East Coast Traumatized

From my West Coast perspective it would seem New York is a bramble bush of bad karma. This time it radiated to surrounding areas and devastation that was painful to watch. This last decade was filled with pain and it has left its mark among us.

This was not an act of God. Who started that phrase? Do you know it is voiced in legal circles? What God would forge this upon its own? No God I would call Creator of all the heavens. We have birthed a conglomeration of gods here among our living. They play with science and switches and weaponry and the like. They fight among themselves singing a repetitious karaoke of global warming, yet what truth exists about our poles lies hidden in a nest of cavernous distortions. Our storms are getting bigger and more monstrous. Our floodings more treacherous. Our rebuilding much slower or not at all. Detroit stands as a monument to negligence and apathy. New Orleans stands as a cruel cruel joke with dismissiveness to have not corrected the waterways until it was too late; to even think to build upon a sea coast without armor or elevation. We all gloried in the idea that water next to residences was quaint and lovely. Yet, no one is prepared for the ghoulish activities that crush hopes and architecture. Where is the planning? Have we not learned from the countless hurricanes in Florida?

Now we face homeless and jobless individuals that may not be able to restore. Money will go to the most important areas of commerce. People cannot sustain a ray of hope for very long because the climatic change never stops. The parts of our nation that still weep over towns that were wiped out from tornadoes ( who talks about that anymore?), the damage from any kind of flooding that brings diseased sea creatures and mold to structures, weaking any kind of infrastructure for all time. All the mini Fukushima's. Will there be enough of a loan from banks to these people to rebuild? How many nuclear reactor's were in the path of this storm? Well, 14 plants were put on alert when Hurricane Irene blew through last August.

Funds? They found that 25% of the funding to Fukushima was spent on unrelated projects. This kind of greed and mismanagement and betrayal continues to exist whereever there is disastrous need. I fear for these folks. I fear for all citizens who believe they are safe. No one is safe and yet, we present a pose of being the umbrella for all those who come and want to be safe. The storm is not over. It is just the calm before the storm for us on the West wing of this country. We are not that naive to think only the midwest, the northeast, the south are the only victims of climatic change.



Underwater, fallen trees, piers demolished, boardwalks in pieces, no gasoline, shelters for homeless, unlivable homes, businesses destroyed, searching for food in a store with a flashlight, transportation either under a river of water or completely gone, fires from hot wires, cars stuck in sand, roads buckled from the force of a wave and undrivable. Debris and stagnant water with creeping disease, below freezing temperatures and more storms on the way.

My cousin Joe is in Syracuse and was free from the rage. My Uncle Mario only had clean up on his front lawn. Our family is safe.

We pray for these citizens who are only victims

of an unworthy assault.

Bragging about my Nieces and Nephews

 Johanah, my brother Phil's child, has matured into a beauty in her 20's. She is here very happy indeed with her boyfriend.

My nephew Joey, my brother Frank's child, and newly aquired niece Katie, just married. Joey is enrolled in Vanderbuilt in Tennessee on a scholarship to study Theology and teach. His goal is PhD.

My nephew Dean, my sister Cathy's second son, is on the soccer field at Chapman University, studying under a soccer scholarship. Dean is adored by all.

My Goddaughter, Nika, my sister Donna's child, is our angel. She is now enrolled in junior year high school at Dana Hills in Dana Point and is currently in chamber choir, always aspiring in musical productions on stage and preparing her mind for pre-med.

Cousin Johanah joins our other angel in this picture, Gina, my sister Cathy's girl. Gina has accomplished nerve wracking jaunts on the open sea with crew in Newport Beach and after those years enrolled in San Diego State University as a coxsain on the crew team with partial scholarship. Gina misses us all and we send cyber hugs.

There are the boys. Marc and Dean, sister Cathy's sons. Mark is working in the field of commercial real estate and still very much a part of our family gatherings. Dean is enrolled in Chapman University.

Jenna and Lea in background, my sister Mary Ellen's girls. Jenna is a creator of the most interesting and eye popping photography. Lea is a working girl, and an expert in organizing catering. Cathy my sis in the foreground.

My nephew Matt, my sister Mary Ellen's son, has finished many years with LA City Hall, working as Deputy Chief of Staff for the LA mayor. Right now, he is campaigning for an LA City Council seat for District 13. Vote Matt in 2013!
http://www.voteszabo.com/

Christy (married to Tim) is my brother Frank's girl, now is pregnant with twins!



Katie (married to Drew) ( bro Frank's daughter) who recently married is living in Tennessee.

Let's just add one more. My kid. Jason will turn 37 this November( lives with longtime GF Appelusa) and in the throes of juggling independent photoshoots, small film gigs and screenwriting. His creativity is mind boggling. http://www.nooring.com/NOORING_PRODUCTIONS.html

Not Finished with Summer Yet

I remember living back East when September became my favorite time of the year, moving into the autumn months, colorful falling leaves, cool breezes, cold nights and an imminent smell of snow in the air. Since I have become a Californian all that is a past life. I need to rely on memory which is fading fast, however I try to upload autumn scenes from webshots so I can reminisce while staring at a computer desktop.

I have a new blog co-authored with Larry and we focus on health and nutrition and all the icky poisons we need to be aware of so we can live a few years longer.
http://nutritioncognition.blogspot.com and I welcome followers and comments.
Check us out.

In the meantime we are awaiting some kind of clue that autumn is here, really here and not on a wall calendar. We have endured countless heat wave days both in Orange County and LA County and no relief even at the edge of a bluff overlooking the ocean. The sea looks bleak, grey and moisty skies, humidity fills our pores. It causes all of us to wonder what in the world is going on?

AUGUST 2012

It's time for goodbyes and sayanara's to family members who are venturing into unknown territory. The list seems to be getting longer.

We celebrated our precious Joey and Katie's wedding and now they are moved lock stock and barrel to Nashville Tennessee. Joey will begin the School of Theology at Vanderbuilt and Katie will do what Katie always does, a million things ontop of work in her communications career.

Next we have Gina, our niece who is turning a grown up 18 this month and ready to move to the dorms at San Diego State where she will learn and grow and make tons of friends. Her energy will be shared with the Crew on the waters of Mission Bay and beyond as Coxswain. In case you do not know what a coxswain is, they sit at the stern of the boat, facing the bow, and in charge of navigation and steering , coordinating power and rhythm of the rowers. They are called the Master of the Vessel!

Nika, our soon to be 16 yr old niece, will enter Junior year in a new high school and spread her charm and wit and academic foresight across campus, while she is singing and performing in their choir/theater.

Katie and her groom, Andrew will wed on Sept 8th and venture into a marriage born out of love and anticipation. More news on that to follow.

Our nephew Matthew ( Matt to the public world) ends his reign as the right hand man of LA Mayor Villaraigosa as deputy chief of staff and begins a whole new adventure campaigning for the 12th seat as LA Councilman.

Summer is Here!

Its about time! We have been through May Gray, June Gloom and now its July! Finally the air is warming up and the whitecaps are showing up as the cool wind blows the surface. Everybody is out and about near the sea. Its like this. Even though you are strained from work, stressed from the many plates you are juggling, a walk on the beach cools your heels and refreshes your tired mind. I was worn down from all that and still, had the get up and go to feel the breeze and smell the ocean. I love watching the surfers and the kiddies jumping against the waves, the babies diddling with their buckets in the sand. What I did learn is to choose a day during the week and not the weekend when the crowds are full. We were so desert and valley bound for most of our married years that this enticement to just leave your worries behind and drive three minutes to the closest beach fills you up. Its like gas in the car, food in the oven, water down a thirsty mouth. We are mostly made up of water and so is our globe, so doesn't just seem right for most of us to find a place to live near water? Sure, there are some mountain goats and desert rats who would disagree but there is plenty of land, used and unused that calls us to shore. Camp out, eat out, live near the ocean. It will change your mood and your life.

Spring coming closer

I always wanted to live in a beach town ever since my family took us kids to Asbury Park NJ for a summer bungalow vacation. I realized then, that air is different, people are free loving, and the coverlet of any kind of anxiety is gone. I've since observed people who live near the beach during my life. They are not ornery, they smile alot, they breathe deeper and are inspired to walk. Check. Check. Check. It has been through a cycle of 9 months, summer, fall, winter and now spring and everything has changed within the cells of my body. I can see the horizon of water from my patio. I walk to the summit of my community to look down at the canyons that cuddle the ocean view. I drive 3 minutes to any beachfront and walk the paths along with people of all ages, dogs included. I see and feel how water changes the personality, the breathing, the way one socializes with another whether it is a family, a group of hispanic boys eating their burritos, a clan of surfers in wet suits invigorated by the thrash of waves, joggers, the aged tapping their canes, mothers meeting girlfriends while their babies are pushed along on wheels, the strong and the weak, the small and the hefty, all make the effort to move their bodies, strengthen their minds by staring at the horizon. We see the white caps on a windy day, a blistering cold morning, a tempest of chill while the sun sets or rises and we are reborn.

Since we are reminded about the energy and vitality of water in our life, I believe the ocean even a lake or river, changes our beliefs, thus our biochemistry. This will be my first Easter I spend in my beach town and I am filled.

Christmas come and gone

It may seem like all we do is party but hey, we had a few events over the last months. Family gathered and we had to take pictures. Christmas just made it into my sis Cathy's newly remodeled kitchen this year. The contractors still had to put the final touches on it but no matter. The new granite island still handled the groaning load of food. I might point out the new range, and the first in our family to have such a food network extravaganza with the full on heavy gliding racks and double oven that still did not work and the six burners with the griddle on top. Very cool. We kept up with the drippings and clean up because it was so new and shiny. Lotsa food and no where to put it in our bodies.

Cathy and Mike stood up to the test after entertaining out of town family, guests and taking care of Marc's graduation from UCLA. Two days later, they flew to Hawaii for a family vacation.

Our gathering was smooth, free of stress and filled with happy moments, crazy gifts and sweet dessert. To our health and now a Happy 2012!