professionals and at times even worked in tandem. One to distract you while the other scared the pants of you.

The experience itself was worth the hefty price of tickets at $46 a piece (with advance purchase) but unfortunately Knott's Scary Farm does itself in by selling WAY too many. To make it worth the cost of admission they need to cut ticket sales by a good 25% at least.

Dave Matthews Band

Concert for Virginia Tech 9/6/07, originally uploaded by Spector1.

Well, it's that time of the year again. I've never been much for annual traditions but after my first Dave Matthews Band concert at the Worcester Centrum in 1998, I was hooked and have made it to at least one show (some times as many as three) each year since. This year was no exception. My good friend Lauren is a member of the DMB fan club, The Warehouse, and has been for years. The membership has its perks, the best of which includes access to tickets before they go on sale to the general public. Over the last several years she has been generous enough to request tickets for two shows each summer and selling me the tickets to whichever show she wasn't planning to attend. This selfless act has pretty much solidified that my first born child will be called Lauren. Could be awkward if it's a boy but little Lauren will be proud after his first DMB show.

Many months ago, before I knew where I would be living in San Diego, how I would get there or what I would do for work, I was sure of one thing... I HAD to have tickets to Dave Matthews in Chula Vista, California for September's show. And Lauren, being the good friend and DMB fanatic she didn't question my priorities for an instant.

Fast forward to September 28th, 2007 I have two tickets in hand (a place to live and a job) and one new friend, April, who also happens to love the band. April had never seen DMB before and the only thing I like better then seeing Dave is seeing Dave with someone who's never seen him live before. The thing about Dave Matthews a lot of people don't realize is that while they are incredibly talented musicians on the radio nothing can touch them live. Their skill truly has to be appreciated in person where you can feel the crowd's energy and observe how the band meshes together.

As always the show was great. The tickets, even better. We were in the lower pavilion all the way to the left only about 50 yards from the stage, tops. While this was the first show I had been to that wasn't sold out, you could hardly tell as the seats seemed nearly full. While security, in usual fashion, was tough at first, quickly squashing anyone's attempt to take personal photos or dance in the isles, they backed off after about 10 minutes into the show and fans could do as they liked.

The band was on point, playing well and full of energy. Dave broke into dance (his old school 90s style) at several points and the crowd was treated to several solos, of which the most impressive was Stefan's bass guitar solo. The only thing more impressive then the band's energy was that of guest electric guitarist Joe Lawlor who worked the crowed into a frenzy. He was incredible and I'd love to see more of him on tour with DMB in the future.

April has some photos from the show that I will post later. For now though, here's the set list:

Dave Matthews Band
September 28, 2007
Coors Amphitheater, Chula Vista, CA

Sugar Will (Tease) G1
Granny G1 G2
Don't Drink the Water G1 G2
Corn Bread G1 G2
Grey Street G1 G2
You Never Know G1 G2
Crush G1 G2
#27 G1 G2
Dreamgirl G1 G2
Shotgun G1 G2
Eh Hee G1 G2
You Might Die Trying G1 G2
Dancing Nancies ...> G1 G2
Warehouse G1 G2
Stand Up G1 G2 G3
Typical Situation G1 G2
Everyday G1 G2
Ants Marching G1 G2
Encore:
Gravedigger ~ G1
Tripping Billies G1 G2

Guests:
G1 Butch Taylor
G2 Rashawn Ross
G3 Joe Lawlor

Notes:
~ Dave Solo

Mods Vs. Rockers at Our House

Mods Vs. Rockers, originally uploaded by mod_complex.

Move over Twiggy, there's a new totally MOD, totally hip diva in town.

Ok, it's no Vespa... not not for lack of trying but damn those things are expensive and let's face it, you're just paying for the name. So last weekend, I got the next best thing... and to die hard Buddy fanatics... the only thing.



Here's what the Genuine Scooter Co. has to say:

"Like 2006’s “Scooter of the Year,” the Buddy 125, the Series Italia features a powerful, eco-friendly 125cc 4-stroke engine that complies with California emissions requirements. The Buddy boasts more than 90 miles per gallon and top speeds exceeding 65mph (depending on rider weight and conditions).

Series Italia features many vintage, “period correct” touches, sure to conjure images of holidays in 1950s Rome. These include whitewall tires, dark green seat, grey grips, and an eye-catching two-tone paint scheme that will make you dream of scooting in Tuscany. But the Italia isn’t just for nostalgia. Its powerful twin piston disk brake, halogen headlamp and L.E.D. tail lamp provide safety on modern streets. It also has a handy cell phone charger for those devices that didn't exist way back when.

The Buddy has available functional accessories to cater to everyday riders. These include chrome rear luggage racks, locking topcase or hardshell rear duffel bag, custom windshield, front chrome luggage rack or wicker basket, and chrome side protectors with passenger footpegs. A fully-outfitted Buddy 125 Series Italia will faithfully serve as an economical commuter during the week and exhilarating café racer on the weekends. Ample passenger accommodations, meanwhile, will make two-up riding a breeze.

All Genuine Scooter Company models come with a 2-year unlimited mileage warranty and one free year of roadside assistance."

The Buddy came in a lot of other cool colors but I had to go with the special addition. 1. Green is my favorite color and 2. Who could resist those adorable white-walled tires?

I rode it to work all last week and it was a cinch to get the hang of it. It's so light it picks up the wind a bit but it's almost too much fun as I smoke just about any car off the line... Eat my high-octane / low environmental impact exhaust suckahs!!!

Speaking of low environmental impact, by Friday afternoon I had racked up 108 miles on my Scoot (3 miles on it when I got it) and my gas gauge was just passing the last blue mark and heading toward the red. 100 miles per gallon... not too shabby and I bet I could push it to 110 but why take the chance... I'm already laughing all the way to the bank.

Bellissimo!

Viva La Mexico!

US / Mexico Border Crossing, originally uploaded by Infinite Wilderness.

Guess which side is U.S. bound and which is heading to Mexico.

So I finally made it to Mexico for the first time. It's only 25 minutes to the border but as soon as you cross you immediately feel that you're in a vastly different country. Tijuana is an industrial city and very very poor. It's hard to even describe it in words as you look over the graffiti covered cement wall into rows of alleyways where corrugated metal clad buildings are stack one on top of the other like you would imagine a shanty town to be. Everyone I speak with tells me not to even consider it when judging Mexico as a country, so I didn't. As soon as you pass through it heading down into Baja the land opens up and you get the sense you're heading into the country. A major surprise for me was that there is no stopping when crossing the border. Nobody cares if you have a passport or even an ID. You just pay a toll and go without ever even laying eyes on a customs agent. It's kind of scary because if you cross and forget your passport you're going to have a hell of a time getting back into the U.S. where they are dead serious about crossing. More on that later...


The view from the car as we made our way to Rosarito.

View down the beach from our campsite.

I was accompanied by my coworker Veronica, her boyfriend Paul and their friends Camilla and Stacie for a night of camping on the beach in Rosarito at a campground called La Fonda. You pay $30 U.S. per car for entry into the campground and then it's every hombre for himself. It was Saturday afternoon and we were lucky enough to get a spot next to some people who had just spent the night and were heading home. We took over their spot and had a nice large and comfortable camping area for the five of us. The campground is on the edge of a cliff that overlooks the ocean below, just beyond a good 500 feet of white sand beach. NICE!


Veronica, Camilla and Stacie getting settled.

We started the evening having dinner at the beach restaurant that caters specifically to camp-goers and other tourists. We split several authentic Mexican dishes and each had two margaritas. Though the waiter spoke some English we wanted to be troopers and held our own with our broken Spanish, except for Veronica who is from Mexico and helped us out when we fumbled over our words.

When we got back to the campground after dinner we broke out our bathing suits and the beers and then Paul went off to the campground packy (uh hem, liquor store for those of you readers not from New England.) A full bottle of Tequila later we were dancing around the campfire Lord of the Flys style and decided it was time to move the party up the beach to the nightclub/bar for some serious boogie-oogie-oogieing. By now you guys must be getting a feel for the kind of camping this is. We're not talking Survivorman here. This is seriously laid back, full bathrooms, shower, and running water camping.


Stacy showing off her Nemo necklace. Rad bling girlfriend!

Shake it mama! Veronica dances around the bonfire.

We get to the club and of course there is a DJ and an electric bull. I don't have photos of the electric bull unfortunately because I was laughing way to hard to control my camera... so you'll just have to take my word for it. Veronica and Camilla got on the bull first... and last because once they were forcefully dismounted Camilla landed on top of Veronica wounding her fairly substantially. At the time the Tequila dulled the pain but it would become abundantly evident the next morning.


The beach hotel adjacent to our campground.

The bull was cleared away and the dance floor opened up. Veronica, Paul and I stayed late into the nigh dancing to such 90s hits as MC Hammer's, "You Can't Touch This" and Tone Loc's "Funky Cold Medina." Needless to say, it was a great time spent with really cool people.

The next morning I spent regretting the nights indiscretions with the bottle. Tequilla es muy muy mal. By late morning, however, I was feeling much better and managed to get out of my PJs and into my bathing suit. Stacy and Paul were able to wake up and get several hours of surfing in. I'm told the conditions were amazing and it was one of the best days they've ever had in the water. I only managed to get my feet in but was a little skittish as there were several sighting of jellyfish, lobsters and sting rays. I opted to lay on the beach where I preceded to get severely sunburned on my backside, which at the time, I didn't realize would leave me unable to sit right for the three days following the trip. The one thing I have to say that was hands down the absolutely coolest thing I saw while camping and quite possibly ever, was the periodic pods of dolphins that made their way down the shore. It was absolutely incredible to sit there on the cliff at sunset watching dolphins rising out the water and playfully chase each other just a couple hundred feet off the shore. AMAZING!! We had at least four separate sightings over the weekend. The surfers had the best view as the dolphins didn't seem to be phased by them in the least and wandered by them just a few dozen feet away.


Sunset from our campground.


Paul takin' out the board.

In the mid afternoon we packed up and hit the road. Well as it turns out, every Sunday at 3 o'clock there is a mass exodus from the country as tens of thousands of people make their way through Tijuana back across the boarder into San Diego. We sat for three hours in traffic and as we finally approached the San Ysidro border crossing we were waved on and had to make our way around a completely different route right back to that crossing again.


Running for the border.

The sign reads "any time is coffee time", but clearly this was not coffee time.

Once at customs our crossing was a cinch but I can't say the same for another car next to us and a few car lengths ahead. As we sat there cooking in the Mexican sun our interest was drawn as we witnessed a border crossing agent with guns-a-blazing yelling... no screaming at some woman to "get down! get down or I'll shoot!". YIKES. Well the girl got down all right and the man she was with was apprehended just as quickly. I'm not sure exactly what they did or didn't do but I can say I never want to piss those guys off. I've never before seen anyone so close to getting shot... not even living in DC where you could hear the gunfire at night. It was pretty freaky.


Camilla, Stacie and Vero almost home.

Well, that about sums up the trip. It was quite an adventure and I won't soon forget it.

Iron Mountain Hike

Veronica and I at the top.

A couple of weeks ago Veronica, Camilla and I hiked Iron Mountain in Poway, CA. I haven't had the chance to get the photos up until now but here they are. Iron Mountain was the most rigorous hike we've done so far. It's a little over 6 miles round trip and we knocked it out in exactly 2 hours flat. It's really open and exposed in areas and by 7:30 am it was already getting hot.

Hikers have been known to observe mountain lions and rattle snakes on the trail but fortunately we saw neither but there were definitely signs of exotic wildlife. I loved Iron mountain because it felt more like hiking then the last couple of trips. It's less urban and fairly strenuous.




Veronica and Camilla at the top.

Michigan Family Reunion

Last weekend was my annual family reunion in Frasier, Michigan. I hadn't been in three years but heard this year was going to be the best turn out in awhile. Coming from a pretty small family the 30 or so that were able to make it this year made it one of the most attended in several years. I left Friday afternoon, had a layover in Chicago and got in around Midnight where I met up with my mom, my brother Mike and his girlfriend Danielle. Mom dropped the "kids" off at the hotel where we stayed for the next two nights.




The next morning we headed over to Nana's where we met up with Nana, Uncle Bob and David and my mom. They were performing damage control as Nana's brand new refrigerator wasn't working, the food was spoiling and we were 30 minutes from needing to leave to head toward the reunion. Unfortunately, they were still waiting for the replacement fridge to show up. We decided to split up. The girls would head to the reunion while the guys would hang back and take care of the broken fridge situation.




The reunion, as before, was great fun. I so rarely get to see family and most of the time feel pretty disconnected from everyone back in Michigan. It's nice, even if just for a few hours, to see everyone and be together as a family. The day was spent catching up, eating, drinking and playing games like bocce ball and a really fun yard lasso golf game, which I recommend for any outdoor party where there are people of all ages and athletic abilities.




That night Mom, Mike, Danielle, Uncle Bob, David and I sat around Nana's kitchen table, ate pizza and told ghost stories. When it got late we decided to call it a night and said goodbye to UB & D as they would be leaving early.

The next morning Mike, Danielle and I said goodbye to Nana and with Mom went into Detroit to walk around and push our faces against the gates where the Tigers were playing the Royals. The proximity to the game was too much for Mike to bare so he went and bought four cheap seat tickets and we entered the park. We never did bother finding our seats. Instead we watched a little of the game from the isles and spent the rest of the time shopping at the pro shop and eating ball park franks. In the 8th inning we left to avoid the crowds so I could make my way to the airport.



Although my trip was short it was well worth it and I can't wait to see everyone again next year.

Torrey Pines State Reserve

Don't judge me, I don't do hair and makeup at 6am.

I went hiking through the trails at Torrey Pines State Reserve last weekend with my coworkers Pat, Marleen and Veronica at 6am on Saturday morning. This lighter hike is a lot easier then the one we did at Cowles Mountain a couple of weeks ago and is really more of a brisk walk with stairs thrown in now and again to make you pay attention. Paying attention isn't as easy as it sounds either due to the stunning views that constantly pull your eyes away from the trail below.

This hike starts adjacent to the beach. You start up a paved road that leads up to the cliffs above the beach at Torrey Pines and off that road are a number of trail heads, some that head down to the beach, some that run in a loop bringing you back to the main road and others that terminate abruptly at a dead end. We explored several and as you can see by the photos offered amazing scenery.


Me, Pat and Marleen at the big dead tree.


The view from the top of the bluffs.


Stairs lead down to an outlook.


View toward La Jolla from the lookout.


Veronica leads the charge while I hang back for a photo-op.


A stairway through the rock leads to the beach below.

We didn't see any live animals this time aside from a few birds and a large pelican. We ended our hike by taking a beach entrance trail and walking back to the car by the water. We did find something wet, slimy and definitely dead that had washed up. Not sure what it was. I guess some kind of large jellyfish. It had distinctively thick tentacles which lead me to believe it could have been an octopus. No suction cups though and it was completely clear in color. If anyone knows what it is, let me know.


Creepy dead thing.

After hiking I met up with Jeff and we went back to La Jolla Cove for another day of snorkeling. We saw many of the same fish as last time but while the visibility was lower there were a few extra surprises. We got to check the Calico Bass off our list of fish to identify. The coolest thing that I missed, hands down, was a harbor seal swimming under the snorkelers. Evidently it was about 5' to 10' below Jeff as he was swimming and I was off exploring other things and totally missed it. Maybe I'll have better luck next time. For now, I reel with envy.