Home Sweet Home

The Ten S clan is finally home again. We visited several interesting places, saw good friends again and gave Californians a good reason to grow more grapes due to the sizable dent we put in our friend's wine cellar. I did not forget how good the wine is out there and our friends live in Amador county, an up and coming wine region. I can tell you that this region seems to specialize in Barbera and Pinot Noir, my two favorite varietals. Enough about the wine.

First stop on the tour was Monterey. The above picture was taken in front of a tank of jellyfish. Bink loves jellyfish. We all loved the aquarium and personally, I was way more interested in the otters hanging out in the ocean than the ones in the tank. My family is scourged with phobias, so I was unable to go out on the boat to do some whale watching. Maybe next time. I think the theme of this vacation was Phobomania. Between the lot of us we know now that collectively we have phobias of the following:

Airplanes
Bridges
Caves
Spiders
Boats
Height

We are a twitchy bunch. We still managed to have a great time. It was just a little extra interesting at times. Guess which item on that list is mine.

We then took a tour of San Francisco, where Mr. Ten S delighted in making the kids squeal as he drove up the steepest street he coud find and then let the car roll backward just a little bit. We went to the beach and had a lovely lunch at The Cliff House. They recently restored The Cliff House which was good and bad. It now is back to one of its original footprints, which is cool, but the National Park ranger station is gone and so is the arcade of old games from days gone by. In its place is a kind of upscale restaurant, nice, but not the same. You can still watch the birds and the seals, but it has lost some of its pedestrian charm.

From there we went up to Jackson. Our friends Glenn and Sandra live there. Jackson is up in the foothills, in old mining country. The downtown area looks like an old Western town with the saloon down at the end of the street. Their house is up on the side of a hill and overlooks a beautiful valley. I enjoyed this part of the vacation most. We relaxed and played cards and drank REALLY good wine. I'm happy to say that after one night of gaming, Mr. Ten S and I were up four dollars.


Next it was on to the home of our friends Stuart and Loretta and their kids in Stockton. Stuart was the pastor of the church we attended when we lived out there. He is originally from Austalia and at one point was a race car driver. He is an anomaly. His first question for us was, "Have you ever had a passionfruit martini?" They cooked traditional Australian food for us one night and we drank, ate and talked until the wee hours. The kids all hung out and reestablished their friendships.

In the end, this trip was less about the place and more about the people. While I certainly enjoyed revisiting old favorite hangs, I enjoyed catching up with old friends more. You could have put me in a paneled basement with these people and we would have had just as much fun. I also realized that moving back to Chicago was the best thing that ever happened to me. I love where I live and I love my life here. I guess the image I have in my mind is of an empty cicada shell. Our life used to be there, but it's somewhere else now.

Presented Without Comment...

Courtesy of Nerve's Scanner blog...

It's Not Like We Didn't Warn The Boy...

I distinctly remember saying: "I really don't think it'll go down..."

Dear Faithful Readers,

When I said I wanted you all to rock 'n' roll....well, let's just say this wasn't what we had in mind. Always practice safe sex!

Truly Yours,

The Management

Tenacious Terms, Vol I

I really don't know when exactly Tenacious S decided to abandon her GEWish roots, but I think it was somewhere around the time she decided to become an *academic*. I know academics. Some of my *best* friends are academics. I've seen what can happen when people decide to get smarter-er...

I do, however, applaud Tenacious S in her academic pursuits. I just wish she had more time to post her feelings on GEW-ology. I wish she would take her studies a little less seriously and her rock'n'roll a little more seriously.

That's why I am promoting a new concept based on old school ideas. When I was in college, I drank liberally, inhaled robustly, and studied as little as possible. I graduated and found success in my life. If it worked for me, it can work for you too! It's Dianetics for GEWs and we call it: *Slackademics*!

Study a little - you know? Just enough to be able to converse at the most superficial level on those topics that will have your friends and family thinking you're a genius! It only takes a few minutes a day, but the reward of snookering those around you and getting a high paying job in the future for those miniscule efforts is enormous.

Don't wait! Act now! Study *Slackademics* and you too will reach your full - albeit limited - potential!

And Now A Message From The Schrute

Dear Readers of Slum-acious S,

I have taken over this blog due to the inability of one *Tenacious S* to fulfill her duties in providing welcome packages to new GEWs (Dig through the Unofficial if you need more info). Consequently, this blog will now be dedicated all things *Schrutey*.

Please take this time to look through your worthless souls and realize the many times you have improperly employed a verb tense or the many times in grade school you incorrectly defined the pluperfect. Am I clear? That will do.

Tenacious S will be allowed to return only after she has returned to fulfilling her duties to our GEWish faith.

Yours In Battle,

Dwight K. Schrute
Assistant to the Regional Manager

Smelly Unwashed Hippies

We're heading to San Francisco today. Hippies, hipsters, and a fabulous cast of thousands. See you when we get back!

A Very Good Day for the Ten S Clan

Today my father got remarried. This is a very good thing. His new wife is a lovely woman. After such a painful recent past with the loss of my mom, it was good to go to a happy family celebration. They were both desperately lonely after losing their respective spouses and finding each other has been very healing for both of them. I met my new step-family today and they were all very nice and just as happy as we were to be celebrating.


To cap off a great day, we stopped by Harms Woods on the way home so that Bink could get to view the cicadas. There are none by our house, but the woods are full of them. After being all buttoned up at the wedding, he appreciated the chance to frolic and play with his beloved bugs for awhile. We all arrived home a little lighter, a little happier I think.

What Do I Need?

Because I can't seem to resist a meme, I pinched this one from Lulu and discovered just how fun it was. As instructed, I googled my name and the word "needs." Oh my! I think I have some issues.

1. Sharon needs to be told to stop shooting and start talking. (I am pretty good with a squirt gun)
2. Sharon needs a new word. (Maybe one that would adequately describe my state of sleep deprivation)
3. Sharon needs more time to work out a peace policy. (Bink and Sweetness are about to be *sprung* from school. I definitely need more time!)
4. Sharon needs therapy. (duh!)
5. Sharon needs understanding. (Maybe this is why I need therapy)
6. Sharon needs to create a new special unit to do the dirty work. (Yeah, baby! Have somebody else do all the crappy stuff.)
7. Sharon needs some more money. (Again, duh! Graduate school + home project=Killer Debt)
8. Sharon needs a friend. (With Lulu leaving soon, this couldn't be more true. Who will go to all the concerts with me?)
9. Sharon needs your gowns. (My life is so posh, I've run fresh out of gowns.)
10. Sharon needs to hear from people tonight. (On second thought, no. I'll be writing a paper.)

Well, that was fun and a lovely way to avoid my homework for a few minutes.

San Francisco Memories Vol. II

We were young when we lived in San Francisco. At least it seems that way now. The first year Mr. Ten S and I lived there, we lived in The Haight on Cole Street. Right in the thick of it. Hippies, gangsters, punks, and smelly hipsters of all sorts. One of our friends called it "The Human Zoo." Part of the Human Zoo was the drug scene. And I can't say that we were innocent by-standers. In fact, I blame my memory loss on the time I lived there. It was all too available and so much a part of the culture that we were amateurs compared to most.

One Friday night after work, Mr. Ten S, myself and a co-worker friend of mine were hanging out and, well, enjoying life. I can only say that you haven't fully experienced Nature's wonder until you've had some from Humboldt County in Northern California. This stuff was wicked. All natural and really potent. I had a healthy respect for the stuff after a bad incident where I mistook it for the cheap stuff and had a total paranoid freakout. This would be part of the reason why I'm done with it now.

Anyhow, we had been hanging out, talking and partaking all evening. I felt woogie, but fine. It came time for our friend to leave. We said our goodbyes and sent him out the door to walk home as he lived a few blocks from us. About a half an hour went by and someone was ringing our doorbell. We wondered who it could be at such a late hour. We opened the door and found our friend that we'd sent home. He looked a little stressed out, so we invited him back in. This is when he proceeded to tell us that he had tried to walk home, but had gotten lost and had been wandering around the neighborhood for the last half hour. He asked if he could stay for awhile until he could think straight.

I'm sorry brain cells. It all seemed like a good idea at the time.

Reading Fantasies

With a little more than a week left and not nearly enough time for everything that I need to do, I am having fantasies of vacation and more specifically, fantasies about having time to read something that is not a textbook or a scholarly journal article. When the pressure gets to be too much, I imagine myself on the airplane with Sweetness, taking off and cracking open a new book.

I mentioned this before, but I am completely serious when I say that I am looking for recommendations for a good vacation read. I am not a huge fan of chick lit, so you can throw that genre out. I love to laugh, out loud, when I read. I could use a good laugh. I am not afraid of non-fiction, and in fact seem to read more and more of it as I get older. Please recommend away.

I like to bring three or four books with me, as I am kind of fickle about what I like to read and when. I'm like most of you, as far as I can tell, in that I have several books going at the same time. I'll be bringing a couple of these alond with me, but I want to have at least two more. Our flights and hotels are booked, I'm wrapping up my quarter and I am dreaming of a good read.

The Official Seal of Tenacious S

I think I want a t-shirt. Is that wrong?

The Boys in the Bands Vol. IV

THE CHURCH-Tantalized

I woke up this morning with a burning passion to hear the song "Tantalized." It then occurred to me that I had kind of dropped this lovely feature on my blog and that maybe it might be time to pick it back up again. Which brings us to boy number four, Steve Kilbey of The Church.

The Church hail from Australia and in the early and mid-80's they ranked right up there with Bauhaus and its derivatives as one of my favorite bands. A little more dreamy and poetic, I suppose I would almost classify them with the bands in the New Paisley Underground scene, which I guess is not so new anymore.

Steve Kilbey is the lead singer, bassist and also is responsible for much of the writing, especially the lyrics. Yeah, maybe this band could be a little sentimental at times, but I always thought they were a bit more poetic or romantic than most bands. Most people only know of them from their commercial breakthrough album from 1988, Starfish, containing their most popular song, "Under the Milky Way." However, this was seven albums into their career. I, on the other hand, am clearly a huge fan of some of their earlier work. Originally only released in Australia as Of Skins and Hearts, in 1982 their debut was re-released as a self-titled album. This is the album that contains one of my favorite songs of theirs, "Unguarded Moment." Another of my favorites was "Almost With You" from The Blurred Crusade, also released in 1982. There was an air of vulnerability in Kilbey's lyrics, which is what I think drew me to them. I still get just a little dreamy thinking about them.

They're still around, but seem to get little airplay for their new stuff, and I have to admit, I'm guilty for leaving them. Maybe reality caught up with me and buried the dreamer inside.



THE CHURCH-Unguarded Moment

San Francisco Memories Vol. I

Back when we lived in the Bay Area, our nephew used to come out and stay with us for a couple of weeks each summer. We always enjoyed the opportunity to take him to all the local attractions. One year, we decided to head to the San Francisco Zoo. We saw lots of different animals, but the only one on that trip I remember viewing is the tapir. Now keep in mind that our nephew was about 7 at the time. We're standing in front of the tapir enclosure and our nephew pipes up loudly and says, "Hey, look! I didn't know they had five legs!" I wasn't really paying much attention to the male tapir, but sure enough, 1, 2, 3, 4...Holy Fucking Shit! That ain't no leg! We quickly redirected our nephew's attention to the giraffes next door. I looked back, feeling REALLY sorry for the poor little female in the pen.

Things I'm Going to Do in Two Weeks

1. Get on an airplane and fly far away-It's vacation time! We're going to San Francisco for a visit to our old hometown and our friends that we left behind.
2. Burn books-I'd like to, but given how much I spent on them, I'll probably keep them.
3. Sleep until noon-Granted that I haven't been able to do this in years, I figure there's a better chance to do this on vacation than any other time of the year.
4. Farm out the animals-We have three pets that require daily care, Ed the cat, Mandy the guinea pig, and Grottle the tortoise. I love them all dearly, but I will happily give up their care for a couple of weeks while we're gone.
5. Take a walk on the beach-Half Moon Bay is one of my favorite beaches. I'm looking forward to going for a long walk there when we are on vacation. This is one of my favorite things to do on this earth. We usually follow it up with a seafood dinner at a little dive in Half Moon Bay. Either that, or we'll continue down Skyline and eat at Alice's restaurant in the middle of some huge redwoods.
6. Get overserved three or four nights in a row-We'll be spending a few days with our friends Glenn and Sandra. We used to rent our house from them, but they have become like family to us and quite frankly, are way more fun. Glenn usually opens the bar up at 4:30 or 5:00 and because they live near Napa and Sonoma, there's always tons of fabulous wine around. We all drink until we're silly and play card games. I love it.

7. Listen to loud music-Didn't think I'd have a vacation without at least one show planned? The first night we are in SF, The Methadones will be playing there on tour. They'll be at Bottom of the Hill, one of my favorite clubs there.
8. Read a book or two cover to cover-I've got several books waiting for me to crack them open. With all my school work there hasn't been enough time to read something fun. I started Kavalier and Clay awhile ago, but put it down because class started again. I'm dying to finish it. Anyone have any suggestions for a funny book? Here's a hint, I love Chuck Klosterman and Augusten Burroughs. I love books that make me laugh out loud.
9. Buy some new CD's-Amoeba music is just around the corner from where Sweetness and I will be staying in SF. I never have time to go through the bins like I used to. I plan on spending at least an hour in the store if not more.

10. Spend some quality time with my daughter-Sweetness and I are flying out two days ahead of the boys. We're staying at the Stanyan Park Hotel, which is right next to Golden Gate Park and near where I used to live in The Haight. Two years ago we spent a long weekend in New York and it was the best time and money I've ever spent. Life is so fast and furious that I feel like we all disconnect sometimes, so this our chance to spend time together with all of life's pressures removed. Even if she wasn't my daughter, I would want to know her. She's a smart, interesting, and funny person. I can't wait to spend time with her.

Who Said It Had to be Fair?

Have you ever had that feeling of righteous indignation? I get it all of the time. Got it right now as a matter of fact! How dare my professor assign a paper to be due over Memorial Day weekend! That ain't right. I am slightly cheered by the fact that I think I'm writing an "A" paper, but this cheer is offset by my feeling of irritation and anger at having to do this on a beautiful sunny day when the rest of America is barbequing and making merry. I'm not making merry. I'm writing a case study.

Overachiever

OK, so there's this semi-meme going around about picking five songs from the year you turned 18. Five? Really? Just five? Why stop there? Here's 75 from 1983 and my thoughts about all of them. This is why you love me.

1. It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls-Didn't fully appreciate this gem until 1984 when I went to my first gay bar.
2. Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners-This is Lulu and my theme song, sort of, well, we're nostalgiac when we hear it.
3. Flashdance (What A Feeling) - Irene Cara-Makes me wanna rip up some sweatshirts and take off my bra while I am still wearing said ripped up sweatshirt.
4. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson-Tigers and dancing. Oh my!
5. Wanna Be Starting Something - Michael Jackson-Pre-nose job. Remember when he was almost normal? What happened in that oxygen chamber?
6. Electric Avenue - Eddie Grant-Reggae for new wave fans.
7. Rock The Casbah - The Clash-Starter Clash for many, sell out Clash for some, still a pretty cool song.
8. Bang The Drum All Day - Todd Rundgren-I hate work. I like this song.
9. You and I - Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle-ick
10. Ain't Nobody - Rufus and Chaka Khan-Chaka can be cool, but not on this one.
11. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) - Journey-World's worst video ever, song isn't much better either.
12. Kiss The Bride - Elton John-Huh? Who sings this song?
13. Let's Go Dancin' (Ooh La, la, La) - Kool and the Gang-Not cool.
14. **1999** - Prince-Fucking awesome! Purple power1
15. I Melt With You - Modern English-And so does cheddar cheese.
16. Down Under - Men At Work-That guy should have seen someone about his strabismus.
17. Beat It - Michael Jackson-Still almost normal.
18. We've Got Tonight - Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton-I'm coughing up a hairball.
19. Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye-Heal me, baby. Great song and great tragedy.
20. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club-No, but I wanted to be as androgenous as he was.
21. Rock of Ages - Def Leppard-Only metal act of the '80's that I might admit to liking just a little.
22. (She's) Sexy and 17 - Stray Cats-Why did I think they were British? Commercial, but cool.
23. Candy Girl - New Edition-Too bubblegum for an 18 year old.
24. Little Red Corvette - Prince-Sang this loudly in line at Great America.
25. New Year's Day - U2-Remember when U2 was good? Remember when they were interesting?
26. Tonight I Celebrate My Love - Peabro Bryson & Roberta Flack-I'm not a slow dancing kind of girl.
27. Photograph - Def Leppard-Ditto previous comment.
28. Faithfully - Journey-Lame, lame, lame.
29. True - Spandau Ballet-Fancy, but I kind of liked it.
30. Inside Love (So Personal) - George Benson-Huh?
31. All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Ritchie-Oh God, no!!!!!! I hate this song with a passion that burns like 10,000 suns. Apparently, the crappy radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan used to play this song at the same time every day, because it used to wake me up for weeks, launching me into one foul mood for the first several hours of the day.
32. Pass The Dutchie - Musical Youth-Hee, hee. What the heck are they talking about?
33. Safety Dance - Men Without Hats-Odd, but fun. No offense to our Canadian friends, but you all are weird.
34. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top-Rock you can boogie to. If you like that kind of shit.
35. Boogie Down - Al Jarreau-It's almost smooth jazz.
36. Our House - Madness-This song gives me happy feet.
37. Mr. Roboto - Styx-This song reminds me of Advanced Chemistry and my prom date. I'm not sure why.
38. White Wedding - Billy Idol-I was young, he seemed naughty. I liked it.
39. I'll Tumble 4 Ya - Culture Club-Again, such cool clothes. I didn't like boy George. I just wanted his clothes. Well, I liked him a little.
40. Making Love Out Of Nothing At All - Air Supply-Double hairball.
41. Mornin' - Al Jarreau-OK, dude has a good voice, but again with the smooth jazz.
42. Rockit - Herbie Hancock-Pretty damn cool for jazz dude.
43. Tell Her About It - Billy Joel-Last I checked, it wasn't the '50's.
44. Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler-Overblown operatic bullcrap.
45. The Look Of Love - ABC-Slick appealing Eurotrash. Mmmmm.
46. Shock The Monkey - Peter Gabriel-I'd like to shock the monkey. I love this beyond words.
47. Let's Dance - David Bowie-Sell out to many, happy '80's memory for me. He could sing commercial jingles and I'd melt.
48. Just Be Good To Me - S.O.S. Band-Not my groove.
49. Every Breath You Take - Police-CP's favorite song. True fact. I had this on a tape in my Walkman and would play it EVERY morning when I first woke up. Really.
50. Rio - Duran Duran-Pretty boys, must listen.
51. I Like It - DeBarge-Sicko in this band messed with one of my friends. True fact.
52. Freak-A-Zoid - Midnight Star-OK, I don't think I've ever heard this.
53. Bad Boys - Wham! U.K.-Oh George, I was young and I loved you.
54. She Works Hard For The Money - Donna Summer-Chicks rule. Song's pretty cool too.
55. Gimme All Your Lovin' - ZZ Top-Boys with beards find schtick that sells lots of albums. Lucky break for ugly dudes.
56. Just Got Lucky - JoBoxers-There's good Brit Pop and bad Brit Pop. I don't like this, so I'm calling it bad.
57. Uptown Girl - Billy Joel-Why?
58. Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats-Cool, daddy-o.
59. She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby-This is one of the songs that will forever remind me of senior year in high school. Kind of goofy tune, but I think it captures everything that is cool about "New Wave."
60 Cum On Feel The Noize - Quiet Riot-Not quite my cup of tea, but at least it was loud.
61. Maniac - Michael Sembello-Yikes. Crazy bad.
62. Puttin' On The Ritz - Taco-Cliche' piece of garbage.
63. The Monkey Time - The Tubes-Cool as hell band. Where'd they go?
64. Love My Way - Psychedelic Furs-This is when I started to turn. I heard this and it felt like the inside of my head.
65. Change - Tears For Fears-You know, they were a pretty decent band.
66. Radio Free Europe - R.E.M.-Perfection, and possibly the best song on this pathetic list.
67. Let Me Go - Heaven 17-I give it a 7. It had a good beat and I liked to dance to it.
68. Goodnight Saigon - Billy Joel-More? Why?
69. Reap The Wild Wind - Ultravox-I LOVE this band. They were cool and I really like synthesizers then.
70. Burning Down The House - Talking Heads-I thought they were weird and incredibly cool.
71. Too Shy - Kajagoogoo-OK, am I the only one who thinks that Limahl looked like some sort of bird?
72. Jeopardy - Greg Kihn Band-Remember when MTV only owned like 20 videos and this was one of them? It was a Kihnspiracy!
73. Holiday Road - Lindsey Buckingham-Huh? Not on my radar at all.
74. One Thing Leads To Another - the Fixx-Pretty cool. Saw them at Wrigley Field, but even hobbled at the knees, Ministry stole the show.
75. A Million Miles Away - The Plimsouls-Classic.

See? Wasn't that more fun than five? I tag...whoever. It's late and I need to go to bed.

If...

I've always been interested in tattoos. I've been stopped more than once from getting one in haste, and have always been glad I hadn't. I've thought of several different ideas for what I'd like, but have never been able to settle on any one thing that I felt I could carry through my life, that would remain unchanged to me in meaning and importance. Maybe because I'm getting older, I can see more clearly now what has meaning to me. I can tell you that it is not the lizard that I once wished I had tattooed on my body.

Lately, I've been thinking about this a lot more than usual. I think I feel like I'm approaching the "either I'm going to do this or not point" soon. As I've thought about my life, I've considered my values and what has stayed with me throughout my life. Sure I love music, but my tastes change. I love my work, but don't feel like literally wearing it on my sleeve. It's what I do, not who I am. The answer I kept coming back to time and time again is my faith. I identify myself as a Christian and I openly admit my belief as well as draw strength from it. It is the aspect of strength that I feel is most important to me. I don't see my faith as a sign of weakness in mind or body. I see it as the source that I pull my strength from, making me stronger in this life. Maybe this is the secret sauce behind the Tenacious in Tenacious S.



In Judaism,Rastafarianism and Christianity the symbol used for strength, power and wisdom of leadership is the lion. The Lion of Judah crosses boundaries in all three of these faiths to represent not only strength, but hope. Bathed in Messianic symbolism, the Lion of Judah represents the Messiah and His ultimate power to release us from our human bondage. To me, this is freedom and the hope of justice and peace. These are the values that are my foundation in life.

If I were to get a tattoo, I've decided that it would be the Lion of Judah. My strength in life, my hope of justice and peace.

It's Friday (BFD)

Woohoo! It's Friday! I've been doing homework all morning and will do more when I get back from work! Friday rocks! So, yeah, here's the Friday Random 10.

1.Managua-Naked Raygun
2.Fascination-Human League
3.No Myth-Michael Penn
4.When The Light's Go Down in the City-Journey
5.By You-Fugazi
6.Ex-Girlfriend-No Doubt
7.Show Me the Top-World Party
8.She Sells Sanctuary-The Cult
9.Since You're Gone-The Cars
10.Pickpocket Song-The Ponys



The list is as scrambled as my brains are right now.

I Fought the Law

This is what has been running through my brain a lot lately. Don't know what that means, but I'm passing the infection on. I am uncomfortable in my own skin these days and have this general sense of uneasiness going on. Change is coming. I can feel it.