Peppy's Dream Moving Adventure Blog

I'm going to start this blog with the photos from yesterday's trip to Coronado Island and the Hotel Del Coronado.  My adventures today will follow!

Here's Scott, looking as handsome as ever!

Here's a picture you won't see often -- Peppy on the beach!  I think the last time I stepped foot on sand (and I DID, because I took my sandals off) was about 10 years ago in Delray Beach with my parents!

You can see it was a perfect day at the beach, and many people were taking advantage of the glorious weather!

A view of one side of the hotel.  It's huge and really spectacular -- inside and out!

The tower, which is visible from miles away, is the most notable feature.

Scott and I walked through an interior garden with beautiful flowers, each of which were identified.  I immediately recognized a gorgeous tree as being the same as the one that was in the parking lot of our apartment complex.  I had photographed it and put pictures on the blog, saying I loved it, but wasn't sure what it was.  My cousin, Ilene, identified it as a Bougainvillea, and of course she was right, as this one had the same identification!

A closer view of the gorgeous blooms that cover the entire tree (or is it a giant bush?).

What I really love about these blooms is that, when you look close, there is a tiny white bloom in the center of each flower -- it's really like a flower within a flower!

I'll bet you a lot of marriages have taken place in that gazebo, which is in the center of this interior garden.  They have a few fabulous ballrooms in the hotel, and I can assure you that getting married there would be quite the event!

Many of the rooms look out on this garden.  Each has it's own small private balcony.  You can't believe how romantic, picturesque and beautiful it is.  My dream is to someday stay there.

Sunday, June 1, 2008 – A Day At The Zoo!

This is the 10-month-old baby panda, who was relaxing in a tree!

I woke up at 9:00am.  Scott had told me that his friend, Rory, was coming down from L.A. and would arrive here around 10:00am.  They wanted to go out for breakfast and then go to the zoo.  I took a shower, got dressed and then worked on the computer until I heard from Scott (putting yesterday’s pictures of Coronado on the blog).

I met them at Scott’s Hotel at around 11:00am and we went to a diner called WAFFLE SPOT right next door.  As you can see, the “mascot” was adorable – with a butter pat on his nose!

What could be cuter than elephant tushie?

Rory and I each had El Vegetariano Casserole, which had eggs, potatoes, onions, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and mushrooms cooked together in a cast iron pan that was brought right to the table.  They also give you two mini waffles with it ( think 99% of the menu included waffles.  After all, this WAS the WAFFLE STOP!).

Scott got Waffle Rancheros, which sounded bad to me, because I always associate waffles with sweet, but his was eggs, cheese and rancheros sauces on a waffle.  After he ate it, he agreed – waffles are best for dessert!  I gave him one of my mini waffles so he could appreciate how fabulous they were.  It was hard to appreciate with all that stuff on it!

Mother and baby giraffe!

I drove us to the zoo, which is just about 10 minutes away.  It was a perfect day – warm, sunny, breezy – not too hot; not too cold.  They used the map of the zoo to navigate and I just followed along.

We walked, and walked, and walked and I think we saw every inch of that zoo and, since we didn’t do it all in order, we retraced our steps a lot.  We stopped after a few hours for a snack and a little rest.  Scott had a beer and a hot pretzel.  Rory and I each had a soft serve ice cream in a cup. Refreshed, we continued to exploration.

Mother, father and baby!

We saw pandas, giraffes, elephants, tapirs (Eric and I fell in love with these unusual animals at other zoo visits), polar bears, zebras, gorillas, koalas, monkeys, hippos, flamingoes and other exotic birds.

My absolute favorite was the pandas and the giraffes.  The pandas are must SO cute.  They've got the cutest faces.  The giraffes are just such amazing animals – so graceful, so sweet, so elegant and so unbelievable.  You just can’t believe they’re real!

After more than four hours we finally saw it all and we headed back to the car.  I was ready for a nap, but instead I dropped them off at the hotel and raced home.  Eric had gone out for a ride and just finished working out when I got home.  I jumped in the shower and then he was right behind me.  We left the house at 5:00pm and went back to the hotel to pick them up.

We went to OLD TOWN for Mexican food.  Rory’s cousin Melissa, who lives about 3 miles away from us on Clairemont Drive, met us there and we had a delicious (and stuffing) meal at FRED’S Mexican Café. I had a Cajun shrimp quesadilla and Eric had a dish called El Ray, which had a combination of fish and chicken dishes.  I also had a GIANT blended margarita that definitely gave me a buzz!

A mother helps her baby down, so they can go for a walk.  She was SO cute with her baby!

We had a great time talking about life back in NY (since that’s where we were all born and raised).  Melissa is a photographer and is actually moving to the Netherlands in November!  I thought WE made a big move!

The two hippos were canoodling head to head and looked so cool and comfy!

When dinner was done said goodbye to Melissa, dropped Scott and Rory back at the hotel, and came home.  It was about 7:30pm and I was totally exhausted (and a little drunk), so I took a nap.  Eric woke me at 8:45pm and I felt much better.  I think the combination of sun and drink really took its toll.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but the other polar bear was in the water, floating on his back, with the ball on his stomach.  He kept playing with the ball and we all got such a kick out of it!

I had such a great weekend with Scott.  Eric and I really enjoyed our nights out with him last night and tonight and I really enjoyed Coronado Island and the zoo today with him and Rory.  This is the most exciting weekend I’ve had in a long time!

Scott and his new best friend!

I was so tired this morning.  It was really pitiful.  Yesterday was the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon in San Diego – 26 miles through the city – and you’d think I ran it.  That’s how exhausted I was this morning from the whole weekend of sightseeing.  I just did so much more walking and running around and driving and eating out than I usually do and it really had an effect on me!
The only thing that got me out of bed was the fact that I had someone picking me up.  If I was driving myself, or taking the bus, I definitely would have been late!

Thank goodness I had a really easy day.  The only hard thing was training.  I know this is impossible to believe, but my trainee talks too much!  I know, how could ANYONE talk more than me, but it’s true.  She talks so much and so fast that I can hardly get a word in edgewise.  The truth is, I really want to train her, and if I’m not training her, I’d much rather be reading my book than listening to her tell me about her younger sister’s issues.

By the time she leaves after 3 hours, I have a mini-headache each day and it takes me about ½ hour to relax and decompress.  The good thing is, I only have 8 more days, because then she’s going to start 10:00am – 3:00pm, but they’re going to move my computer to the empty cube next to the one I’m in now.  I’ll sit in the empty cube, and she’ll start working at my old desk.  So, even though she’ll be there a lot more, I’ll be in my own cubicle and will only have to work with her if there’s actually something do to.  She’ll mostly be on her own and I may start helping out in HR, so I may not even be around much.

Anyway, I have to reiterate that she’s REALLY sweet, and very smart, but it’s just exhausting to be around her for 3 hours at a time in a space that’s around 9 square feet!

There’s a woman in the office whose mother has a “limon” tree.  She brings in a bag of limons every few weeks.  I swear – the fruit is a combination of a lemon and a lime.  It’s yellow like a lemon, but it’s perfectly round like a lime and tastes more like a lime.  It’s smells so delicious that I just sit with it on my desk and pick it up and sniff it every once in a while.  As I walked by everyone’s cubicle you can see one or two limons on everyone’s desk.  It’s so nice and everyone enjoys them.

I remember when my Dad used to have a fabulous garden in Whitestone, before they moved to Florida.  Talk about a green thumb – my Dad has a green hand – two of them actually!  He used to give us so many fresh veggies and we couldn’t possibly eat them all, so I used to bring them to the office and give out tomatoes, eggplants, basil, cucumbers or zucchini.  Everyone always appreciates fresh produce!

When I got home I immediately did 2 loads of laundry.  I didn’t get a chance to do it over the weekend and had lots of my work clothes that needed to be cleaned.  Eric would be happy to do it for me, but I like to do my good clothes myself.  He knows not to wash anything but my pajamas and underwear!

I had a NUTRISYSTEM pizza for dinner and Eric had a regular entrée.  I watched an episode of EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION that I had never seen.  There’s a lot of repeats on TV now, but since I didn’t start watching the Fall Season until the beginning of December, I missed all the Sept./Oct./Nov. episodes and I’m now catching up.  Last night’s DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES was, again, very informative.  It’s filling in all the missing pieces and solving a few puzzles!

Eric and I watched some of KATHY GRIFFIN's comedy special: EVERYBODY CAN SUCK IT.  She’s really funny, but I already knew a lot of her routines, because our friend, Susan, tells Kathy’s jokes better than Kathy.  I remember laughing SO hard from the way Susan did her routines.  Eric remembered, too.  We laughed just remembering Susan’s version!

Tonight I’m definitely going to bed early.  First of all, I didn’t take a nap, so I should be ready for sleep at a decent hour.  Also, I’m going to watch MTV’s LEGALLY BLONDE: THE SEARCH FOR THE NEW ELLE WOODS.  I’m SO excited about this show, because I love reality shows, I love LEGALLY BLONDE and I love dancing and singing!  Should be fun!

If it’s at all possible, I was more tired this morning than I was yesterday.  If Eric wasn’t sleeping, I would have groaned and complained as I got out of bed, but I didn’t want to wake him!  By the time I walk the 10 steps to the bathroom, I’m 75% awake, but it’s just pulling back the covers and getting out of bed that’s so hard.

I had a nice, quiet morning – reading my lovely DICK FRANCIS mystery – and nothing interesting happened.  My boss was still not called in to Jury Duty, so he was in the office.

My trainee arrived at noon.  We worked on a few projects, but she really got on my nerves today.  She’s a bit pushy, and a control freak.  So am I.  Not a good combination.  She thinks she knows it all, because she HAS been with the firm for 10 years, but I’M training HER.  She argues with me on how to do things and I decided today that I’m just going to step back and let her “hang herself.”  As I told her – “Hey, I’m just a temp!”

What annoyed me so much is this: As with any large firm, there is a computer network with different drives, where different documents are kept.  In this firm, the H: drive is your “private drive” that no one can access but you.  Then, there’s the T: drive, which is accessible in certain parts by certain people.  Lastly, there’s the P: drive, which stands for “public” and can be accessed by pretty much everyone in the firm.

There were a lot of documents on my private H: drive.  I didn’t put all of them there.  They were either already there, or I added new documents there, because similar documents were kept there.  So, my trainee was denied access to my H: drive (which isn’t unusual).  She needed access to many of these documents.  I offered to send them to her in an email and she could put them on her H: drive.  She didn’t like that idea.

She decided she wanted to move ALL of my H: drive to the semi-public T: drive.  I told her I didn’t think it was a good idea.  She kept arguing with me, back and forth, until I finally said, “Look, do what you want.  I’m just a temp.  Just ask the boss first.”  So, she went in and spoke to the boss (I didn’t listen in) and came back out and said he thought it was fine.  I didn’t understand it, but I let her do it.

She moved ALL the documents (instead of just the ones she knew she would need) to the T: drive and left for the day.  After she left, I went in and asked the boss if he REALLY meant to have all his credit card, passport and other private information accessible to at least several people in the firm.  He was horrified.

I explained to him what my trainee had moved.  He said that she didn’t explain it to him that way.  I told him that I explained it to HER, but she wouldn’t listen to me, so I backed off.  I told him what I told her, “Hey – I’m just a temp.”  He thanked me profusely for bringing it to his attention and not just leaving it there.  I took the private documents, sent them to her (and my boss) in an email, and then deleted them from the T: drive (I still have them on my H: drive, too).

I told him she’s a little headstrong and thinks she knows it all.  He said he’ll talk to her tomorrow and then said, “If she doesn’t work out, we’ll get someone else.”  I told him I thought she WOULD work out (she’s very fast and very smart), but she’s not a good listener.  She has to learn to listen.

Here’s the other thing that happened today.  We had decided that it would be best for Systems Support to set me up with a computer in an empty cubicle next to mine, so that we could both work, instead of me having to sit and do nothing, or her having to sit and do nothing.  I was fine with it, except she has an ergonomic keyboard, which I find impossible to use.  I had told her I didn’t want it set up until the 16th, when she starts working from 10:00am - 3:00pm, but she overrode me on that, too. 

So, now, instead of sitting comfortably at my own desk (well, my desk for the last 4 months), I am now at a new desk, which doesn’t even have a phone yet (so I can’t answer the boss’ phone).
So, I either sit at my old desk, where I can’t type, but I can answer the phone.  Or I sit at my new desk, where I can’t answer the phone, but I can work comfortably.  If she would have just listened to ME, I’d still be able to work at my own desk for the next 2 weeks, but – no – it had to be her way.

I didn’t say a word, but I’m waiting to see if my boss asks me to sit at my old desk.  If he does, I’ll explain the situation and see what he wants to do.  Maybe he won’t care that I’m not at that desk and I’m assuming they’ll have me set up with a phone by tomorrow.  I hope!

So, that’s my drama for the day.  Anyone who knows me (and I guess you all do), knows that I have a big mouth and I’m not afraid to speak my mind.  At the same time, there are moments when I realize it’s just not worth it because, after all, the most important thing is to not make waves, because I want to be there as long as possible.

So, I did tell the boss what I thought was important for HIS security, but I’m not going to complain about the desk situation and, if he asks, I’ll tell him the truth – it was her idea – not mine!

Eric came to pick me up, because my ride had to go somewhere directly from work.  It was a real treat and he took me to the library, because I finished both my books and needed two more!  I’ve now read seven Dick Francis mysteries in the last few months and picked up two more.  There are 30 in all, and I intend to read each and every one.  Eric thinks I’m crazy and that I should go back and forth with other authors, but I’m “into” it now and really enjoy the fact that all the stories take place in England and revolve around horse racing.  I find it endlessly interesting!

When we got home from the library Eric started working on one of his bicycles and I went through the mail, worked on the computer, and then watched DR. PHIL.  Then, I made us a big salad.

HELL’S KITCHEN is on tonight, which Eric and I really enjoy.  We laugh the whole time – either because the chefs are such idiots, or because Gordon Ramsay is apoplectic as he screams, yells, curses and throws dishes and food.  It’s really high drama, but you know what they say – “If you can’t take the heat…”

We have big plans for the weekend – we’re going to L.A. to visit with my cousins in the afternoon, and then see our friends for dinner.  We are coming back the same night.  We’ll leave at 10:00am and get there around noon and then leave by 10:00pm, and get home by midnight, the latest.  I’m really looking forward to it.  My cousins are a lot of fun, their kids are great, and we always have a great time when we all get together.  We always make a point of seeing our friends, Joe and Miguel, when we’re in L.A.  Joe and I go way back (I met him in 1978) and he’s a great guy.

I miss all my friends and family in NY and it is wonderful to see familiar faces, so a trip to L.A. is always fun!

We had a summer intern coming in from Chicago to apartment hunt, and we had a “meet and greet” from 8:30am – 9:30am, so the rest of the department could say hello.  Since my ride is in HR, she brought in juice, fruit salad and doughnuts, and then she and I went to STARBUCKS to get a box of coffee.

She came to my floor with me and we set it all up in a small conference room.  A lot of the people he’ll be working for are in Geneva this week, but everyone he’ll be working with was in (fortunately), so we asked them to please go in and see him, so he wasn’t sitting there by himself!

They spent the entire hour with him (including my boss, when he arrived) and he went off to find an apartment knowing his new co-workers a little better!  Unfortunately, it was a horrible day for him to be visiting San Diego.  Not only did we have a perfect example of “June Gloom” with a totally overcast day, but then it poured in the afternoon!

The good news is he DID find an apartment in La Jolla (lucky boy) and is already back home in Chicago!

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  I didn’t do a darn thing all day, except read about 130 pages of my new DICK FRANCIS mystery.  When my trainee came, I gave her a few things to do, went back to my desk and told her to “let me know if she needed me.”  In a way, it's a blessing that I'm in my cubicle, because I don't have to listen to her go on and on about her new boyfriend, and I can read instead of pretending to be interested!

My boss called her in almost immediately upon her arrival, and I heard him talking to her about the problem yesterday.  I didn’t really hear anything more than him saying, “credit card information,” so I knew what he was discussing.  I was afraid she’d be mad at me, but if she was she didn’t show it.  Smart girl.

Things went well all afternoon, but I still don’t have a phone at my desk.  I called again this morning to ask them to give me one, so I could at least answer my boss’ phone.  A woman came in the afternoon while my trainee was still at her desk.  She asked me why I needed a phone and I explained that it was just for 3 weeks, until my trainee was there full time on July 1.

Then, she started to ask my trainee if she wanted her number on the 4th floor switched upstairs to her new desk.  She said NO, because then she’d keep getting calls pertaining to her OLD job, and she didn’t want to be bothered with that.

I told the woman that it was important that the trainee have the same extension as I had (and the woman before me) because THAT was the extension for my boss’ assistant and people ALWAYS used that number to find out his schedule, or get other information.  They don’t care WHO answers, as long as it’s someone who works for the boss!

Again, she asked my trainee if she wanted her number or the number already there and the trainee said she didn’t really care (I think she was sick of telling the woman, because she already said she DIDN’T want her number from downstairs and that she DID want the number already there).

I said, “Listen – I do care and I’m telling you – this extension needs to stay there, at her desk, because it will be really inconvenient if everyone has to start looking up and figuring out what number to call to get the boss’ assistant.  So, then she asks me if I’m a recently-hired employee.  I think she already knew the answer, but wanted to hear me say it.  I told her I’m not an employee at all – I’m just a temp.  Then, she said something to the effect that she would “find out what should be done.”  So, I said, “I’m telling you what should be done – leave that extension!”

So, what does she do?  She goes into my boss’ office and closes the door.  Now, I’m thinking, “Is she “telling” on me?  OMG – what’s going on in this joint?  After about 20 minutes she leaves and my boss immediately calls me in.

In so many words, he tells me she’s some kind of religious freak and “feels funny” about that extension being used by someone else, because the woman who had it is now dying.  She wants to “retire” that extension.  First of all, let’s not be morbid – the woman is still fighting for her life.  She’s not dead yet.  Second of all – INSANITY!!!!  It’s not her shoes – it’s a telephone extension!
My boss said he didn’t want to argue with her, but he thought she was CRA-ZY and he said he’ll call HR tomorrow and tell them he wants the new assistant to have the same number as the old assistant, because – of course – he agreed totally with ME!

Now, I’m wondering if she REALLY feels that way, or if she was just using that as an excuse to “get her way” and not have me get mine.  If that’s true – what a baby!  I was just trying to make sure the right thing got done, not throwing around my power.  I have no power but, for the second day in a row, my instincts proved correct and the boss really thanked me and appreciates my intentions.  He knows I’m trying to take care of him and make sure everything is perfect for him.  It only took 4 months, but he really likes me now.  We’ve really bonded!

So, on the way home of course I told the WHOLE story to my ride (remember – she works in HR) and she also thought it was WEIRD – that’s the word she used.  She said she didn’t even think the “telephone lady” was friends with the woman who is very ill, and thought it was the stupidest thing ever.  She said, “We may as well retire her cubicle number, too – and what about her chair?”  I mean, is that the stupidest thing you ever heard?

We hit a lot of traffic going home (because of course it was drizzling, so San Diego traffic was practically at a stand-still), so by the time I got home it was almost 6:00pm (instead of my usual 5:20pm – 5:30pm arrival).  Eric had prepared scallops and chicken that I had defrosted the night before and we had leftover salad from the big salad I made the night before.  He also steamed some broccoli, and made us a delicious dinner.

After dinner, I was relaxing and watching TV and the next thing I knew Eric was standing over me.  I fell asleep.  I was determined NOT to fall asleep, because I went to bed at 10:30pm last night and felt SO much better this morning, and I didn’t want to nap, because that causes me to go to bed much later.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t help it!

He woke me at 8:15pm and I came out and worked on the computer while he worked on one of his bicycles.  He’s amazing.  When I came out I had to tippy-toe around all the pieces lying on the rug all over the living room.  I worked on the computer for a while and the next time I looked up, he was pumping up the tires, all the pieces were back together, and the bike looked fabulous!

I watched SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE and recorded an encore presentation of THE MEMORY KEEPER’S DAUGHTER on LIFETIME.  This is the made-for-TV movie of the book I recently read, which was so sweet and lovely.  It was on for the first time while we were in North Carolina and I missed it.  I can’t wait to watch it – but not tonight!

Tomorrow will probably be just as quiet at work.  My boss has been very lucky so far – three days of telephone Jury Duty and he hasn’t been called in yet.  I think because he thought he might be on Jury Duty he didn’t really make any client appointments, so he’s not particularly busy.  He is supposed to call for two weeks, so it could happen next week, if not this week.  My luck, between registering to vote and getting my California driver’s license, I’ll get called soon, too.  They used to get me every two years in New York – like clockwork – Eric, too.  It’s something we both abhor.

I hope the weather is better tomorrow than it was today.  I just had a vintage summer dress hemmed (it was much too long) and I really want to wear it tomorrow, but it just won’t work unless the sun is shining!

I got to wear my beautiful vintage dress today.  I just love it!  I got a lot of compliments, but didn’t explain that it was old, yet new!  I also wore my grandmother’s orange cardigan, which matches perfectly with the small orange flowers amongst the brown on the cream background.  It’s such a subtle, delicate fabric, which is very sheer.  It’s tight to the waist and then very full.  My favorite style!

So, when I got to work the first thing I noticed was that I had my phone at last – except the woman did EXACTLY what we all asked her NOT to.  She disregarded every single request we made.  I can understand her not listening to me, or even the trainee, but to disregard a partner’s orders?

What she did was give me a new extension, and also had my boss’ phone ring at my desk.  So far, so good.  She was supposed to change my extension to be the trainee’s extension, but instead she put the name of the woman who is no longer here, because she’s ill.  So, when you call the extension HER name came up.  I thought that was horrible, because people would think she was well and had come back to work!

At my trainee’s desk (which WAS my desk) the phone lady put her extension from her desk on the 5th floor (which she asked her NOT to do).  She also had my boss’ extension and also had my old extension, again with the woman's name who had the job before she was ill.

The phone lady also put all the extension of THIS job at her desk on the 5th floor, which she told her specifically NOT to do.  She messed everything up!\

I immediately called my friend in HR and went down and told her what happened.  She was going to tell her boss, who is the head of HR.

When I got to my desk my trainee came up to complain, because not only didn’t she do what she asked at her new desk by me, but she also changed her phone around where she currently works, which she specifically asked her NOT to do.  She wanted me to go back to HR with her, but this time we spoke to the head of HR, instead of my friend.  We explained the WHOLE situation, and she agreed that it didn’t make ANY sense, and she was going to have it all fixed.

Unfortunately, when I left today at 5:00pm, it still wasn’t done.  My phone was installed after 5:00pm yesterday, so I’m assuming it was done after 5:00pm today and when I get in tomorrow it should all be fixed.  I didn’t say a word to my boss, because I figure why bother him with details.  As long as it’s getting fixed and he ends up with what he wants, I don’t think he needs to be bothered.  He already spoke to the head of HR yesterday and told her what he wants, so she was really upset with the phone lady.  Both of the people in HR kept shrugging their shoulders and rolling their eyes.  They couldn't imagine what was going on in phone lady's head!

Anyway, I didn’t do much today, except read my book and I finished it around 4:00pm.  I have another one to start tomorrow!

When I got home Eric informed me he had already eaten some of the chicken he made the night before, so I just made a Boca Burger and some MORNINGSTAR veggie bites.  I watched THE MEMORY KEEPER’S DAUGHTER, which I had recorded last night.  It was very sweet.

I spoke to my cousin, Ilene, whose house we will be visiting on Saturday.  Her sister, Karen, and her family will be there, too, so it will be a fun-filled afternoon with all our L.A. cousins!  I told Ilene I’ll bring a pasta salad.  I used to make a mean pasta salad years ago, and it was one of my trademark barbecue dishes.  We haven’t had a barbecue in about 6 years (since I opened the shop!) and I haven’t made one in a good long time.  It will be fun, and I know Ilene will definitely be doing a lot of preparing, so at least I can bring one dish!

I’ll do my shopping tomorrow night, but will only buy the stuff for the pasta salad.  I’ll do the rest of my food shopping on Sunday, so everything will be super-fresh for the week!

Here’s a shocker: I got a letter from TIME WARNER CABLE apologizing for our recent problems and they gave us a coupon for a free MOVIE ON DEMAND.  It’s amazing!  I’m in shock!  We rarely watch MOVIES ON DEMAND, but I’ll have to take advantage.  I mean, how often do you get something free from your cable company?

I didn’t take a nap tonight, so I should be able to fall asleep at a decent time and I am determined to get a good night’s sleep.  I just wish I could be as sleepy at 10:00pm as I am at 7:00pm (and 6:00am!).  It seems I get a second wind and by the time bedtime rolls around, I’m rarin’ to go!  Oh, well.  I’m a night owl by nature!

So, I went to bed at 10:30pm last night – and I was darn proud of myself!  Eric went out to take a shower and then watched TV in the living room.  I never even heard him come back in.  So, what happens?  I wake up.  It’s still dark.  As I’m laying there, I see Eric sit up and look at the clock.  So, I say, “What time is it?”  It’s 4:30am!  Huh?  I am supposed to be getting an extra hour of sleep, so why am I waking up an hour and a half early?  I did eventually fall back to sleep, but not for a while, and then I had some VERY weird dreams!

Anyway, it wasn’t easier to get out of bed this morning.  Boo hoo.  Work was pretty quiet today.  My boss made it through the entire week without being called for Jury Duty, so he was in every single day, which is very unusual!  I didn’t do much, but worked on a few projects from 12-3 when my trainee arrived.  My boss left a little after 1:00pm, so she and I worked on some stuff and then I did absolutely nothing but read my book from 3-4:30pm and I snuck out early with my ride!

So, the saga finally ended today with Crazy Phone Lady (CPL).  First of all, when HR confronted her about all the things she did, CPL told them that she did exactly what we asked her to do.  Now, if I had just told her what to do it would have been her word against mine, but there were THREE of us and ONE of her, so they KNEW she was lying through her teeth!

CPL came by my desk this morning and said, “Well, I guess I got it all wrong!”  I wanted to say, “No you didn’t get anything wrong, you did it exactly the way you wanted.”  Instead, I just said, “That’s okay!”  So, she fixed everything on my phone, but said she didn’t want to take my trainee’s 5th floor extension off her desk there (on the 6th floor), because she thought it was important that people be able to contact her.

I explained to her AGAIN (and my boss, my trainee and I already explained this to her the other day) that she didn’t WANT to be contacted in reference to her other job while she was training for the new job.  So, she said, “What if there’s a family emergency?  How are the operators supposed to know where she is?”  So, I said, “If there’s a family emergency, they’ll call her cell phone!”  So, CPL says, “The operators don’t know her cell phone number!”  So, I said, “Not the operators – her FAMILY will call her cell phone!”

Meanwhile, what business is it of hers?  I said, “Listen, this is just for THREE WEEKS.  Knock wood, there won’t be any family emergencies!”  So, she says, “I’ll have to talk to her about this myself.”
So, CPL calls my trainee while she’s sitting training with me and she actually said to her, “You shouldn’t be hiding if people are trying to find you.”  Are you kidding me?

Ultimately, with the help of the two women in HR, we got it all resolved and – I am thrilled to report – everything is finally just as it should be.  It only took two days, about 20 emails, about ½ hour on the phone, and a lot of hair pulling.  If I was the boss, she’d be fired.  My ride (who works in HR) told me that this is not the first time people have had problems with her.  We don’t know what her story is, but it ain’t good.

One other interesting thing happened today.  A guy who I’ve been working with for 4 months mentioned that his grandparents lived in Whitestone.  He used to go visit them about once a month.  They lived walking distance to where Eric and I lived – right by Whitestone Park, by the bridge.  Such a small world!  I sent my folks an email, asking if they knew of them, since they might have belonged to the same synagogue!  Can’t wait to find out!

So, as I already mentioned, we snuck out at 4:30pm and when I got home Eric and I went to COSTCO and then to KEILS.  We bought a lot of great stuff at COSTCO, including sushi for our dinner tonight (delish!), lots of drinks, broccoli, grape tomatoes and pasta for my pasta salad, and a lot of other stuff we needed.

The only thing I bought at KEILS were fresh veggies for the pasta salad.  I'll go back on Sunday afternoon to do my regular food shopping. When we got home we unpacked everything and I put the big pot of water on the stove.  I made the tri-colored bow-tie pasta.  Turns out, I don’t have as many bowls as I used to and don’t have one big enough for all the pasta AND the veggies.  I decided it would be better to cut all the veggies in L.A. at Ilene’s anyway, because then everything would be fresher.  So, we’re just bringing all the veggies, and two big bowls full of pasta.  I’m hoping Ilene has a giant bowl to mix it all up in!

I watched SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE while Eric worked out.  Then, I came out and worked on the computer.  I want to get a good night’s sleep, so we can get on the road at a decent hour tomorrow (10:00am).  I’m hoping we don’t hit any traffic, but chances are we will!

I’m so happy we’ll be seeing Karen and Ilene and their families.  This is our third trip to L.A. to see them since we got to the West Coast.  It’s always fun and I love seeing all their kids, too.  We’re looking forward to dinner with our friends, Joe & Miguel, too.  The weather is supposed to be great and a day in L.A. is just what the doctor ordered!

We woke up at 9:00am.  It was a gorgeous day.  We quickly got showered and dressed, packed up all the pasta and veggies and left the house at a little after 10:00am.  We had an uneventful trip (I napped part of the way) and only hit a little traffic on the outskirts of L.A.  We arrived at the our cousin’s house at 12:30pm.  Everyone was already there except Karen’s husband, Mark.

Here's Kyle on Grill Duty, as Eric and Tyler look on.

The kids were all playing, Elise, Evan and Tyler – Ilene and Kyle’s three, and Max and Jason – Karen and Mark’s boys.  It wasn’t too hot out – nice and sunny and breezy.  I immediately started cutting all my veggies and Ilene gave me a big black pot to mix it all up in.  I think it came out great, but I made much too much!  There was enough for 40 people!

Anyway, Ilene had also prepared tons of stuff – marinated mahi mahi, chicken and vegetables for the grill, fresh corn for the grill.  Karen brought tomatoes and fresh basil and Ilene put it together with fresh mozzarella on a platter.  She also had fresh cut watermelon and grapes, and I brought cherries, too!  She also served pita chips with humus and brie, crudités with dip and shrimp cocktail.

It was quite a spread and as soon as it was all ready Kyle started grilling and we dug in!  Everything was delicious and I really enjoyed the grilled fish and veggies, too.  We enjoyed all the delicious food and also the backyard, which Ilene and Kyle recently had landscaped.  She gave up her vegetable garden in order to put in a swing set for the kids (which they use a lot) and, instead, planted her eggplant, tomatoes, and other veggies in between the other landscaped plants.  It looked so pretty and fresh and inviting.  It was a pleasure to hang out in her backyard!

As you can see, they have a door that leads directly from the master bedroom into the backyard, and an outdoor seating area for relaxing in the afternoon, or watching the stars come out at night.

After lunch we brought all the food into the kitchen and cleaned up.  Eric washed some dishes (he’s so helpful that way).  Ilene had baked a Strawberry Rhubarb pie and it was sitting on top of the stove, tempting us all.  It looked SO appetizing.  She told us she’s been on a pie-baking craze lately and decided to enter a contest at the L.A. Farmer’s Market tomorrow!

Mark arrived at last.  We were all anticipating trying her delicious-looking pie, but first we watched an episode of a TV show on HGTV called DESPERATE SPACES where they have 3 people show the rooms they say need help “desperately” and then they pick one and re-do it.  Ilene was in the episode showing Elise’s room, which has primary colors and does not suit her Pink Fairy Princess persona!  Unfortunately, they chose someone else’s room, but it was fabulous to see Ilene on TV and she did a great job!

After the show I wandered into the master bedroom and there were all the guys watching the Belmont Stakes.  I got there just in time to see Big Brown race.  It was very sad.  I guess we’ll hear that he was still having problems with one leg, but it was an exciting race nonetheless.  Eric and I were very nostalgic, because last year we were invited to a big Belmont Stakes party at the race track hosted by our friends, Liz and her dad, Stan.  If we were back in NY we would most definitely have been there again, as it was a very exciting day.

Jason and Elise

After the race we had pie and it was as delicious as it looked.  I haven’t had rhubarb in the longest time and it was all so delicious.  We told Ilene that if she didn’t win tomorrow, at least she was a winner in our eyes (and mouths)!  The pie was truly fabulous!

Now, it was time to put the boys to work.  Ilene and Kyle had purchased a porch swing that needed to be assembled, so the guys got to work on the porch, while the girls relaxed and talked inside.

Kyle, Eric, Mark and Tyler made a great team putting together the swing in record time!

Karen is about to turn 50 (join the club!) and is having a huge weekend extravaganza in Las Vegas in a few weeks.  Many of our family members will be there, and we’re really sorry we won’t be able to attend.  At first, we told her we couldn’t go, because we thought we’d be in NY celebrating my Dad’s 80th birthday.  Well, it turns out they ARE going to NY, but we’re not.  Since we were just there in April (when we went to N.C.), we felt we just couldn’t swing another trip.
Since we’re not going to NY, we feel we can’t spend the money on a trip to Vegas either.  Too bad, because it’s going to be an unbelievable family reunion!  Anyway, we wish Karen a VERY happy 50th birthday and know everyone will have a great time!

These instructions made no sense to me, but they did it!

In no time at all the guys had the swing together and we were all taking turns relaxing on it.  I LOVE swings like that and told them I could sit there for hours and just look at the beautiful purple bougainvilleas in front of the house across the street.  I think that must be my new favorite flower!

Here's view from the swing -- the bougainvillea -- and Mark's Porsche (of which he is very proud!)

We just relaxed, talked and laughed for the rest of the afternoon and Eric and I left at 6:40pm.  We were meeting Joe and Miguel at CALLENDER’S GRILL at 7:00pm and wanted to see some interesting sights on Wilshire that Ilene had told us about.

Tyler, Karen (the birthday girl) and Ilene enjoy the swing.

First we drove by the La Brea Tar Pits and saw the giant statues of the mammoths getting trapped.

Then, we drove a few blocks further to see an exhibit of gas lamps Ilene had told us about.  These street lights, all identical in silver paint, were lined up in between two buildings.  When we drove up, a female security guard immediately came over to the car and told us “it” was closed today for a private party (whatever “it” was, there were a lot of guards and behind the streetlight exhibit we saw a big structure with curtains and a lot of activity behind, so I guess that’s where the party was!).  I told her we just wanted to take pictures of the street lamps and I did so, without getting out of the car.  I think the pictures came out pretty good, considering!

Here's another picture of Ilene's oldest, Tyler.  I realize I don't have any pictures of Evan!  I took two of him, but one got the back of his head and the other he had his eyes closed.  Sorry Evan!

At 7:00pm we found a spot right in front of the restaurant and went inside to meet the guys.  We had been to a Marie Callender’s in San Diego, but it was more like a cute diner.  This was a very fancy grill with lots of dark wood and huge murals.  We sat at a table near the piano player, which was very nice as he was playing lots of Gershwin, Porter, and Berlin – all composers Joe and I are very familiar with.  It brought back memories of our college days, when there were lots of musical revues.

They had a lovely menu, and we each loved our dishes.  Joe got the Smoked Tri-Tip Salad with gorgonzola, mandarin oranges, red onions, tomatoes, crispy onions with raspberry-chipotle vinaigrette.

Miguel got the Sake Ginger-Teriyaki Chicken with jasmine rice, and char-grilled vegetables.
Eric got the Tuscan Mac & Cheese, which had char-broiled chicken, shiitake mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar, gruyére, gorgonzola, romano & gouda, crusted with parmesan cheese.  He really loved it and I have to tell you it was, by far, the best macaroni and cheese I ever tasted!

I had the Blackened Fish Tacos, with spicy ranch, cabbage, pico de gallo, rice, black beans, salsa, and guacamole.  There were three little tacos, and they were delicious!  They also gave us a board with a small loaf of fresh-baked corn bread.  OMG!  It was so amazing!

We were definitely too full for dessert, so we just talked, and talked, and talked.  We are happy that we have seen Joe and Miguel three times since we’ve been to California (we see them every time we see our cousins in L.A.).  They’re really good friends.

We got back on the road a little before 10:00pm and were home a little before midnight.  As on the way there, I napped on the way home and woke up just as Eric was exiting on Clairemont Drive.

We were both pretty exhausted, so we watched a few minutes of SNL and then went to sleep.  It was a long day and I know Eric must really have been exhausted, because he did all the driving.
It was a lot of fun and we were really glad to see everyone.  If we lived closer, I know we’d see our cousins and our friends a lot more often.  We always enjoy our time with them.  We really appreciate all the efforts of Ilene and Kyle on our behalf and love them all very much!

I woke up this morning to Little Drummer Boy, but he wasn’t drumming.  It sounded like he had a giant wind chime and was playing with it with another little friend.  I could hear them laughing and talking outside.  It finally stopped and I fell back to sleep.  I got up to go to the bathroom and, again, went back to sleep.  I heard Eric get up and go to the bathroom and come back to sleep.  We both, obviously, needed a lot of sleep!

By the time we both got up, it was noon.  I know, how decadent!  I immediately started working on my blog, since I was too tired to do it last night when we got in at midnight.

Eric watched TV and saw that THE DOORS movie was coming on at 1:00pm.  We watched it together while I blogged.  It took me almost two hours, because I had to download the pictures, resize them, then write the blog, then cut and paste it to the website, and then upload all the pictures.   It’s always a process, but when I have lots of photos it takes twice as long (at least).

Eric wanted me to go for a ride on our bicycles, but I had to go food shopping and knew I wouldn’t want to go AFTER a ride, and we didn’t have time BEFORE a ride, because he wanted to be back at 6:00pm to watch the basketball game.  We decided that HE would go for a local ride and I would go food shopping.

So, after the movie we both took showers and went on our separate ways.  I was back from food shopping pretty quickly.  I didn’t have to buy much, since we had gone to COSTCO on Friday night and purchased a lot of stuff.  When I came back I unloaded the groceries and then started cleaning.  I noticed that my vanity was dusty, so I took everything off, dusted it all and then dusted the vanity and cleaned the triple mirror and put everything back.

Once I got started, I decided to do the same with our glass-topped night tables and just about every other surface in the bedroom.  While I was doing this, I watched SHE’S GOT THE LOOK.  It’s a new reality show modeling competition hosted by Kim Alexis and all the contestants are over 35.  It was okay, so far.  Beverly Johnson was one of the judges and she’s gorgeous.  Some of these women look like they had modeled when they were younger and had never made it.  Others were just gorgeous women who thought they their time had come and gone and were excited for another shot.  The oldest is 63 and she’s fabulous!

Eric got home a little after 6:00pm.  I was watching THE MTV MOVIE AWARDS.  I thought they’d be funny, but it was more stupid than anything else.  The only thing I liked was when Adam Sandler got some kind of lifetime achievement award and sang THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, but he changed all the words to the song, so that it was about how great he was, including “Sandman, you’re the best,” instead of “Baby, you’re the best.”  It was really funny and he did a great job with lots of girls dancing around in gold bikinis.  I love him, even though some of his movies are so stupid I’ve never even watched them.  I loved him on SNL and THE WEDDING SINGER is one of my “Can’t Not Watch” movies.

One of my favorite pieces of Betty Boop ceramics, which sits on my vanity and holds jewelry!

At 7:30pm I made us “the big salad.”  I had lots of great stuff in there, so it makes a whole meal.  I made enough for my lunch tomorrow, too.  I discovered one mistake I made – I bought parsley, instead of cilantro!  It’s funny, because I ALWAYS smell the cilantro, to see if it’s fresh and fragrant, but this time I was kind of in a hurry, and it looked great, so I just threw it in a bag. Unfortunately, it was parsley, but it went into the salad before I noticed.  Eric didn't like it much.

After dinner I watched YOURS MINE & OURS – the new version with Dennis Quaid.  As much as I love him in the remake of THE PARENT TRAP, this one just didn’t do it for me.

So, I'm thinking of cutting my hair.  I saw this picture of Clara Bow and thought her hair was as blonde and curly as mine.  I'd love to try this shorter length, I just don't know if I can pull it off.  I'd be happier if I lost 10 pounds first, because I feel like my face is too fat (and I have a double chin), but I'm getting really sick of my hair.  I need a change.  I just don't know if I have the guts!  I'd love some opinions -- honest opinions!

This was a great weekend.  We had a wonderful day and evening in Los Angeles with our friends and family and a nice, relaxing Sunday at home.  A great weekend, in all!

I had a very quiet morning at work.  I had a few projects to do, but I was saving them until after noon, when my trainee arrived.  I pretty much just read my book all morning.

My trainee usually arrives at noon, but at 12:30pm she still hadn’t shown up.  I called her, but there was no answer.  I realized I had sent her a few emails, about the projects we would be working on today, but she never emailed me back.  I started to wonder if she was even in.

I asked the boss if he had heard that she wasn’t in today.  He said he had not and called her boss.  She said she had called in sick and they forgot to let us know.  My boss was NOT happy, I can tell you that.  I, on the other hand, was!  I just did the projects by myself, did a few other things for the boss and some other people on the team, and finished my book by 3:30pm.  I am averaging two DICK FRANCIS books a week!

When I got home, Eric had to go down to the laundry room to get two loads of laundry he had done.  I went down with him and I did a cold wash of my work clothes, and I put his clothes in the dryer to let the steam remove the wrinkles.  I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but this is my standard procedure.  Eric just hangs everything up straight out of the washing machine, but it ends up looking pretty wrinkled.

If you put the clothes in the dryer for about 5 minutes on “high”, they’re still wet, but all the wrinkles are steamed out and you don’t need to iron them.  They look great!  I’ve always done it that way, and it’s a great technique which I highly recommend.  It’s not long enough to shrink or fade clothing, but it makes them look much better and eliminates the need for ironing (which I abhor).

Everything other than clothing -- like towels, socks, underwear and linens --are put into the dryer and dried all the way.

When his stuff was all “de-wrinkled” I brought it upstairs and we hung everything up on our indoor clothes lines.  Then, I went downstairs to do the same with my work clothes, which I mostly hang on hangers to dry.

For dinner, Eric made us steamed broccoli, a NUTRISYSTEM entrée and some more of last night’s salad.  I watched SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE and it’s now down to the top 20.  Then, we watched an episode of MONK that Eric had never seen, where Monk is on a jury.  He drives everyone crazy, because they think the defendant is guilty, but he slowly but surely convinces them all he’s innocent.  It was great (as usual).

I’m feeling pretty tired, so I’m going to try to get to bed early, but I have to watch LEGALLY BLONDE, THE MUSICAL: THE SEARCH FOR ELLE WOODS, which is on at 10:00pm.  So, I guess I’ll go to sleep at 11:00pm.  You know how I love my reality TV!

Oh, one more thing.  I actually got a letter from TIME WARNER CABLE apologizing for our recent problems and giving us a coupon for a FREE MOVIE ON DEMAND.  I thought it was pretty amazing.  Imagine -- the cable company apologizing for ANYTHING -- and giving away something -- free?  It's a Cable TV Miracle!

Huh?  I’m sure you’re quite puzzled by the title of today’s blog entry.  It’s something I’ve been meaning to write about for weeks, but I finally remembered today and wrote myself a note, so I’d remember when I got home (my note-writing is another story!).

The area where I sit is a big room with offices with windows all along one wall.  On the other wall is the copy room, restrooms and the elevator bank.  In the middle are cubicles – lots of cubicles.  The walls of these cubicles are low – not like at PwC, where our cubicles were 5 feet tall and provided a lot of privacy.  These are just 4 feet high, so you can see over them when you’re standing, and even a little when you’re sitting.

When I first started, I’d hear people sneeze and I’d always say, “God Bless You.”  It just seemed like the thing to do.  Sometimes, they’d thank me, sometimes it was like I hadn’t spoken.

Because I have allergies, I tend to sneeze, too.  I noticed that when I sneezed, no one ever said anything!  I thought it was rude and mean, but I realized that when other people sneezed I was the only one who responded!  Everywhere I’ve ever worked, when someone sneezed you acknowledged it.  Not here.  Sneezes are ignored.  The first time I “ignored the sneeze” I felt SO bad about it.  It just didn’t seem right.  It’s one of those habits that’s hard to break.  It’s like a reflex with me.  Someone sneezes, I ask God to bless them!

I stopped acknowledging the sneezes and now ignoring them is almost easy.  I still have the urge to say something, but I resist.  It seems to be “office policy.”  So, I want to know, what do they do where YOU work?

My trainee was out sick yesterday, but she was back today and we got a LOT of work done.  We were working on two PowerPoint presentations, and we both got SO confused.  When the boss asked us to print them out, so he could see how they were coming, we realized we had put the wrong slides in both presentations.  He was kind of annoyed, but I think he realized that we were both in over our heads here.  We figured it all out and got it right (finally), but she’s working two jobs, and I’m pretty much letting her take the reins and just overseeing her work.

I had a feeling it wasn’t all right, but I figured I'd let her do it, and he’d tell us what was wrong and we’d fix it.  When she left for the day, I explained to the boss that she had so much experience with the firm (10 years), but no experience with this team.  I had 5 months with the team, but that was it.  The two of us together make one competent employee and he has to realize that we’re both still acclimating.  I think it’s going to take her at least six months to fully know the job, and I hope I’ll be around for a few months to help her out when she needs it.

The boss is actually expecting more from her ALREADY than he does from me, and it’s not fair.  There were a lot of things that he would have other people do, instead of me, but he wants HER to do it ALL and she’s not even in the job full time yet!  She’s only at this desk 3 hours a day, and I think he’s being unrealistic expecting her to pick up everything after being shown once or twice, and learning things I never even had to do.

Anyway, she’s doing a great job and I know she’ll be very good at this job – eventually!

Eric went to the library today and got me two more DICK FRANCIS books.  No, I’m not sick of them yet!  I love them more than ever!  I can’t wait to start a new one tomorrow!

When I got home, Eric and I made dinner together – steamed broccoli with shredded cheese on top, and a new brand of veggie patties that we got at COSTCO.  They were less like a burger and more like a latke.  They were DELICIOUS!  I can’t wait to have another!

Eric worked out and then we watched HELL’S KITCHEN.  That show never disappoints! 

I have heard there’s a terrible heat wave in NY.  We had some of that weather last month, but now it’s been very cool – 60s/70s.  If you go east it gets a lot hotter, but where we are it’s really been very pleasant.  It’s actually chilly enough in the morning for me to put the heater on in the bathroom while I’m showering.

A lot of mornings it’s overcast and the sun doesn’t come out until the afternoon.  It’s June Gloom, but I don’t mind it at all.  I really have no preference for sun, and as long as it’s not less than 50 degrees, I’m pretty happy!  The weather in San Diego really is everything I ever hoped it would be.  I feel very lucky for every day I get to spend here!

On the negative side, I just heard that San Diego’s gas prices are amongst the highest in the entire country!  Gas is just above $4.00 in a lot of places, but it’s almost $4.50 here in San Diego, and we’ve seen it up to almost $5.00 a gallon.  A lot of people are driving over the border into Mexico just to fill up!  I’m not ready to do THAT yet, but we ARE driving as little as possible.  Eric rides his bicycle everywhere he can, and I am lucky to get a ride to and from work every day.

We’re lucky, because we can walk to a lot of stores.  The bank, library, dry cleaners, shoe repair, supermarket, drug store, and a lot of other stores are right up the block.  I think everyone is walking more, and driving as little as possible.  You have to make that tank of gas last!

MY SERVER WAS DOWN AGAIN LAST NIGHT.  SORRY!

Today is my Dad’s 80th birthday.  I can’t even believe it.  He’s in great shape.  He plays tennis 3-4 times a week, bowls once a week, plays poker once a week.  He rides his bicycle.  He works out at the gym.  He’s amazing.  We wish him the happiest birthday ever and a year filled with good times!

My parents are flying up to New Paltz on Friday night to stay with my sister, Lenae, and Audrey will be coming down from Albany.  Everyone in our immediate family will be there, except me and Eric.  Boo hoo.  We hate to miss the family reunion, but we just couldn’t fly out there and back in one weekend, and I can’t miss more work right now.  I only have three weeks left at this job and I’m not sure yet where I’m going next.

Today was a pretty busy day.  My boss is out tomorrow and Friday on business.  My trainee is out tomorrow and Friday on vacation.  So, everything had to be done by the end of today.  I’m happy to report that it was!

This afternoon my trainee got trained by someone else and I just sat and watched.  She had to produce some PowerPoint slides, which are populated with numbers from an Excel spreadsheet.  First, she had to run some reports, take the numbers, plug them into the Excel Spreadsheet and then they created the graphs in PowerPoint.  I had not only never done that before, but I had no idea how those graphs were created!

My trainee did a great job.  She’s weak on PowerPoint, but very strong on Excel.  I’m good at Excel and PowerPoint and I told my boss that I don’t think I could have done as well as she did.  She really picks things up very quickly and she’s a fast worker.

My boss had been in most of the past 2 weeks and that’s very unusual.  He will only be in about 4 days for the entire rest of the month and we’ve been busy preparing presentations for all the different meetings he will be attending.

Tomorrow and Friday will be very quiet.  I shouldn’t have much to do at all.  I started my 9th Dick Francis book today.  As usual – great!  I don’t know how he comes up with all his ideas.  Each book, although centered around the world of horse-racing, always has focuses on a different field.  In one, it was all about a man who owns a shop selling wine and liquor.  He’s a wine expert and is asked to help with a criminal case involving bootleg booze.  He is able to discern the real stuff from the fake stuff.  It almost ends up getting him killed!

In another book the lead character is a jockey who is an avid photographer.  His skill with a camera, and knowing how to develop film, gets him involved with murderers and thieves and almost ends his life!

In most of them, the lead character is a jockey, or an ex-jockey, or someone who was raised around horse-racing.  In this book, the character is someone who works as the “eyes and ears” of the Jockey Club at the track.  He goes to the races all the time and sees things and hears things, which he passes along to the authorities who can then arrest the criminals.

He is sent to Canada to travel on a luxury train through all the provinces of Canada to all the great race tracks with the owners of top race horses.  The guests will include the owners, the trainers, the jockeys, the stable boys and other guests who can afford the trip.

On board the train, they will be entertained with a murder mystery, which will be acted out during the entire trip.  You won’t know which people on the train are the actors, so when something happens, it might be real, it might not!  Since he’s sent to ride the train to make sure nothing goes awry, the murder mystery will make his job extra hard!  It’s like those murder mystery dinners that were very popular a few years ago.

Anyway, I got to read a few chapters today, but I know tomorrow and Friday I will really make a dent in that book – if I don’t finish it completely!

When I got home tonight, I jumped in the car and drove to the shopping center 3 miles away on Clairemont Drive.  I wanted to go to a dry cleaner that also does alterations.  I had a dress and a cardigan that I needed fixed.  It tried them both on and she pinned them.  It took about 5 minutes and she said I can pick them up on Tuesday.  She’s charging me $25 for both, which I thought was minimal.  I’m so happy, because I had found someone at work to do alterations for me, but she took over two months and I just don’t like to wait that long!

After I got home, Eric and I made NUTRISYSTEM veggie fajitas.  Eric had already had a NUTRISYSTEM chicken fajita and I had already had a NUTRISYSTEM veggie fajita.  Out of all the food they provide, the fajitas are the worst.  We really didn’t want to make them, but we had a lot (since we don’t like them).  Eric figured if we added some cheese, avocado and fresh steamed broccoli it would make them better.  It did, but they’re still pretty bad.  I don't think we'll be eating them again!

After that, Eric cut up some honeydew and it was a delicious, refreshing dessert.  I watched two hours of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.  I really enjoy watching these young guys and girls dance, especially when they are asked to perform dances that are outside their comfort zone.  The hip-hop dancer doing a waltz, or the modern dancer doing disco.  It’s a lot of fun!
After I finish blogging, I’m going to watch the season finale of TOP CHEF.  I have a definite favorite.  Let’s see if she wins!

I knew it was going to be quiet today, so I walked around and asked everyone in my group (and the surrounding groups) if they needed help today.  I also told my ride, who works in HR, that I was available, if she needed me.  She had told me a few times that their filing is backed up tremendously, since the guy who did the filing left the firm a few months ago.  I told her I don’t mind doing anything, as long as it keeps me busy and helps her out.

So, since no one in my group needed any help, and I already read a few chapters in my book, she finally took me up on my offer and I went downstairs at about 11:30am.  First, I sorted out a bunch of documents on candidates for different jobs.  I divided them into the different positions they were applying for and then filed them away in the file cabinets.

Then, they asked me to sort out all the tickets they had to the SAN DIEGO COUNTY FAIR, which is a big deal here.  The firm sells discount tickets and people have to pay with a check and then the tickets are separated and distributed.  There are regular admission tickets, children’s tickets, the “ride lovers” sheet of tickets and a sheet of regular ride tickets.  Depending on what they ordered, I had to put together their order and seal it in an envelope that had their name pre-addressed on the envelope.

It was fun, but I was nervous that when I was finished I’d have too many tickets, or not enough.  Fortunately, it worked out perfectly and I finished before lunch.

I went upstairs at 12:45pm and ate my lunch, read my emails, and read my book.  I brought a NUTRISYSTEM hearty minestrone soup and also had a tiny container of low-fat cottage cheese.

There are two small kitchens on each floor -- one on each side of the building.  They have a small sink, fridge and a microwave, along with cabinets filled with plastic utensils, paper plates and bowls, coffee, tea, paper towels and napkins (along with a copy machine!).  People really cook lunches in this place.

There is also a small cafeteria on the 4th floor, but it’s very basic stuff – pizza, sandwiches, soup, and a small salad bar, with a different main course every day.  They also make breakfast.

Most people bring their lunch from home.  I think it’s because there are no restaurants nearby to walk to, and no delis or anything like that.  It’s either bring it, or buy it in the cafeteria.

At lunchtime, people are waiting on line to use the microwave.  They’re making hot dishes in bowls with rice, or pizzas, or hot sandwiches with melted cheese.  The smells are sometimes so enticing!

It reminds me of my first job – temping at Reader’s Digest – from 1977 – 1979.  They had a kitchen there, but it included a real stove.  We also had a toaster oven in the boss’ office and we’d bring in English muffins, or cinnamon toast and toast them in his office while he was on the phone with photographers, or other business associates.  I’d get the butter from the fridge, and we’d all have toast for breakfast, or as a snack.

I’d bring in a box of KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese and make it in the kitchen and we’d all have a bowl.  My boss used to keep a bottle of hot sauce on his desk and he’d put it on anything anyone made.  He loved his hot sauce!

Anyway, thinking about cooking in the kitchen brought back sweet memories of my youth, the wonderful people I worked with for 2 years at Reader's Digest, and the home we made there every day from 9-5.  Those were good times!

Anyway, at 2:00pm I went back downstairs to HR.  I did more filing, including typing up labels for file folders, putting the files in the folders, placing them in pendaflex folders and putting them in the file cabinets.  I don’t love filing, but it did keep me busy and I was grateful for anything to pass the time.  They really appreciated all my help, and said I did a great job, so everyone was happy!

I went back to my desk a little before 4:00pm and my ride and I snuck out early at 4:30pm, so it was a great day!

When I got home, Eric was washing the car.  He didn’t expect me home until 5:30pm, so he wasn’t ready for me to take the car.  I told him I wanted to go upstairs, get changed, have a snack and then leave for the salon at about 5:45pm.  I did just that, and got to HAIRSPRAY at 6:00pm

John did a great job, as usual, and cut my hair a little shorter.  I showed him the picture of Clara Bow and he said I was crazy to cut off all my curls.  He said I have a gorgeous head of hair and he was willing to shape it a little differently, but refused to cut it all off.  I told him if he thought I should keep it, I’ll keep it.  It’s not like it’s long, by any means (it just covers my ears), but I’m just not a “hair person.” I feel the shorter my hair is, the better.  My hair drives me crazy.

When I got home I made a salad and Eric cooked us more of those delicious veggie patties with sautéed mushrooms and cheese.  They were SO good.  After I left the salon, I stopped and got us gelato (since I pass the place on my way home).  So, we had gelato for dessert, but that was after I watched SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE and Eric worked out.

Then, we had gelato and watched LAST COMIC STANDING together.  I can’t believe tomorrow is Friday already.  It seems like we were just in L.A.!  I have to go in a little earlier, because my ride has a meeting at 7:30am.  So, she’s picking me up at 7:00am, instead of 7:30am.  She’s only working ½ day, so Eric will be picking me up, but he can pick me up at 4:30pm, instead of 5:00pm, since I’m starting ½ hour earlier!

Eric was going to take me to the movies so I can see SEX AND THE CITY while he goes to watch another movie (he has NO interest in SATC).  Fortunately, my ride said she’d like to go with me on Sunday, so we’ll go to the theatre that’s right by both our homes – the one Eric and I went to last time to see INDIANA JONES.  It’s right on Clairemont Drive, about three miles away.  I’m so excited, not only to see the movie, but to have a date with a friend!  I know she’s good company, because we enjoy the ride to and from work every day and there’s always a lot for us to talk about.

Tomorrow is my second class in “beginner decoupage” where I just talk about cutting and show them the technique and how to pick the right pictures.  The woman who was out sick last time will be there, and the other two girls are excited to sit and cut while I teach.  It will be a lot of fun and this time we have an hour instead of just ½ hour.  I’m excited about the class, because I haven’t been doing much crafting lately, and maybe it will inspire me to do a project this weekend!

Today is Jimmy’s birthday.  I forget how old he is and he wouldn’t tell me all day, so I can’t announce it in my blog (and I’m sure he’s happy about that).  Anyway, I want to wish Jimmy a wonderful weekend and a year filled with good things.  He’s going to come visit in a few weeks and we will celebrate in style! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DARLING!

I got up on the first alarm this morning, instead of snoozing one or two times (or three).  I had to get up early, because my ride had a 7:30am meeting, so she wanted to get to work by 7:15am.  I was outside and waiting for her before 7:00am.  I made sure I knew what I was going to wear and laid it all out the night before.  I had my lunch ready, and left the computer on (I usually turn it off at night and turn it on again in the morning).

Choosing my outfit was easy, because one of the guys I work with (who sits very close to me in another cubicle) is turning 40 tomorrow and one of the girls sent around an email asking everyone to wear black today, in mourning of his 30s (wait until he turns 50 – or 60!).

It was really amusing to walk around all morning and see all the other employees on the floor wearing all black.  I wore black Capri pants, a black top (with a pattern – sorry!) and a black sweater over that, so the only non-solid black was the pattern at the neck.  There were at least 10 of us, and I don’t think he would have noticed but one of the girls said something to him.  I was so mad (and so was everyone else).  They had planned milk and cookies in a conference room at 2:45pm and it was then that he really would have seen the impact of everyone in the room wearing black!

Anyway, someone else put a sign up on his cube that read “40 – aged to perfection.”  It was really cute.  He got a few gifts (chocolates and other sweets) and I think he had a great day.

I divided my time today between sitting at my desk doing some small stuff for people in my group and working on the files in HR.  I am trying to organize them now, because working on them yesterday I saw that they’re really messy and not well-organized.  I did a lot today, but I’m still not finished and they already look SO much better and it will be much easier for them to access the information they need.

From 11:30am – 12:30pm I had my little decoupage class in the conference room.  The two girls I had taught last time returned, and sat cutting the entire time.  The third girl, who missed it last time, got the introduction to cutting and I showed her how to properly cut out pictures, and the best types of pictures to choose.  She started cutting right away and I gave her the “decoupage spiel.”  They all loved it and were very enthusiastic.

I talked about “decorative reincarnation” and how the idea behind my art was to reuse, reduce and recycle.  I told them to start looking at things not as how they are, but as how they COULD be.  Transforming something ugly into a work of art is very gratifying.  I think it’s better than someone who sculpts or just paints on a canvas, because there’s a before and an after, which can be very dramatic.  So, there’s a lot of drama in my work (big surprise!).

One of the girls is Chinese and was thrilled to learn that the art of cutting and gluing started with the Chinese way back in the 12th century!  She showed us how to make little flowers out of paper (the way you cut snowflakes).  She used some patterned paper I had brought in and they came out SO pretty.  If you made lots of little flowers (or snowflakes) and decoupaged them, they would be lovely.  We were all excited to find a new way to use paper in decoupage!

After the class, I ate my lunch (reading my book), then did more work on the files in HR, and then just killed time reading my book until it was time for the birthday party with milk and cookies.  It was a lot of fun.  The people in the department are a great group of young people.  I think I’m one of the oldest (if not THE oldest).  Most of them are in their 20s-30s!

I didn't have any milk or cookies, but I DID take two cookies for Eric.  I asked the girl who brought them if I could do that, and she was very sweet.  I told her that I've always brought Eric home food or sweets and he always appreciates it.  She said she always makes her men her famous chicken-fried-steak.  We all laughed and talked about the way to a man's heart -- it's very often through his stomach!

There’s a small group that loves all the reality shows like me.  We went through AMERICAN IDOL and DANCING WITH THE STARS together, and now we’re all talking about SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.  One of the guys prints out pictures of his favorites every week and puts them in a frame by his desk.  It’s a real conversation starter and he and I usually like the same talent!

My ride had a half day today, so Eric came to pick me up.  Since I started at 7:30am, he came to get me at 4:30pm.  We hit a lot of traffic going home (due, pretty much, to the U.S. Open) and got back to Clairemont a little after 5:00pm.  First, we went to pick up my check, and then we went into PETCO right next store.  I wanted to look at the birds.  I’m thinking about getting a little bird.  I’ve wanted one since my last bird died about 6 years ago, but I was always too busy in the shop.  Now, even though I’m working full time, I AM home a lot and I’d love to have another little friend around.

We checked out the parakeets (so cute) and also looked at and tried to befriend all the cats they have up for adoption.  I could have stood there all day, but Eric said he was afraid I’d have a reaction (and he’s right), so we left.

I wanted to go out to dinner, but Eric had just waxed the car before he picked me up, so he was a mess.  He said he needed to get gas at COSTCO, too.  Last time we looked, the gas was $4.49 at the local station and $4.29 at COSTCO.  Now, the gas is up to $4.69 at the same station and we figured it would be $4.49 at COSTCO.

We decided we’d go home, Eric would shower and change and then we’d go get gas and then dinner.  Unfortunately, while Eric was in the shower I fell asleep.  When he tried to wake me, I told him I didn’t want to go.  I was too tired.  I totally POOPED OUT!

I kind of knew that this was my window of opportunity, because he already told me his basketball game is on tomorrow night at 6:00pm and he doesn’t like to miss it if he can avoid it.  So, I may have blown it for the weekend.

I’m going to see SEX AND THE CITY on Sunday afternoon with my ride.  I was so pleased when I mentioned that Eric didn’t want to see it and she said she’d go with me.  We both live within 3 miles of the theatre, so it will be convenient, and we’re seeing a 5:30pm show, so we’ll still get home early on a Sunday night (which is important to both of us!).  I’m very excited, because everyone who has seen it has said it’s really great!

I slept until 9:00pm tonight.  Usually, that would be a disaster, but because tomorrow is Saturday (and we have no plans), I didn’t get upset when I woke up and looked at the clock.  I guess Eric had the same idea, because usually he will wake me after an hour or an hour and a half, knowing that I have to get up early the next day.  He just let me sleep!  He has this idea that I can fall asleep that early and sleep through the night but I KNOW it would never happen.  If I fell asleep at 6:00pm, and just kept sleeping, I would probably wake up around 2 or 3am – after 8-9 hours.  There’s NO WAY I could sleep through to the morning, unless I ran a marathon that day (not likely!).

I woke up a few times but didn’t look at the clock.  I kind of figured Eric would wake me, so I didn’t think it was that late.  I was still tired when I got out of bed at 9:00pm, but I figure I’ll be able to fall back to sleep by 1-2, which is not unusual for me on a Friday or Saturday night!
Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of great stuff on TV on Fridays!  So, I will watch some pre-recorded shows I haven’t had a chance to watch yet!

We have no plans for tomorrow, but I think I may go to the flea market.  I’ve been there a few times and there’s a guy who sells birds.  I read online that he’s been there for years and is very reliable.  His birds are healthy, well-bred, and a bargain to boot!

I would also like to go to the CITY HEIGHTS FARMERS’ MARKET.  They just opened for the first time last week and will now hold it every Saturday from 9am to 1pm.  They have fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables at affordable prices grown by local farmers, hot food and artisan crafts handmade by community members, health screenings, cooking demonstrations, fun activities for families and kids and live entertainment.

CITY HEIGHTS is about 10 minutes from our house and I want to check out the neighborhood and the market itself.  I want to see if I know any of the crafters and if it looks like a good place for me to sell.  I know I’ll enjoy buying some fresh produce and I’d much rather buy it from them than at KEILS or even COSTCO.  Support your local growers!

Believe it or not, after sleeping from 6-9pm last night, I actually went to sleep again at midnight!  Unfortunately, I was up before 8:00am.  Now, some might ask, “Unfortunately?”  They’d think that getting an early start was a wonderful thing.  The only problem is that these days Eric tends to sleep in, so I can’t do anything that makes a lot of noise.  I’ll work on the computer, watch TV, clean my desk, and have breakfast, hoping he’ll wake up, so I can really start the day.

At 10:00am I woke him, then I jumped in the shower and he followed right after.  We got dressed and headed out.  He didn’t even know where we were going, but he said it didn’t matter, he’d go wherever I wanted.  What I wanted to do was go to the Farmer’s Market and Flea Market.  The only problem is, by the time we got out the door it was 11:00am and I didn’t think we’d be able to do both.  The Farmer’s Market is only open until 1:00pm, and the Flea Market is only open until 3:00pm.

These turtles, decorated with stones and shells, would look so pretty in a garden.

I decided the Flea Market was more important, since I really wanted to look at the birds.  We drove to the Sports Arena, which is just about 5 miles away.  On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, when there isn’t a game at the arena, the flea market is held in the parking lot.  It’s pretty huge.  We got a spot and started walking around.  I had an idea of where the bird guy’s tent is, because I’ve been to the flea market about 3-4 times already, but this was Eric’s first time.

Our friends, Geri and Larry, have small sculptures of frogs playing instruments.  These were much bigger, and were made with stones and welded metal. Eric and I thought they would look fabulous in their lovely garden!

After a few minutes we found the birds.  There are hundreds of them – finches, parakeets (large and small), different varieties of parrots, doves, cockatiels, love birds, and a few others I couldn’t identify.  There were also chinchillas and bunnies!

These fabulous peacocks are also made with rocks and welded metal.  If you push on their heads they will bob for a while!

There was a large green parrot on top of a cage who is extremely tame.  He will let anyone pet him and doesn’t bite at all.  There were four small parrots around him --  two pineapple green cheek conures and two blue crown conures.  They were SO cute.  You could pick them up, but the didn’t like you to pet them and would walk away every time.  They were VERY expensive -- $350 for the pineapple; $300 for the blue crown.  I’ll probably stick with a parakeet, which is about $20!

They also sell cages of every size and shape.  There was another even larger green parrot up high on top of another cage.  Eric tried to pet him a few times, but he went to bite him and Eric backed off.  I just started talking to him and I could see he was interested in me.  He looked like he wanted to come off the cage, so I put my hand up and he climbed right on.  Eric couldn’t believe it, because he was telling me to be careful, because the bird wasn’t friendly.

He sat on my fingers for a few minutes and then climbed up my arm and sat on my shoulder.  I felt like a pirate.  Argh!  He started nibbling on my earring.  It brought back lovely memories of my parakeet, Duke, who I had from 1981-1989.  He used to sit on my shoulder all the time, as I did things around my apartment (then our apartment, and then our house).  He was such a good friend.  I’m hoping to find another bird as sweet, loving and smart as Duke!

Eric said I could pick out a bird today and bring it home, but I didn’t want to rush into anything.  This dealer has a wonderful reputation (I read about him online!) and his birds all looked healthy, with clean cages.  He’s been selling birds there at the Kobey Flea Market for many years.  I will probably go back in a few weeks to pick out a parakeet.  I’ll get a baby, if I can, so it can grow up being held and will be tame.

This hand-carved bird was pretty -- but I want the real thing!

After visiting with the birds we walked around for a while.  It was very overcast, so it was perfect weather for shopping.  It started to get sunny after a while and the sun was bright and strong by the time we left.  Eric got a few things and was happy to look at all the tools and “manly stuff” being sold by many of the dealers.  I was looking at the vintage stuff, the costume jewelry, and the antique furniture.  I saw lots of things I had in my shop at one time or another.  The prices are great, too.  Too bad we’re not looking for any furniture!

I had this same horse clock in the shop.  Our friends, Susan and Andrew bought it, because Susan knew someone who had one a long time ago and it held great memories for her.  It now stands proudly on top of their piano!  It wasn't in great shape (a lot of the gold was completely worn off), but I was still happy to see it!

We came to a booth with lovely vintage costume jewelry and Eric said he wanted to buy me something for our anniversary on Monday.  He pointed out a few pins that he really liked and I took a look at them.  One was a WEISS emerald green leaf-shaped pin made up of marquis-shaped rhinestones, with matching clip-on earrings.  Another was an umarked round pin with gray, clear, and aurora borealis rhinestones in different shapes and sizes, also with matching clip-ons.

I don’t wear clip-on earrings, because they hurt after an hour or two, but I always take them with the pins, because they make the set more valuable and, if you ever lose a stone in the pin, the earrings can be used to replace the stone.

The woman was very nice and threw in a nice pair of rhinestone clip-ons shaped like flowers.  I’ll be using them for crafts!  After we paid for our purchases, she gave us a flyer about a religious radio station she listened to all the time and started talking about our savior and Jesus.  Eric and I just smiled and nodded and moved off as quickly as we could.  I told Eric I wanted to say to her, “Can’t you tell we’re Jewish?”

We walked around some more and Eric bought a frozen banana on a stick that they dip in melted chocolate and roll in nuts.  I had a bite and it was really delicious.  I never had a frozen banana before!

We really didn’t walk through the whole Flea Market, because it started to get hot and it was too much for me (and Eric, I think).  So, we left.  Eric said we could go out for lunch, or come back and see what time the game was on and figure out whether to go back out right away, or go out to eat later.  We came home and he saw that the game wasn’t on at all today!  It starts at 6:00pm tomorrow (and I’ll be watching SEX AND THE CITY!).

So, we decided we’d relax for a few hours and go out to eat.  Eric said we could go wherever I wanted.  I remembered a cute Creole restaurant in Old Town.  We had gone there the first time we went to Old Town, a few months ago, but the restaurant is VERY small and they couldn’t accommodate us without a reservation.

I called up and made a reservation for 7:30pm.  I was so excited, because it’s a cute, romantic little place and it was something different.  We haven’t had Creole or Cajun food since New Orleans!  We love it and we miss it!

For the next few hours, Eric worked on his bicycle and watched TV in the living room.  I watched TV for a while and then took a nap (what else?).  When I got up I took a shower and got dressed.  I decided to dress up and I put on one of my favorite vintage summery dresses.  I also got to wear my new (old) green rhinestone pin.  It looked so pretty on the dress, which is white with orange flowers and green leaves.

Old Town is just 5 minutes away from our apartment and we got a spot right in front of the restaurant (which is off the street in a little park).

They have an outdoor eating area, and it was a lovely night, but I always prefer to eat inside, and the indoor seating area is so cute and romantic.  We were seated right by a window, with a view of the gardens and this unusual giant tree which had a large branch held up by a metal support.  This tree must have been there for 100 years!

There was a gazebo made of tree branches behind the restaurant.  The restaurant is actually two small rooms – one is the kitchen, and the other is the seating area.  The waiters have to walk outside on the porch to go from one room to the other.  It’s a good thing the weather is always great in San Diego or it wouldn’t be very practical!

Eric ordered a New Orleans amber beer and I had iced tea.  We started by sharing two appetizers.  A shrimp remoulade salad and French onion soup.  They were both delicious.  The broth in the soup was so rich.  Eric had the macaroni and cheese with andouille sausage (he’s on a mac and cheese kick, isn’t he?).  I had the Shrimp Creole, which was shrimp and rice in a sweet tomato sauce.  It was all really good.

We were stuffed and decided to skip dessert and drive to Hillcrest to find a place for something sweet, but the waiter said they had Red Velvet Cake, which is my favorite cake in the whole world, since I first had it in Memphis.  Eric immediately said we’d share a piece and we ordered hot tea.

Who knew it would be size of a brick?  It was SO delicious and the cream cheese icing was divine.  We really should just have tasted it and taken the rest home, but instead we finished it.  It was so filling and I was so full I could hardly stand up.  Not good for my diet, I’ll tell you that much!

Eric said we could walk around if I wanted, but we did that last time and there’s not much to see at night, because most of the stores are closed.  We got back in the car and drove around, looking at other streets to see what they had to offer.  We’ve never gone to any restaurant off the main strip (San Diego Boulevard), but there are lots of other cute places to try in the future!

When we got back to the apartment I immediately got out of my dress and into my pajamas.  Eric turned channels on the TV and we saw that SOME LIKE IT HOT was on.  I just watched that about a month ago, and it was great to show Eric the Hotel Del Coronado, because it’s so prominent in the movie.  I really want him to see it for himself, so I told him we have to take a ride there someday.  I’ve been there with my nieces, and our friend, Scott, but never with Eric!
We watched the last 45 minutes of the movie, which is so much fun.  I worked on the computer while we watched, downloading the pictures I took today and blogging.

We really had a great day.  It was fun to go to the Flea Market together and Eric enjoyed it a lot more than I thought he would!  We had a chance to see the birds and I think Eric is more enthusiastic than he was before about me getting another bird.

Dinner was delicious and romantic and the restaurant was so cute.  It was a wonderful Anniversary Dinner!

Tomorrow Eric is going for a ride in the morning and I’ll just relax around the apartment.  When he gets back with the car I’ll go food shopping and then go to the movies.  SEX AND THE CITY – I can’t wait! 

Eric’s phone rang early this morning and I jumped out of bed to go get it.  It was his new riding buddy and they made plans to meet at 10:00am on one of the trails.  I’m really glad he found someone to ride with, because it definitely makes it much more enjoyable, even though he still complains about how lame the trails are (fire roads really).

Anyway, I slept in and had the weirdest dreams.  I really think that’s when people have the strangest dreams – when you wake up and then fall back to sleep in the morning.  I know that’s what happens to me!

So, when I got up I just did things around the apartment.  I got all the laundry together, and hand-washed a cardigan I have that’s very, very old and delicate.  I had a bowl of cereal and watched a few skits from last night’s SNL, which was a repeat, but it was Steve Carrell and I love him!

Eric was back at around 1:00pm and he carried the laundry down to the machines for me and then went to wash the car.  He said it got filthy parked at the trails.  He washes the car once or twice a week.  I know – he’s obsessed.  He has this whole procedure down now and he actually washes the car while it’s parked on the street.  He uses a small hand truck with a 5-gallon white bucket and 2 smaller buckets.  He fills up all the buckets with water, adds soap to a smaller one, wets the car down, washes it and then rinses it.  It would all be so much easier if we had a driveway with a hose, but, alas…

I called my family who are all together at my sister's house upstate.  I wished my Dad a HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!  Everyone missed us and we miss them.  My parents' 57th wedding anniversary is Tuesday (just a day after our 24th!).  Yes, June is a big month -- my Dad's birthday, Father's Day, our anniversary, my parents' anniversary, and Eric's birthday is next week, too!

When he got back he came right to the laundry room and I was there doing my “wrinkle removing” by putting everything in the dryer for a few minutes.  He carried up all the clothes to put on the lines and I put the socks, rags and towels in the dryer.

Once everything was hung up we made lunch – avocado and faux crab on a wrap.  Then, I got dressed to go food shopping.  That was very fast, since I really just needed to pick up some salad stuff and a few other things.  Shopping at COSTCO reduces my supermarket list drastically.

When I got back I just put away all the refrigerated stuff and went back out.  I drove to the shopping center and first went to the card store to pick up a few cards.

Then, I went to ACE HARDWARE, because I wanted to buy one of those old lady metal shopping carts.  I figured if I had one of those I could go food shopping on foot and run errands without having to carry bundles.  They said they could special order one for me, but that I should also try BIG LOTS and RITE AID, which I’ll do this week.

Then I met my friend at STARBUCKS at 5:10pm.  We each got a venti iced drink and then went a few doors down to the theatre and got our tickets for SEX AND THE CITY.  We found there were only about 10 other people in #10 (there are 14 theatres!), which has super-comfy stadium-style seating.  We got primo seats and settled in for the movie.  We saw a few previews and then the movie started.

From the first moment, I was in love.  I was in love with New York, I was in love with Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha.  I was in love with their fashions, their friends (all the original cast was back), and I had the feeling of seeing old friends again for the first time in years.

We laughed, I cried (I’m such a cry-baby, but there were several very touching moments) and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  All I can say is – if you were a fan of the show, and you haven’t already seen it – run, don’t walk, in your highest heels and get thee to the theatre!

When I got home Eric and I made our veggie latkes that we love.  40 seconds in the microwave and a few minutes in the toaster oven and they’re heaven on earth.  Eric was busy watching game 4 of the basketball series and I watched the TONY AWARDS.  I was mad that I didn’t know they were on tonight, because I would have taped them and I missed the first 20 minutes, which usually includes a grand opening number.

The Tonys made me miss NY even more.  I had the good luck to attend the Tony Awards about 10 years ago when I won two tickets in a raffle.  Since Eric had no interest, my friend Artie and I, dressed to the nines, attended.  It was a wonderful night.  I’ve always enjoyed watching it on TV.

I kind of felt out of it this year, because the only musical I’ve seen is CRY BABY – and I saw that at La Jolla!  I enjoyed seeing the musical numbers performed from the different musicals.  SOUTH PACIFIC and GYPSY are classic American musicals and it’s great that they’re back on Broadway.  Gypsy is actually revived every couple of years (or so it seems), but SOUTH PACIFIC hasn’t been around for quite some time.

Broadway is one of the biggest things I miss about New York City.  Driving into Manhattan to see a show, enjoying every minute of a great musical production, going backstage after a show (it’s a habit of mine – whether I know someone in the cast or not).  Broadway is in my heart and soul.  It’s where I always thought I’d spend my life.  My first dream – my biggest dream – was to be on Broadway in a big musical comedy.  It’s a dream that never came true, but I never stopped going to see Broadway shows, even though I never got to be in them.

This was a really great weekend.  We did a lot and had a wonderful anniversary dinner.  Tomorrow night we’re going to HAIKU (our place) for our actual anniversary dinner.

Well, before I close, I want to show you all a picture of a very interesting car.  If I was going to design a car, it might look like this.  I thought of my friend, Geri, when I saw this, because I know she’ll love this car as much as I do.  ENJOY!

Sometimes I can’t believe Eric and I have actually been together for 26 years, and wed for 24.  It seems like yesterday.  I also really can’t believe how old I am.  Am I really 50?  Inside I feel like I’m still 25.  Unfortunately, I have a tendency to dress that way, too.  I have to realize that there are styles I just can’t wear anymore.

They had an article online about the 10 things women shouldn’t wear after 40.  I am proud to say that I don’t wear 8 out of 10!  The things I DO still wear are miniskirts and platform shoes (although usually not together!).  If I was thinner, I might wear a couple of other “over 40 don’ts,” but until I lose those last 10 pounds, I probably won’t.

So, I dressed up a little this morning, since I know Eric’s taking me out to dinner tonight.  I wore my flowered chiffon pleated skirt and a black sweater set.  I call this skirt my “cabaret skirt,” because I wore it when I performed in my very first cabaret show in June of 1991.  Yes, this skirt is 17 years old.  It looks brand new!  I love the colors and the patterns and I think the real reason I’ve been able to wear it over the last 17 years is – it has an elastic waist!!!!  Yes, I admit it!  I wear elastic-waist clothing.

The reason for that is that if I gain even one pound, it goes right to my waist.  I have always had a thick waist and that’s where I carry my weight (which, unfortunately, is the worst place).  So, this skirt has been with me through thick and thin – literally!

Work was CRAZY today.  My boss needed a PowerPoint presentation done and just told us about it at 10:00am this morning.  All the training my trainee received from another employee on Wednesday was put to use today.  I did all the other work needed to get the materials together for his meeting on Wednesday and she worked all day on this presentation

She had it finished and I sent it to be copied and bound at 3:40pm and it was ready for UPS to ship at 4:00pm.  Now, we just have to pray that it gets to his hotel tomorrow, so he will get it when he arrives tomorrow night and will have it for his meeting on Wednesday morning.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Today was very stressful, but tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday should be a breeze, which means lots of DICK FRANCIS!  I did get to read some of my book today, and it’s really getting to the best part!  I’m looking forward to finishing it tomorrow.  I already have another one waiting at home!

When I got home Eric was waiting for me and we just turned around and went back out.  We went to HAIKU, our favorite sushi place.  We told everyone it was our anniversary.  They took our picture with a Polaroid and put it on their “wall of fame” behind the sushi bar.  They also gave us a complimentary dessert.  They’re so nice there!

While we were at the restaurant my sister called and I got to talk to her and then my Mom.  They wanted to wish us a happy anniversary!

After that, we drove around for a while.  It was a gorgeous night.  Eric asked me if I wanted to drive to Mexico.  I’m pretty sure he was kidding!  We did go to RITE AID, because I’m still looking for my old lady shopping cart.  No luck there, but Eric said he’d find me one tomorrow.

While we were in the car our friends Joe and Miguel called to let us know they’re coming to San Diego for the weekend.  We are SO excited.  We just saw them in L.A. a few weeks ago and we’re so happy we’ll get to see them again.  They’re so much fun.  They’re coming Saturday afternoon and said we’d all hang out Saturday night and Sunday and then they’ll drive back to L.A.  Wheeeee!

When we got home we had another telephone call – my other sister called to wish us a happy anniversary.  It was so great to hear from everyone and to know they’re thinking of us.  I really miss my sisters, even though I never got to see them when we lived in NY!  It’s hard just knowing they’re so far away.

I found out my nephew is going to be living with some friends in Hoboken, N.J. this summer.  He’s trying to find a job in Manhattan.  My niece is working in Nyack and commuting about an hour a day.  She’s going to be moving in with a friend soon and will be closer to work, which will be much easier.  Everyone’s doing great, which is good to hear.  My parents are still visiting with them, but will be leaving on Wednesday morning.  They’ve all been having a wonderful time together.

Eric and I are going to see EARTH WIND & FIRE on Friday night.  We’re so excited.  This is our big anniversary celebration (even though we already celebrated Saturday and today).  We LOVE EW&F and this is our fourth time seeing them in concert.  We saw them with CHICAGO twice at Jones Beach (two July 4th weekends in a row) and it was such a great concert.

Now, we have even more to look forward to this weekend.  A concert on Friday, and friends coming to town on Saturday.  It doesn’t get much better than that!

Today is my parents’ 57th wedding anniversary.  It’s amazing to me that people can be married for so long.  I think 24 years is a long time!  They’re so cute together, too.  They laugh a lot and take good care of each other.  What a blessing it is to celebrate this anniversary.  I wish we were there with them upstate at my sister’s house.  We missed a lot of celebrations this past week – my Dad’s 80th birthday, Father’s Day and now their 57th wedding anniversary.

So – new subject.  I haven’t talked about my weight in a while.  I can assure you, if there was good news I would have written it – in big bold letters!  The truth is, I have been in a rut for the last few weeks.  I tend to gain a pound or two every weekend (apparently, eating too much on Saturday and Sunday!).  During the week I lose a couple of pounds, then gain it back over the weekend.  My lowest weight, to date, has been around 124, and today I weighed in at 127.8.  I might get down to 125 by Friday, but then I go up again.

The only way to stop this cycle of madness is to start exercising.  I’m pretty good all day, but tend to snack when I get home.  I admit my snacks are pretty healthy and non-fattening, but I guess I’m still eating more than I’m burning.  If I could just get into a real exercise routine, but I always have an excuse – my arm hurts (still does), my foot hurts, I’m tired, I’m busy, I’m working.  I’ve got a million of ‘em!  Since I want to get down to 116, I have my work cut out for me.  They say the last 10 pounds is the hardest – and they’re absolutely right!

Meanwhile, they had told me at work that they were putting me in a new department as of July 1 (when this job ends) and the hours there were much earlier – 6:30am – 2:30pm.  That’s because they are involved in trading and since the stock exchange in NY is 3 hours ahead, they start much earlier than normal.  I wasn’t happy about the new hours at first, because I wouldn’t be getting my ride to and from work every day – and that’s a big deal for me.  I’d have to drive on my own.

Other than that, I thought it might be great for me, because I’d really only have to get up an hour earlier than now, but I’d get home 2 hours earlier!  I figured I’d have absolutely no excuse not to exercise if I had the whole afternoon ahead of me.

Unfortunately (or fortunately – it depends on how you look at it), they informed me today that I would NOT be starting at that job on July 1.  They are putting another girl in there and moving me to HR!  I’m so happy, because HR is a great place to work.

Also, I’ll be working with the girl I commute with, who is a doll.  She’s the one I went to the movies with this past Sunday, so I’m really happy about that.  She’ll be my boss!  She also told me that she’s going to see if she can get me a raise.  It will probably just be a few dollars an hour, but – hey – every little bit helps!

I had talked to her about asking the agency for more money, but told her I felt bad making the firm pay more money for me, because they have been so nice to me.  She said I shouldn’t feel bad, because she thinks I deserve it.  So, even if I don’t get the raise, at least I know she appreciates all my efforts!

So, this morning I read my book until my trainee arrived at 10:00am.  The rest of my day was pretty busy.  I did manage to finish my book before lunchtime (it was great!) and started reading my DICK FRANCIS short stories in the late afternoon.

When my trainee arrived we worked on expense reports and a few other projects.  Then, I went down to HR to help them out there and start training for the new job.  It all seems pretty easy to me.  I’ll be a lot busier, but it’s all very simple, non-stressful stuff, like arranging interviews for job applicants, printing and filing resumes, and maintaining their extensive file system of staff – past, present, and future!

I came back upstairs to eat lunch and then, after my trainee left at 3:00pm, I went back down to HR to help out.  There are about 8 people in the department – all girls.  They seem to be very nice.  The only bad thing about HR is that they are very shut off from the rest of the floor, because they are dealing with very private and confidential matters.  So, there’s not much socializing going on.  You’re really just interacting the people you work with.

Where I am right now it’s a big open area with people walking by all the time.  You get to see lots of fun people every day and talk to them about movies, TV, fashion, crafts, whatever.  There are a lot of great people in this group that I’m really going to miss.  They make me laugh every day and I enjoy seeing the camaraderie in the department.  I hope it’s as much fun in HR!

When I got home I jumped in the car to go pick up my dress and cardigan after being altered.  The shop is in the big shopping center a few miles away.  While I was there I figured I’d keep looking for my old lady shopping cart.  ACE HARDWARE said they could special order one for me, but they suggested I try CVS, BIG LOTS, or RITE-AID.  Eric and I went to RITE-AID last night and they didn’t have it.  They also didn’t have it at CVS or BIG LOTS.

Eric said he’d try to find me one tomorrow, otherwise I’ll go back to ACE and ask them to special order it for me.  What a pain!

When I got home Eric was busy organizing and cleaning.  He wants everything to look great for Joe and Miguel this weekend.  They’re not staying with us, but we want them to be able to come here to hang out for a while on Saturday afternoon.  I wanted Scott to see the apartment when he was here a few weeks ago, but Eric had his bicycle stuff and tools all over the place and didn’t want to put it all away.

He’s now much more organized.  He’s been getting all his tools together and organizing all his things.  He’s starting to get ready for a trip back to NY.  He says he’s really going to do it.  He’s packing the RV and will drive back in the hopes of getting work.

He says he can’t just stay here, with me working and him not working and not enjoying the riding.  He feels if he can go back, find work, get an apartment and get settled I can join him.  He’s been in a much better mood the last few weeks, since he started talking about it.  I think making a decision and working towards something has improved his outlook and given him hope for the future.  He just feels there is no immediate future for him here in San Diego.  There’s no union work, and there’s no mountain biking.

Obviously, he wants me to go with him, but I told him I can’t just drop everything and go back to NY since I am working.  Packing up everything all over again and going back to NY just seems crazy, if we’re not sure he’s going to be able to find work.  I would be willing to go back to NY, but only if he’s working and happy and I know he’s going to be content.  I told him I am willing to go back, but not willing to start working in the city again and commuting – especially in the winter.  I haven’t done it since 2002, since I had my shop for 5 years, and I don’t think I could go back to that lifestyle in New York.

I would be willing to temp, during the nice weather, and then just hibernate during the winter.  I know it isn’t an ideal situation, but I rather be unhappy for a few months of the year than have Eric unhappy all year round.  Life and love is all about compromise and we’re trying to find some way that we can both be happy.

Eric says he just needs 10 more years of mountain biking and he’ll be ready to give it up.  So, even if we do end up back in NY it will just be for a few more years.  I know this sounds crazy.  It does to me, too, but what are you going to do?  Life is what happens while you’re busy making plans!

Anyway, Eric’s been really happy lately and he’s really looking forward to our friends coming this weekend.  I know he’ll be cleaning and organizing all week, making sure the apartment is perfect for our friends.

I made us a big salad for dinner and we watched HELL’S KITCHEN after his basketball game was over.  The CELTICS won.  Eric used to be a big CELTICS fan, but now he isn’t as enthusiastic as he used to be, although he admits they did great this year!

HELL’S KITCHEN was as entertaining as ever.  You’ve got to love that Gordon Ramsay!  It’s down to the final three, so that means there are only 2 more episodes and another reality show is over!  Fortunately, there’s always another one right behind it!

My boss is still away tomorrow, and we got a lot of work done today, so tomorrow should be a little more relaxing, although I will be going down to HR at 1:00pm and will probably stay the rest of the afternoon.

I am starting a new DICK FRANCIS book tomorrow, so I’ll try to get a lot of reading done in the morning!  I don’t know how much reading I’ll get to do in HR, so my life of leisure may be over on July 1.  Oh, well.  It was nice while it lasted!

I had a very busy and productive day at work today, I’m proud to say!  My trainee was only working with me from 9-12, because she was participating in a teambuilding event in the afternoon.  Remember when I went Go Kart racing with my team?  This is the same kind of thing with her department.  They were going lawn bowling at Balboa Park.  I think it’s a great thing that the firm does, having each department do something fun as a group outside the office.  My ride told me today that her group went to the horse races one year.

Anyway, I worked on a couple of projects with my trainee all morning and then, after she left, I had lunch and read my book.  At 1:00pm I went down to HR to help them for the rest of the afternoon.  I was trained for a few hours and then did some filing for them.  All the different jobs I will be doing in HR are easy and fun.  I learned a couple of things I’ll need to do on the computer, and then a few other projects putting together packages for new employees.  They get folders filled with all sorts of forms, brochures and instructions.

I really think it’s going to be great in HR.  Everyone seems very nice and there’s lots of work, but it’s not stressful.  You’re not under pressure to get something done, like a presentation that has to be shipped.  It seems to be a very efficient, hard-working group that works together without pressure.

When I got home Eric wasn’t yet back from his ride.  I did some dusting and cleaning for a while, until Eric got home.  I took everything off my desk, dusted it and then put everything back.  It looks nice and neat – for a change!

He went riding late in the afternoon, because he had gone to COSTCO in the afternoon and got some food and drinks.  He looked for a folding shopping cart for me, but they didn’t have one.  I got so frustrated that I went on ebay and bought one in five minutes.  It’s exactly what I was looking for – a black metal folding cart.  I should have known to do that right from the start, instead of running around like an idiot searching everywhere.  The internet is the ONLY way to shop!

You know how they have those little old ladies cooking in COSTCO (or BJ’s or SAMS CLUB)?  They give you samples of turkey burgers, or tuna fish or spinach and cheese ravioli.  Eric tasted some spinach and cheese ravioli and bought a box.  We had them for dinner with some fresh-steamed broccoli.  They were delicious.  They’re fresh, so they take just 5 minutes to cook.  Delicious!

Tonight I watched SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.  There are a few couples on the show that are SO divine -- just breathtaking to watch.  The talent on this show is amazing and I recommend it highly.  This is one of those shows that, like American Idol, is all about the talent.  It’s not like PROJECT RUNWAY, or AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL, or LEGALLY BLONDE, where the contestants are living together and you get to see how horrible they can be to each other.

LEGALLY BLONDE is very entertaining, but it’s hard to root for someone when they’re being interviewed privately and you can see what a heartless meanie they are.  Then, they’re out on stage and they sing great, and dance great and you think they’d be perfect to star on Broadway, but you don’t really want them to win, because you think they don’t deserve it.  Why can’t we all just get along?

I always tell people that I’m not very competitive.  I want to do well, but I want everyone else to do well, too.  I was always the one at dance auditions who was teaching the steps to people out in the hall.  I know I might have ruined my own chances by helping someone else, but that never bothered me.  I hate when people hold back helping someone else – either in real life or on a reality show, because they’re SO competitive that they want others to fail.  The way that I compete is I want everyone to do well, but I want to be the best!

Tomorrow I will be finishing up a PowerPoint presentation with my trainee.  She’s been doing the slides she learned how to create last week.  She’s getting a lot of experience working on them the last few days, as she first did one presentation and is now working on another.  I do other parts of the presentation, which are less technical.  I think they never wanted to teach me how to do these difficult slides, because it’s so complicated and they knew it would take hours and I was just a temp.

The girl who trained my trainee in this process was getting frustrated, because it was taking her so long to get it all, but that’s because there are about 30 steps!  I explained it to the boss and told him she was doing a fantastic job and that I don’t even think I could have done it!

He’ll be back on Friday and I’m hoping that we’ll have everything completed.  I am going back down to HR tomorrow to work on the files some more.  They’re a mess and I’m making them look be-you-ti-ful!  It’s funny, because I was organizing the files and making them look good and easy to find what you’re looking for.  I realized that my talents working in my shop – arranging and displaying stock – is something that I put to good use in the office.  I have tidied up messy cubicles and rearranged files.  I just like everything to look nice!  The best part is -- everyone seems to really appreciate my efforts!

This is going to be a fast blog entry, because I really have nothing thrilling to report, and I’m exhausted and want to go to sleep!

I spent my day going back and forth between my desk on the 6th floor and my new desk on the 3rd floor in HR.  I did a lot of filing and organizing new resumes for review by the team.

Back on the 6th floor, my trainee handled the PowerPoint presentation we needed to complete today, and then I took care of having it copied and bound and putting together the folders for the meeting next week.

When I got home Eric and I had a fast dinner of leftover ravioli (yes, pasta two days in a row – I feel VERY guilty!).  Then, we had a delicious cantaloupe for dessert.  Eric had cut it into small cubes and it was so sweet and juicy.

We watched LAST COMIC STANDING and tonight was their international competition.  They had comics from all over the world.  The funniest one was a guy who said, “Do firemen really need those poles?  Why don’t they just play cards on the ground floor?”  I thought that was hysterical.

I want to get a good night’s sleep because we’re going to be out late tomorrow night when we go to the San Diego County Fair to see EARTH WIND & FIRE.  Eric will pick me up at work and we’ll just drive a few miles north of Del Mar.  We'll have dinner and then see the concert.  We’re both very excited about seeing EARTH WIND & FIRE in concert for the fourth time.  It should be a lot of fun!

Happy Summer Solstice!

For someone like me who loves the warm weather, and the longer days that come with it, this is the best day of the year!

I never really focused on Summer Solstice, but when Eric and I were on our honeymoon in California (24 years ago) we were in Santa Barbara on Summer Solstice.  They make a BIG deal out of Summer Solstice in Santa Barbara, with the Summer Solstice Parade!

Eric and I had just arrived in Santa Barbara and were told that there would be a huge parade the next day and we could expect lots of wonderful festivities to enjoy.  We thought it was SO kind of them to arrange such a celebration in honor of our honeymoon, but we found out it was actually the Summer Solstice celebration!

We went to the parade, had a fantastic time, and enjoyed Santa Barbara tremendously.  I remember saying that Santa Barbara was so rich, so beautiful, so perfect, that anyone who grew up there had absolutely no concept of reality.

When we drove down the coast in October/November last year, we recreated our honeymoon, stopping in many of the same places as we did on our honeymoon.  Unfortunately, when we got to Santa Barbara Eric had a horrible headache/neckache, so I pretty much got my hair cut and colored and he got a massage and we headed south.

I was very excited this morning, and not because we would have more daylight than any other day this year.  It was because we were finally going to see EARTH WIND & FIRE!  We both love them so much and know how entertaining they are in concert and we were both looking forward to it SO much.

I dressed in an outfit that would be comfortable, yet dressy, wearing black capri pants, a light, flowing cream-colored peasant blouse with lace inserts on the front and a peplum below the elastic waist.  I wore a gold necklace with faux pearls and a tassel of gold and pearls, along with matching earrings and bracelet.  I wore my black suede platforms and a black purse.

I got to work and did a few things for my group.  My boss didn't come in until after 10:00am, because he didn't return from Milwaukee last night until after midnight, due to some flight delays.  I don't know how he does it -- he flies almost once a week.

The rest of the day was a blur -- lots of projects for various team members, including the boss.  It was great, because the day flew by and soon it was time for Eric to pick me up.  I had told a lot of people at work that we were going to the fair to see EW&F and they were very excited for us.  They knew it was our first time at the fair and they couldn't wait to hear how we liked it.  I guess they're all proud of the great things San Diego has to offer.  I think it's great, too!

We decided to go to dinner right near the office, so we found a cute little Italian place called VILLA CAPRI – Cucina Italiana.

They had a delicious menu, with lots of great choices, but we decided to start with Carciofi alla Giudea -- Roman-style baby artichokes sautéed with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, basil and parsley and Insalate Verde -- Baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, gorgonzola cheese and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  They were both lovely!

Eric had the entrée of Pollo Piccata o Marsala -- Chicken breast sautéed with capers and wild mushrooms in Marsala wine sauce.  I had a special of Blackened and Seared Ahi Tuna on a bed of mixed greens with a vinaigrette dressing.  Eric said it was the best Marsala he ever tasted.  I loved my tuna, too.  It was seared perfectly!  We were so stuffed we decided to skip dessert, thinking we could find something at the fair.  Boy were we right!

We got to the fair and were parked a LONG way from the fairgrounds.  They had a shuttle, but then Eric and I saw those rickshaw-type bicycle taxis and decided to go on one.  It cost $5.50.  Our driver was a Russian boy (probably around 20, but he seemed like just a boy) who had just arrived three weeks ago.  He told us he was working at the fair for the summer and then would go back to university in Russia.  He was adorable, and we gave him a big tip!

We walked through the fair for about 45 minutes before we went into the arena where the concert was held.  It’s where the horse-racing is during the season (which starts after the fair closes).  There was every type of food, dessert, snack, and candy you could possibly imagine.  Eric had a Cow Pie, which was a waffle with ice cream, nuts, whipped cream and chocolate shell on a paper plate.  I got a piece of frozen cheesecake that was dipped in chocolate.  YUM!

We walked around eating and looked at all the rides.  They were CRAZY.  I couldn’t believe how scary they were.  I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’m 50 and haven’t been on rides in a long time, but I don’t ever remember rides being that scary when I was young.  I used to go on roller coasters and scary rides and never had a second thought.  Now, I think I’d faint.

They had every kind of game you can imagine, throw the ball, use the gun with the water to fill up the balloon, ring toss, etc., etc.  Everything was so crowded, colorful, bright, and noisy!

Eric had on his EW&F t-shirt (which he bought at one of the concerts in NY) and one of the guys working a game called us over.  Turned out he had the exact same design (which is Egyptian) tattooed on his chest!  It’s EW&F’s logo and he loves it, too.

If people who work at the carnival are called carnies, are the people who work at the fair called fairies?  Just wondering.

Anyway, we eventually went to the concert.  Our seats were way down in front, on the floor, and since this is not always a concert venue (it’s really a racetrack) the floor seats were the kind of seats you’d see at a wedding (no arms, cushioned seat and back). 

They were all lined up, but were stuck together, so you couldn’t move your seat up or back.  They were more comfortable than regular outdoor concert seats, but I didn’t spend much time sitting anyway.  As soon as the music started I was on my feet.  A lot of people were dancing, too, but as time went on more and more stood and by the end of the concert very few people were sitting.

As usual, EW&F were amazing.  They are so enthusiastic and obviously love what they’re doing – and it shows.  They did all their big hits – BOOGIE WONDERLAND, FANTASY, SEPTEMBER – all our favorites.  They didn’t have an opening act, and they started around 7:45pm and played for 2 hours.  The great thing about the fairgrounds is that when the concert is over everyone stays and eats, walks around, or goes on more rides, until the fair closes at 10:00pm, so if you leave right away (as we did) you don’t even hit any traffic!

We took the free shuttle back to our car and were home by a few minutes after 10:00pm!  I’m exhausted, as I feel like I had a two-hour dance class.  I’m sure I’ll be feeling it tonight, but EW&F is one of those groups that makes it impossible to sit down.  You just HAVE to dance!

Tikis -- For Jimmy!

When we got home I jumped in the shower.  I wanted to try to get to bed early, because our friends are coming tomorrow and I have a million errands to run and want everything to look perfect in the apartment.  We had a lot of fun tonight.  It was a beautiful night and a fantastic concert!

This blog is late, because I was too tired to do it last night!

Well, another heat wave has hit San Diego and we’re not happy about it!  It is so darn hot in our apartment that I’m dripping (schvitzing) just sitting here typing!  It’s much cooler in the bedroom, but still hot there, too.

I woke up around 9:00am.  Little Drummer Boy and his friend (along with their two mothers) were swimming in the pool.  He was wearing goggles and bragging that he was “going underwater” which means he was sticking his face in the water – nothing else.  Then, when he was cooled off, he played the drums.  Glad I was up for the whole performance!

I did some cleaning around the apartment – last minute dusting, vacuuming, making up the bed with the red satin Asian-inspired bedspread and shams, and making sure everything is perfect.  The only problem is, we really can’t ask Joe and Miguel to hang here, because it’s too hot!  We figure if the opportunity arises, we’ll just give them the 5-minute tour.  Otherwise, well, at least the apartment’s nice and clean!

At around noon I left the house to run a few errands.  I went to RITE-AID, STARBUCKS, TJ MAXX and a few other fast stops before getting mani/pedi at HAPPY NAILS.  I asked for Tina, the girl who did my pedicure last time ($5 dollah!).  She was so flattered that I asked for her and did a gorgeous job.  Another girl, Eva, did my manicure.

I tell you, there’s nothing like sitting on the massage chair, getting your arms and legs massaged.  The icing on the cake is that when you leave your nails look fabulous!  I got a pale creamy pink on my fingers and bright red (as always) on my toes.

When I got out I saw that Joe had called.  They are staying at a nice hotel a few miles away on Harbor Island Road.  We made plans to meet at the pool at 3:30pm and hang around and relax for a while.  We decided we’d have a late lunch at the hotel and then dinner later on tonight.

When I got back to the apartment poor Eric was sitting in his chair with the fan right on him, watching golf.  It was way too hot for a ride (which he had planned for this morning) and not much else to do.  I worked on the computer and then took another shower (believe me – I needed it!).  I tried to dress as cool and light as humanly possible.

We got to the hotel, which was the SHERATON SAN DIEGO on Harbor Island Drive.  It’s huge, and fancy, and right on the water with views that are to die for.  Joe said they went out by the pool, but it was oppressively hot and there wasn’t any shade, so we decided to eat in one the hotel restaurants – QUINN’S, which was a pub-style place with pool tables and a huge wall of windows showing the pool below and beyond that the bay with hundreds of boats.  It was breathtaking.

We got a booth and had a lovely lunch.  Joe and I both got the cobb salad – his with grilled chicken and mine with shrimp and crab.  He doesn’t like avocado and I don’t eat bacon, so he asked for his avocado on the side, and I asked for the bacon on the side and then traded.  I LOVE avocado!  The cobb salads were HUGE and delicious.  I had mine with a champagne vinaigrette.

Eric got fish and chips and Miguel got a warm spinach salad with pancetta.  Everything was delicious.  We sat there for quite a while.  There’s never a lull in the conversation between the four of us.  We reminisce about the people we’ve known for 30 years (except for Miguel, who has only been in the picture for 7!).

We talked about mountain biking and car maintenance, which Eric and Miguel both enjoy.  We talked about theatre, movies, television, and the roles that Joe has played over the last 30 years.  He’s pretty much made an appearance on most sitcoms and many other shows over the past 25 years.  That was always a huge thrill for me – seeing Joe on TV.  I always tell him I’m his greatest fan.  He’s just so good at what he does.  Now, he also has a great job working at a nursing college and finds it extremely gratifying and fulfilling.

After lunch, we went upstairs to check out their room.  It was really nice with another fabulous view.  I have never in my life seen so many boats in a marina in my entire life.  It looked like there was a thousand!

It was getting cooler now, because it was about 6:00pm.  We hung out talking in the room, going out on their balcony for the breeze and the view, and then left to drive around for a while before going to dinner in OLD TOWN.  It’s funny, because Eric and I have hit OLD TOWN twice in the last month, but that was where Joe wanted to go, and we were definitely up for it!  It’s really a quaint, fun place to visit.

First, Eric took them on a tour of Pacific Beach and we showed them the CRYSTAL PIER HOTEL, which is on a very long pier with many tiny cute bungalows lining each side.  Each has a balcony that looks over the water and they’re SO cute.  Joe and Miguel love the water, so I suggested that they try it next time, because you can’t get any closer than that.  It advertises that you can sleep on the ocean – and it’s true!

We drove around town and ended up in OLD TOWN.  It’s impossible to park, unless you’re very lucky – and indeed we were.  As we drove down SAN DIEGO AVENUE on the street with all the great restaurants, we saw a car pulling out.  Bingo!

We got out and walked around.  Joe remembered a restaurant he had been to many years ago.  Unfortunately, it was no longer there.  We put our name in on a long list at one popular restaurant, but then went across the street to FRED’S, where we had eaten with Scott and his friends.  We told them the food was great and there was only a 10-minute wait, so we went there.

We had a delicious dinner – burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, guacamole, salsa and chips.  I had a mango margarita, which was delicious, but really threw me for a loop.  It just made me SO sleepy.

After dinner we went back to the car and back to the hotel.  We were going to go up to the club on the roof, which you only have access to if you are a “preferred customer.”  Unfortunately, I was quickly crashing, so we parted ways and made plans to meet tomorrow for breakfast.

When I got home, it was just after 11:00pm, but I immediately washed up, got in my pjs and went to sleep.  That almost NEVER happens with me.  I have to unwind and watch some TV.  Eric went out to the living room to watch TV and – I swear – I was asleep in 5 minutes.

It was a GREAT day and we had a LOT of fun.  Since we don’t have any real friends here yet, it is SO special to us when friends or family come to visit.  Eric enjoys driving around and showing people the sights (even though Joe has been here many times).  He’s a great tour guide!

We woke up around 9:00am today.  Little Drummer Boy was going swimming again with his little buddy and he was making quite a fuss.  I should take a picture of him somehow, so you can see what he looks like, but I’ll describe him to you.  He’s about 4, blonde, with a haircut like Dennis the Menace (which is, actually another good nickname for him).  He was wearing red bathing trunks that reached down to his knees, flippers, googles, a colorful tube around his waist (to keep him floating) and held those plastic tubes you put in your mouth when you snorkel.  All this equipment to go in the shallow side of our pool!

He was walking with the flippers, which wasn’t easy since they were almost as long as he was tall.  Each time he had to lift his feet up high and made this very annoying flapping noise.  If he wasn’t so cute, I’d drown him.  Anyway, I was excited to have breakfast with the boys, so I jumped in the shower, so I’d be ready when Joe called.

Eric showered right after me and Joe called.  We made plans to pick them up at the hotel at 11:15am.  It wasn’t as hot out as yesterday, but it was definitely still hot in the apartment.  We drove to the hotel and I went to find Joe and Miguel in STARBUCKS.  There was one in the lobby of the hotel.  I’ve never seen THAT before – definitely MY kind of hotel!

They bought me a mocha frappucino light, got some coffee for themselves and we headed out (Eric isn’t much for STARBUCKS, so he didn’t want anything).  I wanted to take them to the WAFFLE SPOT, because it was a really cute place and their breakfasts were great.  I had gone there with Scott and Rory a few weeks ago, since it was right next to Scott’s hotel.  We had a lot of fun and a great meal, so I was happy to go back.

I decided to have a totally decadent breakfast – a Double Cup Waffle – with white and milk chocolate chips and whipped cream.  The waffles are so good that you don’t even need syrup or butter (but I had some of each anyway!).

The boys all had more basic breakfasts with eggs, bacon, sausage, etc.  Everyone enjoyed it tremendously and we had fun with the menu and a mural on the wall, which features characters like Sir Wafflelot (who has a butter pat for a nose), Sir Up (a syrup dispenser that looks like a knight), Miss Muffin, and our favorite – the Banger Family – which are sausages with arms and legs, some of whom were wearing hats.  We laughed a lot about that.

I have to mention that I'm old and feeble, because I was so mad at myself for forgetting my camera yesterday -- and then I forgot it AGAIN today!  I wish I could have taken pictures of the boys by the mural, so you could see all the characters, but at least I was able to find Sir Wafflelot for you to enjoy!

After breakfast we drove downtown a little further, because Joe (who is a huge METS fan) wanted to see PETCO PARK.  There was actually a Padres/Tigers game going on and we could see the crowd in the stands.  It’s an interesting stadium and Joe was telling us some of the history.  Apparently, some of the buildings were put on wheels and moved from one location to another, including a candy factory, which we saw as we drove past.

Eric wanted to keep driving – showing them the Gaslamp Quarter and other neighborhoods, but the boys wanted to get back on the road to Los Angeles, so we drove them back to the hotel.  I could see that Eric enjoys their company and he was having such a great time with them.  That made me really happy, and I think they could see how much Eric appreciated and enjoyed them.

Eric really wants to go to Los Angeles to mountain bike with Miguel.  I want to visit them and see a show with Joe.  He and I share a passion for theatre and I’d see another musical in Los Angeles.  I had a great time with Ilene when we saw WICKED.  They do have great theatre in Los Angeles and I want to take advantage of it while I’m still on the West Coast!

When Eric and I got home I dropped him off and immediately went to KEILS to do our food shopping.  When I got back from food shopping, Eric went down to the laundry room with me and I did three loads of laundry.

When the laundry was done, I was ready for a nap.  Unfortunately, it was so hot in the bedroom that I could hardly sleep – even with the fan pointed right on me.  I finally fell asleep and Eric woke me at 8:00pm.  He made us a delicious dinner of salmon for me, swordfish for himself, with asparagus and mushrooms.  It was SO good.  He’s a really good cook and I so appreciate when he makes us dinner.

I watched a two-hour special 100th episode of EXTEME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION.  It was really touching and they had families from other episodes there to help and to say what a big difference their new homes have had on their lives.  I love that show and was touched by the gratitude and appreciation they expressed.

Tomorrow should be pretty quiet at work.  My boss is out every day this week except Wednesday morning, and we’ve pretty much got everything under control.  We do have some PowerPoint presentations yet to complete, but I don’t anticipate any problems.

This was such a great weekend.  The concert on Friday night and two wonderful days with our friends.  Every weekend should be this much fun!

As far as I can tell, no one slept well last night!  Eric and I both tossed and turned a lot.  My ride told me she and her husband were awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call (wrong number) and she couldn’t fall back to sleep.  Jimmy told me he couldn’t fall asleep.  A few people at work mentioned how tired they were, because they didn’t sleep well.  If it was a full moon, I’d understand, but it wasn’t.  So, what’s up with THAT?

I thought that even though I was exhausted this morning my day would be pretty easy and relaxing, because my boss was away and we only had one big project to complete.  Unfortunately, I forgot that today was Expense Report day, so we had to complete that, too.

Also, they finally have me access to the folders I need to use for my new HR job, so I had a lot of work to catch up on for them.  It's enjoyable work, but kept me busy for hours.

I did manage to finish my latest DICK FRANCIS book today, but I only had about 40 pages left, so I really didn’t read much.  I was going to start my newest book, which my boss lent me – RED CAT – “a John March mystery" by Peter Spiegelman.  It’s about John March, a PI in NY.  It sounds right up my alley, and takes place in NYC, so I’m very excited to start it, but I didn’t get a chance today!

My boss was so funny when he gave the book to me, because he warned me that the subject matter was of a sexual nature and didn't want to have any problems with sexual harrassment.  I simply said, "Forewarned!" and we both laughed.  I thought it was pretty cool of him to give me a book to read, because he sees me reading at my desk all the time and knows I love a good mystery!

So, I had the book on my desk and one of the guys I work with said, "What's that pornography you've got there."  I said, "The boss gave it to me to read!"  We laughed about it, too! 

The day flew by and I got so much accomplished.  When I got home I wanted to take a nap, but I resisted, because I knew it would be better to just go to bed early.  We had a relatively early dinner of leftover fish from last night with more fresh asparagus.  Delicious two days in a row.  Eric is quite the cook!

There was nothing on TV tonight and I had recorded RV, so we started watching it.  It has a great cast – Robin Williams, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Daniels and Kristen Chenoweth – but we only watched about 45 minutes and had had enough.  We could relate to everything, but it was too frustrating and too stupid.  I just didn’t want to spend the time.

I left Eric in the bedroom watching DIRTY JOBS and came out to blog.  I am pretty tired and I’m going to get to bed by 10:00pm the latest, so I should be in much better shape tomorrow.

I don’t anticipate tomorrow to be anywhere near as busy as today, so I should be able to start RED CAT.  The boss will be in tomorrow afternoon and Wednesday morning, but will then be out Wednesday afternoon and Thursday and Friday.

I’m working more and more for HR and less and less for my current group.  I really enjoy all the people in the group, so I’m sorry I will be moving to another floor on July 1st.  Everyone on the floor is fun, friendly, supportive and hard-working.  I’m sure it will be the same on my new floor – at least I hope so!

I went to bed at 9:30pm last night.  That’s a record for me!  I know if there was anything decent on TV I would have stayed up, which is bad, but there wasn’t, which is good.  I did wake up around 5:00am this morning.  First, the guy downstairs (“the cougher”) had his radio alarm clock blasting.

For a second I thought it was MY alarm clock, but then I remembered I don’t “wake to music.”  With our bedroom window open and his bedroom window open, there’s really about 10 feet between him and us and I’m sure he woke a few neighbors up.

Then, a bird started chirping.  If I didn’t have an alarm clock, I could pretty much be sure to wake up on time anyway, because the birds love to chirp as the sun rises.  Ever notice that?

So, I got up early, got showered and dressed early, and was ready to leave by 7:00am.  Yesterday, my sister-in-law, Susan, called while I was in my friend’s car on our way home from work.  I told her I’d call her back in 20 minutes, but of course when I walked in the door Eric and I started talking and I got undressed and turned on the computer and completely forgot.  So, I figured I’d go outside early and call her while I waited for my ride to come.  It was 10:00am in NY, so I knew she’d be out and about (probably for hours).  I got to talk to Susan for about 10 minutes before my ride arrived.

When I got to work I started doing my HR project immediately.  This project is never-ending and is something I need to do every single day.  They receive hundreds of resumes via email every week.  Each needs to be printed and also saved on the network (so they can be accessed by the people who will be interviewing them).  After they’re printed and saved, I need to input each one on an Excel spreadsheet.  The last two steps are to put a cover page on each one, with certain pertinent information, and then distribute each to the HR manager handling the hiring of that position.

Don’t get me wrong – this is easy work.  There’s nothing challenging or difficult.  It’s just that it’s frustrating that it never ends.  As soon as I print the last few emails and go through all the steps, there are more coming in.  They come in overnight.  They come in on Saturday and Sunday.  They never stop.  They come from all over San Diego, California, the country, and the world!  Everyone wants to work for this firm!  The firm advertises on MONSTER.COM, CAREER BUILDER.COM, CRAIGSLIST.COM and also on their website.

I didn’t have much to do for my group or with my trainee today, so I was able to concentrate on my HR responsibilities – and my new book.  I read a little over 100 pages today and it’s already GREAT!  The main character – John March – a PI in NY – is interesting, the story is exciting and the author definitely has a way with words.  I can’t wait to tell the boss how much I’m enjoying it.  I see more bonding in our future!

When I got home I relaxed and watched DR. PHIL while Eric made the most delicious dinner yet.  He really has taken over in the kitchen, which I greatly appreciate.  He’s really creative and comes up with great combinations.  He steams lots of fresh vegetables and either makes fish (or chicken for himself) or veggie burgers, faux chicken cutlets, or those delicious veggie latkes (that’s what I call them, because they taste more like a latke than a burger).  Then, he insists on washing all the dishes.  I really appreciate everything he does for me.

I had some sewing to do – repairing the belt loop on a dress and a few other things, which I did while watching LEGALLY BLONDE.  The show is going really well and they’re eliminating all the girls I didn’t like.  Shows they’ve got good taste!  I think I know who should win already, and there are still 6 of them left.  Her name is Rhiannon and she is SO cute.  She has a great smile – acts great, dances great, sings great.  A real triple threat – and she’s really funny, too.  Elle is such an intricate character, because she has to be ditzy and smart at the same time!  She’s not a dumb blonde, but more naïve and fresh.

After LB Eric and I watched HELL’S KITCHEN.  It was down to the final three, and I’ve got a winner in mind for THAT show, too!  I did well going to bed early last night, so I plan to do the same again tonight.  The boss will be in tomorrow morning, so I know it’s going to be crazy until his car picks him up at 12:15pm to take him to the airport.  Then it’s back to RED CAT (which, by the way, is a tattoo a woman has on her inner thigh!).

This is late because – once again – my server was down.  They say I need to “clear my cache” but it’s ridiculous, because if it WAS my cache, why would it work perfectly 12 hours later?  Wouldn’t I HAVE to clear it, before it would work again?  Someone PLEASE explain!

I was pretty busy today, but I STILL managed to finish another book!  This one was really good and I brought it home for Eric to read.  I think he’ll really enjoy it.  I am sure he’d love DICK FRANCIS, too, but he’s just not into the whole England/Horseracing thing.  Anyway, when I told him it was all about a sex scandal and takes place in NY, he was all for it!

So, today I found out exactly what I’ll be doing at work starting on July 1.  I thought I was going to work exclusively in HR.  Then, my ride told me that another group had specifically requested me!  They decided that they could “share” me and I’ll be splitting my time 50/50 in HR and this new group, which is right across the floor from where I now sit.

The good news is I really like everybody in both groups – HR and the new group – so it should be great.  Also, I may not be doing as much reading as I do now (maybe only during my lunch hour!), but at least the days will fly by.  Just this week being really busy helping out HR while still sitting with my old group, the days have really gone by quickly and I’ve enjoyed the work a lot.

My boss was in from 9:00am – 1:00pm, but the only conversation we had was about how great RED CAT is and how much I was enjoying it.  Wait until I tell him I finished it!  He was in meetings all day and will be away at meetings tomorrow and Friday.

My trainee has just a few more days with me, so tomorrow and Friday we are going to review a lot of the stuff I previously showed her and taught her.  I will still be around, if she has any questions, but I know she wants to be able to do as much on her own as possible.

Here’s another complaint I have about her – and I know most of you are not going to believe your ears: she talks too much!  I know, how could anyone talk more than I do?  I SWEAR, she does.  Sometimes she talks too much, because she’s going on and on about her new boyfriend and all the gory details, which I could not care LESS about.

Sometimes, it’s actually about work.  I think she just likes the sound of her own voice, because she’ll say the same thing 8 different ways.  Sometimes, I actually just go back to what I was doing and let her talk to my back, because I feel like if I have to sit there and look at her and listen to her go on and on and on, I’ll just die.

Other times, I’ll just cut her off.  For instance, I’ll tell her something that she needs to do, and she’ll go on and on about the way she wants to do it, and the way she thought it should be, and the way she might do it in the future, and so on, and so forth.  Finally, I’ll just cut her off with something like, “This is YOUR job now – you do it however you want!"

She’s really starting to get on my nerves, so I’m happy that I only have three more days sitting next to her!  She’s really nice, and sweet, and maybe I’m the only one who will have a problem with her rambling, but I honestly doubt it.  I know it won’t go over well with the boss.  I learned very quickly that he wants you to get in, say what you need to, ask what you need to, and give him what you need to, and then get the hell out.  He doesn’t mind sitting and chatting, but if it’s business-related, he wants to do the talking.  He’ll answer any questions you have, or explain anything he needs to, but he is NOT going to want to listen to her long-winded descriptions of what she’s planning to do.  She’ll find THAT out soon enough!

Anyway, I have a lot of fun with all the other people in my group and I have something amazing to tell you all!  The other day I sneezed and someone said “Bless You!”  I couldn’t believe it!  So, the next time someone else sneezed, I said “God Bless You!”  Now, when I hear a sneeze, I respond.  I’m no longer holding myself back and the response has been very positive.   I’m getting “Thanks!”   I don’t know what happened or why, but I’m glad that etiquette is not dead and gone!

When I arrived home I asked Eric when he wanted to go out to celebrate his birthday, which is tomorrow (6/26).  I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow (just a check-up), so I didn’t know if he wanted to go out tonight, tomorrow – after my doctor’s appointment, or Friday.  Saturday we are going to see BYE BYE BIRDIE at the SAN DIEGO MUSICAL THEATRE and will definitely eat out before.  The last time we went we found a cute little Italian place right across the street from the theatre, so I’m going to make a reservation.  But that doesn’t count!  I want to go out and have a nice Birthday Dinner!

Eric said he’d like to go tomorrow, when I got back from the doctor, so tomorrow it is.  Now, I just have to figure out where.  I want to take him someplace new – someplace different!  I have to figure it out at work tomorrow!

We made a big salad together and also had MORNINGSTAR corn dogs (which are pretty good if you haven’t had a real hot dog in about 10 years!  I also made my salad for tomorrow and we had enough leftover salad for Eric to have lunch tomorrow, too!

There wasn’t much on TV, so we watched AMERICA’S GOT TALENT, which I do find very entertaining, and then I watched SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE while Eric worked out.  Then, I went to sleep and Eric stayed outside and watched TV.  I’ve really been going to bed a lot earlier and it’s helped me get out of bed a lot easier in the morning!

This blog’s lateness is all my fault!  I had such a long day yesterday and I was too tired to do it last night.  But let me start at the beginning!

I drove to work yesterday, because I had a doctor’s appointment at 5:15pm just a few exits south of my office.  Most of the work I did was for HR, but I sat at my desk on the other floor, so I was back and forth from the 6th floor to the 3rd floor at least 5 times.  Now, I DID take the elevator, so it wasn’t as much exercise as it could have been, but I did do a lot more walking around than usual!  I have to figure out where the stairs leave me on the 3rd floor and start using them more.  That would definitely help in the exercise department!

Anyway, I kept pretty busy and only read 20-30 pages of my new DICK FRANCIS book, which is already very different from any other I’ve ever read.  First of all, in this one he’s married – which I think is a first.  He’s been widowed, divorced, or just single, but never married.  Okay, he’s UNHAPPILY married, but he’s still married!  He also has FIVE sons – ages 14 down to a baby.  That’s a whole new twist on a Dick Francis character.  Lastly, he’s a builder.  He buys up dilapidated buildings and makes them fabulous!  All very interesting and I’m hooked already!

Eric said I should pick out the restaurant for his Birthday Dinner, and I wanted to make it something different than our usual fare.  Since my trainee is Vietnamese, I decided to ask her to recommend a good Vietnamese restaurant.  Eric and I had a FABULOUS dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant in Denver and I never forgot it.

She told me of two – one relatively close to our apartment and another in Hillcrest.  The Hillcrest restaurant is one that I’ve noticed many times, because they’re right on the main strip – University – and they have a big neon sign that says SAIGON.  I always loved how it looked.  She told me that was kind of Paris/Vietnamese and was very fancy and more expensive.  I don’t mind the more expensive so much, but I knew that Eric wouldn’t want to have to dress up, so I chose the other.

We looked at the menu together online and they had such fabulous dishes and SO many choices it was dizzying.  Since I only eat seafood I thought I wouldn’t have to much to choose from, but I was wrong!

After work I went to the doctor (it went great) and then got home around 6:30pm.  Eric came out to the car and I programmed Betty to find the restaurant.  Eric was intrigued that this was a “mystery date.”  While we were driving my phone rang and it was my sister, Audrey, calling to wish Eric a happy birthday.  While Eric was driving and talking to Eric, HIS phone rang and it was HIS sister, Robin, calling to wish him a happy birthday.  It was pretty funny.

When we both hung up, Eric told me he talked to all four of his sisters today, which made me really happy.  He doesn’t communicate that often with some of them, but it was very sweet that they all called today.  They’ve also heard rumors of Eric’s return to NY, and the NY contingent all offered him a bed and anything else he needs.  I think that made him very happy, too.

We got a little lost, because the restaurant was in a shopping center and Betty just says, “You have arrived,” but doesn’t tell you you need to turn into a shopping center, so we drove past and had to go back around to find it.

PHUONG TRANG RESTAURANT on Convoy off Balboa is a big place and it was busy with lots of customers – most of them Vietnamese.  My mother always said you can tell if a restaurant is good if the people of that nationality are eating there.  Of course, she’s right!  If you go to an Italian restaurant and see lots of Italians, you can be sure their gravy and pasta is great!

Anyway, we were greeted by a smiling maitre’d and shown to a nice table by the window.  The place is not fancy at all – lots of light wood tables of different shapes and sizes and light wood chairs to match.

They handed us huge menus with at least 10 pages and we started perusing all the dishes again.  My trainee had recommended certain dishes to me and we settled on an appetizer of: Bo Bia // Vegetable Hot Chili Sauce Rolls – 2 rice paper rolls filled with lettuce, Thai basil, jicama, carrots, dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, fried egg, peanuts, and hot chili sauce. Served with peanut sauce.

We were surprised when they were served and we discovered they were cold!  We picked them up.  The rice paper rolls are very different from the usual rolls we’re used to.  They were light green, with a section of yellow.  We dipped them in the peanut sauce (which we both love) and they were delicious!  I have NO idea what was in the Chinese sausage, but I didn’t really taste meat, so I guess it could be seafood!

Eric was less daring in his entrée with Sweet and Sour Chicken.  I got Mi, Hu Tieu, hoac Banh Canh Tom Ca // Shrimp and Fish Noodle Soup, which was a delicious stew with cubes of tofu, ground shrimp and lots of delicious thin noodles.  It comes with cabbage, jalapenos, mint, and bean sprouts on the side and you can add what you like.  I put everything but the jalapenos in.  It was already spicy and I was afraid it would be too hot!

We enjoyed the meal and decided to go to GELATO VERO for dessert.  We drove to Hillcrest and couldn’t find a spot, so Eric went in and got it and we brought it home.  We watched LAST COMIC STANDING and ate our gelato, and that’s when I started to fade.  I said, “I could go out and blog, or I could just go to sleep.”  Eric said, “Just go to sleep!”  It was just 10:30pm, but I was really exhausted.  I got washed up and in my pjs and fell right to sleep.

I think Eric had a great birthday dinner, which is going to be followed-up with a great birthday weekend.  He’s driving to L.A. this afternoon to go mountain biking with our friend, Miguel.  He’ll hang with Miguel tonight, and work on his bike.  Early tomorrow they’ll go mountain biking in L.A. and then Eric will come back to San Diego in time for us to attend BYE BYE BIRDIE!  I can’t wait!

That title refers to this blog entry AND my day at work!  When I got into the car with my ride this morning, she told me that she wanted to leave at 3:00pm today.  She asked if I wanted to leave at 3:00pm too, or if I wanted Eric to pick me up.  I told her Eric was going to L.A. this afternoon and wouldn’t be there to pick me up, so I’d leave when she left.  It was VERY quiet today, so I really appreciated getting out early!

All I did today was some HR work and I read my Dick Francis book, which is really getting GREAT!  I had lots of plans for things to do on my “night alone” but when I got home I just watched DR. PHIL and took a nap.  I really don’t have ANY energy for ANYTHING.  I’ve lost my motivation for everything.  I never had any motivation for exercise to begin with, but now I can’t even get motivated to do some crafting.

I only seem to have the energy to watch TV and eat.  I can pull it together when I need to, like getting the apartment in ship-shape for our visitors.  I also have plenty of energy when I’m excited about something – like dancing for two hours without stopping at the EW&F concert.  I just lack the motivation to be active for the sake of burning calories.

So, back to my day.  I did have a lovely nap and, when I woke up, Eric called from L.A.  He was working on Miguel’s bike and they were going out to get dinner.  He was happy and excited about his ride tomorrow.  He sounded wonderful.  I’m really happy that he has a friend to ride with.

He’s ridden in L.A. before.  Years ago, he went riding with a friend, Darren, and he had a great time.  He’s wanted to go back to L.A. to ride and I’m glad he finally had the opportunity.

I worked on the computer, paying bills, organizing my desk, and watched more TV – SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE and UGLY BETTY and DATELINE.  Then, I watched a new show called DANCE MACHINE.  They have six dancers who dance to different types of music (hip-hop, disco, country, etc.) and the winner gets $100,000.  It was kind of lame.  I don’t see it lasting very long.

Eric bought a graduation card for our nephew, Steven, who graduated from High School yesterday!  His birthday is tomorrow.  Happy Birthday and Congratulations on your graduation, Steven!  We’re proud of you!

Steven is Eric’s sister Susan’s oldest boy.  They lived walking distance from my shop in New Hyde Park.  Steven was very excited when I opened my shop and he and his brother, Anthony, used to visit me a lot, whenever they were nearby.  They would always offer their help – moving furniture, painting, bringing me lunch.  They'd come in with a bunch of their friends, just because they were walking by.  Whenever it snowed -- for five years -- Steven and Anthony would shovel the sidewalk in front of my shop.  They were my angels!

I got to bond with them over a 5-year period and saw a lot more of them than I would have had if I didn’t have the shop.  It was true with my niece, Ashley, too, who would come by with her school friends.  They thought it was so cool that her aunt owned the coolest shop in town (yes – it was!).
I really miss them.  They’re the youngest of my nieces and nephews and they’re all growing up so fast!

Tomorrow I’ll do laundry and go food shopping with my new black metal cart, which arrived yesterday – perfect timing!  Eric put it together today (it just needed the back wheels put on) and it’s really cute.  It’s not very old-lady-like and will serve me well when I need to run errands without the car!

The reason this is late is because -- once again -- my server was down last night.  This morning -- no problem.  Can SOME computer genius PLEASE explain how it could POSSIBLY be my computer and not THEIR server that has the problem? 

Eric was on his ride in L.A. with Miguel by 8:00am, and I slept until 9:30am!  When I got up I relaxed a little and had breakfast.  Then I went food shopping (with my new cart!) and then did 2 loads of laundry. 

I liked using the cute black cart, except years ago when I used a cart there were “s” hooks to hook it onto the front of the shopping cart at the supermarket.  There were no “s” hooks, because I guess no one uses them anymore.  So, I had to put the cart in the shopping cart, which was a little bit of a pain.  It's pretty small, so I was able to fit groceries around it, but if I was doing a "big shopping" it would have been hard.

When I told Eric, he said I should just ask to leave it in the front of the store, by the cashier.  I don’t know if they’ll like that idea, but I guess I could try next time.

Eric got back around 3:00pm – just in time for us to take a nice nap!  He said he had a great time with Miguel.  They had to drive about a half hour to get to the trail, and they only rode for about 2 hours, but he still said it was a lot of fun, mostly because he was riding with a friend.  I guess he also liked the fact that it was someplace different – and it wasn’t San Diego!  He had done a big tune-up on Miguel's bike for him and got it in great shape.  Eric is so good at that stuff and I'm sure Miguel really appreciated all his help.

So, we woke up from our nap at 5:00pm, showered, dressed and went to El Cajon for dinner and the show.  We ate at the same place as last time – MANGIA BENE.  They have really good food.  I had a bowl of their seafood chowder and Eric had a cup.  Then, I had their Il Greco salad, with olives, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese.  Eric had the special, which was Chicken tortellini primavera.  He really enjoyed it!  For dessert, we shared a piece of mousse cake.  Yum!

The theatre is just across the street on the grounds of a college or university.  This is the last production they will be performing there.  They’re moving downtown to the Lyceum Theatre on Horton Plaza.  It’s a much smaller venue.  The theatre was only about two-thirds filled tonight and they were offering tickets for $15, so I know they had trouble filling this larger theatre.  They’ll be much better off renting a smaller theatre and selling out.

The production was excellent.  We really enjoyed GUYS & DOLLS and BYE BYE BIRDIE did not disappoint.  The cast was excellent, the sets were great and the costumes were wonderful.  I wore one of my 60s-style party dresses and there were a few worn by the cast that I’d like to get my hands on!

One of my favorite numbers is “Ed Sullivan” when the family finds out they’re going to appear on the Ed Sullivan show.  They had a whole chorus behind them and the voices were fabulous.

The guy who played Conrad Birdie was absolutely gorgeous with a beautiful physique.  He sang well, danced great and really played the part.  Eric and I really enjoyed the whole show – from beginning to end!

If you'd like to see the original trailer to the movie, click here: BYE BYE BIRDIE MOVIE TRAILER!

If you'd like to read all about the original 1960s Broadway production, click here: BYE BYE BIRDIE ON BROADWAY!

When I was a kid, I LOVED that movie.  I loved Ann-Margret and I wanted to be her when I grew up.  That wish was solidified when she made VIVA LAS VEGAS with Elvis Presley.  I ADORE Ann-Margret! 

After the show we came home.  We wanted to watch George Carlin on SNL (he was the first host EVER) but we were too tired, so we’ll watch it tomorrow morning!

Eric and I woke up at about 10:00am.  We decided to go to breakfast at CAFÉ 976 in Pacific Beach, so we showered, dressed and were out the door before 11:00am.  CAFÉ 976 is such a fun place.  There was a crowd waiting outside, but the place is so big that we only had to wait about 5 minutes.

CAFÉ 976 was a house transformed into a restaurant that serves healthy breakfast and lunch fare.  They have indoor seating, in different rooms, but the outdoor seating is much nicer.  There’s a covered balcony that provides lots of shade, and that’s where we sat.  There’s also an outdoor garden with tables of different sizes and shapes surrounded by blooming flowers of every description.  It’s so pretty and colorful and it’s just a pleasant environment to hang out and relax.

I had the Spicy Eggplant Breakfast Burrito – eggs, eggplant, 3 cheeses, tomato, onion, & cilantro.  It was SO good.  Eric had the Portobello Mushroom Sandwich – marinated Portobello served with mozzarella cheese, spinach, onion, green chile, roasted red pepper & jalapeno mayo.  He loved his, too.

We sat next to a young couple with a baby in a high chair.  She looked to be about 10 months old. We were there for an hour and she never smiled, but she never cried or whined either.  Eric and I were doing everything we could to get her to smile or laugh, but she just looked at us with these big chubby cheeks.  She was very content – she played with her plastic keys, ate her baby food, and grabbed all the cheerios that were put on the table.  We really enjoyed watching her while we waited for our meal, and then while we ate.

After lunch, we were going to drive back to the apartment and I was going to run some errands, but I saw a little bird looking for food right by my feet.  I told Eric that I really want to get a bird and he said we’d go back to the flea market right away and buy one.  So, we did!

We walked around the flea market for a few minutes until we found the “bird guy.”  Our old friends – the big parrots – were there, and as usual the place was packed with people buying and admiring all the feathered friends for sale.

I told the vendor that all I wanted was a tame, friendly bird.  I didn’t care about size or color.  He told me that the smaller parakeets are easier to hand-tame, but they are very noisy.  The other type of parakeet, which is much larger, are much quieter.  I immediately opted for the quieter bird, since I remember how annoying it was to be woken up at dawn by a singing parakeet!  He showed us a gorgeous blue male and a typical green female.  We chose the male.  I then chose a beautiful black metal cage and we bought a big bag (over 6 pounds) of parakeet seed.

When we got home, we set him up on a snack table right next to my bed.  That’s where I always kept my parakeets, so they could keep me company when I watch TV.  I left Eric with him and ran my errands – card store, PETCO (to buy a toy and another food dish for fruits and vegetables).  Then, I went to STARBUCKS before heading back to the apartment.

When I got home, we watched the original episode of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (which was called "NBC'S SATURDAY NIGHT") from the early 70s, which was on last night in honor of GEORGE CARLIN who passed away this past week.  He was the first person who ever hosted SNL, along with music by BILLY PRESTON and JANIS IAN.

I'm sorry to say, it wasn’t very funny at all.  It’s amazing how much our sense of comedy has changed in the last 30 years.  George Carlin wasn’t in any skits, as the current hosts are.  He just did his standup, then Billy Preston played NOTHING FROM NOTHING (a great song), then some skits, then more GC stand-up, then Janis Ian singing AT SEVENTEEN (another great 70s classic), then more GC stand-up, then another comedienne, who really just did a skit (not funny), then more skits and that was about it.  The best part was CHEVY CHASE doing the news.  Now I know why they don’t rerun the early shows more often!   I guess you REALLY have to be a fan!

I saw an early episode of SNL when I was in college.  The guest host was SHELLEY DUVAL and the musical guest was Joan Armatrading.  It was very exciting and I always wanted to see it again, especially more recently with the great casts they’ve had in the last 10 years.  Unfortunately, I never got to go again.

Eric made us a delicious dinner of MORNINGSTAR corn dogs (our new favorite!) and a veggie wrap.  We gave Conrad some grapes we cut in half, but although he looked them, we didn’t see him eat any.

The vendor gave me a sheet of instructions and said the bird may be nervous and wouldn’t eat or drink for a day and may not sing or chirp.  This baby was chirping and eating his seeds within a few hours!  He’s REALLY beautiful.  His color in front is a pale blue and he has the cutest white face.  On the back below his wings, he’s almost a periwinkle blue.  I don't know why, but it doesn't show that color in the photographs.

He’s very curious and watches me and Eric as we move around the bedroom.  In honor of the show we saw last night, and because I think it’s a clever name, I decided to call him CONRAD BIRDIE!  It suits him!

I bought an extra perch, which is 12” long, so that I could use it to train him.  They say to give the bird time to get used to his surroundings, but I could see that he was already investigating every inch of his cage and was happily swinging on the swing within a few hours.  I opened his cage and he flew a few feet onto the bed.  I took the perch and he went right onto it and I was able to put him back in the cage.  He did this 3 or 4 times and, the last time, I used my hand to pick him up – instead of the perch – and he came right on my hand.  He sat on Eric's hand, too!

Then, I took a chance and tried to pet him, by touching the feathers on his back.  Not only didn’t he fly away, but he didn’t even try to bite me.  He just sat there.  He seemed nervous, and I could see he wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but he just sat there.  Eric couldn’t believe his eyes.  This bird really IS tame and friendly!  I told Eric this vendor at the flea market was very reputable.  I told him I wanted a calm, friendly, easy-to-tame bird, and he gave me the best of the lot!  I've had 4-5 parakeets in my life and this is the fastest I've ever been able to touch one.  Usually it takes WEEKS to get a bird on your finger!

Eric and I watched the new MILLION DOLLAR PASSWORD.  It’s pretty lame – even with Regis hosting.  I’m pretty sure no one will win more than $25,000, but – hey – I could be wrong!

I have a lot of ironing to do tonight, so I’m going to do that while I watch DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES and Eric works out in the living room.

Tomorrow is my last day at my original position at this firm – which I’ve had for five months.  Tuesday I start my new job – working 4 hours in HR and 4 hours in KRM (Key Relationship Management – whatever THAT is!).  My goal at these jobs is to do as great a job as possible while understanding as little as possible about what they’re all doing there.  I have NO interest in finance, but I DO love HR!  At least it’s all about people – not money or equities or fixed income or pensions!

Eric and I had a great weekend.  The show was great, and buying CONRAD and bringing him home today was a thrill.  I know he will be our new buddy and will keep me company for years to come!

Today was my last day at this desk on the 6th floor.  Starting tomorrow I will be in HR for the rest of the week.  Starting next week I’ll be doing my 4/4 double-duty!  The boss was in, so we had a lot to do today.  He was giving an in-house presentation at 3:00pm and we had to prepare 30 color copies of a PowerPoint presentation, which he would also use in a slide-show.  We also had to send an email announcement to about 400 people, so we were busy!

At some point this morning I went into my boss’ office, reminded him that this was my last day and thanked him for 5 great months.  I said it was great working for him and I really appreciated everything.  He apologized for not keeping me busy, and I said, “That’s okay.  I got to do a lot of great reading the past few months!”  I could see he was pleased and happy, and a little surprised, that I thanked him, but really – in all – it has been a great experience and he’s a really nice guy.

Nine of us are going to lunch tomorrow (not the guy I worked for, but the other people I worked with).  I had to pick the restaurant and make the reservation, get directions, etc.  Since I don’t know the area, I asked for suggestions from the other invitees.  We settled on a place called POSEIDON ON THE BEACH.  We’ll be sitting right by the water under big umbrellas.  I told one of the guys, who sits right near me, that I’m going to wear my bikini.  He said he’s going to wear his speedo.  So, I told my trainee, “I’m wearing my bikini and he’s wearing his speedo.”  So, then the guy said, “I think we’re going to have eight cancellations!”  This guy is so funny and we were both laughing so hard.  It was great fun.

I’m really looking forward to lunch tomorrow, because it’s a very young group.  We’re having it to welcome a new intern who just graduated from Graduate School.  The older people in the group are in their late 30s and two are 40, so I’ve got them all beat by at least 10 years!  Nevertheless, I have a lot of fun with them and they’re a great crew.  This is a fond farewell to me, because although I’ll be seeing them every day, I won’t be working with them anymore.  Welcome to the new guy; goodbye, Peppy!

My ride had “team building” this afternoon, and they went to play miniature golf (I told you this firm was great!), so Eric came to pick me up at 5:00pm.  When we got home we made dinner – a few spinach ravioli (more from the box Eric purchased at COSTCO a few trips ago), a salad, and some steamed broccoli.  We made some salad for Conrad, but – like most of my birds – he won’t go near it.  They tell you all the great stuff you should get your birds to eat, but they don’t tell you HOW!  With our last bird (Birdy) we used to practically starve him trying to get him to eat something other than seed, but – no go.  Looks like Conrad is built from the same stuff.  He goes for the seed, but won’t go for much else.  I gave him some fresh spinach, cucumber (without the seeds), and a little bit of pasta (believe it or not, they’re supposed to eat bread, pasta, rice and beans!).  Nothin’!  I’m hoping he’ll figure out it’s good stuff eventually!

We found out tonight that our niece, Melissa, has been ill and was in the hospital.  We tried to call her mom (Eric’s sister, Robin) to get details, but only were able to leave a message.  GET WELL SOON, MELISSA!  WE LOVE YOU!  Her birthday is next week, and I feel terrible that she’s sick.

I brought my latest  DICK FRANCIS book home from the office today, because I had some other stuff to carry to my new desk tomorrow and figured I’d bring it home with me.  There’s nothing on TV tonight, so I’m probably going to finish the book before I go to sleep.  That means that Eric will have to make a trip to the library for me tomorrow!  The best thing we ever discovered was that the library is down the block!  It’s so fabulous!  I already told him I want to read the other novels by Peter Spiegelman – BLACK MAPS, DEATH’S LITTLE HELPERS and NO WAY HOME.  I really enjoyed RED CAT, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy these others, too!  After that, I’m sure it will be more Dick Francis, until I’ve read his entire repertoire!

Do you believe it’s July already – and that the biggest summer festivities are this Friday?  There’s a lot going on in San Diego, so Eric and I will have to figure out where to go and what to do.  We heard on the news that they’re canceling a lot of firework displays, because they’re afraid they’ll start fires.  It’s so sad, but I guess it makes sense.  I just hope some idiots aren’t setting off the illegal kind, which will more likely start a fire.  I’ve never been a fan of fireworks, unless they were the big, flashy, professional kind.  Otherwise, I think they’re too dangerous and someone always ends up getting hurt.

I’m really enjoying having Conrad to look at, talk to and play with.  He’s very sweet and inquisitive.  Here’s a funny thing:  When he sees me eat, it makes him hungry and then HE goes and eats!  Unfortunately, he passes right by the salad and eats his seed.  I told Eric I think the seeds are like potato chips and birds are just like people – they bypass the healthy stuff for the junk food!

I decided that I’m going to leave him fresh fruits and vegetables all day – with no seed.  Then, when I get home from work, I’ll give him seed, so he can have some of that, too, but if he’s hungry all day he’ll be forced to eat the good stuff.  I’ll see if that works!