Review: The Riddle of St. Leonard's

Next up on my reviewing list, a book I recently finished:
The Riddle of St. Leonard's by Candace Robb.

This is the 5th mystery in the Owen Archer series by Candace Robb. The year is 1369, and the story is set during the third bout of plague in the rule of King Edward. Archer is a one-eyed former archer, who now works as a spy for the Archbishop of York. The Bishop's nephew, Sir Richard de Ravenser, is Master of the Hospital at St. Leonard's. The hospital is facing a host of problems - someone is murdering "corrodians" (the elderly boarders of the institution), a series of thefts have been perpetrated at the hospital, and the hospital now faces financial ruin. In the midst of the plague in the city, Archer is 'borrowed' by Sir Richard from the Archbishop to investigate the murders and thefts in York.

I gave this one a try after being gifted it. I love Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series of books, set in the 1100s during the civil war between Stephen and Maud, and this looked like another series of fun historical mysteries. And, to a certain extent, it was.

I honestly have very mixed feelings about this one. I wanted to really like it, I really did! I just really didn't like any of the characters in the book! Granted, I did start with book 5 in the series, but I was gifted it and couldn't find books 1-4 in our tiny post library, so I had to start somewhere :) By book 5 in a series, you already know the characters, and care about them, and there doesn't have to be as much time spent developing them. And I dropped into the middle of that, so I do take that into account. However, the fact remains that the most developed character in the book was a thoroughly unlikable child (and she was described that way by the author too!!). The detective characters, Archer and his family and friends, almost seemed like side notes, characters that things happen to, rather than the strong protagonists I've enjoyed in other works.

Thinking about it, I think the most developed 'character' was the plague itself. The plague permeated every aspect, every scene of the book, as I imagine the actual plague dominated daily life at that time. The novel is very rich in historical detail, describing life in the hospital, in the town (York, a place I LOVE) and the turmoil that the plague threw daily life. It was a very interesting read, a very rich historical novel. Not quite one that I voraciously read, but one I was eagerly picking up each night.

If you're looking for a good mystery, however, I'd suggest another book. There really wasn't that much of a puzzle in this one. Because so few characters were introduced, it was very easy to figure out who the culprit was. You might not know why they were doing all they were doing, but you certainly knew who was up to no good.

Overall: 3 out of 5. I'm glad I read it, and I'll probably read the rest of the series too, but it'll be from the library, and not on my own bookshelf.

I is for...

Incorrigible imp!

Bunnies are notorious mischief makers. In the case above, if you can't tell, little Joey buns got to his food bucket. His pellets are stored in a latching plastic tub. Apparently I didn't latch it particularly well this particular evening, and as I was sitting reading in the library ('his' room), I heard this plastic ::clatter-clatter-clatter-CRASH::. Looking around the corner to where his food tub was, I saw this little face peering out over the edge and munching away happily. Somehow (I've no idea HOW) he'd managed to pop the top up off his food tub and hop in. And there he sat, happily munching away in the midst of enough pellets to last him for weeks. Once I finally stopped laughing and shooed him out of the tub, I made VERY sure to FIRMLY latch the tub when I closed it :)

But that was not his first bit of mischief!! Oh no, far from! He has certainly been known to snatch the stray baby carrot from an unguarded bag from time to time! And then there's the cage hopping, and the drr-trr destruction, and....

But I loves him!!!! :) How can you stay mad at that cute little face!!

Huzzah!

It's official - I've survived 3 weeks at the new job. Even have my first paycheck now! Yay!

I have learned, however, that something about me seems to say "I clean up messes." Before, it was the previous person who held my position at Horrible Job. Rather someone who never grew up, despite being in his 30s. His files were a disorganized mess, and his notes were IMPOSSIBLE to work from. Took a while to straighten that one out.

Now, I am a manager here on post, and the former manager (F.M.) left things in a bit of disarray about a month and half before I started. Things weren't on the best of terms between the staff and F.M. when F.M. left either, so there are still some disgruntled feelings to soothe over. Lovely. They've been stretched very thin over the past few months, low staffing and then covering managerial duties too, since F.M. left. I really did get dropped in the midst of a bit of a mess. Still, the staff is a good bunch, and we have great hopes for the facility and getting it back to what it should be. I'm really pretty excited about it, despite the long meetings involved and the forms-for-everything set-up.

Funny thing is, even being a paper-pusher and having this mess to clean up, I'm SO much happier than in SC with Horrible Job!! One of those situations where you don't realize how bad it was until you're out of it and looking back behind you. I'm feeling physically lighter, if you can believe it, not so worn down and drained. I'm working out more, and reading more, and knitting more - I just have so much more energy than before. I don't come home from work and collapse in front of a movie and just try to forget my day, or the fact that I have to go back again then next. I don't mind being with people outside of work, or doing things on the weekends. I can actually be myself again! You simply would not believe how much happier I am out here in the middle of nowhere.

'Course, I do still want to burn down the disorganized filing cabinet dominating my office space and rebuild the files from scratch...

Review: The Bank Job

So, being out here in the middle of nowhere, I've had lots of time to read and to watch movies since arriving out here. Not to much else to do in an evening, unless you like listening to Redneck Neighbor's 3 dumb dogs barking their heads off out back. Which, in case you hadn't guessed, we're not too fond of. As a result, over the past few weeks I've had a chance to read some new books, and to see some movies I hadn't before. So, I figured I'd share what I thought with you all.

First up, the most recent I've seen: The Bank Job.

Summary according to Netflix: Based on a true 1971 event, this thriller tells the story of Terry (Jason Statham), a car dealer who becomes involved in a London bank heist only to find that the contents of the bank vault will draw him deeply and irrevocably into the city's criminal underbelly. Murder and scandal abound in this tale of corruption populated with a surprising mix of offenders, from low-level thugs to government officials and all the way up to the royal family.

I liked it. I have a weakness for a good heist film, and this one didn't disappoint. It's not a thinking film, but it is a good caper film, a perfect "Saturday afternoon popcorn flick," if you know what I mean. The story is more about what happens after the heist, than about the theft itself. The seemingly-simple job draws them into a corrupt mess, ticking off a lot of ruthless people in the process. The actual heist in the beginning is only one small part of the movie, and is told in a much lighter tone than what follows, as the movie does get rather dark as things fall apart around our band of villains. Not for the easily offended, as there is a good bit of T&A (what do you think those damning pictures are of, anyway?) and some scenes of torture and of murder when things go awry. Thankfully, happy endings (or at least very satisfactory ones) abound by the end of the movie, as should be in any caper film.

Jason Statham is fine in the lead, as he doesn't really have to do much emoting. Love Jason Statham movies, but do have to admit he does have a niche character carved out for himself. The important thing is to look perplexed, tough, and determined to overcome the disaster that's befallen you. And he does that well, so who am I to complain? :)

Finally, the British TV dork in me loved identifying so many actors in the movie from the British shows (particularly mysteries) that I've been watching them in for years. Always nice to see actors I like at work, and I always like the feeling of satisfaction that I've recognized an actor, even if the other things I've seen them in are 20 years old :) For example, the man who plays Maj. Singer in The Bank Job is the man who played Stapleton in the Jeremy Brett version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. And Michael X's lawyer in the very beginning (very bit part!) is Julian Firth, who played Brother Jerome in the Cadfael mysteries. Finally, David Suchet (TV's Poirot) played the part of Lew Vogel, "the Porn king of Soho"! Always does catch me off guard when he uses his own accent :) Yes, I know, I'm a dork.

Overall, I'd say 3.5 of 5 stars. A good movie, I don't feel like I wasted my time or that any brain cells died in screaming agony, but not an Oscar contender. Would definitely see it again.

Playing Tourist!

So, it's not a major site to see if you make it out to the west coast, but Sunday Zach and I went to Calico Ghost Town. It's right near Barstow and Yermo, so only about 40 minutes away from post. I think it's the closest tourist-type thing to post. Not much here, really, but having grown up in SE Virginia (the Colonial Triangle area), the eras of American history I'm most familiar with are those from the 1600s and 1700s. Oh, and a good chunk of Civil War era stuff too. But, once you get into the late 1800s and all this moving west nonsense, I'm pretty unfamiliar. So, it was neat seeing some of the exhibits about silver mining and the mining towns back then.

For example, silver processing was almost as bad for you as the mining itself. No cave-ins to worry about, but several processes used mercury to refine the silver, and then a different step found sodium cyanide was the most effective chemical. So, I guess the choice was death from cave-in or death from long-term chemical exposure. Fun choices!

This picture is in Maggie Mine, one section of about 30 miles of mine passages in the Calico area. The story behind Maggie Mine was that two brothers bought it, worked it, and gave up when they weren't finding anything. Then a 10-yr-old school boy found a rock with silver ore in it about 50 feet higher on the mountain. The claim was purchased again, and the new owners actually punched through to the Maggie Mine passage, because it was so close. Talk about frustrating!! This particular point in the mine is called Deadman's Draught. Based on the configuration of the mine, this area was dynamited out, and not supported by timbers as other areas were, putting it at a higher risk of cave-in. Don't worry - those are dummies there in the picture! What we liked was that those pipes you see in the photo are wooded. The mines didn't use metal pipes because the water was so mineral-laden that the metal pipes corroded too fast!!

The town also did a lot of Old West sort of themed stuff. For example, they had a gun show scheduled several times during the day. In this picture below, we're standing with the guy from the gun show. He also trains actors working on Western movies how to handle and fire the gun, or acts as a stunt double for them. Was pretty neat to see it in person - he was very fast!

The best part of the day was pulling up in the parking lot and seeing a pair of cars with the NSS sticker on them! Made it totally worth the trip too, because it was the San Bernadino Cave Search and Rescue team!! The CSR team works through the San Bernadino County Sheriff's office, and was meeting with the Barstow Mine Rescue team at Calico on Sunday! So we made our way up the hill to where they were meeting and introduced ourselves. :) Apparently San Bernadino County, although being the largest county in the US, has only 1 limestone cave and a handful of lava tubes. Seems you have to go up to the Sequoia area or over to AZ to get to some good caving. Still, the county does have a lot of mines, and a lot of idiot people who "are just taking a look around" and end up getting themselves into trouble. So the Mine Rescue group is actually rather active, and Zach and I are looking at heading to one of their meetings in the future, see what's up!

So yes, Calico was pretty small, but it was a nice little detour and it felt really good to be getting out and seeing some of where we live now. What makes this area unique, what makes this area famous (or did in the past, as the case may be). Makes me feel more a part of where I'm living, y'know? I get to appreciate what's here while I'm here, and then we'll learn what makes our new duty station unique when we get there in a couple years. Until then, there will be lots of pictures of the desert :)

(gasp)....water.... water!

Yeah, I'm over this whole 'desert' thing... I had dry skin in the humid Southeast, and now I'm supposed to survive in the desert!?!?! My nose keeps bleeding, my feet are cracked and painful, and I'm surprised my hands haven't totally fallen off. And we're here for 2 more years?? Bah...

Heck, even Joey's suffering from the dryness. He's so fuzzy, that the dryness means he's static charged like CRAZY. You really notice it when you're petting him and you hear the static charges crackle, or when he's eating on his shelf, and lot of little hay bits will stick to him. Poor little hayface. Neither of us were built for the desert...

Yeah, I'm just grumpy tonight.

I am nothing if not consistent!

So as part of the "Get Zach Back into Shape" Plan, I have been recruited as a motivational tool. If I go running or workout, then he will too. Works for me, because I have another kick in the but then to keep myself moving as well.

It does come with it's drawbacks though. Like his constant amusement at my running pace. :)

Tonight, as we were finishing our run, Zach had doubled back so I could catch up, and was asking how long we'd been running. I answered "30 minutes." His response? "Oh, 3 miles then. That's why I go running with you!" Bah!

I am a human metronome. I have one speed, it seems. Only one. However, I can go at that speed for quite a long time. Doesn't matter if the pace is for a 1 mile run, a 5K (3.1 miles), or a half-marathon (13.1 miles). My pace varies only slightly between the different distances. In fact, my PR pace for the half-marathon was only about a minute and a half slower than my PR pace for the 5K. Cracks him up no end that my half-marathon pace was so close to my 5K. I should be able to go so much faster on the shorted distances. Like I said, one pace, can go forever. My swim coaches fussed about it too - part of why I was a distance swimmer, not a sprinter :)

Still, felt good to know my metronome hasn't broken. Have felt very out of shape recently, with the move and all. Has felt good to be running and swimming again recently. I'll be back in shape yet! :)

H is for...

Hair!

My hair and I have a love-hate relationship. For starters, I was bald 'til I was about 2. No, seriously, Dad used to tell me he thought I would be bald forever. I'm still amazed by babies with hair.

My hair is all natural - natural curl and natural color, and fun to play with. I like doing Locks of Love, because I get to grow it all out, have it nice and long and dramatic, and am able to style and do things with it. Then as it starts getting frustrating and too much effort to take care of, I just chop it all off and have something nice and cute and too short to even pull back in a ponytail (like what I've got now).

I've done Locks of Love twice now, and have fun with it - it's kinda freeing to cut that much weight off the back of your head all at once. My hair up through middle school was very long, all the way down my back. Because it didn't curl as tightly, and was just fly-away, and I didn't really have the time or interest to take care of it, I just kept it long. It was easier to keep it out of the way if it was long. Then in 8th grade, when I started swimming all the time, it was just too much trouble to maintain long. The chlorine just destroyed it. So I gradually cut it off, bit by bit, until it was about chin length. Wasn't strong enough to cut it all at once yet - probably would have cried :) College came and I wasn't swimming all the time anymore, so I grew it out long again. Takes about 3 yrs for it to grow down my back again, and for me to get frustrated with it again, so right before senior year in college, I did Locks of Love for the first time, and cut it all off! Like I said, very freeing, and a nice big change, that's not irreversible, not like a tattoo or something.

However, my hair is very frustrating too. Being reddish and curly, it's very fine and very dry. I get lots of compliments on it, because of the color and curl and all. But, as my sister and husband both laugh, though, these people have never seen it in the morning! Especially when it's short like this, it will stand STRAIGHT UP in the morning. And I do mean Straight up! Like Einstein in a static storm. Unfortunately (?) I have no pictures of this, as I try to avoid cameras when my hair is misbehaving so badly. :) At the moment, following the move to the desert, my hair as well as my skin is having some adjustment issues. The strong winds we get around here, as well as the completely absence of humidity, have made it phenomenally hard to control. I'll figure it out eventually (or just grow it out and always have it braided back until we move!), but right now, I was seriously considering using "Frizzy and Fly-away" for my ABC-along F! Here's a small sample of a 'bad day' (granted, this was after a 3 mile run, on a windy day!)

I have long maintained that the little poem about the girl with the curl is not about the girl at all, but about her curls. Just replace "she" with "it" - it makes total sense if you read it that way, too. Here, take a look:

There once was a girl with a curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When it was good, it was very very good,
And when it was bad, it was horrid!

See? Makes total sense!

Same map, different set of states!

Zach and I have traveled some together (some of it me, traveling out to wherever he was stationed), so I wanted to make a separate map for those states that we've visited together. He's traveled out west before, and I've traveled for fun and with Horrible Job, so we've each got more states checked off than this, but this is the batch we've been to together :)

create your own visited states map

More Maps!

I like this pair, because it breaks up countries and states. I've done a lot more domestic traveling, so it's neat to see that as a separate map :) But, then, as I've mentioned before, I like maps!

create your own visited countries map



create your own visited states map

Now, of course, that US map only includes the places I've visited, not just traveled through. Didn't think I could count NM or AZ or AL or DE just yet. I've driven through them, but we didn't stop and do any site-seeing or visit anyone. So, those states will just remain un-colored-in for the time being! 'Course, I do think NV, NM, AZ, and UT at least will get colored in while we're here in CA, being so close and all :)

Desert Landscaping

Yeah, I told you this would be a post unto itself. :)

Yards out here aren't grass. They're rock and gravel. Grass just takes way too much water, and dies in the summer heat anyway. So, instead, they have what they call, desert landscaping. As best I can tell, it's something akin to Japanese rock gardens. Remove all the rocks that naturally occur in your yard, and replace them with the rocks that you want. The result, if you do it nicely, is something like this:

You arrange the gravel and the rocks in nice patterns and such, border things in your yard, hope that a tiny little bush or two might grow. There are even some yards with trees! OK, so that was a little sarcastic, but it's true - yards really don't have much greenery in them. Just takes too much work and water. There is some greenery in bloom now, like the pretty pink flowers below, but that's because (believe it or not!) this is the Green Season. Well, I guess compared to 120+ degrees in the summer, this is pretty green :)

It's taking some getting used to, like most things around here :) Makes the whole place brown - houses, roofs, buildings, yards... And there's still a part of me that can't get my mind wrapped around the idea of a rock yard. The nice ones look alright, but there are a lot that just strike me as ... unfinished, I guess. Like the site is still under construction and they're just waiting for the yard to be seeded. Watch, though - by Christmas time, we'll have been here most of a year and we'll visit family for the holidays or something, and we'll be so used to this, we'll be marveling at the greenery back east. Well, maybe ;)

Merry Bobmas Day!

No, this isn't some crazy holiday like Wintere'enmas (if you get that without clicking the link, major points to you!)

Bobmas is the celebration of Ravelry! Happy first birthday, Ravelry! And thank you, Casey and Jess (and Bob) - where would we be without you! Now, off for the Eating of the Cupcakes (or ice cream, as I have no cupcakes) and a bit of knitting, in joyous celebration of the quirky wonder that is Ravelry. Enjoy, all!

I continue my progress into the 21st century...

And I'm still as antisocial as ever!

I've finally joined Facebook. (sigh....). I know, I put it off for so long, but after about 4 or 5 friends made comments about it within a very short time frame, I figured I might as well. And I feel so stupid, because I actually don't really like it! I've been playing around with it a lot, over the last few days, and actually had a chance to see some of the applications, etc. Isn't it supposed to be the be-all-end-all of keeping in touch with people? I dunno....

At least, I've thought about what I don't like. As with Horrible Job, I'm trying to be rational about saying I don't like something, trying to figure out why I don't like that something. A sign of me growing up, maybe :) So here goes:

• I don't like a lot of the 'friends-just-to-have-friends' mentality. I haven't kept in touch with a lot of these people for years (some since high school, so almost 8 years now) so why is that going to change now? If I haven't kept in touch with you for 4 or 5 or 10 years, then I probably don't really care what you're up to now! And, yes, it is good for keeping in touch with people, but that doesn't mean I want EVERYone to keep up with me. (like I said - antisocial as ever!) I want to keep in touch with people that actually mean something to me, y'know? I don't want to end up on their Friend list just so that the have 2001 people instead of 2000 listed there.
  
• There are actually a lot of the bits and bobbles and application-things that are downright OBNOXIOUS! And I can't figure out how to make it go away from my page!! Why am I going to waste my time messing around with something that's irritating the heck out of me!? It's little things that you can't turn on or off, or all the little News Feeds - I really don't care about someone changing their profile picture, or adding a new group, or watching a new movie on Netflix, so why do I need it there on the page? I guess it's just another sign of me having different priorities for what I'm looking for in a site than other people, maybe?
  
• And let me just say, the Stitchmarker, or whatever that craft page application was called, is just a poor man's Ravelry. :)
  

Still, it does have it's redeeming features. Like I mentioned, it is an easy way to keep in touch with people, particularly those who might be in other time zones (pretty much EVERYONE for me right now!) or who aren't good about answering their phones (you know who you are!!) or who never check their messages (yes, you too!). Facebook does make it easy to see what they're up to.

Also, there is (drum roll, please) the BEST sets of maps and map games on there as applications. Yes, I know, I'm a dork :) The map module is really nice, because it's based on Google Maps, so it's be cities (and in some cases, neighborhoods), instead of just states or countries. Gives a much more fun picture of how much traveling you've been doing! :) The map game is awesome trivia! Like Freerice, it's a completely simple, addicting game, just sucks you right in, but you still feel like you're learning something! Like capitals and major cities in Africa, or city nicknames in the US - cool stuff, for little map dorks like us! Zach has watched me play on them in the evenings the past few days, and it's really funny to watch his face as he's trying to figure out of the fun map games are worth breaking down and getting a Facebook account ;)

So, yes... that's been my latest step into the new millennium... and I'm not quite sure if it lives up to the hype yet...

More thoughts on the desert

So, I've had a little bit of time to wander around post now (I think I've seen it from one end to the next). Apparently, though, the entire post itself is large enough to fit the state of Rhode Island. At least according to part of my orientation at work today. Would make sense, I think - it does stretch from Death Valley almost all the way over to Bakersfield. Unfortunately, the inhabited portion of Fort Irwin is not nearly so big. Only about the size of the neighborhood I grew up in back in Va Beach. Well, we make do, right? Still trying to be positive!

I've been to the library again. And yes, it is very tiny. Not completely barren - the movie and music selections aren't half-bad, but the books are just ...limited. One Rex Stout, just a handful of Agatha Christie titles, 4 Anne McCaffrey titles... yeah, like I said, it's a bit small...

Even worse, though, was that it looks like they are no longer going to be holding a knitting group at the library!!!! I was so excited to see that club posted on the library schedule. Was really hoping I could use it as a way to meet people outside of work. I really missed that in SC - I was always so tired and drained after work that I never did anything, so all the people I knew in Greenville were from my job. Didn't seem like a healthy fit, I think, and I don't want to repeat it here. So, I packed up a little project I'm working on, and took myself down to the library week before last (when the meeting was scheduled to be) ... and no one was there!! I had a chance to talk to one of the librarians later, and she said that it looks like that group has been canceled. I don't know if it's because of lack of interest, or budget cuts at the library or what (librarian didn't know) but it definitely depressed me.

Well, now I'll just have to start a group up myself! Maybe in the fall, though, after the 120+ summer days have passed, and people might be interested in knitting again, as the windy fall approaches. It'll give me time to get used to the new job and all, too. Aaaand give me enough time to figure out how to go about starting up a club on post too, now that I think about it.... :)

So, it's been 3 weeks now...

I guess it's time to tell y'all a little about how life is out here in the CA desert. Yes, I did just use y'all - I may not be the most su'th'n girl here on post, but I do firmly believe that y'all has a valid grammatical use, and I intend to keep using it :)

Anyway...

Post is tiny. And isolated. And brown. And dry. That's pretty much how to sum it up. It's definitely in the middle of nowhere. It's odd though - there's so much to do in this area of the country - national parks, LA, Vegas - just none of it HERE. It's all here, if you're willing to drive a bit. Lots of things in day-trip, or weekend-trip, or long-weekend-trip radius. Just nothing here on post. As for "in town," it's about 30-40 minutes into Barstow, the nearest town (which isn't much of a town - I might have mentioned that). It's about an hour, give or take, into Victorville, which is the closest real town (i.e. bookstore, mall, Target, ethnic restaurants... the good stuff). We're getting used to having 2 shopping lists going, one for 'in-town' and one for 'on-post.' (And yes, everytime I think of going 'in town,' all I hear in my head is "Don't go into town, Tonto! Don't go into town!")

Post itself is about a mile radius. Well, at least the inhabited part of post is. The rest of post is very big and very empty. Useful for training purposes, but not so much for the people who live here. See?

This picture was taken on one of my runs, through my neighborhood and the one next to ours. It's a view of post from a hill, looking out across post. And yes, that is the end of the inhabited part of post you see in the distance there. I do rather like this picture, though, as it IS a pretty view from that hill, and all pretty and hazy at sunset. Still, it is rather unusual to see the complete other side of town from where you're standing...

One of the oddest things I'm having to get used to is the brown-ness of everything. Our houses are tan with brown roofs, and all the office buildings and such are either brown or tan, and yards are just plain brown. Even the fire hydrants are brown here! Supposedly this is actually the green season, and one of the greener ones at that, but I'm having a hard time believing that. I'm sure I'll realize how green it was come July, when everything is BROWN. :) Some trees are kinda green - but check out the daggers on this one! Not an inviting plant! From one of Zach's co-workers, those thorns can punch right through the soles of your shoes!!

But, at the same time, post does have some pretty moments. :) I just have to make sure to look for them! I think that's the only way I'll not go crazy-homesick for water and green and people - look for something nice each day about where I am, something to appreciate, something I wouldn't find anywhere else. Sounds like a simple strategy, right? I just have to remind myself about it sometimes though :)

Well, I think that's all for tonight. Thoughts on the new job will wait 'til next week, and thoughts on desert landscaping are going to be a whole 'nother post unto themselves!

G is for...

Golden Gate Bridge!

This picture was taken November '06, when Zach was in Monterey, and I went out to visit for a week or so. One of our days was spent going up to San Francisco and wandering around - took the nice scenic drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, saw the Golden Gate Bridge and Lombard St and Fisherman's Wharf. Played tourist, really, but it was so much fun! And since it was the first time either of us had been there, we're allowed to be silly tourists :) The picture above was taken at the northern tower of the bridge. We drove across the bridge, parked at the view point there, and walked out to the northern tower. It's so much bigger than it seems in picture, and that's saying something. This shot was looking straight up that northern tower. It's so tall, you almost start to get dizzy looking up, and I wanted to remember that.

I also love this picture of the two of us, with the bridge in the background. One of my favorites of us, actually.

This trip meant an awful lot to me, because of where I was with work and the move to SC and all. I'd been in SC about 10 months when I went out to visit, and the stress of Horrible Job was starting to take its toll on me. Besides being lots of fun, and a chance to visit lots of new and different places I'd never been before, and see my guy for the first time in 6+ months, this trip was a chance to relax and escape Horrible Job and feel like myself again. So, I guess I might have left my heart in San Francisco, or a least a little of it :)

So how was YOUR day today?

Mine was rough. Productive, but rough.

Had to go to my drug test for the new job. No waiting at all! They were ready for me in about as much time as it took me to sit down and pull out my book! I was so surprised. When I had to go in SC, I waited nearly an hour - my bladder was about to burst!! Here, I just walked right in! Hey, maybe being in a small town does have some advantages ;)

But then, the DMV.... For the new job, I have to have a CA driver's license. Fine, no problem. The DMV however had the HUGEST line! I waited for nearly 1 1/2 hrs just to get INSIDE!! Overall, it took me over 2 1/2 hrs (close to 3!!) to go through the line and get my license. The way the office was set up, it moved rather quickly once you were inside, but it just took forever to get inside. Apparently yesterday was a state holiday (Cesar Chavez day, I think someone said??), so the state offices were closed. Which means everyone came in today to get their licenses or registrations or whatever else they needed taken care of. I'm glad I didn't drive 'into town' yesterday. I'd've been very frustrated to drive 40 minutes into Barstow and find out the office I needed was closed. Still, there were people in line around me who'd come up from Apple Valley. They'd been to the office in Victorville first this morning, and said that that line was even worse than the one in Barstow!! Still, I did get everything done and my new license should be arriving soon (don't know why CA mails it out to you, but they do).

I think I've been spoiled by the DMV back in VA. The one near our house there was one of the newer ones. People didn't think to go there, so it was never packed. And there were plenty of counters (being new and all) - the whole range of counters weren't always open, but they were there. I have actually seen really busy days when most of them were open - was very surprised. I remember talking with one of the guys in my office in SC who had lived in VA near where I grew up. He and I agreed that the DMV offices there were pretty efficient, especially compared to the SC ones which were HORRIBLE! The CA one was bad, in that it had a long wait, but it went pretty smoothly - just needed twice as many people working the counters today. SC would have long waits, and still be inefficient.

(sigh) The DMV.... a necessary evil, I guess. But! At least I'm done with them for a while now! I'm a California girl now! Or something like that...

Oh, and if you're still having a hard time visualizing just how long I was waiting in line there, here's what I was working on:

I cast on a few minutes after I joined the line, and worked on it until I reached the head of the line. It's almost done. Just a dishcloth, but it's still almost done. It's the Finder's Keepers Pattern (mid-Feb from the KAL), but worked in a light blue and a light blue ombre. You can't always see the slip-stitch pattern, but it was an easy pattern I remembered off-hand there in line (something besides garter stitch!) and I think it has an interesting look to it, so I'm not totally displeased :)