The New and Improved So Cal Cinema!!!!!

As you can see now that you've loaded this page, we've undergone some major renovations here at the So Cal Cinema.

First, there's the look of the place. Izzy of Izzy Design and Graphics did an awesome job with the blog. I can hear the "Let's All Go to the Lobby" song every time I look at it.

Next, I decided to shorten the name from So-So Cal Cinema to So Cal Cinema. The So-So seemed, well, you guessed it, so-so. It didn't flow all that smoothly and so it has been retired.

Of course, my turn in the design queue came when I am so busy that I am not keeping up with the blog. Maybe this will help me do a little better.

(No laughing please!)

So... it has once again been a few weeks. Mostly things are the same for us personally. Colin and school; Marley and school; Me and school; Paul and work. We are, however, in the middle of a literal ring of fire. There are fires to the north, south, and west of us. Big fires. There are restrictions on outdoor play, the smell of fire and ash is in the air. The wind is blowing, knocking down trees and fences. (Neighbors tree; our fence) If you live in Southern California for any length of time, you will experience this. Whenever it happens I am transported back to elementary school. I remember playing on the playground with ash flying through the air. It makes for a weird combination of tragedy and nostalgia.

Let's see if there are any specific updates...

I finished a HUGE paper for my content area literacy class. It turned out to be 13 pages after I did a last minute addendum. I've never written anything that long in my life. I estimate I spent about 40 hours on it from start to finish, searching for articles online, interviewing someone, thinking, more thinking, writing, more writing. I can't wait to see what my grade is!

Marley's school just started Red Ribbon week so she can look forward to all sorts of fun activities. She's enjoying school these days and we'll appreciate that while it lasts! On Sunday, October 28th, she'll celebrate her 7 1/2 year old birthday. Yes. A half birthday. We have her friend's family to blame. They always do an ice cream or something little for a half birthday. They've invited Marley along and of course, she's absorbed this as something we HAVE to do! ;)

Colin is still working away on his driver's education course. He's more than half-way through and when he's done, we'll have to find a behind-the-wheel course. On November 19th, he'll celebrate his half birthday, the only half-birthday he's thinks is EVER worth celebrating--the driver's permit birthday. He's thinking about when and how he'll get a car and it all equals one thing in his mind: F-R-E-E-D-O-M. We'll see about that.

Paul is home for a couple of weeks. Yeah for us. He just upgraded to a Blackberry phone so it is just a matter of time before he's complaining about Blackberry Thumb, I'm sure. ;) He just pieced together an amp to give to a friend using bits and pieces of things he's had laying around, including the guts of an organ he just dismantled. It all sounds so MacGuyver. It is on a cutting board for a base!

So, there you have it, the So Cal Family update. I'll be back... sooner or later!