My New Radio Ad for The Romance of Kilimanjaro

    I just love my publisher, Tate Publishing.  They just put together a great radio advertisement for my book!

Picnic ON La Jolla Cove

   On Sunday I decided that the day was way too beautiful to do anything but kayak.  Since I had a lot of time on my hands, I set off for La Jolla Cove for a leisurely paddle and picnic on my kayak.

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Prodigal Daughter Returns!

    

When I dropped my daughter, Sara, off to CalArts for her first time in college, it was the beginning of many heartbreaking years of estrangement. Tonight, after 2.5 years the estrangement ended. Nothing can hurt me now. I've got both my kids back!  My broken heart is healed!

Writing my books helped me stay connected to my precious Sara while I gave her time to work out whatever it was that made her unbearably angry with me. All I could do to have some connection to her was write about our life together.  I'd relive when she built her first snow cave all on her own, when we went for an evening walk on the beach during a storm and later waited for pizza delivery to our tent, when we stood in the once-in-a-lifetime salt lake in Death Valley together, when… 

All I had of my daughter were in my journals that I transposed into my books.  Thank God that I had them to carry me through this!  As I’d write or edit a passage about her, I’d break her rule about no communication and text her that I loved her, I’m so proud of her, and other kind words about her to her.  At Christmas I sent her a limited edition hardback of my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," in hopes that she would remember some of the great times that we had together.  I was bent on getting my daughter back!  Recently, I started praying that God surround both Drew and Sara with angels to keep Satan and his demons away from them.

Tonight I texted Sara after my phone call was forwarded to her mailbox, “Hi, could you please call me.  I would like to discuss your college.  I would appreciate it if you would make sure that my phone numbers are not on auto forward.  Thank you!” 

She called!  We talked and talked about her college strategy.  She explained how it would take three years to finish nursing school and then she had two more years to get her nurse anesthetist degree. 

“What year are you in college as far as credits?”

“A junior.”

“If you’re always on the Dean’s list, why don’t you graduate premed and go to medical school and become an anesthesiologist?  You’d finish in 2017 which is the same year you’d finish becoming a nurse anesthetist.  They only use anesthesiologists around here, not nurse anesthetists.”

“I’d really like to become a doctor.”

“Then do it.  We’ll find a way financially.  Your grandma died telling me how much she wanted to be a doctor.  Her parents could only send one child to medical school.  Even though she was a better student, they chose her older brother to become a doctor.  They told Grandma that she needed to raise a family.”

“If I can become a doctor, I’ll be able to take care of you.  I love you Mom.  I always have.  I will always make sure that you’re O.K.”

I was caught completely off guard and started crying.  “Sweetie, that is so touching!  Tears are coming to my eyes!  I love you, too!”

Then as a team, we went through the financial logistics about getting her through medical school.

Thank you God for reconciling my daughter and me!!!

Interstate-5 Highway Dangerously Eroded

    When I first started kayaking to loosen up the tightness under my arms from my mastectomies, I kayaked in safe Agua Hedionda Lagoon.  I thoroughly know that lagoon now.  Unfortunately, I've watched broken irrigation and drain pipes along the west side of Interstate-5 Highway dangerously erode the hillside closer and closer to the asphalt of the highway.
    Many years ago I contacted state and local officials about this issue with the pipes and erosion.  I never received a response nor saw any effort to repair this dire situation.  Who needs terrorists when the government doesn't have funding or the ability to do their basic job?
     For your own safety don't drive in the slow southbound lane of I-5 between Tamarack and Cannon at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon.  The situation is much worse now.  This is a video taken of the erosion on January 26th, 2012.

www.isoldeulrich.com

A Simple Poem

A Simple Poem

                                                                                     By Isolde Ulrich 

A simple question

Erupting a torrent of exchange,

A torrent of laughter,

A torrent of smiles. 

A simple dance

Leading to bridges of trust,

Bridges of intent,

Bridges of spirit. 

A simple kiss

Igniting tender discovery,

Tender tasting,

Tender burning. 

A simple race

Dominating transient time,

Transient connection,

Transient spirits. 

A simple walk

Revealing beauty about us,

Beauty above us,

Beauty between us. 

A simple mistake

Slashing at hearts bonding,

Hearts yearning,

Hearts trusting. 

A simple poem

Remembering passion’s nascence,

Passion’s flowering,

Passion’s pain.

Kayaking After Work

   Since I was finishing up the last day of my teaching assignment at CVA and was near the Agua Hedionda Lagoon, I decided to go for a paddle after work!  I was fortunate and got to see a lot of birds up close today.  The videos are of the giant egret, blue heron, cormorant with a pelican, and coots which are really goofy birds that are fun to watch!

Carlsbad Village Academy Closure

   Today I continued my multiple-day guest teaching assignment for a Carlsbad Village Academy (CVA) teacher on bereavement.  This is an alternative high school for students who are expelled for violence, drug dealing, academic nonperformance, etc.  Since I've taught there as a guest teacher occasionally for 5 years and many of the students are my former summer school math students, I was requested for this opening.
    The day started at Carlsbad High School in the new buildings in which I've never taught.  I was teaching ROP beginning computers in a pristine computer room.  The teacher for the class before me looked at me with wide eyes and said, "There are a lot of behavior problems in your class.  Most of these kids are heading to CVA.  They're worse than CVA students, too."  She tried to take roll for me as I went around and got students' attention for her.  She handed out their final, not telling me that the semester grades were already input---it was a dummy final.
    Once I got the class to myself, I continually walked around redirecting students. 

"Your teacher will not give you a good grade on the final if you insert a picture of surfer girls wearing G-strings.  Please take that off and chose a more school appropriate picture."

"The final is an individual activity.  You are acting like a codependent.  It is a kinder thing to let your friend solve his own problems." 

"I hope that you're a good talent scout.  Identical wrong answers are a dead giveaway that you're cheating!"

"The cut and paste letters might not go over well.  If your teacher is a stalking victim, you'll get a bad grade.  It's hard to read, too."

"Stop biting the computer screen.  That's disgusting."

"If you're going to use your own poem, you need to make the words socially acceptable."  The student changed bitches to beaches, for example.

"Let's not, and say we did."

    Fortunately, my classes were at CVA the rest of the day.  Two of my former summer school students are about to graduate.  One told me yesterday that he was trying really hard not to give up, but he works at a grocery store and kids with college degrees are working right next to him.  He didn't see the point in going into debt with college loans, if he wasn't going to be able to get a job.  I told him that I could see his point.  I had $45,000 of student loans to become a math teacher and never got a long term contracted teaching job.  Substitute teaching and selling my home cleared up that debt.
    Today I gave him a signed bookmark telling him to never give up.  He had no idea that I was an author now.  He immediately had me pose with him for a picture while holding the bookmark.  "I've never known a real author before!  I'm sending this to all my friends!"
    "Well, all these years that I've been a misfit math teacher that only guest teaches, I had time to write my book, 'The Romance of Kilimanjaro.'  Sometimes our paths aren't mainstream paths.  They are more awesome!"
     I also gave my other former student a bookmark.  When I first had him as a freshman student during summer school, he had no passion.  His poorly-repaired cleft palette ruled his self esteem.  His first after school assignment that I gave him was to decorate his room.  By the following semester he had finally found some inner passion and told me all about his posters.
     Now he is a senior, has purple hair, a pleather-spiked jacket that he made, a lip piercing, and bright yellow pants.  Over the years I've loved his custom jean designs that he created and encouraged him to pursue clothing design.  On his bookmark I wrote, "You must get Hot Topic to buy one of your designs.  Reach for the stars!"  He shook his head that he would.
     After school I tutored my regular math student for his final and found out from him that they're closing CVA due to the budget crisis.  I thought of my students who would just graduate beforehand and was relieved for them.  I thought of those who would just land in Juvenal Hall without CVA---no academic purgatory with teaching angels.  I thought of the beautiful new Carlsbad High School buildings that would be damaged by some of the former CVA students who make colossally bad choices.  I thought of the future classroom disruptions caused by these students and how normal teachers wouldn't be able to teach as effectively.  I thought of the mainstream students and the influence some of these former CVA students will have on them.  I thought of all the students who will give up and drop out of high school without the nurturing, yet crusty teaching environment that CVA provides.

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Miracle Man's Birthday!!!

   Today is my 32-year-old cousin, Andy's birthday.  I call him Miracle Man, because he could have died at 25.  I had just returned from climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro when I found out that he was dying at the military hospital in Bethesda from two inoperable brain tumors and non Hodgkin's Type B Lymphoma.  His mom and I are strong vessels of God's healing, so I was immediately informed of his condition and requested to pray.
   Eventually his brain tumors shrank to just scar tissue and his lymphoma went into remission.  His liver did start to fail from the emergency chemo a few months later.  We prayed and God healed him again.  Then his lymphoma came back and almost killed him.  He was airlifted out of Iraq and into Germany for transfer back to the military hospital in Bethesda almost at the 5-year mark of his initial lymphoma.  We again prayed and God healed him again.
    So that's why I gave him the name Miracle Man.  He required quite a few miracles to stay living in this world!  Happy Birthday Miracle Man!

It's High School Finals Week!

   One thing that I love about finals week is that I get really booked up for tutoring math.  I get to see former students that I haven't seen for a while and work with them for that one last push to get their semester grade higher.  It's super awesome to see a student finally understand.  Being a migrant math teacher/tutor has its perks!

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)

   I learned a new medical term today at mass: Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), a mini stroke.  My alto friend since 1995 had a TIA attack near the end of mass.  Our choir was singing away and normally I only look at the altar, but I was transfixed on my friend amidst the congregation.   She and I sang alto next to each other for so many years. Now she was in the congregation and suddenly surrounded by quite a lot of paramedics.
   She had quit the choir, because she couldn't stand for long periods of time anymore.  She's well into her 80's now.   Being born and raised in Germany this weakness causing her to quit and the weakness shown in mass today must have been hard for her, especially as they wheeled her out to the ambulance.  I have to admit that I showed my own weakness and burst into tears during the last song.  She's been like a mother to me when I needed child rearing advice after my mom died. 
   Fortunately, my friend recovered after mass and is fine.  They did take her to the hospital for more tests, however.  It's times like these that make me realize how delicate our bodies are.  They are so temporary.  All we can do is keep them in shape, get wellness exams, and stay out of the way of moving vehicles.  Then we can hang around longer and love more people. :-)

Perils of Dating

    In this world there is competition for everything.  Trying to get a teaching job in California is quite a nightmare.  There's hundreds of applicants for every position.  I've been fortunate to get many interviews, but I've never quite landed the job.  Over the years of searching for a teaching job I've taken solace in the fact that God probably just wanted me to write my book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro."
    Dating is also not easy at midlife.  There's a lot of competition.  I don't know how to play that game either.  After being left for a 30-year old woman by a 50-year old man and leaving someone untrue by giving them up for Lent, I finally decided that I'm fine without a man.  Dating was wasting valuable time that I could be spending writing my books. 
    I was at peace until I realized that God didn't create me to be alone, even though I'm very capable of living the rest of my life that way.  I needed an Adam or in my case Tarzan with which to kiss.  Why did God program me that way?  Why? 
    When I started to fall in love with the someone who was eventually untrue, an inner smile exuded from me to my students and my steps bounced lightly.  There's nothing like that feeling of being in love!  Then I discovered that he was untrue.  I closed my heart to dating to protect myself and held onto my inner smile as long as I could. 
    It took almost a year before my inner smile became pained and my steps methodical and heavy again from no kisses.  I'm not happy about the cure.  I'm downright afraid of the cure! I'm trying to date again, though.  This time, however, I asked God to just throw the right man into my path---to make it simple for me, since He can.  
    Last week God seemed to be merciful to me and do just that.  I had four great days of adventure with a kind, loving, honorable, intelligent, athletic man.  God just won't answer me clearly when I ask if this man's the one.  This is actually good, however.  His answer is usually a loud, "NO!" and I move on.  lol  At least my inner smile is back and my steps bounce lightly again.  There's nothing like being kissed by a great guy! :-)

Sunsetting After a Great Week!

    When I got off work, I realized that I had to mail my son his super-cool, 4-serving picnic basket and blanket that I got him for his picnics in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.  The basket has plates, wine glasses, silverware, cloth napkins, salt and pepper shakers, a corkscrew, and a cooling compartment.  My son said an impressed, "Ah!" when he saw all the goodies inside and the beautiful way that they're displayed.  
     The post office was on the way to my local beach, so I went for a walk on the beach and took some pictures of the sunset.  As I walked, I observed other single people doing the same thing that I was doing---if you don't have a date or want to go out with someone, go on a romantic date with yourself!  Watching the sunset is a great self date.  Everyone seemed peaceful and content while watching such a beautiful and grand sight.

Unlimited Texting

   Texting may seem unlimited until your cell phone starts telling you that your texting section is 80% full.  In fact, once you've hit that milestone, the phone just keeps telling you that like the old squeaky wheel proverb, "the squeaky wheel gets the lub."  So I've been going through my old texts and deleting the ones from people whom which I don't want to be reminded like my ex husband.  I saved all the ones from both my kids saying, "Moooommmm, I love you!"  On a bad day those will be good to read. :-)

Songs and Tears Goodbye

    Today started early for me---2:30am.  My mom radar went off and woke me from a dead sleep, "My son isn't home from the concert in LA, and we have to leave for the airport at 7am!  Is he OK?"  I texted him once, "Please be home by 5:30am," but wanted to keep texting him.  After an hour of worried sleep, I remembered to pray for him to get home safely.  God, of course, answered my prayer almost instantly and the front door unlocked and my son's footsteps sauntered to his bedroom.  I could sleep in peace.
     It was hard lugging him out of bed to get to the airport.  He was so sleepy that I didn't bother trying to have a conversation.  We just listened to his eclectic music on his homemade CD that he made after his i-pod got stolen at Grandview Beach when he didn't lock the car.
     Every now and then while the music played, I'd ask questions about the nationality of the musicians.  The Japanese Country band is too funny with the "r" not quite pronounced correctly.  They even add some Japanese words into the song just to say, "Hey, we're not American, but we have our own love and forlorn songs to sing!"  The Turkish singer is really good, too.  One of my favorite songs, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight,"  also played, so I sang along with it, since my son loves it when I sing.  I hope that he forgot that CD in the car! ;-)
     Once I drove off from the airport, I choked up and cried and just let myself feel the pain.  I know that he's going to get the hang of college and decide how he's going to live.  I'll just keep having God surround him with angels, so his missteps aren't too life altering.  He's a fast learner, so I can't wait to see how he will mature this next semester.
   
  

Getting My Son Off to College Again

    It's been wonderful listening to my son play his guitars and play the piano.  It's been wonderful watching Star Trek The Next Generation with him while we eat.  It's been wonderful going out to lunch with him on Sundays again.  I'm going to miss my big guy!
    It's back to being the single lady that a lot of people in my apartment complex keep an eye of safety upon.  God bless them.  Several told me about my car when another neighbor accidentally backed into it.  An older lady downstairs holds on to my spare key when I have to let workmen into my apartment while I'm away.  The young lady across the way is always so fun to talk to about bicycling and modern art, and I watch how she keeps herself safe with the door wide open when she has a workman inside.  We are a little community.  I never thought of living in an apartment complex, but I do like mine.
    My son likes the apartment, too.  Although it has presented some learning opportunities for him.  I'll never forget when he lost his whole set of keys at Stone Steps Beach last summer while I was away in Alaska for 12 days---his trial period to see if he could survive without Mom.  Fortunately, for him he left the apartment door unlocked.  Unfortunately, for him we live in a secure building which requires a key. 
     Eventually, he found an open outside door and got into our apartment complex.  Then he took one of our fire ladders and threw it off our balcony, so he (and anyone else) could always get into the apartment without a key!  Teenagers!  Gotta love them.  They just don't know what they don't know and make some pretty incredible decisions!  He'll probably never lose his keys again after that though!

Torrey Pines State Park Hike

   The weather was threatening rain, but none was forecast for the Torrey Pines area, so I took my gentleman friend there for his last day in California before he heads back to Ohio.  The park was just as gorgeous with the overcast!  It was magical to see someone's eyes light up with pure joy when seeing this treasure for the first time.

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

A Great Rainy Day Date

    The weather wasn't the best for San Diego today, but we did get a tiny bit of the rain that we still need.  With these conditions I did have to come up with an idea of where to go on a date.  My gentleman friend, a retired Lt. Colonel of the Air Force from Ohio, did mention that he drove a Nascar, but it didn't pull the G's with which he's accustomed.  I've also driven a 993 Porsche for many years and miss the thrill of speeding, so K1 Speed in Carlsbad came to mind for our date tonight. 
     He had never heard of this type of serious indoor go cart racing.  He loved it!  He wants to bring it to the East Coast now.  He did beat me both races, but only at the most by 0.378 seconds!  When he returns to California, I'll make sure to take all my slack time out of my lap and close that gap, if not reverse it.
     Since it is Sunday everything closed down pretty early in La Costa, and we were really enjoying each other's company, so I wracked my brain and thought, "Where would teenagers go on a night like this?"  Then I realized, "The beach."  So I had him hop into my current two-seater sports car, my Chevy Suburban so stuffed with a kayak and surfboard that I only have two usable seats, and we headed to Ponto Beach.
     I parked along the highway instead of the State Beach parking lot, in case they locked up that parking lot.  While we were walking along the beach, we noticed the empty lifeguard tower.  We took two of my beach chairs and headed over to it.  It protected us from the rain and being spotted by the lifeguard truck patrolling the beach for people.  What a wonderful way to end the evening---sitting with a fabulous man while the ocean sang songs to us!  My heart is beating happily.

Trying to Date Again

     It's not easy to find someone suitable to date, if you really know what you want and don't want and discriminate accordingly.  Then you have to choose an appropriate outfit for the date.  Do you want to show cleavage, legs, both, nothing?  The outfit also decides how much conversation will be shared.  The more covered, the more conversation, but you may end up only friends or not get a second date.  Then again, that may just be fine on all accounts!  There are so many minefields in dating conversations, too. I think of myself as someone who's pretty much blown my arms and legs off by stepping on a few mines!The hardest part about dating again though, is trying to get my broken heart to beat.  It's hard to trust again.

Soccer PE

   I picked up a guest teaching position for Spanish today at an elite high school in my area.  This position also included soccer physical education (PE) to my surprise!  Fortunately, it was a beautiful, warm day.  The roll sheet had 95% ethnic names which made sense, since soccer is such a beloved international sport.
   The wounded students had to sit out with me.  They were also new to America.  Perhaps they were trying to fit in so much while playing soccer that they got hurt.  There was a Chinese Australian, Iranian, Taiwanese, Mexican, and Chinese (Hong Kong) student with me as we watched some fabulous soccer.  I did teach the bored bench, "1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a thumb war!"  When the Mexican student used his index finger to change his losing position to a winning position, I slowly remarked to the Taiwanese student who just got his thumb trapped, "If there is no way to win, you have to change the rules!"  They both laughed.
    I watched some marvelous footwork, headbutts, and goal tending as the students played a full game.  Many of the Mexicans in this PE class are also from Mexico City.  Perhaps some Mexico City residents can afford to live in Rancho Santa Fe when they move to America.  What a fabulous way to end a working week---watching some great soccer played by some great soccer players!

Ron Paul's Predictions About Our Foreign Policy Came True

   This video is very important to watch.  Ron Paul made some startling predictions in 2002 that have come true.  It certainly depicts how important global strategy is when running a government.  I just hope that our politicians will focus on what's best for our nation's long term interests instead of what's best for their short term reelection plans.  God bless America!  We really need your blessings God!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z69fYyoMlVk&sns=fb

Teaching Middle School Students About America's Industrial Revolution

    One thing that I love when guest teaching is refreshing my memory about what I once learned so very long ago and sharing my point of view.  Today was such a day.  We started with Samuel Slater, one of America's first industrial spies.  He memorized England's secret textile industry techniques and developed them from memory in America which started our industrial revolution.  We weren't just farmers and settlers on the frontier after that. 
    Oh, the book didn't call Samuel Slater an industrial spy.  Textbooks always make people more heroic than they really were.  I was an industrial spy for the semiconductor industry in the late 1980's and memorized competitor's designs to improve my company's designs, so I called the apple an apple. 
    Next came Eli Whitney's cotton gin and his idea of interchangeable parts.  The cotton gin, of course, allowed us to gather more cotton to make more textiles than we could use as a country, so we developed exportable industrial products.  The mere idea of interchangeable parts was ground breaking in the early 1800's!  Imagine if every car had a custom-made rear bumper?  A new, individually-made bumper would probably cost more than the car and would never match the original paint color!  Thank you Eli!  I also pointed out that the student desks were all made out of interchangeable parts, but don't break any part of them, because we're in a budget crisis and can't afford to replace them.
    Then came our plethora of inventors.  I explained to the kids how we've invested so much money in our wars that our US Patent and Trademark Office is severely understaffed and underfunded.  My current kayak accessory patent has been under review for about 4 years and is no where near being approved.  I told the kids, "Imagine all the patents that can change our country's economic leverage and provide jobs just sitting at the Patent Office for 4-10 years?  We need to fix that!  We are a country that has prospered, because of our new inventions.  This has to be fixed!"
    We finally got to the immigration section dealing with the tensions of the entrenched Americans and the newly arrived Americans.  Staring at the sea of ~90% ethnic (mostly Latino) faces, I explained how my ancestors came over from Germany to start a new life.  They could be Hessian's (mercenaries) sent around the world fighting other country's wars or come to America and build a new type of life. 
    Before World War 1 the German language was almost the national language, but this war ended any hopes of that.  German schools were closed, and German people were not well liked.  My Slovenian grandmother, who's accent was close to the German accent, was thrown into the bins at her factory by the Polish girls, because she was a "German."  Fortunately, my grandmother's boss liked how productive grandma was and questioned why she was quitting.  The boss, being a German-American, fired the Polish girls when he heard the story. :-)
    So I explained to my sea of immigrant children, these ethnic tensions are as old as our country.  However, new immigrants bring a hardworking spirit to our country which our country needs.  Yes, it causes job losses, but it lights a fire under those that have gotten lazy with the comforts that are so prevalent in our wealthy nation.

Did I Get a Traffic Ticket or Not?

      One stormy November night I was driving home from my first writers conference and I got lost around Sports Arena Blvd.  I searched for the I-5 and finally found a plethora of signs to read for directions as I crossed Rosecrans.  Unfortunately,  the light changed to red as I was following the cars in front of me and trying to comprehend the signs.
      Fortunately, no one started through the intersection, but police lights beamed through my back window.  I pulled over and waited for the policeman to approach the car.  After he asked for my license and registration, I reached over, opened my glove compartment, and the whole thing came out of the dashboard!  "Oh, that's precious!"  I said as I put the glove compartment in my lap and fished out my paperwork.
      The policeman apologetically wrote me a ticket, even though I have a great driving record.  I told him, "It's bad to go through the red lights,  I'm just very lost."    Then I asked him for directions to the I-5 freeway.  He helped me, and I gave him a free bookmark as I told him that I'm a new author of "The Romance of Kilimanjaro."  Then I waited for my ticket to arrive in the mail.
       The ticket never arrived, though.  I figured that the policeman must have changed his mind about the ticket.  When I was telling a friend how gracious this policeman was to me, she explained once the ticket is written and signed its in the system.  So I checked the online system today, and it wasn't there either.  Did I get a traffic ticket or not?  That is the question.

The Current of Mayhem

   Today started out rough.  While watering my plants I caught my onyx necklace on a cabinet handle, the string broke, and an onyx bead plunked down on the floor.  Then I showed up at San Marcos Middle School to find that my substitute job was cancelled.  Fortunately, another district's substitute job came through via my phone, so I still had a job.  It was just an hour drive from where I was!
   That substitute job was wonderful.  I had great classes with which to work and a prep period!  I actually caught up on my journaling. 
    After school it was time to tutor my math student with ADHD.  He actually got a B+ on his last test which is a major break through for him!  I was so excited that I actually gave him a hug!
   As I drove off for my Christmas choir potluck, it dawned on me:  all the people part of my day was wonderful.  Isn't that the only thing that matters?  I don't really need my onyx necklace.  God also provided me with a job, so what was really bad about my day?  Not much. 
   Sometimes I get stuck in the current of mayhem and need to stand above the mayhem to see the simplicity of the big picture.  Then I can see what really was bad and needed to be fixed, and what was good in order to thank God.

A Trip to the Movies with My Son

   I've really enjoyed having my son live with me during the holidays!  We play Scrabble and watch Star Trek The Next Generation together.  Today we found an "away from home" activity to do together.  We went to Noodles and then to a movie like the old times when his dad and I were together.
   He chose the new Muppet Movie.  I was shocked!  Apparently his other college friends had recommended it to him.  I wished that he had picked a different movie, but I did always enjoy the old Muppet Movies that I watched with the kids when they were young.
   The movie was actually great!  I laughed, cringed, and wanted to join in the dancing and singing numbers.   The formula for Muppet movies was uncorrupted.  This movie may have had a slightly different Kermit voice, but it was a true Muppet movie with some great cameos.  I'm glad that my son chose that movie to see!

Surf Competition at Churches

   Today the sets were big and steady and made for a wonderful day of watching some great surfing at Churches at San Onofre State Beach.  Southern California surf clubs gathered today for this annual competition to show their prowess.  Tomorrow the best surfers are moving on to compete, so if you want to see some great surfing you should go. 
   The event parking is $20 and is a short hike away from the beach, so you'll need good walking shoes, beach chairs, and food and drink.  Plan on making it a day experience, since it's so beautiful there and the surfing is amazing!

Third Edit of "To Previve or Survive Breast Cancer" Started!

   Today I spent most of my time working through my third edit of my book, "To Previve or Survive Breast Cancer."  I made it to the halfway mark in one day which means that the book is getting to be a fast read with fewer edits!  This is the last week that I have before I start guest teaching again, so I want to get one more good read of the book before I submit part of it to a reader at the upcoming San Diego Writers Conference.  Editing a book is such an endless task!

Wave Knowledge

     Surf sages keep telling me that I need more "wave knowledge."  So I do the surfer stare at the horizon now to learn how large the distant dark lines (approaching swells) become when they approach the beach.  Today I needed to get an "A" for correct surf entry timing, because the swells were building and would soon make the surf impassable for me.
     My timing was almost right the first time that I tried to pass through the surf.  Unfortunately,  the next set of waves caught me in a "no win" position.  I tried to ram the first wave to no avail!

     My second attempt to get through the surf went well. 

     As I paddled along the Leucadia/Encinitas shore, I loved watching the huge sets of waves blow passed the large school of black-wetsuited surfers at Beacons Beach.  The majority of them were waiting for a better wave, but a few would pop up and ride high on the lip of the good wave that they were given. 

    The surf just kept growing while I was paddling, so I cautiously kayak surfed in to Ponto Beach.

I'm Now a REI Guest Kilimanjaro Speaker!

   It's been in the works for several months, but I'm finally going to have my first speaking engagement at REI in Encinitas on February 28th at 7pm.  I'll be giving a movie slide show presentation of my climb to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro and my safari.  And yes, I'll be selling and signing books afterwards!
   Here's the REI calendar promotion:

"Join us for Isolde Ulrich’s Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb and Tanzanian Safari Movie Slide Show Presentation.  At 41 years old she successfully climbed to Uhuru Peak and wrote about it in her memoir, “The Romance of Kilimanjaro.”  She will explain how she trained and prepared for her journey of a lifetime, this REI Kilimanjaro Trip.  During this slide show, she’ll take you into a new world of peaceful freedom, international comradery, teamwork with her new Kilimanjaro family, unexpected challenges, and continual exploration that she discovered on her quest to the summit and beyond.  This REI trip changed Isolde’s outlook upon life forever and will change you, too---pole, pole. 

"Isolde Ulrich www.isoldeulrich.com thrives on creating original solutions to deal with the challenges set before her.   She became a biomechanical engineer at UC Berkeley, was their first female president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and started the Stanford versus Cal Engineering Day.  She also has designed a now famous estate featured on MTV cribs, raised two children, taught religion, was voted one of the best landscape designers in San Diego County, and guest teaches math and physics."

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Fafsa Day

   Oh, the joys of filling out 2012-2013 Fafsa applications twice---one for each of my college kids!  It involves lots of number crunching combined with endless hyperlink loops culminating in "page error." I actually may print out the signature page, sign it, and send it in via snail mail, if the Fafsa website doesn't reset their web page data for my PIN by tomorrow.
    It's funny how each year my daughter's application goes well and then my son's which is identical always has trouble.  It's a head scratcher, that's for sure!  I do love their upload link for completed electronic income tax forms, though.  That takes any preliminary number crunching error out of the equation! 


www.isoldeulrich.com

Kid Day

    Today was the day that I had major kid time with/for my adult kids.  My son and I went out for lunch at Ciciottis in Cardiff, CA, since a Silicon Valley friend gave me a Christmas coupon for that restaurant via restaurant.com.  We very much enjoyed the ocean view, bruschetta, calamari, and got a chance to really talk---without electronic devices distracting us.  It sounds like the college experience hasn't changed much since I went to college!
    On the way home we finally mailed off his presents for my daughter, who lives in Ohio.  Better late than never!  I taught him how to use the self-service mailing machine, since that is always available whether the post office is open or closed. 
     I also picked up my daughter's painting that I had framed.  The frame of a painting is as important as the painting itself.  If chosen correctly, it pulls out the best qualities of the art.  I love how Aaron Brothers can take a picture of the painting and show you virtual frame choices on a flat screen TV.  It's very helpful for making such a big investment in your art.
     When my daughter left for college, she left all her paintings with me.  This is one of our favorites!  I call it "Spiritual Eyes."  When she gets her first home, I'm going to give it back to her.  That will be a sad and happy day.  Happy that she can buy a home.  Sad that I have to give up this masterpiece of hers!

New Years Day Kite Flying at Mariners Point, San Diego

    My dear, former Camp Fire Kid Club friends invited me to go to the 20th annual New Years Day Kite Flying at Mariners Point in Mission Bay, San Diego.  I'm not a great kite flier, but love aerodynamics and an adventure, so I went.
    Though fog was all around us, the sky was blue directly over the kites.  The San Diego Kite Club was there in force.  Some kite club members came all the way from Arizona to be there, so a little fog was not going to stop this wonderful kite-flying day!

    In the distance we saw a group of precision kite fliers start flying their Revolution kites in formation like the Blue Angels fly. I was amazed that kites could do this!  The kites weren't the only beautiful thing to watch.   The lines of the precision flying kites would twist one way as the kites maneuvered.  Then the kites would fly in the opposite rotation and the lines would untwist.  It was an amazing dance in the sky to watch!
    The flight squadron with the red, white, and blue kites in the video were a part of the World Record Breaking Kite Group.  They flew 64 kites in a straight line!  The kite fliers in these videos are Cass and Carol Pittman, John Mason, Tom King, and Lynn and Jim Foster.  Jim Foster is the commander giving the orders and leading the kites.

     Dan Willan, the president of the San Diego Kite Club was very kind and told me the history of kites. Kite flying started at least as early as 10 centuries ago in China. China, Taiwan, and France are countries that really enjoy kite flying and have a lot of precision flying competitions. The next event just like this one at Mariners Point will happen in March in Arizona. 

P.S.  To my blog readers:  If you want to support a struggling math/engineering teacher and author, please buy my first book, "The Romance of Kilimanjaro," soon to be followed by my second book at:  https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781613464960         Thank You!

Happy New Year!

     Yesterday was quite therapeutic, as I cooked and prepared my traditional party fare for my New Years Eve party.  At the grocery store it just slowly came back to me.  "Oh, I used to make baked brie in apricot sauce.  Ooo!  They have mango jam now.  I can use that instead of apricot jam.  I used to make stuffed mushrooms with Rondele Herb and Garlic spread.  I used to make the best chocolate-covered strawberries.  I can make a vegetable torte.  I can ..... I can....."
     As I cooked and chopped and listened to my Rieger Klaus grand piano play Chopin, I was so happy.  Here I was giving a party to my old and new friends who had helped me this last year while I was restructuring my new life.  I didn't realize that the party was also a gift to me.  It made me remember that I didn't need a gourmet kitchen or a mansion to throw a party.  I just needed to have faith in me, remember that I was the one who planned and gave the parties before, and thank God for the friends that I have who love me just as I am.

    I started my New Year will a lot of joy.  I hope that you did, too.  Happy New Year!  We get to learn from our mistakes, remember what we do well, and start out a new year with confidence and strength.