Tutankhamun: The Golden Age of the Pharaohs

Today I went with my sister-in-law Cullin into San Francisco to see the Tut Exhibit at the de Young Museum. It was a beautiful day and a short 45 minute drive into the city. I was excited. I had been wanting to see this exhibit since it began it's tour of the US!



The installation was amazing. The artifacts were breathtaking and so interestingly displayed. You were on the journey of King Tut's genealogy, working your way through the years and family artifacts. Each room was varied with lighting and types of artifacts. The displays were simple and well lit and the descriptions were concise. From jewelry and funerary objects to shrines and statues, the varied pieces were easy to digest and appreciate.



It was definitely the wave of the future for museum exhibit installations with high definition screens of some of the smaller artifacts, historical vignettes and an interesting animation rendering depicting Tut's sarcophagus and it's protective layers in the tomb. Moving this exhibit around must be quite the feat!



Another cool thing is that Zahi Hawass, Secretary General, The Supreme Council of Antiquities, is going to give a talk at the San Francisco Opera house on February 8th. If I am still here and can swing it, I would LOVE to go hear him speak! He is amazing!

The de Young is a Fine Arts museum located in Golden Gate Park which is a HUGE (1017 acres!) and amazing park. I would love to go explore more. It has so much to see including the California Academy of Sciences which houses the Natural History Museum, an Aquarium and a Planetarium, and the park also has a botanical garden and a Japanese Tea Garden. When everything is in bloom I am sure it is even more spectacular.

It was great to walk around the Music Concourse and see people doing Tai Chi, while other people were jogging, walking or attending one of the exhibits in the area. The culture out here is so chill and relaxed and people are very friendly. I keep telling Cullin that it's all the sunshine! Vitamin D is good!:)

After our morning in San Fran, we headed back over the Bay Bridge through Oakland to Berkley. We ate lunch at The Claremont Hotel, which is a large fancy hotel in the hills of Berkley. We ate at the Paragon Bar & Cafe on the terrace which has breathtaking views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was a great day and I am excited to see what other adventures I can go on while I am here. I will post pictures Monday once Cullin uploads from her camera. I am hoping my pic from the Claremont terrace that I took with my camera phone comes out well enough to post!

Happy

Here I sit with my coffee, waiting for a little one to wake up and all I can think about is how happy I am. This trip and experience has done me a WORLD of good. I definitely have learned more about myself. I think after I lost my job I felt pretty miserable and lost. Getting out of the ungrateful vortex is a blessing and this trip is well deserved. (Lamby understands the ungrateful vortex and my breakdown prior to leaving, and what that entailed.):)

I am so happy that I am here. Happy I went to Santa Cruz. Happy that I am seeing the Tut exhibit in San Fran this weekend. Happy that I am getting to spend time with my brother and his family.

Perhaps I am also happy because I feel like there are actually tangible options out there. I have gotten the opportunity to get out and see someplace different in person instead of trying to search on my laptop from a secluded upstate NY village.

Moving out here has been discussed. Mark would really love having some of his family out this way. I would love to for many reasons. The part that stinks is that it is so expensive out here to live so I would have to get a really good (perm) job to live. In other words I would need to make double what I was making in NY in order to afford a decent apartment.

That said, if I was going to live out here, personally, I have to admit, it would be in or around Santa Cruz. Aside from my childhood obsession, the town is cool. Very eclectic artsy, and also expensive, but worth it with redwoods and the beach surrounding you. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I think I fell in love last weekend...

Anywho, I am happy except for the rain! Good God! Pulease stop pouring!!! :)

Oh, and I forgot to reference this post yesterday: My Top 5 Movie Pilgrimages I have officially been to 2 of the 5! Now THAT is exciting!!

Movie Mecca Visit: Santa Cruz Boardwalk

It's funny how things work. I had a day off yesterday to go do something and I pondered a few things. One of them was visiting a place I had dreamed of going for many years: The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This was the filming location for The Lost Boys.

As I thought about places to visit and checked out directions, I took a break to eat some breakfast and flipped channels. Fate was in my face...The Lost Boys was on tv yesterday morning...so my decision was made. I was going on an adventure, but I had to be home before dark:)

It's off season, but the park was open with limited rides. They were doing some construction near the Giant Dipper, but the 1911 Carousel was running and the restoration was beautiful. The park sits right on the beach. It is a colorful place and while I walked around I listened to both the score and soundtrack to the movie, spotting many places along the way that were reconizable.


Check out some pics and read about the park here

My plan is to go back at peak season and spend a weekend there, riding the rides 'til late at night and watching a concert on the beach. Who wants to come????


Some more of my pics (the best ones) that I took on my cell are HERE

That's a Catchy Tune, Son!

LOVE THAT GENERAL LARRY PLATT!!!

Tidbits and Giggles

My time has been great, though I am more tired at night than usual! I have a new little buddy and next week should be interesting since Cullin is traveling. My days will be a bit longer than usual because of that, but I know the routine so we will be fine.

Just a few pics I have taken along the way...

The first is of the rental car lot. When we stopped to get the car after our flight from Spokane to Oakland, Caitlin happily announced to her mother that she wanted one of the yellow cars. She is definitely my brother's daughter!!



This next one is the pic of the park we go to. it is perfect because if is made especially for kids ages 2-5 and has 2 slides, swings and a climbing wall among other fun things. This is a great way to tire a 2 1/2 year old out! And Aunt Carol gets some fresh air as well!(I have cut the name out since it's really not a necessity, and just in case any creepies happen upon this blog it's best to not name the park! Hey, you can never be too careful)



The final one is my favorite of Caitlin's toys thus far, well besides a cute little pink pig (I will get a picture of him for later in the week). I just call him Monkey and it reminds me of the "Monkey Song" by 100 Monkeys which I can't seem to get out of my head lately! BTW, they are playing about 1 hour and 15 min away Thursday night in Santa Cruz... I would love to go but alas, I must wait for the Syracuse show!



More to come later! Greetings from the Left Coast!

You Haven't Lived Until...

You have arrived at the airport with 3 suitcases, 4 bags and a 2 1/2 year old. There is no way Cullin could have done that alone. Caitlin did great and was very patient considering the waits and the lugging!

You have watched Pooh's Heffalump movie 2 or 3 times each day for the past 3 days and there is no end in sight!

You have run and jumped around like crazy to tire out the aformentioned 2 1/2 year old, who now for some reason calls you "Dr. Carol" (not sure where that came from ) and "Super Carol" (OK, that one I suggested). I think we both got tired!

You have gotten the 2 1/2 year old to sit on the potty 3 times in one day (and happily!) in efforts to move training into the fast lane. Bribes work well, even simple ones like putting a penny in the jar each time she goes.

The 2 1/2 year old looks at you and says "Is that you?" and then giggles because your hair is wet from just taking a shower and she didn't recognize you at first.

My Next Adventure

On Tuesday I will be leaving my lovely, though temporaty abode, for Spakane, Washington. From there I will travel to San Ramon, California and will Nanny for my brother and his wife for a few weeks whilst they settle in after the big move. I am really excited and also a bit nervous. I want to do a great job for them. I know that I will since I have had lots of experience with all of my nieces and nephews. Lots of fun activities are already brewing!

I appreciate the opportunity. Some constructive criticism about my career path and advice from my brother will be good for me as well. I look forward to some tough love because I know it comes from the heart and I am mature enough to handle it.

Caitlin and I will be buddies, I know it. I always look forward to bonding with my newest niece!

Dreams

I am a vivid dreamer. I have always had epic length dreams that are filled with movie-like plot lines that I can describe in great detail. Last night, I had one of the most interesting dreams I have ever had. Have you ever had a dream that was both in color AND black and white? Let me explain.

My dream was in color as usual. The weird part was that Cary Grant was there, but he was in black and white. It was as if he stepped out of one of his movies, such as "Arsnic and Old Lace" perhaps. It was bizarre, yet not unsettling. He didn't speak, with exception to a puzzled "Hmmmm..." because I had pricked both of my pinky fingers with a needle by accident. He was holding my hands and examining my fingers but what is weird is I was still in color and he was still in black and white. The other people that were there were shocked at his presence and made mention of two obvious observations: "What's he doing here?/Isn't he dead?"

I guess I should consult my dream book.

Have you ever had a dream like this? What is one of the craziest dreams you have ever had?