2006 August

I remember a customer once telling me (he was a photographer) that Alaska was the trip of his lifetime. I can’t say it’s been one the top places on my list of places to visit. My preference is for the warmer climates. Chris prefers the cooler spots and mountains too (I believe). Since we decided to take turns picking vacation spots this trip it was his pick and Alaska it is!

We’ve decided to take a cruise to Alaska and chose Holland America as the cruise line. The service has been wonderful and I must say Alaska is really growing on me. Now that I have my “under armour” on I’m a much happier woman. :)

We are on the second day of the trip and cruising in has been a beautiful experience. My photographer friend told me he came up here for a two week visit and it turned into a month long “exhibition” - he came back to Laguna Beach, CA with enough material to do a full show. Just from my verandah view from the ship ride in I can see why this land is a photographers paradise.  It’s been beautiful so far and we’ve just begun.

I’m really looking forward to our helicopter ride to a glacier today. We are going to lead a dog team! Wow! Now that is going to be a life long memory worth savoring while making it.

I’m also looking forward to three shopping excursions. The first is the hunt for a tanzanite piece (it’s the only gemstone that will be found and completely sold within one generation.) Second, a mask from Alaskan artisans for my collection. Thirdly a nice warm fur coat or boots made from natural skins.

I can’t wait to see the small town of Juneau as well. The Russian heritage is really interesting to me, especially mixed with the native American indian influence so prevalent. I can only imagine the beauty that will abound all around at such a mix of backgrounds.

Lots of pics and movies to come. Chris will probably get those up before me so check his blog too.

Wish ya’ll were here. Oh - ps - I’m going to send out lots of postcards to friends and family, if you’re not on my list and want to be - let me know. Email me at ponzi@lockergnome.com and I’ll be sure to send you a little piece of Alaska too! Lots o’ hugs ya’ll.

I think if I hear what John Mark Karr ate for dinner on his flight from Thailand one more time, I’ll throw up.

While he was enroute to LAX from Bangkok I happened to be in LA. Since hotel TV is limited I tended to leave my television on news channels while in a hotel - for background noise. I was really surprised at the constant “coverage” of his in flight meal. Countless times I heard what he ate in an astonished voice via one newscaster or another. Then as if that weren’t enough - the stations started bringing in lawyers and analysts to talk about what he ate and whether or not it was appropriate.

All that kept rolling through my mind was how expensive it is to get TV time and why were they squandering it on the current contents of his stomach.

What about Jon Benet the innocent child who was murdered? Shouldn’t that time be spent on talking about the holes in the case? Or at the least talking about the known facts? This is haunting me. Television news sank to an all time low after this incident, in my opinion.

I just don’t see how what a suspects dinner included should be considered primetime news worthy.

What do you think?

Trying a new interface. I personally really dislike the way wordpress looks as I first sign in to blog. So much so - it has actually detered me from blogging. Chris has been kind enough to post a few things on my behalf as I’ve been in a non- blogging mood. (Thanks Babe!) He’s also helped me find a few other tools to blog “through” so I don’t have to log into Wordpress.

There’s only one real reason why I’ve switched over - Chris switched me -I will admit it’s helping with the spam situation. I also didn’t like any of the premade templates for wordpress. Chris worked the current one up. It’s not what I’d want ultimately but definitely better than the last few I tried.

What do ya’ll think?

I’m trying out BlogDesk. I like the clear view so far. I especially like that the focus is on what I’m writing and not all the extra clutter on the sides and top. I also like that there is no color to distract me.

Better. I see I also have a little w.bloggar icon too on my desktop. Chris must have put that on here as well. I’ll try it next.

What do you all use for a portal?

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!

Chrissy-poo surprised me tonight with the gift… they’re awesome! I’ll never, ever take them off. You can see in this photo a second hole that’s a little red, because the setting was just a bit too big for it. They’re the best diamond earrings ever!!!

You can’t see the sparkle very well in the photo, but they really do look wonderful.

Happy birthday to me…
Happy birthday to me…
Happy birthday, dear me…
Happy birthday to me!