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Hadrosaurs

Well, everybody slept in, which is to say Grandma slept in so I did too. Who knows what Philip does. Philip having called the paper yesterday to say we keep getting two papers and it's rather a nuisance, please stop, there was no paper this morning. Typical, and not unexpected.

It was a long afternoon. Sid was here when Philip and I left for Denver. We made it to the Botanical Gardens at perhaps two, the iPhone having been used to good purpose in that area. We parked in one of those areas where all the houses are really huge and really nice, in an antique sort of style. Lots of lovely dogs, although not to speak to. Anyway, we got into the Gardens and started taking pictures. The first gardens was, I believe, the water-conservation one, showcasing plants that do well on little water. We took some nice photos there, and quite a lot in the Japanese Garden of the Winds, the Shoku-En. There was a tea house where you could take part in a tea ceremony, but it was closed today. There were water gardens, and an Asian garden, and a knot garden of herbs, and a rose garden, and romantic and fragrant gardens (they were doing weddings in the Romantic and South African gardens--I think we went through just after them both) and an indoor jungle garden which was wonderfully humid. One thing that was really cool was that there were dinosaurs throughout the gardens, so there was an Edmontosaurus in one, and a Kritosaurus in another (yay duckbills!) and the most prominent was the Daspletosaur, a relation of T. Rex. We both got pictures in front of that. Anyway, from the map, we missed a few, but we saw the Bambiraptors, the Daspletosaur, the Edmontosaurus, the Kritosaurus, the Oviraptor which was right out front, the Placerias which I remember from the first chapter of Walking with Dinosaurs, the Dimetrodon, the Quetzalcoatls, and the Syntarsus in the jungle. Please note that the only name here acknowledged by Spellcheck is T. Rex. Although they put up with Velociraptor too. I was getting pretty hungry by the time we finished, so then we went to Red Robin for either late lunch or early dinner, at about four or so. I remember they played "Viva la Vida" while we were in there. We both had hamburgers, and I had a Barq's in hopes that the caffeine would be adequate. I suppose it was, but I was still pretty tired when we got home.

This was not for a long time. After Red Robin, we went to Elitch Gardens. It was like an alien planet. The buildings, when you walk in, have a vaguely Wild Western Main Street look, and when this effect is combined with crowds of unfamiliar big-city people and the unfamiliar music, the result is something like the beginning of the movie, when the main point is to emphasize where this is set and that it's somewhere you've never been. The life-forms help--there was a group of three guys with long dark hair that, when gelled, produced spikes ranging from three inches to a foot tall. I tried to take a picture, but we were in line for the Sea Dragon and the guys were behind a tree. You can see them if you look, but it's not a great picture of anything but a tree. 

The Sea Dragon was the first ride we went on. I think we were in line maybe half an hour, although since this is Philip's average and I think one of the others was longer than that it may have been less. That one Gorillaz song, 19-2000, was playing when we got in line. The sound quality was fairly awful, but it was nice to hear something familiar in such a strange place. That ride was just plain fun, as Philip said we were starting out tame. It was, I suppose, but it was fun, like a really big swing. There was something of a bonus in the location, too, as it was right next to this ride where a boat went down a water slide, and we had a great view of the splash.

The second ride was the roller coaster. It was the oldest, tamest one they had, with no loops or anything, the Twister 2, successor to the first Elitch's roller coaster. The frame was wood, white paint peeling. It was fairly scary. I clenched my teeth, braced myself, and rode it out. Philip filmed the whole thing--it turns out it was only about two minutes, but two minutes is pretty long when you're on a roller coaster. After the Twister we went and got in line for the Boomerang. For the Boomerang, what more or less happens is you go up the incline, it drops you, you go around the loops and up the other incline, and then that drops you and you do it all again backwards as well as upside down. Lesson: don't bother opening your eyes when you're upside down. You can't see anything anyway if they were shut that hard. Also I think my ears popped multiple times, but that may have been from clenching my jaw. Anyway. They sold us a picture--I think it's from right when you start down the first drop. Philip was grinning like an idiot the whole time, except when he was laughing. There was a third coaster, the Mind Eraser, which involved hanging in a seat from the rail. That had a pretty loopy course, but fortunately the parking meter had expired and we had to go. I fell asleep in the cars making notes and, eventually,  narrating a Miles story in my head, until the radio took over with a story about cell phone viruses and how they won't become a problem until there are enough people with smart phones that all use the same OS. I tried to get back to Miles, but no luck. We got home at nine or so to an overwhelming welcome from Lark. She was so wound up she came back inside to check on me without even being called. Philip showed Grandma our pictures and video, I sat down to write this, and one of the cactus spines I picked out of Lark's nose this morning somehow managed to get me in the back and the foot when I sat down. Gack.

The end of all this is that Lark didn't get walked today. Uh-oh.

Chihuahua

Got about eight hours, with the interesting result that I solved the entire Jumble in a few minutes. Hm. Walked Lark after breakfast; it was still pretty cool in spite of the sun, but she was satisfactorily exhausted when we got home after half an hour. We dropped by to say hello to the students out digging, but we didn't see that nice girl. Oh well.

Had to fight Phil for the monitor cable to get  the last post up. Then spent some time on the comp while Mary Anne was here, until she finished up and we went grocery shopping. When we got back, Grandma had some cleaning for us to do until her friend Mike came at four. Mike and her husband used to look after Winnie while Grandma was gone, so I've met her at least once. She says I'm growing up to look like Mom. 

Grandma having said she'd like some fish other than salmon, Philip went and bought a pound of mako shark. He found a recipe online for mako Marsala, and it came out really well. Much better, in fact, than either the pasta or the bread. Sigh.

Reading The Warrior's Apprentice, and then Philip says we're watching Transformers. I kinda have a headache.

Phil and I took Beautifuls out for a walk about eight. Took the way around the pond. Saw lots of rabbits, which Lark made a point of chasing. The high point, though, was when, on the gravel road where the branch heads off for Nevada, we saw a deer. It was a doe, for once, and it stayed way ahead of Lark, even with that funny bound that rather resembles a scared lamb, if not so tight. Heh. It was a nice walk, the air cooling down after sunset and all the nocturnal mammals coming out. Lark was adequately exhausted, and I made it all the way around with cramping up my right leg. This is pretty new, since this morning, and I really hope it goes away. 

Watched Transformers. It wasn't bad. The giant robots were fun, and the loser kid gained some xp by the end, if not, perhaps, an entire level. Or maybe he did gain a level, it just wasn't in coolness. Oh well. There were some good bits. There were also bits where I wanted to bang someone over the head, possibly for not watching enough movies as a kid. Anyway. Megatron reminded me of Makuta. And it is ridiculous that Spellcheck does not acknowledge Megatron. I'll grant them Makuta, but Megatron? Gimme a break! Anyway. For the record, and if anyone wants to know: my favorite human character is the soldier with the baby daughter. Coolest guy. Right. Of the Autobots......probably Iron Hide. He may not bear much resemblance to Az's babblings but he's funny. Because he's trigger happy. As for Ratchet.....I wanna know why, in Unicron's name, he needs to know anything about biological systems. Let alone pheromones. My point? That remark was totally uncalled for. Not unlike a whole lot of conversations, mainly because they've been held so many times in so many movies it's impossible to make them sound fresh for anyone but a genius, but hey. There has to be some script. Characters can't simply keep their mouths shut for 75% of the movie, however much you'd like them to do so. Although I have to say Sam's parents weren't bad. I just would've liked to see his mom go postal. She never entirely did. Sigh.

Oh, and the dog of the title is Sam's Chihuahua. Mojo. Had a splint on one foreleg for most of the movie.

Well, I managed to wake up this morning, having gotten to bed at a more or less reasonable time considering I didn't remember I needed to wash my hair until I was actually in the bathroom. So no dizzy while making coffee and stuff. Diane came and spent some time with Grandma. I don't know what all they were doing, but I know that the door into the garage was open and the light on when I went for my walk. 

After lunch I went next door, where Kylie and Riley, the younger granddaughters, were entrenched. Their mom was there talking to Ralph, but when Sid got home she offered to keep the girls while Ashley mowed her lawn, her initial visit apparently having something to do with a lawn mower blade. Okay. So Sid and Lark and I played with--I think it's Kylie--for awhile, until Kylie said she wanted to watch TV. So we watched a little of Smart House, apparently the latest made-for-TV Disney movie. That was bad, but then we switched to SpongeBob. We ended up with an old episode of Batman. I could still feel my brain going to sleep, but at least it wasn't SpongeBob. And let me tell you, there have been worse epitaphs for a cartoon series.

As soon as we got home I got my boots on and we went out again. The archaeologists were back, and we chatted some, on the way in and the way out. Apparently they aren't really looking for anything specific ("No, we're looking for the Ark. We think the Hellers bought it") and they haven't found as much as they hoped. ("Just kidding. We're looking for the Grail.") In fact, the finds seem to consist mainly of the eyes of stuffed animals. Poor things. They looked pretty tired by the time they finished up, too. It had been threatening rain when we set out, but the sun came out long before we finished and everyone, archaeologists and dog-walker alike, was pretty hot by the time they went home--about when we did. I made it into the driveway just when their professor was getting onto Eagle Rock. We waved to each other.

Phil came in about ten or so, and I got off the computer to talk to him. This proved to be something of a mistake, as he ended up taking the monitor cable so he could watch the Daily Show from his laptop. In the end I have to post this next morning. >.>

Golden retriever

Well, I went with Sylvester last night. Big mistake. I was awake and coherent by the time Lee came, though, so that was all right. A friend of Grandma's came about eleven-thirty with chicken alfredo and brownies. Nice.

Lark and I went for a walk after lunch, a little after one. I have got to stop walking right after eating. I always get a cramp in my stomach. I think the reason you're not supposed to exercise after eating is because exercise diverts blood from digestion, but I entirely fail to see why this has to hurt. Sheesh. Anyway. It was cool and cloudy, so I had my jacket, but I couldn't find my hat, so when it started raining my glasses immediately got wet. Sigh. I took 'em off until the rain stopped, when we were nearly home. We glimpsed two joggers on other trails, but of dogs there were only tracks. I did hope there would be an archaeological convention around the buildings again when I saw the big gate open, but there was no one. Hm. Did someone forget to close it?

The "Associate Priest", Sally, came to talk to Grandma. I stayed even more out of the way than when Father Paul was here, keeping my headphones on except when the phone rang. I wonder if I'd get my head bitten off if I called her a curate. Anyway, been reading a webcomic Doug sent me. Male chauvinist would be the simplest way to sum up the main character, but that doesn't give any hint of just how insane he is. Oh, well. If Morita were into women instead of money, you might have something similar. Although somehow Rayne always does have money. He does admit to having a job. Anyway, that's what I was doing most of the time the woman was here.

We also had a friend of Grandma's drop in with some food. She was nice, even to the extent of having a golden named Daisy in her back seat. I didn't get to meet her, because Lark came outside with me. Sigh. I think I'm gonna embark on a quest to find a golden I don't like, because those dogs have exactly the personality I adore. Don't tell Lark that, or if you do add that as far as individual personalities go hers is my favorite; but in general (and she has this too), the golden is my type fairly consistently. Big, dippy dogs that love to be petted, you know? Though I dunno I'd want to own one. My type to date, but not marry, I guess.

After dinner I went over to the Seamans'. Yesterday I left my hat over there, and I need that thing when it rains. I had a nice chat with Sid and Ralph, too. Poor Ralph has his arm stuck in the sling for another three weeks before they'll let him start therapy or anything.

Have I mentioned that Grandma's using her cane? She's not allowed to use it when I'm not around, and she's more wobbly than I like, but she's using it regularly now--most of today, in fact. The corollary is that she can go up and down stairs, too--although with someone watching, because she still hasn't made a habit of the procedure. The main point is that the cane is to be at or below the level of her feet at all times. For up, it goes good foot-bad foot-cane; for down, cane-bad foot-good foot.

And we had brownies with mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. But I think I've still lost two or three pounds.

Husky, Shiba

Diane came about nine this morning, while I was still pretty zombified. She brought, as promised, her Wii, which apparently has a lot of balance-related exercises. Grandma did better than I did on the skiing game. Sid called to ask if I wanted to come over and borrow this one movie that she and Isaac had been watching. Do you catch the relevant bit here? So I went over a bit later, once I'd gotten dressed and all, to see Isaac. He seized gladly on a new person to bug. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't really in the mood to put up with nonsense. Besides, oppressing innocent youth is fun. After he showed me the mini skateboard park Ralph had made, the glue still drying, we went for a hike. It was the the long way, through the Heller estate up along Rockhurst. Unfortunately there was a cold wind blowing, but it was pretty nice all the same. We saw some people walking a red husky along a different trail, too far off for Lark to go all the way over unless I were actually following. The other dog--also off lead--only stood and watched. Isaac talked nonstop. I would swear in court that his mouth was never shut for sixty consecutive seconds. It was pretty educational. That reminds me--I need to go see the Neopets that have been added in our absence.......Odd. None whatsoever. I have no idea what he was offering to trade for my Kiko. Anyway, that's a sample of his conversation. At one point, we went from Bible stories to bugs to Lord of the Rings, interspersed with Lord of the Beans. I am considering a raid on Veggie Tales headquarters at this time. Oh, yeah, and he thought Deagol has resurrected as Grima Wormtongue. Uh.....no. We were discussing this trudging up Rockhurst, the wind now blowing so hard I had to hold my hat in my hand, as it would not stay on my head. Wolfie was outside, and barked as we passed. Isaac was very impressed by my way down the mountain, calling the path through the scrub oaks a secret passage. I confess, I hadn't thought of it quite like that before. We swapped jackets at the bottom of the slope; he only had a windbreaker, and I had my bomber jacket. I warmed up again as soon as we got going, but I'm sure he was warmer in my jacket than he had been in his. Thermal mass, and all that, I suppose. Anyway, we made it back to Sid's alive, where Ralph told me Grandma had called to say I needed to come home as soon as I got back. So I came home and made lunch.

Did I mention Sid lent me a movie? I think I did. Mom.....do you remember once, you said something about this medieval movie you watched once, with knights and jousting and stuff, to rock music? Electric guitars, anyway. And it felt weird but it sort of worked. Well.........I think that was Ladyhawke. And remind me to investigate the actor Rutger Hauer, because Navarre was my favorite character, visually speaking. Er.....and probably in any other ways you can think of.....he just isn't funny. Which is fine. Wheeeeeee! He did seem high once, though. Besides the end, I mean. Oh, yeah, and there wasn't any jousting. Not proper jousting, at least. Just sword fighting from horseback in the cathedral. And you know, it occurred to me......movie fighting isn't proper swordfighting, either. Maybe it was once, but it's dirty fighting now. Your hero can kick and punch and grab bricks all he wants--and audiences like this, because the deftness is much more evident in a smooth kick to the chest after the swords are forced away than in a clever pass with a foil. Although, speaking of weapons, now seems the time to say, "Wheeeee! Double-stringed crossbow!" And furthermore it's a weapon Philippe la Souris can use, if not well--unlike Navarre's fancy longsword. Now, mind, this movie isn't perfect. The soundtrack is a little incongruous, I wasn't always certain about Philippe's acting, although Matthew Broderick seems pretty.....whoa. Godzilla? The main character? Ditto The Lion King? Inspector Gadget? He got to play Richard Feynman? Okay.....maybe it was just me.

You know.....I never entirely realized how much subtitles distract me until I watched this for the second time without the subs in French. I paid so much attention, sometimes, to trying to figure out the French, that I almost ignored what they were saying in English. Example: I completely forgot that the bad guy was a bishop because I kept looking at the French word for him. Note only to do that on rewatches in future......

After dinner, which was foraged because Grandma wanted cold cereal with banana, I took the beautiful out for a half-hour walk in the dusk. We met a jogger, and that was about it--although it seems there's a very large dog in that one house with the balcony overlooking the head of the trail. Nota bene.

Now-- Sylvester, Warrior's Apprentice, Please Save My Earth, or The Princess Bride on Youtube? More Ladyhawke on Youtube, for that matter. Hm.

Aussie....

Well, for once I had an excuse for being a zombie, this morning. Having gone to bed at eleven, I was awoken about two-thirty (Sid's reckoning) by the dog. Not having had a walk yesterday, she was full of energy, and it was after three when she finally deigned to come in. (Incoherent sputtering.) This morning she was bouncing off the walls, so, the morning being cool and a bit showery, we went for our walk about nine-thirty, while Lee was with Grandma. It started to rain lightly almost immediately, but I was wearing my jacket and a hat, and Lark never cares anyway. She was bounding about, imitating the airs above the ground at every step. We took the usual way, meeting a couple of older gentlemen near the pond. The first greeted Lark and kept going, but the second had his priorities in order. As soon as he was comfortably within earshot, he asked Lark's name, and promptly called her when I told him. She looked to me, and when I started toward him she bounded forward, ending on her stomach at his feet, in her typical posture of abasement, just short of rolling over. He petted her, and was very appreciative when she exploded into motion, tearing in wild loops around us like an express train on a track of Bloody Stupid Johnson's designing. It was when he asked her age that I realized that today is her birthday.

There was, once again, a fair amount of activity around the Heller buildings, and today I gave into curiosity and went to enquire. The nice girl I ended up talking to told me, in between exclaiming over Lark, that it was a one-month archaeology field class. She had lovely long hair, in braids nearly reaching her waist. Oh, and she asked me if I was in the Army. I leave it to you to guess which pants I was wearing today......Her digging partner, a young man with a careful air, asked me several questions, along the lines of, "So, you live in this immediate area?" I'm not at all sure why he asked; his tone wasn't so much conversational as interrogatory, but quite polite, I think. Although perhaps not as polite as they would have been if he'd managed a more casual air. Oh, well. I neglected to ask whether they had any expectation of finding anything, and haven't decided yet whether to make a habit of talking to them. There will probably be no actual decision involved: I'll probably just go up there on the spur of the moment again.

The afternoon passed quietly. I read The Curse of Chalion, finishing just before dinner. Naturally I didn't think to get Paladin of Souls.... T_T The weather cleared up for the most part, which is to say it warmed up and the sun came out. It was raining again by dinnertime, though. There was even a little hail. It was just nice, steady rain by the time I took Lark for a short walk after dinner, though. I had my bomber jacket and a hat, and was barely damp about the legs, but she was really wet by the time we got back. Had some cactus spines in one forepaw, too. It amazes me how good that dog is at times like this.

Started Please Save My Earth. There was still plenty of time before bedtime. It was still a colossally stupid thing to do. I mean, twelve volumes, Trina put me on to it, and I started it after dinner? After eight, in fact? Stupid. Really stupid. But hey, at least now I know what Oyayubihime Infinity's mangaka was addicted to in her youth. I admit, there are plenty of substantial differences--for example, OI is more fantasy than SF, and was on a much smaller scale--at least when I quit it still was. There are also some sensible characters who don't want to get carried away by their past lives, too--something PSME is notably lacking, so far. Sure, they say stuff like, "Is this really a good idea?" but in the meantime they're still in love with the person they loved in the last life. Sigh. Poor guy. Guys. All three of 'em, so far. Although one of those was a girl in the life as aliens living on a moon colony watching over Earth. Sigh. Nice art. I like several of the characters, notably excluding the psychotic one. Apparently the insanity of the last few years of his life carried over. Seemed like such a nice guy before everybody else died off and he spent the next nine years alone with the corpses of his friends. Actually, mainly I really like the heroine. It's just that the psycho lives next door and would be stalking her if she weren't perfectly willing to play with the neighbor's kid. Please note, the poor sap is nine years behind everyone else.....not that he let this get in his way. Siiigh.

I would be in bed by now if it weren't for this. Maybe I should head in that direction now.....yeah, the next OMGNOTENVOLUMESTOGOHEEEEEEELP!!!! .......can wait until morning. *cough* You know, I was hoping I'd gotten farther than that....