Last month I entered a photo contest sponsored by SDMTS (San Diego Metropolitan Transit System).  The purpose of the “Spot the Bus” photo contest was to highlight San Diego’s new fleet of NABI buses which run on natural gas instead of diesel.

Once the challenge was issued, I thought it would be fun to participate (i.e. there is a prize involved).  As Murphy’s Law would have it, I usually spotted the bus on days I didn’t have my camera with me.  Eventually I did get a few decent shots. This photo was taken at the intersection of University and College, just five minutes from my house.

So here is where you come in (please, pretty please).  My photo was chosen as one of 15 finalists. If you would be so kind, please vote for my photo.  Voting is open from February 9-27, 2009.  You can only vote once.  My photo is located in the last row, middle column.  Thanks!

My son Paul was named after my husband’s grandfather.  Nevertheless, Paul received a Bible for Christmas and he was excited to discover his name (or should I say, the apostle Paul’s name) mentioned frequently.

This past week Paul asked me to read about “Saul who became Paul” as his bedtime story.  The passage, Acts chapter 9, explains how Paul went from persecuting the church to encountering God and becoming a Christian.  I read the passage and decided to talk it over with Paul.  I’m always curious about what my kids learn or “take away” when we read Scripture together.

I started out saying, “I hope that one day you will be like Paul and tell other people about Jesus.”

Paul responded, “Yeah, but maybe I’ll be bad first.  Like until I’m twenty.”

I’m certain there is nothing Irish about these sweet confections but they do remind me of little potatoes.  The recipe looked easy to make and I had all the ingredients at home – confectioner’s sugar, shredded coconut, cream (I used half & half) and cinnamon.

I loved that these were ready to eat in two minutes and easy enough for kids to make.  They were tasty but too sweet for me.  If I made these again according to the recipe, I would not use sweetened coconut (which is what I had on hand). I would also try these again with a few variations like rolling them in chocolate or nuts.

Have you ever wondered how you would react in a potentially dangerous situation?  This morning I got real life experience and I’m happy to report that my natural instincts kicked in.

My day started out as normal.  I left for work earlier than usual because our computer guy was arriving first thing in the morning to work on a project.  My co-worker had a morning appointment and needed me to unlock the office.  I work in a small office and I am careful to keep the door locked when I am working alone.  My office is a rental unit in a larger office building and it would be easy for someone to walk in off the street.  So when Mr. Computer Guy (whom I’d met before) knocked on the door I naturally unlocked the door and let him in to do his thing.  I went back to my desk.

About five minutes later I heard a second knock on the door.  Not expecting anyone else, I walked to the door only to find an unknown man standing in the reception area.  I quickly scanned his clothing for identification and it was clear that he wasn’t a delivery person.  I asked why he was standing there.  He mumbled something to the effect of “I’m here to install the cable for Mr. Computer Guy.”  It was then that I noticed that Mr. Computer Guy had left the office and that I was all alone with a stranger (I’ll call him Creepy Guy #1).  I was almost put at ease by the fact that Creepy Guy #1 knew Mr. Computer Guy’s first name.

That is until…

Creepy Guy #1 walked between myself and the door and proceeded to lock the deadbolt.  That would be about the time that my adrenaline started pumping!  I quickly unlocked the deadbolt and asked accusingly, “Why did you lock the door?”  I was simultaneously urging myself to get out of the office as quickly as possible.  Non-criminal cable guys do not lock deadbolts.  As I opened the door I saw that a second stranger was standing in the doorway talking on his cellphone (Creepy Guy #2).  I quickly stepped into the hallway and made my way towards the exit doors which face a busy street.  Meanwhile, Creepy Guy #1 is trying to explain that he locked the door to play a practical joke on Creepy Guy #2. When Creepy Guy #1 saw that I was getting the heck outta there, he and Creepy Guy #2 exited the building through the back staircase.

Now what?  I really didn’t have a plan other than leave.  I was at least relieved to discover that my cell phone and car keys were in my pocket.  I started dialing 911 but I changed my mind after the creepy guys left.  I called my husband instead.  He advised me to wait in my car until my co-worker arrived.  It was good advice but first I wanted to retrieve my purse from my office.  The last thing I wanted to do was walk into an empty office by myself so I knocked on the door of a neighboring office and asked if someone could go with me.  While I was explaining the situation, Mr. Computer Guy reemerged.  I shared my story and it turns out  Creepy Guy was the cable guy he had hired.  Mr. Computer Guy called Creepy Guy #1 and confirmed my story.  Creepy Guy still tried to say that he locked the door as a practical joke.  Well, umm, not funny.  Mr. Computer Guy went back to work in my office.  I retrieved my purse and waited in the hallway until my co-worker and boss arrived.

In case you are wondering, Creepy Guy is not invited back to finish the job.

Here is a cheap (under $10) and easy kid’s storage solution: an over-the-door shoe organizer.  We have two.  One on each side of the kid’s bedroom door.

One side of the door is for art supplies.  Towards the bottom (easy to reach) are crayons, markers, pencils, etc.  The top pockets contain lessor used items or ones requiring assistance using (i.e. glue gun).

Behind the door are miscellaneous objects and toys the kids collect (everything from McDonald’s toys to marbles to Pokemon cards to rock collections).  It’s not necessarily pretty.  I’m more concerned that everything has a place to go, which is not the floor!

More fabulous Works For Me Wednesday tips at Rocks In My Dryer.

It’s Zoo may be world famous, but there are many more reasons which make San Diego a great city.  That’s why Adam and I launched Beyond The Zoo.  We believe a grand opening celebration is in order.  Without further ado, please go to Beyond The Zoo and enter our little giveaway.  (Psst, you might win $50.00!)

I have a craving.  No, I’m not pregnant!  For the past week I’ve harbored the craving for a Philly Cheesesteak.  For those of you who don’t know, I spent eight years growing up near Philadelphia.  Occasionally my pronunciations of words such as water (”wooder”)exposes my east coast upbringing.

It’s been fifteen years since I’ve called Abington home.  About every five years my mouth waters for that meaty, cheesy, greasy goodness on a roll which is otherwise known as a Philly Cheesesteak.  Unfortunately for me, I’m the only member of the family who gets these crazy cravings.  My husband is from Indiana.  I don’t expect him to understand.

I’ve been pleased to locate “authentic” Philly Cheesesteaks in almost every town where we have lived.  I’m now on a personal quest to find the best Philly Cheesesteak in San Diego.  Google has been kind enough to supply me with several promising leads.  This may be my yummiest research project ever.

The ingredients for an authentic Philly Cheesesteak shop include:

• Amoroso Rolls
  
• Cheese Whiz (I prefer provolone on my steak.  However, you can’t beat fries covered in the Whiz!)
• Tastykakes (Don’t ask me what these are unless you want me to start singing the Tastykake jingle.)
  
• Water Ice

Regardless of your political views, Obamicon.Me is a fun website where you can create your own Obamican style poster. Not surprising considering the amount of Obama-related products hitting the stores.

Inkheart is a soon to be released movie based on the best selling trilogy by Cornelia Funke. I have to be honest, I’ve only recently heard of Inkheart, but I’m already intrigued (watch the trailer).

Inkheart is described as a family-friendly fantasy adventure that sends a father and daughter on a quest through worlds both real and imagined. Because the books are recommended for ages 9-12, I’m not sure that the movie is appropriate for younger children. Being that the movie is opening nationwide on January 23rd, I’d better get started on reading the books!

Congratulations to Jennifer C. for winning a complimentary box of 30 customized fruit roll-ups from MyFruitRollups.com.  Her comment was chosen randomly using Random.org.

Jennifer wrote:

I would design some for my twins 2nd birthday, which is coming up faster than seems possible. Thanks for a super giveaway!