Playing catch up

I'm falling behind on my Jane Eyre-zombie fanfiction series (as well as my novel outlining) as I was busy the last two weeks.  Hopefully, I'll finish the first chapter/episode this week.

About a week and a half ago, Dad and I headed to the annual Wings over Gillespie air show at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, CA.  To know more about this little airport, go to the Wikipedia article here.  Basically, they had some really cool flyovers with WWII and Vietnam era military aircraft.  One of my favorites was the B-17 flying fortress.  I even got to "tour" one.  The guy ahead of us in the tour used to be an actual WWII B-17 pilot who wanted to sit in the cockpit for old times' sake.  According to his wife, he was in college at the time and didn't want to join the army for that reason so after he graduated, he joined the Air Force and flew the B-17.  After they helped him out of the plane, I thanked him for his service to this great nation of ours.  These are a few of the pictures that I took of the B-17.

A couple of days ago, I made my annual pilgrimage to the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, CA.  I had a blast and I'm going back on the 14th for the "Taste of the Fair."  As long as I don't eat too much, I should be okay.  However, I could not pass up taking a picture of a fast food kiosk (one of many) at this year's fair.  And it's there EVERY YEAR.

I'm trying hard not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the name of the kiosk.  It also gives everyone the impression that most Americans are fat (and that is true, unfortunately).  You do have to admit that the "Stuffie Pocket" sounds good.  There's also tons of deep fried delicacies such as fried oreos, frogs' legs, ice cream, bacon, Kool-Aid, butter, etc.  It's a heart attack just waiting to happen.  I tried the frogs' legs one year and they tasted really weird.  I also sampled the oreos and the ice cream last year and they were quite good but too sweet.  One year, the fair offered, and I kid you not, FRIED RATTLESNAKE.  Yes, you heard me, FRIED RATTLESNAKE.  More specifically, it was fried Western Diamondback.  Dad and I had some that year and it tasted like shrimp without the seafood flavor.  I liked it but my dad thought it wasn't that big of a deal. 

I went for a 4-5 mile walk this afternoon and on the way home, I spotted this little critter crawling on a wooden fence.

It's amazing how God creates animals.  It pays to stop and see the beauty in God's creation, especially to take a picture of this caterpillar crawling along a wooden fence.  It's as if someone painted this little guy in those patterns.  Sooner or later, it will blossom into a beautiful butterfly.

I am now reading George Eliot's Middlemarch.  I'm up to the point where Fred Vincy is trying to get himself out of debt and Dorothea's conversation with Will Ladislaw, Mr. Casaubon's cousin.  It's a great read and I'm looking forward to reading further into it.

It's time to brush my teeth and head to bed.  Fin.

CHOCOLATE. COVERED. BACON.

It's official: I'm spoiled.  Not just because I'm an only child with no siblings (well, yeah, I guess I am spoiled), but I signed up with a $17 a month plan to rent DVDs and Wii games from Blockbuster.  I can rent 2 DVDs or games (or a combination of both) at a time and I can just drop them off at Blockbuster instead of mailing them in.  It feels weird and awesome at the same time.  According to Blockbuster, I'd be getting the latest movies 28 days before Netflix and all those other guys.  The first movie I rented is a two parter from the kind folks at the BBC.  There was a 1973 TV film version of Jane Eyre that I had wanted to see and none of the nearby libraries had it in circulation.  I saw some clips of it on YouTube and it sounds like a cool movie.  Here's a clip of the infamous proposal scene:

Looking forward to seeing it after watching the 1944 version with Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine and the recent 2011 one with Michael Fassbender (sigh, he's so dreamy) and Mia Wasikowska.

I had just started on the short story version of my novel.  For some reason, it's painful to write as my ideas and thoughts come out stiff and sloppy.  Maybe I should do some writing exercises to keep my abilities in check so they don't atrophy. 

About a week ago, I got my San Diego County Fair "best pass ever" in the mail.  Basically, I get in free for all 22 days of the fair and the pass cost me $22 (literally, a buck a day).  I can go see the concerts, visit the exhibits, eat the artery-clogging food, and watch 4H livestock shows.  If you live in San Diego or San Diego County, you can buy it on the fair's website.  I've bought my pass two years in a row and I love it!  I can't get enough of the Mackinac Island Fudge they sell in the exhibition halls or the Australian Battered Potatoes or the chocolate covered bacon - yes, you heard me.  CHOCOLATE. COVERED. BACON.

Right now, all I can hear in my head is the "Habanera" song from Georges Bizet's opera, Carmen.  I will be seeing the opera on Sunday.  It will be the second time I will be seeing tenor Richard Leech on stage (he will be playing the part of Don Jose); the first time I saw him was four years ago when he played Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana.  Although I will be equipped with binoculars in the nosebleeds, I am still looking forward to enjoying myself.  My mom will accompany me as this is her first opera.  Next year, we will be seeing The Barber of Seville together.  I hope to get a chance to hear soprano Renee Fleming in concert in March of 2012 at the San Diego Opera. 

That's all for now.  Fin.