The Amazing Race

I love cities that start with San. That would include one of my all time favorite cities San Francisco.

I signed up with my friend Rob for something like the Amazing Race in which we were given clues and had to run with a bunch of crazies all over the city.

It was so hot and we were on foot the whole day walking up and down the hills of S.F. At one point I almost called it quits but we finally finished.

I decided the real Amazing Race would be way too hard and I probably couldn't do it but I still want to be on WIPEOUT.

Hola: A Quick Spanish Tutorial

On my way up through the Golden State I stopped in Huntington Beach. My friend Mr. Mike was Mr. Connections this trip with the hook up at 910 in La Jolla and then he got us all third row tickets to an Angels game from the President himself. (Not Obama President-though Mike really wishes they were tight-but Angels President).

There I am. Third from the right. I'm the one whose wearing the sun.

Allison took us to Taco Loco in Laguna Beach (which means Crazy Taco gracias). I can't even look at that picture with out salivating. In Mission Beach I tried a famous fish taco place that was on "Diner's Drive-In's and Dives" and I'm real sorry Guy Fieri but this place was muchos better.

Then we went to Magic Mountain with all the vato's and Jr. High kids. We rode all sorts of crazy rides like the one shown below. I'm the one who looks handicap.

San Diego

San Diego’s Eucalyptus and humming birds. And the ocean breathes salty. In San Diego time moves maybe more like dream time. One day was three weeks. I woke up and it was time to go.

Mission Beach and Coronado. La Jolla and 910. Ran everyday at Mission Bay, it was so beautiful it tricked me into liking it (running that is). Made a trip to the zoo.

This guy was my favorite, I'm pretty sure he was dancing for me.

I could barely take my eyes off my rear view mirror as San Diego faded into the smog of Los Angeles.

H1N1 Cruise

Some friends and I found a 4 night Baja Mexico Cruise for only 130 bones! I figured that's about how much it costs for gas and food for four days regularly and Carnival might as well have payed us to board their ship so we all signed up and crossed our fingers we weren't spending four nights on a fishing boat.

Unfortunately, the rendezvous of some poor child and an infamous pig caused something of an epidemic and the cancellation of our Mexico Port. For a mother like my own and a hypochondriac like myself it turned out to be good news.

So we boarded the ship (that's me celebrating that we weren't on a fishing boat)


We went to Catalina instead and drove around the island.

Then we took a boat on the water.

...which was terrifying because we were going para sailing.

I went through with it... See! There I am nothing but dust in the wind. Soaring 335 feet above shark waters. Hurray for terrifying experiences and almost peeing my pants 35 stories high!

And then their was dancing...

And yeah I dropped it like its hot.

Gypsies and Truck Drivers

I had nothing but time and money to kill and an itch to scratch. So I packed up my new traveling companion who had only 43,000 miles on it (I added another 5,000) and I hit the road like a gypsy.

I stopped in a little city where the sun don’t set called The Vegas and visited mi amigo Stephanie, who moves like a jelly fish and used to drink a teaspoon of soy sauce before bedtime. Her roommate Mindy, who called me "Ash" and I liked that, came bearing gifts.

All along my trip I filled my car with gifts, collections from my travels and half an Asian market. My car got heavier. My soul got lighter and started to smell like Korea.

I’m in love with the open road. Nothing but dust and burning desert to distract me from finding things I’ve lost, like peace of mind. An abandoned highway and the red and orange of dusk gives me clarity from the jumble and routine of our modern day lives. I'd left behind the numbing of everyday, the red-yellow-green, the assault of irrelevance.

On the road the sunset is mine to own. I don’t have to share it with anyone else, except Earl that creepy truck driver who seriously gives me the willies. Even though Creepster McGee probably had some poor soul duct taped in his passenger seat, maybe he found my same clarity. And so someplace between Provo and Sin City Earl and I shared a fleeting and soon forgotten sunset.

Future Posts:

Seattle The Emerald City

What you’ve heard is true, it rains a lot there. The cities skies are gray, the color of thought and for me contentment, and for some depression. But I love it. It’s unique and it has character. See…

Seattle, where the ground is paved with... Sponge Bob figurines and GI Joes, broken gold watches and heart shaped glasses.

I purchased this gem for $1 from a guy selling his past on the street in Broadway.

Trolls under bridges


and I agree..

Back on the Information Highway

[That’s me in my most primitive condition. Living in a cave]

So many days without internet. I know I started devolving. I started communicating in grunts, drew prehistoric elephants on stone in the dark. I’m grateful to be back in the 21st century. For access to unlimited irrelevance. And fire for light and warmth. To walk upright again like the modern woman I am. Now, if you’ll excuse me I need to go find my house on google earth and then tweet about it.

…

“That’s it?!” my internet audience wonders in discontent.

“Think I’d leave you high and dry without updates as to where I have been for six weeks?” I say.

“Don’t flatter yourself. Like we care,” the few occasional readers actually think.

But see, I’m going to tell you anyways because here at Postcardfrommars.blogspot.com we do what we want.

To be cont…

Sneak peak of entries to come...

My Swine Flu Adventure 2009

I know you all have been curious about my where-abouts, definitley feening for an update on my life, your fix, because my lives details are a hot commodity. Postcard From Mars might as well be US Weekly. No? Not so much?

Well maybe some of you thought I caught the Swine Flu, or am in Mexico City in the trunk of a Caddilac full of cocaine stuffed toy dolls. Well dry your eyes I just took off with my new wheels on my first grand adventure, in which I'm calling "My Swine Flu Adventure 2009."

Made it to The Vegas, then to San Diego, went on my Swine Flu Cruise (Catalina and into International Pirate Waters) and now off through California... Hurray!

Lots of pictures and stories to come when my adventure comes to a close...but for now...

I'm a Girl of Humble Needs

While you all thought I was in the trunk of Ted Bundy's car, I really was in one of the greatest places in America, Seattle. We explored the whole city, and we ate like Kings, fattening up like prize heffers, thanks to my parental unit. Some notable and unforgettable events:
A lot of thrift store shopping.

We may have tried on every hat in Seattle.

We gave the Post Alley Gum Wall our stale Peppermint Orbit and in return it offered us this piece of advice...

Then went to a place that was barely shy of heaven. Comic book heaven.

We found the troll under the bridge.

Then we went to an 80’s Dancing Freak Show where I was attacked by a strange man in a full body spandex suit, though he was the best dancer in the world!

We sang Karaoke…:)

Seattle is such a quirky cool town. I wish I lived in a quiet loft above the market. Where I could walk down grab a comic book, a chai latte and some fresh fruit. Maybe even get some Salmon for dinner. I’m a girl of humble needs, and I think that’s all I would ever need. In the end, the trip was stinking fun slash funny.

Everything in its Right Place

Like I had previously predicted, Radiohead changed my life. The whole purpose of my wandering across the desert all night was to see Radiohead play at Golden Gate Park. Besides a few audio issues the show was incredible. We got there early and camped out all afternoon so that we could be second row in front of 60,000 people.



One of the highlights of the night,IDIOTEQUE. And Johnny in the background doing his wizard magic tricks.

From the very beginning Thom was in a dancing mood. This is him going crazy to IDIOTEQUE.

Thom was looking so cool in his tight, bright red pants. I'm in the process of purchasing my own red pants.

And Johnny going crazy playing "There There"

That San Francisco fog had rolled in during the show and made the whole concert that much cooler but also made my hair curly, blah.

This City Saved My Dying Soul

We wandered through the desert all night, so when we finally got to the city Friday morning we fit in perfectly with all the stinky, homeless people in this cool park Drew wanted to show me we both later learned was…Golden Gate Park.

Homeless people love me, even when I'm well bathed and don't stink like stale fast food and public bathroom handsoap.

This guy told us he was Betty from the Grateful Dead. He also said he couldn’t be joining us at our concert because he would be busy shoveling coal on the fire.





We spent a lot of time exploring cute vintage clothing shops. I don’t know who Ronnie Milsap is but it was quite the temptation for me to buy this shirt.


Our asi frio boat ride around the bay.

And then we pretended we were models



You can check THESE pics out too

50th Wedding Anniversary

I went to San Diego for my Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary a couple weeks back, and it made for an entertaining trip. Plus I came home with some pretty great footage.

My grandma dancing...


My Grandpa singing...


and dancing..

I Couldn't Resist...

Today is the celebration of my Father’s birth. Truth be told, I can’t keep track of how old he’s getting. I know my life is nearly over so he’s got to be getting up there. He may look really scary, but this big Hawaiian guy's pretty harmless. He’s also my number one fan and seems to always support everything I do, even if it's absurd. Happy Birthday Dad, here’s a little birthday gift from your daughter.



[This video was taken at my Grandparents 50th Wedding Anniversary. Dancers: Grandpa, Grandma and Dad]

This is Really Happening...

August 22nd will be a day to remember. Going to "Outside Lands" enormous music festival in San Francisco. Radiohead, Beck and then all these guys will be playing. Radiohead will be the first night show at Golden Gate Park ever!

I'm excited to see this:

Deion and All His Wisdom

I went home to Seattle for my Mom’s birthday. My Mom seems to act more youthful with age. While I was home she showed me her new fav trashy reality show. Deion and Pilar. As in Prime Time Deion Sanders. I don't watch much TV, can't believe I've been missing such quality programming. It's pretty stinking funny. The silliest thing about it is that Deion drives around his house in one of those powered wheel chairs for seniors. I think that’s pretty great. He’s inspired my investing in a powered wheel chair/scooter for seniors.

Yukiyo and Fredrick

Growing, flowing, hanging pots of green, and my Grandma is the medicine woman. Pots and pots everywhere with a dictionary of names. Something moss and something flower. “Pua” is the Hawaiian word for flower, my grandma tells me as she hula dances around the room and my Grandpa sings along strumming his guitar. My grandma grows it. My grandma makes it. My grandma sows it. Imagine being so self-sufficient. Imagine a time when you had to be. She gets her eggs from her friend up the street who has chickens. They wash their dishes in the sink. And they pick vegetables from the ground. When did we get too proud to bend over and pick up the food we eat? Now it’s a job for those of a lesser social standing. Is two generations really that far apart?

My grandparents are the greatest. They are not too old to dance or too embarrassed to sing. Not too tired to stay up and talk. They love to laugh but mostly they just make me laugh.

Things that remind me of my Grandparents:

My Grandpa's huge Bonzai tree in the front yard.

Plumerias.

Hanging laundry and beach towels.

This Tree.

BBQ and pancit.

Asian slippers lined up by the front door.

Miniture BBQs. Everything is miniature.