joeysplanting

Monday, February 16, 2009

I am actually typing this on my laptop on our way home. It's about 9:30pm and I am so tired and kinda home sick. I can't wait to get home... plus, my but hurts from sitting in this car since this morning.

Our trip has taken so long, because we made numerous stops, to gas stations, fast foods, rest areas and a lunch break in  Santa Barbara, which I never been to before. There was also pouring rains along the way and the accidents go along with that. We took 101 again, because Interstate 5 was closed down in some locations.

I can't wait to take a shower and watch my recorded show Battlestar Galactica, Kyle XY and The Big Bang Theory in bed. I also am very anxious to see if any of my other sowed seeds have sprouted.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

We were not sure if we were going to be able to go to Legoland today, but luckily the weather was nice and there was no rain in the forecast. I've never been to Legoland, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it had legos and some rides, but I thought it was going to be the size of something like a miniature golf course. It was actually the size of a full blown amusement park and my friends who have been there before said that they have expanded it my adding a aqurium-like attraction, althought that was an added cost.

If you are into Legos, this is like a dream come true. They have everything made of lego or Lego themed. There are numerous sculptures that are larger than myself throughout the park. In one section called Mini Lego Land (or something like that), they constructed entire miniature cities like Las Vegas, San Francisco, New Orleans, New York, Washington D.C. and more. They even constructed a new Capitol building depicting President Obama's inauguration. This was very popular.

They also had some rides, but most it were kiddy rides. I would describe this more as a viewing attraction... and great for taking photos... and I took tons and tons of photo.

One thing that surprised me was that the plants and landscaping was terrific. They had many plants which I don't see often including a black Bird of Paradise, Variegated Abutilon, many succulents like Aloes in bloom, Cacti, Plectranthus and many, many more. I wanted to take cuttings, but theu were not within reach. One in particular I saw was a beautiful Begonia.

After Legoland, we met up with Rachel, and went to see the movie "He's Not That Into You". It was a romantic comedy, which I then to like... and I enjoyed this one.

Afterwards, they wanted to get some stuff from Walmart and I found larger peat pots, which I've been looking for and a plastic container that matches my existing one where I keep my seeds. I've been looking for this for a while now and haven't found it til now.

We then went to dinner, where I just got a salad, because I've been eating so much this vacation.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

We woke up early this Saturday to attend my friend Rachel's Bat Mitzvah. Growing up Catholic, I actually was a little nervous and didn't know what to expect. I didn't know if I had to participate in any of the Jewish customs or if Catholics were allowed inside. I just didn't know... The only thing I knew was the ceremony was going to take about three hours.

Once we got to the temple, it was actually not bad. I could tell that we were not the only non-Jewish people there. There were about 15 adults taking their Bar/Bat Mitzvah so it took a while with all the normal ceremonial stuff plus the individual reflections that each person presented.

After hearing much of the prayers and speeches, I kinda felt like the participants were actually similar to how Catholics get confirmed. It's much like reaffirming your religion, your beliefs, etc... and trying to lead a better life. I actually felt okay except at one point where one of the participants did say something about Catholics, which kinda made me feel uncomfortable.

All and all, it was a good experience and it was nice to support a friend with an important event in her life.

Afterwards, me and my friends went to a mall to kill time before Rachel's party and get together later that evening.

Around 7pm or so, we went to a senior center where Rachel was having her party and had dinner. It was catered by a Mexican catering service, so we had yummy tacos and salad with all the fixings. There was also a lot of music and karaoke and dancing. 

Friday, February 13, 2009

I'm off to a vacation with my three friends Howard, Bill and Dave to Southern California to visit our friend Rachel who is having her Bat Mitzvah.

I started waking up early, but before leaving home, I quickly planted some seeds. I figured that they'll have a four day heads start if I sowed them now than if I sowed them when I return. I planted Coreopsis ' Plains (Bicolor)', Yu Choy '50 Days', Broccolu Raab and Misome into Jiffy Peat Pots... my first time using this medium. I placed them into a propagation tray with a plastic lid (mini-greenhouse) and once I see sprouts, I'll start hardening them off and bring them outside.

We left the Bay area around 11am and the weather was not bad, but after a hour or so it started pouring rain. At times, I think it was hailing, but most of the time it was sprinkling.

After a few hours driving, we stopped at San Luis Obispo at get some gas and some lunch at Burger King. It's funny, because I saw a Bottlebrush Bush–I think that's what they are called–at the Burger King parking lot and upon close examination, found what I think are seeds. So, knowing me, I collected some...

We continued driving and the weather got better. We drove on 101 because we heard that Interstate 5 required chains because of snow. The drive is longer, but I must say the views are nice, especially once we got to the Ventura/Channel Island area. We could see the Pacific Ocean and it was beautiful.

Some things I observed on the road was that there were lots of wild Prickly Pear Cactus and Agave along the freeway. There were also many Orange Orchards and I think we past by a place called Monrovia. I don't know if that's where the plant grower Monrovia is located, but I did see a lot of greenhouses and plant growers along the highway.

We encountered the evening commute around the LA area, so we were in stop and go traffic and it was bad. I was driving at this point and I hated it. My hands were sweating since it was stressing me out just a bit. We finally reached our destination around 9 or 10pm, checked into our hotel room then grabbed a bite to eat. Afterwards, we headed to bed and I checked my email, updated my Facebook and all that stuff.

Late last night, we got our first rain in a long time. It was raining when I woke up and commuted to work... But I didn't mind, because we really need the rain... Our garden finally got a soaking that it needed and our rain barrel are filling up again with water. Yeay!!!

I woke up really early this morning (about 5:45am, which is early for me). I had a bunch of paperwork that I brought home to work on... but after dinner last night, I laid down in bed to rest for a while, while everyone else finished dinner. Well, I totally feel asleep and woke up around 5:45am... Without and alarm clock even going off.

I didnt get any of my paperwork done at home, but I went to work early and got tons done.