I'm Probably Expecting too Much

I don't know why I keep thinking that every time I go to the ocean I'm expecting warm weather and sunshine. Maybe it was because it was going to be around 90 degrees last Sunday and I assumed that because the ocean was less than 2 hours away that it would be a decent temperature there too. I think I'm expecting too much.

Ocean Shores itself, although touristy, was still very small and pretty boring. There's a couple of strip malls to shop around in, but most of them included places to buy kites and other toys. We saw more deer roaming the area here than I'd ever seen in the mountains. But, we didn't come to hang around in the town.

When I went last Sunday, I was going to swim no matter what because I'd just spent $60 on swimwear that fit me after years of going without. When Justin and I got to the beach, and it was finally time to swim (around 2pm), the marine layer still hadn't cleared, and the promise of 70 degrees that my phone was showing me must have been from an inland town and not the shore. My car was saying 59, and I'm thinking that didn't include the windchill. Despite this fact, the beach was pretty packed, as Washingtonians are very used to this weather.

I don't think too many people know what our oceans are like. It's not like the east coast at all and I wouldn't even put it in the same caliber as California. We have rich, food-laden (and disgusting-looking) water because it's so cold. We don't have the gulf stream so if our water temperature gets above 55 it's a good day. To top it off, we're a northern state so it takes a lot of prayers and weird weather to get the beaches beyond 70 degrees, even when the interior is baking.

Mmmm, poopy. Or plankton-y. Whichever. 

It took guts and about 15 minutes for me to get out to hip deep. I drove here expecting to 'beat the heat' and that's definitely what I got; I was freezing. The ocean isn't really meant for literal 'swimming', and although I had brought my wake-boards, we didn't use them. I watched as a couple of other people tried the same thing and it wasn't working well for them either so I didn't bother to drag them out. I probably spent no more than 40 minutes in the water and immediately jumped back into the car and turned up the heat. There was no 'lounging in the sun and drying off' at this beach! At least we had the car to hide in. (that I will now spend the afternoon scrubbing down because the seats smell like dead sea creatures.)

I have got to stop expecting so much from our beaches. It's the end of July for frack's sake, and its 59 and cloudy, even when it's beyond hot less than 2 hours away. From now on, lakes will be a better bet.

Bucket List

In an earlier post, I had declared that I was going through a not-quite-yet mid-life crisis, meaning I'm not quite at my mid-life (at least, I hope not!) but I sure am acting like it.

I've decided that I need to do some things I've always been afraid to do, or think of some fun activities that I've never done before. Most of this stuff I thought up on the fly over about a one week period. One of those was Whale Watching, after seeing a Groupon for a boat ride. I had to start thinking to myself "Well, why the hell not?!" What else am I doing, anyway?

Here is my so-called bucket list so far:

Whale Watching
Hot Air Balloon Ride
Race Track Drive
Tandem Paragliding and/or Hang Gliding
Zip Lining
Roller Coaster
Cruise to Alaska (and biplane tour)
Scuba Diving, and in tropical waters

I chose Alaska because, let's be honest, it's a helluva lot easier. Actually, there were several reasons, one being that I'm a nature gal and Alaska has some great majestic beauty. It's also about a million dollars cheaper because I don't have to fly literally across the entire country in order to board the boat. And although I badly want to swim in tropical waters, I'm just not one for crowded, hot beaches.

Courtesy of Princess Cruiselines 

The roller coaster one is about fear [stop laughing and then pointing at the hang gliding]. I know, it seems odd that I'd be willing to tandem jump and risk my life floating to the ground but be scared of roller coasters. Honestly, I know I'd freak looking down from a cliff too, but I've been scared of roller coasters all my life, thanks to a trip to Disneyland when I was 5.

Before I even knew Star Wars existed (nor did I care) I stood in an infinitely long line at Space Mountain, watching the golden robot entertain the children as we all waited for our dooms. Little did I know that I was about to be forced onto a roller coaster in PITCH BLACKNESS. I clung onto daddy for dear life wishing for nothing more than to be at home safe in my bed. That ride struck the fear in me that I've never been able to overcome. Any (tame) coaster that I went on after that was a downright miserable experience. But, I'm ready to try again - this time with something a little more daring. As long as someone comes with me!

Yeah, no. Nice try, though.

The Race Track Drive was inspired by a contest I saw on TV once, sponsored by this famous shoe company. Each woman was to ride shot gun with a race track driver taking some 20 laps or so, I can't remember. Each woman was given 20 pairs of shoes for free at the start of their joy ride. However, the catch was: every time they screamed, they would lose a pair of shoes. I began to wonder am I a screamer? Would I make it through that? I have no idea. And I'd like to find out!

Anyway, that's my list for now! What about you? Do you have a bucket list? What do you want to do that you've never done before? Let me know in the comments!

Taste of Tacoma

I'm really surprised at myself that I didn't write a blog post about this last year. Maybe I thought it was too boring to mention, or maybe it just took me a year to realize I could make this post sorta funny. Who knows. But, the Taste of Tacoma is coming around again, so I thought I should recount my experiences from last year.

My friend Mary and I decided to go for her birthday, which conveniently falls on the same week as The Taste. It's free to get in, and has a lot to offer.

I remember that I just had  to try alligator-on-a-stick. Not being from the south and have never been there, we don't really get a lot of alligator options. That old adage "tastes like chicken" rings true, here. I don't think I would have been able to tell them apart.

We also discovered slushie wine. Yeah, you heard me. That secret powdered chemical that seems to turn alcohol into slushie. Neither one of us like wine, but we got a sample of it (red wine, no less!) and it was delicious. Must be all those added slushie chemicals.

In that same vein, we decided to do the wine tasting. It would cost us some money to get 5 tokens, in which we could pounce around the booths and pick out which wines to taste as if we knew anything about it and enjoyed the taste of it. We went to each booth and basically demanded "Give us your sweetest wine, (wench)!" Nothing was sweet enough for my palette, although they did have that chocolate wine with Almond Roca flavors that I've been seeing in special places. It's good, but I've never bought a bottle. I just keep tasting it everywhere I go, trying to convince my tongue that it's good stuff.

This was the assortment I spent all my tokens on, basically.

I saw a booth where they sold clip-on sun shades for glasses and got all excited because I'm an adult and that's what I get excited about now-a-days. I can't afford to get those specially made magnetic ones, so I opted for these. They look good, but I wouldn't wear them in public (I wear them while driving). Mary found an artist that makes plants and animals (with paint) into letters. We watched her do it for a while and I convinced her that she should get one made with her daughter's name on it. 

Image found on namepaint.com, because I'm too

lame to think to take a picture of the one Mary bought

The whole place had a slight Renaissance Fair vibe. I saw people selling hippie/renaissance clothes, and even feather masks (I almost bought one, I swear). Mary also got a Henna tattoo and promptly smeared it on the way out. I half expected a patron dressed like a Fairy to skip up to me, go "blurrrttt" and drop a small stone into the palm of my hand (actually happened once).

Oddly, it being the Taste of Tacoma and all, I can't remember what I ate for lunch. But it was probably awesome. I'll make sure to have it again this year.

A 3-Hour Tour

I've lived in Washington all my life and have yet to go on a Whale Watching Tour. I decided to rectify that the other day. It was on my not-quite-yet mid-life crisis list that I will definitely explain in an upcoming post!

There was a Amazon Local deal for $44 a person at Deception Pass Tours.  Not only were they the cheapest option, but they were pretty much the only tour that I wouldn't have to first get to an island to do. It was cheap enough to where I could invite my mom to come with. I badly wanted to see Orcas. I've loved them since the day I first saw Free Willy. I did my final report in Marine Biology on them. I watched Blackfish, which I'll admit made me cry a bit, and it just cemented my need to see them in the wild.

I think Whale Watching is going to be on my spite list. More on that later.

Anacortes was a two hour drive from my place. It's up at Deception Pass, a beautiful location in its own right.

Up there, near the San Juan Islands, lives a resident Orca Pod. I think it's J Pod. But they can travel up to 100 miles in one day, so sightings weren't guaranteed even though all the tours communicate with each other when they see whales. In fact, according to the owner of the Tour, they are usually the first company out in the morning and they have no spotter planes. That made my heart sink just a little.

They are the first out because, unlike the other companies, Anacortes is still quite far from where whales like to hang out. There was a lot of driving to and from locations. At Deception Pass, on this particular day, the seas were extremely rough. Even though they have a Catamaran, which can slice through the water like butta, he changed the plans. And thank goodness too, because with almost every swell, our boat literally flew and then landed with a soft thud. Although fun and exciting like a roller coaster, it was quite the brain-jiggler.

There had apparently been some sightings of some Humpback Whales near the San Juans, and the waters were much calmer there, so we headed out. To give you an idea of how long it took, this was a 2-1/2 to 3 hour tour, and we got to see the whales for about 15 minutes.

Several things went through my head, ranging from "this is kind of cool" to "what a crock". I'm glad I didn't pay more than $44 to see the backs of a couple of Humpbacks (mother and calf, by the way.) Mom absolutely loved it. She had a blast. And I had a good time too, but it was sort of a let down. It wasn't the Tour's fault at all, but I really had my heart set on Orcas.

So, Whale Watching will be on my spite list. I will not rest until I see Orcas in the wild!

After we got done with the tour and before we drove home, we stopped in Monroe to eat at the best BBQ I ever found - a place that Mesquite smokes brisket just like in Texas. So delicious. So, there was that :P

Have you ever had your heart set on something and it turned out completely different? Let me know in the comments!

Who Says Cooking isn't Fun?

If you follow this blog at all, you know I'm a devout fan of Good Eats. If you've never seen it or don't understand, give me one episode to convince you. My favorite episode of all time is...

Cuckoo for Coq au Vin

Why?

The infomercial: Coq au Vin in a Box. He even orders it in French.

Alton's look is too cute.

To his shock and awe, Alton's wine is confiscated by customs 

but a live Rooster manages to get through.

This. Just this.

This visual aid explains the profile of the wine he needed to cook with. 

Powered by actual men.

It's hilarious because he decided not to redo this take.

During the entire episode the rooster wouldn't shut up. He almost lost it a couple of times. 

No actual roosters were harmed in the making of this episode.

I don't ever even plan on cooking Coq au Vin. But it sure as hell was funny to watch how it's made.

I'd give ya'll the episode in its entirety, but Scripps forced me to take them down off of youtube long ago. It's such a shame, because Alton's writing is pure genius. As he often says "laughing minds are more absorbent."

Review with a Moral

In Review: Sonicare Toothbrush

I was a bad kid. I lied about brushing my teeth, yessir. I thought it was a pure waste of time, and it ruined my sense of taste for like, an hour. Dad became suspicious if I was telling the truth about my habituals, so he straight up told me “I will find out if you’re not telling me the truth.” Because honestly, I was a horrible liar. But I was all “Fine!” I even went through the motions of it in case he was listening. Pretended to brush – the whole nine yards, without actually doing it. In retrospect, it was kind of lame. But, I digress. I thought – I got him. There’s no way he’ll know.

[Pro tip: If you ever need to know if your child is brushing their teeth or not, take a toothpick and swirl it around the paste at the end of the tube.]

Anyway, even as I got older, it never really became a habit to brush. After a glowing recommendation from a friend of mine about the Sonicare toothbrush, I thought that would give me the push I needed. I got a good deal on ebay but Costco sells a 2-pack for a good price. They also sell a 6-pack of brush heads for $40, but you can get them for $30 on sale. They’re supposed to last 3 months each, so that’ll set you up for a while.

Yet even with the Sonicare, I still didn’t do it. It wasn’t until after a stint of unemployment and I got my dental insurance back that I finally decided to see a dentist. My parents didn’t have insurance when I was a kid, so the last time I saw one was literally the day they pulled the baby incisors out of my mouth because the permanent ones were coming in through the gum line. I had 11 – count em – 11 cavities. No surprise, really. They even took the trouble to shave down half my wisdom tooth full of rot, rebuild and crown it off. This – this was the push I needed to start brushing, and the Sonicare is a pure winner.

1.      It’s rechargeable so you don’t have to mess with batteries. It will also hold a charge for at least a couple of days in case you go on a short trip or forget to put it back on the base.

      2.      Each brush head comes with its own plastic cover, because we all know about how the particles of water from the toilet float in the air every time we flush right? Yeah.

      3.      Each brush head also comes with a little colored ring, in case you have family that doesn't like to share.

      4.      The vibrating timer is the best feature. It makes you brush for the full 2 minutes; giving 30 seconds to each section of your mouth. The HealthyWhite version even gives you an extra few to brush your front teeth. (The vibration supposedly changes to help lift stains, I believe.)

      5.      If you find it difficult to keep track of how much longer lifespan your brush head has, not to worry. Each brush head comes with blue bristles that slowly wear the color off over time. When it reaches the base, it’s time to change out!

Thanks to this toothbrush, I’m not only making it a habit to brush every day, but I know I’m getting the best possible clean for my mouth. Hopefully the next time I go to the dentist, I’ll be cavity free!

Disclaimer: My reviews are from personal experience & only from products that I bought myself. I am not getting paid by anything I promote. Although, if Sonicare wants to give me some stuff, I wouldn't complain.

Schrodinger's Math

I'm going to dip my toe into something very controversial: Common Core Math.
First, some facts about me.

1. I'm not a mother. I don't have children, and I'm not invested in our education on a personal level.
2. I hate all math. It is the scourge of the universe.

Okay, so, this is just my opinion based on the small amount of research I've done and how I grew up. After all the vitriol and spewing of hatred towards this way of thinking I became intrigued because I believe that the way I learned math in my early years screwed me up for life. If you don't have a solid addition and subtraction foundation, then you will be stuck at that level for the rest of your damned life. It's true, I'm more right-brained than left-brained. I lean towards art much more than equations, so math is naturally harder for me to begin with.

I learned TouchMath. If you are unfamiliar with it, here is a preview:

I call it the dot system. Basically it means that instead of memorizing what 4+9 is, you count it out. Always. Forever. I am 30 years old. To this day I can not tell you what 4+9 is without counting it out. Guess what happened when I changed schools and moved onto our times tables? Yeah. Suddenly I couldn't use the dot system anymore. I was completely lost. I never fully got it. And when I went into JH and HS and tried to learn even more complicated subjects? I barely kept up.

My brain can not hold numbers in my head. If I tried to take 34-52 and had to do all that crossing out bullshit, it would almost literally float away. Numbers were the enemy.

So, maybe Common Core Math is more my style. I've watched a few videos, saw how some of it is done. It's conceptual and you know what - maybe it seems convoluted and silly, but maybe it's just what I needed. Some arguments were along the lines of some Common Core adult standing in the grocery store drawing circles on a napkin to figure out how much he is spending. No. A child will need this for learning, but once it's learned you won't need to draw it.

I still need to count the dots.

To the adults of today's Common Core students, it looks idiotic. That's because that's not how you learned it. They cry because math is hard? Well guess what - so did I. Maybe not all children need to learn with circles and diagrams but I think it sure as hell would have helped me: the right-brained student.

So, let me have it in the comments! What do you think about Common Core Math?