Christmas 2007

We had a nice, if fractured, Christmas. I got back from CO on the 20th, and it was downhill to Christmas after that. We bought last minute presents and finished getting ready. On Saturday we went to see some friends from college who are moving to Santa Monica, and the whole family was in town for a few days. We went to breakfast and then walked around for awhile. That's were we saw this tree made of shopping carts!

The Boy's birthday came on the 23rd. He was so happy that day, saying, "I'm a MAN now! Mom, what do you think about your boy who's a MAN now?" We took him to brunch with his friends, since he had to work that night. Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles was his choice. He tried to think of all the things he could do now that he's 18 - drive (hasn't taken the test yet), vote, serve on a jury and help decide someone's fate, and buy things with a valid contract.

He got an iPod from his girlfriend, and he was SO happy. She spent way too much on him, but he loved it. The Girl was jealous.

The next day was Christmas eve, but we tried to celebrate a lot that day, as K (my husband) had to go to work early on Christmas day. So I made a nice dinner, which wasn't too hard. The Girl kept saying we should start, but there was nothing that had to cook all day (like a turkey). We had ham. I also boiled some potatoes (for the Girl to mash), made spaghetti squash (which the Girl LOVES. It's very good), warmed up some tamales, made mole from a jar, and that was about it! K proclaimed it delicious.

Then we went to church, where the Girl had been asked to read something in their Holiday performance. She got SO nervous! Then some little kids lined up to sing, and they were SO, so cute!! One boy on the end barely knew the words, but kindof kept up with the motions. Then another girl who started out in the back row pushed her way to front, like "this is my chance!" She did that every song they sang. They were funny because they were so cute.

K was supposed to open all his gifts that night, but he got sleepy and decided to wait until he returns from work. As is tradition, we all opened one present, with several of us feeling like we opened our best present that night! That's not supposed to happen! The Girl opened the present she was most curious about, and it was an iPod too! From her Grandparents! Then it was the Boy who was jealous, until he determined that hers was 2 Gigs and his was 4Gigs. Also hers was engraved with her name, but he doesn't care about things like that.

Also, K started a NEW tradition of balancing the presents on our head before we open them. Whatever, don't ask me.

The next morning K was gone, so the kids and I got up and started opening presents. Our dog wins the prize for most liking his present, because once we opened it, he couldn't stop playing with it!

Once, when the Girl removed the wrapping paper from one of her presents, she found a Swann's quesadilla box. I said, "Oh, great! Quesadillas!" and the girl said yeah, and put it aside. As if that was really her present! Just kidding, kid! Inside was the station to a Mexican Train domino set.

We all got nice gifts, and people seemed to like what I got them, too. We ate eggnog french toast with syrup and leftover ham, which is just SO yummy! I'll post the recipes soon.

Merry, merry, and Happy, happy too!!!

I'm looking for '08 to be great. Or at least really, really good.

Trip to CO

Last year we bought a duplex in CO, because the prices there were much better than here in California. The down side is that I only have one person willing to help me there, my sister E. I'm lucky to have her help, tho.

Well, the day I've been dreading is here, and the long term tenant in the older (not renovated) side of the duplex got so old that her kids decided it was safer for her to be somewhere else.

So I sucked it up and flew out there for a short week to see what I could accomplish. Luckily my whole family pitched in ("painting party") plus I rented a few teenagers, so we got everything painted over the weekend. The rest of the time I was finishing the trim, staining and sealing, and arranging for new flooring, new countertops, etc. Like I can afford it, right? But what can you do...

It was really nice to have a short visit with people and feel the support of my family. As I said, my sister E has really helped me, but she has issues within the family that make it a touchy situation. In my opinion, most of her problems boil down to anger management, but my other sister, the Social Worker, maintains that she has deeper problems than that.

E is the youngest of four girls: I am the oldest. Historically, I have been the protector in the family, mainly protecting E from my sister the Social Worker, who I viewed as abusive toward her. Now the tables have turned, and E is the one who everyone views as abusive. But I remain the one in the family who is most positive with her (it helps that I live far away), and her help with my duplex has been positive for her as well, as it is something she is good at.

Well, the day we were all to go up and paint, E went "on the warpath", and woke me up with her constant calling. She was having a fight with my Mom, and she kept calling and calling. Not "normal" behavior. I picked up once and tried to tell her she was disturbing everyone, but she told me to mind my own business and I ended up hanging up on her too.

The next night, after dinner, E fell down the stairs and broke her foot! It was all very dramatic, as we were all ticked off at her, and she fell down the stairs! She was crying and yelling, "Someone take me to the hospital! I've broken my foot!" The dog ran downstairs and tried to lick it, then started barking at her. So I tried to keep the dog and my Dad away from the stairs. My sister M, who is almost a nurse, wrapped E's leg in a magazine and Mom taped it with packing tape, and somehow they got E up the stairs and out the door.

So my poor Mom had to go to the ER, after a long day painting and then cooking dinner and doing the dishes. I asked why M had used a magazine as a splint - did she want them to have something to read? She said she'd seen a boy scout do it before.

I turned out that E's foot was indeed badly broken, which she took as a "wake up call" that she should be nicer to everyone. Let's see how long THAT lasts! And, btw, the ER people LOVED the magazine splint, and called it one of the best they'd ever seen!

That was the most exciting part of my trip. The rest was work. And driving. I forget that since my parents live in South Denver, I need to drive an hour to get north of Denver, where the duplex is.

I also made it up to the mountains to deliver presents to my in-laws, who were just back from France and very tired. I stopped by to see J, who earlier this year was diagnosed with colon cancer. Luckily, it turned out to NOT be cancer, but he still had to have his entire colon removed. So he was home in a sweatsuit, wearing a santa hat on his head. He ended up having to tow my car out of his driveway, which was icy.

So the picture I have in my head that symbolizes this Christmas to me, is the vision of J in his Santa hat towing me out of his driveway.

Holiday Party

It's also the time of year for work holiday parties. It's one of the only perks we still get, and I've been looking forward to it. All my work projects fell apart early in the week, tho, and I haven't felt like going in to work all week. So I didn't.

But I went to the party. It was at Red, White, and Blues in Pasadena. I got a drink (everyone was drinking Pom Poms - a drink with pomogranate juice!) and wandered around talking to my friends -blah, blah, blah, la, la, la. Then we sat down to eat. The food was SO excellent - pumpkin ravioli that tasted very holidayish. It tasted a bit like pumpkin pie, nutmeg, cream, and even anise. It was sprinkled with lots of pistachios. Very delicious.

I was enjoying myself, but noticed that the receptionist, who was sitting near me, appeared to be unhappy. "What's wrong, Pat? Why don't you look happy?" I asked her. She just shrugged and poked glumly at her ravioli. She said, "Because I'm not drinking." "Well then, drink!" someone told her.

After awhile, I started asking where Vanessa, the marketing coordinator, was. Everyone turned to me in surprise. "Weren't you at Monday's meeting?" they all asked. No, I can't go to those anymore because I'm somewhere else on Mondays (the computer teacher job.) "Vanessa's gone! The Boss is gone too! Didn't you know?"

No, I heard nothing about it! How drastic! Vanessa was gone the very next day! She didn't even come to the party, which I think is terrible. She should definitely have been invited. I heard they hooked her up with a new job, but still. And my Boss is going back into sales. What?

It seems a manager from another office will manage two offices now, and the Boss will go work in another office. Also, they're going to somehow get by with one receptionist for both offices.

So that's why the receptionist was so glum.

This is very drastic, and has the smell of cutbacks about it. This makes me worry for the fate of the office, as this might be the first step in shutting it down. And who else will lose their jobs because of this?

Well, I guess I won't have to worry about what to do about my Boss anymore...

Hopefully.

At least I had a delicious lunch and two Pom Poms.

That time of year

This is the time of year that mailboxes explode. Today I came home from the store to find this on my doorstep! It's HUGE! Heavy too.

As for my Computer Class job, it's going OK. I've noticed that the school goes thru quite a few teachers. The middle school is on their 3rd teacher so far this year (I think this one will stay.) My little friend who thought I was beautiful is gone, but other kids hug me sometimes. I've had to get stricter for various reasons, but they've seemed to take it OK.

K suggested I try to work more hours there, since it pays well. But I had a nightmare recently that they asked me to start substituting for a teacher that didn't show up one day. I don't think I would like that. 2 days a week I can take.

The Boy got hurt in practice, so is taking a few weeks off from playing with his team. We're still waiting for the results of the MRI. He usually gets hurt every year (broken wrist, stitches), so we're thinking he got it out of the way early this year. One boy got kicked off the team, and his parents are heartbroken. These boys have played together at least 7 years now and the families are fairly close. so a lot of us are sad.

Talking to the mother, I've really come to understand that playing with this coach has killed all the joy of basketball for my son, and her son too. Now I understand that The Boy's been unhappy about favoritism and the unfairness of the coaches mood. I think I understand now how insecure the coach must be, to treat his players like this.

It's very punishment oriented. If a player makes a "mistake" on the court, he's immediately yanked and yelled at. Except if he's a favorite. This does not help a player's confidence. This year some of the seniors aren't starting, because he's trying to groom players for next year. It's like he doesn't care if they have a good senior year or not.

I know that sounds naive, but it's not like they've been winning so much. I've always looked to coaches to nurture my boy, to guide him and help shape him, not tear him down. Is it so wrong to let the Seniors have a good year?

Anyway, the Girl's soccer season is over, but they still practice and will play some tournaments. She's practicing for basketball right now, but that season won't start until January. She works very hard on her homework, but it takes her forever to write something. This is because every time she writes a new sentence, she'll read it over from the beginning to make sure the new sentence sounds right. I can only hope she gets over this someday.

Thanksgiving 2007

For some reason, I wasn't looking forward to Thanksgiving much this year. Because of The Boy's basketball season, we haven't been able to visit family during the holidays for about 3 or 4 years now. And we don't know anyone without family out here, so we don't invite anyone extra. Just our little family. Last year I felt a little sad.

So I decided I'd make all new recipes this year. Try something new. But every time I saw something good on the TV Food Network, I couldn't find the recipe online. Or, it turned out to be soup. People, I made pumpkin (or squash) soup for my entire family one year, and no one was into it. I guess I was ahead of my time.

Turns out, I LIKE all of our usual recipes. So I asked K if we couldn't cut something out this year, because it seems like SO MANY dishes! Since we're having mashed potatoes, can we cut out stuffing? Turns out, no, the family really likes ALL those dishes. Plus, some of them I only make once a year.

I was not feeling well on Wednesday, but I gathered up the energy to get up and make the Cranberry salsa and the stuffing ahead of time.

The next day was Thursday, Thanksgiving. K came home from work around 3pm, but the Boy had to work until 6:30, so we decided to wait and have dinner with him when he got home. This gave me ALL DAY to make the rest of the food. I liked that. I made the two casseroles during the day - this year I made it seem easy.

The turkey gave me some trouble, as it hadn't defrosted in the 4 days it had been in the refrigerator. It's hard to know this ahead of time, but luckily, it wasn't the first time this has happened to me. I soaked it in cold water until it defrosted. I like to cook turkey in one of those plastic cooking bags. I put 2-3 heads of garlic, separated, underneath it, and pour a cup or 2 of wine on top of it. Then I close up the bag and pop that sucker into the oven!

It smells SO GOOD when that turkey is cooking!

We had:
Cranberry salsa
Stuffing
Turkey
broccoli/cheese casserole
sweet potato casserole
mashed potatoes
gravy
roasted garlic
crescent rolls

YUM!!

When the turkey was done, I took it out (to rest) and popped the casseroles (including stuffing, which I don't actually stuff into the bird because I like it crunchy.) When you're the cook, you get to decide things like that.

The Girl made the mashed potatoes and set the table, which was very helpful. I made the gravy and the rolls right before we ate. This gravy, flavored with the roasted garlic (and wine) drippings, is SO good (IMHO).

We gave thanks for:

The Boy: That he's not living on the streets on Thanksgiving. And for his good looks and charming personality. (yes, he really said that)

Me: All of our health (usually it's indoor plumbing)

The Girl: Her family, soccer, and TV

K - The family, and water (because we're 75% water) -huh?

It was a truly nice meal, and I was thankful to have us all together for dinner, which seldom happens anymore.

Nice beginning, sucky ending

K's parents came out for a short visit. We took them to a few new places - Portos in Burbank, which they LOVED!!! There are so many fantastic pastries and cakes and sandwiches - all for reasonable prices. And also La Cabanita in Montrose, which has that fabulous carrot soup that doesn't taste like carrots. And excellent mole sauce. They liked that too.

We had a very nice visit up until about 5 minutes before they left. That's when his mom mentioned that his sister who lives in the same town as them, has her house back up for sale. This only affects us in that if they wanted to, they can arrange it so I get a referral fee - a small percentage of the sale. It's kindof hard to understand how or why someone would do this, but K went through a lot of trouble to explain it to his family. Plus his other sister did it for us, it's just that his OTHER sister has decided she doesn't want to. For whatever reason, she just doesn't want to.

Anyway, it's not that much money, but every little bit would help right now. And it's kindof hard to understand why a family member wouldn't help you out. Especially if it's no money out of their own pockets. Especially since she keeps telling us how much she loves us.

We thought it was a mistake the first time, that she would fix if she put her house on the market again. So anyway, we were speechless. I kept looking at K, he kept looking at me, then we'd turn and stare at his mother. At this point, she started babbling to fill the space, altho she didn't really look at us after that.

Then they left and we were pissed. I just feel like "whatever", and I can laugh it off. K can't laugh it off so easily, partly because he knows how hard I work and how seldom I get paid. Partly because we could use the money - it's Christmastime! It's his family! But I'm just trying to have compassion for her, that she can't make a better decision than that. Plus it doesn't look like their house is going to sell any time in the near future, for a variety of reasons.

So we had a nice visit with K's parents, it just ended on a bitter note.

While they were here, the Girl's soccer team played a tough game that sealed the deal for their team to win first in their League's bracket. That was exciting for everyone. Then last Saturday they had to play one more game to finish the season, and luckily they won that one too. We took them out for a team meal, and one parent brought a cake to celebrate.

Too bad we didn't have a little longer to celebrate. For some reason, the league had a tournament that started the next day, Sunday (yesterday). So we had to get up early for an early game against a tough team that gave us a lot of trouble. Before we knew it, they scored twice! In the second half, the coach put the Girl up front, and she just dribbled around everyone and scored! She almost did it twice more, but almost did not win the game. But it was exciting because the Girl looked so good. She is spectacular.

Then we had a second game at 2pm against a team that we suspected would not be too tough. WRONG! They tied the first team we played 0-0. Our team fought and fought, but after awhile they seemed to lose steam. After halftime they scored a third goal against our 0. The Girl got so frustrated that she asked to come out of the game and was basically crying. She told me, "They're not trying!" about her team. I argued that they were doing their best, and she said, "No, their not!." And they certainly weren't playing their best, so I didn't know what to say.

On the way home I said everything I could think of to cheer her up, but she was too upset. We went from the highest of highs to a new low point. It seemed like a sad and anticlimatic way to end a weekend that started out so well.

I wish I could protect her, but losing is part of sports. It's part of the drama.

You can't win them all.

Halloween and soccer

Halloween was anticlimatic this year. At the last minute, the Girl said she wanted to go with her friend who was Trick or Treating at her Grandparents house. Evidently they close down the whole street for the event.

Of course the Boy was off with his friends, so I said I'd just stay home and give out candy. This was the first year I didn't go with The Girl. The first year since I can remember that I didn't go with either child.

But that's OK, I stayed home to give out candy. The only thing was, only about 3 sets of people came by! So I gave everyone a good handful and was done with it.

Later I had to go pick up The Girl at her friend's grandparent's house. Holy Moley! The main street to get there was filled in the median with parked cars. I drove to the top and was able to park, and I walked over to the street in question. It was PACKED! This is a residential neighborhood. What happened to people trick or treating in their OWN neighborhoods?

The friend's mom said that her parents had 2,500 pieces of candy, but there were so many people that they were giving it out one at a time. And they ran out of candy, so finally had to shut their door and turn off the lights!

I don't see the advantage for the kids, if you're only getting one piece of candy at every home. But I hear the homes there are really done up for this holiday, so maybe that makes it worth it.
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Over the weekend, the Girl's soccer team had another game. They're doing really well this year, and have only lost 2 games all season. No ties. 8 wins. But the team last weekend was no joke, and I was nervous the entire game!

Even tho her team scored quickly - on about the second play! Then, the Girl, from defense, kicked a ball that flew high into the air and right into the goal! Then the coach put her up front for a little bit, and she scored again!

I keep complaining that the coach doesn't put her up front enough, but this should keep me quiet for awhile. As long as she gets the chance to score now and then I'll be happy.

Next week my in-laws will be visiting, and the team will be playing the toughest other team in our bracket. They beat her team last time, and they'll be looking for revenge! That team is very tough on defense, but they haven't won as many games as our team.

The in-laws just arrived, so hopefully we'll go eat something yummy!

Scary Time

Last Sunday I went in to work, and a guy was there that I know. He was saying that he was having trouble getting used to the time change!

What? I told him I didn't think it had changed yet. He insisted that it had, but no, I'd already gone to a 9:30 game that morning, and I hadn't been late, and I hadn't changed my clocks either. I checked my phone, and he said, "Verizon hasn't changed it yet."

Well I KNEW that was wrong, because I pretty much depend on my phone's time, and it's as right as can be! So I looked online, and sure enough, found that Congress had changed the day (which I knew) to Nov 4th! (which I didn't know)

Later I realized why he thought that the time had changed. When I talked to him, he was on a computer. All week the computer times have been wrong! Because nobody told the computers that Congress had changed the day, so the computers went ahead and changed the time on the usual day.

It's kind of funny, because when I teach the computer class, I look at the computer's time a lot so I can keep on schedule.

It's been wrong all week!!!

Argh!!!!

Hey, where's my dog?

Maybe those shelters were right about me...

A Pet Tale

I can definitely sympathize with Ellen the Generous. Some of these adoption places go overboard, in my opinion. I know they're just trying to do a good job, but sometimes they can make things very difficult. We had quite a few surprises when we tried to adopt a dog.

We started off at the nicest shelter near us, Pasadena, because someone told us they had cute animals there. My kids had been lobbying for a dog for a long time, and altho my husband had finally given in, he really wanted nothing to do with the dog. We'd had a bad experience with a big dog once before, so we compromised by looking for a little dog this time.

So we started in Pasadena, and my son found a cute Datchund he liked. So we went into our interview, and were immediately told that small dogs don't do well with children, so we should get a Labrador. Um, did she even HEAR the part about us looking for a SMALL dog? It wasn't clear that she was going to LET us even try to adopt the dog we'd picked out, but we continued with the interview process. Was our yard fenced? Well, not yet, but will be very soon.
-Is it, or not? Oh, yes, yes, it's fenced.
-Are your cats neutered? Well one is for sure, the second I'm not sure.
-Is it, or not? Oh, yes, yes! They're both neutered!

She told us that first the dog had to clear the waiting period, then the first person on the waiting list gets their crack at adopting the pet. First they have to interact with it, and if that doesn't go well, you can't have it. If it DOES go well, then the dog undergoes further testing to make sure it's adoptable. Excuse me, shouldn't that be done FIRST? Why get people's hopes up if the dog's not adoptable?

Anyway, this dog already had a waiting list, and the first person on it had a positive interaction with it, so we moved on.

Next we visited the Glendale animal shelter, where we'd successfully adopted our youngest cat a few years earlier. I hadn't realized this, but in that time the shelter went from being government-funded to privately-funded and no-kill. Maybe that explains why so many dogs there seemed mean - like they were really picked-over and only the snarling ones remained. Lots of pit bulls. We still found one that was fairly cute, so we went to the office where we were told we'd have to take a class in pet care first. Also, since it's privately funded and no-kill, it cost about $200 to adopt a pet there!

Wow! For that kind of money we could have gone to the pet store! Or maybe a breeder. Luckily they had a sheet there with the names and locations of all the other shelters in the area.

My children pressed me onward, so next we went to the Burbank animal shelter. There we saw a dog my son liked (it could lick it's own eye!), but we had to wait for it to clear its waiting period. On the day it cleared, you had to show up right when the shelter opened to hopefully be the first one there to adopt it. If more than one person showed up, then it went to a lottery system. Also we'd need to bring in the whole family (including pets) to make sure we all got along before we went home.

K was having none of that. No way was he going to the shelter, as he didn't even WANT a dog! And take our cats? We'd have to catch them first. And frankly, we're afraid of the oldest one. I can't imagine he'd take kindly to such a visit.

So, having to wait for that dog anyway, the kids lobbied to go to one more shelter. So finally we went to the dregs-of-LA, under-the-freeway animal shelter (actually the same North LA shelter that Heather ended up at). The no-questions-asked shelter (except for, "Do you want it?" and, "Can you afford the $75 adoption fee?"). The kind of shelter that unfortunately DOES have to kill the unadopted pets.

There, I'm happy to say, we found the cutest dog of all. I stuck my fingers in the cage to see how nice it was, and it gave me a friendly nibble. The kind of dog that knows how to not bite hard! We were told that it would clear its waiting period the next day, and we should try to be the first ones there. If more than one person showed up to adopt the same pet, it went into an auction-type situation where the person willing to pay the most got the pet.

Well, the dog we liked came available the very next day. The Boy was so excited I think he even set his own alarm to wake up early, so we could get there when the shelter opened. I think it was 8am. Somehow we got down there very early, and were the ONLY ones (so far) that wanted "our" dog, and so we got him!

They brought him out to move him, and the kids played with him briefly. After that, an official (dogcatcher?) walked up to me and said that he noticed the Girl moving quickly around the dog, and advised me to watch her and tell her to not make sudden movements around the dog, so that he wouldn't get scared. So even there, they were watching and trying to make sure the dog would work out in our home. But not in an overly bossy way.

Truly, if you really want to save a dog, I say to get it from there. Not only because they make it easier, but you REALLY feel like you're saving an animal there.

I saw a woman outside carrying a pit-bull puppy, and asked her if she got it there. She said no, she was going to drop it off there, but then she found out that the unclaimed dogs get euthanized. I told her to take it to the Glendale Humane Society, as I know they are a no-kill facility.

And I have to say, the dog we got couldn't be any better! (OK, maybe a little less barking...) He's so cute and nice - he was already mostly potty trained. He's a lot like the dog in Garfield though (Ode), pretty clueless when it comes to cats. They gave him a few welcoming swipes, though, so he pretty much steers clear of them now.

ND vs. UCLA

On Friday K called and said he had just found out that Notre Dame was playing at the Rose Bowl against UCLA the next day. His Mom told him he should try to get tickets if he could. He called and there were "plenty" of seats left, he found out, so he bought two for us.

My Dad is a big Notre Dame fan (don't ask me why, but I grew up to his singing of the ND Fight Song), so I told him we were going. He laughed. The team was so bad this year that it took them about 3 games to score an offensive touchdown! They hadn't won a game, and it was their worst season in I don't know how many years. It doesn't help that they play such tough teams, but that's the way it is.

Anyway, if you're a fan, you don't just go to games you think they'll WIN (see last year's game against USC in November.)So my Dad laughed and told me to have a good time anyway.

The Rose Bowl is not that far from us, and we knew at least there would be places to park w/out getting towed!

On Sat, however, I started to doubt the wisdom of going to the game and spending so much money only to get teased by fans of the other team. But I told myself we'd have fun, and we left about 1 hour before game time.

When we got off the highway, we followed the traffic into a residential street that wound it's way to the Rose Bowl. There was a lot of traffic, and it was slow going. Finally we got close, and it was only $10 to park! Yay! Well, after we paid, we followed the path as instructed, and we were being parked on the golf course! Near a sand trap! We went ahead and parked, and tried to look for markers so that we could find our way back. We were parked near a sidewalk, but other than that, there was only a large 8 floating in the air in the general vicinity of our car. I called it "The Ocho." (like in Dodgeball)

We started to walk as fast as we could, but it was about 20 minutes before we even saw the stadium! We missed the kickoff, but only a few minutes of the game.

I'd been to the Rose Bowl before, but not for a game. The colors were impressive, and it was fun seeing the blimp float by. We had seats pretty close to the field (row 13) in the end zone. It was mixed crowd, with mostly ND fans in end zones, but plenty of UCLA fans mixed in. The sides were almost completely blue with UCLA fans. We were sitting right in front of the ND cheerleaders, which was pretty fun, too.

The food was too expensive, though. A kabab with rice cost $10, a soda $4.25, and a water $3.50! I decided to wait and hopefully get nachos and a margarita after the game.

The game started pretty much as expected - UCLA scored first, with a field goal. By halfway through the 3rd quarter, they were tied 6-6 with 2 field goals each. I was pretty happy, as ND wasn't getting creamed, so I even called my Dad to give him the good news. It was so tight that one of ND's kicks actually was low and hit the goal - but luckily bounced the right way - into the goal.

After that, though, the improbable began to happen. ND was able to intercept a pass and pick up a fumble, and next thing you know they acctually scored a touchdown! It was 13-6! Then, somehow they actually scored again! UCLA only had about 5 minutes left, which is a lot of time in football - but luckily ND held them off!

On of the best moments, though, was after a rumor started going around that Stanford was beating USC with about 1 minute left. A few minutes later, they flashed the final score on the big screen, and the whole staduim cheered USC's loss together. It was the one thing both team's fans could agree on. The whole staduim was unanimously happy for a few minutes.

After awhile, though, time started to run out. ND was doing their best to use up clock time, and finally seconds ticked toward the end of the game. ND ran onto the field, and then over to our section to celebrate. The team was jumping up and down and yelling along with the fans. Some players even started throwing arm bands and things into the crowd. We were all so happy together, and that was honestly one of the best times I've ever had. There was just so much joy from the fans and team!

I'd just bought a little gadget for my camera, and I had fun taking lots of pictures of everything. Eventually we started the walk back to our car. We headed in the direction of the Ocho, and we were VERY lucky we even had that marker! It was a REALLY long walk back, and luckily we were able to find our car because it was near a walkway. Then it took about an hour to get out of the parking area. I'm not kidding! We saw an older couple standing and looking for their car, and I felt bad for them. Another time a group of guys came running in front of us, shouting "Victory!" because they'd found their car.

On the way home we stopped at a local Mexican restaurant. We had wondered if they would still be open at 10:30, but it was still going strong. The street was closed for an Octoberfest celebration, so we parked in the back. We ordered Margaritas and nachos and ate chips and toppings to our heart's content.

When we finally got home, it wasn't that late (11:30?), but we were exhausted. That walk really did us in! Our legs were dead tired, and for some reason the next day our shoulders hurt!

Maybe I'm getting too old to have this much fun.

Other things

I forgot to mention:

1 - I got a new camera! Yay! I was torn between the cute 6 mgpxl blue Nikon and paying more for the 7 mgpxl, but someone told me I didn't really need more than 6, and hey, I got it for a VERY good price! ($119 + tax) Blue, my favorite color! Yay!

If there's anything I love more than getting something I want, it's getting it for a very good price.

3 - Then the washing machine quit working. It stopped pumping the water out. Very important, that emptying the water. This is about the 7th major appliance (I'm including the cameras and car) that have gone out on us this year. Why?

4- - Last week when I picked up the class with the cute little boy, he told me, "I like your hair!" and then he exclaimed, "You're beautiful!" Isn't that the sweetest? I reminded him, "We're ALL beautiful!" I guess I've still got it, even if it's only with age-inappropriate males.

5 - I found out that my boss from my "main" job is now sending out questionnaires to our clients after the deal has closed, to evaluate how we did. Very long and detailed questionnaires that even our clients protest about filling out. Our job is hard enough as it is, and he supports us little enough as it is. It's also hard to come out of a transaction having your client feeling completely happy with everything that transpired. Mostly, it's a pet peeve of mine to have a boss that checks up on me. Especially behind my back. It makes me feel like less of a professional. The coworker that told me this knew her client as a friend - so it was embarrassing!

In every job I've ever had, things deteriorate. Things that the company gave me when I started gradually diminish through cut-backs, over-management, or whatever. Bosses change, and are hardly ever better than the previous one. And honestly, I try anew with every one, to not prejudge them and have an open mind to their being a great boss.

I've complained about this boss before. One thing, two things, that's not so bad - but they're starting to really ad up now! So gradually I've been feeling that I should investigate changing companies. If I do, it will be around February.

6 - Day before yesterday The Boy asked to stay home from school, as he had a bad cold. So I let him. That night he asked if I could wake him up at 6am so he could go to basketball practice at 6:30! This early practice is for the JV team, and his going early was his attempt to make up for missing practice for being sick!

This has NEVER happened before - his initiative to a)get up EARLY, and b)try to make his coach happy or improve his game or whatever. Now that we've pulled out of trying to make him do things, it seems he's finally stepping up and showing his old enthusiasm for the game. I hope it continues!

Soccer SunDays

The Girl's soccer season got off to a rough start this year. The first game was away (far away) at 8am, and some of the players couldn't make it. We had the bare minimum of players, and no substitutes. We also had no goalie, as the team hadn't been able to line one up all summer. By the end of the game the girls were really tired, so they ended up losing that game. Plus the girl who played goalie in the second half was really needed out on the field.

The mother of this second girl who played goalie was SO horrified (it's hard to be a goalie's parent), that she got on the phone immediately after the game and called a friend who has a girl this age, and got them to come to our team's pizza party that very day. We told this girl that she could play with us and see if she liked it, but she'd have to sign up for the team THAT DAY! So she did, and now we have a goalie!

The next game we won, scoring the only goal in the entire game.

The next Saturday there was another game scheduled in a town 1 hour from here at 8am. That wouldn't have been SO bad, but it rained like crazy all night! At 5am we were calling Coach to make sure we had to get up and drive, and we couldn't believe it, but he said the game was on!

They played in drizzle, but seemed OK with that as we parents huddled under umbrellas. The other team looked really good and we were looking pretty bad the entire first half. They scored one in the first half, and I thought we were goners. It seemed like we couldn't do anything that we usually do. Even The Girl on defense was having problems.

At halftime I heard Coach yelling at the girls, and I was hoping it wasn't going to be another one of those games where we get up really early and drive a long way to get yelled at by the Coach. But he seemed to get the girls energized, and they came back out with new energy.

In the second half he took The Girl out for a few minutes, then put her back in at midfield. Yay! (we've been wanting her to have the opportunity to play forward more often) On the first play she broke loose and was dribbling upfield with the ball. Three players from the other team converged on her, including the goalie! I remember hearing the coach yell, "There's no goalie!" Well, The Girl went down in a dogpile, but meanwhile, another player from our team went ahead and kicked the ball (which was sitting in front of the goal) into the goal. Yay!

Later, the Girl crossed the ball in front of the goal, and another teammate kicked it in. Yay! So they ended up winning 2-1. The second half was completely different, and we looked like the better team, managing to keep the pressure on the other team's goal for most of the second half.

Everyone was so happy that we took the girls out to breakfast afterward.

Yesterday's game was very similar, with coach putting The Girl forward for maybe a quarter of the game, helping the team to score 3 goals within about 10 minutes.

We are very happy, as we'd been lobbying the coach to allow her to score more this year. And of course it's more fun to win. So right now her team is #1 in the standings with a 3-1 record. Wow!

The Girl is in 5th grade this year, and seems to LOVE doing her homework! She comes home and gets on the computer, and does research and writes little papers for hours! I hope she stays this motivated in the years to come. She's got so much energy, that my challenge will be to keep it focused in a good direction.

I think The Boy is getting ready to grow again. He's already around 6'4". The other day I had some steaks in the refrigerator that I had to cook even though the Husband wasn't home to help eat them. Well, the Boy ate 3 of them that very night! I had to hide the 2 remaining, or he would have eaten them too! He took one for lunch the next day.

Well, at least the rest of us got to eat one or two of them. I think the hardest thing is the running commentary that K provides me almost constantly. The Boy isn't doing this and he should be doing that. People, I can only take so much negativity! I love them all, I just hope we can all make it through the next school year without anybody (me) having a nervous breakdown!

We're all beautiful.

Although we had a pretty nice summer, looking back, it's been difficult too. Not just for us, but for a lot of people we know. I wrote an entry listing all the people we love who died or were diagnosed with cancer this summer, but I decided that it would just depress and scare everyone.

The tough thing is that it keeps getting closer and closer. Last week we found out K's brother in law (the nicest guy in the world besides K) was found to have colon cancer, and he has to wait 3 weeks to see a specialist who can determine if it's spread. Who can wait that long?

Then today we hear K's youngest sister found a lump in her throat. Luckily, we both know people who have successfully "beat" this type of cancer, but still it's scary.

These problems make ours with The Boy pale in comparison, and puts it into perspective. Our lives are not threatened, just changing. Thank God!

We're all just lucky to be alive, that's what I think.

Better news is that I'm doing a little better in my new job. I've learned to lock the door behind the preschoolers so they can't escape, and I've told the older kids that we're not using the internet unless it's a site I've specified is OK. They can play on their parent's computers at home.

On Tuesday I picked up a group of young ones in their classroom, and one little boy came up to me and hugged my leg. I thought that was pretty cute. Then I took them to the computer room, and told them to sit on the floor and not touch anything yet. That same little boy climbed onto a chair and went to push a button, asking, "What does this do?" I said, "Don't touch that!" and another little kid in the room said, "That's Daniel. He's bad!"

I really hate labels like that, thinking they can seep into a child's self esteem and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. So I said, "He's not bad, he's just curious." and the little boy said, "We're ALL beautiful!"

What? From a little boy? I thought that was just SO cute.

So just remember that, if you're ever feeling hard on yourself, we're ALL beautiful.

Tired feet and a headache

Yesterday I came home with tired feet and a headache. I like children a lot, but I saw 12 groups of them a day! All different age groups!

One group of preschoolers included 2 children who were crying. Loudly. I felt like asking them, "Could you please try to cry more quietly, so that the other children can hear me?" But apparently they were under the impression that loudness would help.

One of them stopped after awhile, but one little boy was worked up into a frenzy. He kept crying, "I WANT MY MOMMY!" Finally he handed me a little phone and insisted that I call his mommy. I looked closely at it, and it was a toy. I said, "What's your name?" and he yelled, "I WANT MY MOMMY!" So I took the phone and said, "Hello? Mommy? Your little boy is here and he's crying for you. What? OK, I'll tell him." and I told the boy, "Your mommy says to tell you that she loves you very much, and she'll be here as soon as she can."

That's about all I could do for him. By then end of class, he was finally interested in something enough to stop crying, but on the way back to class the other little cryer tripped and fell and started crying again.

I don't know why my feet hurt so much, I guess I'm not used to standing and walking all day.

Last night I was so tired, but The Girl wanted me to watch her practice gymnastics in the back yard, so I dragged my butt out there to see her. Since I never see my son anymore, I feel I should make the extra effort for my remaining child. It was kindof nice sitting on the porch watching and visiting with her as the day was ending. It's not her fault I'm so old and tired.

Later she asked me if Ellen Winfrey was gay. I said that Oprah Winfrey is not gay (that I know of), but Ellen DeGeneres is. She said, "Is that Ellen's real name?" I said, "Yes, I think so." She responded, "Oh. That's a weird name." I said, "What? DeGeneres?" She said, "Oh, it's DeGeneres? I thought it was Generous." I said, "What? Ellen The Generous? I guess that WOULD be a strange name, like Attila the Hun or Henry the VIII."

Altho Ellen IS generous, I think that Oprah is a little more generous. After all, she's the one that started the whole daily giveaway thing.

Today on Regis and Kelly, Billy Bob T was there to plug his new movie, "Woodcock." He said his dad had been a coach, and Regis asked if any of his dad was in his character in the movie. Billy Bob said, "Oh yeah, Dad had a little Woodcock in him."

Ha.

New job

I got a new job.

Sort of by accident. I saw a job on Craigslist for a computer teacher at a Montessori school in a really nice nearby neighborhood, so I sent in an application. I went in for a second interview, still thinking about it, and next thing I knew the guy was handing me a "new employee packet"! I kindof got it whether I liked it or not. So now I have 2 jobs again.

Of course, I'd rather just have one job. But my main job only brings in money by commission, so I can work a million hours and not get paid. It's feast or famine, and the famine was getting too strong this time. So I'm hoping this little job will help even out the highs and lows of my main job. Plus I have lots of free time, even when I'm "busy" with my main job, so I had some desire to feel more productive.

It's only for Monday and Tuesday, but I only hope I can stick it out. Those are two busy days, let me tell you! After Labor Day there was just the Tuesday, and I came home with my feet hurting. Some of the preschoolers kept trying to run out of the room, and the middle schoolers went online and promptly got viruses on at least 3 computers.

So you can see, I've got my work cut out for me! I was a little traumatized. Plus the kids were using programs that MY kids used to use, and for no good reason it made me melancholy for the days when they were both much younger. I feel things are changing a lot this year, and it's making me miss days gone by when things were more simple.

Tuesday was the first day of school for my kids, too, and we started the week without The Boy. We knew where he was, we just weren't sure how to approach this. Sure, we could have called the police, but we'd had enough drama as it was.

That's another thing I resent. I grew up with WAY too much drama, so I've tried to make our family life more stable. But now I've got drama whether I like it or not. Not fair, I tell you!

So Tuesday afternoon, K called The Boy's girlfriend's father. He told this father exactly what had happened, and the father kindof chuckled. I'm sure it was a different story from what he'd been told by The Boy. He said he'd already had a long talk with The Boy about not wanting to get in between him and his parents, and K said, "Well, you are!" K pointed out that he didn't think the father would appreciate it if he told one of his girls to do something, and they came to our house instead.

So later that afternoon, The Boy called to negotiate his return. It was really silly, because most of the things he wanted he was going to get anyway, as the summer was over and now he's a Senior. He gets more freedom during the week than he had before, but in return he's getting a job to become more responsible and fend for himself.

That's really what we've been trying to accomplish with him anyway. So if he can do it himself, so much the better.

We had already given his cell phone and dog to his sister (he never wanted to take care of the dog anyway), and we're no longer giving him any rides or money. But I'm sure he's come out of this feeling like it's a victory, and that kindof sucks. I'm not too happy with his friend or his girlfriend anymore either, so now they're scared to come around and that's fine with me. I've had it with them.

You can't drive the getaway car and still expect your boyfriend's parents to be happy with you. I also pointed out to him that he can't expect to do this again next time he has a problem with us, as he probably just lost a lot of credibility with his girlfriend's father. I bet he won't be so quick to take him in again. And most parents won't be willing to take a teen in just because he doesn't want to do chores or doesn't like the rules.

He just blew his wad, and now it's gone. What I can't believe is that this girlfriend's parents let her boyfriend come over, spend ALL his time there, and even sleep there - evidently with her! So how do WE come out looking like the bad parents here?

Well, anyway, he's back and he's happier, but we're still angry with him. Especially me, I think. Hopefully someday soon things will even out again. Meanwhile he hasn't been able to find a job yet, and we haven't given him money in over a week.

I also told him that I didn't think it was fair to us to not even TRY to get an athletic scholarship. You may remember that earlier in the year, he refused to get onto a travel team, which is how you get seen by scouts. So it's been a bone of contention ever since. So I told him that his education is now up to him - he can take out loans or try to get a scholarship, but I'd like to remove us from the equation. I want him to try for himself.

At least The Girl still likes us. I'm just hoping to make it through the year,

Brad Pit is headed for trouble

I've had an incredibly frustrating and emotional week. You can stop reading now, if you want to.

It's funny, while my sister was here, I was telling her, "Oh, I don't get that upset anymore." I said this about work, but in general I'm not as touchy as I used to be.

Then my sister R left . The good times were over. no more shopping and copius eating out. I felt like I'd had a friend with me all week, then she was gone! Then nothing seemed as fun.

Then it got really, really hot
-which makes the ants come out
-felt like I was back in Birkham Yoga, but all day

Then my boss let me down and everyone was trying to squeeze me for money - and we all know I've had lots of expenses lately. I felt like everyone had their hand in my pocket, and I got so mad and frustrated I cried. I hate someone telling me I'm wrong when I don't agree. I hate someone making me do something that I don't want to do, even when in the back of my mind I know they can't make me. Maybe I was PMS'ing too.

Then the water heater broke
-and we have to wait a week for the company to fix it that's under the warranty; Luckily we've been so hot we've been happy to take cold showers.

Then The Boy gave us the old tomato. Over Labor Day weekend, he'd wanted to spend ALL his time with his friends and girlfriend, and mostly we let him. But we gave him some money on Thursday for something he agreed to do for the money (work out, I think), but he managed to put it off until Sunday night. Sunday he came back from the beach, took a shower, took a nap, then wanted to go back out. We said no, you need to do what you promised, and he snapped. He ran off to stay at his girlfriend's house, where her parents evidently let him sleep.

He said he's tired of having chores and having to run things by us, so unless we agree to give him total freedom (apparently what his graduated girlfriend gets), he's done with us. He says all his friends get to "hang out" from the time they get up until it's time to go to bed.

We didn't realize that the neighborhood was so brat infested.

Now my heart hurts
K and I are starting new jobs tomorrow
we didn't need this
we didn't deserve this
The Girl didn't deserve this
His dog didn't deserve this

K had planned to go to work that night, but stayed home with me
I was afraid I'd have a panic attack
my emotions so strong
that feeling of emptiness in my chest
yet my heart is beating so fast
can't believe he's doing this to me, to his little sister, to his little dog

torn
don't want him back if everything the same - giving him rides, etc. when he's so unappreciative
can't believe his girlfriend's parents are enabling him to leave home
they even bought him school supplies, he says

he says he's getting a job
that would be good for him

I'm really confused about what to do now
Option 1 -put pressure on him to return (but he's been SUCH a pain in the ass!)
Option 2 - wait until his girlfriend goes to college and her family gets tired of his being there without her

Everything now seems to remind me of when he was a boy, and he loved and valued us, and that hurts. but it seems normal that he has to break away at some point, and so he's turned against us.

But now I remember all the love and attention I gave to him so willingly, and I wonder why. why did I do all that?

It's just so hard sometimes, that I think I can't do it anymore.

I have to go thru all his old stuff now - he'd started changing rooms before he left
I get to pack up all his youthful collections and remember when he was a nice boy.

But I guess I don't have to do it right now.

Sure, Brad Pitt thinks the kids are cute NOW. Wait until he's got 5 teenagers to deal with.

The Old Tomato

My Sister "R" came for a visit last week. Another soccer team had asked The Girl to play with them in Santa Barbara that weekend, and I forgot it was the same weekend that R was coming! But K took The Girl up on Sat while I went to get my sister at LAX.

I took R to Venice Beach where we got something to eat, and I bought a few Christmas presents. I try to buy them when I see them all year, and that makes the holiday crunch a little easier.

When K and the Girl got back from Santa Barbara, K was telling us how well The Girl played, and how the ref was being really hard on her team. The Girl said, "Yeah, I even heard him tell one girl, 'Don't make me give you an old tomato.'"

After we finished laughing, we informed her that the ref was probably referring to an "ultimatum", which in the end is probably just as bad as an old tomato. But all week we kept saying, "Don't make me give you the old tomato!"

The next day we ALL went to Santa Barbara to see the Girl play. The Boy and his girlfriend went too, which was nice even tho they mostly spoke only to each other. The Girl was put into a midfield position, and scored the team's only 2 goals of the weekend!

This of course made me wish she could be on THAT team instead. They're too far away from us - otherwise you know I'd be considering it. I get frustrated that The Girl never gets to play forward on her own team, frustrated that it's only because the other girls aren't good enough. That doesn't seem fair to my daughter, that every new player tries out in the forward positions.

Anyway, we took her out to eat at Chili's as a treat for her. I noticed that the Boy's Girlfriend ordered a dish with shrimp. Me, I was raised to never order anything very expensive when someone else was paying. Was it consideration, or guilt? I guess kids these days aren't taught that, but then I also know that her parents take The Boy out sometimes too. Anyway, she and the Boy cuddled the whole way home. Later I heard that they had a fight when we got back, because the Girlfriend said the Boy doesn't pay enough attention to her.

What? Is 98% of all his time not enough?

I don't get it.

Vegas Vacation 07

We took off to Vegas for a few nights - the only family vacation we're taking this year unless you count going to Stockton for a basketball tournament.

Things were kind of not going our way the whole trip, but we mostly didn't mind and had a good time anyway. First, we drove by way of the only Long John Silver's Fish and Chips place we know - in Bakersfield. It's a tradition for us to go there on our way to Vegas, and every year I take a picture of the kids with their pirate hats on. Well, guess what, this year we drive there, and it's gone! Sure, they're rebuilding something there, but will it be a Long John Silver's? We were disappointed, but bought food at Taco Bell instead.

We got to Vegas in good time, and made our way to the Flamingo. It's unbelievable how much building is still going on there! Now I think they're building time-share condos as well as new casinos. There's a new one called Planet Hollywood (altho the restaurant is at Cesar's palace), and Platinum.

Anyway, we got to our room, and it just wasn't as clean as we are used to. There were little hairs on the floor in the bathroom! We don't need anyone else's little hairs, we have enough of our own! It creeped me out. So I asked housekeeping to sweep it for us, and I have to say that they came and did it right away.

There were other little things about the room, too. I opened up the book that has stationary in it, and there was a phone number written on the sheet! They hadn't checked it or changed it. K said we should call the number and ask them to get their hairs out of the bathroom! Also, a few of the pillowcases looked inside-out, and when I opened the ice bucket, it still had water at the bottom from someone else. Just little things that weren't right.

Next we headed down to the pool. The kids took off for the water slide, and we sat down, only to be informed that the pool was closing in 5 minutes! At 6:00! Evidently a "private party" was being held there, and ALL the other guests had to go! Well, half the reason we like the Flamingo is because of the pool, so we weren't real happy about that. The kids got wet on one trip down the slide, and that was it!

So we trudged back to the room, showered and dried off. We debated what to do about dinner. The housekeeper said the Flamingo's buffet was really good and about $19.99 each, which sounded like a lot to me. The Boy wanted to do one non-buffet meal, so we decided to walk over to Caesar's Forum and eat at Planet Hollywood. That sounded like about half the price of that buffet per-person, so that was fine with me.

When you walk outside, you're hit with a wall of heat that's unexpected after the cold air conditioning inside. We walked in through the end of the Forum, which we've never done before, because it looked closest to Planet Hollywood. I was taking lots of pictures, as I've been known to do, but when I went to take a picture of the "Playboy" store, my camera suddenly developed a "zoom error" that will not go away! I wasn't even using the zoom! Was my camera a feminist? So now my camera won't do much of anything, except maybe I can get the pictures off of it. This was an unexpected loss, and the only thing that bums me out about this trip. We all know how much I love unexpected expenses.

After dinner, we walked around Planet Hollywood looking at all the movie props, and the Girl was scared of the Werewolf costume. Then we went into the mall to find FAO Schwartz for The Girl. We all could pick one thing to do on the trip, and The Girl LOVES this store. It's probably the biggest toy store we've ever been in. We don't buy much there, but it's fun to look.

After the mall, we walked back to the room and just wanted to stay there. We adults made some cocktails, The Boy was reading Harry Potter, and The Girl watched TV until she went to bed. That night no one felt comfortable sleeping with The Boy, so three of us crowded into one bed, and that was not a very comfortable night. The Girl kept scooting backwards into me, and making cranky noises in her sleep. I was stuck in the middle most of the night, which made it a real production to roll over.

The next morning I had to make some calls for work, then we made our way to the Paris buffet - MY one thing I love to do in Vegas. We arrived too late for breakfast, though, and I was considering bailing out and coming back the next morning. No one else liked that idea, though, because they were really hungry. So we waited in line, and I was glad we did. Lunch was delicious there too, with a beef Burgundy dish that I especially loved.

Our friend Schlow found us there. He was in town for business, so it was hard to get together. It was really nice of him to stop by and find us, even if we only saw him for about 10 minutes. He lives in Connecticut, so we rarely see him these days.

We went back to the Flamingo, bought a disposable camera, and went to the pool for most of the afternoon. The kids disappeared onto the water slide, and K sat by me while I read. They played some good songs out there, and when they played Amy Weinhouse's "They try to make me go to rehab, I say no, no, no" it seemed to strike a cord with a lot of people drinking in and by the pool, because I heard lots of singing along to "no, no, no."

I was lucky to find a chair (at all!) that was somewhat in the shade. Nearby were some chairs that had towels on them, but they were soaked from the misters located on the nearby palm trees. One guy tried to turn off the mister that kept spraying his back, and finally put a towel over it. This caused all the other misters to mist overtime, and every time the wind shifted I had to hide my library book under a towel.

Late in the afternoon we went back to the room, showered and changed clothes. Then we headed out for "Downtown" Las Vegas. I think it had been awhile since the kids were there, and they didn't even remember it. Downtown is covered, and at night they sometimes do light shows on it. We found a very cheap buffet there - at Union Station ($7.77), and it was indeed very basic. The family loved it - mashed potatoes is their only requirement.

When we came out, there was some entertainment going on. There was a motorcycle driving around in a metal ball, and some gymnasts throwing a girl WAY into the air and catching her on a little board. We were full, which made us tired, so we headed back to the room.

Since the boy was engrossed in his book and up for babysitting, K and I decided to gamble for the first time in I don't know how many years. First of all, when did they quit using coins? I headed out with my quarters, and none of the slot machines take coins anymore! They have slots for dollars and for cards, but no coins.

We wandered to a casino next door, where K spotted a $1 margarita sign. So he went off and came back with 4 small margaritas. I sat at the bar and played the poker machine there, until a spot opened up at the $5 blackjack table behind us. So I turned over the poker machine to K, and went to the blackjack table with $20.

The dealer gave me some chips and I started to play, and actually was winning more than losing. So I doubled my bet, (to $10!) which made me so nervous that I accidentally stayed on 11 instead of hitting, which I thought I did. So when she turned the cards over, the dealer was confused too (I think I DID hit), and after that she kept looking at me funny. I felt like she was judging me, so she didn't get a tip.

The whole thing is a little nerve-wracking, especially since I hadn't done it in a long time and people at the tables expect you to know what you're doing and you have to add the cards up really fast and make a decision. Whew! Every time I doubled my bet I got more nervous too. K and I are not really gamblers, and if we lose $20 we're likely to get sad.

After awhile a seat opened up next to me, and the guy walked away saying he'd just lost $100. K took his seat and played next to me, and promptly lost $20. I guess I should have warned him that that was an unlucky seat. I more than doubled my money, and then got even more nervous, so I decided to quit. I tipped the new dealer, since she hadn't judged me, and we walked back to the room.

Between the two of us, we evened each other out and came out about $1 ahead. Wo-wee! That night K slept with The Boy, so the Girl and I had the other bed to ourselves. Everyone (except the Boy) slept a lot better that night.

The next day we ate at Denny's on our way home, and hit traffic on a Friday!

Unfortunately, I am down a camera now. I'll update with pictures when my disposable camera gets developed.

Doctor visit

I went to see the doctor on Monday, to remove a wart on my finger. Gross, I know. I'd had it removed before - they just sprayed it with the stuff that instantly freezes things, and put a bandaid on it. They said at the time it might grow back, though, because it's by a joint on my finger.

So I arrived at the facility in Hollywood barely on time, and I parked in a big shopping center parking lot that's right next door. At times they've had a guy policing the parking lot for people like me, but that day I didn't see anyone. Yay! I parked and went into the building, where I saw a sign saying not to park in the parking lot next door, as they might TOW YOUR CAR AWAY!

Those of you who've known me (or my blog) for awhile might remember that last Thanksgiving we had soul-twisting experience that is "towing your car away", and since then I've been terrified of repeating it.

So, what should I do? I asked the security guard in the lobby if the sign was true, but she claimed to not know anything about it. Plus, I was late for my appointment, so I hurried inside and hoped that the procedure would be fast.

I checked in at the front desk, then again at the nurses station, and was actually called in very quickly. I explained to the nurse that I was worried about my car, and she said that this doctor (nurse practitioner, actually) was fast. She put me into a room to wait, which overlooked the parking lot and I could see my car!

This made me feel a little better at first, but then I started imagining that every man who walked by was getting my license plate number, and this made me even more nervous.

Then the male nurse walked in, and took a look at my finger. I told him its history, and he said, "Well, I'm not sure that's a wart." as he peered at it through a microscope device. "Then what is it?" I asked, but he didn't answer. Then he announced that he'd take care of it, and I asked, "Oh, are you going to spray it with that freezing stuff?" and he said, "No, I'm going to cut it open and dig it out."

What???

"Well, that sounds just terrible!" I informed him. Then I asked, "Do you think I should move my car?"

He asked why, and I told him. Then he surprised me by saying, "Yes, you'd better go move your car." "Really?" I asked. "Yes," he said with some authority, "you'd better go move it." He said he thinks that the shopping center people have a deal with the towing company for kickbacks, and I think most places that tow are like that.

So I escaped the building and moved my car. As I was moving it, I called K and told him about the doctor visit. "Do you think I should just leave?" I asked him. It was really tempting, and it wouldn't be the first time, either. K asked why, and I told him that I just wasn't prepared for him to "cut it open and dig it out." Someone needs to be prepared for something like that, and I didn't gear myself up for "surgery", just a little freezing. I reminded him that I'd nearly passed out just looking at an X-ray before.

He said, "No, honey, you're already there. Just go let him do it." So I said OK, and bravely went back inside. I had to wait a little while for the Nurse to come back, but not too long. When he came back I told him that I just couldn't look at it, so I pulled a book from my purse and determinedly focused on reading it. He probably thought I looked a little silly, reading a book while someone "operates" on her finger, but I know if I looked at it, it would be a big deal involving smelling salts and lying down.

K was proud of me, being so brave.

Before I went home, I stopped by Children's Hospital, which is only about a block away. KK was there again with her little boy, frustrated because they couldn't go home. After the boy's chemo, he had a fever, so they wouldn't let him go home until it got better. Then, he got a microbacterial something in his "line", and they took it out and were waiting for him to have a clean blood screen for an entire day. Meanwhile, she won't go home and leave him alone, so she'd been there with him for over a week this time.

I guess bravery is in the eyes of the beholder.

Pop Media Notes

Zach Efron
was on the view yesterday. Chelsea Handler did the intro, holding a big pillow with a big picture of his face on it, and a Ken-like doll. After he'd greeted everyone and sat down, he gestured toward the pillow and said, "Great! Now you ladies can sit on me whenever you want." Then he seemed to realize that that sounded a little risque', so he tried to recover with, "Or, you can play with the doll." Was that better?

I think HE's a doll.


Harry Potter
No spoilers here, but I just want to say the this last book in the series was the BEST! It's the best of all the books, with maybe the exception of the first. That was exciting too. But #7? Great battle scenes. Epic and sad, too, because in war people die. The author never lets you forget that.

Running with Scissors
This movie was not as funny as I'd hoped. Mostly I thought it was sad that children are subject to the actions of adults who are idiots. Children have no power, and I find it extremely sad that some are born into bad situations.

Smoking Aces
Too gory for me. The story was OK and I liked Jeremy Piven's acting. Also Alicia Keys was really good. But so many people die. I can't beleive my son saw it 3 times and loves it!

The Sopranos
I never weighed in on the Sopranos finale, but I'd like to say that I thought it was perfect. It was like everyone was thinking, "OK, is it really over now? Is it really going to be ok, or do I need to watch out at all times?" And then, blackness. The end. Because that's what it's like, that's what they're lives will always be - watching over their shoulders. I guess if the story had a beginning and an ending, it would be the start and end of his therapy.

OJ's Book
Ever since OJ bumped into me at the Prince concert (see March 07), I've been peripherally interested in him again. I heard them say on "The View" that his book was online, so I searched and found it. (http://static.scribd.com/docs/6jm9e5b451zeu.swf) I had a few hours to kill (ha!), so I read the whole thing. I think it should be called "WHY I did it" instead of "How I did it" (if I did). The book is very, very detailed about their relationship. How they met, how they got married, how they had children... on and on about everything. But when it gets to "The Night in Question" suddenly everything goes blank and then everything is bloody and his friend is saying, "What did you do?"

That's another interesting thing. Supposedly an aquaintance/friend comes over to see OJ that night, with some gossip that Nicole was fooling around in Cabo after OJ left. I think the timing of that is critical, because when they were in Cabo, they were supposedly getting back together. OJ was feeling optimistic then, but changed his mind later. So hearing that she did that at the very time he was "trying", I think that put him over the edge.

Also, if it was true, how do you think that friend felt when it was all over? He goes over there with some news and two people end up dead? Wow. That's a lot of consequence.

Oddly, though, I wasn't more angry with OJ after reading this book. Even tho he goes back to claiming he was "100% Not Guilty" - which is confusing when he'd previously said he did it. I felt more compassion for him after reading it, but more convinced than ever that he did it. Why would anyone write a book like that if they didn't?

No Soccer Practice

Yesterday I tried to take The Girl to soccer practice, as usual on Tuesdays. When I got off the highway onto the canyon road I usually take, I came upon 2 big firetrucks blocking the lane, with cars lined up on both sides of the fire trucks. There was a guy standing in front waving his arms in front of his head, but I didn't know what that meant. Come and help, or go back? I copied the guy ahead of me and turned around to go back.

So I got back onto the highway to go the OTHER way, and before I'd gone far, the road started feeling really funny. I was thinking, "Wha...?", but when it didn't stop, I knew I had to pull to the side. I leaned across the car, opened the passenger door and looked at the tires. Sure enough, the rear tire was toast. I was on a fairly roomy shoulder of the highway, but didn't want to risk driving on the rims to the nearest exit.

Just what I needed, right? Another 3-digit expense, just pile that on top of all the others. Have I ever mentioned that just about everything on my car is seriously expensive?

So anyway, no soccer practice I guess. Someone REALLY didn't want us to go! I called AAA, but they had trouble finding me (possibly because I gave bad directions, but we won't talk about that). Finally a guy showed up from the MTA, whose job it is to drive around and look for people in trouble I guess! For free! I always wondered who we were supposed to call from the highway phones - someone at home I'd guessed.

Anyway, this man was an angel and changed my tire and then we came home.

Whew!

------------------HP
I bought Harry Potter for the full price, not realizing it was $20 at Ralphs! I guess I'm helping support the independent bookstore with my extra $15. I'll admit I peeked at the end, so now I feel comfortable in letting the story unfold. Even so, it's hard to get anything else done, when you're reading Harry Potter. I keep having to ask The Boy questions about the last book, because I've already forgotten.

-----------------My cousin C

Last week my cousin called and said they were going to be going to a soccer tournament in San Diego the NEXT DAY, then spending a week in Palm Springs, so maybe we could get together?

We were also in a tournament that weekend, south of LA, and thought about driving the extra distance to SD to see them, as we really wanted to see their daughter play. But I had work to do back home, and didn't even go on Sunday. So I called and bribed them to drive HERE, to see us, with promises of Chinatown and Venice Beach.

My cousin C is a few years younger than me, which is no big deal now, but when we were kids I didn't know her or her sister very well. Her father was my Mom's only brother, and he had lots of problems, culminating in his death about 10 years ago. She started making a family before I did, tho, so her oldest girl is 2 years older than The Boy. She has another girl the same age as The Boy, a boy who's about 12, and a boy the same age as My Girl. They're about a month apart.

So they drove out on Thursday, and we swam in the pool and caught up until dinner time, when we drove to Chinatown for dinner.She brought her whole family, plus one of the girl's boyfriend, so there were 7 altogether. I thanked them profusely for driving all that way to see us and giving up their comfy beds at the timeshare in Palm Springs.

We had a little trouble finding our favorite restraunt there (Plum Tree Inn) because it had moved, but we got a little tour of Chinatown in the process. We had a most delicious dinner, where we all stuffed ourselves a little too much.

That night we slept all over the house.

The next day they wanted to go to the beach to swim, so I took them to Zuma, as Venice and Santa Monica are cool, but NOT a good place to swim. They spent the whole day out there, having fun in the water and waves. We saw a dolphin swim by, and a seal or sea lion kept poking his head out of the water offshore.

Then they wanted to go to Venice, but that was too far during going-home traffic. So we drove down the 1 to Santa Monica, and we all got something to eat. We shopped at the 3rd Street Promonade, which is an outdoor mall like Pearl Street in Boulder or 16th Street in Denver.

It was fun, but we kept getting separated. There were just so many of them! I bought something from Old Navy, and later when I was tired, I sat down and looked at the receipt. Damn! They charged me for 1 item twice! So I hiked the two blocks back there and stood in line. The lady in line ahead of me already had a bag, and when she got to the register, I heard her tell the cashier that she'd gotten charged twice for something. Coincidence? I wonder. When I told my cashier the same thing, she didn't even look in the bag. She looked at the receipt and made the adjustment and gave me some money back.

There was a long line forming outside the bookstore, as Harry Potter was going on sale at midnight. Guess they wanted to find out first!

It was around 8:30 when I finally left. I thought we were ALL leaving, but at the last minute they all went to get coffee for the drive back to Palm Springs.

I had some good talks with my cousin,and heard the terrible problems they've had with teams and coaches for their daughter. I also discovered some things I hadn't realized. I didn't know they were so poor when we were young, and that the box of presents my mother sent them every year were a real treat and so important to them. In fact, my mother was a real bright spot in their lives. For every bad story I had about my Crazy Aunt, she had a good story about my mother.

I wonder how two sisters grew up so differently. My mother is so kind and generous, where my aunt is fearful, spiteful, and stingy.

After they left I called my Mom, and told her how important she was to them. She had never realized it either. I guess it just goes to show you, sometimes nice things you do are appreciated, even tho you might not think so at the time.