26 Great Things About My Church

Posted on 28. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in inspirational people, international, religion

There are so many reasons I love La Canada Presbyterian Church: the beliefs, the people, the programs. Today I was reminded that I also love how much our church reaches out to the world. I’m constantly amazed by how many people at our church take on so much. Here’s the list of 26 upcoming events I put on the Outreach portion of our church website this evening:

• Sat., May 2nd:
  Mother-daughter-friend lunch
• Wed., May 6th:
  Scott Chamberlain speaks at Pastor’s Bible Study
• Sun., May 10th:
  • Sign up for a Go Journey on the patio
  • Rev. Bob Engel preaches: “Starting Churches in L.A.”
  • A Light Lunch at LCPC with the Women of the Walter Hoving Home
• Wed., May 13th:
  Rudy Carrasco speaks at Pastor’s Bible Study
• Sat., May 16th
  • Make Breakfast for Inner-City Church Planters
  • Work Projects with World Impact
• Sun., May 17th:
  • Sign up for a Go Journey on the patio
  • Philip Lotspeich preaches: “How Can God Use LCPC to Start New Congregations?”
• Thurs., May 21st:
  Tour After-School Tutoring Program
• Mon., May 25th:
  Run a Marathon (or cheer them on) for Child S.H.A.R.E.
• Tues., May 26th:
  • Tour After-School Tutoring Program
  • Learn about China with Kathy Call
• Wed., May 27th:
  Oasis in the City – Discovering Urban Mission Together
• Sat., June 6th:
  Bring Joy to Women and Children in Need (Hope Gardens)
• Sun., June 7th:
  Visit the Walter Hoving Home
• Wed., June 10th:
  Microfinance: A Solution to Global Poverty
• Mon., June 22nd:
  Changed Lives & Changed Villages in Ethiopia
• Sat., June 27th:
  Work Project with Harambee
• Fri., July 3rd – Sun., July 5th:
  Improve an Orphan’s Home
• Sun., July 5th – Sat., July 11th:
  Help Rebuild in Galveston, TX
• Sat., Sept. 26th:
  Hammer with Habitat for Humanity
• Wed., Oct. 7th:
  East Africa Vision Evening
• Mon., Oct. 12th:
  Hear About Ethiopia
• Sat., Nov. 7th:
  Hammer with Habitat for Humanity

I wish I had time to do all of these!

Help Ban Trucks on Angeles Crest Highway!

Posted on 27. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in local news

Let’s make sure there’s not any more runaway truck accidents on Angeles Crest Highway! Here’s the following from Malia Mailes, who researched truck traffic on Angeles Crest Highway for her Girl Scout Gold Award project. Click here to download this and fax it in.

---

My name is Malia Mailes and I am a La Ca̱ada Girl Scout working to make sure that trucks are permanently banned on Angeles Crest Highway. If you live in La Ca̱ada then you already know why Рto prevent more people from getting killed or injured from trucks that lose their brakes coming over the Crest and then crashing into the intersection at Angeles Crest Highway and Foothill Blvd.

Our State Assembly Member Anthony Portantino has proposed a new law – AB1361 – that will make the temporary 90-day ban into a permanent ban. The bill will be voted on by the state assembly transportation committee on Monday, April 27, 2009. Please take a few minutes to show your support.

1) Fill in your name and address at the top.
2) Write why you want the law passed and why it’s important to our community.
3) Sign your name.
4) Fax it to Assembly Member Mike Eng, who is the chair of the Committee on Transportation at .
5) Fax a copy of what you just faxed to Assembly Member Eng to Assembly Member Anthony Portantino at .
6) If you are underage, you can still fax in a letter but please ask also your parents to fax one in. Please ask your friends too. It is not necessary to use the form I made. It is just for your convenience. You can send your letter in any format you want.

The State Assembly Committee on Transportation will meet Monday, April 27 so please try to get your faxes in before then.

Thank you,

Malia Mailes
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________

Date __________________________

The Honorable Mike Eng
Member, California State Assembly
Chair, Committee on Transportation
Fax:

Subject: Support to AB 1361

Dear Assembly Member Eng:

Sincerely,

cc: Assembly Member Anthony Portantino,  Fax:

Movie recommendation of the week: “17 Again”

Posted on 25. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in movies, my life, work

I didn’t celebrate my birthday well enough this week, so I promised myself to resume celebrating at 3:00 pm today. I was working too hard on the parcel tax website, but by 4 pm I had enough done on that I decided to see “” with my teenage daughter.

I’m so glad I did!

We both loved this movie. It was a fun, romantic comedy with an excellent message (appreciate the life you have, love the ones you’re with, etc.) that had excellent acting. It was perfect to see with my daughter, but would have also been fun to see with my husband. It made me appreciate my 22-year marriage even more and I look forward to seeing it with him on DVD some day.

I’d heard a few negative things about “The Soloist,” so I’m glad we chose to see this instead.

Big fat bear spotted on local hike

Posted on 24. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, local news

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that my friend Jane G. spotted a bear as she hiked through Bear Canyon in Angeles National Forest the other day.

And yet…this was just above La Canada, just 10 miles north of Los Angeles. And as you can see below, this was no scroungy little scavenger bear. This bear looked fit and well-fed. Jane and her entourage wisely decided to stop snapping pictures and head back down the mountain when the bear started staring them down.

Too bad the bear had the same idea. They ran into it further down the trail. Luckily, there were no human/bear interactions, and Jane’s dog held its ground. My little dog would have attacked, and it would have gotten ugly.

Thanks for letting me post the pictures, Jane!

One way to maintain that slim figure at a Mexican restaurant

Posted on 23. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in art, food, health

What is art? I know it when I see it. And these tortilla chips at Los Gringos Locos this evening were diamonds in the rough, blank palettes awaiting their Michelangelo.

Remember: the more chips you repurpose, the less you’ll eat.

Unless you have extra guacamole.

Can you tell what these are? Of course you can!

My biggest birthday party yet

Posted on 22. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in food, my life, social networking

Forget renting a party hall: the biggest birthday celebrations are the FREE ones on Facebook! I definitely felt the love today as oodles of buddies wished me a Happy Birthday and commanded me to have a wonderful day. I had a busy, stressful day, but Facebook helped balance it out with a smile.

Facebook made me smile recently when it recommended that I join the In-In-Out fan club only hours after I’d eaten there. How did they know?

They also suggested that I might know the mythical Gary Tyrell. I don’t, but what an honor that would be!

Facebook made me laugh heartily a few weeks ago when it recommended that I become a fan of U.S.C. and that I might know Pete Carroll, since apparently we have a bunch of friends in common. I’ve heard he’s a great guy, but I don’t know him or support his team, so I declined.

The value of volunteers

Posted on 19. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in inspirational people, non-profits, quotes

One of the things that makes our society great is that there are so many people who are willing to sacrifice their time and energy to volunteer for a wide variety of causes. I heard the following quote from Young Boozer III this weekend as he accepted the Stanford Medal. The originator of the quote is anonymous.

Don’t ever question the value of volunteers. Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers; the Titanic was built by professionals.

Here are some other great volunteering quotes:

A civilization flourishes when people plant trees under which they will never sit. (Greek Proverb)

Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in. (Anon.)

It’s easy to make a buck.  It’s a lot tougher to make a difference. (Tom Brokaw)

Volunteers are not paid — not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.  (Anon.)

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. (Booker T. Washington)

You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give. (Winston Churchill)

The miracle is this – the more we share, the more we have. (Leonard Nimoy)

Volunteering is not a choice, it’s a responsibility. (Anon.)

The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.

In every community there is work to be done. In every nation there are wounds to heal.

In every heart there is the power to do it. (Marianne Williamson)

Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart. (Elizabeth Andrew)

The last one is DEFINITELY true! I have a busy week coming up…time to get some sleep so I’ll have the energy to get everything done!

Take a peep at these awesome dioramas

Posted on 17. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in art

When my son was younger, he used LEGO figures for every school diorama project. The pinnacle was a LEGO figure as Colin Powell.

We never thought of using marshmallow Peeps, but they’re just as versatile. Here are some of my favorite entries from the recent Washington Post Peeps Show III Diorama Contest:

First, the winner, inspired by Edward Hopper:

This one reminded me of the book I adored when I was in high school. (I’ve been a nerd for a long time…)

And finally, laugh out loud Thelma and Louise:

If I ever have the time, I’d love to enter this contest.

The book of wrecked books that got wrecked

Posted on 16. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in art, books, local news

I visited the Flintridge Bookstore this evening to purchase Dianne Emley’s most recent book, “.” Thankfully, the car carrier that plowed through the store didn’t wreck these books. I managed to get a signed copy, and I can’t wait to get started on it because I couldn’t put the first two down!

While I was paying for the book, my mom started chatting with the store owner about the accident. After I joined them, he showed us a book called “” that was wrecked by the truck. Ironically, it contains pictures of books that have been wrecked.

In 125 startlingly complex works of many strata, extraordinary textures, luminous colors, and unforeseen juxtapositions, Purcell considers the vulnerability of books to the transforming powers of water, fire, gravity, organisms, and time.

Here’s what the store owner’s book looks like:

I think Rosamond Purcell should include his book in her next edition.

Why is it so surprising that Susan Boyle has an awesome voice?

Posted on 15. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in inspirational people, music, tv, videos

In just four days, on “Britain’s Got Talent” has had over 10 million hits.

She’s got a lovely operatic voice, and lots of spirit. I hope she wins.

Here’s what Wikipedia says about her:

Boyle is the youngest of nine children and lives in Blackburn with her ten-year-old cat, Pebbles. Boyle suffered oxygen deprivation during birth, resulting in learning disabilities. Her classmates teased her because of this and because of her appearance. She stopped her pursuit of singing to look after her sick mother who died in 2007, at the age of 91. Her performance on Britain’s Got Talent was the first time Boyle had sung after her mother’s death. She is unmarried and presently unemployed.

^{It’s too bad the judges, the audience, and so many on the internet seem to be surprised that she can actually sing.}

^{Is it because she’s 47? If so, then I wonder what people think of me at 45. Also, why judge her so harshly when American Idol judge Paula Abdul is nearly 47? Is it because of her appearance? Or her learning disability?}

^{Whatever the case, I hope that people learn a lesson from Susan Boyle about not judging people by their outward appearances, and instead giving them a chance to perform.}

^{As Susan says,}

^{Modern society is too quick to judge people on their appearances. … There is not much you can do about it; it is the way they think; it is the way they are. But maybe this could teach them a lesson, or set an example.}

^{Wayward conversation defiles classic French poster}

^{Posted on 14. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in art, international, music}

^{I hate it when something I like winds up having a negative connotation. Like a favorite name (Katrina) that becomes associated with a major hurricane, or a date (4/1) that will be remembered for a very sad event.}

^{That happened on a smaller scale this evening. Somehow a conversation wandered to the subject of Michael Jackson, and I joked that we should purchase the gates to Neverland that are being put up for auction. Wouldn’t they look marvelous on our driveway?}

^{But then my son passed through the kitchen, and saw the little framed poster of a French woman gazing fondly upon her daughter as she served hot chocolate to a cat: “Compagnie francaise des chocolats et des thes.”}

^{He wrecked it by noting that the woman looks like Michael Jackson. Doesn’t she? Creepy. I need to take a break from this picture for a long, long time.}

^{Come to think of it, Michael Jackson is guilty of wrecking the name “Neverland” for legions of Peter Pan fans.}

^{First-class postage rate rising to 44 cents on May 11th, mitigated by Simpsons stamps}

^{Posted on 13. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in shopping}

^{I’m still adding 1¢ stamps to old 39¢ stamps to send first-class mail at 42¢. I only have about ten 39¢ stamps left, so I was planning on purchasing a load of 42¢ stamps at the post office this week. Thankfully, I found out just in time that the rate is going up to 44¢ on May 11th.}

^{At least I’ll get some cool Simpsons stamps then:}

^{I know I could buy “forever” stamps, but I like to dress up my mail.  :)}

^{Who’s your favorite Simpson’s character? Although I can do an utterly convincing Marge impersonation, I’m completely Lisa at heart. You can vote for your favorite here. Lisa’s trailing at 10%.}

^{Two complaints about United}

^{Posted on 12. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in things that bug me, travel}

^{My family flew United Airlines from Portland to Los Angeles today. The flight left on time and arrived on time, and the flight attendants were fine. Just two complaints:}

1. ^{We were charged for our suitcases. Not EXTRA suitcases: we were each charged $15 for the FIRST bag we checked. That added $60 to our flight. Surprise!}
2. ^{Our flight took off at 11 am and arrived at 1:20 pm. We knew we wouldn’t get lunch, but we at least thought they’d give us pretzels or another snack. Nope. We didn’t eat anything between our bed & breakfast in Corvallis and the CPK Express at LAX. Thankfully we ate there, because many restaurants are closed today.}

^{Next time I book a flight, I’ll avoid United.
Happy Easter!! It’s nice to be back.}

^{My favorite online college search sites}

^{Posted on 10. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in cool websites, education, parenting}

^{This week my family took tours of five colleges and drove through several more, all in the quest to find schools that would match our teenagers’ interests, talents and personalities.}

^{Visiting the schools when classes were in session was invaluable. It was important for my kids to see what the students were like, and to see whether they could imagine themselves fitting in with them. My kids were also very concerned with school energy and spirit, so it was good for them to see which schools shined or failed in that department.}

^{We did lots of research beforehand, also. We purchased several college guides, including one that included student reviews, and copied the relevant pages and brought them with us on our trip. I also looked up all the schools we considered visiting on our trip on the internet. I especially appreciated student review sites. I kept in mind that there will always be disgruntled people at any school, but I looked for trends in the comments.}

^{We’ve only scratched the surface for visiting colleges, so I’ve started a College Resource page on this blog. You can either click here to visit it, or find it in the list of pages to the right. I’ll continue to update it as I find more useful college resource sites. It includes much of the same information that I’ve put on our high school PTSA website, www.lchs912.org.}

^{Hope it helps!}

^{Mysterious white bird attacked in my backyard}

^{Posted on 09. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in animals}

^{Our backyard was recently the scene of aviary carnage. Dozens of white feathers were strewn about the back of the yard under one of our oak trees.}

^{Here’s a closeup of one of the feathers. It was about 10″ long.}

^{Please let me know if you can identify what bird it came from!}

^{Transform your pictures into stories by inserting them into templates}

^{Posted on 08. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, cool websites, quotes}

^{If a picture speaks 1,000 words, what do these have to tell? Many thanks to Photofunia and FunPhotoBox for their free photo insertion sites.}

^{“If you can look at a dog and not feel vicarious excitement and affection, you must be a cat.”
~Author Unknown}

^{“When a man’s best friend is his dog, that dog has a problem.”
~Edward Abbey}

^{“You think dogs will not be in heaven?  I tell you, they will be there long before any of us.”
~Robert Louis Stevenson}

^{“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.”
~Josh Billings}

^{Warning to Twitterers: Calm down, or I’ll tune out}

^{Posted on 07. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in social networking}

^{Even though I’ve made the decision not to Twitter, I often see Twitter updates on my Facebook feed.}

^{Recently, one of my Facebook friends Twittered 15 times in one day. At one point, it took up over half my news feed. Although I love what this person has to say, it was too much. I deleted him from my news feed.}

^{I considered letting him know the effect his updates can have on people, but he has too much going on in his life right now, and doesn’t need me laying this on him.}

^{But let this be a warning to all Twitterers: exercise restraint, or you may lose your audience.}

^{Nearly 80 percent of homes for sale in one zip code are foreclosures}

^{Posted on 06. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in economy, local news, startling statistics}

^{My sister-in-law is lucky: her hard work, loyalty and dedication have paid off, and contrary to current economic trends, she just got a promotion. Her company is moving her to their Moreno Valley, CA location, so she’s looking for a house nearby. She’s settled on the 92508 zip code in Riverside.}

^{For curiosity’s sake, I looked up what homes are available there. I found that there are 661 homes for sale today in zip 92508:}

^{As the circle above indicates, this includes homes that are being foreclosed on. Here’s what happens when you uncheck the “Resale” and “New Construction” boxes: 525 of the homes for sale are foreclosures.}

^{That’s 79 percent of all the homes on the market.}

^{If you think that means my sister-in-law has lots of choices, you’re wrong. She’s had a hard time getting in to see more than a handful of homes, because the banks aren’t ready to show the houses yet, or aren’t willing to sell them at these prices. So they sit there…and no one wins.}

^{What do the numbers look like where you live? Foreclosures are everywhere. Here in La Canada, 46 of the 168 homes on the market are foreclosures. That’s 27 percent. It’s sad to see homes I recognize, and people I know.}

^{I hope the economy gets better soon, but I’m not optimistic.}

^{Colorado Blvd. is becoming a concrete jungle}

^{Posted on 05. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in environment, local news}

^{I’d heard about the trees that were taken out along Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, but I was stunned yesterday to see how much it changed the look and feel of the street. Here’s the view looking west from Lake Ave.:}

^{I had never realized how much of a difference the trees made in that district. It felt friendlier before, and less rushed. I took a few deep breaths and proceeded west, telling myself that at least the trees were going to be replaced with trees that were easier to maintain.}

^{But then I saw this in front of Pasadena Presbyterian. This man appears to be filling in the tree location with CONCRETE! I’ve seen some amazing trees, but I’ve never seen one that could grow roots through concrete. There were other men doing the same thing in neighboring blocks.}

^{I hope I’m reading this wrong, because I think this looks awful. The trees were partly what attracted my husband and I to Pasadena in the late 80’s. They make this world-class city a friendlier, more beautiful place to live, work and visit. I hate to see them go, and to have Pasadena start looking like its big concrete neighbor to the south.}

^{The grade of Angeles Crest Highway is too steep for trucks: 6.5%}

^{Posted on 04. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in local news, startling statistics}

^{For the last 7/8 of a mile before it reaches Foothill Blvd., Angeles Crest Highway drops 300′ in elevation. That’s 6.5%. According to Wikipedia, interstate highways are allowed a maximum 6% grade in mountainous or hilly areas.}

^{I took down my geologic map from the wall and did some rough measurements. Here’s what I came up with:}

^{Elevation at:}

• ^{Foothill Blvd. & Angeles Crest Highway: 1300′}
• ^{Lavender Lane & Angeles Crest Highway: 1600′, is 7/8 mile up the mountain from Foothill Blvd.}
• ^{Arroyo Summit Dr. & Angeles Crest Highway: 1800′, is 1.63 miles up the mountain from Foothill Blvd.}

^{Here’s a rough chart, to scale, showing the elevation drop:}

^{This grade is too steep for trucks, especially given that they have to come to a complete stop at the bottom to avoid hitting pedestrians, cross traffic and businesses. Trucks shouldn’t be allowed to drive through the mountains, only to reach this stretch of road.
Here’s a topographic map of the last few miles of Angeles Crest Highway north of Foothill Blvd. in La Canada:}

^{Top 10 tips to get a good night’s sleep}

^{Posted on 03. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in health, shopping}

^{I have not been sleeping enough lately. I know, I know: that’s bad. But I have so much to do, and I get so much more done after the rest of the world goes to bed. Hopefully this weekend I’ll get some good sleep.}

^{Here are my secrets to a good night’s sleep. They’re all low-cost and drug-free. They may be silly, but they work for me.}

1. ^{Wear knit gloves if your hands get cold.}
2. ^{Always wear socks.}
3. ^{Wear pajama pants that don’t ride up your legs.}
4. ^{Put a heavy blanket on top of the bedspread.}
5. ^{Don’t let your dog or cat sleep on your bed.}
6. ^{When necessary, have a good pair of earplugs by your bedside. I’ve tested many, and by far the best are the generic CVS brand silicone earplugs.}
7. ^{Close all shades, curtains and doors to the room to block the light.}
8. ^{Make sure all alarm clocks are on their darkest setting and aren’t set to turn on. (Mostly a concern in a hotel room.)}
9. ^{Leave your cell phone and laptop in a different room, or at least on silent and upside down / closed so they won’t light up the room.}
10. ^{If you have the luxury of sleeping past sunrise, wear an eye mask.}

^{Which brings us to this week’s Etsy Find! I have an excellent travel eye mask I purchased at Distant Lands many years ago. It has a molded bridge that goes over the nose, so no light sneaks up to the eyes.}

^{But it sure is tempting to wear the hand made “FREAK Them Out Sleep Eye Mask FreakyOldWoman Nightmare FOW” sold by FreakyOldWoman on Etsy.}

^{Freaky, huh? But check this out:}

^{Eeeek! Maybe this mask could work by scaring off your snoring sleep partner.}

^{Actually, it does look like it’s a nice size, and I like the thick elastic band that holds it on.}

^{Can you imagine how much you’d scare your children if you wore this in front of them? They’d be scarred for life.}

^{What would you perform here?}

^{Posted on 02. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in local news, my life, theater, tv}

^{Just south of the pathetic Cesar Chavez Memorial Garden at Farnsworth Park, there’s an 800-seat amphitheater. It’s so well-hidden that I didn’t realize it was just 100′ away from me while I partied down at the blogger picnic on Saturday afternoon.}

^{I wonder how often there are performances here? I can envision a summer Shakespeare or concert series. If I were a kid living near here, I’d put on my own show. Think of the possibilities!}

^{I wish we had something like this in my town. I hope Altadena’s appreciating it!}

^{When I lived in Pasadena, I served on the Recreation & Parks Commission. Farnsworth Park wasn’t under our jurisdiction, since it’s maintained by the County of Los Angeles. But Pasadena has many other fine parks, so we had lots to do.}

^{I can’t wait until the new series “Parks and Recreation” debuts on April 9th. I love “The Office” and I think Amy Poehler is terrific, so my expectations are high.}

^{Major accident occurs in La Canada – AGAIN! But this time, people died.}

^{Posted on 01. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in local news}

^{At around 5:49 pm this evening, a car carrier coming down Angeles Crest Highway flew through the light at the bottom of the hill and smashed in the Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse. It took out several cars in the process, and killed at least two people. Many others were injured. The channel 9 reporter was on the verge of tears when she noted that one of the victims was a baby.}

^{I had passed through the intersection just 12 minutes before, on my way to a meeting. Here’s a picture I took at 7 pm, when I returned:}

^{This town is devastated. Not only is it tragic, but it’s senseless. It’s no surprise, as this has happened many times before. This past September 5th, I witnessed this big rig fly through the driveway between Hill Street Cafe and the bookstore. That time we got lucky: no one was injured. Same with the time that the septic truck lost its brakes.}

^{Local Girl Scout Malia Mailes recently stood before the La Canada Flintridge City Council and CalTrans representatives and noted the outrageously high number of truck crashes at this intersection. She called on CalTrans to ensure that Angeles Crest Highway is not used at a truck route. On this news this evening, she said that she’d looked through CalTrans documents, and there was nothing that explicitly bars trucks from this route. The channel 4 news reporter read a statement from Mayor Laura Olhasso stating that the city had repeatedly asked CalTrans to take action, but they hadn’t.}

^{Nothing changed, except our worst fears were realized.}

^{The helicopters are still buzzing overhead, documenting the investigation for the local news. Hopefully further above, in heaven, the victims are at peace.}

^Links:

• ^{“Collision Leaves Two Dead in LCF” (La Canada Valley Sun)}
• ^{“Truck slams into Calif. bookstore; 2 dead, 12 hurt” (NPR)}
• ^{“2 killed as truck collides with cars, slams into bookstore” (Los Angeles Times)}
• ^{“Around Town: A Sad Day for Our Town” by Anita Susan Brenner (La Canada Valley Sun)}