Time for Vaca!

Hello blog friends,


I'm going to be on vacation this week in Yosemite so I won't be blogging. I hope you don't miss my stories too much. I promise to come back with some amazing pictures. It's supposed to snow so everything will have a nice dusting.


I'll be back on Sunday!


Have a great week!


Natalie

Sing It!

Today on the train...I didn't get off at my regular stop to go home. I was meeting the boyfriend a little deeper in Downtown Long Beach so that we could attend the Taste of Downtown Long Beach. It is a little creepy how little by little the train becomes empty. That's when things can get a little weird. I was facing backwards and heard someone stomping down the aisle. A disheveled old man walked quickly by me and right up to a little placard that is on the wall of each car with the history of one of the many cities that lie within Los Angeles county. He got right up close to it and read it line by line and then quickly walked to the door waiting impatiently for it to open.

Then as he got off at the next stop a young man took his spot asking for attention by mumbling the song that he was listening to on his ipod. Occasionally, he would burst out with a few words and then he'd go back to mumbling. I could tell when an instrumental came because he stopped singing and instead concentrated real hard on a "slick" dance move. 


He's not the first person that I've experienced singing on the train. It's like they hope Simon Cowell is riding the train that day and will give them their big break into stardom. Too bad! Simon is not on this train and nobody asked you to share your music with them.


As I was getting off the train a man came up along side me and said, "You sure do see some crazy stuff on the train." And I replied "I know! I actually write a blog about all the crazy things I see." I felt so proud of myself and proud of my blog, really! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy planning for and writing it!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Today on the train...I overheard a teenage boy on the phone talking his friend into going to school. He was laughed and said "If you're ready to go, why wouldn't you just go?" 


I can remember my high school days and the only reason I wanted to skip school was so that I could sleep in. If I was able to get up, showered and dressed then I was good to go. The boy hung up soon after, hopefully convincing his friend to go to school that day. 


A few stops down the line he called out to a girl that just got on the train and chatted about whether or not they should go to school too. They had been late already and the teacher told them that if they were late again they'd be kicked out. But luckily the girl looked at her watch and said that they shouldn't be late so they should just go.

 It's funny how the teenage brain works. Everything is instantaneous and rarely are the long term effects taken into consideration. If only they knew how important each day of school was to their future and how hard their teachers were working to get them to learn.

As Whitney Houston said "I believe the children are our are future, Teach them well and let them lead the way, Show them all the beauty they possess inside, Give them a sense of pride to make it easier"

Sunday to Sunday in the LBC

As I walked down to the beach to participate in the beach clean up, I knew I should have brought my camera. There were at least 75 people there to help clean up the beach. There were groups of students, families, middle aged people, young people. It was really a great site to see, so many people caring about their neighborhood and willing to give up some time on a Saturday morning. Of course it was a beautiful Saturday morning and we're on the beach, so it wasn't that hard of a choice. 


I really do have to give some appreciation to the organizations that bring the people out, Surfrider Foundation and CAT. CAT is pretty much manned by one man and he is able to network and connect with so many people. It's amazing! I think it's an amazing example of how someone's passion can inspire others to ignite their passion as well. 


For the up coming week, I wan to highlight the Long Beach Museum of Art. The museum is celebrating it's 60th birthday and all sorts of exhibits are being shown to showcase the museum's history. I hope to make it out there this Saturday so that I can take some pictures for you all to see. I love the location. An old house sitting on the bluff above the ocean. The original structure houses offices and a cafe and a new more modern looking building houses the exhibits. A perfect combination of classic and modern architecture. 


Have a great week!

Blogs to Note

Originally, I was going to write a detailed witty description of each of these blogs, but I decided that the writers themselves might do a better job. The descriptions below are from each blog's "about me" section. So please take a peek and hopefully you will enjoy them as much as I do.


Apothecary Fox


"Apothecary Fox is the outlet for my lifestyle and design passions, and most importantly my love for all things handmade.
I sincerely hope you like what you find here, as it is put together with a whole lot of love.
I love Letterpress Prints, Home Accessories, Kitchen Gadgets, Jewellery, Bedlinen (oh, how much do I LOVE bedding!), Furniture, Handbags...I think you probably get the picture. I want to celebrate and share the talents of independent artisans, as well as cheer for the bigger gals and guys who just get it so right!


I like pretty...in all kinds of things. Colour is a passion and you will quickly understand that Pink and Green are at the top of the list. Vintage inspires me, florals send me into a spin and don't even get me started on stripes!
Born in Boston, raised in Vermont and the Borders of Scotland, independent (historically single!), fiercely loyal, child free (that pic is of me, on a Swan Boat in the Common) but devoted to my nephews and niece (what a bonus Aunt-hood is!) and very very passionate about surrounding myself with beautiful things. I love girly, but would never describe myself as a girly girl. I admire and respect those who can work with their own hands to create unique and amazing things, and am frustrated that I do not have the patience to do the same.


Apothecary Fox is a little like therapy, giving an injection of colour, charm, delight and beauty to my life. A place where you can visit and somehow everything has a rosy glow. I hope you find that here too, or I will have to give you a stronger prescription!"

A Cup of Kiez

"Hello, we are Julie and Kerstin, two English sisters living in the same neighbourhood in Berlin-Schöneberg. We´d like to invite you in to a Cup of Kiez – so take a seat, relax and enjoy our unique blend of homelife, design, stories, people and places that inspire and motivate us to live life more creatively."

Admiral and Tea


"Hello!
My name is Caitlin and I am an art history student living in Southern Ontario, Canada. I love photography, traveling, design, magazines, reading, fashion, vintage, and interesting finds. This blog is a place where I post about fashion, stylish and affordable outfits, and my photography. 
The name "Admiral and Tea" was concocted after endless brainstorming and hilarious late night conversations with my family. Admiral is taken from my favourite restaurant Admiral Risty, in California, and I just think that it is a really cool word. I love tea, and it sounded good with Admiral! :) "

Happy Serendipity


"What a serendipity that you’ve found my blog.
This blog here is my personal outcome of ideas and inspiration, a bunch of nice finds from all over the place, tutorials of crafty things, a peek into my life.
I like to sew things but actually more craving the process than the outcome. I’m interested in crafting so I try something new every now and then. I love my iPhone and my Nikon so stay tuned for fun apps and eye candy pictures. I need books more than water so once in a while I’ll write about my favorite book. My always beloved city Frankfurt (Germany) where I live has great spots which I will tell you about, too!
All things I do I do for fun and most of the times I just start and see what will happen. Mostly it’s chaos where I end up  But you will see for yourself."

Carrots and Kids


"Hello! My name's Deb and I like to grow things - veggies, flowers and children. This blog's mostly about gardening at home, on my allotment and at the school gardening club I run. It's also a little bit about family life, coffee, photography, books and trying to be crafty. I live in the countryside in southern England with my husband, our five children, two dogs and an ancient cat."

Yardage Design

"Hello! I'm Nic ... I love to design, sew and play around with lovely things. I have a passion for beautiful fabric and have decided to have a go at designing and printing my own under the label Yardage Design. My blog is my creative outlet and journal of my adventures making things. Thanks for visiting!"

Lattes and Lunges










"Hi My name is Summer I have two little ones…KB and MX who are 1 and 3 respectively =)
I am a full time student and full time momma and lovin’ every crazy minute of it. 
I am originally from Southern California, but after following my parents to Georgia in 2004, I met my hubby and we settled down outside of Atlanta.  I am desperate to one day live ITP (inside the perimeter, what they call inside Atlanta).  But for now this lovely small town will have to do. 
I am currently focusing on losing all the baby weight I packed on with both babies.  I gained 100 lbs with MX and after losing 85 of it, got knocked up again =)  granted we were trying, and gained 60 with KB.  A year and 3 months later I have lost 50 lbs of those pregnancy pounds and am going strong.  I still have about 25 to go to get to where I was before getting pregnant with MX and really want to lose about 35 total.  I am trying to not get hung up on numbers and want to focus on feeling good and being healthy.  But I weigh myself every monday to see how I am doing with my weight loss goal. 
I am using this blog as an accountability/motivational tool to keep me going and focused on my weight loss.  Also to share with everyone just what goes on in the day to day life of a mom/student who is commited to healthy eating and fitness."

Look But Don't Touch

Today on the train...I was reminded how much I appreciate my personal space. There has been construction on the tracks during the night so in the morning the trains get a little bit off schedule, which leads to busy busy trains.

I had to stand the entire way to work. I tried to read for the first couple of stops but then there were just too many people and not enough space. 


On the way home I did get a seat, but the man who sat next to me scratched at his head the entire time. He would scratch for a long while and then look at his hand and then use the other hand to scratch the same spot. I really really hope he didn't have lice.


It is days like this that I consider driving my car again.

Sunday to Sunday in the LBC

I was talking with some coworkers about better ways to find things that are going on in Long Beach because I can't be everywhere all of the time, right?

One of my coworkers is a scuba diver and informed me about all sorts of things that go on at the Aquarium of the Pacific. This upcoming week on March 20th there will be a whale watching photography cruise! Just today my mom and sister were taking a walk on the coast and saw a whale. I'm sure going out on a boat you'd see a lot more of them. I've lived in Long Beach for a few years now, and I've never been to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Isn't that funny how that happens?

When you go on vacation you make sure to see all the sites and experience as much as you can, but when you live somewhere you take for granted all the amazing places there are right in your backyard. Honestly, I think this regular column will help me to take advantage of those activities!

There is also a beach clean up this Saturday right by my house. It's the easiest thing to do for your community. A group named Community Action Team (CAT) partners up with the Surfrider Foundation to provide trash bags, gloves and refreshments so all you have to do is show up at the beach and go out to pick up trash for a half an hour.

Just imagine what the world would be like if we all appreciated our surroundings and took pride in the places that we call home.

It's in Our Hands

Today on the train...I sat next to a little boy. His brother and sister were sitting in front of him. None of them could have been older than 12 and yet they were riding the train from Long Beach to South LA, probably to a charter school in the area. Even though I think that it is scary for young children to ride the train by themselves, I give their parent(s) credit for trying to provide them with the best school possible. Long Beach has been known to be lacking in the education department. I actually just used a website called healthycity.org that gives details about all sorts of social services in California and the majority of schools in Long Beach had at least 75% of the children on free or reduced meals, which means that the students are mostly from low income families.

As the children got off of the train, I saw that the young boy that I was sitting next to had a Census 2010 bag. I hope those kids understand just how important they are in the count for the census. Children are the most under counted population country wide. If the kids are not accounted for  the state won't receive enough money to provide the services that kids need, like childcare, school, and health clinics.

To make matters worse, Los Angeles is the one of the hardest cities in the country to get an accurate count, and even harder this year because the state is in such terrible debt. Because of all these factors, my work  saw the need and contributed $1.23million to help Los Angeles work with the hardest to count populations so that the state can get the federal funding that it needs to provide services and support to all the amazing people that live here. 

Not Planned

Today on the train...a young couple sat down in the aisle across from me so I could only see them out of the corner of my eye. I thought they were wearing backpacks, but a few minutes into the ride a baby started to cry. I glanced over as the girl pulled back a blanket to reveal a baby, probably no more than six months old.


The baby caught the sight of who I'm guessing was her dad and smiled big as he talked softly to her. The young mother rocked the baby to keep her calm as she started asking her boyfriend(?) interview questions, obviously prepping him for a job interview.

As young as they were, for that brief moment that I got to see into their lives, the couple seemed to be resilient  and supportive of each other. I hope that they know when to ask for help when they need it. I hope that they have access to the resources that will help them succeed. I hope that baby gets the love and affection she requires. I hope he got the job!

Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

Today on the train...again not much happened so I'm pulling from things that happened before I started blogging. This one is classic.


I got on the train on my way home from work in a seat next to the window which is always an adventure. You never know who is going to sit next to you. I get out my book and out of the corner of my eye I see a tall man in a heavy trench coat sit down next to me. Mind you it's a warm summer day.

(I prefer seats like this)

Before I go any farther, there is something that you should know about me. I'm afraid of homeless people. Logically, I know sometimes people fall on hard times or are overtaken by addiction and that at the core they are good people. But then I also know that 1/3 of the homeless population are mentally ill. So I guess I'm more scared of the mentally ill people. You just don't know what they'll do. 


I'm a little worried that the man sitting next to me is homeless. I try to look at his fingernails to see if they're dirty, which to me could be a sign of homelessness. Then I see him going through a plastic bag. He gets a phone out. Ok, he can't be homeless right? 


He proceeds to get on the phone and tells the person on the other line, "Hey, I'm coming to Long Beach. I just got out of County." Yup! County JAIL. 


I had to think about that for a second. Would I have preferred the man to be homeless or a recent inmate? Tough question.

Pulling from the Memory Bank

Today on the train...I was thinking about what to write tonight. Nothing much has happened in the last couple of days, so I decided to pull a story from a few months ago.




I was sitting peacefully in one of my favorite seats, reading a book. It's a seat where I don't have to sit next to anyone. I can get on, open my book, and not look up until my stop. Well at least that is what I can normally do. This day towards the end of my trip I heard a man say "Excuse me, excuse me" and finally I looked up. Surprisingly, he was talking to me.


He continued with "You are the prettiest girl I've seen on this train." Oh no he didn't! Oh yes, he did! 
I said thank you, because a compliment is a compliment. 
He then went on to ask if I had a boyfriend, which of course I said that I did.
And then he asked "Do you like dark men?" 
Stunned that this conversation was still going on, I responded with "I like everybody."
"Well I've been praying for a vanilla queen!"
And that is when the train arrived at my stop.


An older woman who had been watching the exchange walked beside me and said, "It's always nice to get a compliment, no matter who it's coming from."


As uncomfortable as that conversation could have been, it left me with a smile and a story to tell.