It's a blog-miracle!

I just realized that Dick's blog has been updated more recently than mine!
uh-oh. how'd that happen? ;)

A9.com

am I the only one who wasn't hip to A9.com?

I think it's fairly new, so I'm going to give myself the benefit of the doubt.

Dick just showed it to me. It's very cool. It's a combination of amazon.com and google.com. I don't know much about it - perhaps it's a partnership of sorts?

Anyway, you type in a search, and it brings up the following results: web, books, images, movies, reference, history, bookmarks & Diary. Very cool. I did a trial-run and typed in "Raggedy Ann" and it came up with all kinds of good stuff. Even found some of my own paintings on page 2 when I looked under "images". wild.

bonus: Dick just made a purchase from amazon.com. When he checked-out, it gave him a 1% discount for being a A9.com user!

Star Wars: Battlefront

I popped in the Bonus DVD from the Star Wars DVD set into the Xbox this morning.

First impression: Star Wars Battlefront rocks.

We played split-screen, so we could both play.

It's not quite as elegant looking as Halo or GR, but it's pretty darn good. It's especially good if you're a Star Wars Fan.

good news: it is Live enabled!

so that means that all of you (and you know who you are: Pete, Omar, Reeves, Mike, Rob, Martin & Shan) need to go out and buy this game so we can all play online together! it's like GR: you can play against, or with each other. You can also choose whether you want to be with the empire, or a rebel. There are several characters to choose from (yes, you can play a Wookie, and yes, you can shoot the Ewoks).

try it: you'll like it. ;)

4-way Stop

I'm pretty sure that no one else would find this intersting, but I'm very happy about it.

I noticed last week that a 4-way stop was placed at the intersection of 23rd Street and Castro.

This is big news. I used to drive through that intersection all of the time. It was inbetween my place, and both houses where Dick used to live. The problem was that it was a stop for those of us on 23rd street, but not a stop for those on Castro. It was a steep hill on Castro, and was a horrible intersection! It was difficult to see whether or not traffic was coming, and it was confusing for all drivers. It always seemed like it should be a 4-way stop.

I used to say (only half-kidding) that this intersection would be the death of me someday.

Dick and I (and my family) have figured out all routes to/from our house to avoid that intersection!

Anyway, I'm sure that there have been many accidents in that intersection over the years. I'm relieved that the city has done something about it.

My Monitor is two-timing on me!

Dick just bought a new PC. I've adopted his old PC, which he's had for about 4 years now . I like to use it to check for platform/browser differences on my web sites, and I also run Quickbooks on it.

I have a HUGE desk, but alas, it is already full of stuff, and I didn't have room for another monitor.

Now, I know that this is old news for all of you uber-geeks, but this is new news to me, so bear with me....

Dick got a cool switch that hooks up one monitor to two computers.

What does it all mean?

You may remember that I have my trusty-rusty Powerbook laptop connected to my 17" monitor. I also have my Powerbook connected to a full-size keyboard and mouse.

This switch allows me to have my 17" monitor connected to my Powerbook, as well as to my new PC. With a flip of the switch, my 17" monitor, keyboard and mouse can go from working with my Mac, to working with my PC!

It's pretty cool.

I was trying to figure out how I was going to fit another monitor onto my desk. Now I won't have to! (and Dick gets to keep his 15" monitor, and use it as a double monitor on his new PC. (along with the super, humungous, Bad Ass 20" monitor he just got).

check it out:
one second it's a second monitor for my Mac, the next, it's a monitor for my PC!



It's pretty cool. The only problem is that when it's switched to my Mac, I have my monitor settings at 1280x1024. When it's in this mode, it shows faint, gray vertical lines in any body of white. (it does not have this issue when it's set to 1024x768.) Kind of annoying. I'm trying to decide if i can live with it or not, or if I should just physically switch out the monitor cables for the times that I use a PC. Kind of a pain, but it might be worth it. It's also possible that if we buy a newer, better switch, that this problem will be remedied.

Does anyone have any input on this?

update
9/25/04

we just bought a newer, smaller, cooler switch. It all works fine now - the monitor resolution problem has been fixed. This newer switch also allows me to use "hotkeys" to switch from computer to computer so I can make the switch without having to reach around and press any buttons on the device.

More Star Wars DVD info

Easter egg Instructions

Movie Discs

Each movie disc has a set of 3 different animated menu schemes, patterned around the major worlds visited in each film. The different menu sets are randomly accessed when you boot up the disc. However, it is possible to directly access each scheme individually with the use of special codes. During the Attention warning screen on each movie disc, try entering the following codes with your remote:

Code 1 - "Audio"
Code 2 - "2"
Code 3 - "10+", "2" (or "12" depending on your player), then "2" again

Each of these should allow you to access a different specific menu scheme on the movie discs.

Bonus Disc

To access a Star Wars Trilogy gag reel, go to the Video Game & Still Galleries menu page. Using your remote, press "10+", "1" (or "11" depending on your player) and wait for the pause as the player accepts the input (note that a small box next to R2-D2 will illuminate if you're on the right track). Then press "3" and wait for the pause. Finally, press "8".

Look also for additional outtake clips during the credits of The Characters of Star Wars featurette, and funny lightsaber spoof clips during the credits of The Birth of the Lightsaber featurette. You don't have to do anything to access them other than watch the featurettes.

Halo for Wookies

That's a direct quote from the review of the new video game "Star Wars: Battlefront"

I assume that it's a one player only game, and since it's available on all platforms, it's definitely not LIVE enabled. oh well. there's a game demo that came with the DVD set. We'll have to check it out.

A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away......

for those of you who have been living under a rock, the Star Wars DVD Set is being released TODAY! :)

I've had it on my amazon wish-list for months. I've been trying to be good - thinking I'll just keep it on my wish list, and wait until Christmas to (hopefully) receive it as a gift.

But, honestly, I'm not sure if I can wait until then!
I read a review about it this morning, and all of a sudden, I had that "I've got to have it now" sensation run through me.

My sister and I were just talking about "retro t-shirts" the other day. She was digging through some of her drawers at my parent's house, and came across some great t-shirt from the late 70s/early 80's. They still fit! They're great: she found her old soccor uniform from when she was in 6th grade (I kid you not) and a "Lake Tahoe '81" shirt. Both are baby blue. How retro. I was thinking that there would be ONE shirt that I saved for a long time, but I have a feeling is gone by now. I had an old t-shirt with Princess Leia on it from the original Star Wars film. It was really, really big for me at the time (I was like, 8) but there's a chance it would fit like a baby-T now. have to go look for it.

But I digress.... back to the Star Wars DVD set. Shan had mentioned that he pre-ordered it, and said he'd have us all over to his place to watch it this week. I really hope this happens! Shan has a fabulous loft here in the City. He has a projection HDTV set up that projects the TV on his wall to be something like 8x6 feet. and he has a great sound system. I am all over it.

I just might bring my "Star Wars Trivia Pursuit" game with us - that would be fun.

uh-oh. The Star Wars geek in me is really coming out....

did I ever mention that I have 2 large boxes full of all of my original Star Wars toys and action figures? They're in my Mom's closet at their house. I started collecting the action figures when I was in 2nd grade - pretty cool for a girl. I had all of the action figures from the first movie - included the often-coveted Boba Fett. I also have some of the playsets, some of the ships, and all of the die-cast metal ships. those are so cool. I pulled them out a few years ago when Episode I came out.

Oh, and have you ever seen this? Star Wars ASCIIMation - it's fabulous.

..and now that I've released the inner Star Wars geek in me, I feel the need to run out to Costco to buy the DVD set.....

update

I have no will power.

I totally caved.

who was I kidding? (well, no one, it turns out) ;)

After I posted this blog, my Mom called saying "I can't believe you didn't order it! My copy is being shipped to me today!"

then I IM'ed Dick letting him know that it was coming out today. He said "Why haven't you gone out to buy it yet?"

So, I checked out the prices online. Amazon.com had it for $41.99 no tax, free shipping. but, since I'm lame, that would mean that I would have to wait a week for delvery.

Costco had it for $43.99 plus tax.

Best Buy had it for $42.99, plus you get the "Star Wars Insider" Magazine thrown in! ;)

so, it was off to Best Buy! I got there at 10:30, and it was swarmed with people. I got in line, and noticed that I was the only girl. lol. What's with that?

So now I have The Star Wars Trilogy DVD Set - Widescreen in my hot little hands. I guess I'll have to wait for Dick to come home before I pop it in. ;)

My friend's husband is in a tiny little clip on the Bonus DVD - he was at Grauman's Chinese Theater on opening day of the Phantom Meanace. I'll have to look for him.

...and while we're talking about it...

Did I ever tell you about my trip to Skywalker Ranch? It was several years ago - way back in September '98. I found an old email that I sent out to friends... ah, the days before blogging.

here goes....


From: Trina Chow
Date: Wed Sep 16 22:47:21 1998
Subject: Geek Alert!

Just wanted to share my best "celebrity sighting" yet:
Today, I went to Skywalker Ranch (Yes, of the Star Wars fame) for lunch and a tour.
We have a friend/client of the gallery who is one of the lead animators there.

So, guess who sat at the table next to us during the entire time that we ate
lunch????!!! (And, by the end of the meal, we were the only two tables left)

?
?
?
?
?

Yes, the big man himself!!! We were a mere table away from GEORGE LUCAS!! Ah yes,
the Star Wars Geek's Dream. No, I didn't embarrass myself - no autographs, no
pictures, no dropped jaws. It was just a very cool experience.

We noticed when we first entered the dining room that there were various tables
with reservations signs posted on them, and that the one by the fireplace read
"Reserved for George". We figured that they must keep that sign there all the time
for him. The restaurant itself isn't very large, and our table wasn't ready for us
when we first arrived. So, we got a tour of the main building - saw lots of great
props from the films: C3PO's hands, a model figurine of Bobba Fett, and Jabba the
Hut, Indiana Jone's Whip, etc. We eventually sat down to eat, and less than 5
minutes later, in walks George Lucas!

So, that was my day. Not bad.

The joy of having two kitchens

There are so many wonderful things that I just love about our house.

We had a small gathering today for Dick's birthday. We had a few friends come over for a BBQ and dessert.

I call the upstairs kitchen the "staging kitchen" whenever we have parties. We don't use it much otherwise, but when we do use it, it's really cool to have! First of all, I'm able to store all of the party food and drink in the kitchen upstairs and not have to worry about running out of room! it's awesome! During the party, I was able to get stuff ready for dinner upstairs, and bring it down when we were ready to eat. We also kept the dessert upstairs until we were ready for it downstairs.

I also keep all our of party supplies upstairs in the cabinets. It's awfully handy whenever I need to pul out the paper plates, serving trays, or plastic utensils!

it's such an unusual luxery that you wouldn't even think about unless you happened to have an extra kitchen. And really, how many people have 2 kitchens in one little house?

Funny thing... Love the His 'n Her Condos! ;)

Good Earthquake Tips

My sister just sent this to me over email. It was the first email that I've recevied in a very long time that I actually thought was important enough to pass along.


EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE "TRIANGLE OF LIFE"

Edited by Larry Linn for MAA Safety Committee brief on 4/13/04.

My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the
American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced
rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an
earthquake. I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with
rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several
countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries. I
was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation (UNX051 -UNIENET)
for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since
1985, except for simultaneous disasters.

In 1996 we made a film which proved my survival methodology to be
correct.

The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul, University of
Istanbul, Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical,
scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins
inside. Ten mannequins did "duck and cover," and ten mannequins I used
in my "triangle of life" survival method. After the simulated earthquake
collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film
and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival
techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to
building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival
for those doing 'duck and cover'. There would likely have been 100
percent survivability for people using my method of the "triangle of
life." This film has been seen by millions of viewers on television in
Turkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen in the USA, Canada and
Latin America on the TV program 'Real TV'.

The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City
during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under their desk. Every
child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have
survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was
obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the
aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide
under something.

Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings
falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects,
leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the
"triangle of life". The larger the object, the stronger, the less it
will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the
greater the probability that the person who is using this void for
safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings,
on television, count the "triangles" you see formed. They are
everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed
building. They are everywhere.

I trained the Fire Department of Trujillo (population 750,000) in how to
survive, take care of their families, and to rescue others in
earthquakes. The chief of rescue in the Trujillo Fire Department is a
professor at Trujillo University. He accompanied me everywhere. He gave
personal testimony: "My name is Roberto Rosales. I am Chief of Rescue in
Trujillo. When I was 11 years old, I was trapped inside of a collapsed
building. My entrapment occurred during the earthquake of 1972 that
killed 70,000 people. I survived in the "triangle of life" that existed
next to my brother's motorcycle. My friends who got under the bed and
under desks were crushed to death [he gives more details, names,
addresses, etc.]...I am the living example of the "triangle of life". My
dead friends are the example of "duck and cover".

TIPS DOUG COPP PROVIDES:
1) Everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE is
crushed to death -- Every time, without exception. People who get under
objects, like desks or cars, are always crushed.

2) Cats, dogs and babies all naturally often curl up in the fetal
position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural
safety/survival instinct You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to
an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will
compress slightly but leave a void next to it.

3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during
an earthquake. The reason is simple: the wood is flexible and moves with
the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large
survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less
concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into
individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed
bodies than concrete slabs.

4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply
roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can
achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a
sign on the back of the door of every room, telling occupants to lie
down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.

5) If an earthquake happens while you are watching television and you
cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down
and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.

6) Everybody who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed.
How? If you stand under a doorway and the door jamb falls forward or
backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls
sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you
will be killed!

7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of
frequency" (they swing separately from the main part of the
building).The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump
into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The
people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair
treads. They are horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't
collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the
building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the
earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by screaming,
fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the
rest of the building is not damaged.

8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible
- It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than
the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of
the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be
blocked.

9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls
in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what
happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The
victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their
vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by
getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles, says the
author. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get
out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had
voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns
fall directly across them.

10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices
and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact.
Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.

Pictures from Spain

I just finished uploading some pictures from our vacation to Spain. I did a quickie job – just to get it up quickly. I didn’t take much time to edit – sorry!

Click here to see the pictures

Enjoy!

Now available on Ebay: "Trina Chow"

I just got a random email from ebay:

New items have been found on eBay matching your search named trina chow.
Search run on Sep-15-04 09:14:37 PDT

New Items Found for trina chow
  1 item found for 'trina chow'

Here's a link to the item

I didn't even know that I had a search going for my name. Funny.

if you actually want to read the article that this is referring to, you can see it on my Raggedy Ann Site. It's under the navigation bar titled "Target the Family Article".

Everyone is blogging these days...

Willo told me about this (very funny) blog

Don't show my kitties! they may want to start one of their own! ;)

Adjusting to time zones...

So far, this whole jet lag thing hasn't been too bad for this trip. I'm a big fan of jumping right in to a time zone, whenever possible. I figure that after a long flight, your body is wacked out so much that you just have to re-train it immediately to the new time zone. (granted, that certainly doesn't always work!)

When we arrived in Spain last week, we had been traveling for almost 24 hours straight - flying from SFO to Heathrow, taking a bus to Gatwick, waiting at Gatwick for a few hours, the flight to Malaga, cab to bus station, bus ride to Granada, cab from bus station to apartment. I think we got to our apartment by 6:00pm or so. We freshened up, and took a bus into town to have dinner and explore the city a little. We probably got to bed by midnight, and I think we slept in 'til 11:00am the next day. We didn't have any issues with jet-lag on that end of the trip. Dick was a little tired on Wednesday afternoon, but he pulled through it. We usually didn't get to bed until well after midnight - such a Spanish thing to do! I'm sure that it helped that we slept in until 9:00 - 11:00am each morning whenever we could. It was nice having such a leisurely vacation.

On our way home, our flight landed at 6:00pm. Dick slept on the plane for 4-5 hours. I probably got about 2 hours in early on. We came home, had a small dinner, and got to bed by 9:00. We woke up around 6:00, and did pretty well throughout the day. We both got a little tired around 3:00, but kept on going. We fell asleep around 9:30 last night, and I got up around 5:00 this morning.

That's not too bad considering that the time difference between here and Spain is 9 hours.

Today is both of our first days back to work. Dick will be getting on the 7:15 Caltrain, and I'll be going to the gallery later on in the late morning.

We'll see how today goes!

Happy Birthday Dick!

Happy Birthday to my Sweetie! :)

Dick has the day off, so we'll spend the last day of our vacation celebrating his birthday.
It looks like it's going to be beautiful out today - time to hop on the Vespa!

Home Sweet Home

We're home! Our flight got took off about an hour late, but we managed to land at 6:00pm. My wonderful Mom picked us up at the airport and drove us home.

We had a nice leisurely morning, and checked out of our hotel at 11:15am. We walked about 5 blocks to the nearest Tube Station, and took the Picadilly Line all the way to Heathrow. It was definately the way to go! No worries about traffic, or slow drivers ;).

We managed to get upgraded to Business Class again - very exciting! The flight went well. I slept for the first hour or so, and stayed awake after that. I thought it might be best, so I can sleep through the night tonight. I watched three movies: "Godsend", "The Stepford Wives" and "Raising Helen". All were fine, but definately not worth paying full price for!

So, that's it for now. I'll post some pictures from our trip over the next couple of days.

London, baby, LONDON!

Greetings from the land of MINIs! :) I've seen several dozen already, and we've only been here for a few hours.

We had a very nice last day in Spain yesterday. We went out to the main touristy destination area of Marbella, and gawked at all of the enormous yatchs. Dick decided to stay at the apartment to relax, while Rob, Andrew & I drove up to their new house in the hills. It's a gorgeous building that they've been working on for two years (to the day). It's almost complete, and they're very excited.

We woke up early this morning (6:30am) had a quick breakfast, and left for the Malaga airport at 7:30. The drive back was uneventful (thankfully) and we made it in plenty of time. The return flight on EasyJet was good as well.

After a painfully slow hired drive to our hotel, we managed to check into the Cranley Hotel (Located in Kensington) at 2:30pm. Our room is lovely, and I'm looking forward to relaxing in it this evening.

Dick and I dropped our stuff off and decided to head out to explore the area. We ate at a lovely little cafe, then made our way to Kensington Gardens. The weather held up well (no rain) and we walked around for a couple of hours. We managed to (finally) find the new Memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales. It's a very clever design, and I was happy to see it.

We're walking back to our hotel now, and happened upon this convenient Internet Cafe. (I love these things.

Our flight leaves Heathrow tomorrow around 2:30pm. We'll be leaving here around 11:00 - probably catching a cab to Paddington Station, and taking the Heathrow Express Train from there. I'll be on the lookout to see if I can find the "actual" Paddinton Bear there - do you think Dick would let me bring him home? ;)

That's all for now - we'll see you all again when we're back home Monday evening.

Semana Fantastica!

"Semana Fantastica!" That was a slogan that we saw at a department store in Granada - they were promoting their back-to-school sale. We thought it was an appropriate way to sum up our vacation - "Fantastic Week!" ;)

We enjoyed our last days in Granada. Dick and I made it to the Cathedral in Granada, which was beautiful and interesting. We also took a long walk and admired the Moorish architecture. Our last evening was spent with Adrianne's Spanish mother and brother, and one of her friends from school. The 7 of us went out for a nice dinner, and enjoyed each other's company. Adrianne's "brother", David, is quite a character. We had a great time getting to know him with our broken Spanish, and his broken English. We went to bed around 1:00am, which is apparently early in the Spanish culture. Adrianne and David went out to a rock concert, which didn't even start until 1:00am, and then went out dancing afterwards. Adrianne said she didn't even get to bed until 5:00am, and woke up at 7:00 to meet us at 8:45. poor thing.

We woke up early on Friday morning, just in time to say goodbye to Richard, who had to leave for his 9:00am class. Adrianne came by around 8:45, and the three of us went out for Churro & Chocolate - possibly the best breakfast known to man. We had churros a few days earlier, but I made the mistake of not ordering the chocolate. I had assumed it was like a hot chocolate, but it turns out that it's more like a thick, chocolate sauce that you dip the churro in. DELICIOUS?!!

We got our luggage from the apartment, and caught a cab to the Avis rental car office Downtown. We got our car (I have no idea what kind of car it is!) and made our way out of Granada, and onto the freeway! This was Dick's first experience driving Internationally, and he did very well! we just kept following the signs to Malaga, and then Marbella, and managed to find our way to Rob & Andrew's vacation rental without getting lost! It took about 2 hours, 15 minutes.

Rob & Andrew's vacation property is absolutely gorgeous. It is truly luxurious. We've been completely pampered here. We spent the afternoon laying out by the pool, and walking along the Mediterranean. We'll be going out later this afternoon to look at their new house that they've been building for the last two years. I'm excited to see it.

We'll be driving back to Malaga tomorrow morning to catch our 10:30am flight to London. We should arrive in London around Noon, and will have the entire day to do some relaxing and quick sight-seeing.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention. We went to a grocery store today, and finally managed to find some "Trina" softdrinks! We bought a couple of cans to try - one orange, and one lemon. (they also had pina colada, and pineapple) As Dick says, "That's a lot of Trina" ;)

I can get used to this whole siesta thing...

Greetings from Granada, day 5! We´ve been having a great time. Richard (Dick´s father) has managed to switch his Spanish course, and is now taking his classes in the morning. Dick and I have been sleeping in every morning. We managed to get out early enough for churros on Tuesday. We´ve been doing a lot of eating - love tapas! It´s fantastic - you sit down, order a drink, and they bring you free tapas to enjoy! side note: the Spanish love their fried food! We did have the most delicious fried eggplant last night. (not to mention the fried calamari, fried fish, etc.,) Still loving the Gazpacho!

Dick and I went to the Alhambra yesterday afternoon/early evening. Beautiful architecture, and amazing history. I took several pictures.

Aside from eating, and walking around, we´ve enjoyed an occasional siesta - that is, napping in the afternoon. I can certainly understand why Adrianne loves the lifestyle here so much!

Today is our last full day in Granada. We will be having dinner tonight with Adrianne´s Spanish Mother and brother, and one of her friends from school. We´ll be renting a car tomorrow morning, and will head south to meet our friends, Robert & Andrew in Marbella.

Hola from Spain

After nearly 24 hours of traveling, we finally made it to Granada yesterday late afternoon. All of our flights went well, but we were very tired. We were very happy to have been upgraded on our flight from SFO to London (we were on the wait list) and that really made a big difference! The flight was very smooth - it took 9 1\2 hours. we had 5 movies to choose from (i watched ¨Mean Girls¨ and ¨Harry Potter¨!). The best part of flying business class is that they refill you glass of water at all times.

we found a shuttle to take us from Heathrow to Gatwick, and that left us with 4 hours to wait at Gatwick. Our flight from London to Malaga went well - I´d recommend EasyJet to anyone traveling within Europe!

Dick´s Dad and Adrianne met us at the airport, and we took a taxi to the bus station. The bus ride from Malaga to Granada is supposed to be very nice and picturesque, but I´m afraid I slept the entire time.

We took a cab from the Granada bus station to Richard´s apartment, where we washed up a bit, and changed clothes. We took a bus to the center of town and had a lovely dinner. (I am picking up Kathy´s habit of ordering Gazpacho with every meal!)

We went to bed around midnight, and Dick and I didn´t wake up until 11:30 this morning. we showered, then took the bus to Adrianne & Richard´s school. A had class from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Richard has class from 3:00 - 7:00.

had a nice lunch with A, and have been walking around all afternoon.

We´re at an internet cafe now (my first time - very cool).
will try to touch base again before we leave Granada for Marbella.

Adios!

... and... we're off!

We're all set. It's 9:45am, and we'll be leaving the house around 10:30. not bad.

I woke up at 6:30 this morning, by my own accord. Decided to get up, surf the web, take a shower, make pancakes & bacon, and do any last minute preparations. Dick's sister, Meg called this morning to wish us a good trip. She thought I sounded oddly "peppy" for being awake, and getting ready to leave. I told her that my friend Mykail has accused me of being a Disney Character. :)

okay - my parents just came to take us to the airport!

have a great weekend!

Spain!

We're leaving for Spain tomorrow morning!

Dick's niece, Adrianne is studying abroad in Granada, Spain for the entire year. She's having the time of her life. Her Grandfather, Dick's Father, has been to visit her twice already this year. He enjoyed himself so much that he is renting an apartment of his own in Granada for the month of September, and will be taking Spanish courses while he is there. (amazing!)

Dick and I will be leaving tomorrow morning to visit them for a week. We'll also be visiting with my friends, Rob & Andrew. Rob and Andrew are actually from England, but have vacation property, and a new house that they are building just outside of Marbella, Spain.

We're very excited. Neither of us have been to Spain before, and we're really looking forward to visiting with our friends & family there!

Our friend, Vivian has graciously offered to house-sit, and cat-sit for us while we're away. It's so nice to know that someone will be here to look after everything while we're away. Plus, the cats are happy that they'll have company!

Tomorrow will be a very long day of traveling. Actually, I suppose I should say that it will be a weekend full of travel!

We'll be flying from SFO to London, Heathrow. I think it's about 11 hours. We arrive Sunday morning, then have to make our way to London Gatwick airport to catch a flight in the early afternoon. We'll be flying into Malaga, Spain where Dick's father and niece should be meeting up with us. We'll be taking a bus from there to Granada - the ride is supposed to be lovely. We'll be getting into Granada Sunday evening. Wow - that's a lot of traveling!

We're on a wait list to be upgraded to business class from SFO to London - fingers crossed. That would make a huge difference! Plus, we both have tons of frequent flyer points to use!

We're not planning on bringing either of our laptops on this trip. (shocking!) I'm pretty sure that we'll have occasional access to the internet, so I'll try to touch base once or twice.

Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday weekend!