Red Fish, Blue Fish

On the Nevada political scene:

The Nevada Democrats held a state convention in Las Vegas on April 22. According to the Reno-Gazette Journal, the Dem's hope to win back six statewide offices that were swept by Republicans in 2002.

Upon moving to Nevada you would have thought I would do my political homework. I was lulled into a sense of false security by the fact that the Senate Minority leader is Harry Reid, a democrat from Nevada. Alas, it appears I am living in a predominately red state. It is good to know the democrats are rallying in a state election year.

I attended a kick off rally in the capital a few months back for Jack Carter, who is running for State Senator and makes his home in Summerlin outside of Vegas.



He is the son of a humble peanut farmer named Jimmy.






It was a political rally so all the right things were said and there was some funny Bush bashing. More interesting was a group of approximately 500 democrats converging on the capital mall in our small town to support the democratic nominee. I was thrilled to see a large crowd on a weekday afternoon. It was cool to be in the presence of a former president as well. Jimmy and Rosalyn made the trip along with members of Jack's family. What was interesting to me as well was that the following day at Coretta Scott King's funeral our Jimmy outright snubbed the current president after he spoke by refusing to shake his hand as others had before him. Pretty ballsy and somewhat out of character for Jimmy Carter. I think he is cranky as all get out with the Bush administration. The democratic convention affirmed that they are banking on our dissatisfaction with the Bush administration. Hopefully, it will help rally the Dem's and inspire the voters. Blue is my favorite color.

Spring Glory

Spring Glory Forsynthia! Blooming in my backyard. Spring, Spring is here! When I left town for Easter weekend to visit my family there was nothing happening in the garden. Nada. Bupkus. I returned and this little bush had decided it had waited long enough. Viola. Lovely little yellow flowers. So far it's the only thing that has come out in its fully glory but with the rains this week there are buds on everything and it is suprising to me (the garden neophyte) how quickly that happens. That and how the weeds appear first, in abundance! Now should you think "well, how does she know what this flower is called if she knows nothing about gardening?" The previous owners were kind enough to leave the tag on it. I love them, who ever they are.



This is "Zeke in the Wilderness." My kitty was very anxious to stroll the backyard grounds on Saturday and sniff out all signs of Bob, that interloping cat that hangs around. Lucky for us there was no sign of Bob on saturday which meant the possibility of flying fur was at a minimum. Yes, that's a harness on my cat. He has been an indoor cat for all his 15 years and I take him out on a harness and retractable leash so he can wander about. He thinks he's a black labrador retriever anyway so he's perfectly happy on a leash...okay, not thrilled but he knows if he wants to go outside he has to stand still for the harness. It's working out very well. Zeke is a marvelous wonder cat with only slight psycho tendencies. He is very smart. He knows the commands sit, shake, and sit UP which he will do for you if there is a treat in your hand. I taught him this when he was 10. So, you can teach an old cat new tricks. He is a funny, steadfast companion to me. The least I could do is take him out into a whole new world.

Chocolate Bunnies

Happy Easter!!

How'd They Know??

You are a Brainy Girl!

Whether you're an official student or a casual learner, you enjoy hitting the books. You know a little bit about everything, and you're always dying to know more. For a guy to win your heart, he's got to share some of your intellectual interests. A awesome book collection of his own doesn't hurt either!

What Kind of Girl Are You?

Mondaze

Headed into Reno today to run some errands and get a photo of Flat Stanley at the Reno Arch. The Truckee River was running fast and furious through town. There was a tremendous amount of traffic in the downtown area due to the protests regarding the immigration issue. Perhaps, not the smartest day to go but the call of Pollo Loco and Trader Joe's were too strong. That isn't why I went but it was a nice reward. Pollo Loco is all over Los Angeles. I have found one here, in Reno. Good chicken, all sorts of dishes with chicken, chicken fast food that doesn't look like it will clog your arteries as you eat it. When I lived in SF and LA there was a Trader Joe's within 5 minutes of my residence. There is one here, it's in Reno. So, I drive to Reno, it's about 30-40 minutes, and take care of things that you can only do in Reno.
Flat Stanley needed to visit Reno anyway.

When I was deciding to make the move to Nevada I considered Reno as an option to Carson City. My concern being that Carson City was small for a city girl and the city type atmosphere of Reno might suit me better. Not so much, I decided. I'm drawn to the University of Nevada at Reno and the art museums and the performance spaces in Reno but I'll travel there to enjoy them. Turns out I wanted more open space, more quiet, less city. Suprised myself even. I'm happier that I live close to Highway 50, which climbs over the mountains and drops right into South Lake Tahoe.
City smitty...I'll take pretty.

I've been trying to master adding things on to my blog this evening. I've figured out a few things but it took a while to get the "weather pixie" up. She's pretty cute and comes in various incarnations. I can't seem to get my book list up the way I want it, there's some time to be spent there. I finally got a blog roll going and last night I spent an inordinate amount of time reading other blogs, following links to other blogs and generally being nosy and giving myself mouse thumb...as in - ouch is that a cramp!

I'm looking at a long work week ahead of me topped off by a much needed visit to the Bay Area to see family. Yea!

Girls Night

A co-worker of mine hosted a Body Shop at Home party on friday night. I went and dragged my sister along to show support and check out the goodies. We spent too much money but that's part of the lure. You can spend the whole evening sampling the wares to extreme if you like. I would never have lingered over these products in a store for the length of time I did the other night. I do have a weakness for bath products and lip gloss so I had fun picking out stuff for myself. The Body Shop has a new scent that is a really yummy citrus, something I prefer to fruity scents, that I invested in. It doesn't hurt that The Body Shop is an ecologically and community building company. You gotta respect that. The really fun part though was meeting my co-workers friends. It was an eclectic group and they were hecka fun to spend time with. My co-worker is a delightful young (26) woman who has already lived one heck of an interesting life. She reminds me of my college age niece in her sense of humor and the way she talks sometimes. The longer we work together the more I like her. Meeting her friends was the icing on the cake. All were engaging and intelligent and funny. All at that age of trying to figure out how to do this life and work thing. All with distinct looks, hair, tattoos. From my mother on down the women in my family have always enjoyed spending time with and observing the younger generation and do not shy away from befriending them and embracing them. It keeps you young, reminds you where you have been, and keeps your mind open. It is easy to be harsh and judgemental of a younger generation, how they decide to create their identity and spend their time. Spend time in a room with a group of them and they will make you laugh, show you that some things never change, suprise you with their hopes and plans. It was a great evening.

Bob

This is Bob. I'm sure Bob has another name. I'm fairly certain Bob is a girl. Bob probably has another home but Bob likes to hang out in my backyard. Bob defends his turf (my backyard) against other cats who feel inclined to wander across the fence or the deck. Bob is very affectionate with humans which leads me to believe Bob has humans some place else. I know all this. I am a cat person with strong cat intuition. So when my spousal unit decided that Bob looked hungry and we should feed Bob I knew where this was going to go. Bob is going to end up either very fat or Bob will end up being our next cat. I don't mind this, I like cats. Bob has to stay outdoors because Zeke (my cat) is an indoor cat and quite happy being the sole recepient of my affection and food. Bob and Zeke eye each other through the screen. The hissing has stopped, that's a good thing. None of this is a problem except now I worry about Bob. Bob appears on the deck and at the door everyday now. This evening it was raining and I was concerned about Bob being outdoors in the rain, regardless of the fact that Bob is clearly an outdoor cat, and Bob would not leave the deck so I fretted and worried about Bob until I finally saw Bob head under the deck. I, of course, am developing an attachment to Bob.