The Sea Shepherds ROCK!

Wow! What a week! I'm still on a high from the election results--tempered only by my extreme disappointment and sadness over the hateful proposition 8 passing. I seem to have developed a new little crush on our incoming president. The voice, the charisma, the smile--yep, it all fell into place at about 11 Tuesday night, when he gave his acceptance speech. While on the one hand, nothing has changed as far as the bleak circumstances our country is in, somehow everything has changed. Obviously our president elect hasn't done anything, nor realistically can he do much to change it. What he has and can do however is create an environment where WE all have hope. This country hasn't had hope for at least the past seven years. Having hope gives us the ability to make changes. I'm excited that there is finally the potential to make this country and world a better place.


The hubby and I did enjoy our champagne Tuesday night. We didn't get through the bottle, though. We are the ultimate wimps. We recorked it and are planning to enjoy the last bit tonight. Something this exciting deserves at least two nights' worth of celebration. I've been in an obscenely good mood this week, and that certainly doesn't happen very often for me!


L. is having another sleepover tonight with Hunter. They are downstairs, playing loud music, and are very busy constructing something--god only knows what it will be and what kind of mess they will leave in their wake. They are having lots of fun, though, and that's what counts.


My birthday was Monday, and my friend Orinda's birthday is tomorrow. As per our tradition, we enjoyed lunch at El Jardin today with our birthday marguerita. We both ordered strawberry, and they were delicious and weak (just the way I like them). After tonight's champagne, I will have drank more this week than I have the entire remainder of the year.


I'm blogging during the commercials of 'Whale Wars', which is currently on Animal Planet. It's exciting to watch, even though I know what happens, because Capt. Watson's shooting actually occured several months ago. I am watching the Sea Shepherd crew with awe and envy. I would love to be there fighting along side of these amazing heroic people. These people regularly risk their lives for what they know to be right, and for that, they have my utmost respect and love.


I am so happy and so deeply in love with my children and animals, but there are times I wonder about the life I would have had without them. I would, in a heartbeat, if I had no dependents and responsibilities, LOVE to live my life as a full-time activist. There are so many AR activities I cannot get involved in, because I have little ones who need me right now. Who knows, though, in another 15 years or so, I won't have any dependents (humans grown up and animals passed on), so if I still have some health left, I might still have my day to make a difference and be a hero.

I connect with animals in a way that most people will never understand. I have no desire to make them human like or imbue them with human qualities. I wish to understand them and communicate with them as they are, in their way, and with every species and animal I get the privilege of interacting with, I learn more. I am awed by whales. I haven't had the honor of getting to know one or experiencing life alongside of one, obviously. I have learned a great deal about them, and I am very entranced by them. The concept of ruthlessly slaughtering any animal is vile, but particularly hard for me to understand when they are so undeniably cerebral and live emotionally rich and involved lives. I was fortunate enough to go on two whale-watching ships and had several close encounters with whales while on those ships. Being in their presence, seeing them that close, it was--truly indescribable. It ranks right up there with a handful of profound experiences that I count among the high points of my lives. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I would love to go again some day, if we ever have money like we used to. I have no desire to further humiliate these amazing animals by viewing them in captivity, so the whale-watching cruises are the only shot I have to share a moment with them.


Strangely enough, I've had dreams for the past three nights that I enjoy so much I hate to wake up. In my dreams, I was back on La Jolla beach, where my heart lives. It looked nothing like the real beach, but it was full of seals and other sea life, like the real beach. In my dream, I was living there and as happy as I always am in the San Diego area. I was swimming among the seals and whales were coming in the area as well (yeah, 'cuz they always swim that close to the beach). So all's fair in dreams and they cost nothing, so I'm thinking if I could just dream myself to San Diego/La Jolla and get a little ocean time every night, I would be a really happy person. The dreams are very vivid, and I remember most of them, so it's the next best thing to being there. It sure feels real at the time!

The pics are from our last trip (2005) to San Diego.