A Modern Mother

Rah-rah

And you thought I'd never post it!

This pic was taken about 1982. I had just changed schools. My parents thought I would do better at the Catholic school. They didn't quite get that there was erm, more to worry about at fee-paying school, but hey ho they had my best interests at heart.

I wasn't all that fussed about changing schools. But I did have one caveat -- I wanted to try out for the cheerleading squad. My mother called about the tryouts, and I came up with a "routine" which involved flinging my arms out at various right angels and yelling things like "Go Wildcats". I had been a cheerleader since Junior High School, so was actually pretty good at it (as evidenced by several gold awards at cheerleading camps and competitions).

My mother drove me all the way across town on the big day, my hair tied back in pony tails so tight my head hurt. What I didn't know was that the try outs were in FRONT OF THE WHOLE SCHOOL. It was too late to back out, so out I went, my 15-year-old self, yelling some stupid cheer in front of a bleecher full of people I didn't know. Looking back, of course I made the squad. How could you not pick the new girl with the guts? Actually, that was quite a good year for me. I ended up dating the captain of the football team. To this day, my brother still teases me about that.

In case you are wondering the two guys in the football jerseys are male cheerleaders. That's a whole other story (I'm sure the short one of the left had a crush on me).

Now you need to guess which one is me!

The Social Network: Here comes another bubble...

This is still my all-time favourite YouTube viral video. In honour of The Social Network, you MUST watch it. There are so many insider references, I love it!

PS -- hubby has a whole wardrobe of blue shirts and khaki pants.

 

Jet lag as explained by my six-year-old

Mummy I have a weird feeling, like I'm not used to it here.

What do you mean sweetie, are you really tired?

No, when my head is on the pillow it feels like it wants to get up and walk away.

Photo credit: abnetsel

A weekend getaway in Santa Cruz

I don't know why we haven't done this before. Santa Cruz. It's only 40 minutes from where we stay in California. There is sun, surf, restaurants that serve local lobster and an Edwardian Boardwalk. We go on day trips all the time ... but until now, never made a weekend out of it.

Khaled Hosseini's flea market

 

The San Jose Flea Market, made famous by Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, is not far from where we are staying in California. One of the reasons the book resonated with me was because of the author's connections with Silicon Valley, where I grew up. I visited the flea market as a child, and remember the stalls, often manned by families.

The Disneyland Resort California

 
My first visit to Disneyland was when I was two. We drove seven hours on Interstate 5 from the Bay Area to Anaheim in a Ford station waggon (that's an estate for you Brits). Being only two, I don't remember much about that trip, but it left its mark. Mention Disney to me, and from the back of my psyche images of Tinker Bell casting her wand upon Sleeping Beauty Castle magically appear. During my childhood, we made several more trips to Disneyland as a family, and as teen, I looked forward to grad night, when graduating seniors were granted exclusive use of the park. I went to “Cal State Disneyland,” the nickname given to CSUF because of it's proximity to the park. Disney has always been part of my life, and I've always associated it with wholesome fun.