Peppy's Dream Moving Adventure Blog

I woke up at 10:00am; Eric around 11:00am.  The first thing I have to say about New Year's Day was how fabulous it was to be in the warmth.  New Year’s Eve was nice and warm, too.  People at the party last night were complaining about how cold it was, but I just smiled.  It was so nice and warm in South Carolina the entire week, and when we got back to San Diego yesterday, it was even warmer.  You can’t imagine how much it means to me, how happy it makes me.  It really makes life a lot better for me.

I was feeling very lazy and there was a MONK marathon on TV today, so I knew I wouldn’t be going out, or getting much done.  I unpacked and put everything back.  Having done the laundry in SC made it a lot easier, since most of the clothes just went back in the drawers and closet.  I also had to blog for yesterday, which was a real challenge, since it was probably the longest day we’ve had in a LONG time.

Eric watched an episode of MONK with me, then went out to work on the RV and the PT.  While I watched more MONK, worked on the computer and took a nap, he washed and vacuumed the PT, started the generator and engine of the RV and flushed the tank.  You know Eric – Mr. Maintenance.  It is very important to do keep the RV in good shape, because things start to deteriorate when you’re not using it.  Since it doesn’t get cold here, he doesn’t need to winterize the RV, which means he has to periodically start everything up to keep it working well.

When I woke up from my nap it was dark outside, and Eric returned a few minutes later.  I had a pretty bad headache, which is very unusual for me.  I took a few Advils and turned on more MONK.  I love these marathons, because I can’t get enough of that show!

I forgot to mention one more thing about the fine people of Columbia, South Carolina: They love to eat out!  It was something that Eric and I noticed, because all the restaurants were really busy all the time.  The Japanese place, Yamato, was packed on Christmas Eve.  I mentioned that we had to wait to get a seat at Denny’s on Christmas Day.  The Cracker Barrel was crazy the two times we were there, and we went by once and it was so busy we just went someplace else. 
FATZ was crazy busy and CARRABBA’S was, too.  I even mentioned to a hostess at one of the restaurants that we were so surprised at the crowds.  I asked if it was always like this.  She said that it was, but it was even worse because it was a holiday week.

I don’t really remember restaurants in NY being especially crowded around the holidays, but maybe they were and I just didn’t notice.  I always thought the holidays were more about staying home with your family.  Not in Irmo and Columbia!  Eric said, “I thought everyone here stayed home and cooked that good, Southern cookin’!”  I said, “You’d think so, yet we have seen in the last week that we definitely have something in common with them.  We love to eat out, too!”

We didn’t eat out today on New Year’s Day.  We had breakfast (grits for Eric; cereal for me), and I just snacked for lunch.  I had done the food shopping yesterday, so I made a big salad for dinner.  I bought some garlic vinaigrette dressing and was very excited to try it.  It doesn’t take much to make me happy!  I used black beans with the mixed greens, which is the newest addition to my salads.  They’re healthy and add protein!  I also added shelled edamame, which is so delicious.  I had some gorgonzola cheese, so we crumbled a little in there, too.

After dinner we watched an episode of MONK co-starring his real-life wife, Brooke Adams.  This is the first episode she was in; there was another in a later season.  I thought Eric would particularly enjoy this one, because it is about Monk solving a murder while he’s on his first plane trip.  He’s REALLY nervous about flying, which Eric can relate to.  It was very funny.  Garry Marshall co-starred in it, too, as well as Tim Daly, who played himself.  Great episode!

By 9:00pm Eric was ready for bed.  I wasn't surprised as he worked hard today and didn't take a nap.  I paid some bills and organized my desk.

I’m excited and scared about the agency calling me for work.  I really want to go back to work – to be a productive member of society – but I’ve gotten into a very bad habit of waking late, being on my own schedule, and spending my days with Eric. I want to work.  I really do.  I just hope they don’t call tomorrow!

The phone rang at 8:00am this morning.  I was sure it was the temp agency.  Darn it!  I was hoping for a few more days off (lazy girl that I am).  Fortunately, it was Eric’s sister, Ellen, calling to wish us a Happy New Year.  I’m always happy to hear from Ellen, but today I was especially pleased!  I called the agency at 9:00am and told them I’m ready, willing, and able to go to work, so I do hope I’ll hear from them soon.

Eric decided to go for a ride.  He left the house with the PT at around noon and I was doing two loads of laundry.  I expected to be home most of the day, because I wouldn’t have the car, so I decided to do some organizing in the apartment.  Eric was going to LAKE POWAY and TWIN PEAKS, which is about 40 miles away.  I expected him to be back after dark, and was surprised when he returned around 3:00pm.  Unfortunately, the area was burned in the fires and all the trails are closed.  Eric was really disappointed.  He keeps trying different places in his San Diego Mountain Biking book, and they are bad for one reason or another.  This one wasn’t bad – he just wasn’t able to ride it!

Since he came back with the car, I decided to go out and run some errands and he said he’d ride out from the apartment on his bicycle.  First, I went to the post office to mail back our EZ-PASS.  They don’t have EZ-PASS in California, so we don’t need it anymore.  My next stop was right across the street in a big shopping center (this is all on Clairemont Drive, just a few miles down from the apartment).

That’s where the MICHAEL’S craft place is, along with Burlington Coat Factory, ACE Hardware, and many other stores.  I never noticed how big it was before.  It’s one shopping center, but there are 4 different parking lots, so you don’t realize how many stores there are.  There’s also a movie theater and – a STARBUCKS!  I didn’t realize there was one so close to the house.  Eureka, Wow, Hooray and all that kind of stuff!

I stopped for an iced decaf venti nonfat sugar-free mocha latte.  Yum!  I went into the Burlington Coat Factory for the first time.  Who knew they sold all kinds of bedding, towels, home accessories and furniture?  I thought it was a COAT factory!

I went into Michaels to get the batting for my rhinestone pin display frame.  I already had the brown crushed velvet, I just needed the batting and the frame.  I saw a beautiful ornate gold frame in Michaels.  It was $40.  I didn’t really like it that much, because it’s brand new, just made to look old, but I thought I would keep it in mind if I couldn’t find anything better.

Next, I drove into Pacific Beach and went to the Salvation Army where I found a gorgeous ornate gold frame for $15 and a smaller silver one for $5.  I was so happy.  They were exactly what I was looking for.  I’m going to use the big gold one for the colorful rhinestone pins, and the small silver one for earrings.  I found some black fishnet type fabric which, when stretched over some other fabric, will hold the hooks for dangling earrings.

I drove back to Clairemont and went to RITE-AID to buy a Brita filter.  Eric and I drank bottled water all across the country, but I feel guilty about it, because we use so many plastic bottles.  I was watching THE BIGGEST LOSER – COUPLES and they said they were teaming up with BRITA to get people to stop using bottled water and start using refillable pitchers.  We always used Brita pitchers in NY and our pitcher wouldn’t fit in the RV, so we got rid of it and started buying cases of bottled water.  I just think it’s wasteful, because Eric has water bottles when he rides and he can just fill them up from the Brita.

Last, I went to KEILS for a few odds and ends we needed, including pecans, which Eric wants to add to our salads.  They had them in a lot of salads we had on vacation and he always liked the taste.  I also wanted to get dried cranberries, because they had them in a salad we had in South Carolina.  Unfortunately, KEILS didn’t have any!  I also bought more IZZE soda – this time Black Raspberry – because it has no caffeine and no refined sugar.  It’s all natural and is just sparkling water sweetened with natural fruit juice!

When I got home, Eric still wasn’t back from his ride.  I unpacked the groceries, got the Brita filter started (you need to soak the filter, then fill up the pitcher two times before using), and then watched some Dr. Phil I had taped from last week.

Eric got back and I made dinner.  All I had to do was heat up some frozen MORNINGSTAR FARMS vegetarian chicken patties (hey, they taste really good) and some MORNINGSTAR FARMS veggie bites, plus some Four Cheese Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice.   Nothing fancy, yet tasty and filling!

This morning I ordered NUTRISYSTEM for me and Eric – vegetarian for me; Chicken for Eric.  We’re both into losing weight and believe portion control is part of our problem.  We’ll see how this works for us.  We should get our first meals in about a week.  I’ll keep you all informed of our progress!

We watched the news at 11:00pm and there seems to be a cold snap through the whole country.  We heard it was 17 degrees in NY, and freezing in Florida, too.  I’m so sorry for my East Coast contingent!  I thank my lucky stars that we are here in San Diego.  It’s supposed to rain for a few days, but we really need it, so I won’t be complaining.

Well, there’s a new Letterman and Leno on tonight.  I still don’t know how they managed it, because the strike is still on, but we're going to watch!  Tomorrow, Eric and I will make my colorful rhinestone display frame.  I’ll take pictures!

I woke up at 8:00am and came out to the living room to do some work on my typing project.  I'm happy to report it’s almost done.  I typed for 2 hours and then woke Eric up at 10:00am, so we could have breakfast together and watch THE VIEW.  Unfortunately, it was a repeat, so Eric made grits for us both (I don’t like it as much as he does, but I was just in the mood!) and we went into the bedroom to watch BOSTON LEGAL, which I had recorded on Tuesday.  What a great show.

After that, we watched an episode of MONK I had recorded, too.  Eric fell asleep soon after the episode was over, and I watched a DR. PHIL I had recorded and then fell back to sleep, too!  Are we lazy or WHAT?

When we woke up we went to work on my frame projects.  First we put the big gold frame together with the batting and the brown crushed velvet.  It looks SO beautiful.  Then, we did the small silver frame with the batting, a purple fabric and the fishnet fabric over it.  We hung them both up and I immediately hung all my earrings on the fishnet frame.  It looks SO cute and now I can see all my earrings at once – just like the rhinestone pins.  It looks great, and it serves a purpose – it helps me to see all my accessories and, therefore, to wear more of them.

It’s funny how Eric and I work together.  We have ALWAYS done decorating and craft projects together – since before we were married.  When I had my apartment, we had a lot of parties, and he would help me decorate.  When we got married and lived in the apartment in Flushing for 2 years, we decorated the whole place together.  When we bought the house in 1986, he helped me decorate every single room.  He’s so handy, and great with all the tools.  He will help me with anything I ask, and he’s much more exacting about measurements than I am.  We don’t always see things the same way, and sometimes we argue about how something should be done, but it’s always fun and the results are always beautiful!  We really make a great team.

After that was done, he went into the shower and geared up to go for a ride.  I went into the shower and got dressed to go for a “power walk.”  I left the house at 4:11pm and walked along Clairemont Drive to Balboa and back. 

I walked really fast on the way, and the muscles in my shins were really feeling it.  I worked up a good sweat and could tell my face was all red.  I get red-in-the-face when I exercise, which is SO attractive!

By the time I got close to the apartment, I was actually feeling lightheaded.  I have been sedentary for SO long and even my few bicycle rides weren’t as strenuous, because you can just coast a lot on the bicycle, and don’t have to pedal all the time.  I had to put one foot in front of the other all the way there and back.  I got back exactly an hour later – 5:11pm.  It was just getting dark and I was glad to be home.

As soon as I started walking I remembered why I don’t walk more.  I have arthritis in my right foot.  Every step hurts me, but I’m so used to it and it’s not excruciating, it’s just a dull ache all the time.  The problem is, when you’re walking a few miles, and every step hurts, after a while it starts to get really annoying.  By the time I got back my foot was killing me.  I had to put on this orthopedic cushion that I have from my holistic podiatrist, back in New Hyde Park.  The problem is, the flatter my shoe, the more it hurts.  Barefoot is the worst.  Sneakers are a little better, but still cause a lot of pain.

I want to walk every day.  I keep reading about how it’s the best exercise, and since I’m in a new neighborhood, everything is interesting to look at, so I won’t get as bored.  I’ll see how my foot feels tomorrow.  If it’s killing me, I’ll have to go back to bicycling, which is fine, but just a lot more trouble – the gearing up, the helmet, the gloves, the traffic.  You know what I mean!

I do want to start yoga again and that’s a definite.  I want Eric to go with me, and he’s promised he would, but we’ll just see if he follows through.  I happen to think yoga would be fabulous for Eric, because although he is in good shape due to riding, he NEVER stretches and is hamstrung.  If you ask him to touch his toes, he can bend down about 3 inches, so that his fingertips are by his knees.  Stretching is very important.  My back never felt better than when I was taking yoga.  My foot felt better, too.  It really helps a lot of things.  It’s good for you spiritually, physically, and mentally.  I highly recommend it!

So, when I got back from my walk, all red-faced and sweaty, I drank a big glass of water, cooled down, and watched today’s episode of DR. PHIL (which I had recorded) while I waited for Eric to get back from his ride.  When he did, I made us a big salad – pecans, black beans, sprouts, red cabbage, snap peas, edamame, avocado, cherry tomatoes, shredded Asiago cheese and mixed greens.  Delicious and healthy!

George's girlfriend presenting Elaine with The Big Salad:

For dessert we had mango sorbet and pineapple chunks (packed in juice, not syrup) with more pecans on top.

Eric watched the basketball game and I watched UGLY BETTY while I put all the colorful rhinestone pins on my new brown velvet and gold-framed pin board.  It’s so nice to look at all my pins and, even though I may not ever wear some of them, at least I'll look at them every day!

The pin with the big purple stone in the middle belonged to my grandmother.  It's one of my treasures!

I am going to keep my eyes peeled for more frames, because I think it’s something that lots of girls would like to have to display their pins or earrings.  Eric and I had fun making them and I’d like to make a bunch and try to sell them at the Swap Meet.  I’ve never seen anyone else with them, so at least it’s something unusual and interesting!

The light blue dangle pin with the "marbles" is the one I just purchased in South Carolina.  Isn't it unusual?

I love my crafting so much.  If I could just sit all day and do decoupage, or jewelry mosaics, or make my jewelry frames, or sponge paint, I would be as happy as a pig in you-know-what.  I got to do so much crafting for 5 years, while I had the shop.  Now, it’s something I’ll have to fit in, when I’m not working (which I hope I will be soon!).  Crafting makes me happy!

Today is the 150th day since we left Whitestone.  I told Eric since we’re going on NUTRISYSTEM next week, and will not be eating out much (like we do now), we should go out tonight and celebrate 150 days.  It’s not really our last hurrah, because we will be eating out when we go to L.A. next week, and when our nieces visit from New York the week after, but we’ll be eating VERY sensibly, so it’s our last night to “be bad.”  For me, that means Italian!  There’s a great place right up the block which we’ve only visited once, even though we had a great meal, so I figured that’s where we’d go tonight.

I might start working on Monday (I hope), so I decided today was the last day to run a bunch of errands.  I left the house around noon and saw something under the windshield wiper on the PT.  A ticket!  How lovely!  It was a $25 ticket for not having a valid registration displayed.  I was totally confused, because Eric and I noticed that no one in California has a registration sticker in their windshield. I did receive my registration in the mail, but it was just a piece of paper, which actually said it DIDN'T have to be displayed, just to keep it in the car.  

I didn’t know what to do and the only people I could think of to ask were the guys who sold me the PT at ENTERPRISE, so I drove over there.

A guy named Ron, who I never met before, told me they’d take care of the ticket, because they registered it for me and there was some kind of mistake with the registration.  I’m still not sure exactly what the problem was, because they sent me the new registration, but they didn’t send the sticker!  The only reason I got the ticket is because it’s now 2008 and the cop noticed the little sticker wasn't on the rear license plate.  Last year it was green; this year it’s orange.  Since I parked on the empty side of the street, a cop was able to get a good look at my plate and noticed the color was wrong.

Ron told me he’d take care of the ticket, but I had to take my registration to the DMV, which is a few miles away (from my apartment, and from ENTERPRISE) and they would give me the 2008 sticker.

I drove to the DMV and got on line.  I had to fill out a one-page form and they gave me a number – B144.  When I sat down, they were up to B110.  I couldn’t believe I was going to have to spend my whole day at the DMV.  Long story short – I got the sticker in about an hour, but they told me I had to get a new driver’s license.  You are supposed to get one after 30 days and we’ve already been residents for longer than that.  I couldn’t do it today, even if I wanted to, because you have to bring your original birth certificate and original marriage license (because I have a different last name than is listed on my birth certificate).

So, if I don’t work on Monday, Eric and I know where we’ll be spending the afternoon.  The thing that scared me the most is that they give you an 18-question driver’s test.  Will I know the answers?  I took my driving test 24 years ago!

I got out of there at 1:00pm and drove to Pacific Beach and went to the SALVATION ARMY.  I didn’t find any frames there today, so I drove to SPORTS ARENA BOULEVARD to hit a lot of the stores there.  First, I went to STARBUCKS and got an iced venti decaf nonfat sugar-free mocha latte.

Then, I went to GOODWILL and picked up a frame to make another pin board.

Then, I went to PIER 1 IMPORTS.  I wanted to get a coffee table for the living room.  I wasn’t happy with the one we made out of boxes, because the tablecloth on top didn’t match the rest of the room and dragged too much on the floor.

I found a gorgeous trunk and was able to use the two gift certificates I got from our friends, Brian and Elaine and Andrea and Mark.  I even had some money left over and bought some scented soaps (Eric loves them) and some beautiful cards.  The trunk is called "Vallejo" and is part wood, bamboo and rattan.  It is an orangy brown and has the kind of hinged lid that can’t slam down on your fingers.  It has brass handles on each side and a slit in the front for your hand to fit into when you open it.  It’s perfect to store the blankets, pillows and sheets for guests who sleep on our lovely sleeper sofa!  We’re so happy with it.  It looks great and is practical and useful, too!

I’m so grateful that I was able to get this lovely piece of furniture for the apartment and didn’t have to pay a penny for it.  Thanks, again, to our friends for this lovely gift!

After PIER 1 IMPORTS I jumped right next door to another SALVATION ARMY store.  I found another great frame.

Next, I drove back to Clairemont and went to MICHAELS and BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY, where I found another beautiful frame.  I’m going to be making these frames into pin and earring boards to try to sell them.

My last stop was in another store in the same shopping center as MICHAELS and BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY called HOME FABRICS.  This is a fabric store, but the kind that sells fancy, expensive fabrics for upholstery and curtains, and also sells rugs and trimmings.  They don’t sell fabric for crafts, quilting or clothing.

I bought four curtain panels (2 in light blue and 2 in chocolate brown), because I had an idea to make a “headboard” out of curtain panels covering the ugly vertical blinds.  They drive me and Eric crazy, because when we’re laying in bed they’re always hitting us in the head.  I’m going to see if I can take down the verticals and, if I can’t, I’ll just hang the panels right over them.  At least, even if we lean against them, they won’t be hitting us in the head anymore!

When I got back I showed Eric all my purchases and he told me about his ride.  Apparently, he almost got run off the road by an idiot in a pickup truck who actually backed up to yell at him and tell him to “get the ____ off the road.”  Eric said the drivers here are crazier than in New York.  I don’t understand how someone driving a car can get so mad at someone riding a bicycle, but it happened.  I’m just glad he’s okay.  He said the guy practically ran him off the road.

He went on a tour of different neighborhoods in San Diego and told me that he went to a part of La Jolla were the mansions were so huge that they put Malba to shame.  Malba was the neighborhood right next to ours in Whitestone and there were mansions there that would make your head spin.  A lot of them looked like estates, behind big iron gates, with marble columns (ya gotta have marble colums!).  I told him I want him to take me there in the car, so I can see!

We went to LA DOLCE VITA, right up the block, for dinner.  I had salad bar and eggplant parmigiana with spaghetti.  Eric had lentil soup, salad bar and penne a la vodka.  Everything was really good.  This place is so close and they have great food.  That’s dangerous!

After dinner, we decided to walk to 7-ELEVEN so Eric could play LOTTO and MEGA MILLIONS and we could get dessert (Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Peanut Butter (what else?)).

We walked back to the apartment and Eric watched basketball and had ice cream while I blogged and had ice cream.

We’re glad we have no plans for the weekend, because it’s supposed to be raining all day Saturday and Sunday.  It’s so funny, because it’s big news that there’s a “winter storm” coming.  They have NO idea!

I’m actually looking forward to a rainy weekend, because now I have three frames to put together and Eric and I will keep busy working together all afternoon (if we’re not watching TV or taking naps!).  Sounds like heaven to me!

I woke up at 8:00am this morning.  I’ve been setting my alarm for 8:00am every morning, so that I get used to waking up a little earlier, but I didn’t set it for today and I woke up early anyway!  It was finally raining.  They’ve been threatening all week and it finally started.  No biggie.  It wasn’t even pouring, just a nice, steady rain, which you would think they’d be thrilled about here, considering we ARE in a desert!

Eric woke up soon after and went right into the shower.  I was talking to my friend, Jimmy, on the phone, when the bell rang – and it was a package for me.  Actually, it was addressed to Jimmy c/o me.  Jimmy won a BEDAZZLER in an online contest and generously gave it to me!

Here’s his bedazzling entry:
Right off the bat I'd Bedazzle a portrait of David Bowie on my favorite Levi jacket. I think his looks on 'Aladdin Sane' and/or 'Scary Monsters' would translate best in sparkle magic. Because I have very little artistic talent when it comes to rendering the likeness of a rock GOD in rhinestones, it'll probably look more like a day camp crafts project done by Corky from 'Life Goes On.' BUT I'LL know it's David. Oh yes. I'll know.

He's so funny and I'm always telling him he's a great writer, so it's no wonder he won.  He asked me if I would use it and I told him I’d love it.  So, he had them ship it to him here.  I can’t wait to try it!  I know I will be able to do something fabulous with it.  After all, I AM Sparkle Plenty!  Thanks, Jimmy!

I got the original cast recording of YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, which I would love to see on Broadway.  Boo hoo!  I'll have to wait for the National Tour to come to San Diego (or Los Angeles!).  I also saw ROLL IN THE HAY performed on Letterman with Roger Bart and Sutton Foster.  It was great.

After Eric’s shower, he came into the living room all dressed.  I asked him why he bothered getting all dressed when it was raining out (I assumed we were spending the day inside).  All he said was “Pancakes.”  “What?” I asked.  “Pancakes,” he repeated.  Turns out, he wanted to go to IHOP.  I explained to him that I was trying to diet.  It was bad enough that I had bread AND spaghetti with dinner; bad enough that we walked to 7-Eleven last night to get ice cream.

He explained that once we start on NUTRISYSTEM the party is over, so he wanted to have pancakes for breakfast.  I told him he was sabotaging my diet, but I really have no one to blame but myself.

I put on my leopard rain slicker and my black galoshes and we went to IHOP in Pacific Beach.  It was coming down pretty hard, but not teeming or anything like that.

The place was IHOP-ping!  I guess everyone else had the same idea.  Eric got the pancakes with 2 scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns.  I got the chocolate chip pancakes.  There really aren’t a heck of a lot good choices at IHOP, except this one dish that’s egg substitute with veggies and pancakes with low-calorie syrup.  Eric said, “Just get the chocolate chip pancakes.”  And I obeyed.  I am happy to report that I only ate half and took the rest home.  Okay, I’m not proud of myself, but at least I didn’t eat the whole thing!

When we got back we watched an episode of MONK I had recorded from the marathon the other day.  It was from the first season, which I had only seen once and Eric had never seen.  We really enjoyed it.

After that, he went into the living room to watch a marathon of his own – football.  There were two games on today and Eric watched them both – all day long!  I took a nap.  I don’t know why I was so tired, but I think some of it was due to the rainy weather.  I woke up at 3:30pm – I had slept for almost three hours!  Even for me, that’s a long nap!

Now, I was ready to get to work!  I wanted to make the two frames for pins.  I had the brown velvet, which looks so nice with the gold wood.  Eric helped me work on the two frames and then he and I made dinner.

The back of the pin boards, covered with vintage drawer liner paper.  I think it gives it a nice finishing touch!

I had a salad and he made himself chicken cutlet parmigiana and also had my leftover eggplant parmigiana from last night.

Since he was STILL watching football, I ate in the bedroom while I watched the first episode of CELEBRITY APPRENTICE, which I had recorded.  It was pretty good.  I always enjoyed the regular APPRENTICE shows, so I figured this would be entertaining, too.  It didn’t disappoint.

After dinner I finished the two frames.  They came out great.  I am hoping to sell them both.

A close-up of the two gold frames.  I think they'll be a beautiful addition to any boudoir!

Our friend, Jerry, called.  He is staying in Malibu and we are going to spend next weekend with him.  We visited him in Chicago on our RV Adventure, now we’ll be visiting him in Malibu!  I will also be going to see WICKED with my cousin, Ilene on Saturday afternoon.  It should be a great weekend.  We’re hoping the weather is better next weekend than this!

Our other friend, Geri, called.  Wow!  What are the chances?  We spoke for a while and then I came back out to the living room to hang out with Eric.  The football games were finally over and we watched some regular TV together.

Since he didn’t have a nap, Eric went to bed at 10:00pm, but I was still rarin’ to go.  I worked on the computer and watched TV.  I’m shopping for a headboard.  The vertical blinds in the bedroom are driving me CRAZY.  We need to buy a headboard that attaches to the frame, so we can pull the bed away from the wall a little and still have something to lean against.  I’d rather make one, but it would be a lot of work, and he said if I could find something I liked to just buy it instead.  I like padded and tufted headboards.  They’re comfy and elegant.  I found exactly what I was looking for and I may just order it tomorrow!

My phone rang at 7:00am.  There was no one there.  I couldn’t fall back to sleep.  That’s how my Sunday started.

I got up and called back the number that had called me.  It was my online prescription company.  I don’t know if they lost the call, or realized they were calling me at 7:00am on a Sunday and hung up.  Anyway, I was up and couldn’t fall back to sleep.

I came into the living room, sat at the computer, and finished my typing project.  Yes, it’s done.  I'm so happy.  Then, I organized my desk, paid some bills, and answered some emails.  Eric got up a little after 10:00am.  He started watching football and I went into the bedroom to watch TV.  He had my leftover chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.  I had Special K.

I was going to do laundry, but it was raining again, and there really wasn’t that much to do, so I figured it could wait.  I really felt lazy today.  Like I didn’t have the energy to do anything.  I guess I could blame it on another rainy day.  Maybe it's because I went to bed at 1:00am and woke up at 7:00am.  I’m not sure what it is.

I found my birth certificate, Eric’s birth certificate, and our marriage license, which I need in order to get our new driver’s licenses tomorrow.  If they don’t call me for work, that will be our first order of business!  I also have to go to the post office and want to return some curtain panels I purchased.  I was going to use them behind the bed, but the colors weren’t that great, once I got them home and matched them to the bedding.  I also don’t really need them anymore, since I found a gorgeous headboard online and ordered it this morning.  Wheee!  I love shopping online.

I researched for 2 hours last night and the nicest cheapest headboard actually comes from the same company where I got our sleeper sofa!  It’s chocolate brown, heavily tufted, looks like silk shantung (but is actually a much more durable poly/cotton) and attaches to the bedframe (unlike a lot of the ones I saw, which only attach to the wall!).  I should have it in a week or two.  It will make watching TV in bed so much more comfortable.

At around 3:00pm, Eric went inside to take a nap.  I don’t know why I wasn’t feeling tired, since I’ve been up since 7:00am, and he got up at 10:00am, but I figure it’s best I don’t nap, because this way I’ll be able to go to bed at a decent time and wake up early.  I want to be showered and dressed by 8:00am.  If they call me to work, I’ll just leave the DMV with Eric and we’ll go back another day.

It is important that we get our licenses, because you’re supposed to have a California license within 30 days (we’ve already been here for 6 weeks).  Fortunately, the only way they really know is if you’re stopped by a cop and asked to show your license, but then you get a ticket, and it’s a big pain.  I’d rather play by the rules and just get it done.  IF they don’t call me for work.

I woke Eric up at 5:30pm and told him I’d make a frozen pizza for dinner.  There’s practically no food left in the house, which is good since we’re going on NUTRISYSTEM next week and will have all our food provided for us, except for fruits, vegetables and dairy.

Eric had no interest in frozen pizza.  He wanted to go to “our place” for sushi.  I said “Sure!”  We got dressed and went out.  It was dark and rainy, but at least it wasn’t cold!  We went to HAIKU and were treated like royalty.  Jin, one of the sushi chefs, asked us what rolls we wanted as soon as we walked in the door, even though the restaurant was pretty crowded.

We told him we definitely wanted our favorite (Spicy Crunchy Shrimp Roll) and would have to look at the menu to decided on the rest.  We then ordered edamame, shumai (our two classics), and ordered two other new dishes to try – a dish called COMA, which was tempura fried jalapeno peppers in a chopped salad, and we tried a new roll – Super Spicy Tuna Roll.  The first thing the waitress brought us was two bowls of Miso Soup.  We told her we hadn’t ordered it, but she said she wanted us to have it.  Delicious!

By the time we were done, we were stuffed.  We never order soup, so it was an additional dish we weren’t expecting.  I was satisfied and ready to leave, but Eric had to have the fried Green Tea ice cream.  It’s his favorite!  I had a little, but he ate most of it.  I don’t know how he’s going to stick to the NUTRISYSTEM diet, but we’ll see.  We’ll see.

DR. PHIL had a show about New Year’s resolutions last week and he said in order to keep a resolution you should tell people, because then you will be held accountable.  If you tell everyone you’re going to quit smoking, then it’s going to be awkward to explain yourself if someone sees you smoking.  It’s the same with dieting.  Well, I am going to be fully accountable, because I’m telling everyone that I’m going on NUTRISYSTEM and will be reporting in my blog every single day what I eat and if I cheat.  I am hoping that my dieting success will be inspiration for others who are frustrated by their ever-tightening waistbands!  Yes, that’s what I’m hoping!

When we got back, I immediately got back into my pjs (since my waistband is so tight), and called my friend Jimmy.  He said he doesn’t think I’ll get called to work tomorrow, and Eric doesn’t think so either, so I guess I’ll be safe at the DMV.

If we DO get that done, I’m hoping to go to the optometrist to get our eyes checked, too.  We both need to have our prescriptions updated.  Also, my glasses got very loose.  They keep falling off my face and if they weren’t around my neck on a chain (yes, I’m old – I admit it), they would fall right to the floor.

I called my Mom to see how she was doing.  My whole family was there this week.  My sister, Lenae, and her husband Rich, and two kids – Keri and Ed – went during the week to visit, and my other sister, Audrey, got there on Saturday morning.  Lenae and her crew left this morning, and Audrey’s leaving tomorrow night.  I know how exhausting it can be to have company, and having so many for so long must have been a lot of work.  My parents are doing great, but they’re no spring chickens!  My Mom said she was exhausted, but they had a lot of fun, and they missed me and Eric.

After I hung up from my Mom I wanted to finish my third project – another frame to hold earrings.  It came out great!  I now have three frames and my mirror decorated with clip-on earrings.  I am going to bring them all to the trendy shops in Hillcrest to see if anyone is interested in buying them, or taking them on consignment.  If not, I’ll try some other nice neighborhoods, and if I find there is no interest in the shops I’ll rent a booth at the Swap Meet one weekend and sell them myself.  I really think there’ll be a market for them.

If I WAS going to rent a booth, I’d have to accumulate a lot of pieces before I’d have enough to make it worthwhile to rent a whole booth.  It would take me a few months, at the very least.  I’d much rather sell them piece by piece, or put them in different shops on consignment.  I’m not used to doing my work this way, because in New York all my pieces were commissioned.  I very rarely did anything just to try to sell, or for myself.  I only did them when people would specifically request a custom piece of furniture or decorative item.

A suitcase I decoupaged for a make-up artist, so she can fashionably carry her tools to jobs!

That’s my favorite way to work, because I’m making something for someone that is like a wish fulfilled.  My clients would tell me exactly what they wanted.  I’d show them the piece I was going to decorate, or they’d bring it to me themselves.  If it was to be decoupaged, they would tell me the theme – butterflies, or art deco, or Asian, or a holiday theme.

A glass vase I decorated completely with pictures of butterflies (which I cut out of catalogs and magazines):

If it was a jewelry mosaic, they would request all rhinestones, or gold jewelry, or pearls.  Some customers would give me pieces of jewelry they wanted me to use on a mirror, or a box, or even buy pieces of jewelry in the shop.  That bothered me a little, because I always used broken pieces of jewelry, or a single earring – stuff that couldn’t really be worn anymore.  I don’t like to use wearable jewelry in my creations.  It’s all about reducing, reusing and recycling.  I call my work “decorative reincarnation” because I give things, which are considered garbage by some, a new life!  I’m just trying to save things from the landfill!

A box I decoupaged with pictures of flowers:

It all started when people would bring me jewelry to sell on consignment in the shop.  If a piece was broken, or there were stones missing, they’d say, “Oh, just throw it out.”  Of course, I never could.  I told them I’d keep it for crafts.  When I had a bunch of broken pieces I started doing my jewelry mosaics and I was hooked.  I love doing it!

An old, ugly chandelier that I covered completely with faux pearls:

Now, I use clip-on and screw-on earrings, because most girls won’t wear them anymore.  They just hurt too much.  Now, you CAN make clip-on or screw-on earrings into pierced, but it costs at least $15 per set, and most people don’t want to make the investment.  I had so many pairs of earrings and I decided to put them to good use, so I started using them in my jewelry mosaics, too.  It bothers me a little, because they ARE wearable, there’s just no market for them!

A piece I bejeweled for a shoe collector! 

Well, I need you all to wish us luck at the DMV tomorrow.  I hope we pass the written test.  I hope we pass the vision test.  I hope we don’t spend the whole day there!

My phone rang at 6:44am.  It was the prescription company again, but – again – there was no one there.  At least this time my alarm was going off at 7:00am anyway!  I finally found out that it’s an automatic message and I guess they keep calling you until you listen to the whole message.

Eric and I got up and got out early.  We got on line at the DMV (the line was already out the door) at 8:23am.  It wasn’t raining, but it looked like it might any second and it was really chilly.  We got inside, continued waiting on line and got and filled out the form for the driver’s license.  We each got a number (G137 and G138) and it moved so fast that we had just finished filling out the form when we were called.  We also registered to vote (which means they’ll probably call me for Jury Duty very soon).

Eric was on one side of the big room at one window and I was at another.  They processed our forms, checked our vision, took our pictures and photographed our thumbs (that’s new!).  Then, we had to wait on another line to take the test, which consisted of 36 questions.  You failed if you got more than 3 wrong.  Now, Eric and I had both gone through the tutorial online, to get an idea of the questions they were going to ask, and we both did pretty well, but we never took the test online and we never studied the book.

As soon as we got the tests and started taking them we each had the same thought: “Maybe we should have looked at the book first!”  Of course, we didn’t discuss this, as we were both in different “privacy stalls” taking the test, but when we conferred afterward, we laughed at the fact that we both forgot to look at the manual before getting tested!

The questions that involved common sense were pretty easy, but there were some that you just couldn’t know unless you studied the manual.  For instance: At an uncontrolled intersection where you can’t see cross traffic until you are just about to enter the intersection, the speed limit is: 15 mph, 25 mph, 20 mph.  I just figured you should go as slow as possible, so I guessed 15 mph.  I was right!

Another confusing one: Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit in a residential area is: 35 mph, 30 mph, 25 mph.  I didn’t know, so I guessed 35 mph.  I was wrong!  I also got another one wrong about a yellow sign with an arrow facing left, which I found out means “Sharp turn to the left.”  Who knew?

I got two wrong; Eric got three wrong.  We were REALLY lucky!  We got out of there at 10:00am.  Next, I had to go to the post office.  After that, I had to return some curtains I had purchased.  They just weren’t going to work.

Next, we went to PEARL VISION, because we both need new prescriptions.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have the forms we needed (we forgot we have to get them from Eric’s union), so we didn’t get anything done.

We came home and there were two big boxes waiting for us (glad it wasn’t raining!).  One was Eric’s 5-week supply of NUTRISYSTEM food.  My box of NUTRISYSTEM didn’t arrive yet.  I told Eric I thought the mailman probably had it in his truck, but didn’t feel like making THREE trips!  I hope it comes tomorrow!

The other big box was his AB LOUNGE ULTRA, a chair that makes doing crunches easier (at least that’s what Eric thinks).  He says, “It practically does them for you!”  He’s been talking about and wanting to order the Ab Lounge for a few years already and he mentioned it again while we were in South Carolina.  I figure anything that’s going to get him (and me) moving can’t be bad, so I ordered it online.

After looking through all the food in Eric’s plan, I called my friend, Susan, and got caught up with her.  I miss her and her husband, Andrew!

I got all the laundry together and walked down to the laundry room.  Unfortunately, all four machines were being used, so I came back up.  I waited a half hour and went back down.  Someone else beat me to it!  I went back up and came back again in another half hour and this time I was able to use three machines.

I came up and did stuff around the apartment until it was time to put everything in the dryer.

When I came back up, Eric had gone into the bedroom to take a nap (he was practically sleeping in the massage chair while he was watching TV).  Then, I made lunch for myself while he slept and I waited for the clothes to dry.  I had two boca burgers (vegetarian) and three veggie bites – all from MORNINGSTAR FARMS.  I enjoy their food, and it’s microwaveable, so it’s also fast and easy!

I will be eating vegetarian for a while, except when we eat out, since I had to order the Vegetarian Plan of NUTRISYSTEM, since I don’t eat meat or chicken.  They don’t have any seafood on the plan, so I’ll definitely be eating fish when we go out.

I went back down again to get the laundry.  I didn’t go for a walk today, because it looked like it was going to rain again and it was very damp and chilly out, but I certainly got a bit of exercise going up and down 2 flights of stairs and walking a few hundred feet eight times!  I hope there’s some sun tomorrow!

I came upstairs, folded all the laundry, put everything away and then decided to take down all the Chanukah, Birthday, Christmas and New Apartment cards we had received.  I looked at them all again and then I recycled most of them.  I used to save cards forever, but when we moved from Whitestone I threw away about 500 old cards.  It just didn’t make sense to ship them to San Diego!  Now, I only keep the ones that are original artwork, or that contain photos.  The regular cards are recycled!  I am such a packrat and it was a real challenge to throw things away when we moved.  I am determined to keep it to a minimum here, and I throw away, recycle, or give away anything I don’t really need.

I woke Eric up at 5:00pm.  Tonight we had the frozen pizza I had mentioned last night.  I told Eric that he can’t start his NUTRISYSTEM food until I get mine.  We have to do this together!

While the pizza heated up, Eric read the instruction manual and put the Ab Lounge Ultra together.  He’s so good at that kind of stuff!  Then we both tried it out.  You can feel it immediately.  It’s just as easy to do crunches on the floor, but it DOES have two great features: (1) Unlike crunches, it supports your body, especially your head, neck and back, throughout the exercise, so you don’t strain your neck. It effectively works your muscles in the upper and lower abdominals, and obliques (the "love handles" area); and (2) You're up off the floor, so your muscles have a total range of motion for better results.  Also, because you're up off the floor, it's much easier to watch TV!  You can just sit in it comfortably and keep doing sets.

The only trick is – you have to use it!  Now that we’re going on NUTRISYSTEM and have our new AB LOUNGE ULTRA, it seems like we can’t fail.  Doesn’t it?  Well, doesn’t it?

After dinner I went into the bedroom to watch DANCE WARS.  It was not as good as AMERICAN IDOL, but better than SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.  Then, I watched MEDIUM, one of my favorite shows.  It was about 10 minutes from the end when, all of a sudden, the picture froze.  I couldn’t change the channel, I couldn’t rewind, I couldn’t fast forward, I couldn’t even turn the TV off.  I had to get up and pull out the plug.  Then, I had to let it reboot.  I came into the living room and watched the last 10 minutes in there.  It’s such a great show!

Then, I watched WILL & GRACE and I decided to sit in the AB Lounge Ultra and give it a whirl!  I did two sets of 30 crunches.  It’s hard.  Very hard.  But I’ll keep working on it!  Maybe tomorrow it will be nice enough outside for me to take a walk.  I’m going to go in the other direction next time – down by the water!

I woke up at 8:00am (I mentioned before that my alarm now goes off at 8:00am).  I got up and read my emails.  I answered a few, including one warning that Barack Obama is a radical muslim and if he gets elected the terrorists would have gotten in at the highest level!  I’m not going to go on a rant about these informative emails that let you know you may be kidnapped in a mall parking lot by someone asking you to smell perfume, or to be wary if there’s a piece of paper on your rear windshield, because it’s been put there by a car jacker.

I always say: Get your news from TV, Newspaper, and Radio.  It may not be 100% unbiased, but they’ll tell you if you need to worry about something – believe me.  They LOVE that kind of stuff!  “Carjackers on the prowl – story at 11:00!” or “Abducted with Perfume – stay tuned!”

Anyway, after I read my emails I decided to sit in the AB Lounge Ultra.  Maybe I’ll start abbreviating it as ABLU, since I hope to be writing about it a LOT in the future!  I did three sets of 30 crunches, which was as much as I could do at one time.

It was 9:00am, so I decided to wake Eric.  When we were in South Carolina, he kept talking about working in San Diego, and about how the opportunities there were so much better than in South Carolina, and he realized that SC wasn’t the best place for us, if he wanted to work, which he does.  He talked about getting a job a LOT while we were on vacation.

Last week was a weird week, because New Year's Eve was Monday and New Year's Day was Tuesday, so there were really only 3 days left and it was the end of a holiday week, so nothing would really be happening.  Yesterday, we had to go to the DMV, so today was really the first day he could go.  He wasn’t very enthusiastic, or optimistic, but I guess nobody’s really thrilled about the prospect of going back to work!

Anyway, he left at about 11:00am to go down to the union.  I stayed in the apartment and kept busy cleaning.  I organized and then vacuumed my desk.  Since it’s covered with purple velvet, I can’t dust it, so it needs to be vacuumed.

Our friend, Joe, called.  We will be getting together with him and Miguel for breakfast on Sunday, before heading back to San Diego.  I’m so glad we’ll get to see them on this trip to L.A.!

I called the vintage boutique I love in Hillcrest and asked if they would be interested in my jewelry mosaic mirror, my pin frames, and my earring frame.  The woman said she wasn’t sure about those things, because they really don’t sell anything like that, but she WAS interested in any dangling clip-on earrings I had.  I went through my huge craft bag of clip-ons and screw-ons and pulled out all the dangling pairs.  I had about 30 pair.

Eric filled out forms at the union and then went to RADIOSHACK to buy another charger for the cell phones that we can use in the car.  We had one when we went to South Carolina, but now I can’t find it anywhere.  I always say I never lose ANYTHING, so it’s driving me crazy, but I have a feeling I left it in the rental PT we had.

When Eric got back at about 2:00pm I was ready to leave.  Eric helped me pack all the stuff in the car and then I drove to Hillcrest.  I parked the car in the lot and brought the earrings and the frames into the boutique.  The girls went crazy looking at all the earrings.  Then, I brought in the mirror.  They loved all the craft pieces, but said they don’t really sell that kind of thing and they don’t have room to display them anyway.  I looked around and saw some wall space where they could have hung them, but of course I wasn’t going to argue with them.  I guess they weren’t interested and were just saying it in a nice way.

I was disappointed, but they were interested in the earrings and gave me $50 for 8 pair.  Since I was just using them for crafts, I was absolutely thrilled!  I never did well selling clip-on earrings, because most girls have pierced ears, and the clip-on and screw-ons really hurt.  If I DID sell them, they usually went for $5 a pair.  So, this was a great price for 8 pair!  I’ll try to sell the others at the other vintage stores in Hillcrest and, if they’re not interested, I’ll put them back in the craft bag!

After I left Hillcrest I decided to drive to La Jolla to see if I could find any nice boutiques to “sell my wares.”  I had no idea where I was driving, and couldn’t believe it when I found myself in front of AZUL, the restaurant where I had dinner with Jimmy and Eric to celebrate my 50th birthday!  It is on a gorgeous block of restaurants and boutiques on PROSPECT STREET.  I found a place right across the street called GILI ANNA CUSTOM DESIGN JEWELRY/ART/JUDAICA.  It was a tiny little shop – maybe 120 square feet – but it was filled to the brim with gorgeous jewelry and accessories – both to wear and for the home.

I showed Gili my frames and mirror.  She loved them, but also didn’t have a place to hang them.  In this case, it really was true.  Her place was so small there wasn’t a square inch of wall space.  She said if I made smaller mirrors she’d find a place to hang them, and said if she moved things around she’d love to use the pin and earring frames, too.  She was very positive and enthusiastic.  She really loved the jewelry mosaic mirror!

I left there excited and anxious to find little mirrors to frame with jewelry.  She said she’s going away for a few weeks, so that gives me some time to find the mirrors and decorate them.  I’m hoping there will be a lot of interest in them and that I can get some commissioned work, too!

When I got home I went food shopping.  I passed on a lot of stuff I usually buy, like deli meat for Eric, and chips and other snacks, because I’m anticipating starting the NUTRISYSTEM diet, but I still didn’t get my food!  I got everything to make salad (since that’s part of the plan) and I bought some cherries, some diet drinks, and a piece of salmon to make for dinner tonight.

I just baked the salmon and put it on top of a salad.  It was dee-licious!  If my food doesn’t come tomorrow, I’m going to have to call and find out what the story is.  It’s just not fair!

After dinner, we watched TV for a while.  Eric had a bad headache, so he went to sleep really early (like 8:00pm).  I watched two shows I had recorded: Dr. PHIL and ELLEN.  Then I watched BIGGEST LOSER: COUPLES.  That show is very inspirational.  These people have so much weight to lose and have to work SO hard.  It makes me feel so lazy.  I have so much less weight to lose, yet I have such a hard time doing it!

I did more sets on the ABLU.  I would do 50 crunches during almost every commercial break.  It’s really pretty painless.  You just have to sit there and do it!

Tomorrow, we have to bring the car to the dealership to get another key made.  We have an appointment at 10:30am.  It’s unfair that the PT only came with ONE key and it costs almost $200 for another one, because it’s computerized and they charge you almost $100 for the key, and $75 to program it!  What a rip!  Eric said he’s never heard of buying a car and only getting one key, but that’s all they gave us, and they wouldn’t pay for the other key.  We’ve been using just the one key for almost 2 months, but it’s such a pain to share, so we’re going for the second key.  They take your key and do it while you wait, so if I don’t get called in for work we can go together.  Otherwise, Eric can drop me off at work and go himself.

I found two smaller mirrors this afternoon at a local store and will try to work on them tomorrow.  One is round with a white plastic frame.  It’s about a foot in diameter.  The other is a very small rectangle with a faux tortoise shell frame – maybe 4x6.  I’m excited, because I’m curious to see the reaction that the mirrors get in La Jolla!

SORRY THIS IS SO LATE!  I thought I "published" it and didn't find out it wasn't on my blog until Jimmy let me know.  Thanks, Jimmy! 

I woke up at 8:00am, but felt really lousy and fell back to sleep until 9:00am.  Sorry if this is TMI, but it’s that “time of the month.”  I’m 50 and you’d think I would be finished with all this foolishness by now, but if family history has any bearing on it, I should be suffering for 10 more years.

Anyway, we were supposed to go get the second key made for the PT at 10:30am this morning, but the last thing I wanted to do was take a shower and get dressed, so I asked Eric if he would mind going alone.  He said he would go and left the house at 10:00am, after bringing me three Advils.  I went back to sleep.  I got up around 11:00am, feeling much better, but still not great.  I had a bowl of Special K and worked on the computer and did some stuff around the apartment.  I definitely wasn’t going out today, I knew that.  I had some errands to run, but nothing important.  I just felt totally blah and yucky.

I spoke to my friend, Katie.  She is my webmaster and is going to be revamping my website to reflect my new work and put less focus on the shop I had back in New York.  I’ve been showing my work around town and always direct people to the website, so they can see more examples of my crafts.  Katie and I both think it’s important for the website to look fresh and up-to-date.

As for “regular work” I was thinking that I should go to another temp agency to sign up, because ON CALL hasn’t gotten me any work yet.  I even spoke to Eric about it yesterday, because I saw a temp agency in the shopping center on Clairemont Drive.  Today, my friend Jimmy emailed me asking about the work situation and he asked if I was serious about working.  He really got me thinking.  Am I?  Yes. I am.

This temp agency made such a fuss about me when I signed up there, and said they were sure they could get me work.  They even called me for a few jobs right before we went to South Carolina, but I told them I didn’t want to start working until January.  I had told them that when I signed up, but they asked anyway.

I figured as soon as January rolled around, they’d be calling and I’d be working.  I wasn’t being lazy, I was being optimistic (one of my best traits!).  Now, I see that they’re not as busy as I thought, and they don’t love me as much as I hoped, so I am going to go tomorrow to sign up at the other place.

I AM anxious to go to work, but I am also scared – very scared.  I haven’t worked in an office environment for 6 years.  So, I’m a little out of practice.  Also, I don’t know all the software they’re using these days.  I don’t know how well I’ll do if they give me a job with a lot of responsibility and working for either very important people, or a big team.  I’m asking for a lot of money, so any job they find for me is going to be hard work.  I’m not afraid of the work, I’m just afraid I won’t be able to do a great job.  It’s scary.

I called the agency and left a message saying that I really wanted to start working and would accept a job with less responsibility, if that meant they could put me to work faster.  Less responsibility = less money, which isn’t so great, but at least I’ll get my feet wet and get working again!

When Eric got back we just watched TV together.  He is completely unmotivated to ride (or do anything else), and I was completely unmotivated to do anything today, so we ended up taking a nap.

When I woke up I got a lovely email from our moving company telling me that they didn’t charge us for storage for the last several months and that we owe over $1,000.  Nice.  Like I’m not feeling bad enough.  I wrote them and asked how they could come to us after TWO months and tell us we owe $1,000.  I was told in November that we were paid in full.  I’m not going to pay without a fight – I’ll tell you that much.

Eric is back to his “no riding” rule.  He says he won’t road ride, because it’s too dangerous (I don’t think that’s true, but I can’t argue with him since I’m not doing it) and there’s “no place in San Diego” to mountain bike.  He asked me not to bother him about it and not to mention it anymore.  I’m at my wits end about this, and don’t know what to do.  He’s a grown man and I can’t tell him what to do, but I’ll tell you if I could force him to ride, I would!  This makes me more upset than anything else. 

Eric was so upbeat when we were in South Carolina.  He said he wanted to start working out, and asked me to order the ABLU.  He has had a headache for the past two days, so he hasn’t gone on the ABLU at all yet.

He told me he was going to ride more when we got back from South Carolina.  He said he was going to get a job.  He was very gung-ho.  Now, it’s back to the way it was weeks ago.  He was actually getting better in December, but now I think it was because we were going to South Carolina.  Then, he was great in South Carolina, and talked about going back to San Diego.  Now, we’re here, and he’s a mess.  He has another headache today, which is a sure sign of his stress.  He has indigestion all the time and is constantly taking TUMS (more stress).  He won’t go to a doctor.  He says they can’t do anything.  Should I force him to go?

Oh, and another thing.  I called NUTRISYSTEM this afternoon to find out where my food is.  Eric’s arrived on Monday morning and mine still didn’t get here.  They said mine was shipped today and had no explanation as to why I placed both orders at the same time and his shipped 6 days before mine.  I’m hoping it arrives before we leave for L.A. on Friday.

So, let’s review my day: Eric’s not feeling well.  No work for either of us yet.  We spent almost $200 getting second key to PT.  No NUTRISYSTEM.  Eric won’t ride.  Found out the moving company wants $1,000.  I feel like crap.

I guess we all have days like this occasionally.  Let’s just hope tomorrow turns out better!

Eric and I were up at 9:00am.  My back is still hurting me, but I feel a whole lot better than yesterday.  We watched THE VIEW and then I went to go into the shower.  NO WATER!  What a GREAT way to start the day!  The good news is, I called the manager and it was fixed within an hour.

The city is doing work on the sidewalk outside our apartment (the whole block actually).  It’s kind of a pain, because we can’t park on our side of the street for 2 weeks.  We have to park across the street and Clairemont Drive is such a busy street that, with two lanes in each direction, it takes forever to cross.  Anyway, the workers hit some water line this morning, but I guess it was an easy fix, because the water was back on very soon.  I’m glad I called, because the manager had no idea!

Eric made some calls this morning regarding work and has a few leads.  I had called my agency last night and left a message saying I was willing to take less money and less responsibility in order to start working.  I spoke to them this morning and told them that I didn’t want to hold out for top dollar if it meant I wouldn’t get work.  I also told them I was going to apply to another agency.  They were very supportive and told me that taking less money would open me up to more possibilities.  They didn’t want to offer me less, because I had told them what I was looking for, but now that I told them I was willing to take less, they said it would be easier to find me something.  I figure less is better than nothing!

I left the apartment around noon to go sign up at the other agency, which is very close to the apartment.  I also had to go to the post office.  Eric was going to stay home and do two loads of laundry.  I begged him to let me do it, because I think I do the laundry a lot better than him (of course, he doesn’t think so), but he insisted.

It was another gorgeous day in San Diego.  I was wearing a sweater set, but had to take off the cardigan, because it was too hot!  I went to the post office and then to to the agency, called APPLE ONE.

They said they would email me an application, which I would fill out at home, and then I could come in on Monday at 9:30am with my driver’s license, my social security card and my resume.  I came back and worked on the application (they said it would take 45 minutes and it DID!).  They want your entire life story and every bit of information you can imagine.  I already answered all the same questions in an online application for the other agency, which took just as long, and I can’t believe I’ll have to do this AGAIN when I start temping, because every company wants the same information.

When I got back to the apartment, Eric said the clothes were ready to be put in the dryer, so I did that (even though he didn't want me to) and put my own load of clothes into a cold wash.  Now, we had everything ready for our trip to Malibu/Los Angeles this weekend.  I’m so excited!  I tried on a couple of outfits to wear to the theater on Saturday afternoon.  I always dress for the theater.  I am going to wear a skirt and a sweater set.  Ilene and I are SO excited about seeing WICKED.  I know she’s going to love it as much as I do!  It’s one of my all-time favorite musicals!

I got a letter today from the gentleman who cleaned the windows of my shop in New Hyde Park.  When I first moved into the shop, the guy next door told me that this man, Bill, would clean my windows – inside and out – every week for only $16 a month.  I immediately hired him, because it was so inexpensive and he was a neighborhood treasure.  I found out that Bill had been cleaning windows in New Hyde Park – business and residential – for many decades.  We became good friends and I adored him.  I had been sending him postcards during our trip, and sent him a change of address postcard, too.

He just turned 90 and is still washing windows!  He is such a lovely man and his kind words and support for my little shop meant more than the sparkling clean windows he always left behind after every visit.  He would go on and on about my the decorations in my windows every month when I changed them.  He would tell me what an artist I was, and how lovely I kept everything, and how I gave Hillside Avenue some class and elegance.

In his letter he said Hillside Avenue is not the same without me.  I miss that neighborhood, too.  It had become a second home and the people in the area became good friends and neighbors.  I miss them all!

I wanted to start packing for the weekend, so I pulled my little pink suitcase on wheels out of the closet.  That’s all we’ll need for the two of us for 3 days.  I told Eric it was so much easier to pack when I didn’t have to worry about passing through security and carrying everything in 3 oz. bottles!

This evening I went to JOBING.COM, which is a website where you can search for jobs in any area and any category.  I have been submitting my resume periodically, whenever something looks interesting, or I believe I would be qualified.  I submitted my resume to three more places tonight.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Eric has an appointment at the union tomorrow at 8:00am.  We’ll see what happens.  I’m very optimistic that one of us will be working very soon!

Eric and I were both working towards getting jobs this morning.  No offers yet, but we’re working on it!

We were packed and ready to leave for Malibu at 2:00pm.  I was SO excited.  It’s always nice to get away, and I was hoping it would pick up Eric’s spirits to see friends and family.

Eric said he wanted to bring his bicycle, to get in a ride tomorrow morning, before we head to Los Angeles, and I was thrilled.  He hasn’t ridden in a week and it has me very worried.  The fact that he is interested in riding tomorrow makes me VERY happy!

We left and started our drive upstate.  It’s weird saying upstate California, because I’m used to going upstate New York, but that’s where we were headed.  We hit a little traffic leaving San Diego, but it wasn’t too bad.  When we got on I-405 we slowed down to a crawl, and thought it was really bad for Friday night rush hour, but found out there was a 3-car accident.  When we passed the cars it got a little better, but we were still an hour behind schedule.  We had told Jerry we would be there by 5:00pm the latest, but we didn’t get to Malibu until 6:00pm!

Jerry is staying in the guest house of his cousin’s condo on the beach.  We get to stay in the actual condo!  It’s unbelievable.  Right on the beach.  The waves were actually crashing up against the pillars on which the house stands.  What a view!  It was dark by the time we got here, so all we could see was the white foam of the waves crashing on the beach.

There are two bedrooms in the condo and we’re staying in the guest room, which is adorable.  There’s an original PETER MAX painting on the wall in the living room.  It’s actually one giant room – the kitchen, then down a few steps to the dining room and then the living room, with an entire wall of windows on the far wall, that opens onto a deck, where you can sit outside and listen to the waves crash and watch the sun set over the horizon.

I’ve never been to a place like this before.  I’ve been to the beach.  I’ve been to a house.  But I’ve never been to a house on the beach.  It’s fabulous.  Beautifully decorated in that seaside casual sort of way.  Lots of wicker, rattan, and glass. 

If only I liked the beach – and the ocean!  Unfortunately, I don’t.  Eric and I both don’t like the beach or the ocean.  I’m afraid of the water, because the ocean is so powerful and I can’t swim very well.  Eric’s afraid of sharks.  I also don't sunbathe, so the beach is pretty much a total waste of time, too.  I don't tan, I burn!  So, even though it’s exciting and the views are fantastic, it’s not the kind of place we’d choose to live.  Nevertheless, it’s exciting to be here for the weekend!

Since we were so late, we only got the quick tour of the condo and Jerry’s guest apartment (which is also fabulous), but then we left for dinner.  Jerry drove us in a Prius.  It is the first hybrid car we’ve ever been in.  Lots of firsts for us tonight!

We went to a place called COOGIE'S, which is named after Xavier Cugat.  It is a great restaurant with a fun menu of burgers, salads, sandwiches and also fancier entrees.  I got an Ahi Tuna Steak Sandwich.  Eric got the Baked White Fish with rice and vegetables and Jerry got the Blackened Chicken Salad with roasted vegetables.  Everything was really good.

I was hoping to see some celebrities, since Malibu is chock full of them, but I didn't spot anybody at COOGIE'S or our next stop -- MALIBU YOGURT AND ICE CREAM.  Maybe tomorrow!

We decided to go to MALIBU YOGURT AND ICE CREAM for dessert, but brought it back to the condo to eat.  They have Carbolite yogurt, which is sugar and fat free.  (It doesn’t taste that great, but it’s guilt free!).  I got half carbolite chocolate and half fat-free peanut butter yogurt, which has sugar.  It tasted better than the carbolite.  Eric got the peanut butter yogurt with some toppings and Jerry got chocolate and peanut butter fat free yogurt.  His chocolate tasted ten times better than my chocolate.  Oh, well.  At least it was cold and creamy!

Once we got back, I hooked up the computer and Jerry and Eric looked at the local mountain biking.  Eric is going to go out tomorrow and hopes to find a challenging ride.

Then we watched a new episode of MONK.  Jerry never watched it before, so we were filling him in on all the characters as we watched.  Howie Mandel was a guest star and it was really great.
Next, we watched LAS VEGAS, which Eric and I had never seen before.  Tom Selleck is now starring in it.  It’s an interesting show.  I enjoyed it.  I don’t know if it will become a regular on my already-busy TV watching schedule, but I did enjoy this episode!

Tomorrow morning Jerry and I will take a walk on the beach and then go out to breakfast while Eric rides.  Then we’ll all drive down to Los Angeles!

Neither of us slept much last night.  I guess part of it is the unfamiliarity of a new place, some of it was the fact that you could hear the waves crashing so loudly right under the house.  It’s a little scary and unsettling, if you’re not used to it.  Also, Eric was in such a bad mood last night that I was upset.  Since I could tell he wasn’t sleeping well, I kind of knew he wasn’t going to go riding this morning.  When the alarm went off at 6:00am, he apologized for waking me and said he wasn’t going to ride, because he hardly slept and he had a pain in his side.

This is a new one.  He’s had lots of aches and pains in the past few months – headaches, neck aches, stomach aches, but now he says he has a pain in his side.  He’s really falling apart and I don’t know if it’s the depression that’s making him sick, or if he’s really sick.  He won’t go to a doctor.  He’s being ridiculous and stubborn.  I really don’t know what to do.  He’s a grown man, but I don’t think he’s thinking clearly.  Can I force him to go to a doctor?

At about 7:30am we started hearing someone hammering.  I kept thinking, “Oh, they don’t know we’re here and the people upstairs are just putting a picture on the wall.  But it kept going on and on.  At 8:00am, when the alarm went off for me, I went outside and there were two guys working on the roof.  They just looked at me, as I stood there in my pajamas.  I looked at them, and then went back inside.  I told Eric that we had to get up anyway, and it looked like they weren’t going to be finished anytime soon anyway.

Eric told me that even though he wasn’t going riding, he still didn’t want to go to breakfast with me and Jerry.   It’s too cold for a walk on the beach, so that’s out.  Besides, the tide is still so high that you couldn’t walk without getting your feet wet and the water’s freezing!

I sat at the computer in the dining room, looking out at the wall of windows and watching the seagulls fishing for breakfast.  The waves were rolling in and all you could see was ocean.  If you look to the left or right you can see some hills with houses and the rest of the coastline, but looking straight out it’s just water.

I checked my emails and then went into the shower.  I figured I’d put on my clothes from yesterday just to go to breakfast and then come back and change for the day later, since I’m wearing a skirt and sweater set and high heels.  No need to get so dressy for breakfast – even if it IS in Malibu!

Eric was complaining about not feeling well, so I told him he didn't have to come to Los Angeles with me.  He could wait and come tonight with Jerry, just for dinner.  That seemed to make him feel a lot better and he agreed to go out to breakfast with us.  I guess he figured he could rest or ride in the afternoon, if he felt up to it.

The kitchen and dining room area of the condo:

They’re shooting a film down the block – don’t know if it’s a movie or TV show.  Jerry said they’ve been there for a week.  I wanted him to stop last night, so I could ask what they’re doing.  He was too shy.  I was going to ask when we drove by this morning, but they were not there.

We went to PARADISE COVE BEACH CAFÉ (A Memory In Every Visit) on Pacific Coast Highway.  It’s a landmark in Malibu and has been there for many years.

I was hoping to spot a celebrity or two, but – again – no such luck.  We did have a fantastic breakfast.  Jerry had the Lox Box, which is a plate of lox, with capers, red onions, lettuce and tomatoes, with a bagel and cream cheese on the side.  There was enough lox for TWO bagels (and Jerry ended up ordering a second bagel, because there was so much lox left over!).

Eric ordered the Carrot Cake Waffles, which tasted like carrot cake which had been formed in the shape of a waffle.  Add butter and syrup and you have the most fattening breakfast on earth!

I had a pretty fattening breakfast myself.  It was Portobello Mushroom and Crab Benedict.  Instead of an English muffin, it was a big Portobello mushroom. Instead of ham there was a scoop of crab, and it was covered with Hollandaise sauce.  There were tiny cubes of roasted potatoes and a fruit salad.  It was fantastic, and I could only eat half.  Eric had my leftovers for lunch, while I was at the theater!

After breakfast we came back to the condo and looked at the dolphins and seals with binoculars.  What a treat!

Then, I got dressed and left for Los Angeles.  Eric and Jerry were going to come down later, for dinner.  I got there a little before 1:00pm.  Ilene came home, changed, grabbed a fast bite, and we went to the PANTAGES THEATER.  It is one of the most beautiful theaters I have ever seen – and I’ve seen every Broadway theater in New York!  It is totally Art Deco and completely magnificent!  I couldn’t stop looking at every inch of the walls, floors, ceilings, chandeliers, art work, tile work, etc.  WOW!

We had nice seats – in the last row of the front mezzanine.  They weren’t the best seats, but I thought they provided a great view of the entire set and you could see everything going on, even though we were pretty far back.

The show was just perfection.  I saw it in New York and this cast was as superb as the original Broadway cast.  The voices of both Elfaba and Glinda were fantastic and I laughed and cried.  The show is so amazing and I recommend it SO highly to anyone who can see it on either coast!

While I was at the show Eric did go for a ride, but he rode locally and just rode up and down Pacific Coast Highway.  Jerry told me that he had a long talk with Eric -- for over an hour -- and pretty much told him "Snap out of it" (but in a much nicer way).  I guess it worked, because Eric DID ride today!

After the show we went back to Ilene and Kyle’s and Ilene quickly whipped up an unbelievable dinner.  Jerry and Eric arrived soon after.

My cousin, Karen, also came over with her husband, Mark and their two sons – Max and Jason.  It was so great to see them again, too.  We had a lot of fun talking about celebrity sightings, different shows we have seen, and genealogy.

Ilene prepared Mahi Mahi with a mango salsa, chicken kabobs, risotto, sautéed vegetables in a balsamic vinaigrette, fried calamari, a wedge of brie with crackers, and a Greek pastry with spinach (I can’t remember how to say it or spell it!).  She either prepared it last night or this morning and only had to cook everything.  I don’t know how she timed it so that everything came out at the same time, but she was great!  She made a buffet and everyone lined up to fill their plates.

Along with Karen and Mark’s sons, Max and Jason, Ilene and Kyle’s kids, Evan and Elise had macaroni and cheese (which Eric was tempted to take, too!).  Everything was so delicious.  She really knows how to entertain!  We missed their oldest son, Tyler, because he was at a soccer game and then at a friend’s house.

After dinner we had dessert – a bundt cake she baked this afternoon, which Kyle tested until it was baked perfectly and then took out of the oven while we were at the show.  She also baked peanut butter and chocolate kiss cookies and brownies last night.  Is she the best or WHAT?  She made the peanut butter and chocolate cookies just for me, because she always reads in my blog how much I love that combination!  How she found the time while working full time and taking care of three kids is beyond me.  I can hardly find the time to make frozen pizza and I’m not even working (and don’t have any kids).  She and her husband Kyle are a great team!

We left after 9:30pm and came back to the condo where Jerry, Eric and I hung out for a while.  I was pretty exhausted, because it had been a LONG day, but what a wonderful day it was!

There are shutters on the windows in the guest bedroom of the condo in Malibu, so it’s very hard to tell if it’s light out.  You have to put a light on, even during the day, to see anything in the room.  I woke up and thought it was still dark outside.  I couldn’t fall back to sleep.  I decided to get up and maybe watch the sun rise, since I had missed the sunset in Malibu the two days we were there.  I went into the living room and the sun was shining.  I looked at my phone and it was 8:40am.  I had set the alarm to go off at 9:00am.  It was a lot later than I thought!

By the time Eric and I showered, got dressed, packed and cleaned up (I wanted to strip the beds and clean the bathroom), it was time to leave.  We spent a few minutes talking to Jerry.  We had such a great weekend with him and it was so great to see him again.  I don't know when we'll get to visit Illinois, so we may not see each other again soon.  I'm so glad we got to hang out while he was visiting this paradise called Malibu!

After we left Jerry we headed to Los Angeles to meet Joe and Miguel for brunch at the SPORTSMANS LODGE.  It’s the same place we saw them last time.  It’s really nice and the Patio Café is great, because you can sit outside and watch people swimming in the pool.

We got there first and went and sat at the same table as last time.  After a few minutes, Joe and Miguel arrived.  We sat down and started catching up on everything that’s been going on with all of us since we saw them last (November 10th).  The waiter came and took drink orders, and then came back to take our food orders, but we hadn’t even looked at the menu.  We just kept talking, and talking, and talking.

We finally ordered.  I got the same thing as last time:  Grilled salmon on top of a delicious salad.  Eric, Joe and Miguel all got breakfast with eggs, sausage, potato and toast, but I had eggs yesterday at PARADISE COVE with Jerry, so I decided to have a salad and some fish!

We hung out talking and laughing for two hours.  Joe and Miguel are such great company and Eric and I really enjoyed seeing them again.  They promised they would come down to San Diego to visit, and Eric wants to go back to Los Angeles, so he can go mountain biking with Miguel.  I told Joe we have to see a show while they ride!  They can do their thing, and we'll do ours!

Jerry had called to let us know that Eric left his bicycling shoes behind, so after brunch we headed back to Malibu to pick them up and then started for home.

Eric drove and I slept the entire way.  I had a really good nap!  We got home at 5:00pm and I immediately unpacked and did two loads of laundry.  I actually met a nice neighbor in the laundry room tonight.  We exchanged a few pleasantries and then she asked if I was from New York.  She said she was from Boston and we talked about the adjustment period.  I told her I loved San Diego and was really happy, but that Eric didn’t like it and wasn’t happy with the mountain biking.  She said the same thing as everyone else – it takes time.

After laundry I made a fast dinner – Uncle Ben’s FOUR CHEESE READY RICE and MORNINGSTAR FARMS vegetarian chicken patties.  I swear they’re delicious.  I put some tomato sauce and asiago cheese on top, so it was like faux chicken cutlet parmigiana.  My NUTRISYSTEM food STILL hasn’t arrived.  Maybe tomorrow!

After dinner Eric watched TV in the living room and I watched two episodes of EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION.  Both made me cry.  Today there was another MONK MARATHON and I recorded all of them, so I had my choice of episodes to watch.

I really had a great weekend, even though Eric wasn't as much fun as I had hoped.  Everyone noticed that he was pretty quiet and, when he did talk, he was very negative about San Diego and the mountain biking.  I was happy to get away for a few days and see good friends and family.  It was wonderful. 

I’m going to bed early tonight, because I have a 9:30am interview at APPLE ONE employment agency.  Wish me luck!

I got up at 8:00am and was ready for my interview at 9:00am.  Eric was still sleeping when I left the apartment.  I went to APPLE ONE, the employment agency, which is just five minutes away.  I got there a few minutes early for my 9:30am appointment.

First, I had to fill out a bunch of forms and sign my name about 30 times.  Then, I had to watch a video, while wearing headphones.  The video was all about safety on the job, what an employee is and is not allowed to do while on the job, etc.  After I watched the video, they said I had to take a test.  I figured it was a typing test, or testing me on some software.  No, it was a test about the video I had just seen.  There were questions like:

What is the proper way to retrieve something from a high shelf?  (1) stand on your office chair; (2) get a stepstool; (3) stand on a strong box; (4) all of the above.  I guess I don’t have to tell you that the answer was (2).  I actually got three questions wrong.  Don’t ask me how!  I guess I either wasn’t concentrating when I was watching the movie, or I answered the questions too quickly.  I asked them which questions I got wrong, because I was dying to know, but they said they couldn’t retrieve the information.

Anyway, after that quiz I was interviewed for about an hour.  That went well and the woman who interviewed me thought I would be good for three positions they were trying to fill.  She told me I had to take the software and typing tests, but she was sending them to me in an email and I had to take them at home!

She said I had to finish them today.  I told her I was a little rusty on EXCEL and POWERPOINT, because I hadn’t used them in a while, so she said she would also send me the tutorial.  She said she was also going to send me the tutorial for OUTLOOK, because I had never used it, although it is very similar to the email I currently use.

I came home a little after 11:00am and found Eric laying on the floor watching TV.  I was hoping he was either out job hunting or riding.  Unfortunately, he was doing neither.  I told him that I needed to study the tutorials and take the tests – all in the next few hours.  I told him that I really needed to be alone, because I couldn’t concentrate if there were any distractions.  I asked him if he wanted to go for a ride, but he didn’t want to, so he just left.

I had no idea where he was going.  He did take a printout of addresses I had given him for sprinkler companies in the area.  I figured he was going to make some cold calls to see if they were hiring.  I noticed after he left that he didn’t take Betty with him and didn’t think he had any way of finding these places without the GPS system, so I didn’t know what he was going to do all afternoon.  I called him to tell him to come back and get Betty, but his phone was turned off.

I figured I’d better get started, so I took the tutorial for WORD and then took the test.  I got 27 out of 30, which isn’t bad.

Next, I took the tutorial for OUTLOOK.  Some of it was similar to regular emails, but the scheduling and calendar features were much more sophisticated.  I liked it a lot.  There was no test (thank goodness), so then I took the typing test.  I typed 99 words per minute with one error.  Last time (in December) when I took the typing test for the other agency I did 100 words per minute with no errors, so I actually did better in an office than I did at home!

Next, I took the EXCEL tutorial and then took that test.  I got 29 out of 30.  It really helped that I took the tutorial first, because a lot of the functions were fresh in my mind.  I don’t know that I would do as well tomorrow, because I’ve already forgotten a lot!  This kind of software is something that you need to use a lot in order to remember anything.

Last, I took the POWERPOINT tutorial and then took that test.  I got 26 out of 30.  I was never that great at POWERPOINT, because I didn’t have to do many presentations for my boss, and when I DID, they were very simple, just bullet points or plain text.

I learned a lot taking the tutorials, but I don’t think I’ll remember any of it unless I start to use it soon!

It took me almost three hours to take all the tutorials and tests.  I wasn’t done until after 3:00pm.  I was exhausted and had a little headache.  Too much time staring at the computer and using my brain!

When I was done, I called my sister, Lenae, and spoke to her, my nephew, Eddie, and my niece, Keri.  I miss all of them so much and wish they would come visit!

After that I watched today’s episode of DR. PHIL and Eric came home.  He told me he went back to the union, hoping to find out about work.  The guy he needs to speak to wasn’t there, so he waited around, but the guy never showed up.  At least he wasn’t watching TV in the dark.

He asked me how I did on my tests.  I told him I did well.  He said he wasn’t surprised.  He’s so sweet and so supportive of me.  I try to be the same for him, but it’s just not working.  I can't get him enthused about riding, no matter what I (or anyone else) says.

We watched TV and I worked on the computer, paying bills and answering emails.  Eric and I had a long talk.  We talked about riding, about my finding a job, about his finding a job.  We talked about leaving San Diego and moving to North Carolina.  I told him that I was willing to go, if he would make the best of the situation here for the rest of the year.  He seemed to hear me, but I don't know if he will be able to do it.

Then, out of the blue, he said he wanted to walk up the block and go to LA DOLCE VITA for dinner.  I didn’t really want to indulge in Italian food, but I was so happy he wanted to do SOMETHING that I happily agreed.

We walked up the block and had a delicious dinner.  They have a great salad bar with a tomato bisque soup that is to die for.  Eric got the chicken cutlet parmigiana and I had lobster ravioli with scallops on top.  The creamy sauce on the ravioli and scallops was so delicious.  I only ate 2 scallops (and gave Eric the other two) and ate two raviolis, because I was so full from the soup and salad and Eric only ate his spaghetti and a little of his cutlet.  We brought the rest home!

When we got back we watched an episode of MONK that neither of us had ever seen.  It must have been on this fall when we were still living in the RV and we missed it.  What a thrill to see another new episode.  The new season just started, so we got to see another new episode on Friday night, while we were in Malibu.  We watched it with Jerry and he really liked it!

Eric fell asleep soon after MONK and I stayed up to watch MEDIUM, another favorite of mine.  I thought about the interview and the tests and I hope they will find me work very soon.  I am also hoping Eric will ride tomorrow.  I'm hopeful about the future.  I am very optimistic that things will get better very soon.

I am thrilled to announce that my NUTRISYSTEM food finally arrived today -- 8 days later than Eric's -- and I placed the orders at the SAME TIME!

Anyway, I stayed up late watching TV, so I slept late this morning, and so did Eric.  We didn’t get up until 10:30am!  We watched some TV, relaxed and then got dressed and went to PEARLE VISION to get our eyes examined and get new glasses.  We haven’t had eye examinations or prescription updates since 2001!

My glasses were still working for me, but they were all loose and stretched out and they would fall off my face all the time.  If they weren’t attached by the old lady chain around my neck, they would fall to the floor!

We filled out forms (I’ve been doing that a LOT lately) and then they tested our eyes.  After that, we picked out frames and then we had our eyes examined by the doctor.  She said my prescription was only .5 stronger, so my old glasses were still pretty good.   The doctor put drops in both our eyes to dilate our pupils, so she could do another examination.  She had to wait a few minutes for the drops to take effect so a technician worked on my glasses until she fixed them so they don’t fall off my face anymore.  Then, I picked out new frames.

I decided to get new frames, because my glasses are six years old.  I decided I would keep my old ones as a “back up.”  The new glasses are SO cute.  They’re black and pink – Adrienne Vittadini.

These are my new frames.  Aren't they the cutest?

Eric got new titanium frames.  His prescription was slightly stronger than his old one. 
Eric’s union reimburses you up to $300 each for vision, including testing, examination, and glasses or contacts.  So, both of us were able to get tested and get new glasses and it won’t cost us anything.  If I had gotten Dolce & Gabbana glasses, it would have been MUCH more expensive, but I was lucky that the pair I liked best were only $170 and they give you 30% off the lenses and frames, so it was a bargain!

Eric’s frames were as expensive as mine, because he wanted the titanium, which are very lightweight and won’t break as easily as the regular metal or plastic.

After we picked out frames, the doctor examined our eyes with the drops and then we paid for everything and left.

It was after 4:00pm by the time we left.  We got home and I made us a NUTRISYSTEM lunch, which took a little over 3 minutes!  Eric had the CHEESE TORTELLINI and I had TOMATO & CORN CHOWDER.  We both thought they were pretty good!  I gave Eric a bag of NUTRISYSTEM pretzels as a snack for later and left to run some errands and get my hair touched up at HAIRSPRAY SALON.

I brought the clip-on and screw-on earrings that WEAR IT AGAIN SAM didn’t buy to another great vintage store in HILLCREST – FLASHBACKS.  They bought a few pairs and I got a $16 credit, which I will save for Jessica and April when they come to visit this weekend.  It’s a fun shop and this way they can buy themselves something and I’ll already have $16 to put towards their purchases!

When I got back from the salon at 8:00pm I made salads and Eric had the leftovers from our dinner last night and I had MUSHROOM RISOTTO from NUTRISYSTEM.  I thought it was delicious.  See, I’m very easy.  I love hospital food.  I love cafeteria food.  I love frozen TV dinners.  I don’t have a very sophisticated palate.  It’s not that I can’t appreciate REALLY good food, because I can.  It’s just that I can also accept and enjoy lesser quality food and eat it without suffering.  So, this diet will not really be a sacrifice for me.  I just hope it works!

After dinner, Eric and I watched AMERICAN IDOL.  This is really the best time, because they show all the crazies who audition.  Some people just want to be on TV, even though it’s negative and they come off as pitiful or just plain nuts!

I want to mention that I have heard from a lot of our friends and family who are reading this blog and are concerned about me and Eric.  I so appreciate their concern and it means the world to me.  I want you all to know that, as my mother says, “This too shall pass.”  We will be fine.

I am so excited that April and Jessica are coming this weekend.  It really gives me something to look forward to.  I wish all my nieces were coming, but at least I'll get to see two of them!

We are going to have SO much fun!  I have a lot of plans for them.  We will shop, we will go out to eat, we will go sightseeing!  I can’t wait for them to see our little apartment.  It’s so cute and I know they will love it.

I hope seeing the girls will cheer Eric up a little.  He’s very down, but we’re working on it and I’m staying positive and optimistic.  Someone has to!

I woke up this morning at 8:00am.  Eric was fast asleep.  I know he didn’t sleep well, because he got up in the middle of the night to take an Excedrin Migraine.  My poor darling had such a bad headache that he couldn’t sleep.

I tried to be quiet, so he could sleep.  I worked on the computer, and called my contacts at both agencies.  They both said they were presenting my resumes to different companies and would call me if they were able to set up any interviews.  I’m really frustrated.  I know if I got an interview I could get the job, but if they don’t see me, how can they hire me?

This morning for breakfast I had the NUTRISYSTEM scrambled eggs.  They come in a cup and you add ¼ cup water and microwave it until it’s done.  They were a little weird, but I had them with a serving of fruit (12 cherries), and 1 oz. of low fat cheese.

Eric woke up at 10:00am.  He wasn’t feeling great.  His back has been bothering him, and he still had a bit of a headache.  I had to run some errands.  I wanted to buy new pillows for my girls, who are coming to stay with us on Friday night.  So exciting!  I found two beautiful fluffy Ralph Lauren pillows on sale at TJ MAXX.  $9.99 for both.  What a bargain!

I went to the post office (my new favorite place).  Then, I went food shopping.  I had typed up a list of what was needed and allowed on the NUTRISYSTEM diet.  You have to add dairy, protein, fruits and vegetables every day.  I bought a whole bunch of stuff and the fridge is now filled with good choices for snacks, and side dishes for meals.

When I got back, I had lunch, which consisted of another cup that you add boiling water to and let sit for 10 minutes.  It was RED BEANS & RICE.  It was good and very filling.  That’s one thing that I do notice about the meals.  I usually can’t finish them.  They’re very filling!

After lunch, I changed into bicycling clothes and Eric and I went for a ride down by the water (which is just about a mile away).  He didn't gear up.  He wore his jeans and a t-shirt.  I think it's his way of saying, "I'm not really riding.  I'm just accompanying you."  Eric said I couldn’t ride to the water, because it’s all downhill and then I’d never make it back up the hill (which is MAJOR).  I told him that I could walk up the hill, but he said, no.  He says it's very dangerous to ride in the streets.  He had no objections when we did it a few weeks ago, but since he had that bad experience he thinks every driver is out to get you.

He put my bicycle in the car and I had to drive the mile to a parking lot by Mission Bay.  It’s right on the other side of the bay from where we stayed when we were in the RV.  You can ride your bicycle all the way there, then turn around and ride all the way back.

I parked, got my bicycle out of the car and he came along a few minutes later.  We went to the left, all the way around the bay as far as we could go.  There used to be a longer path, but they put up a fence and said they were renovating the path, so we went on a dirt road.  Apparently, a car or quad had gone through there while it was muddy and there were ridges in the dirt.  Instead of going fast over it (the ridges were only a few inches deep), I slowed down, panicked and fell over.  My last words before I fell were “Uh oh.  Help!”  And then I was down.  And bleeding.  I scraped my left knee pretty bad.  It didn’t hurt my knee as much as my pride.

I told Eric I was a total spaz and I was humiliated and embarrassed.  He was so sweet.  He poured water over my scrape and kept saying how sorry he was, how he wished he could have helped me, but he never dreamed I would fall down.  I didn’t either!

My biggest concern was that I was going to have an ugly scraped knee this weekend when my girls are coming!  Eric assured me that I could put some antibiotic cream on it and it would heal very quickly, “Before you know it,” he said.  He is SO sweet.

We turned around and went all the way back and then passed the parking lot and rode all the way to the other end.  I told Eric I wished the path was a circle, instead of just a half-circle, so you could just end up back where you started.   It’s about 2 miles from end to end, so I did close to 4 miles.  It was a pretty easy ride.  There are a lot of people walking, jogging, bicycling and roller blading, and there are signs painted on the ground saying you can’t go more than 8 mph, so it’s not a real challenging ride.  But it felt great to be right along the water, looking at the ducks and seagulls, enjoying the sun and the breeze.

I wish Eric could see San Diego through my eyes.  All he sees are the negatives (which I don’t even notice).  To me it is heaven on earth.  Just being out in the middle of January with shorts and a light jacket on, riding my bicycle in the sunshine, down by the water.  It’s all I have ever dreamed of.  It’s all I ever wanted.  It makes me so sad that he doesn’t love it like I do.  It makes me so sad that I can’t enjoy it with him.

I remember on beautiful spring or fall days in New York I used to say, “This is what it’s like every single day in San Diego.”  I was right.  It’s true.  It’s all they ever said it was and more.  They’re not lying, folks.  It’s paradise!

My biggest dream was to open that shop.  I did it.  My next dream was to move here.  I did it.  Now, my next dream is that Eric will come around and accept San Diego and learn to like it here, even if he never loves it like me.  Yes, that’s my dream.

After we finished the ride, Eric put my bike back in the car and I drove home to tend to my knee.  He got home about 10 minutes after me.   We watched BOSTON LEGAL, which I had recorded last night (one of our favorite shows).  Then we both took a nap and woke up at 7:15pm.  Eric woke up with another bad headache.  He said he didn’t have one when he laid down, but he woke up with it.  I hardly ever get headaches, so I can’t imagine what that’s like.  He took another Excedrin Migraine.

I made us dinner.  We each had a NUTRISYSTEM pizza, which you make yourself.  They give you the crust, sauce and cheese.  You can microwave it, but I baked them in the oven.  I made us a salad and we ate our pizza.  We both thought it was good!  Then we each had 1/3 cup of pineapple chunks in fruit juice (no sugar added), which was our serving of fruit.

For dessert we each had a white chocolate chunk cookie.  They’re pretty big and they tasted a little funny, but they weren't bad and – hey – it’s diet food!

It’s so unfair, because the men are allowed SO much more food than the women.  Boo hoo!  Eric is allowed a “low glycemic carbohydrate serving" with every meal, which I am not.  He is also allowed to have two servings of fat with dinner, and I only get one (another boo hoo).
I don’t have a scale, and you’re supposed to mark down your weight every single day.  I guess I should go buy one.  Maybe tomorrow.

We watched AMERICAN IDOL again.  My mom had called and told me it was really funny and she was right.  These are the best shows, because it’s when they show the winners – and the losers.  I don’t feel sorry for any of them, really, because by now they certainly know how it goes on this show.  They know what they’re getting into.  It’s just that some of them are just SO convinced they have talent and I wonder if they’re just in denial, or if people have actually been encouraging them all their lives.

Eric still had a pretty bad headache, so he went into the bedroom at 10:00pm and watched the news.  I stayed outside, working on the computer and watching TV.  My friend Geri called me at 9:45pm.  It was 12:45pm in New York.  I don't know how she does it!  We talked for a while.  She and Larry are both getting over being sick.  They're such good friends and I wish they were here.  I know they'd make us both feel better!

I was hoping to have an interview lined up for tomorrow, but no such luck.  Why doesn’t anyone want me?  I have so much to offer!  Hey -- I type 99 words per minute!  I need everyone to keep their fingers crossed that I get an interview REAL SOON!

Eric and I got up around 9:30am.  He still had a headache.  I felt so bad for him.  We relaxed in bed and watched THE VIEW.  I called APPLE ONE, because they said they were going to set up an interview.  Nothing to report.  They said they'd call me as soon as something was scheduled.

I made Eric a NUTRISYSTEM breakfast.  He had the same scrambled eggs as I had yesterday, but his had veggie sausage bits in it.  I put it on a slice of bread (he’s allowed the carbs; I’m not) with a piece of low fat cheddar cheese and a glass of V8.  He liked it!  I had a cranberry muffin loaf and a slice of low-fat cheddar cheese (which was my serving of dairy).  The muffin was pretty good!

I wanted to run some errands and Eric wanted to wash the car.  Since he didn’t feel well, I said I would go first and then he could wash the car when I got back.  They’re still working on the street outside our apartment, so we haven’t been able to park on this side of Clairemont Drive for over a week.  Today they poured the cement for the new sidewalk.  It looked so nice.  They really did a great job.  They cut back all the roots, so it wouldn’t break up the sidewalk, trimmed all the giant pine trees, and then they poured the new sidewalk.  I’m pretty sure they’ll be done tomorrow.

A possum got killed crossing the street and it was right in front of my car.  I almost tripped over it when I was walking to my car, because I was so busy looking at the work they were doing.  Yuck!

I went to Citibank to get quarters for laundry (which I did this afternoon) and then went to TJ MAXX.  I had seen a comforter set I really liked, but I wanted to discuss it with Eric before making a purchase.  I thought it would go perfectly in our bedroom.    We didn’t have a bedspread or comforter to make the bed.  I was walking around the bedding department yesterday when I bought the pillows for the girls. I saw a set that was very Asian-inspired.  It was red satin with embroidered butterflies and flowers.  I loved it.  I thought it would look beautiful with the chocolate brown headboard (which we are expecting any day now).  Eric said to go for it, so I did!

After TJ MAXX I went to a place called HAPPY NAILS to get a pedicure.  It was a huge place with lots of manicure chairs (two different areas, set in a circle) and tons of manicure tables, too.  I didn’t have an appointment, but they were able to take me immediately.  They were really nice there and did a great job.  Since it’s very close to home, this will definitely be my new place to go for a manicure or pedicure.

After my pedicure I went home.  I wanted to show Eric the comforter set.  He was up and about, working on his bicycle.  He had it in pieces on the floor and was cleaning and maintaining it (Mr. Maintenance).  I thought that was a great sign.  The fact that he’s even touching his bicycles is a positive step!

I showed him the comforter and he really liked it.  The set was $80 -- $86 with tax.  I thought that was pretty cheap for a Queen comforter, bed skirt and two shams.  I opened it up.  The reverse is solid red and it had a long rip along one seam.  I was so disappointed.  I told Eric I could easily sew it, because it was on the seam, but I wasn’t going to do it unless they gave me a discount.  I packed it back up and went back out to TJ MAXX.  They were REALLY nice about it.  They gave me a full credit of the $86 and then charged me $50.  With tax it was only $53, so I saved $33.  I thought that was a bargain, considering I knew it would probably take me 10 minutes to sew it up!

I did four loads of laundry while Eric washed the car in the parking lot.  Then, he helped me put the red satin bed skirt on.  It’s so elegant, because it has those fabric frogs in each corner and in the middle on each side.  There is a thick satin rope on each corner of the comforter that is tied into a knot.  The same thick satin rope is around the shams.  Then, I remade the bed with the linens I just washed.  The bed looks so pretty.  I’m sure the girls will love it when they see it tomorrow night!

For those of you who are saying "What the heck is a fabric frog?" -- this is it!  It's used as a closure on Asian clothing and accessories. 

I made dinner for us.  Eric had a salad with CHICKEN PASTA PARMESAN.  I had a salad with VEGETABLE LASAGNA WITH BASIL TOMATO SAUCE.  They were both really good.  We agreed that eating this food is no problem at all.  We don’t feel deprived at all.  I’m thrilled, because it’s all so fast and easy.

Eric continued working on his bicycle.  He was cleaning the tires, polishing metal parts, and waxing the frame.  I am hoping with all this maintenance that he will ride it very soon.

I watched UGLY BETTY and sewed the comforter.  It really did take me just 10 minutes.  It looks SO pretty.  I love anything Asian inspired and it is just the punch of color that the room needed.  I hope the headboard comes tomorrow.  That would be perfect!

After UGLY BETTY I watched CELEBRITY APPRENTICE.  Gene Simmons got fired.  He’s a weird guy and his hair is even worse than the Donald’s!  After that I watched PRISON BREAK.  I really got caught up with my shows tonight!

Tomorrow I am going to clean, clean, clean, because my girls are coming.  It really should not take long, because the apartment is so small and we keep it so neat to begin with.  I just want everything to be perfect.  This is going to be a great weekend!

Eric wanted me to set the alarm for 8:00am, because he wanted to get an early start.  He wanted to take the car to the car wash and vacuum the inside.  Unfortunately, he woke up with another headache.  This is three days in a row.  He’s had these headaches for days before, but he’s been taking the Excedrin Migraine, which has a lot of caffeine.  He swears by them and says they really help him, but I have heard about rebound headaches, where the caffeine keeps them coming back.

I told him it wasn’t important at all that he vacuums the car, so we just relaxed and watched TV. 

I made him breakfast – NUTRISYSTEM blueberry muffins, one piece of low-fat cheddar cheese melted on one slice of toast and 12 cherries with a cup of tea.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t until after he ate that I realized he didn’t have caffeine free tea, so I’m hoping that didn’t make him worse.
I had NUTRISYSTEM CINNAMON APPLE OATMEAL, which wasn’t that great.  I told Eric you’d think instant oatmeal would be an easy one, but the consistency was a little weird.  I also had 4 oz. of fruit juice and one piece of low-fat cheddar cheese.  I have the same requirements for breakfast as Eric, but he’s allowed the carbs and I’m not.

After breakfast, Eric went to lie down again, because he was hoping the headache would go away without taking the Excedrin Migraine.  I cleaned the kitchen and tidied up my desk, but I didn’t want to make a lot of noise, so I made some phone calls.

I spoke to my friend Geri for a while, then my mom, then my friend Susan.  I know I’m going to be busy all weekend, so I wanted to talk to everyone before the girls arrived.  Susan’s mom is doing much better, which is great to hear!

For lunch I had NUTRISYSTEM CHEESE TORTELLINI WITH TOMATO SAUCE and a small salad.  I thought the tortellini was one of the best things I've tried so far!  I made Eric a NUTRISYSTEM brocoli and cheese soup and a turkey/swiss sandwich.

We never left the house today.  We were just cleaning, organizing, making the place look great for the girls.  It's really the most thorough cleaning I've done since we moved here, which was just six weeks ago, so I guess it needed it.  I dust and vacuum often, and I'm always cleaning the kitchen, but I took the whole stove-top apart and cleaned all the pieces.  Everything was sparkling!

I was hoping that the headboard would arrive today and it did – but not until 5:30pm.  I begged Eric to set it up, but since he still had a headache (my poor baby), he didn’t want to bother.  We just took it out of the box to look at it (it is GORGEOUS) and leaned it up against the wall.  I made the bed with all the new bedding and it looks so lovely.  When the headboard is there it’s going to be fantastic!

I spoke to my friend, Katie, who is also my “webmaster.”  She is revamping my entire website, so that it is updated and reflects my current situation.  When it’s done I’ll let you all know and you can check it out!

We left the house at about 7:15pm, even though the girls weren’t going to land until 8:08.  Eric thought we might hit traffic, but we didn’t.  We were there early and kept driving around and around and around.  By 8:30pm I was starting to panic.  Where were my girls?  I went to the Delta counter (outside) and they told me it was delayed and would arrive at 8:38pm.  How frustrating!  I was looking at the Delta arrivals online and when we left at 7:15pm it was ON TIME.  How can it get delayed between 7:15pm and 8:08?

They finally did land at 8:38pm, and we picked them up at 9:00pm.  They told us they were delayed at Kennedy and didn’t take off for almost an hour, so they knew by 5:30pm NY time that the plane would be late.  Why they didn’t have it on the website is beyond me.  Lesson learned: Don’t trust the website!

Since Eric wasn’t feeling well, we dropped him off, he took the girls’ suitcases up and we zipped off to HAIKU to have a sushi dinner.  I felt bad for the girls, because it was after midnight “their time,” but they were hungry, so they wanted to go.

The minute we walked in the door we got the nicest greeting from Jin, our sushi chef friend.  He knows what we like and he made us our Spicy Crunchy Shrimp Roll.  We ordered edamame and shumai right away, so it would come out quickly, and then we ordered hot tea.  It’s so funny, because it’s so much warmer here than in NY, but it’s still chilly at night and the girls were cold in their down jackets!

We had two other rolls with tuna and salmon in them, and enjoyed every bite.  We caught up on the family, jobs, and everything else going on.  Jin asked the girls what they thought about long distance romances.  He was flirting with them and we were laughing.  He’s adorable.

When we finished dinner I drove them around Pacific Beach and showed them all the hot spots where the kids hang out.  They couldn’t believe how crowded all the bars were.  I know they’d definitely have fun socializing here and meeting all the young people!  Jessica is engaged, so she’s not looking to meet anyone, but it’s still fun to go out and meet people.

We drove back to Clairemont (which is 5 minutes) and I showed them our bank (right across the street), our supermarket (down the block) and our drug store.  A thrilling tour, don’t you think?  They were impressed by how close we were to 7-Eleven, and all the stores we needed.  I told them tomorrow I’d take them to the big shopping center and we’d get STARBUCKS.  YUM!

We got home and I got them settled, made up the bed and gave them the tour.  They really liked the apartment!  They were pretty exhausted, so they went to bed (by now it was 11:30pm – 2:30am their time) and I watched a little TV in the bedroom (while Eric slept) and went to bed about midnight.

Tomorrow we’re going to go shopping and I’ll give them the big tour of the areas Eric and I are familiar with.  It’s SO good to see them.  They’re so sweet and beautiful and I miss all my nieces so much.  It’s such a pleasure to have them with us, even if it’s just for two days!

I woke up at 9:00am.  I went to the bathroom and looked in on the girls.  They were both sleeping peacefully, so I decided to go back in the bedroom and lie back down with Eric.  I waited until I heard them moving around out there to go back out.  We had breakfast together while Eric slept.  He still had a headache -- day 4.

We decided to have cereal, rather than wasting calories on a hearty breakfast.  We knew we’d be eating out lunch and dinner, so we didn’t want to be really bad.  The girls are watching their diets, too, so it’s easier to stick with mine.

We left the house a little after 11:00am and went immediately to STARBUCKS.  We all got Skinny Lattes and then walked around the shopping center.  We went into BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY, because Jessica forgot her sunglasses and I told her she had to wear sunglasses, because the sun is so strong in San Diego.  She found a cute pair and they were only $7.99!

We then got in the car and drove to Pacific Beach.  We parked the car on Garnet and walked up and down going into all the boutiques.  We shopped for over 2 hours, trying on clothing and enjoying the beautiful weather.  Then, we got back in the car and drove around Pacific Beach, trying to decide where to go to lunch.

We saw a really cute restaurant, which was in a house on Felspar Street.  The address is 976 Felspar, and the restaurant is called Café 976.  They have a very interesting menu of salads, wraps and soups.  I got veggie chile and a 976 salad, which has mixed greens, pine nuts, mandarin oranges, grapes, feta and balsamic vinaigrette.  I felt like I wasn’t really cheating too much, because I only ate vegetables and dairy.  No bread, rice or pasta!

Jessica and April shared a Spinach Burger burrito (spinach burger, tomato, onion, sprouts, spinach, feta and jalapeno mayo in a spinach tortilla.  Lots of spinach!  They also shared a Summer Salad (mixed greens, kalmata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, hearts of palms, avocado, onions, walnuts and feta cheese with balsamic vinaigrette.\

After lunch we drove to Hillcrest and did more shopping.  I took them to my favorite shop – WEAR IT AGAIN SAM, where they thoroughly enjoyed looking at all the fabulous vintage clothing and accessories.

Next we went to another vintage store called RAGS.  Then, we walked along Fifth Avenue, looking at the menus outside all the restaurants, trying to decide where to go to dinner.  There are three restaurants in a row that are all owned by the Cohn family.  They actually own about 10 restaurants in San Diego.  That’s a successful restaurant-owning family!

We drove home and relaxed with Eric for a while.  He still wasn't feeling great and told us he didn't feel up to joining us for dinner. So, the three of us got changed and went out to dinner.  Eric apologized to the girls for being such a party pooper and not having dinner with them two nights in a row, but they said they didn’t mind and just felt bad that he wasn’t feeling well.

On our way out to the car, I tripped and fell.  Since they poured the new sidewalks, they left a big open space that runs between the sidewalk and the low brick wall holding the flowerbed.  I was telling the girls to be careful crossing the street and wasn’t looking where I was going and I stepped right into the hole.  I fell right on the SAME knee and also on my left hand.  At first I thought my wrist was broken, but I soon realized my fingers and my wrist were fine, but the back of my hand really hurt.

My knee was also bleeding pretty badly.  The girls helped me put a tissue on it and pull my leggings down over it so it stayed in the same spot.  I wanted to go back inside and put a band-aid and some antibiotic cream on my knee, but I knew Eric would be upset, and it was already after 9:00pm, and I didn’t want to delay our dinner.  Restaurants don’t stay open as late here as they do in New York and I wanted to make sure the girls had a nice dinner out.

We were so lucky to get a spot right in front of the restaurant we decided to go to – KEMO SABE. Their menu was described as “Pacific Rim” and includes a lot of Asian Fusion and Thai dishes.  We started with “Dim Sum and Then Sum,” the chef’s daily selection of sushi, poke and sashimi.  We had crab wontons, tuna sashimi, fried calamari, and spring rolls.  Everything was fresh and delicious.

I had the charbroiled ahi with fried ginger, with chile black beans and carmelized pineapple.   It was like biting into a juicy steak, except it was a delicious piece of fish!  Jessica had the teriyaki glazed Alaskan halibut with miso-sake broth, crab wontons and woked Chinese vegetables.  She loved it!

April had the blackened satay chicken breast stack with layered jerk chicken, chile corn cake, melon salsa and 10 spice grilled plaintain.  She really enjoyed her dish, too.

My hand was really hurting, but I pressed my ice water glass up against it while we ate.  I didn’t want to ruin the good time the girls were having, but I was a little worried about my hand.  I was able to move it around, but it really hurt when I moved it a certain way.  It definitely wasn’t swollen or black and blue, so I figured nothing was broken, but it hurt!

During the meal I accidentally ate a chile pepper that was in my black beans and it REALLY burned my throat.  I told the girls and said, "My knee hurts, my hand hurts, and now my throat’s on fire.  This isn’t fair!"  Thank goodness it only burned for about 5 minutes!

We were so stuffed that we each took home our leftovers, thinking Eric would have a feast tomorrow, since we’ll be eating out!

I told the girls about GELATO VERO and asked them if they wanted to go by there for dessert.  I thought I remembered that they had sugar free or fat free gelato, but I was wrong.  I waited in the car and they called me to tell me what they had to offer.  I ended up not having anything, because I didn’t want to ruin my diet and I figured I could just have something from NUTRISYSTEM when I got home.  We DID get Eric two scoops of Chocolate Hazelnut gelato, but he was asleep when we got home, so we just put it in the freezer for him.

Jessica had a scoop of vanilla and April had a scoop of Chocolate Hazelnut.  They really liked it!  When we got home, we all got into our pajamas.  I washed my leggings, because there was blood on them and then I iced my knee, which was pretty swollen.  It’s funny, because I thought my knee was just scraped – like the other day – but it looked like there was half a golf ball under my skin and it was purplish.  Not very pretty.  The girls immediately said I should ice it and ran to the freezer.  I don’t have ice (because we never ice our drinks), so they gave me frozen blueberries in a dish cloth.

They were so sweet and concerned.  We sat down to watch TV.  I put the bag on my knee and started blogging.  They immediately fell asleep.  They were both curled up in a ball on the bed.  I made them get up and lay down in the right direction – next to each other the long way on the bed – and covered them with all the blankets, tucking them in the way I would when they were little and would sleep over.  They’re such sweet, beautiful girls and we’ve been having such a fun time.  It’s so funny, because I told Eric I wanted the girls to be able to go out tonight, after dinner, but we had such a long day and ate dinner so late that they were all tired out by the time we got home at 11:30pm.

I sat and ate my White Chocolate Chunk cookie with the frozen blueberries sitting on my knee, watching Saturday Night Live (which was the best of Tracy Morgan) and wrote my blog.  Not the best ending to a fabulous Saturday with my girls, but – hey – it happens!  I just hope I’m in better shape – and not worse – tomorrow!

We all woke up around 9:00am today.  I listened to hear the girls up and around before I went out, because I didn’t want to wake them.

I was happy that my knee wasn’t swollen anymore and didn’t hurt to walk.  My hand is a little swollen and discolored, and it hurts when I move it, but it’s not really bad and Eric’s pretty sure I didn’t break anything.  At least I can type comfortably!

My cousin Ilene had given me a page from the November/December LIFESTYLE magazine (which is distributed by AAA), because they had an article about SOUTH PARK, a great area of San Diego located just east of Balboa Park.  It’s a “charming, historic neighborhood noted for its craftsman-style homes (which we LOVED) and unique small businesses.”  Eric and I had never been there and it looked like a great place for me to take the girls.

Eric still had a headache and the football games were on, so we went out without him.  There was a restaurant noted in the article that was mentioned as being “the best breakfast in San Diego,” so we decided to go there.  BIG KITCHEN CAFÉ (Judy the Beauty on Duty) on Grape Street in South Park is a quaint, tiny café with lots of fun memorabilia and photos of celebrities who have visited.

This is a copper sculpture that was on the wall at BIG KITCHEN CAFE, which spoke about borders and value of land.  It was beautiful and insightful!

Their menu is large and varied.  After studying it, Jessica and April decided to share two dishes (such smart girls).  They chose a dish from the “Favorites of our Regulars” and had Damian’s Breakfast Burrito (2 eggs scrambled with salsa, avocado and cheese rolled in a tortilla topped with sour cream and served with potatoes.  They also shared one big buttermilk pancake. It was SO delicious.

I got Nova’s Favorite, which was spinach, eggs (I got just egg whites) and cheese scumptiously scrambled and serve with fruit, tortillas, small fresh squeezed O.J. and lots of salsa.  It was so delicious and I learned that I don’t need the yolks to enjoy my eggs.  The tortillas weren’t that tasty, so I didn’t even eat them.  There was watermelon, cantaloupe and orange slices, too.  I finished everything on my plate (except the tortillas!).

After our hearty breakfast we decided to walk around the neighborhood and see the other shops talked about in the article.

We went into MAGPIE, where they have revolving art exhibits and new and vintage clothing and accessories for sale.  We had a lot of fun there and I asked the girl working there about having my decoupage and jewelry mosaics displayed there.  She said she’d have to see my work and I gave her my card and told her to check out my website.  She promised she would and I will follow up.  I think it would be great to show my work there!

We shopped at THE GROVE, which features clothing, jewelry, home furnishings, writing workshops and craft classes.  It was a huge store with different sections, each of which was eye-catching, colorful and fun.

We went to CLARITY SOAP AND CANDLES, where everything is hand made by them and smells fantastic.  The girls bought a beautiful, delicious smelling candle for their Mom.

We investigated MAEVE RILEY, a cool little boutique featuring the latest fashions and accessories.  The girl working there (Megan) was adorable and showed us jewelry she makes herself using silver solder.  They weren’t my taste, since I like delicate and vintage, but they were pretty fabulous.  I told her about my pin and earring frames and she was very interested.  Since I had them in the car, we brought them back after we were done shopping.  She loved them, but had no cash to buy.  She took my business card and said she was very interested in buying some for herself and her mom.  She thought they were beautiful and useful.  I hope I hear from her!

After a few hours, we were ready for something sweet and delicious, so we stopped into DAILY SCOOP, a cute spot where they make all-natural ice cream and desserts.  The place is decorated SO beautifully with black and white toile curtains, white shabby chic furniture displaying jewelry and children’s clothing, and a fleur-de-lis stencil at chair rail height all around the shop.  I had a single scoop of Chocolate Peanut Butter and Jessica got a scoop of Lemon Mousse, and the three of us shared.  It was more than enough, because it’s SO good!

Krista Lunetto, one of the owners, was there and she was telling us about all the great restaurants in the area and how wonderful it was to live in that neighborhood.  I think it must be, because there were so many adorable shops.  I’d LOVE to have a shop there and I think I’d do very well in that neighborhood!  If only!

Krista also told us that CORONADO, where the famous HOTEL DEL CORONADO is located, was very close to where we were.  I have wanted to visit there since the day we set foot in San Diego, because it’s such a fabulous hotel and is famous for many reasons, the best of which is that they filmed SOME LIKE IT HOT there.  I’m a HUGE Marilyn Monroe fan, and I wanted to see the place where one of my favorite MM movies was filmed!

She told us how to go and then we programmed Betty, so she would take us to ORANGE AVENUE, where the hotel (and lots of great shopping) is located.  We were there in ten minutes, after crossing the bridge, and we found the hotel right away.  It’s easy to spot with it’s gorgeous red roof.  It is huge and magnificent.  We found a parking spot right away and walked to the hotel.

Jessica and April in the lobby of the Hotel Del Coronado.  Aren't they beautiful?

We found the lobby, which was as majestic as I had dreamed.  There was a huge chandelier over an enormous arrangement of flowers.  There was wood everywhere – the walls, the ceiling, the banisters, the counters.  Dark, ornate, shiny, beautiful wood.

We walked through a hallway that had the history of the hotel, which was built in 1888.  It was saved from destruction at one point, and they actually filmed SOME LIKE IT HOT there, because it was inexpensive, due to the fact that the hotel was not very popular at the time.

We walked through the hotel, looked at the grand ballroom (which was fantastic with a semi-circle wall of windows that had an unbelievable view of the ocean), and shopped at a lot of the hotel stores.  We really enjoyed our visit and decided we all wanted to come back to actually stay at the hotel!  We didn’t really have a chance to investigate the rest of the town, because it was getting dark and we wanted to head back to Clairemont to get Eric and go out to dinner.

We got back around 6:00pm and relaxed while Eric worked on his bicycle and watched the end of the football game.  Then he jumped in the shower and we went to GRINGO’S COCINA Y CANTINA in Pacific Beach.  Eric and I had not had Mexican food in a while, and we love it, so it was great. 
It was our first time at GRINGO’S.  Jessica had seen it while we were driving around and really wanted to check it out.

It is a big, beautiful restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining, huge wood rough-hewn tables and chairs and giant leather booths.  The four of us sat at a booth and we were all on one side of the table, so I said we looked like we were eating on a sit com, because you may have noticed that they always sit on one side of the table, so everyone can face the camera.

We definitely cheated on our diet, but it was a special night – our last night with the girls!

We started with a lobster margarita (which is NOT a drink, as Eric thought).  It’s a half lobster tail resting over hydroponic baby mache, mango-papaya relish and vanilla bean butter sauce.  We all thought “mache” was some kind of lettuce, but it was like mashed potatoes.  It was a little weird and it’s kind of dark in the restaurant so we really weren’t sure what we were eating, although it was good.

We also had guacamole, salsa, and cheese dip with chips (NOT good for the diet) and Quesadilla Machos, which are Oaxacan cheese, macho squash blossoms, mushrooms, zucchini and fresh epazote in a quesadilla.  We each had a quarter and that was truly scrumptious!

For the main course, I had The Cancun, which is a lobster enchilada and shrimp burrito with rice and beans.  I was only able to eat the lobster enchilada, which was small and brought home my entire shrimp burrito (which was enormous) with most of my rice and beans.

Eric had Pollo Placero, which is half a roasted chicken with orange chipotle glaze, roasted fingerling potatoes and enchilada de calabasa con suizas.  He loved it, but brought home half his dinner, too.  They really give you a lot of food.

Jessica and April shared The Cancun and some kind of salad (I can’t remember what kind).  They also brought home a lot of their dish.

We were too full for dessert, but we dropped Eric off at home and went to KEILS, so we could get the girls some snacks for the flight home tomorrow and went to STARBUCKS for skinny decaf lattes and frappaccinos.

Then we headed home.  We were all really exhausted and were in bed before midnight.  We set the alarm for 5:00am, so it was good that we weren’t out too late.  I am so sorry that the girls have to leave tomorrow.  It has been such a pleasure seeing them and getting to spend some quality time with them, even if it was only 2 days.  We really packed a LOT into those two days and I know they had a wonderful time.

The next time I see them will probably be at Jessica’s wedding, which is the Friday of Thanksgiving Weekend.  The girls showed me the gowns they will be wearing and they are so glamorous and elegant.  They will look truly beautiful.  I can’t wait!

The girls were all up by 5:15am.  We let Eric sleep.  Jessica and April jumped in the shower, got dressed and were ready to roll.  I just washed my face, brushed my teeth and put on the clothes I had laid out the night before, so I would be ready.

We left the house at 5:45am and I dropped them off a few minutes after 6:00am.  I was so sorry to see them go.  We had a GREAT time and I wish all my girls could come and visit – even if it’s just for a few days.  It’s just so nice to show them San Diego!

I was home and back in bed by 6:25am.  Eric’s only comment was, “That was fast!” and we were both back to sleep.  We woke up at 11:00am.  Wow!  We REALLY slept in!  We showered, had a fast NUTRISYSTEM breakfast bar and left the apartment around 12:30pm.  We had some errands to run.  Eric bought tires for one of his bicycles which are better for road riding.  I was SO happy, because that meant he would be riding more.  I know he wouldn't invest in the tires if he didn't plan to use them!  He dropped me at STARBUCKS, which is in the same shopping center as the bicycle store.  We made a few more stops and got back to the apartment a little after 3:00pm.

I made us a delicious lunch of all the leftovers from my dinner with the girls at KEMO SABE on Saturday night.  Eric didn’t go with us, but he sure did get to enjoy it all anyway!  He had Jessica’s leftover halibut with noodles and a fried wonton and April’s chicken with potatoes and fried plaintain.  I had my leftover tuna with the salad it came with.  Delish!

Then, we watched Friday’s new episode of MONK, which was really great.  After that, I did three loads of laundry, including all the towels and sheets that the girls had used.  By the time that was all finished it was after 8:00pm and time for dinner.

I heated up our leftovers from last night’s dinner at GRINGO’S.  Eric had his leftover chicken, potatoes and veggies, and I had Jessica’s leftover shrimp burrito and some salad.

For dessert, we each had a NUTRISYSTEM Chocolate Chip cookie.  It was really moist and chewy.  I loved it!  I also had a DIET LEMON SNAPPLE tonight.  My first in six months!  I had purchased four for the girls, because I know they like that, but they only had two and I figured I might as well use them.  I actually didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would.  I used to be addicted to DIET LEMON SNAPPLE, drinking 3 or 4 bottles a DAY.

Eric never liked me drinking so much SNAPPLE, because he said I was using too much artificial sweetener, so when we left NY, I left the DIET SNAPPLE behind.  I drank more water in the 15 weeks we traveled than I probably did the last 10 years.  I would occasionally drink an unsweetened ice tea with a meal, but I used only one splenda or equal, so I cut down considerably.  I also use them in coffee, but I didn’t drink that every day.  I wish I could cut out artificial sweeteners completely, but I like things sweet and don’t want to use real sugar, so that’s my only option!

After dinner, Eric agreed to put up the new headboard.  It was a big pain, but we finally got it done.  Why is every project so much more complicated than you think it will be?  Isn’t that one of Murphy’s Laws?  We got it done and it looks SO beautiful and feels SO great, because now when you lean the pillows against it, you don’t hit the vertical blinds and you don’t feel the wall behind it.  When you put the red Asian-inspired sham up against it, the sham really pops and looks FABULOUS.  I’m so happy!

After that was done, Eric relaxed in the living room and watched basketball and ultimate fighting (ugh) and I watched DEAL OR NO DEAL and MEDIUM.  I’m hoping that I’ll get a call this week about work.

My nieces were SO sweet, because I was getting really down about work and told them I was upset because I didn’t have a job yet.  They asked me how long I was looking and I told them just since January.  They said, “That’s only 3 weeks.  It can take months to find a job.  How can you be depressed after 3 weeks?”  I had to admit, it made sense.  I guess I had such confidence that I thought I’d be hired in 3 days, let alone 3 weeks.  It better not take 3 months!

I set the alarm for 8:00am, because I am back to trying to get up earlier, so that when I got to work I am ready for the earlier hours.  I got up and worked on the computer while Eric slept.  He got up a little after 9:00am.

Soon after, I got a call.  It was one of the agencies, letting me know they had scheduled me for a telephone interview this morning at 11:00am with a company that was looking for a temp to fill in for a maternity leave through March.  It is an investment company, so I wasn’t thrilled about that, but it’s in a great location just 15 minutes away and it’s a great company (I checked out their website).  Maybe when the woman comes back from maternity they’ll have a full time job for me.  Otherwise, I’ll be back to job-hunting in April.

We watched THE VIEW and I made us NUTRISYSTEM breakfasts.  I had their granola with low-fat chocolate soy milk.  It was the first time I tried the granola and I was pleasantly surprised.  Crunchy, sweet – delicious!  Eric had a slice of cheese, some cherries, a cup of chamomile tea and a NUTRISYSTEM granola bar.

At 11:00am I called the company and was put on speakerphone so two girls could interview me.  They were very sweet and asked me all kinds of questions about my job history, the people I worked for, the type of software I knew, etc.  I was completely honest and told them I hadn’t used a lot of the software for 5 years.  I told them that I am not afraid to ask questions, if I need help, and that I am confident I can use the software competently, but am not an expert and don’t have the most up-to-date versions.  They were very nice and said they were conducting phone interviews today and then would call people in whom they were interested in.

At 1:00pm I got a call from the agency saying that the company was interested in seeing me tomorrow at 10:30am.  My first interview!  Very exciting!  I must figure out what I’m going to wear!

Eric put his new tires on his bicycle and went out for a ride.  I immediately got working on my crafts, because I am hoping to be working VERY soon.

I put five CDs in the CD player – WICKED, HAIRSPRAY, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, HAIR and DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS.  I listened to the first four and was done by the time HAIR was finishing.  What great musicals.  I had a lot of fun listening to them while I worked.

I had two mirrors to decorate with jewelry.  First, I did the very small one, which was a plastic faux tortoise shell.  It has a handle, so you can hold it like a vanity mirror, or you can bend it back to hang on the wall, or you can use the handle like a picture frame to stand the mirror up on a dresser – three uses – very versatile!

Next I did a bigger mirror, which is round with a white plastic frame.  I pretty much finished both, but it took all afternoon.  They’re not done, because I have to step back and then look at them again and hang them on the wall, to see how they look, but it was enough for one day.

I made myself a NUTRISYSTEM BLACK BEANS AND RICE lunch and Eric came home.  He told me all about his road ride.  He went all over the place – over bridges, through towns, and he had a good ride.  He didn’t complain at all and didn’t say anything negative.

He saw a sign at a mechanic shop that they were hiring, so he went inside and asked about the job.  The guy said, “Aren’t you a little old to be doing this kind of thing?”  OUCH!  Eric said the guy probably thought he was 65.  I said definitely not.  I’m sure he just wants a 20-year-old he can abuse and push around.  That was a little depressing for Eric, but he’ll keep looking, I’m sure.

He loved the pieces I made and had some good ideas for finishing them up.  He’s very good at that.  He has a great eye and is always very helpful with my crafts.  I made him lunch (NUTRISYSTEM MAC & CHEESE, an apple and peanut butter, and a piece of cheese and he watched TV in the living room while I watched DR. PHIL in the bedroom.

I took a little nap while Eric worked on his bicycle, did some exercise on the AB LOUNGE ULTRA (wheee!) and watched TV.

When I woke up a little after 8:00pm, I made us dinner.  Eric had a leftover shrimp burrito from GRINGO’S and a salad.  I had the thick-crust NUTRISYSTEM PIZZA and a salad.  For dessert I had a caramel nut bar, which was really good.  Eric had scones, which he heated in the microwave (clever boy!).

He watched HOUSE and the basketball game and I watched some shows I had previously recorded.  Then we watched BOSTON LEGAL together and went to bed.  I wanted to get a good night’s sleep since I have my interview tomorrow morning.

WISH ME LUCK!

I knew if they met me, they’d hire me!   I had my interview this morning and it went very well.  I wore my “interview slacks” which I bought back in NY with my “stylist” Kris.  We went shopping last Spring and I told her I was going to need clothes for interviews in San Diego.  I’m definitely not a pants person (as anyone who knows me can attest) and I don’t even own a pair of jeans, but sometimes you just need a nice pair of basic black slacks.  Kris helped me find two beautiful pairs of pants – black and khaki – which fit me well and made me look very professional.

I wore the black pants with a lavender knit top and a knit jacket over it, which has no collar and closes with just two buttons at the top.  It’s kind of a swing jacket.  That’s about as professional as I get.  I wore a purple pin, which belonged to my grandmother, to bring me luck.

I got there early (as usual).  It’s just 15 miles from the apartment and I just jumped on I-5 (which is a few blocks from our apartment) and it was less than a mile from the exit where I got off, so it’s an easy commute.  The building is kind of secluded.  There’s a hotel next door, but no other stores or restaurants.  It’s not like working in Manhattan, where you’re surrounded by everything you could ever desire – theater, music, shopping, food, etc.

I interviewed first with the gentleman for whom I would be working, and then a woman who works for two top guys in the firm.  She has been helping out since the woman I am replacing took ill.  I will be working closely with her.  They were both very nice and I was very impressed with the company as a whole, and them in particular.  The building was really beautiful and the office was very fancy and beautifully decorated.  Definitely a nice place to work!

After the interview, I drove back to Clairemont.  I called the agency and told them that I thought I did very well and was definitely interested in the job.  The pay was great, it was long-term, but I didn’t have to make a commitment.  It’s a financial company, which doesn’t thrill me (I’d like to work in a more stimulating environment), but it’s not forever, so I think I can live with it.  They said they’d get back to me today if I got the job.

I went to the post office (I am there so often I should get a job THERE!), then went to Starbucks to get my Skinny Mocha Latte and then went home.  I watched some TV, worked on the computer and then went food shopping.

When I got home, Eric was there.  He had gone for a nice, long road ride.  He says he’s not really getting a good workout, but I think it’s definitely better than not riding at all!  He’s been in a good mood since Monday.  He’s talking about getting a job and he’s been using the ABLU, too!

I was a little disappointed, because the afternoon was going by and the agency didn’t call.  Then, at 4:30pm the phone rang.  I looked at Eric and answered it.  It was the woman from the agency, telling me I got the job.  I was SO happy!  And the best part is – I start on Monday!  I am SO lazy.  When I was thinking about getting the job I actually thought, “I hope they want me to start on Monday, so I can have four more days before I go back to work.”  Can you believe it?  I amaze myself!  The truth is, I haven’t worked since April 1st and I still want more time off!

Eric was SO happy for me.  He said he knew I’d get it and that he knows it will be great for me.  The good thing is that I’ll be making more than enough to pay all our bills, so we can stop living off our savings!

For dinner, I made a healthy vegetable soup.  I sautéed celery, red onion, baby carrots and mushrooms and then added a container of organic vegetable broth, a can of stewed tomatoes, a can of black beans, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of asiago cheese, and a cup of fat free half and half (to make the soup creamy).  I let it simmer for over an hour, and then Eric and I had a bowl.  It was really delicious and contains all the necessary ingredients for a meal with a NUTRISYSTEM dinner entrée.  It has the protein (beans), vegetable servings, and even the dairy!  I could eat that every single day.  I’m a REAL soup lover!  Eric had a salad with turkey and swiss and I had a NUTRISYSTEM cheese tortellini with tomato sauce.  I was really stuffed, because the soup was so filling!

After dinner I went through my decoupage cuttings to find pictures of jewelry.  I want to decoupage the sides of the white plastic frame I bejeweled.  It would take much too much jewelry if I covered the sides, instead of just the top, so I figure putting pictures of jewels will make it look fabulous without using tons more jewelry!

I want to get all my projects done before the weekend, because I want to bring them to the shop in La Jolla over the weekend.  I won’t have as much time starting next week, because I’ll be working 8:00am – 5:00pm every day, so I need to get things done on the weekends and weeknights.  Wheeeee!  I really can’t wait to start working!

I watched BIGGEST LOSER – COUPLES and DEAL OR NO DEAL. Reality TV rocks!  Eric and I recorded MOMENT OF TRUTH, so we can watch it together.  That’s the new show where they hook the contestants up to a lie detector and ask them embarrassing questions.  What will they think up next?  It was horrible.  Eric kept saying, "I can't watch this.  I can't watch this."  They ask really embarrassing questions and the more embarrassing they are, the more money you can win.  I hated it.  Don't think we'll be watching that one again!

Eric was exhausted, because he rode a lot today and he has big plans for tomorrow.  He wants to go to HOME DEPOT and get some wood to make a board to hang all his tools on the wall.  He’s going to make it himself.  He’s SO organized.  I love that he has a project, because keeping busy is the best medicine for him!

I’m going to finish my round mirror tomorrow and will photograph it.  I have a new blog, which is just for my arts and crafts.  I haven’t started it yet, but I will be describing my work and showing photographs of it as I go along, so potential shops and customers can check it out.  When my website is updated, you will be able to click on the link there to read my “Craft Blog.”  I will keep blogging here about my work, as well, because it is an important part of my day-to-day existence!

I really feel like I accomplished something big today and a huge weight is off my shoulders.  It really did only take me a little more than 3 weeks to land a job and, when you think about it, living in a strange place and adjusting to a new environment, that's not bad at all!

I was up by 9:00am, and Eric was up by 10:00am.  We watched THE VIEW together and then I made him breakfast – 2 eggs on 2 slices of bread with 2 pieces of swiss cheese, a nectarine cut up into wedges with a cup of chamomile tea.  I had the granola cereal with a nectarine cut up into it and low-fat chocolate soy milk.

The agency called to confirm my job and tell me I start at 9:00am on Monday – just that one day.  My usual work hours are 8:00am – 5:00pm.  I’m actually pretty excited, but I’m nervous about clothes.  I still haven’t lost enough weight to start fitting into all my skirts and dresses, so I’ll have to be VERY creative with my outfits.

I always kept a calendar of what I wore every day, so I didn’t repeat too often at work, or at the shop.  It’s amazing how many pieces you wear over and over, and other things just hang in the closet!  By keeping the calendar I made sure I never wore the same thing on the same day.  I once read that you tend to see people on the same day each week – like if you take classes, or have weekly meetings, etc.  So, by keeping a calendar you can make sure if you wore an outfit on a Tuesday, you don’t wear it again until the next Wednesday or Thursday!  It actually works!

I spoke to GILI ANNA in La Jolla and told her I finished two mirrors and would bring them by her shop tomorrow.  She seemed very excited to see my work.  I just hope she is willing to take the pieces on consignment and try to sell them for me.

Sorry it's so blurry!

Eric wanted to go to HOME DEPOT to get some wood for two projects, but he had no motivation.  I wanted to go with him, but he said he would have to put the front seat down to fit the long boards in.

I wanted Starbucks, but I didn’t want to bother Eric.  He said he wouldn’t go to HOME DEPOT unless I told him what I wanted, so I wrote it down and told him to just hand the paper to the barrister.

While he was gone I finished the round mirror I was working on.  I decoupaged pictures of jewelry all around the wide sides of the frame and it came out great!  I was finished by the time Eric got back.

He brought me my tall iced decaf skinny mocha latte (only 90 calories) and I was a happy girl!  He started working right away on the tool board he is making for himself.  He will drill holes, then plug them with pieces of dowels he bought and hang all his tools on it.  It’s a lot of work, but he enjoys it!

Tonight, all he did was sand and stain the board and then he started on his next project – a box to put on top of our TV stand, so that the TV sits higher.  It has been a pain since we got it, because when I’m watching TV Eric’s feet are in my way, and I have to sit up to see the cable box and see whether it’s taping or not, or make sure it’s turned off when I hit the power button.
He cut the boards outside and he was going to stain it, but I told him I wanted to upholster it instead.  We’ve gotten very big on upholstering furniture!

He made the box and it looked so beautiful when we covered it with a stretchy pink cotton fabric.  We put it on the TV stand and then put the TV on top.  Now we had a new place for the cable box, too, so that’s also much easier to see.  The TV is lifted 10 inches, which is just enough to make it comfortable to watch, but not so tall that it is intrusive in the room.

After it was upholstered, I had the idea to put some beaded fringe around it, so I looked through my big plaid tin of beaded fringe (doesn’t every girl have one?) and found a pretty pink, which Eric promptly stapled on.  It looks SO cute!  We really love working on projects together.  He’s so smart, and I’m very creative.  What a team!

After that was done I watched UGLY BETTY.  I just love that show.  It’s very funny, and sometimes the plots are crazy and over-the-top, but it can also be very touching and sweet.  I highly recommend it.  Besides, there are occasionally great shots of NYC!

I watched an old episode of MONK today where Monk goes to Manhattan for a case.  It was SO great, because they filmed all over the city.  They did an entire scene across the street from Radio City.  I worked across the street from Radio City for many years and stood in that exact spot a million times.  It was so cool.  They also did a scene at the Rockefeller Center skating rink, which is right around the corner.  I do miss NYC!

I had a request to see photographs of our new headboard, so I took some pictures and here it is!  It really is perfect for us and it’s SO much nicer than leaning against vertical blinds!  It’s cozy, blocks the sun in the morning, and looks beautiful!  Our headboard in NY was an ornate white metal, which was not so comfy to lean against.  This is so cushy!

Tomorrow is my last weekday off for a long time, so I must make the most of it.  I will do laundry (it’s usually empty during the day), drive to La Jolla to show Gili Anna my mirrors, and do a little shopping for more mirrors.  I’m on a roll!

I can’t take credit for today’s title.  My friend, Jimmy, texted me this morning and told me it was my last day as a slacker.  Boo hoo!  It’s been a LONG time since I’ve worked, and a MUCH longer time since I’ve worked in an office.

I left my job at PwC on January 31, 2002, so it’s been six years since I’ve been “corporate.”  I closed my shop on March 31, 2007, so it’s been 10 months since I’ve had any job, although I did consider getting our house ready for sale and selling our house a job.  It was hard work for me and Eric.  We worked our tails off getting the house in order and then cleaning and packing to prepare to move.  It was extremely stressful.  At least we did get paid – when we sold the house!

This morning Eric and I watched THE VIEW together for the last time (another boo hoo).  I made us breakfast.  He had a NUTRISYSTEM cinnamon scone with 2 slices of cheese, an apple cut up with some natural peanut butter, and a cup of chamomile tea.  I had the NUTRISYSTEM granola with low-fat chocolate soy milk, a slice of cheese, a few pieces of apple and a glass of green tea.

He left soon afterwards on his bicycle.  He told me he’s only riding for me, because he really doesn’t enjoy it, but I told him I don’t care WHY he’s riding, as long as he does!

I got dressed and left the house to drive to La Jolla to bring my two newest creations to Gili Anna at her beautiful shop GILI ANNA CUSTOM DESIGN – JEWELRY/ART/JUDAICA.  She loved the two mirrors and took them on consignment. 

Her shop is the perfect backdrop for my work.  The walls are painted a lovely turquoise and the art, Judaica and jewelry are so colorful, decorative and beautiful.  The mirrors fit right in!  I highly recommend that you click on the link above and visit her sight, so you can see all the fabulous merchandise she has for sale.  You will also see what a beautiful woman she is, and how sweet she is -- just from the things she says at her website!  I am so happy to have my work in such a positive and friendly atmosphere.  It's good kharma!  She is such a lovely person and we parted with a hug.  I just know we’re going to do beautiful business together!

I walked around the neighborhood on PROSPECT STREET.  Her shop is on a block with art galleries, NICOLE MILLER, high-end jewelry stores, and fancy restaurants.  I think it’s a fabulous block, but I haven’t seen a lot of La Jolla yet, so I have nothing to compare it to!  I went into one boutique and the woman behind the counter looked at me like I was the hooker in PRETTY WOMAN.

She immediately had a face like, “You can’t afford anything in here.”  I admit, I was wearing my leopard pants and a black top and didn’t look too fancy, but she didn’t have to make me feel bad.  The truth is, she was right.  I looked at one blouse that was really gorgeous and it was $290.  So, I just walked around for a few minutes, pretending to be searching for something to buy, and then I headed the hell out of there!

I went to a store that’s more my speed – the SALVATION ARMY THRIFT SHOP!  I bought a decorative frame for $5, to make another pin board.

Then, I headed to PEARLE VISION to pick up our new eye glasses.  They feel great and I love how they look, but they’re a little crooked.  Unfortunately, Eric doesn’t like his at all and says everything’s blurry!  So, we’re going to have to go back tomorrow.  She can straighten mine out and see what the problem is with Eric’s prescription.  Thank goodness he has about 4 pairs of reading glasses, so it's not like he won't have glasses, if they need to re-do his prescription.

After I picked up the eye glasses, I went to BIG LOTS and found a scale that gives your weight and body fat percentage.  Can’t wait to see what THAT is.  I promise to be honest and tell my weight and BMI, so you can see if I do well on this diet!  Unfortunately, Eric read the instructions and we need a 9V battery, which we don’t have, so we’ll have to buy one tomorrow.  I also bought a mirrored tray with a gold wood frame on four small wood ball feet.  It was damaged on two corners, but I knew I could cover it with decoupage or jewelry, so I purchased it for $5!

Next, I went to a 99 cent store near me to find more mirrors.  I got more of the round white plastic mirrors, because they are great to either decoupage or mosaic.  I also bought another small hand mirror, but this one is a beige plastic.

Finally, I headed home.  I was going to stop at Starbucks, but I heard on THE VIEW this morning that green tea is very good for your diet, so I decided to just go home and have a cup, instead.  It wasn’t as satisfying, especially since I didn’t sweeten it, but it was 90 less calories, and a LOT cheaper!

I made myself lunch – a NUTRISYSTEM cup of vegetarian chili with a small salad.  It was the first time I tried the chili and I really enjoyed it.

My sister-in-law, Ellen, called and we spoke for over an hour.  Then, I started two loads of laundry and Eric finally came home from his ride.  He did 30 miles today!  I am so impressed with how far he is able to ride after being off his bike for so long.  He does say that he has to walk up the hills, and I know he used to be able to ride up any hill, so I guess he still has a ways to go before he is in the shape he used to be in.

We discussed a plan to MAYBE (just MAYBE) leave San Diego in November when we go to New York for our niece Jessica’s wedding.  I told Eric if we both have jobs and can save some money, we can pack everything up, have it shipped to North Carolina and put into storage (like we did here), then drive the RV to New York, go to my sister’s for Thanksgiving, the wedding in New York, and then drive down to North Carolina.  It makes perfect sense, and then we wouldn't have to fly, which I know would make Eric VERY happy!

Our lease is up at the end of May, but they said we can pay month-to-month for six months after that, which means we would have to either sign another lease or be out of the apartment by the end of November anyway, so the timing is really kind of perfect.

You know what they say about the best laid plans, but it does make sense and I know Eric was happy when we spoke about it.

After the laundry was finished, I made us a delicious dinner.  I made a piece of salmon for myself (which will have to last me three nights, since I’m only allowed one oz. per meal), and – since Eric doesn’t like salmon – scallops for Eric.  I heated up the last of our vegetable soup, and made Eric a NUTRISYSTEM flat bread pizza, while I had a NUTRISYSTEM mushroom risotto.  I just put the ounce of salmon right on top.  It was très yummy!

Unfortunately, while Eric was eating he felt a rock or something in his food, but it turned out to be part of his filling!  This happened right before we left NY, to a different tooth, and now it happened again.  So, I have to find a dentist and make an appointment for both of us.  It’s been a little over six months, so it’s time for us to go anyway, but now Eric needs a cap or a crown or a refilling or something like that.  Poor baby!

After dinner we watched two episodes of MONK, one which I had seen but Eric hadn’t, and then tonight’s episode, which was brand new.   It is my absolute favorite show, and Eric loves it, too!

We have no plans for this weekend, which is great, because I want to get lots done before I start work on Monday.  I want to put together outfits for the whole week, so I don’t panic every morning.  I hate standing in front of my closet saying, “What am I going to wear?” at 6:30am!

I also want to go food shopping again, so that we have food for the week, and I won’t have to go at night, after work, except maybe to pick up one or two items.  I also want to do lots of crafting with the pieces I purchased today, because now I’ll only be able to do my crafting at night and on the weekends, which is kind of limiting.  But that’s life in the working world, eh?

I woke up a little after 9:00am.  I came out and immediately started looking online for a dentist.  I was hoping to get an appointment for Eric today (ever the optimist).  I made one call and left a message and then requested an appointment online with another local doctor.  I figured whomever called first would be the one we’d use.  Neither of them called!  I guess maybe they’ll call on Monday.

After that, I went back into the bedroom to see if Eric was awake.  I could tell by the way he was holding his head with one hand while he lay there that he had a headache.  He wasn’t sleeping, so I asked him and he confirmed my suspicions.  Well, at least he had a few good days without a headache!

I came back out to the living room and decided to have breakfast.  I had a slice of cheese, a NUTRISYSTEM scone (my first – and it was good!) and a glass of juice mixed with water. 

I turned on the TV and watched VH1’s TOP TWENTY COUNTDOWN.  I used to watch that every Saturday morning in NY, as I got dressed to go to the shop.   I don’t listen to the radio at all – except in the car – so it was always a great way to hear the latest songs and see the videos that go along with them!

I can’t believe Britney Spears has a video that’s number two!  It’s horrible and she doesn’t even really dance in it.  I used to love her videos, because she is such a great dancer and she just looked like she didn’t have the energy to do much in this one.  There wasn’t a great story, or great sets and she looks very worn out.  Just a bad video.  Boo hoo for poor Britney.

Since Eric didn’t feel well and it was supposed to rain today, we decided not to go to the optometrist.  Eric was actually able to straighten out my glasses and I guess he’ll go deal with his glasses while I’m working.  It’s going to be weird not to be able to take care of everything, because I’ll be at work all day, especially with a new job.  You can’t start making personal phone calls!

I felt like I should get something accomplished, so I took a big bin filled with decoupage cuttings (pictures I had already cut out to use in different projects) and decided to divide them up into categories.  I used to do that all the time, and was very organized, but over the 5 years I was in the shop I was so busy that I got very sloppy.  I had a lot of decoupage classes and would end up just throwing all the cuttings into one bin.  I sat down on the floor and started sorting: Animals and Birds, Art, Asian, Butterflies, Cartoon/Comic Book/Comic Strip, Cats and Dogs, Flowers, Holidays, Jewelry, Leopard, Maps and Travel, Perfume and Cosmetics, TV/Movies, Women and Fashion and Misc.  I did that for a few hours.  Eric had taken his Excedrin Migraine, and was feeling much better, so he started working on his peg board project.

We were both busy little bees.  We worked for hours.  Then, I got a call from Gili – she sold the small mirror!  I was so happy!  It sold in less than 24 hours!  She was very pleased and asked if I had others.  I immediately got to work on the other small mirror I had.  Eric left to put gas in the RV and PT.  Gas went down to $2.97, which is very cheap in San Diego, so he wanted to take advantage.  He put $80 in the RV (it was almost on empty) and $20 in the PT, so there went $100 in 10 minutes!

I spoke to my friend, Andrea.  She went to CINDY’S DREAM (which used to be SUNSHINE NAILS) for a manicure/pedicure.  Cindy was formerly in the nail salon next to my shop, but after I left she renovated my space and moved in there.  She combined both businesses – she takes in consignment and still does manicures/pedicures, waxing, massage, and facials.  She wants to hire Andrea, because Andrea is a licensed esthetician.  I know the customers would love Andrea, because she’s such a people person and I know she is very professional.  She’s a busy girl, so she told Cindy she has to think about it.  I think it would be a great teaming!

When Eric came back I made us lunch.  He had a wrap with turkey, swiss and avocado and I had a NUTRISYSTEM black beans and rice, a tiny fat-free cottage cheese with grape tomatoes and a glass of V8.

Then, I got back to work.  I finished the small mirror.  I wanted more mirrors, so I can get started on them, too, so I asked Eric to walk up the block to the 99 cent store and get me more, and get the 9V battery for the scale.  He got me 5 more mirrors, so I will be able to stock up on them!

My back was hurting me from working all day, so I decided to go sit in bed with my cuttings and sort in there while I watched TV.  That way, I could lean against my new headboard and support my back.  I wanted a little something sweet, so I decided to get a 50 calorie fudge pop.  They’re long and thin, but very sweet and they’re just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.  I unwrapped it as I was walking, but kept the paper around it, so I wouldn’t drip on the bed.  I got into bed, fixed the covers on me, and then looked at my pop.  Half of it was gone!

I said, “Uh Oh!  I’m in trouble!  I lost something!”  Eric came in and said, “What did you lose?”  “I lost half my fudge pop,” I said.  We started looking through all the bedding, the sheets, the blankets, and then the floor.  Now, you have to remember, the sheets are chocolate brown, the rug is a medium brown, and the pop was light brown.  We couldn’t find it anywhere.  I was freaking out.  Then Eric suggested that maybe it was only half a pop, but I said I definitely saw a whole pop when I was unwrapping it and it must be in the bed somewhere!

We continued to search.  Eric was looking under furniture and I said, “Why don’t you look in the closet.” (even though both closet doors were closed).  “Maybe it flew in there.”  We were both so puzzled.  We couldn’t figure out where the hell it went.  We took everything off the bed and looked around.  All of a sudden, I saw a dark, wet stain on the sheets.  I thought that was it, but Eric said it was too small.  There must be more of it.  It ended up that it was under the small plastic file system I use for the cuttings.  And every time we moved it, we were staining the sheets and the blankets!

We quickly stripped the bed, poured some detergent on the spots and I went down to the Laundromat and washed two blankets and our fitted sheet.  Some dessert!  I guess that’ll teach me to eat in bed, although Eric and I are famous for it.  But how often do you lose half a fudge pop?

While the laundry was in, I decoupaged the handles on all the little mirrors, which can be used as a vanity mirror or folded to stand like a picture frame, or bent back to hang on the wall.  I used gold doilies to cover the handles.  It looks so pretty, but doilies are SO hard to work with.  They are so delicate and start to fall apart as soon as they get wet from the glue.  Then, as I’m trying to press them onto the handles, they fall apart and stick to my fingers.  It was frustrating, but I finished all five!

I finished washing and drying the two blankets and the fitted sheet and remade the bed.  It’s raining outside.  It’s been raining on and off for the past few days.  They say more bad weather is coming – lots more rain and harsh winds.  That’s about as bad as it gets in San Diego!

Here are pictures of the small mirror I finished today.  I will bring it to Gili tomorrow.  Eric said he’d go with me and then we’ll go to HOME DEPOT.  He needs more supplies for his project!

We got a LOT of rain this week.  At least a lot for San Diego.  We had the most gorgeous weather last weekend, when the girls were here.  I was so happy, because they got to enjoy the warmth and sunshine for two days.  Then, the day they left, after they boarded their plane, it started to rain and it really has been raining on and off since then.  This whole weekend was a washout.  It rained Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so I’m glad they were here last weekend and not this weekend!

We slept in, and then went out because I wanted to go to GILI ANNA and bring her my two new mirrors, and Eric wanted to go to HOME DEPOT.  I finished blogging early last night, and then ended up working on another mirror, which I actually was able to finish before I went to bed.  I didn’t go to sleep until 2:30am, which is one of the reasons why we slept so late this morning!

Eric is back to not riding.  He said he doesn’t enjoy road riding, and he hates mountain biking here, so he is resigning himself to not riding at all until we leave San Diego.  I am completely against this, and let him know.  Our discussion got heated at one point.  It was late and we had the TV on, but all of a sudden we heard banging and realized one of our neighbors (we don’t know if it was the lady next door or the guys underneath) was unhappy that we were being loud at 1:00am.  I have a big mouth as it is, and when I’m trying to make a point I can get very loud. 

We looked at each other and immediately started whispering, although the conversation continued for some time.  Nothing was resolved, obviously.  I can’t make him ride, and if he doesn’t want to ride there’s nothing I can do about it.  I just have to hope he changes his mind – again.

We drove to La Jolla, but it was SO busy that we couldn’t find a spot, so Eric dropped me off so I could give the two mirrors to Gili.  She is SO sweet and nice and very supportive and positive about my work.  She loved the two new mirrors and showed me that she had the round one hanging on the door.  It looked gorgeous!

Eric found a spot while I was talking to Gili, so he got to see the shop and meet my new friend and business partner.  He loved the shop, too, but commented on how small it was.  He said, “If she had your shop in New York she could make a fortune!”  It’s true that the more space you have the more you can sell, but she uses every available inch so economically and really has thousands of items in such a small shop.  It's also all beautifully displayed.

After we left La Jolla, we drove to HOME DEPOT and Eric got the dowels he needed for his peg board.  He wanted to grab a bite, so I took him to CAFÉ 976, where Jessica, April and I had lunch last weekend.  He loved it.  They have a great menu.  I had the same dish as last time – soup and salad.  I got the vegetarian chili and the 976 salad, which has mandarin oranges, grapes and apples, along with pine nuts, feta cheese and mixed greens.  Delish!  Eric had the tortilla soup, which was nice and spicy, and the Hawaiian chicken sandwich, which is a marinated chicken breast served with a gangy dressing, pineapple slices, swiss cheese, lettuce, onion, and tomato on whole wheat bread.  He enjoyed it all.

Then, we headed home and I dropped him off, so I could go food shopping.  I wanted to get the ingredients to make another batch of vegetable soup and a few other things for the week.  I got everything I needed and headed home.

I ended up making an “everything but the kitchen sink” soup.  I first sautéed a big onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, broccoli, garlic and cilantro in a little olive oil.  I then added a can of corn, a can of black beans, two cans of stewed tomatoes, a box of organic vegetable broth, and a box of organic butternut squash soup.  I figured the butternut squash soup would add another vegetable to the mix, plus they had all organic spices and herbs.  I had a little salsa left in the fridge, so I threw that in.  I also had about a cup of tomato sauce left, and we won’t be using that, since we’re on the NUTRISYSTEM diet, so I threw that in.  I had about a half cup of parmesan cheese left, so I threw that in.  I made the soup in a giant six quart pot I have and it almost filled it up.

After letting it simmer for over an hour, I blended about a quart of the larger vegetables using a slotted spoon to remove the larger pieces and then poured the puree back into the soup.  There are still lots of veggies in there, but you won’t get a whole baby carrot or a big piece of broccoli in your bowl.  I used my MAGIC BULLET, which is a fabulous little machine that you can use to blend, chop, puree, mix, grind, etc.  It’s got lots of blades and lots of different containers.

You put the item (like, say, coffee beans) in a container, screw on the proper blade and then put it into the base.  There are no buttons, no adjustable speeds, no lid.  You press down for a few seconds, everything gets chopped, blended or pureed, and then you take it out, take off the lid (which includes the blade), rinse it in the sink (or put it in the dishwasher) and then either put the coffee grinds in the coffee maker, or put ANOTHER lid on (which doesn’t have a blade) and you can store it – airtight – in the fridge or on the counter.  It’s a fabulous system.  You may have seen the infomercial on TV.  It’s another of the many items Eric and I have purchased while watching TV.

I really purchased it because they said it was great for RV’ers.  But, I have to admit, I never used it in all the time we were in the RV.  I just didn’t cook.  I only reheated leftovers and made microwave food.  The fridge wasn’t dependable and I’m not much of a cook anyway, so it was all the excuse I needed to eat out!

Anyway, the soup came out GREAT and Eric and I each had a bowl.  I’m going to divide it into containers and put some in the freezer, and the rest in the fridge.  It’s a healthy, fast meal, especially for a soup lover like me!

After soup, Eric put the scale together.  We are both convinced it’s already broken, because we both weigh MUCH more than we ever dreamed, but I promised to be honest, so here it is.

I thought I weighed about 125, maybe 130.  That was high.  I’ve been VERY good about dieting for the last 13 days, so I figured I must have lost a pound or two.  I was hoping to see 125 -- no more.  According to this scale (which could be very, very wrong) I weigh 133 lbs. and my body fat is 36%.  That’s bad.  Very, very bad.

Now, let’s rationalize.  I bought the scale at BIG LOTS, which is really a crappy store.  Then, I only paid $20 for it, which means – how accurate could it really be?  I mean a good, accurate scale probably costs $100, don’t you think?  Don’t you think it’s probably at least 10 pounds off?  That’s what I think.  Yes, I think it’s probably 10 pounds off.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Now, I’m going to go cry, because I’m so fat and only 64% of my body is worth anything.

Okay, I’m back.  I didn’t really cry, but I AM filled with self-loathing.  I think I’ll register for BIGGEST LOSER.  I could probably get on the show, when I show them that I am 36% fat.  Eric doesn’t think what I wrote is funny, because he thinks it’s sad how fat we are.  I only think its funny, because I try to find the humor in everything.  I make jokes.  It helps me deal.

I picked out my outfit for tomorrow.  My “interview slacks” with a pink top and a light green cardigan on top with yellow and pink flowers.  It’s not flashy at all.  The cardigan looks vintage, but it’s not.  I need a loose-fitting top to hide my love handles.  Yes, I’m 36% fat and I have love handles.  Okay?  Are you happy now?

I watched part of THE SAG AWARDS.  I am confused.  Why is it they cancelled the GOLDEN GLOBES but were able to have the SAG AWARDS?  Didn’t they have to cross picket lines?  Isn’t it the same deal?  Someone, please explain it to me!

I am excited about work tomorrow.  It will be exciting to be back in the business world, having someplace to go everyday, and making a contribution.  It will also be great to have a regular paycheck.  I’m nervous, too, but I guess that’s to be expected.  I just have to do what I always do – take it day by day and try not to mess up!

It was really hard to get out of bed this morning.  It hurt.  And it was 7:00am!  I didn’t have to be at work until 9:00am today.  Tomorrow I have to be there at 8:00am, so I have to get up at 6:00am!  I can’t even think about it.

I planned my outfits, but still managed to change my mind this morning.  I wore my black “interview” slacks, a black shell and a red cardigan over it with a short red bead necklace and my black maryjanes.  Very professional.  I noticed that the uniform in the office is basically sweater sets and slacks, sweaters and slacks, blouses and slacks.  I saw only 2 girls in the whole office wearing a skirt.

I would wear pants every day, if I had enough pants, but I only have one pair of black slacks and one pair of khaki slacks (say that three times fast!).  So, I’m going to have to wear skirts and dresses.  Once I get more comfy there, and I lose a little weight, I’ll start wearing my vintage work dresses.  They’re professional in a very old-fashioned way!  They look like what the secretaries wore in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING (if you’ve ever seen the great movie or the Broadway musical).

Eric drove me to work.  It was nice to have his company, since I was pretty nervous.
He dropped me off and “made the rounds” of some sprinkler companies to fill out applications and look for work.  He used Betty to get around.  It was the first time he ever used Betty by himself.  That was always my job.  He managed to program it and she got him all around town as he went from place to place filling out applications.  He brought home some applications, because they were so extensive, and one place actually gave him a test with math and measurements!

My first stop was the reception area on the 7th floor.  I made friends with the receptionist, a sweet woman who was born and raised in San Diego.  She told me about a Christmas in the 1960s where they actually had snow on the ground.  That was the last time!

Someone gave me a tour of the office and I got my picture taken for my ID card.  I also have a card key that lets you in on certain floors and operates the elevator.  If you don't use the card key, the elevator won't move.  That's security!  I never saw that before.  Then, she took me to my cubicle, which is very nice – a corner cube – and there’s no one on the other side either. 

I met a whole bunch of people whose names I will never remember, unless they’re sitting at their desk and I can see their name on the door or cubicle wall.  Everyone was extremely friendly.  I was pleasantly surprised by the warm response I got when being introduced.

The company has floors 2-8.  I work on 6.  The cafeteria (very small and not very much to offer) is on 4; the mailroom/fulfillment center (where they print and bind documents) is on 5; reception is on 7 and the woman I’m working closely with is on 8.  They actually have stairs you can take, so I used them most of the day and was up and down, from floor to floor all afternoon.  I figured at least I wasn’t sitting all day getting “secretary spread.”

My new boss came in around 10:00am and left at noon to fly to a conference in San Francisco.  So, I did some stuff for him and then he was gone.  He left me with some projects, which I managed to finish by 2:00pm.  I studied the tutorial for OUTLOOK, because I never used that before.   I worked on some WORD documents, because it’s SO different from the word I currently have on my laptop.  I had no idea what I was doing, but I managed to finish.

I had a NUTRISYSTEM lunch of black beans and rice.  It was easy, because you just need to add boiling water.  I also had grapes and a slice of low fat cheddar cheese.  I ate by myself in the cafeteria.  There were a lot of people there and they have a TV on in a separate area, but I just felt like relaxing by myself and I called my friend Jimmy, who had texted me to find out how I was.

By 3:30pm I was cleaning out the drawers, separating the rubberbands from the paperclips and organizing the files.  I was bored out of my mind.  If I could go on the internet and answer emails, shop, or read news stories it wouldn’t be so bad, but I have a GIANT screen on my computer, which makes it very obvious to anyone who passes by exactly what I’m up to.  I’m not sure what the rules are, but I figured I shouldn’t be sending personal emails on my first day!

I also made one phone call – to make a dentist appointment for Eric.  He’s going tomorrow at 5:15pm, after he picks me up from work.  He likes the idea of driving me, because it’s just a 15 minute ride and there’s no traffic either way.  That way he has the car if he wants or needs it.  So, I guess I get a ride to work each day.  Can’t beat that, can you?

I could not wait to get out of there at 5:00pm.  It was just so boring having nothing to do.  The woman who is training me promised that she’d help me with another project tomorrow, so I’d have more to do.  I need to keep busy or the day will go on FOREVER!

Eric picked me up outside and we went to HAIKU for sushi.  I wanted to go on Saturday night, but Eric wasn’t in the mood, but he was happy to go tonight.  We had edamame, shumai and two rolls – spicy shrimp and spicy tuna.  Yummy yum yum!  David, the sushi chef asked about Jessica and April, who obviously made a great impression on him when I brought them in last Friday.  He made us our rolls, which get bigger and bigger every time we go there.  We only ordered two and had to take half of one home!  We usually have the edamame, shumai and three rolls!

I told Eric about my day.  Basically, it was fine.  I feel a little overwhelmed because I’m not up-to-date on all the software, but I guess after a week or two I’ll figure it all out.  The people were SO helpful and friendly, so I know that any help I need is just a phone call or a few steps away.

The man I’m working for is away until Friday, so I have a few days to acclimate myself to the software, my surroundings, and being at work 8-5!

I’m totally exhausted.  I found myself yawning all afternoon, which I figured was because I was bored.  Now, I’m home, in my pajamas, watching TV with Eric and opening mail.  I am determined to go to bed by 10:00pm.  I need a good night’s sleep if I’m going to be able to get out of bed at 6:00am tomorrow.

I feel good about my first day at work.  I didn’t make any big mistakes, and I feel like I did a good job.  Let’s see if I can keep it up!

It was much worse today than yesterday, getting up at 6:00am.  It’s cold in San Diego in January at 6:00am!  Fortunately, there’s an electric heater in the wall in the bathroom, which I put on as soon as I get in there.  By the time I get out of the shower, it’s toasty!

Eric drove me to work again, so he could have the car.  We left the house at 7:15am and I was there before 7:45am.  I went right to my desk, dropped off my stuff, went down to the 4th floor cafeteria and bought a bottle of orange juice to have with my breakfast bar.  I figured I could eat breakfast at work, and save time at home, since there’s not many people there that early.  They actually have free bagels with cream cheese and muffins in the cafeteria every day, so they're eat-at-your-desk friendly.  It’s a good thing I’m on a diet, or I could start a VERY bad habit of having a muffin or bagel every morning.  You know what that means – carbs = pounds on Peppy!

My boss is still in San Fran, so I knew I wouldn’t have much to do.  I was reading an online tutorial about using OUTLOOK, so I could get up to speed, but by 9:30am I was bored out of my mind, and my eyes were getting heavy!  How can you be tired after being up for just over 3 hours?  Boredom.  Plain and simple.  Stay busy and you stay awake!

I had noticed that the cubicle next to me (which is not used by anyone) had become a dumping ground for brochures, binders, etc., etc., etc.  I asked a woman on my team, who sits in an office right outside my cubicle, if that cube needed to be organized.  She took me to another guy on my team and asked him.  He said it was a total disaster and would be thrilled if I could get it organized.  Turns out most of the stuff is different materials which are put into folders to give to clients.  A lot of them were over 3 years old and the documents have all been updated, so they were obsolete.

He showed me which 9 documents he needed.  I organized all the different documents into piles.  I recycled all the old versions and had Fulfillment (the printing department) make me copies of the newest versions, if I didn’t have them in the piles.  By this afternoon I had 10 collated packages ready for clients, in case they are needed, and had recycled about 200 pounds of paper!

I also reorganized the entire cubicle, so that if someone DOES need to use it, they actually have a place to sit!  It looked SO great!  I worked on that most of the day and only occasionally went back to my desk to check emails or if the phone was ringing.

Eric got a dentist appointment for 5:15pm tonight, so I told him to come a little earlier and I would sneak out at 10 or 5 to five.  Of course my boss called at 4:50pm and started giving me instructions for a couple of projects.  I wanted to tell him that I had to go, but I didn’t want to seem like I was running out of there (although I had a good reason), so I just sat there and listened and took notes.  Then, he asked me to transfer him to someone else, so he could help me find a document.  Thank GOODNESS he wasn’t at his desk, so I asked him if it could be done tomorrow and he said yes.

The second I hung up the phone I RAN out of there.  Eric was waiting downstairs and we headed to the dentist, which is on Balboa, right near us.  I LOVE this place.  They had a TV in the lovely waiting room, so I got to watch MILLIONAIRE as I filled out the forms for Eric, while he was being examined.  Then, when MILLIONAIRE was over, I read the latest issues of VOGUE and PEOPLE.  That’s one thing about going to the doctor – I love magazines!

The doctor gave Eric a temporary crown and he has to get a new crown, and maybe root canal.  Ouch!  He has another appointment for next Wednesday at 10:30am.  Poor baby!

When we got home I heated up my vegetable soup, which just gets better and better with each reheating.  YUM -- if I do say so myself!  We each had a bag of NUTRISYSTEM barbecue soy chips with it, which is a perfect complement to the soup.  Then, for dessert, we each had a NUTRISYSTEM cookie.  Eric had oatmeal raisin; I had peanut butter.

I got an email from the couple who bought our house.  She is pregnant with her third child.  They’re hoping for a boy this time, but she says if it’s another girl then Daniel will have “Daniel’s Angels.”  I think that’s so sweet.  I’m the third of three girls, so I know how it is when everyone is hoping for a boy.  My parents always said they didn’t care, but my Dad is really into sports, and shared that love with my two older sisters, so I always thought he would have loved a son.

Here's the dining room.  We had a ceiling fan which, although nothing beautiful, really kept the house cool in the warmer weather. They put in a chandelier. They also put roman shades on the French Doors (we never covered them at all -- I loved to look at the backyard while I was in the dining room). They installed all new wood floors (the house REALLY needed them).  Pretty fabulous!  That's my dining room table and chairs, which was one of the conditions of the sale.  Cynthia fell in love with my work and HAD to have it!

I am including pictures that Cynthia sent of our old dining room (now their gorgeous dining room/kitchen area.  They broke down the wall between the kitchen and dining room.  The kitchen was completely redone and I think it’s fabulous.  Any of you who remember our house will flip, because it is such a dramatic change.  They added walls where there were none, and broke down walls where they were.  We never did anything to the kitchen, and it had the original 57 year old sink, red formica counter with the chrome trim, and white wood cabinets.  I guess it was about time for a renovation, don’t you agree?

The kitchen is simply magnificent!  Those two little angels on the floor are Zoe and Samantha, both of whom Eric and I fell madly in love with!

The refridgerator is where the hallway was before.  They blocked off a wall, so that they would have more space in the kitchen.  Look at the size of that fridge!!!  I think they did a great job and wish I could see it in person.  Maybe some day!

I feel frustrated, because I feel like I don’t have time to get everything I want to do done, now that I'm working.  I’ve been trying to find the time to sew a button on my jacket for 3 days!  I also want to do more crafting, but by the time I finish dinner, reading emails, blogging, etc., I’m ready to watch a little TV and go to bed.  I’m going to have to do everything on the weekends, including fighting for a washing machine on Saturdays and Sundays!

After we ate, I helped Eric fill out two applications for sprinkler work.  They were SO extensive and one even had a math test!  That took almost an hour, including me researching phone numbers and addresses for previous employers and references.  We were both so relieved when it was finished and Eric was very appreciative that I helped him.  It's just not as easy for him to do that kind of stuff, but I'm pretty good at it, even though I always say I HATE filling out forms!

I want to try to get to bed by 10:00pm tonight.  Last night I went to bed at 9:30am, but I didn’t sleep well all night and I was exhausted this morning.  I feel the only way to survive this schedule is to go to bed at a decent time.  I’m one of those people who really needs 7-8 hours to be any good at all.  I need my sleep!  I believe sleep is rejuvenating.

I always told Eric that you heal while you’re sleeping, because while you’re awake your body is so busy doing other things, including digesting, but at night, while you’re still and sleeping peacefully (hopefully), your body has a chance to concentrate on any illnesses or injuries.  That’s why you always need sleep when you’re sick.

I bet if you had two people with an injury, like a broken bone, and one person slept 8 or more hours a day and the other was intentionally sleep deprived, even if he or she stayed off the foot, the person who slept well would heal faster.  Some scientists should do a scientific experiment.  To whom do I write?

Well, I made it through my second day at work.  I’m making friends and learning as much as I can.  Unfortunately, working for a financial firm is pretty boring (for me), but beggars can’t be choosers.  When this job is done, I’m determined to get a job working in a stimulating environment – hotel, real estate, fashion, decorating, music, theater, art – I want to be in an interesting area and involved with a business that I at least understand!

Another morning, another cold toilet seat.  We were showered and out of the house by 7:15am.  No traffic in the morning, which is so nice.  Today I wore a flowered, pleated skirt that I wore when I did my first cabaret act, back in 1991.  Yes, the skirt is 17 years old.  Can you believe it?  At least it still fits.  Why?  Because it has an ELASTIC WAIST.  You better not be laughing at me!

Eric dropped me off and went job hunting, while I went upstairs for my third day at work.  He did a lot of driving around, filling out applications and dropping off applications.  He even got to talk to someone in person!  He said he had an "interview" and it went very well.  Eric's very much like me.  Maybe not so great on paper, but when you see him and talk to him, you can see he has a lot to offer!

For breakfast I had a NUTRISYSTEM muffin with some grapes.  I got a lot accomplished in the morning.  I had a couple of projects to do, and thought the morning was speeding by, but when I looked at the clock, it was just 9:40am!  What?  How could that possibly be?  Was I trapped in a time warp?  The rest of the day was the same.  Really weird.  Even though I was moderately busy, and it felt like the day was going by, the hours just dragged by.  I would be SURE an hour had passed, look at the clock and it was only 20 minutes.

At noon I had a tiny cottage cheese with grape tomatoes and NUTRISYSTEM vegetable chowder.  I couldn’t even finish the chowder.  I’ve also been drinking something called FUZE – low carb, with L-Carnitine, Super Citrimax, Chromium and Vitamin C.  They have lots of flavors, but today it was Cranberry Raspberry.  There are only 5 calories per serving.  It tastes like Kool-Aid, but it’s mostly just water and a little juice.  I try to drink a cup of water every couple of hours, since there’s a water dispenser in the kitchen area on my floor and the ladies’ room is not far either!

I’ve been organizing two empty but messy cubicles for the past two days.  I’m almost done.  One is completely finished and it looks FABULOUS.  I can’t wait for my boss to see it, when he comes back from work.  He’s very cute.  When I talked to him in San Francisco, he said, “I know it’s not a very sexy job, but we really appreciate your taking it on.”  I thought that was a cute way of saying he knows it’s a dirty job!

The other cubicle required me using a P-Touch Label Maker, which is really fun.  I told the guy that lent it to me that he’s not getting it back, because it’s my new favorite toy!  Everything looks so nice and organized with the P-Touch!

Five o’clock finally arrived and I zipped out of there to meet Eric.  He had the brakes checked, because when we got the second key made, the guy at Chrysler said the brakes needed to be done.  Turns out, the guy was a big liar, because the guy who checked them today (with Eric watching) said the front brakes were new, and the back were fine for at least another thousand miles!  I told Eric if he was a regular consumer, who doesn’t know a good brake from a bad brake, that first guy would have ripped him off!  Isn't that discouraging?

Eric also washed and waxed the car.  The finish is like a pearl, so it really glows and sparkles with a good wax job.  It looked beautiful!

We came right home and I made a nice salad for each of us.  Eric also had the NUTRISYSTEM meatballs with pasta, and I had the tiny cup of tortellini in tomato sauce.  For dessert Eric a NUTRISYSTEM oatmeal cookie and I had a Chocolate Peanut Butter bar.  You know that’s my favorite combination!

I finally sewed the button on my jacket last night, while I watched TV.  What an accomplishment!  I have so much laundry to do, but it will probably wait until Friday night or Saturday morning.  Eric did his own laundry this week, so it’s mostly my clothes that need to be done.  I told Eric to let me do all the laundry, but he insisted.

I have NO idea what I’m going to wear tomorrow.  I really don’t have a hell of a lot of clothes for the office, since I’m still not fitting into a lot and I don’t have much “work clothes” to begin with.  I wanted to save a nice outfit for Friday, because my boss won't be in tomorrow, but he will be in on Friday and I want to look as professional as possible.

I’ve noticed that the dress in the office is definitely not “corporate.”  Most of the girls wear slacks and tops or sweaters, but I’ve seen girls wearing leggings and big tops, skirts with no stockings, and skirts with stockings. They also wear tights and boots -- either snow-style boots or high-heeled boots.  I only have one pair of boots -- black rubber rain boots!  I didn't bring any boots to San Diego, because I thought no one would wear winter clothes, but they do!

Anyway, I figure I can get away with a lot more than I thought, if I could just FIT INTO IT!
Oh, I forgot to mention: I forgot to weigh myself yesterday, but I did weigh myself this morning and I weighed in at 129.  If I can just stay under 130, I’ll be thrilled!  I’ve been doing a lot of walking and standing the last 3 days, so I know I’ve been more active than I am at home.  That’s good.  I’ve also been eating a little less, because when I was home I made sure I ate every thing I was allowed, but now I’m eating less, because I’m having breakfast and lunch at the office and now I eat at my desk.  I’m bringing veggies and fruit to snack on, so at least I’m not starving myself!

Well, I better go.  I need to get to bed early.  I hope to have more to do tomorrow at work.  The day definitely flies by when I’m kept really busy!

I went to bed early last night (before 10:30pm) and I slept better, so I wasn’t nearly as tired when I woke up this morning.  Good start!  Eric drove me again.  I feel so guilty making him get up so early each morning, but he says it’s good that he get an early start and he’s been submitting a lot of applications and “making the rounds.”

He’s also been cleaning, waxing and detailing the car for two days now.  He’s almost done.  It looks brand new.  He should go into the detailing business (but there’s a lot of them around and it’s a hard business to break into if you don’t know anybody!).

I didn’t have much to do today at work and was begging for projects and asking for something to do.  I got the two cubicles I was working on so organized and beautiful that I can’t believe it myself.  They’re FABULOUS!

By 2:00pm I really didn’t have much to do.  I have to learn to slow down.  I have to pace myself, unless I’ve got a desk full of work.  I actually sat at my desk and stared at the computer for the last 10 minutes of work.  I went on YAHOO a couple of times to read news and check my emails during the day.  I’m not even sure if that’s allowed, but – hey – I have nothing else to do!

This job doesn’t even have the mundane responsibilities of opening mail and answering phones.  The guy who I work for told me there were no phones when I interviewed him, but I thought somehow I had misunderstood.  I only answer his phone and my phone.  His phone rings about two times a day.  My phone rings once or twice a day – usually it’s him!

I don’t know if the team gets mail, but if they do it’s delivered to each person individually, because I don’t have any mail to open.

No typing, no faxing.  I did send four emails for one of the guys today.  That kept me busy for all of 10 minutes!

Not being busy makes the day ddddddrrrrrrrrraaaaaagggggggggg by.  It’s endless.  The seconds seem like hours, the minutes seem like days, the hours seem like weeks.  I should take up knitting!

There is one fabulous thing about the office where I work.  When I first went there to interview, I noticed a fabulous sculpture in the reception area.  It was lots of different things, like a wooden Dutch shoe, a ski, a saw, and many other found objects which were put together into an interesting shape and then hand-painted with lots of different colors.  It was kind of like my work – taking something someone else might consider garbage and making it into art!

Once I started working in the office I noticed more and more art.  Now, I have worked in many offices in my day and they always had art, but most of the time it was “office art,” which is kind of like muzak, or elevator music.  It’s music, but not what you’d really like to listen to.  The art was art, but not really what you wanted to stare at all day.

This is a completely different story.  The art is all original – photographs, sculptures, oil paintings, watercolors, and they were all purchased for the employees to enjoy, but also as an investment!  They have a binder on a stand outside the cafeteria, which explains every piece on display in the office – the artist, year created, name of the piece and the story behind it.  Some of the pieces have small plaques next to them, so you can read about it as you look at it.

Everywhere you go there are fabulous, interesting, and eye-catching pieces of artwork.  Right outside my cubicle is a very interesting piece, which I discovered is by an artist named KEVIN WIXTED.  I think it’s very interesting and colorful and enjoy looking at it, but there are others I simply adore.  Every time I go by the cafeteria I stop and read a little bit of the book and look at the artwork.  I’ve only been there 4 days but have already seen more than half the pieces in the office!

Five o’clock couldn’t come fast enough.  I was out of there like a shot and down the elevator to the street.  Eric was waxing the car in the parking lot outside.  He dropped me off at the apartment and went to vacuum the car at a do-it-yourself car wash down the block.

I heated up some soup for the two of us, got undressed, checked my emails, and opened my mail.  There’s lots to do here, I can tell you that!  Too bad I can’t do jewelry mosaics or decoupage while I’m at my desk at work.  Do you think they’d mind if I kept my glue gun plugged in?

At 8:00pm I took the JEOPARDY online test.  I did horribly.  I took the test many years ago, at the television studio when I was visiting Los Angeles.  I just thought it would be a fun experience.  I love game shows!  I failed then, and I’m sure I failed now.  I could only answer about 30 of the 50 questions!  Some of them I knew, if only I had more than 15 seconds to think!  A lot of them (mostly geography and science) I had NO idea whatsoever.  Oh, well.  It was a fun 10 minutes!

Tomorrow is Friday.  I haven’t been happy to see a Friday in six years!  When I was in the shop, I never minded what day of the week it was.  I was always happy in the shop, and I was off on Mondays, so they never bothered me at all.  Being off from work for the last 10 months certainly made all the days seem pretty much the same.  Now, I’m back in the real world where Mondays stink and Fridays ROCK!