Welcome Back to Tucson!

"All That and a Bag of Chips"

Benji has become The Great Lizard Killer.  It's been lizard season in Tucson and he has killed several in the back yard at home.  He sits at the back sliding door watching for them and hollers to be let out so he can chase them.  He goes out of the gate at a full run and chases them down.  I've seen him run them down against the back wall, each lap getting shorter until the lizard is exhausted and Benji gets them.

He shakes them hard like he does his toys.  Then, he doesn't really know what to do with them, why they're not moving and "playing" any more.

At Lisa's, the yard is small and just dirt, but he chases lizards on the leash at her place.  He cracks her up, diving into the bushes after them, shaking the bushes to flush them out, wagging that tail, happy as a clam doing it.

This week he killed two big ones at her place.  She doesn't let him eat on them, but goes "Iccckkk, Benji!" and he lets go of them.

She says he always had an inflated sense of self, but now "He thinks he is just all that and a bag of chips!"

I think he needs rattlesnake and poison toad aversion training.  I'm hoping he would have sense enough to run the other way if he ran into a snake.

Passed my Data Model Exam!

93%!  I needed at least 80% to pass.

Whew! Took a Little Break at Lunch

It has been such a grind here!  They are in go-live frenzy at Cedars and the noise and anxiety are growing by the day.

Me, I'm good.  I took my next section towards my certification today, the Clarity Data Model, and felt very good about it.  I expect to pass and am looking forward to getting the next ones out of the way: Inpatient and Ambulatory.

I was feeling so relieved I actually went out to lunch with my co-worker Ryan and a friend of his, down the street at the Rooftop on Wilshire.  Usually I run downstairs for a bite and a quick break.

This is Ryan.  Yes, he's an "Epic Kid", although he would beg to differ since he's been away from there for a few years.

The Hollywood sign is on that clump of hills in the distance.

June Gloom

Here that's what they call it because the clouds don't burn off until noon or so, messing up life for the surfers. For me, it just means a cloudy morning walk, still beautiful. 

These are million dollar homes, with little sign of life at 6:30 AM. Most people here commute 1-2 hours each way. The home values are about what they were in 2004.  It's an economy unto itself in this area. 

In LA for a while

I drove with Benji to LA Saturday and Sunday, stopping to rest overnight at Blythe, CA. We have been enjoying some nice walks and "us" time.

Tonight We walked the park at LACMA, the LA County Museum of Art. 

http://www.lacma.org

It's a block away, along with the stinky LaBrea tarpits where they have found thousands of prehisoric bones. Did you know there were prehistoric  camels in North America around the time of the mastodons?  I never did. 

http://www.tarpits.org/la-brea-tar-pits/timeline

I caught this cute pic of my little man at the apartment.

We will be here through June or so, depending on what I may need to do in Tucson. This will give me the chance to focus on my certifications and work five 8-hour days instead of cramming 40 into less than 4 days. Whew!!  

Address here is 5600 Wilshire #215, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Phone is (323) 386-8865. Mail is forwarded here. 

Come visit!  There is a lot to see here very close by, and it's 12 miles to the Santa Monica Pier.

http://www.santamonicapier.org