Headline from The Desert Sun on Tuesday December 8, 2009- “Record rainfall soaks desert.  Power outages, street closures reported across Coachella Valley.”  Leave it to Oregonians to bring the rain on vacation.  I thought I had packed well.  The first sign that we were going to be missing things was when we were at the airport and discovered that we had the iPod dock, but not the iPod itself.  Then I remembered that I had forgotten a stack of DVD’s that I was going to bring.  Oh yeah, and a sweatshirt.  Hey, we were going to the desert where it’s usually in the low 70’s this time of year.  How bad could it be?  

“According to the National Weather Service, 1.12 inches of rain was recorded at the Palm Springs International Airport as of 8pm, surpassing the previous 1992 record of 0.90 inches on the same day.  Monday’s precipitation almost doubled the total amount of rain the valley has received all year.”  Did you get that?  On one day it absolutely poured, and we were there.  We were not only just there, we were out in it.  Hey, just a little rain, let’s go somewhere!  Like shopping.  We discovered very quickly that we also forgot to pack an umbrella.  Being Northwest people, not a big deal.  Being in the American Southwest, a very big deal since they also don’t believe in rain gutters on their buildings.  Going in and out of stores, we were soaked as the waterfalls poured off the tile roofs.  Okay, enough of this we thought.  Let’s go back to the place where we were staying.  

When it rains this much in the desert, there really isn’t a lot of places for the water to go.  That’s why there are washout areas left vacant all over the place.  Before it reaches the washouts, it floods the streets, where we were driving.  In fact we had just gone down Ramon Road right before they closed it due to high water.  It also snowed in the upper elevations, and then at night, the rain stopped, and the wind started blowing.  That whistling, howling, blowing sound that you hear in scary movies about haunted houses.  I put in ear plugs and went to sleep.  

The next morning we woke up to sunshine, and snow on the mountains.  It was beautiful.  I resumed swimming for the rest of the vacation.  Read three books.  Lounged.  Rented movies since I had forgot the ones I was going to bring along, and drove around the Coachella Valley in an amazing rented luxury car pretending I could actually afford to live there.  I know, not very green, but boy, it was fun!  

I think vacations are about pretending.  Relaxing of course, but pretending is part of the experience for me.  Wherever we go, I always get those local real estate pamphlets and look longingly at the pretty pictures of modestly huge estates (there is such a thing as too big…really)  and pretend I’ve just won the lottery.  I have a very fertile imagination.  Not very original I know, but fertile.  I also buy them mentally for friends and family.  My fantasies are generous.  Isn’t that what drives us to buy the dollar ticket on the way out of the grocery store, or to the casino?  The idea that it could happen.  My dad says that the fantasy is worth the dollar a week.  Investment companies tell you that the $52 per year invested and compounded would help when you’re old and don’t give a crap about going on vacation anymore.  Thank you Suze Orman.  Go bust someone else’s bubble.  

So, we’re back now and missed the record cold here in the Portland area.  For that I’m very grateful.  And the rain is back, which is par for the course.

When I was a little girl, yes, I played with Barbie dolls.  I not only had the Barbie with 3 wigs, but also her “best friend” Midge, little sister Skipper, even younger sister…I forget her name, and the dutiful boyfriend Ken (who went bald quickly with that glued-on fuzz they put on the first dolls…so I used a permanent marker to give him hair again…just like hair club for men).  

My Dad was so cool. He built furniture for my little Barbie family using nothing but his own imagination and tools.  He was a building contractor, so working with wood was a hobby for him until the very end of his life.   Since I didn’t have the Mattel version of the Barbie house, my Dad made room dividers that I could set up all over the floor of our living room, or out on the deck when the weather was good and sometimes this would become a sprawling Texas-style one-floor mansion.  If you’ve been to Texas, you know what I’m talking about.  The spread would be especially large when my friends would come over and bring their dolls. 

My best friend Gay Marie would come over and bring her Barbie and Ken.  This was all well and good with our mothers until we got busted for having our little plastic couples make out.  Ah yes, that was near the end of our Barbie days when REAL boys entered our minds.  Also, Gay Marie, being the oldest child, had little sisters and a brother that lived to torture her, so her Barbie would be missing chunks of hair, or having wardrobe malfunctions, and I think even one time she was missing her head.  Poor Anne Boleyn Barbie.  If I recall, she also had a Ringo Beatles figurine that met some untimely end because of siblings.  I think she has forgiven them for that.  Maybe not.  You know how it goes with siblings. 

I remember the very last time I played with the whole Barbie set-up.  I was all alone on a weekend hanging out with the family.  Being raised an only child there were no siblings to torture me that weekend.  I had occasional foster brothers and sisters from time to time, and eventually hooked up again with my birth family, but that’s another story and a book that I’ll have to write later.  So, while being alone, I thought about the dolls all packed away and how I hadn’t played with them in quite a while.  I think I was about 10 at the time.  It made me sad.  I was one of those children who never should have read “The Velveteen Rabbit,” so I drug out the boxes of furniture, room dividers, clothing that my mom had sewn (I may have managed an apron or something very basic…it was another world, ladies) or my aunt had crocheted, or I had saved up chore money to buy, and made an afternoon of it.  It made my Dad so happy he took a picture of me.  I think he knew it would be the last time this would happen.  Mom even made me lunch and brought it to me so I could keep playing in this little Barbie world for the afternoon.  Did I mention that I had the best parents in the entire universe? 

I did drag out the dolls and clothing one time with a neighbor’s daughter and she deemed them “retro Barbie.”   This is the little neighbor girl who embraced goth in a big way and was probably much happier when I gave her the Black Sabbath box set years later, but it was fun playing with her that afternoon.

I have a son, brothers, a Godson, nephews, but not a girl to be seen born into this family.  Apparently I killed that chromosome when I was born. Girls have to marry into this world of mine.  Good luck to all of you who tread here.  The path is fertile, but male.  Imagine how much I would love to pass along this love of little plastic figures with cone boobs, unruly hair, and all this damned antique hand made furniture.  Especially now that there’s going to be a Joan Jett doll. 

Mattel, the maker and distributor of Barbie dolls worldwide, has announced a “Ladies of the 80’s” line of the doll.  Joan Jett leads the way.  Little girls will now be giving the voice of “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” a wardrobe change, and launching her into great adventures I’m sure.  Also making the grade are Blondie’s Debbie Harry who is an outstanding pick for her moxy, hair, and style, and Cyndi Lauper.  She will be the one who comes with Wrestlemania accessories.  Remember when she was into the whole wrestling thing?  What was that about? 

The dolls retail for $35 each.   I wonder if they will ever have one for Pat Benatar?  She was definately a lady of the 80’s.  Plus she had that great haircut and headband.  How about the Wilson sisters of Heart?  That’s a must in my book.  Can’t you just see them in those outfits on the cover of “Little Queen” and then outfits to buy for the less chaiste look and bigger hair from the “Heart” album from 1985?  There’s advance sales and marketing right there my friends!

Chrissie Hynde would be perfect!  She could kick all the other doll’s butts, throw her guitar down and stalk off the stage.  Plus she could have the most amazing amount of boots to collect!  And guitars…and accessories like microphones and amps!

Ah, little girls and their dolls.  It really doesn’t end does it?  A bit different, but still really fun.  I guess I could sell all that “retro” Barbie stuff and donate it to a charity.  Then it’s all for a good cause.  If I can only find it up in that crazy unorganized attic of ours.

Rock on sweet children!

One of the things I look forward to in the morning is reading my “Classic Rock Daily” for the little stories about what my favorite artists are doing.  Today was a real treat because when I read that Rob Halford, lead singer for Judas Priest, was doing a Christmas album, I about fell over!  It’s going to be called “Halford Three-Winter Songs” and is due out just in time for the shopping season to begin.  He’s doing versions of “Come All Ye Faithful” and “Oh Holy Night” as well as some new songs.  There’s one called “Get Into the Spirit” which I can’t wait to hear.  Seriously, I want him to be in a black leather Santa suit with a full on red leather Santa hat with a white fluffy ball at the tip on the cover of the album!   Halford has some of the strongest pipes in hard rock, and I just know this will be a treat for us who want a rockin’ holiday! 

First Dylan, now Halford.  I’m loving this holiday season already.  I’d settle for a holiday reworking of “Grinder.”  This will be anything but a “blue” Christmas!

The strangest thing happened when I was flying to Mexico a couple of years ago.  Always asking for an aisle seat, I caught something out of the corner of  my eye walking past me, and when I looked up, it was a black and white cat just strolling along.  It was one of those surreal moments where I questioned my sanity, and no…I had not been drinking tequila…yet.  But there it was with that feline tail held high walking like he owned the plane.  I mentioned to the attendant that I think I saw a cat go by and a woman several rows ahead of me stood up and said “That’s my cat!”  Kitty had obviously had enough of the little carrier under the seat and liberated itself.  My cats would have been darting around like feral barn cats, but this guy was so calm.  I asked the owner why she was traveling with a cat, and as it turns out she was moving there. 

 My Mother never understood that cats weren’t supposed to like riding in the car, so we always traveled with our cats on 3 day trips to Louisiana.  She even had them leash trained for potty breaks, and they would hop in the car for various around town errands.  She vacuumed them too to keep the shedding down.  Mom was such a hoot.  I miss her daily.

Check out the fundraiser that’s going on for the Cat Adoption Team.  They do great work and it’s hard for me to resist adopting more than the two I already have.

Anyway, I bring you this link about a cat who travels on the bus in England, alone, and on a regular basis.  Click here for the story.

My friend Dylan sent me the link to a website that gives you the ability to play around with David Lee Roth’s screams and phrases from Running with the Devil.  Watch it, because it is addicting.  Pick a phrase in the box, and click to hear it.  Pretty funny.  Click here to go to the site.

Funny stuff.  My friend Sleepy John, who used to work overnights at KGON, sent me the link.  Click here and have a giggle.  Oh, and Ray Manzarek plays on the track!

There is solid evidence that gum chewing brings big benefits in dental health and acid reflux disease. Might even help your thought process and help you to lose weight.

The American Dental Association says on its Web site that “chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay” and recommends looking for gum with its ADA-approved seal. The saliva produced in the mouth by the physical act of chewing can wash away acids and bacteria, thereby protecting teeth.
Besides beating tooth decay, independent research finds that gum can aid in reducing the symptoms of acid reflux disease. The saliva flow can lead to an antacid effect in the stomach.

There is also early evidence that gum chewing increases blood flow to the brain and the head by up to 25 percent, but no one can explain what impact that blood flow may have on cognition.

As for dieting, one study from the Mayo Clinic finds that the body burns 11 calories an hour through working the jaw. “Overall gum chewing is more beneficial than it is harmful,” says Dr. Michael Benninger, chairman of the Head and Neck Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

Medical experts agree that gum chewing may be a tool, as people struggle to chip away at the obesity problem.
According to the American Dietetic Association, “If you chew two sticks of gum at 20 calories instead of eating one to two chocolate chip cookies at 140 calories, you can save 120 calories.”

As for the notion that gum can stay in your stomach for years if swallowed, experts said that’s a myth. Gum is passed through the body and not digested.

Laziness has taken a giant leap forward. Two Dutch companies have put their heads together to come  up with a gas pump that fills your tank while you sit comforably in your car, filing your nails or gabbing on your cell phone. “TankPitstop” is a robotic gas pump that recognizes your car’s make and model and chooses  the most appropriate fuel for your wheels. Then it dispenses the gas right into your tank and you don’t have to touch a thing…it also debits your bank account to pay the bill.

How about creating more jobs and hire “people” to pump gas like right here in Oregon and New Jersey, the only states to have such a service.

It’s a will know fact that animals, cats in particular, can perceive things we humans can’t. Some, maybe your own cat, have extra-sensory perception. although it can be difficult toknow what your cat is truly thinking, with practice, you can learn if she has psychic gifts by paying close attention to  her behavior. Here’s how:

If your kitty climbs onto your chest and stares into your eyes when you’re lying down or reclining in a chair,  she’s looking deeply into your soul. If she blinks often, it means she sees your inner turmoil or an important decision you have yet to make.

If your cat runs and hides before a thunderstorm erupts, she senses  electricity in nature. Cats who have developed this ability to its highest level are often able to warn of emotionally tense situations before they happen.

If your cat suddenly leaps into the air and tears  around the house, she’s sensing “energy” from the universe. This can often be a good sign for luck, creativity or beginning a new business venture.

If your cat stares and purrs at an empty space, she senses the spirit of a dead person. This is often a sign that someone from the “other side” wishes to communicate with you, or has some unfinished business in the area where the ghost is most often seen.

If your cat suddenly switches affections between owners – if she used to be  a “daddy’s girl” and is now a “mommy’s girl”,
for example – she’s sensing a profound change in her new object of attention, either physical, mental or emotional. If you’re unaware of any changes, talk to your partner. You might be suprised at what you discover.

If you’re not a cat person and think this is all a crock of s… you could be right too.  No one has ever really got feedback  from one. Stupid cat!