Jack Johnson rocks at UCLA

Posted on 31. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in food, music, my life

Jack Johnson is amazing. He played for over two hours without a break at UCLA this evening, and never skipped a beat. His backup band was incredible, and Zach Hill’s accordion playing brought down the house.

I heard there were 20,000 people on the field watching. I’d believe it. Blankets weren’t allowed, so we brought extra jackets and played on them before the concert started. The opening acts were very good: Culver City Dub Collective and Rogue Wave. The lead singers from each group also joined Jack on stage during his performances.

We saw lots of people we knew, and heard about more that we knew that were there. When the camera panned the crowd, we could see that it was pretty homogeneous. Oh well. Sometimes I’m pretty predictable.

I put my camera on a tripod and held it up in the air. I had fun experimenting with the manual settings. Here’s the best shot of the stage that I got:

Note to self: The fantastic restaurant we ate at in Sherman Oaks on the way there was The Dressing Room. Even the teenage boys in our group loved it. We all got to choose exactly what we wanted on our custom-made salads from their extensive ingredient list. I wish they’d open one in my town!!

When doves cry

Posted on 29. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, environment, local news, sports

While driving west on Foothill Blvd. in La Canada today, the LA County Sheriff’s car in front of me stopped and put its lights on. We all stopped and witnessed the deputy don rubber gloves and scoop up a mourning dove that was sitting in the middle of the road. He took it to the side, and placed it safely in the landscaping outside Armstrong’s. I was very impressed.

It seems like lots of things are dying. My dog, of course, which makes us cry. And this week our precious California Live Oak turned brown, and our arborist says we’ll need to take it out. I need to get a permit from city hall before we do that. How can a “live” oak die?

I guess this all makes sense. It is Hell Week after all.

Partying with fellow Democrats

Posted on 28. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in politics

Several days ago I answered my door and met a lovely woman who said she’d admired my Obama lawn sign for the past few weeks. She invited me to her “Yes We Can” party to listen to Obama’s acceptance speech tonight. It turns out that it’s the official MoveOn.org event in our area, so I’ve invited another friend to come along.
I’m looking forward to getting to know her better, meeting new people and hearing a great speech.

When a big heart is actually a bad thing

Posted on 27. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, health, my life

When I adopted my sweet dog 11.5 years ago from the Humane Society, she was sick as a…dog. She had just given birth to a litter of puppies (none of whom survived), she had giardia and an inflamed uterus, and she was about 20% under her ideal weight. She was in really bad shape. But she captured our hearts, and we nursed her back to health. Until today, we thought she was the healthiest 15-16 year old dog in town.

We were wrong. She was having a hard time breathing today, so my daughter and I took her to the vet. The vet says that she has congestive heart failure, and an extremely large heart. She gave her an injection of Lasix, and sent us home with some pills. So far, the drugs are working, but it’s just a matter of time until they don’t.

We lost our last dog to cancer. It was a long and painful process, and since I thought I was going to make some substantial money from eToys at the time (I didn’t), I actually paid for her to have radiation. It bought her a few more months, but they weren’t very pleasant.

I’m not sure how much I should spend on this dog. I’ll cross each bridge when I come to it. I know the money could be better spent on humans in third-world countries, but I have an ethical obligation to take care of this wonderful creature who has showered us with so much love.

At least she’s not a chimpanzee actor.

Everyone on Facebook should see these safety videos

Posted on 26. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in parenting, social networking

No matter how many times we tell kids to be careful before they post personal information online in places such as Facebook or MySpace, I bet the message doesn’t come through as clearly as it does in these safety videos on CyberTipline.com.

First, the video titled “Everyone.”

I like how it leads us down a slippery slope. At first, the girl is flattered that a handsome older boy is paying attention to her, but by the end she’s weirded out when the guy cleaning the tables at the mall knows her.

I know how that feels. I’m careful about what I post on this blog, but every once in awhile someone I barely know asks about some detail in my life that they read in my blog. I’m pretty comfortable wearing my heart on my sleeve, but I have to be careful. And as for my kids, I do the supermarket test: would they be comfortable if someone at the supermarket mentioned something they learned about them on my blog? Usually, the answer is “no,” so that’s why you don’t read much about my kids. I wonder what “mommy bloggers” will do when their kids become teenagers?

Next, “Think Before You Post.”

The teenage girl puts a picture of herself on the school bulletin board, but whenever anyone takes it down it magically appears again. She tries getting them all down, but can’t. See what happens at the end…eeek! The risk of posting pictures is also the focus of this effective radio ad.
This one also strikes home. I’ve seen lots of wonderful pictures of friends on Facebook, but sometimes I’m amazed at how I have access to the pictures THEIR friends post. There are many people that don’t take the extra time to tighten their privacy settings, or who feel fine posting compromising pictures.

Other videos include “Exchange” and “Places“, both of which are about deleting online predators.

I still think Facebook is wonderful…when used safely.

If I hadn’t volunteered, I wouldn’t be watching soap operas and eating bonbons

Posted on 26. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in education, my life, parenting

Today 800 juniors and seniors descended upon our local high school campus to pick lockers, get their textbooks, and meet with counselors. I braved the crowds to get my son’s athletic clearance, and when I saw that the textbook room needed some extra hands, I volunteered to help. My fellow PTSA moms and I spent hours working our way through a pile of schedules, running through the aisles grabbing the necessary textbooks for each student. We were all sacrificing getting things done at home and at work, but no one complained. We knew that without us, the kids would have to wait all day for their books and the dedicated textbook room workers would go insane.

So I was disappointed when I heard from a friend later in the day that she’d overheard a former student who was picking up books for his little brother that the PTA ladies had nothing better to do and couldn’t even run the textbook room well. Thankfully, she corrected him, but I thought I’d add to it. We didn’t create the system; we inherited it. We do what we can to make it better, and we sacrifice other things in our lives to do so. It’s not as exciting to volunteer in a textbook room as it was to go on a 3rd grade field trip long ago, but I enjoy being with other parents who care about their kids’ education and have a good attitude toward helping out.

The September, 2008 Los Angeles magazine names La Canada High School as on of its Best Public High Schools. Here’s an excerpt from page 131:

“Its performances on the API and AP exams rank among the best in the state, and parental involvement is unusually strong.”

It’s no coincidence that those two points are in the same sentence. I truly believe that parental involvement is critical to a child’s success. Not only do I encourage my kids to study hard and take pride in what they do, but I put my time and money where my mouth is and do what I can to make their school better. I love living in a community where other people share the same philosophy.

CNN’s Roland Martin agrees. In “” he says that the most important form he fills out at the beginning of the year is the PTA membership form.

See, I had good role models: my parents. They didn’t go to college and have six-figure jobs. They simply cared about the education of their five children.

So, the nation’s children are preparing for another school year. The parents must do the same thing.

My nieces begin September 2. We guardians and parents need to get our minds right, and make the decision now whether we are going to be those who work for solutions or those who just whine about the deficiencies.

Show up on the first day and do not make it your last. There is no greater gift you can provide your children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren than your full attention to their educations.

Show up. You’ll make a lasting difference, and have fun at the same time. Sorry, clients: I’ll be helping at the counselor’s office tomorrow morning. You’ll need to wait until the afternoon for me to get your work done.

“Gone Baby Gone” asks whether ends justify means

Posted on 24. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in life lessons, movies

I’ve never seen a movie that shows that life’s choices aren’t always black and white as well as “Gone Baby Gone” does. Characters are forced to make decisions that are right by some measures, but wrong by others. Where they fall on the spectrum of grey depends upon each person’s perspective. The characters also need to decide if they ends justify the means.
I know that’s vague, but I don’t want to spoil the plot. Just trust me: Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Michelle Monaghan, Ed Harris and the rest of the cast do an excellent job of portraying what happens in the aftermath of a little girl’s kidnapping. It’s disturbing, but very thought-provoking. Watch it and decide what you’d do in each circumstance. It’s clear, and yet it’s not.

By my age, I’ve learned that life isn’t always clear. You just have to try to keep your motives good, and be courageous enough to make tough decisions. And be willing to ask for forgiveness when you mess up. We’re not perfect, and the world isn’t either.

Is this a third-world country or L.A.?

Posted on 23. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, food, local news

As seen this afternoon on the corner of Washington Blvd. and Garfield in East Los Angeles: The Rooster Truck.

Energy-saving tips I hadn’t imagined

Posted on 23. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in environment

Here are some tips from Organicasm that I didn’t know:

• A plugged in hair dryer, cell phone charger, and other devices will all pull energy even when you’re not using them, so don’t just turn devices off-unplug them, too.
• Once a year, wipe down your refrigerator’s coils to keep it efficient.

These all make sense. I try to do what I can, and even called several catalogs recently to cancel them. Unfortunately, I’m still not perfect. But I try. Hopefully that counts. But I’m still depressed over Wall-E.

Two new websites launched: Majestic Rubber Mulch & Moisture Register

Posted on 22. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in health, my life, work

I love my kids, and have had a great time spending lots of time with them this summer, but it’ll be much easier to get work done when they go back to school. I’m busier than ever this year, and my work doesn’t slow down in the summer. I’m a little behind, but I somehow managed to launch another site today. Majestic Rubber Mulch recycles old rubber tires into playground and landscape mulch, tiles, pavers, mats and more.

I really like this site. I can’t wait until I’m given more content to fill in on the “Coming soon!” pages.

Local glitterati attend Sport Chalet ribbon cutting ceremony

Posted on 21. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in local news

Not much happens in our fair city, so I didn’t want to miss the biggest event to happen in years: the Sport Chalet Ribbon Cutting. My daughter and I arrived in time to see Norbert Olberz cut the ribbon with the Big Scissors.

Where does one store the Big Scissors? Next to the Key to the City?

Anyway, we were among the first to enter the store, which reminded us of the Arcadia store with a dive tank. Despite rumors to the contrary, I didn’t see a climbing wall.

We would have loved to give them business, but we didn’t need anything. Besides, I didn’t want to be the first to buy something and get my picture taken. I’d rather remain anonymous. (If you know me, you know that doesn’t happen in this town.)

I can’t wait for some restaurants to open in the Sport Chalet Town Center, and for the streetlights at the top of my street to be turned on.

Smile on the outside and you’ll smile on the inside

Posted on 20. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in disabilities, my life, non-profits

My mother always told me that what mattered was what a person was like on the inside, not the outside. Yet, when I got my braces off the week before freshman year of high school, I was thrilled. I’d had either crooked teeth or braces for my whole life, and for the first time I actually felt moderately attractive. I gained confidence, and started high school on the right foot.

My son got his braces off yesterday, right before sophomore year of high school. Here’s a before / after pic:

He’s already an attractive, confident guy (yeah, I’m biased!) but I think it’s cool that the smile on the right is so much bigger.

Not only did this remind me of my own braces experience, but it made me think about the kids with cleft palates that are helped by Smile Train. A cleft palate makes it look like the upper lip is attached to the nose. It’s the #1 birth defect in developing nations, and occurs in anywhere from .4 to 3.6 per 1000 births, depending upon ethnicity.

So I was amazed that when my son picked up our mail yesterday, for the first time there was a letter from Smile Train requesting a donation. It only costs $250 to cover the cost of cleft surgery, a FRACTION of what we paid to give my son his dazzling smile, so we’re in. How can you say no to these faces, and who can beat that timing?

“Sometimes just a smile on our face can help to make this world a better place.” (Robert Alan)

Sport Chalet opening in two days…can’t wait!

Posted on 19. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in local news, shopping

It was jarring to see how empty the old Sport Chalet location was today. They definitely didn’t have what we were looking for.

We can’t wait for the grand opening of the new store on Thursday. Maybe I’ll take diving lessons there. Or climb a tall wall. Then again, maybe not.

Are we the only family trying to guess what restaurants are going in based on the color of the stripes on the awnings?

Who needs a time machine when you have Photoshop?

Posted on 18. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in art, cool websites, history, my life

When my sister’s mother-in-law died five years ago, my sister assembled a slide show to show at her funeral. She scanned lots of old pictures, but one was problematic: it showed the unwelcome ex-husband of one of the relatives.

I was called in to help. I used either Photoshop or Fireworks to eliminate the man from the picture. It wasn’t a completely professional job, but it did the trick for a fast-moving slide show.

I did the opposite this year when I pasted a few girls into a team picture that they’d missed earlier in the season. We wanted to show the whole team for a schedule poster we distributed to local merchants.

Apparently I’m not the only one who does this. Yesterday’s NY Times article, “I Was There. Just Ask Photoshop.” notes that not only do people delete others from photos, but they create events that never happened by pasting people into photos.

After her father died several years ago, Theresa Newman Rolley, an accountant in Williamsport, Pa., hired Wayne Palmer, a photographic retoucher, to create a composite portrait of the two of them because she had no actual one of them together.

That photograph — of a moment that never happened — now hangs in her living room. It still brings tears to her eyes, she said.

“It’s the only picture of my dad and me together,” Ms. Rolley said, adding, “If the only reason I can get one is cropping it in, it still means the same to me.”

I read a story once about someone who does this for the families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It gives them a lasting way to remember their loved one.

On a sillier note, you can do this to your own picture via Yearbook Yourself. Just upload a picture and see how you’d look in yearbooks every two years from 1950 – 2000.

My favorite is 1960. I think I look like my mom. (Hey, Mom, are you reading this??)

Wish Tree for Pasadena allows you to dream of a better world

Posted on 16. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in art, local news

What’s a wish? A dream? A prayer? A hope? I saw all of those on the pieces of paper tied to the 21 small trees that comprise the Wish Tree for Pasadena project. People who visit can write their wishes on pieces of paper and tie them to branches, and can also see other peoples’ wishes.

The wishes ranged from “I wish for a fish” to “I wish that my children would live long healthy lives” to “I wish for world peace.” I was particularly moved by “I wish Grandma could remember” and “I wish there was a cure for autism” and “I hope that my mother become healthy.” The last one brought me to tears, as it was “signed” by a 2-year-old.

I made about six wishes. Several were for the health and continued safety of friends and relatives, and two were more global in scope. I know that putting a piece of paper on a tree won’t make something come true, but I think that by doing so I concentrated on doing what I can to make that wish to come true and I made a point of praying and continuing to pray for each one.

Interestingly, although I saw many from people that wished that Obama would become President, none mentioned McCain. I suppose that’s consistent with Obama’s declaration that he’s the candidate of hope.

Here’s how the Wish Tree website describes the project:

Wish Tree for Pasadena is an art installation that consists of 21 living crape myrtle trees installed amongst the café tables and chairs in the Courtyard of One Colorado. Visitors are invited to write their wishes on pieces of paper and hang them on the tree branches. Yoko Ono’s Wish Tree for Pasadena is free and open to the public.

Wishes from Wish Tree for Pasadena will be joined with others from all over the world and placed in specially constructed capsules to be installed in the area surrounding Yoko Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island, off the coast of Reykjavík, Iceland.

The Wish Trees will be displayed until November 9th. Check them out and be inspired!

Trashy 90210 poster invades local mall

Posted on 14. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in advertising, parenting, shopping, sports, things that bug me, tv

Can you imagine taking a 6-year-old to the mall and having to explain this banner to her?

I took these pictures at the food court of the Santa Anita Mall in Arcadia, CA today.

It’s bad enough that older kids (and adults) have to see it, but little eyes shouldn’t see this stuff. The more we see and hear things, the more normal they become, and I don’t think young children should be exposed to this. Some of my most frustrating moments as a parent have come when I’ve had to explain nudie billboards on the freeway or Viagra commercials to young kids.

I’ve tried to shield my kids from issues and vices that are way beyond their years, but it’s tough. The only way would be if we totally retreated from the outside world: no trips, computer, tv, radio, newspaper, magazines, or friends. That’s not the life I want for my kids, nor will it prepare them for living in the U.S. in the 21st century. But should they have to see this junk at such young ages? Should I???

Click here to see a great article from OpenSalon.com about the discrepancy between what the men wear vs. what the women wear in this summer’s Olympics. The title says it all: Olympic Wedgies all Around!!! The Pornification of Sports.

Anonymous anti-Obama article left in my mailbox

Posted on 14. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in my life, politics

Ah, the joys of having a street-side mailbox. Thieves can steal your mail, tree-trimmers can litter it with their cards, and anonymous people can leave newspaper articles in your box.

Someone’s noticed the Obama sign in front of my house. They left me a Wall St. Journal article written by Michael Boskin that slams Obama’s economic policy with a note that says, “Just wanted to make sure you were fully informed!”

Thank you very much. I’m informed. But I’m still choosing Obama. It’s past midnight and I haven’t finished my work yet, so I don’t have time to have a political argument with someone who won’t even say their name and whom I doubt reads this blog.

At least they didn’t steal my sign.

Why you should boycott “Tropic Thunder”

Posted on 12. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in disabilities, movies, things that bug me

I bet you know what the F-word, N-word, and the L-word are. But do you know what the R-word is? If you had Down Syndrome you would, and you’d cringe every time you heard it.

The new Ben Stiller / Robert Downey, Jr. movie, Tropic Thunder, has 17 uses of the R-word in it. One of the characters plays an actor who pretends to be mentally handicapped in order to win an Academy Award. The movie spoofs Hollywood and all it takes to be successful there. But does it have to use the R-word so much? No. According to Tim Shriver in today’s NPR interview, the N-word is only used twice. He says the use of the R-word leads to suffering, injustice and exclusion.

Why do people feel so comfortable using the R-word? Is it because the people it stigmatizes don’t fight back?

Well, now they are. The Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles (DSALA), one of my longtime website clients, has joined with the Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Congress, ARC, and many other groups to encourage people to boycott this movie. No matter how hard we try, the more we hear certain speech patterns, the more we’ll emulate them. So the last thing our society needs is more people using a hateful word like “retard” to describe a person.

So stand up and do what’s right. If you see a movie this weekend, see “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” I saw it last night, and it was actually really good. If that’s too chick-flicky for you, go see Wall-E or Dark Knight again. Either way, you’ll sleep better knowing you didn’t support Tropic Thunder, a film that promotes disrespect to innocent people.
Pledge your support at R-Word.org and find out more about why the R-word is so hurtful.

Playground politics: L’il Hill, Johnny McCain, and Barry O.

Posted on 10. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in politics

If I were a cartoonist, I’d draw a cartoon something like this:

First, Li’l Hillary plays hopscotch. Now we know the roots of her eagerness to change the Michigan and Florida delegate rules:

Next, poor Johnny McCain feels lonely in the sandbox:

Poor Barack! Those bullies from the press corps are attacking him in dodgeball again. But’s he’s doing pretty well!

Stormtroopers in Hollywood

Posted on 10. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in movies

Here’s a photo I took as we drove down Hollywood Blvd. today showing my father-in-law and his nephew around L.A. These stormtroopers were at Grauman’s Egyptian Theater to promote the new animated Clone Wars movie, which will be released on August 14th.

My son can’t wait to see it. I’d thought he’d think an animated Star Wars movie would be lame, but he’s a Star Wars fan to the core.

A fashion trend that should die if it weren’t already dead

Posted on 07. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in shopping, things that bug me

I’m sick of seeing skulls on clothing. First it was men’s and boys’ t-shirts and sweatshirts, then it migrated over to women’s clothes. But the worst was what I saw in the girls’ department at Target yesterday:

At least it has flowers. What ever happened to kittens and puppies? I long for the good old days…

Paris outshines John McCain in counterattack to campaign ad

Posted on 06. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in politics, videos

“He’s the biggest celebrity in the world. But is he ready to lead?”

So begins the latest lowball . It shows overlays of pictures of both Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, and crowds of people cheering Barack Obama.

It’s very silly. Who greenlighted this? McCain himself: he says so at the end of the ad.

I never thought I’d say this in my blog, but Vive Paris (Hilton)! She wasn’t about to take this lying down, so instead she sat on a lounge chair in a leopard-patterned bathing suit. If you haven’t already seen her response, check out her video on Funny or Die. She’s pretty darn impressive, and definitely wins this round! She’s thoughtful, articulate, and confident. Snaps for Paris!

I think Britney Spears should respond, too!

Links:

• Hilt-Owned — Paris Responds to McCain’s Ad. Great analysis of the ads on The Huffington Post.
• . Associated Press.

Am I related to a hardened criminal?

Posted on 04. Aug, 2008 by kchristieh in cool websites, politics

Thankfully, no! But I feel sorry for “X”, my relative who committed a traffic violation two years ago. I’m sure he went to traffic school thinking his good name would be cleared, but he probably never imagined that it would pop up on CriminalSearches.com. This website allows anyone, anywhere, to access criminal records for free from all over the country. You can search by name, city, state and zip. The results show the date of birth, aliases and type of violation for each person.

My first reaction to this was that it would be really helpful when hiring employees, but according to yesterday’s NY Times article, If You Run a Red Light, Will Everyone Know?,

BUT now, of course, none of the old restrictions apply. The information is available from a variety of sources, and now free. Jurors can and almost certainly will be tempted to look up criminal pasts of defendants in their cases. And employers can conduct searches themselves without hiring investigators. Mr. Lane of PeopleFinders says that employers cannot legally use the database in making hiring decisions — but there is nothing to stop them.

Of course, that makes sense. Another relative of mine has the same first, middle and last name as his uncle, who has had many brushes with the law. It’s been a headache for my relative to convince potential employers that he’s not the one who’s been in trouble. Thankfully, so far employers have been upfront in confirming that he’s not his uncle.(1) However, it’s scary to think of what would happen if someone discounted him because they assumed he was his uncle.

Will I still check CriminalSearches.com? Probably. But I’ll make sure to remind myself to take the information with a grain of salt, and not judge someone poorly without checking with him first.

Here’s a screenshot of what you see when you look up “George W. Bush” in Texas:

When I click on the first name, here’s what I see:

It would be easy to assume from this that our president committed fraud.(2) However, upon closer examination, the birthdate, height and weight don’t match our president’s. Clearly, as useful as this information might be (I’d never hire this GWB to handle my money without making sure this data was inaccurate), it must be used carefully and wisely.

Hopefully neither you nor I will ever be found on CriminalSearches.com!

1. Click here to learn about the song “I’m My Own Grandpa” and decide if you think “X” could actually be his own uncle.
2. When you type “” into Google, you get nearly 3 million hits. I don’t think they’re referring to the gentleman above…