{"id":2137,"date":"2011-08-22T17:49:26","date_gmt":"2011-08-22T23:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marcusandshona.com\/?p=2137"},"modified":"2022-02-15T09:09:53","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T16:09:53","slug":"california-pt-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marcusandshona.com\/?p=2137","title":{"rendered":"California, Pt. 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Griffith Observatory was crowded, especially with kids.<\/p><\/div>\n

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There were ghosts there, too!<\/p><\/div>\n

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Foucault's Pendulum.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Ok, I’ll pause the pictures here for a moment to give you some details about Emrick’s admirer\/stalker. Marcus and I were pushing Emrick in his stroller, when at one point we sort of pulled off to the side to avoid the crowds, so I could go digging through my diaper bag\/purse for something. While we stood there, a kid who appeared to be between ages 10 and 12 came up to the stroller and stared at Emrick for a second before saying, “Cute baby.” Marcus and I both said, “Thanks,” and then this kid bent down and touched Emrick’s hands. No big deal, but we like to keep Emrick’s boundaries a little tighter than that. The kid walked away on his own, and I turned to Marcus and said, half-jokingly, “Next time, I’ll tell that kid that he can look<\/em>\u00a0at our awesome baby, but not touch<\/em>.” In truth, of course, we didn’t think there would be a “next time,” as we did not expect to encounter this kid ever again.<\/p>\n

Oh, but we did.<\/p>\n

About 10 or 15 minutes later, we were again stopped, this time in front of a display. I was reading the explanatory plaques when this kid once again approached us. He wedged in front of the stroller and said, “Excuse me, I need to get in here.” Now, I thought he meant he “needed” to see the display. So I inched myself and the stroller backwards to give this kid some room. But it was not the display he was pushing me aside for; it was Emrick! As he positioned himself to get a good view, he said, “Can I see him?” I said, “Sure,” but as I said that, he started to bend down again. Marcus spoke up, “But don’t touch him.”<\/p>\n

Then I added, trying hard not to sound like I was scolding him (because he was<\/em>\u00a0just a kid, after all), “Right. You’re welcome to look, but don’t touch him, okay?”<\/p>\n

The kid immediately stood up from his bending position and said, “Oh,” and walked away!<\/p>\n

Marcus and I looked at each other and chuckled. Marcus had the impression that the kid wanted to hold<\/em>\u00a0Emrick and well, obviously, that was not gonna happen. But really, we didn’t think too much of it, other than that this must be a kid who 1) doesn’t see too many babies, and 2) upon seeing Pookie, was mesmerized with awe at his beauty because 3) hey, the kid’s got eyes<\/em>. Right?<\/p>\n

But I did not know that I was to exchange words with this kid one more time<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It was over by Foucault’s Pendulum. The pendulum is sunken, and there is a viewing wall surrounding it. People gather around the circular wall and look down at the pendulum, and take pictures (see above!) which is exactly what I was doing when Emrick’s stalker<\/del>\u00a0our new friend came over and elbowed his way next to me<\/em>. “Excuse me,” he said, “I have to see this!”<\/p>\n

I said, “Ok,” just a moment before I realized who owned that elbow! I wondered for a second if it was Emrick that he was again<\/em> trying to see with such urgency, but then I remembered that Emrick was not next to me at all. I was on one side of Marcus, and Emrick’s stroller was on the other. So I surrendered my place at the wall to this strange boy and watched as he crossed his arms on the wall and peered over the edge. What was that about?<\/em>\u00a0I wondered. There were other places this kid could have squeezed in, so why did he elbow me<\/em>? Was this payback for not letting him touch Emrick? Was I totally unsuccessful in my attempt to NOT sound harsh and mean? (probably). Did I in fact come off as a scold? (probably). Or was it just a coincidence? (doubtful).<\/p>\n

Well, I thought it was probably nothing, but even so, I decided at that point that I should get a picture of him. After giving that kid my spot, I stood behind Marcus who a few seconds later indicated that he was done looking at the pendulum and was ready to move on. “Hold on,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder to nudge him back toward the wall. “That kid is creeping me out a little, so I am going to get a snapshot of him, just in case…”<\/p>\n

Just in case what<\/em>, you may wonder. Well, I don’t know. What if on the news later that night there were a story about a baby going missing at Griffith Observatory?!?!?! We would need evidence! So I told Marcus to stand in front of me so that I could pretend to take a picture of him<\/em>\u00a0but really take a picture of Stalker Boy.<\/p>\n

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Beware!<\/p><\/div>\n

I know, I know. The kid isn’t exactly sinister looking. But that’s what’s so scary!!!! Just kidding. I never feared this kid, he just put himself on my radar is all. And ever since I became a mom, my radar is always going.<\/p>\n

Anyway, back to Observatory pics (which quickly turn into Pookie pics):<\/p>\n

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Did you know that our sun is a star??????????<\/p><\/div>\n

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Beautiful Emrick. Behind him is a live image of the sun. Filtered for your protection. <\/p><\/div>\n

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Emrick unfiltered.<\/p><\/div>\n

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This is an image of Earth's sister planet, Earthina.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Did I mention that while in California, we enrolled Emrick in the Surf Dudes Academy?<\/p><\/div>\n

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I guess there aren’t any pics of Emrick smiling here! He didn’t get upset at all, but I think the crowds kept him from relaxing as much as he might have otherwise.<\/p>\n

Well, that’s part three, finally. I had planned for this one to be the last, but have now decided on putting the rest of the pics into a fourth and final installment. Stay tuned!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ok, I’ll pause the pictures here for a moment to give you some details about Emrick’s admirer\/stalker. Marcus and I were pushing Emrick in his stroller, when at one point we sort of pulled off to the side to avoid the crowds, so I could go digging through my diaper bag\/purse for something. While we … <\/p>\n

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