I was up at 8:00am and came in to finish the blog from yesterday and post it with photographs I had taken with my new camera. I still have to work out the kinks, but at least I know how to take pictures and download them. Believe me – it wasn’t easy!
Eric came in soon after and we watched some TV together while I was reading my CAMERA USER GUIDE and trying to figure it all out. I’m not good at reading and implementing. I’m the kind of person who needs to be shown. Then I’m good. But if I have to read and follow directions, I sometimes can’t get it all done.
I was hoping I’d just have to plug in the cord from the camera to the computer and the downloading would begin. No. Not going to happen. So, I read about it and realized I had to install a program with a diskette that came with the camera. I figured I could handle that. Done! Then, I plugged the camera in again. Surely, now it would work. Nope. Not yet. I had to read more, do more, and then it all came together and – voila! – pictures!
Unfortunately, half of them were blurry. I spoke to Geri tonight and she told me what I need to do. She’s a professional photographer and taught for years. I wish she and Larry were here. They’d be able to show me every single thing and instruct me on what to do and when. There are just too many options: Portrait, night, color accent, color swap, kids and pets, indoor, foliage (foliage?), snow, beach, fireworks, aquarium, and underwater. Wow! I’ll have to remember that the next time I’m scuba diving! (For those of you who don’t know me THAT well, I can hardly swim!)
Eric decided we should go out to breakfast. I didn’t like the idea AT ALL. This morning I weighed in at 125.6 – a new low. I didn’t want to blow it by going out to eat – especially since he wanted to go to IHOP! What are my choices there?
Eric went into the shower and I kept working on the photos and watched an episode of I LOVE LUCY that I had never seen. I’m a huge fan of the show, so it was really amazing to see an episode for the first time. It’s called “The Amateur Hour.” It was hysterical and from researching online I found out it was from the first season in 1952.
Lucy wants to make money to buy a dress, so she figures she’ll babysit. Unfortunately, all the babysitting jobs pay only 50 cents an hour, which will take her forever. Then, she sees an ad in the newspaper (did you ever know that in the 50s people advertised for babysitters in the newspaper?) for $5 per hour. She calls to make sure it’s not a typo and makes an appointment for the woman to bring her son over.
When the kid gets there, it’s instantly apparent that he’s a brat. He’s demanding and he kicks her in the shins. He asks for milk and cookies and when she brings him into the kitchen, the mother opens the door of the apartment and shoves in his twin brother. There are TWO brats!
Well, you can just imagine the hilarity that ensues. She doesn’t know there are two of them and they keep appearing and disappearing and it’s hilarious. Then, she finally figures out there are two of them and they tie her up and put an apple in her mouth.
Finally, the mother calls from the hairdresser and asks her to take them to the Amateur Hour contest and she can keep the contest money if they win. They end up singing a cowboy song in full costume (with moustaches) and it’s adorable. Great episode!
After Eric got out of the shower I jumped in and we got out of there a little after 11:30am. We were going to go to IHOP, but I convinced Eric to take a ride to SOUTH PARK and go back to the BIG KITCHEN CAFE restaurant, where I had taken my nieces last month. I told him there would be a wait, but it was worth it, because the food was SO good and I could get something that would not conflict with my diet.
He agreed and we drove the 10 miles to South Park. It was really raining hard, and a dreary day, but it was still nice to take a ride and visit another neighborhood. When we got there we saw that they had a small tent with open sides set up outside (like you use at a barbecue). There were a lot of people under the tent. A lot. I got out of the car and went over and asked if we give our names inside and they said that you put your name on the pad. The pad was soaking wet, as were most of the lawn chairs under the tent, and everyone was huddled under there, trying to stay dry. There were at least 10 names ahead of ours, so I put down “2 for Eric” and got back in the car.
We went and found a spot right around the corner and walked back to the tent. They had free coffee for everyone waiting, which I thought was very sweet and Judy, the owner, kept coming out to call off more names. Even so, we sat there for at least a half hour. I was STARVING, because it was now 12:30pm and I hadn’t eaten anything all day!
Finally, we got inside and sat down at a cozy table. It was warm inside and there was so much going on. They play great 60s/70s music and there’s lots of artwork on the walls. We were in a different room than I was in with the girls. There are two small rooms and a big kitchen. There’s also a big outdoor patio, but they couldn’t let anyone sit out there in the rain, so that’s why there was an extra-long wait. They don’t take reservations at this place, so you have to just be prepared to wait.
I found out something so interesting today. There is a dish named after Whoopi Goldberg and lots of posters, portraits and photos of her in the restaurant. I figured she was a good customer, but today I found out that she actually worked there years ago -- washing dishes!
I ordered the same thing I had last time – Nova’s Favorite, which is an egg-white omelet with spinach and cheese, salsa and fresh fruit. They give you a wheat tortilla with it and it’s delicious!
Eric had Damian’s Breakfast Burrito (which one of my nieces got last time) with avocado, cheese, eggs and other great veggies. It comes with potatoes, which Eric said were really good. He wasn’t that enthusiastic about waiting ½ hour in the rain, but I told him it would be worth the wait – and he agreed it was. He liked everything about the place – the hominess, the artwork, Judy the Beauty (the owner, who sings along with the music as she waits tables) and especially the food!
We both couldn’t finish our breakfast and took home some to enjoy later. After that, Eric took me on a tour of places he had ridden on his bicycle, which were very close by. Presidio Park is a gorgeous neighborhood with tons of Mission-style houses – one of my favorite styles. There were some that were so fabulous, but others that were very run down and needed a lot of TLC. I figure in that nice neighborhood the gorgeous ones probably fetch $1 million.
After that, we went through NORTH PARK, where I saw a great thrift shop called PAT’S CORNER – UNIQUE COLLECTIBLES. It was fabulous. The best thrift shop I’d been in since I got to San Diego! The old lady who owns it was talking to people and she had about 15 silver bracelets on her arm and about 10 silver rings on her fingers. Big bracelets! Big rings! This girl likes her silver!
I wandered around looking at the furniture, collectibles, clothing, artwork, knick-knacks. It was all great, but totally disorganized and also very dusty and dirty. The place was nothing like Peppy’s Dream, but there were definitely treasures to be found – lots of them!
I told Pat that I thought her shop was fabulous and she said something I had said at least 1,000 times in PEPPY’S DREAM – “We get new things in every day!” When she said that, I wanted to just hug her, because she was so cute and she obviously had the same mentality as I. I wish I could work there, because she obviously needs help organizing and I think I could get that place in order in no time. She also had a desk that was so piled high with papers that it looked like it could just collapse at any moment. She’s obviously not organized, but she still manages to run a successful business.
I found three flat wood frames with small mirrors. They measure 10” square, but the frames are very wide, so the mirror itself is only 3” square. Since they were pretty beat up, I figured that they wouldn’t be more than a dollar each and I was right. Three for $3. No receipt. No tax. I don’t know how she does it, but I guess she pockets the money on cheap stuff and only declares the big items, of which she had many. It’s all hers – not consignment, so I guess she can get away with it.
I took her business card, which is very unusual. It shows a drawing of a ferris wheel and says, “Coming here is like an amusement park! There’s excitement! There’s challenge…” Then it just gives her phone number – no address, no hours, no email, no website. I guess she does alright just the way she is, since it looks like she’s been in business forever. You definitely don’t accumulate a collection like that in a few years!
When I got back in the car I showed Eric my purchase and then we headed home. When we got home I immediately did two loads of laundry. When I got back, I told Eric that I needed to find some papers in order to get our tax papers prepared for our accountant (who works in Flushing, NY). I have my very organized list of what is contained in each of our boxes, but the boxes that were supposed to have the tax papers didn’t. The box had already been opened, so I obviously took them out and moved them someplace else. I ended up opening about 10 boxes. Some had stuff I really needed – including more craft jewelry, craft supplies, and some of Eric’s work clothes, but no tax papers!
Finally, I decided to look in a wicker suitcase I had on the floor in the bedroom and there they were. Why is it you always find stuff in the last place you look? I hate that!
I was so exhausted from unpacking and repacking 10 boxes that I had to relax a few minutes before starting my soup extravaganza! At about 6:00pm, after the laundry was all done and hung up I started the soup. I am showing you a picture of the laundry hung in the kitchen, but that was from the other day, when I first got the camera. Today we hung a line from the front door to a closet door down the hall, because I needed the kitchen clear to make the soup!
I was chopping and sautéing for about a half hour, then added the canned veggies and finally one container of vegetable broth. After that, it’s just simmer and stir, simmer and stir, then more simmering and more stirring.
I told Eric that this is going to be my best soup yet! There are TWO kinds of beans – black and pinto; and I added cauliflower for the first time. There’s shelled edamame, peeled baby carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, celery, two cans of stewed tomatoes with jalapenos, and a can of corn with no salt added. The piece de resistance is the fat free half-n-half, which makes it very creamy, but doesn’t add any fat. I don’t add that until it’s all done cooking, right before I put it away for the night.
While I was making the soup, I also made Eric a salad for dinner and made myself a salad for lunch tomorrow. I ALSO baked a salmon with asparagus, so I could have some for dinner and have the rest tomorrow. The oven was baking, soup was cooking, and I was chop, chop, chopping!
Eric didn’t want any soup tonight, so I made him a NUTRISYSTEM entrée of cheese ravioli (it’s just two large ravioli in tomato sauce) with some of the asparagus I just made fresh. I had some asparagus and salmon but neither of us ended up having any soup, so I still have some of the leftover soup. The fresh batch will take a few hours to be ready!
I stupidly forgot to tape the Academy Awards and didn’t realize until 6:00pm (it starts VERY early here, because of the time difference). So, I missed the first hour. I love that it starts so early, because I ALWAYS stayed up until after midnight to hear best actor, best actress and best film.
They had a little video about the voting process, which featured the offices of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Los Angeles (I’ve been there!). It was very exciting to see my old firm featured in such a special way at the Academy Awards. Then, after the video, Jon Stewart came out and said, “That was amazing!” It was hysterical. I realized that no one except an employee (or ex-employee) of the firm would give a damn about all that anyway, but I certainly enjoyed it!
Gili Anna emailed me this afternoon to say how much she loved the pink mirror. She said if the woman who requested it didn’t buy it, she would! She’s so supportive of my work and so enthusiastic. She told me she’s going to be selling at a “Gem Show” in March and that she’s bringing all my frames and hopes to sell them all! I’m going to make sure she has even more to bring!
Here are some pictures of my newest creation – the mirrored tray. Eric really loves it, which makes me so happy. I can just imagine this in someone’s boudoir with lovely perfume bottles on it. If I had a dresser I might be tempted to keep it for myself, so it’s a good thing I don’t!
I looked at 143 pictures of the Academy Awards already posted online and decided that the most gorgeous woman of the night was Katherine Heigl in a fabulous red dress with her lovely blonde hair and her beautiful face. I think she was perfection!
There were a lot of gorgeous gowns – I also loved Kristen Chenoweth’s. I adore her and I thought she did a great job singing one of the nominated songs.
I had a fun-filled weekend. I really feel like I got a lot accomplished, and Eric and I had a good time, too. He was in a pretty good mood all weekend, which was really nice. He’s been more lighthearted this week than he has in months. I don’t know what it is, although I think it was the fact that he worked 3 days, and I’m not sure it will last, but I am certainly appreciating his good mood. He always was such good company and it’s nice to be able to enjoy that again!