I had an epiphany last night. After I blogged about my allergies, I thought about my pills (Allegra), which I take every single day – all year round. My prescription is really for twice a day – every morning and night – but I never needed to take it that much, and got used to taking it just once a day. So, last night, I suddenly thought, “Maybe I should start taking it twice a day, as it is prescribed!” So, I took one last night, before I went to sleep.
This morning, when I first woke up, I felt better and couldn’t believe how fast it had worked. Then, after I was up a few minutes and started walking around, my nose started to run, and run, and run. It wasn’t any better. I figure I’ll still take two a day for a while, to see if it helps after a few weeks. Maybe it needs to get into your system? I don’t know. If it doesn’t get better in a few weeks, I’ll just go back to once a day. One thing I do need to use more often is my nasal spray, which I’m also supposed to use once or twice a day. My friend, Jimmy, keeps telling me to try NASONEX. He swears by it. The problem is, you can only spray up your nose if your breathing passage is clear, and if your nose is stuffed, it doesn’t work so, if my nose is always stuffed…
Anyway, enough about that. Eric got up soon after me and we had breakfast – grits for him (which he makes himself almost every day) and Special K Chocolately Delight for me.
He surprised me by telling me he planned to go mountain biking today. He was going to NOBLE CANYON, which is about an hour’s drive from here. I was VERY excited, and happy that he was getting out and riding, but also VERY nervous, because I knew if he was disappointed in the ride it might make him more miserable than ever.
He left around 11:00am and I got to work – hanging pictures in the Master Bedroom, and the kitchen. I also arranged my tin collection on the shelves above the closet in the Master Bedroom, and the two center shelves on each wall. The other four shelves hold my purses, pocketbooks and handbags. I also unpacked the 8 boxes which had made up my desk, since Eric fitted it with legs and now it is simply fabulous, with lots of room underneath for storage! Four are still filled – because they were mostly books and I have no place to put them, but I did manage to empty four others, which I think is a great accomplishment!
This is another great piece I got from the shop, before I closed. I call her "Cherry Girl." Did you notice the cherries she has hanging on her ear? How cute is she? She looks great in our kitchen!
The area behind my desk, with storage, my ribbon board, and the end table Eric and I made:
The bedroom looks really great. It’s very busy, with lots of stuff going on, but I like it. I like when I’m in bed watching TV or just waking up and I can look around and see my collections of tins, purses and rhinestone pins. I love display!
The area behind Eric's massage chair, including the perfume screen I made, and the other end table. Do you see the wood sculpture of a head on the table? That's a piece Eric made in wood shop in high school. I LOVE it:
Yesterday, our new friends in San Diego -- Bonnie, Michael, and Nicole -- whom we met through my cousin, Audrey, sent me an early birthday gift – a beautiful box of chocolates.
Today, I got a wonderful birthday surprise from my cousin Ilene and her family in LA. The doorbell rang and there was a beautiful box from http://www.goodfortunes.com/. Inside was a giant fortune cookie dipped in dark chocolate and covered with edible birthday decorations and rainbow confetti. It’s wrapped in cellophane and tied with a big ribbon. I’m going to save the fortune cookie for my weekend celebration with Eric and Jimmy, and I’m saving the chocolates for next weekend, because Audrey is coming to visit from Las Vegas, and she’s coming over with Bonnie, Michael and Nicole!
I got a call from Eric around 3:30pm. He was on his way home. He wasn’t very happy about his ride, but didn’t say much on the phone. When he got home, he didn’t talk about it much. One thing he DID mention was that, instead of buy a pass that was good for a year at all the San Diego parks, (which costs $30), he bought a day pass for $5. He said he has no interest in going to any of the parks anymore, because the riding is not good. I feel bad, because at least he tried, and I was really praying that he would have fun. I guess it’s not meant to be, at least not here. I’ve been making notations in his Mountain Biking book every time he goes to a new place. I asked him what he wanted me to write on the page for NOBLE CANYON and he said, “Same old s---.” I guess that says it all!
After Eric got home I was still working around the apartment, and he got busy doing things, too. I had a long piece of 6" black bullion fringe and sewed it to a piece of red fabric, which is layered on top of a piece of pink fabric, which is on top of a bunch of boxes that make up our buffet. It really looks pretty and it only took a few minutes!
Our "buffet" with the black bullion fringe:
I made an appointment to get my hair touched up at 6:15pm at a salon in HILLCREST called HAIRSPRAY. Of course, since I am a big fan of the movie, the Broadway musical, and the movie musical, the name really appealed to me. I had driven by a couple of times and their sign says something about being “snob free,” which I really liked. A lot of salons are really snobby and I try to avoid those. I went to a great salon in New Hyde Park, which two of my girlfriends still go to – called LE SALON. I just heard from my friend, Susan, that they sold the salon, but the owners still work there. I always had fun there. Everyone was very friendly.
I got to HILLCREST early, but drove around for a while before I found a spot. There’s a small lot in front of the salon, but there were no spots. I went in at about 6:00pm and told the girl behind the desk that I had a 6:15pm appointment. She asked me who the appointment was with, and I said I didn’t know – they didn’t tell me when I called. She asked me for my name and said she didn’t have anything on the calendar for me.
She then found my name, but under tomorrow’s reservations. I assured her that I had called this morning for an appointment tonight. Instead of apologizing for the error, she made it seem like it was MY fault and that I was crazy. She made it look (and there were at least 3-4 other employees standing around) like I had decided to come a day early and was lying about my appointment! I was really mad, but really wanted to get my hair done tonight, so I refrained from walking out.
She found someone who could do my hair, but said I’d have to wait until 7:00pm. I told the guy who was going to do my hair that I was going to STARBUCKS (which is a few blocks away) and asked him if wanted anything. He said I could bring him a regular coffee and thanked me.
I took a walk around HILLCREST, stopping at STARBUCKS and getting him his coffee and myself an iced, sugar free, fat free, decaf Hazelnut latte. I walked around a little and looked at stores I hadn’t noticed before. Another bookstore – right across the street from BLUESTOCKING BOOKS and another vintage store called RAGS, which is on University. They both looked interesting, but I didn’t want to stop with two coffees in my hands!
I went back to the shop and read magazines until he was ready for me. While I was reading, the stylist who worked right in front of where I was sitting started to do a little dance, and I noticed it was the Charleston. I asked her if she was learning to Charleston, and she said, “You know the Charleston?” I said, “Yes, I know lots of ballroom dances.”
Her name is Krystina and she told me she actually teaches the Charleston, and told me about the school – CHAMPION BALLROOM ACADEMY, which is just a few blocks away. She also teaches Swing, which is something I’m very interested in doing. I have wanted to take ballroom classes since DANCING WITH THE STARS started two years ago.
I checked out their website and I was shocked to find that it’s the studio founded in 1990 by MARY MURPHY – the judge for some of the most reputable competitions in ballroom dance, including the U.S. National Championships and Fox TV’S “So You Think You Can Dance”. I had heard that she taught in San Diego, but I never thought I’d end up going to that school. Now, I’m really excited! I think I’ll start taking Krystina’s classes, because they are at a very convenient time (7:00pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays).
At 7:00pm, my stylist was ready for me. Turns out he’s a really nice guy, and a great colorist. My hair looks fabulous (if I do say so myself)! His name is JOHN STANISZ and he’s adorable. We talked the whole time – me telling him about how we just moved here, and him telling me about all the places he’s lived, including New York, LA, San Francisco, and San Diego.
There was an adorable dog there – his name is BUGSY and he was SO sweet and friendly. I didn’t even notice him at all (the salon is very big – with two floors), but all of a sudden he was in front of me, with his big eyes, and I couldn’t resist petting his smooth little head. I was a little nervous about him making me sick, but I couldn’t very well leave with a head full of dye, now could I?
When I got back to Clairemont I was starving. I called Eric, but he said he had already eaten (it was 8:30pm), so I stopped at CARL’S JR. for their taco salad. Eric and I saw CARL’S JR. all across America and NEVER went there, because we don’t eat fast food, but it is right down the block from the apartment, and I’d seen their taco salad on TV, which looked really good, so I decided to through the drive through and get one. I got it without meat (of course), but it had refried beans, lettuce, tomato, salsa, shredded cheese and sour cream in a tortilla bowl. It was really good and hit the spot!
I also bought Eric a vanilla shake. How could I come home empty handed?
Eric had been a busy boy while I was away. He is SO cute, because he got everything looking spic and span for Jimmy. He said, “We’re ready for company!” The apartment looks so beautiful. I’m really proud and Jimmy will be the first person to step foot in here, besides all the cable guys!
I hung a lot of pictures, and Eric hung a bunch more. We worked together, moving things around a little, and then he watched basketball in the living room while I watched TV in the bedroom and opened my mail.
My friend, Marybeth, whom I have known for almost 30 years sent me a beautiful card with a crocheted pink and white dishcloth. It is SO cute I couldn’t possibly use it. I will just put it on the counter and maybe put a hot pot on it, since I think it would work as a trivet, too. I thought it was so sweet of her to make it for me, and send it all the way to San Diego.
Marybeth and I worked at Price Waterhouse together, before it became PricewaterhouseCoopers. We sat on either side of a cubicle wall for many years. We were very close and talked across the wall all the time. Marybeth is a computer genius, and would try out software for the firm, before it was widely distributed. She was always there to answer questions and help me with any problems I had with projects.
You have to remember that when I started with the firm, in 1979, Marybeth already worked there and we were on electric typewriters at that time. When they first started using “word processors” (not computers, like we have now), you actually had to go to a special room and make an appointment in advance in order to use the machine. I remember when we each got our own word processor. That was a big day! No one had the internet at PW until the early 90s. How things have changed!
Tomorrow – more sewing, organizing, hanging, and cleaning. We want everything to be perfect for the weekend. It’s going to be so much fun and we’re both really looking forward to it!