Beach Watches

Just wanted to share a great deal for all those cheapskates out there (like myself). I am one of those secret couponers, and love MyPoints.com and QuickRewards.net. I just like getting something for nothing....

Ever since I went on vacation last December I have wanted a beach watch. I know this is a weird concept for some. But basically, it is a watch that does not have a metal casing to get a thousand degrees in the sun, and that will tell you what time it is so you will not miss happy hour at the bar. When I was in Fiji I missed out on two awesome (and free) opportunities to make a shell necklace and weave a palm-frond basket at 2PM. Apparently I am a really bad judge of 2PM from the location of the sun and the casting of my shadow, because I was late for both. I found a watch in the duty free catalog on the plane that was $40. A little much for the three times I would use this in a year. Today I found one online for $2.51, and free shipping. And so I jumped. And now I am sharing, in case anyone else is needing of such an item.

http://qrdeals.com/2011/03/waterproof-ion-watch-2-51-shipped-after-coupon/

The Lowly Postcard

I am a total sucker for a handwritten letter or thank-you note or even the lowly postcard. From previous posts on my blog, I think you guys know that I tend to spend a lot of time and money at Hallmark. In college I discovered Papyrus, the ritzier version, and I have recently discovered TokyoPenShop.com for all of my fine pen needs....

When I buy postcards, though, I rarely send them. They aren't of the "Aloha from Hawai'i!", "Bula from Fiji!", "Bonjour from Paris!", variety - they are the beautiful pictures of beaches and bures and Eiffel Towers taken with a much better camera lens, by someone who may have had a photography lesson in his life. I save them in a big stack for no apparent reason...it is just clutter. But pretty clutter.

I was recently introduced to a business called CellPhonePostcards.com that takes pictures you have taken yourself (from your own camera?!) and prints it on a postcard and sends it for you - and the first ten are free. I don't know how their business model is successful, but I am running with it. It is kind of funny to think that the postman has seen me in a bikini next to my sandcastle that I helped build in Fiji...but it has got me to send postcards.

I sent my first ten (free ones) out the first day I stumbled across this site. I am now thinking about what to do with all of those other postcards I have collected in my various travels. Maybe make a scrapbook? It would have been great had I had the forethought to send them to myself with the stamp of the country from which they came, then I would have an even better collection, but I didn't. Or I could not have been selfish and actually sent them to people I care about....but postcards do get a bad wrap sometimes. They are kind of like the 'Na-na-na-na-na!' of all correspondence. "Wish you were here!"......sometimes can be misinterpreted as "Wish you were here, chump?" (If you were wondering, I sent the postcards to the guy I vacationed with so he'd have some of the pictures off of my camera, and it wouldn't be like *that*.)

Anyways, I was impressed with the site, and wanted to share. :-) I vow to make a better use of my postcard clutter this year, and also be better with mailing other things like thank-you notes, sympathy cards, birthday cards, and anything else where I can use my new favorite pen. :-)

A New Beginning Deserves a New Kind of Pen

I know I left abruptly for a year there.....things in my life are going pretty well at this juncture. I have had a lot of cool vacations since then, and funny things have happened to me. I just wanted to say that I am coming back....for real this time. No joke. :-D

I just wanted to let you in on a secret obsession of mine while I'm writing this re-introduction. And it scream nerd-alert! I was always the kid who liked it the end of summer when KMart would start stocking the back-to-school supplies (I was a good student and teachers liked me), and it has carried over into my adulthood. I have developed a serious love affair with Japanese gel pens. The gel pens that are offered in the USA are too think to keep accurate checkbook records, so the true stationary connoisseur's choice are those meant for the Asian market because of their intricate and complicated kanji. I give you this, my dearest blog readers http://www.tokyopenshop.com This is Nirvana for office supply geeks such as myself!!!! The Uniball Signo RT .38 is my new favorite pen (in all kinds of cool colors!)- and it is $1.50 - that easily trumps my old favorite Dr.Grip pen at $7.50. They have so many cool things on this site. It makes me want to work for this company and/or learn Japanese. Look at the cute flashcards in the shapes of rams and ducks (I bought the polar bear one!), look at the funky clips that replace those ugly bull clips in the shapes of pigs and planes and strawberries (I bought the hippos!). Look at this site and you will wonder why office supply stores in America haven't caught on that cuteness is an important factor? Every Japanese person knows the innate value of all things cute....

Enjoy the romp through the TokyoPenShop's specialties. I am so happy to support this great company who ships fast and are just a wonderful business - that happens to be based in the good old US of A.

Updates On My Life

I know I have been MIA for much too long. I don't really have an excuse - there has been a hell of a lot to talk about!

Firstly I am officially an adult and purchased a brand new car - a Kia Sorrento on the first of September. That was a stressful day - my little Ford Escort was dying a slow and undignified death, and my parents were tired of me complaining about it. So my mom flew down from Albuquerque to help me in the wasp's nest that is a new car lot - and I signed the paperwork (surprisingly) on my own credit. That was something that I didn't quite understand: I have beautiful credit yes, but I make very little dough - much of which goes to my rent. If I were them I wouldn't approve myself without a co-signer, but they trust me. I guess I should learn to trust myself...

Then later that week, on the 6th, my laptop died. I kept getting an error message that was a blue screen on the start-up, and wouldn't even go into Windows. I must admit I haven't really been treating it that well for the latter part of these few weeks because it kept freezing and seizing. I was one PMS-y day away from throwing it against the wall. This is the 2nd PC I have had in 4 years. I think they should last a bit longer than that.... so I went to Best Buy and after very little debate bought (read: financed) a MacBook Pro. I love it, and it is so easy to use and intuitive! I wish I had it sooner!!!!

So within a week I had to buy a new car and new laptop. I am doing my best to bring us out of this recession!

I also transferred from the International base of flying to the Domestic base of flying. I have been having a really great time with a lot of fun crews and exploring new cities...I went to Salt Lake City twice already, a beautiful place that I hadn't ever been to. It actually reminds me of home a lot...

Also I started a book club - one of my Life Goals - and the first meeting is tonight. I am so excited, and I actually think I did a pretty good job of book selection this time - there is lots to discuss in "Portrait of an Unknown Woman" - the role of women in society, the father/daughter relationship, Church and power, etc. Yay!

That about catches everyone up. I really need to stay on top on my blog! There should be a poke option like on FaceBook....

Christmas in July (or August, if you prefer)

Um...I love Christmas. I made a wreath a few years ago that is obviously Christmas themed (red and green ribbon and pine cones?), but I keep it on my door year round. I think it is an appropriate enough allusion to the bombardment of Christmas stuff that you will find upon entering my place. This is mostly because of the sheer volume of stuff I have purchased at Hallmark. You see, I collect Snoopy ornaments.

Here are a few of the 2009 ornaments from the Hallmark premier in July. Every year Hallmark issues 10-15 Snoopy ornaments that I feel the need to anticipate, covet, buy, horde, and then try to find a place to store for eternity. I have been doing this since 2004. But in addition to every Snoopy ornament, I also get the Gone With the Wind ornaments (one of my favorite movies), and whatever else catches my fancy. I have an addiction. And a storage problem.

I do have a storage closet - that is tiny, and holds only my excess luggage, winter coats, vacuum, and my Christmas tree, along with a few large RubberMaid bins with the ornaments in them. I really need more bins, however, because when Hurricane Ike hit Houston last year, along with the terrible destruction to my bathroom (the ceiling collapsed over my shower - making it unusable for weeks...) there was massive water damage to my closet. The real kicker about this was that me, being a flight attendant, I was picking up trips to get the hell out of my apartment (and into a shower) and didn't realize the water damage was slowly creeping into my storage closet - and into my huge ornament collection. When this realization occurred, I was almost inconsolable. Honestly, I really didn't lose many - for most were in the plastic bins and protected from the slow water drip - and when compared to those who lost their entire homes on Galveston or the Bolivar Peninsula, I am very fortunate. But even still, being from New Mexico, and having this be my first hurricane experience, I was not a happy girl. And I lost my Christmas tree! Post script to this - my insurance company USAA handled this very well unlike most insurance nightmares I keep hearing about on the news.

And, really, how could Secreteeyore pass this one up? The Ornament Debut is October 10-11 and the Open House at Hallmark is November 7-8; I have my calendar already marked. More Snoopy stuff to come...

The Tudors

For those of you who haven't seen The Tudors on Showtime, let me tell you, you are missing some good stuff. I have become a little obsessed with this series, so much so that I watched the first two season on DVD within a week. That was about 20 hours of sitting-on-the-edge-of-the-sofa-entertainment. Jonathon Rhys Meyers plays an amazing Henry VIII, and Natalie Dormer (pictured above) is his Queen Anne. The costumes, the music, the sets, the exteriors, the s-e-x! I didn't realize I had such an interest in this part of British history, and now that I know, there is so much to learn.

At the beginning of this year I read Philipa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl about Anne Boleyn's sister, Mary. I read that within a few days. Her writing style is amazing, and I have come to adore historical fiction because of Gregory. And then, non-revving to Japan at the end of May I started watching The Tudors because it's part of the 777's entertainment system, and the first four episodes are available. I was amazed. I wanted more. After I got home from my trip, I went to BN.com and bought the first two seasons immediately (luckily there was a buy two DVDs, get one free sale going on, so I also got 'The Duchess' for free...).

Anyhow, I also did some research and found out that I had started reading Gregory's Tudor series out of order, as she started with The Constant Princess, about Katharine of Aragon. I started to read this book next, and learned a lot about her. The Showtime series paints her as a pushover, but Gregory doesn't - she, as the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, comes from a line of warring spirits.

The next book in the series (after The Other Boleyn Girl) is The Boleyn Inheritance, about Henry's search for a wife after Jane Seymour's death. Henry is entombed next to Jane, and is said to favor her as his best and most loved wife, because she actually bore him a son; but she dies within a couple weeks of the birth. The way this is handled in the Showtime series is tragic. Henry does eventually go through three more wives after Jane, one of which he beheads (Kitty Howard)...

Right now I am reading The Queen's Fool, and I must say that it isn't on par with the rest of Gregory's novels. I think it is because it is through a made-up narrator - a girl named Hannah Greene who is a jester in the court of Queen Mary (Henry's daughter by Katharine of Aragon). I also find the plot between Queen Mary and Princess Elizabeth annoying, and I am actually not certain if I will read The Virgin's Lover (about Queen Elizabeth) because of it. The Showtime series portrays Lady Mary as such a pious and piteous creature so desperate for her father's love, I can't help but take her side in the novels.

The Showtime series has opened up my eyes to many things. For instance, I never knew about the Pilgrimage of Grace before it was a major plot in season three. Speaking of season three, seeing as how it isn't on DVD yet, and I don't have cable, this took a heck of a lot of patience with watchthetudors.com. I told you I was obsessed. Also, I suppose I knew, but it never really sunk in, that had Henry had a boy with Katharine (which he did, but died in infancy) he never would have tried like a madman to have sons with woman after woman, and the Reformation would not have taken hold in Britain as it did. Henry was a second son, and was actually being schooled for the Church before his elder brother Arthur died and he became King instead. He even wrote pamphlets against Luther along with Sir Thomas More in his early reign. He needed an heir, and Anne manipulated that into being the greatest proponent for the Reformation, and ensured her and her family's rise. I am just spellbound by the inner-workings of this...

Another of the key-figures in this is Sir Thomas More. I cannot begin to tell you how much his story touched me. I don't remember him in any of Gregory's books, but maybe then I wasn't paying attention. But in the series, season two, the episode where he is martyred is my favorite. Is that morbid? It is really a turning point for Henry because More was his best friend and his closest advisor, and he was executed for not pledging an oath saying that his marriage to Anne was valid and that Henry was the head of the Church in England, and not the Pope. I found, at Half-Price Books, a book by Vanora Bennett called Portrait of an Unknown Woman about More's family that I can't wait to read.

On my first trip to London, almost three years ago, I went to the Tower of London. I haven't been back since, but I am inspired to go again. Since my visit they have installed a tribute to Queen Anne and Queen Katharine Howard, and others who were beheaded there - a kind of glass pillow looking thing with an indentation like someone is sleeping on it. :)

My First Big Scuba Trip

For those of you who have been following my scuba lesson adventures, I just wanted to give everyone a little update on what I have actually done with my certificate - or "C-card" as it's called. I spent two lovely weeks in the South Pacific - a week in Guam and a week in Palau. Aaaahhh.


Palau today is probably most well known as a place where they filmed the television series "Survivor" twice. While Todd and I were there they were in the middle of filming of a Filipino Survivor and wrapping up French Survivor as well. I can certainly see why, it makes for some amazing and breathtaking background shots, and it is so isolated. Even as tourists, Todd and I were the only ones walking around. We went to a famous Indian restaurant there and were the only ones there. Romantically, he said he reserved the whole place for us. More like he reserved the entire chain of islands for us.




Back during the war years, however, Palau was the site of some major battles, as was most of the South Pacific. The Battle of Peleliu was a tragic story - the US had thought they would secure this little airstrip in a matter of days, but instead the Japanese dug in their heels and the battle went on for more than two months. This would become a trend (Iwo Jima and Okinawa have similar stories). It has become a very controversial battle because of the lack of strategic value - the airstrip was never actually used for the attack on the Philippines as was intended, and the immensely high casualty toll - more than 9500. When considering the number of men actually involved for this little island, the Battle of Peleliu has the highest casualty rate in any battle fought in all of the Pacific Theater. The picture above was taken at the Etpison Museum and shows some of the artifacts that have washed ashore from the battles. I have always been fascinated with these kinds of things (as well I should - I am a Navy brat, and was born in Japan...) and this place is loaded with history. In a related note, Palau has been in the news recently as the possible relocation point of Guantanamo detainees...



Speaking of history, this picture is of a reconstruction of the traditional male meeting house, called a 'bai'. The native Palauans were matriarchal and matrilineal, and were fishermen mostly, for their sheer availability.







For being as small as Palau is, it has its own brewing company. What??? Hell yeah!!! Red Rooster Brewing Company has four options: Amber, Mango Wheat, Dark and Stout. We partook of many at the famous bar Kramer's. And it was good.




Palau is known for its large clam shells, and this is me at a clam farm. We actually later snorkeled out to a place where you can skin dive down and sit into one the size of a lawn chair (those were obviously dead of course). I did see some alive while scuba diving, and they are amazing. Their lips are many different colors all at once - it is amazing to see.


This picture makes me laugh, because the size of the vegetation here is like something a dinosaur would eat - it is the place that time forgot.

This picture is from Milky Way Cove. I took this on our kayak tour of the Rock Islands. When we sailed in to this little grotto my breath was taken away. The water is a completely different color than anything I have ever seen in my life, luminescent. Our guide skin dived down to the bottom and got a bucket of the sand so we could rub it all over ourselves - it is said to hold magical properties for the skin. It smelled like phosphorus, so I could see why. We then jumped in and splashed around like children for a while. It is one of my favorite memories!

Onto the scuba diving. Todd and I did three days of diving, two dives a day, for a total of six dives. Each dive was vastly different. I can see why Palau is such a diver's Mecca. The first time I did a back roll off of the dive boat and let the air out of my buoyancy control device (bcd) and started sinking into the deep blue Pacific, I must admit I was scared to death. There is so much to remember! What hose goes where, which button does what, etc. And there were things that we were doing that I had never even heard of before - like reef hooking. So after our descent - to 70 feet! I had only gone down 20 feet in training! - we swim around for a bit and then approach this sheer drop-off that apparently goes down for thousands of feet more. We then clip ourselves to a cord that has a metal hook at the end and then hook that end to the coral and put some air into our bcd so we were a bit more floaty and we just hang out and watch the goings on of this drop-off. This drop off was actually one side of a trench that was something of a superhighway for all kinds of schooling fish - and the sharks who eat them! I saw sharks on my first dive! Oh my god! I was so friggin' excited and hyped up on adrenaline I guess I forgot to be scared. It was so amazing!

The other dives were as varied as the day is long. One we did was called a 'wall' dive which means we descended next to a sheer cliff that goes down thousands of feet and let the current move us slowly by all the different corals: branch, brain, cabbage and the others I don't know the name of. I saw so many tropical fish in such vibrant colors, and sea stars, and eel. I saw sea turtles twice - slowly making his way past me without a care in the world. Another dive we swam up to a sunken ship grown over with all types of coral and teeming with fish. I cannot believe how much there is to see out there.

This is a photo of one of the famous Rock Islands of Palau. You can see how the ocean is slowly eating away at the base to make the iconic mushroom shape. Some of the islands I saw whilst kayaking were so amazingly structured - it looked like they were about to teeter off into the ocean, for the bases had been washed away to almost nothing.

This is the famous "Survivor" beach, where most of the filming took place. We had lunch here the first day during our surface interval between dives. While we were motoring out here I began to recognize the shape of the islands and knew where we were before the dive master even told us. I can't believe I have been to a place so damned remote that Survivor has been filmed there!

All in all, Palau is an amazingly beautiful place. It is so untouched, so virgin. I cannot wait to go back to the South Pacific and explore more of these islands - specifically Yap, which is known for their large money stones and manta ray, and Chuuk (also known as Truk), which is known for the vast quantities of sunken WWII airplanes. I can see that these unspoiled little gems hidden away won't stay that way for long, and I need to see them before they get any more developed. I remember vividly while walking to dinner one night, seeing a local drinking the last bit out of a plastic juice bottle and then throwing it off of the bridge into the ocean. My jaw dropped. And though Todd and I were, as it seemed, two of the few American tourists, the Japanese come there in droves. And I saw them doing some questionable things while snorkeling, such as chumming the fish with bread (a big no-no in a protected environment), and taking away some coral and shells. It makes my heart hurt, but is also very inspiring to me to see all these things soon.