St. Patrick's Day

Hello again, dear readers!

Owing to my husband's Irish heritage, something which he is proud of, today we celebrated St. Patrick's Day. This day is also special to my husband because this is his saint's day (he took the name Patrick for his Confirmation in honor of his heritage and the San Patricio Battalion in Mexico).

All dressed in green

I'd planned to do my makeup with green eyeshadow, something I don't normally wear because I'm not a big fan of the color green, but I had to forgo that because the baby woke up at the crack of dawn and JUST WOULD NOT GO BACK TO SLEEP! So, I pulled out whatever green clothes I could find in my closet (an olive-green Marines tshirt and camo pants) and called it good enough. Fortunately, the baby had a shirt with shamrocks on it and a white bow to match. Her hair is long enough now to start wearing clips.

Full view of the baby's shirt. It says "Daddy's Little Shamrock"

After going to the clinic, Mass, and running a few errands, we got home and I began tonight's dinner of traditional corned beef and cabbage. Unfortunately, we're too broke to afford the Guinness that would have gone great with this meal right now, so that will have to wait. This is the first time we've ever had corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day because I traditionally went vegetarian during Lent. This year was the exception because I'm exempt from fasting due to being a nursing mother.

Work in progress. It smells delicious.

Unfortunately, the biggest pot we have was too small to fit everything I wanted in it. I got the corned beef roast in, but I could only fit in half the head of cabbage because I also added some red potatoes and kale. It's still cooking now, but it will be good once finished.

After the baby goes to sleep, I may do a henna tattoo for St. Patrick's Day. I'll do one for both myself and my husband because he has an aversion to body art, even temporary body art in places that can't be seen. I have something in mind with a four-leaf clover with trinity Celtic knots in the leaves as well as some deer in honor of a legend associated with St. Patrick, but I'm not sure how this will turn out. This will have to undergo some revisions before I get a final idea.

An idea. This is from a local St. Patrick's Day parade committee. Pic found here

One thing I was glad to see was that this past weekend, the city of Tucson held their annual St. Patrick's Day parade. It may surprise you to learn that this largely Mexican city was founded in 1775 by an Irishman who served in the Spanish military named Hugh O'Conor. Yes, my adopted home city is about as old as the continental United States and while its name is a hispanicized version of a Native Tohono-O'odham word, it has an Irishman to thank for its formal existence despite the area being inhabited by various Native groups over the millenia.

And that was how I spent my St. Patrick's Day holiday.

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Night on Mt. Baldy

Good evening, dear readers.

I recently stumbled across an article about a tragic event that took place right here in southern Arizona. The article, though written in 2012, described how on a mild November day in 1958, a group of six Boy Scouts went on a hike up Mt. Baldy (now called Mt. Wrightson) in the Santa Rita mountains just south of Tucson, AZ. What should have been a relatively uneventful hike became a fight for survival after a freak storm blew up over the valley, pummeling Tucson with six inches of snow and walloping several feet on the mountain. With no trails to walk on and no landmarks to guide them, the boys were lost in the deathly fog which enveloped Mt. Baldy. It is said one of the boys broke his leg and with help from his fellow scouts, fashioned a lean-to to try and protect himself from the elements while waiting for help. He and two others perished from hypothermia and while the surviving boys were found by a massive search party and taken to safety, the bodies of their companions remained lost. The three dead boys were discovered weeks later by a rancher, their bodies removed by soldiers stationed in nearby Ft. Huachuca and a memorial erected on the site just off the trail where they lay. The memorial still stands to this day commemorating the tragedy that befell there over fifty years ago.

One of the memorials dedicated to the lost Boy Scouts. Pic found here

The story of the lost Boy Scouts became the subject of a haunting memoir that was written by the sister of one of the deceased Boy Scouts in honor of her brother's death and sparked a renewal in interest of the tragedy so close to home. It was actually the subject of an NPR book review, which was how I first heard of this event right here in my part of the state.

As is often the case in the aftermath of a tragedy, the questions begin to arise. What if modern meteorological technology had been available back then? Could modern technology like cell phones and GPS have led to finding the boys alive? Was there anything that could have been done to prevent this from happening? Can anything be done to ensure this doesn't happen again?

An appropriately snowy image of the Santa Ritas. Mt. Wrightson would be the tall peak on the left (the one most hidden by the clouds). Pic found here

I suppose modern meteorological tools like satellites could have given forecasters a better idea of what sorts of conditions to expect that day, but even then there is a reason why the old cliche about weathermen being unable to predict the weather sticks around. I don't know that modern satellites and computer models could have predicted this event. As for modern technology like cell phones, those only work so long as you have a charge in the battery. It will work for a while, but eventually the battery will run out and when the battery runs out, the GPS in the phone will go offline too. I honestly don't know that anything could have been done to prevent this tragedy, given the utterly unpredictable way everything went down. I don't think anything really can be done to prevent a freak occurrence like this from happening since no one can see when its coming.

Clearer view of the Santa Ritas. The adjacent saddleback peak to the right of Mt. Wrightson is Mt. Hopkins, where an observatory is located. Pic found here

Many primitive cultures like those of the Native Americans have beliefs about spirits residing in the natural world, such as in trees, bodies of water, and mountains. As such, these spirits demand offerings from time to time as a means of appeasement for their continued existence. Given the freak nature of the deadly storm that killed these boys, can it be speculated that a mountain spirit (or more) became unhappy and demanded a sacrifice? It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Some basic instruction in Catholic demonology tells of how demons can influence weather patterns to bring about death and destruction which they then proceed to feast on. I'm not saying this is what happened, but it does make you wonder if there wasn't something supernatural at play that deadly night on Mt. Baldy.

If you're interested in learning more about the tragedy on Mt. Wrightson in 1958, check out the book Death Clouds on Mt. Baldy: Tucson's Lost Tragedy by Cathy Hufault

Note: This post was inspired by this video.

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All Souls Adventures

Happy Monday, dear readers!

It's been a whirlwind weekend. With Halloween having been on Saturday, Sunday's followup to the craziness was All Saints' Day. Since it was our week to go to the other church, we got dressed and went to Mass. It would have been uneventful except that the baby had a HUGE shitsplosion that happened when her diaper somehow shifted and basically led to her pooping all over the car seat, and on my pant leg when I took her out of the seat before I noticed the damage. I spent pretty much the entire second half of Mass cleaning up both myself and the baby, and while I was pissed about missing out half of Mass, I begrudgingly accepted that embarrassing incidents like this are just another part of parenthood. The shitsplosion was also a reminder to always carry a spare onesie in the diaper bag just in case of accidents.

Oh parenthood. Pic found here

Today was All Souls Day. In the Catholic Faith, this is the day to pray especially hard for the dead and those souls who escaped Hell and made it to Purgatory. My FB feed featured many an image of a flaming hand or prayer books with handprints burned into them, a reference to the purifying flames of Purgatory. Contrary to popular belief, Purgatory is NOT Hell with the flames on low. Purgatory is, in the words of my catechist priest, "God's hospital" where those who died in a state of Grace but not totally clean of sin go to get treated and cleansed before they can enter Heaven. Purgatory is described as being a place of suffering, but with the end result being able to enter Heaven and join the ranks of the saints and blesseds. The level of pain and duration of time spent in Purgatory varies, depending on the sins and how often (or not) people pray for or do good works on behalf of the deceased.

Though we would go to church later on in the day for All Souls Day, we first made a trip to a part of town I had not been to since 2007. My hubby applied to a trucking school located directly due east of where we live, and was due to meet today with the hiring manager to see if he would be an eligible candidate for their program. The trip there was not bad, since recent repairs to the road made it drive-able and despite its industrially isolated location, it was still within the city limits!

I'm gonna be pretty today 😇👶 #baby #girl #family #babiesofinstagram #blackandwhite #photography

A photo posted by Tamara Tamtam Morris (@tr0u8ad0ur_520) on Nov 2, 2015 at 1:28pm PST

Alas, my husband turned out not to qualify for the trucking program due to some ongoing medical issues but because I came along with the baby, the whole office came out to admire her. While my hubby did not qualify, the manager encouraged me to apply once the baby was older. That way, I could take her with me when I went out on the routes. It's not an uncommon practice for long distance truck drivers to bring family members along for the ride. In fact, a neighbor of ours drove an 18-wheeler cross-country for 20 years and often took her children with her during their summer breaks or school holidays.

Since we so very rarely come out to this part of town, we decided to drive around a bit and check out the area. The Pima Air and Space museum and the Boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB were the last places I visited on this side of town, and that was in 2007 when I came to Tucson to check out the University of Arizona for college. We passed both locations on our drive, and also both the Arizona State Penitentiary and the Federal prison. One thing we were glad to see out by the prisons were plenty of open scrubland, though it has shrunk significantly as the sprawl expanded. Provided that nothing catastrophic happens, I predict that within the next 20 years, developers will be building houses right up against the prison walls because the sprawl has encroached on so much desert. It happened in Chicago (see: Cook County Jail at 26th and California Ave), and I can see it happening here too.

After running some errands and making an emergency computer repair trip to our family friend's home, we went to church. It was a mercifully short Mass, since both the baby and I were pretty tired. The substitute priest for the vacationing Canon Bill this week was a Frenchman I'd previously met with an accent so thick I can barely understand him. Fortunately, the man realizes his thick accent makes understanding him difficult, so he keeps his Masses short. He's quite sincere and intelligent, as is evidenced by his quality Confessions and grasp of Latin. I do hope he gets sent to visit/assist our Latin Mass church more frequently. I like what I see in him as a priest, and would also like to get to know him better as any ordinary parishioner might.

And that is how I spent my Monday. Good night world!

Fire at ICK Chicago

Heartbreaking. Pic found here

Yesterday, while cruising through my newsfeed on Facebook, a number of Catholic groups I follow posted some news stories about the Institute of Christ the King National Shrine in Chicago sustaining serious damage following a fire. I was quite sad to see this bit of news for a number of reasons.

My connection to the Institute of Christ the King (abbreviated as ICK) stems from its branch in Tucson, AZ where I attended my first Latin Mass (and, by proxy, met my husband), was catechized and formally received into the Catholic faith. I was quite fond of the founding canon (their term for priests), Richard von Menshengen, and have come to accept his successor, Canon William "Bill" Avis. Through Canon Richard, I met a number of the other ICK priests, including the order's founder, Monseigneur Gilles Wach. It was also from Canon Richard that I learned of the US headquarters of the order in Chicago, my home town.

Exterior of ICK Chicago, September 16, 2012

It was during a short, disastrous stint in Illinois during the end of summer 2012 that I was privileged to visit ICK Chicago, as I have taken to calling the order's US HQ, twice. Though I was attending there under less than optimal circumstances (the family feud which I would flee to Arizona to escape from by the end of September was almost at its breaking point by this time), I could see that the church was going to be beautiful once the renovations done up to that point were completed. I was also blessed that I got to see in person the famous Infant Jesus statue from Spain, which was made in the 18th century.

Interior of ICK Chicago, September 2, 2012. Their famous Infant Jesus statue is perched on top of the altar in the middle of this picture.

Due to my history with the order, I've been following the story of the ICK Chicago fire and from the news reports I've read, the official cause was listed as accidental when a pile of varnished rags "spontaneously" ignited (one report I read stated that the rags were put next to some plastic that began smoldering), destroying the roof and sanctuary. While I want to believe the Chicago Fire Dept's official judgement on the matter, I have a hard time believing that a pile of flammable rags would just ignite by themselves. And even if that one report was correct in that rags were placed next to some plastic that began smoldering, HOW DID THE PLASTIC START SMOLDERING?!

The rector of ICK Chicago and the ICK's provincial superior, Canon Matthew Talarico (who I've also been blessed to meet on a few occasions), holding the fire damaged Infant Jesus statue. His hand with the orb (see here for original) was gone, but the rest of the statue survived. Pic found here 

Until I read of concrete evidence pointing to this fire being accidental, I seriously think it was caused by arson though I have no idea what the motive (if any) could have been. The neighborhood ICK Chicago is located in is poor and Black, as is most of the South Side of Chicago, though it was starting to be gentrified as of 2012 when I was last there. I think there was a hit put out on this church, just because of it being there and the demographic it attracted (wealthy suburbanites i.e mostly white people). My husband thinks it was arson to collect on insurance money, but I don't buy that. The war zone that has become the South Side of Chicago can, and does, claim more than human lives.

If you have the means to, please visit the gofundme page that the ICK has set up to repair the damages from the fire. I normally wouldn't put out a crowdfunding call, but the ICK holds a special place in my heart because if I hadn't been to one of their churches, my life never would have changed for the better.

Please keep the ICK in your prayers. They may change your life for the better too.

A Day at the Swap Meet

This past Saturday, we decided to finally take a trip we'd been planning to do for a while, but hadn't been able to accomplish (mostly due to weather, but other stuff played a part too). It was time to introduce our baby to a Tucson classic, the Tanque Verde Swap Meet.

From the large koi pond near the entrance

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, a swap meet basically is a giant open-air yard sale where people bring stuff to sell for cheap. Another name for a swap meet is "flea market", perhaps a more familiar term. Anyone can do it, and all that's needed to reserve a spot is a $15.00 sellers permit which is purchased at the entrance.

Sign high up reads "Yard sale with us! $15", while the stands in the foreground sell kettle corn and Sonora dogs

After parking not in the zoo of a lot, but across the street in the industrial park, we made our way to the entrance. It was a busy Saturday, with plenty of families enjoying the evening.

I made the mistake of parking in the parking lot the first time I drove here. Never again...

Play area for kids near the entrance

Our first stop was to a discount book seller. My hubby insisted on going in there not only because he is a bibliophile, but he is on a never-ending quest to find a Douay-Rheims Catholic bible in hard copy. He insists on getting one that's NOT Challonaire or Haydock annotated, but the original without any "protestant" translations (and he uses a line from the Gospel of Matthew as his litmus test). It bugs me when he does that because my husband HAS a Douay-Rheims bible in soft copy, and for someone who hates paper (most of his literature is in PDF form anyway), this is one paper book he wants to acquire at all cost.

While we've purchased bibles from this particular vendor in the past, she did not have his elusive bible. Much to my delight, however, were the Little Golden Books she had available for sale. As a child, I had many of these books, with their distinctive gold spines and memorable characters. I no longer have the books of my youth, but I remembered some of the titles, so I was able to buy a bunch of them for the baby. My hubby also had a number of Little Golden Books when he was a kid too, and he encouraged me to buy as many as I could. Though she's a bit young now, there will be no shortage of books for our child to read.

So help us God, there is no reason why our child should become illiterate

After the book vendor, we just walked around, seeing what people had for sale. Since I had the baby stroller, I couldn't go into the displays to see the wares more closely due to the stroller being bulky.

Funny signs for sale

Most of the stuff was just junk, but occasionally something interesting caught my eye. I was tickled to death to see how much counterfeit makeup was on sale. I've been wanting the Naked eyeshadow palettes for some time and the ones being sold at the swap meet were significantly cheaper than buying them directly from Urban Decay website. They were some pretty good knockoffs too; if I didn't spend so much time on beauty and makeup blogs, I might not have known that Urban Decay was putting out palettes like Naked 5 and 6 with the US Capitol building emblazoned on it (hint: THOSE WERE FAKE!!). There were also some pretty dubious MAC eyeshadow palettes too. As much as I love makeup (eyeshadow in particular) and cheap prices, there are some things I'd rather buy through reputable channels than risk something grisly happening cuz I bought a knockoff.

There are a few established vendors at the Tanque Verde Swap Meet. They're largely Mexican establishments selling everything from jewelry to leather goods and shoes, to religious items, clothes, toys, and cell phones. Some, mostly owned by whites or in a few cases, Blacks, sell weapons (mostly knives) and incense or knick-knacks. An Indian family owned a large stretch of lots that sold clothes, carpets, bedding, and toys. Meeting that particular family proved to be quite fortuidous, as the first time I went to the Swap Meet was while I was in college, and I was wearing a sari I'd just purchased from a costume shop. One of the proprietors of that stretch of shops, seeing my outfit, told me where I could find a top for the sari when I mentioned that I was looking for one. He also gave good deals on Catholic-themed clothing featuring saints and Lady Guadalupe t-shirts. I wear the Lady Guadalupe t-shirts he sold me to church every Sunday.

As for the big highlight of the night, it had to have been when my husband encountered a "Good Ol' Boy" selling Confederate memorabilia. Since that one cracker in South Carolina shot up a Black church in May, Confederate flags have been all but banned. The toothless vendor emphasized how hard it was to get Confederate memorabilia nowadays, but happily sold a flag and "Forget Hell" license plate to my husband. Being a born-and-bred Southerner, Confederate memorabilia is something my hubby wanted to have as a reminder of home.

Whenever we go to the Swap Meet, I always try and get an elote. An elote is a type of Mexican street food that is made with corn, mayonnaise, sea salt, lime juice, and topped with dried cheese. Elotes can be served as an intact corn-on-the-cob, or as a coctel (in a cup). It's fine on its own, but I always add a hearty dollup of chamoy (a multipurpose Mexican hot sauce that goes with fruit as well as other dishes) and some chili flakes to give it some flavor.

Elote. It's like a corn soup

As I enjoyed my elote treat, we sat at some picnic tables and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Swap Meet.

The "supermoon"

Finally, it was time to go home. The baby enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Swap Meet too, but she was worn out by the trip.

The playground

Saying bye-bye to the fishies in the koi pond

Exit sign

Protesting Planned Parenthood

Today was the big nationwide protest against the infamous abortion provider, Planned Parenthood. While I've been fairly quiet about the controversial videos released which proport to show Planned Parenthood executives and staff engaging in illegal activities (organ trafficking, infanticide, etc), know this: I am, and will always be, pro-life. My pregnancy and subsequent birth served to reinforce and enhance that which I had been taught regarding the sanctity of life, both in AND out of the womb.

A card my hubby picked up from the registration table. If you don't respect life in utero, you'll view it as worthless outside of the womb too.

It's one thing to see a picture of an ultrasound baby on a poster or hold a plastic fetus at various stages of development. But it's also something totally different to actually see the fetus wiggling and floating around in utero, real-time in front of your eyes and instinctively know "wow. That's mine. I made that."

It would be one thing if Planned Parenthood actually did what it claimed to do and offered STD testing and treatment, counseling, women's health care, etc. But it doesn't. Abortion is ALL that Planned Parenthood does, and the dishonesty put forth by that organization is an injustice to women everywhere. That has always been my beef with Planned Parenthood, even when I did not have the vocabulary to articulate it in the way I wanted to.

While I am largely in favor of crisis pregnancy centers as a means of giving women an alternative to murdering their offspring in utero, I've gotten away from blindly supporting them like I used to. When I got pregnant, I went to a crisis pregnancy center (CPC) not because I wanted an abortion, but because I was a low-income individual seeking to get low-cost prenatal care. I was hoping a CPC could assist me with that.

A Short Review of Beer: Barrio Blonde

After a recent excursion to church, I stopped by my favorite gas station to refill my growler and try something new. The last time we were there, I'd picked out Goose Island's Summertime Ale. This time, my husband got to pick the beer. He picked out Barrio Blonde, which was something he wanted to try the last time we were there.

Barrio Brewing Company is a local, Tucson-based brewery. Appropriately enough, "barrio" means "neighborhood" in Spanish. Blonde is just one of the 12 beers served at its flagship restaurant on 16th St. and Toole Ave, with the brewery's website describing it as "A good starter beer for those who have only tried the mass-produced suds. The blonde is a light, crisp beer with a slight malt flavor and just enough Czechoslovakian Saaz hops to balance the malt sweetness."

My favorite beer mug, with Blonde

Upon opening the growler and pouring myself a glass, the first thing that stood out was how much "blonde" was an appropriate name for this sort of beer. It has a beautiful golden color and not much of a head either, which was kinda funny cuz when the attendant at the gas station was filling up the growler, the head bubbled out of the growler and all over the counter. Guess it must have lost some carbonation since this attendant didn't tape the cap to seal the growler like the last one did...

Taste wise, it's alot closer to a more typical beer as opposed to the fruity, citrusy Summertime Ale. Thanks to my priming with Steel Reserve, I tasted the malt right off and was pleased with the quality of the hops. True to its description, it's reminiscent of some of the more mainstream brews, but less pissy tasting. It's not a bad light beer. The alcohol content is pretty low too, around 5% or so. I found it paired well with chili and pork, but I can see it going alright with a salad. Something with spinach, in particular.

Same glass and beer, different lighting and angle. Still pretty pale

For more information about Barrio Brewing Company, check out their website here. As always, please enjoy responsibly

A Day at the Museum

Today was a big day for the baby. We took her to the Children's Museum of Tucson. I'd originally planned to go this past Thursday since we'd be in the area anyway, but while looking online for admission prices, I saw they offered reduced admission on the second Saturday of the month to coincide with the monthly Second Saturday street fair in downtown Tucson. Always the frugal family, we set Saturday to be the day.

The front of the building. Picture found here

Memorial out in front of the fence. Caption says "To the memories of the citizens of the State of Arizona who gave their lives so that we might live in peace and unafraid in this stark borderland"

Built in 1901 with a grant from the esteemed Andrew Carnegie foundation, the Children's Museum was originally the Tucson Public Library. It served as the main library for the city until 1989, when the current Tucson Public Library (now called Joel D. Valdez Library) moved to its current location on Stone and Pennington. The Children's Museum was established shortly thereafter.

A brief history of the building that houses the Children's Museum

It was very loud and chaotic upon entering the building, as to be expected when there are tons of kids around. But for $2 admission (regular price $8), it couldn't be bad.

I admit, I'm somewhat spoiled. Growing up in the Chicago area, there were a number of high quality museums to go to with plenty of exhibits to delight the senses. My impressions of the exhibits were disappointing compared to what I'd experienced growing up. But, I'm not in Chicago anymore. Besides, as a parent, I have to swallow my pride. I would have never otherwise set foot in this building if I didn't have a child.

The first exhibit we visited was one that was electricity based. In addition to the classic plasma ball, there was a crank generator, a Tesla coil, an interactive circuit, and a few other electricity-related items. Of all the exhibits we saw, this was my favorite one. My husband particularly liked this exhibit, since he'd been associated with various forms of electricity from childhood on up and even worked as an electrician for a time.

Daddy the mad electrical genius

Mommy's turn to be a mad scientist

The generator

Standing proudly at the device named for one of my fellow countrymen, Nikola Tesla

Next up was a small section dedicated to Public Safety. In there was a shell of an old Tucson Fire Dept. truck and a non-working Tucson Police Department motorcycle. I was pleased to see that TPD uses Kawasaki for their bikes. I have a high opinion of Japanese motorcycles.

From there, we made our way to the gravity exhibit. The best part of this exhibit was building a tube path and dropping a ping pong ball down it. The most annoying part of this exhibit, however, was a wheel loaded with jangly things that you cranked to see centripetal force in action. It sounded like broken glass, and the baby wasn't too fond of that.

Watch the marble...

The next room was a combination art studio and a play area for kids under 4. Since there was plenty of wifi available in the building, my husband left me in here for a bit to go to the lobby and check his emails. Since Darija is only a few days short of three months, there really wasn't much she could DO. But, I decided to make a little paper project for Daddy, with her "supervising". I held up the different items and explained what they were. She loved the seahorse stencil I'd drawn. While there was plenty of paper, markers, and crayons out and about, I had a heluva time hunting down glue. I eventually found a staff member to replenish the glue container, but that delayed me more than I'd liked. By this time, Darija was hungry and began to fuss. When my husband returned and saw our little project, he was pleased to see it. I had him watch the stroller while I retreated to a quiet corner of the play area and nursed her for a bit. Amazingly enough, nobody bothered me, though one cute toddler walked over and handed me a toy. Guess she thought I needed something to play with.

Now fed, we proceeded to the next room. This room was a combination of things like permutations for cracking a safe, blowers with levitating balls, a prism, soundwaves, and a tubing setup that blew soft pompom-like balls all over the place. My favorite part of this exhibit was the prism, where I had to slide a diffuser and lenses to separate the red, green, and blue colors. It took a bit of trying, but I did it. Darija, on the other hand, was fascinated by the sound waves. She stared intently at the bitty plastic balls as they vibrated according to frequency and volume.

Prism (L), roller coaster (R), and Carl Sagan

After a short potty break, we visited trains. They had a model train with a camera mounted on it buzzing around the top of the room that I thought was cute. It certainly looked like a typical train that buzzes through on its way east from San Diego.

Choo-choo!

Steam locomotives poster

Little pulley cart

Modern diesel and electric locomotives

Last, but not least, was the biology exhibit. The best part of this exhibit (aside from the giant representations of body parts on the wall) was the pets room. There were posters showing the different breeds of cats, as well as the skeletal makeup of a cat. Since we have cats of our own, it's important that our children be familiar with their biological makeup. The main room in the exhibit was a mock grocery store, filled with fake foods for "purchase".

Daddy's Eye of Sauron

The mouth going "BLEHH!"

Finally, we ended our day in the tech room. This exhibit featured plenty of touchscreens to play on and explore. There was also a large cabinet filled with Mickey Mouse items (toys, books, figurines, etc) that didn't really seem to fit there. But, it was interesting to see how Mickey evolved through the decades.

By this point, we were both pretty tired from walking around, and the baby fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. Since the sky was getting dark and looking like it was gonna rain, we headed home to eat and rest.

She fell asleep like this just as I'd put her in the stroller and was about to buckle her in to leave

Thus ended our day at the museum. We'll definitely be coming back here as Darija gets older, and our family expands. It's well-worth the $2 admission.

tea party pix

hi everyone!

sorry im a little late in posting. ive been really busy with tests and biology and stuff like that. i went to the tucson tea party on wed. i had intended to go to the one at the valdez library, but i got off at the wrong stop downtown and it just so happened that the stop i got off at led right to the pima county judicial district. this particular tea party was held at the old pima county courthouse. its a nice looking building and the protest was in the back plaza.

as you can see, it was really crowded. it was also really hot.

at the tea party, there was a barrage of signs.

there was also a band performing. i forgot what they were called, but it was a country band.

after the band was finished playing, the organizers got up, gave a rallying speech, and demanded that we call the congress non-representatives. since im not an AZ resident (im sorta resident-less cuz i have an AZ drivers license, but most of my legal paperwork is still in IL), i couldnt call and harass the non-reps (i dont know my IL non-rep's number). i heard the organizers say that us angry constituents had jammed the phone lines and fax lines. i believe he used the term "burn their phone lines!"

im sure you'll want to know what kind of "treasonous" activities i participated in at the protest. truth be told, i didnt really do anything. since i couldnt stay long cuz i had to go back to school for class, i was only able to stay for 1/2 an hour or so. i couldnt bring a sign cuz you're not supposed to bring that kinda stuff on buses (i dont have a car, so im forced to rely on public transportation). instead, i brought a small tea bag. afterall, you cant go to a tea party without tea! and contrary to what the media has been misinforming you, the protesters were VERY WELL BEHAVED!! there were lots of boos, but nobody got rowdy. there were kids there, and who wants to set a bad example by brawling in front of the kids?

upon arriving back at UA, i got back just in time to watch the white sox get womped by detroit during my lunch hour. thankfully, it was only the end of the game, so i didnt have to suffer watching it.

bye!

tamtam

tea party or no tea party?

since tomorrow is tax day, and tucson is hosting a tea party, i was thinking about going. i think this would be a good way to protest the trillions of debt that my children and grandchildren will inherit, and since im not politically active, this would be a good way for me to otherwise get involved. though this is potentially sedatious as even questioning barack's policies is seen as racism, i have to make my voice heard. if the chicago thugs won't listen, then maybe out here in AZ they will. it could be potentially dangerous, as all it takes is some rogue protesters to unleash the cops on us. hell, even the missouri state police is considering going after people who are considered "right-wing terrorists"-which basically means you're an ordinary pro-life, gun-rights, religious person, want smaller gov't, and encompass everything that true republicans ally themselves with.

perhaps im just being paranoid, and i would really like to go (i know the bus routes to get there), but there's the problem of classtime. though my 1st class tomorrow isnt till 3 pm, im worried that i'll lose track of time and be late. plus, its a 1-hr wait between bus circuits. i'll probably go, but i'll only stay for a short while. i have 2 locations to choose from: the valdez library or presdio park. neither of which are terribly far from UA. like i said, i dont know which 1 i'll go to.

there's also a white sox game on wgn tomorrow and i'd really like to see that too, but my rights are way more important than baseball. plus, i have my phone to keep track of the scores.

i might also take pix and if i do, i'll post them here.

goodbye and i'll report back from my day at the tea party!! we will not let this communist regime tromp all over us like we're cockroaches!!

tamtam

spring training jitters

dear readers,

i know, im a nerd. i get giddy at the thought of spring training. i always eagerly look forward to spring training each year, and this year is no exception. however, this is my first year away from home and since im doing bad in 1 of my classes (calculus is a real kicker), i desperately need something to cheer me up, or if not cheer me up, at least give me something to look forward to. i hate calculus with the passion of a carlos quentin at-bat

sorry. i had to do that.

one week till the 1st game. i wonder who its gonna be against. i hope the sox come out swinging, but im still mad that they opted out of tucson and high-tailed north to phoenix. there's alotta people from IL down here in tucson, and that translates to lots of sox fans!! plus, tucson electric park is just a bus ride away on the tucson bus system. oh well, i can still go to baseball games on the weekends at tucson electic park cuz the diamondbacks are still there, but being from chicago, i like the sox better. i'll still get my baseball fix, but it wont be with the team i wanted to see. i hope the cheap-seats at tucson electic park are cheap (i'm thinking $10-$15 at most, but i've never been there before so i dont know). i can't be goin every weekend if i cant afford it.

thats a story in progress.

ARRGGGHHH!!!!! the wait is excruciating!!!
tamtam

spring training

dear readers,

spring training is just around the corner~and im super excited!! although yeah, im a total nerd cuz i love sports, but this time of year, baseball runs my life. although im a little disappointed cuz i was hoping to see my beloved white sox here in tucson (before they opted out of their contract and high-tailed north to phoenix >:[ ) and the thought of going to tucson electric park for spring training games (when i could~im in college, remember?) was one of the reasons i made the choice to come to the u of a where im currently a student. unfortunately now, i'll have to brave a 2-hr drive north to phoenix to go to camelback ranch, but thats ok. i have wgn in my dorm room so i can watch the games on tv if they're on. also, come spring break, i'll have to check the schedule to make sure that there are some homegames so that i can go to at least 1 game. no trip to phoenix is ever complete without going to a baseball game (we used to just come to phoenix on vacation during the summer, right when baseball was in season).

i guess i have some predictions for spring training, although let me be upfront: i have very little knowledge or expertise on the stats/math side of sports. i predict that the sox will be ok-not spectacular-just ok, but once the season starts, the sox are gonna be good. provided they can be healthy, i think the sox stand a pretty good chance of winning the AL central again and maybe advancing to the world series :), but thats for the regular season, and this is merely preseason. i think dayan viciendo will prove his salt to ozzie and company, and i have good hopes for the rest of the newcomers to the southside. i also look forward to more 'palehose' comic strips from the great carl skanburg in this upcoming season.

im as giddy as a schoolgirl at the thought of spring training! im so excited!

GO WHITE SOX!!!

tamtam