Beware of saying, "I need adventure." You just never know what the universe will throw your way.
Today's real adventure came in the form of hoards (hoards!) of ants trailing all around my mom's gazebo. Seriously, they were everywhere: building condos, bearing offspring, visiting family--everywhere. Together we sprayed them with Raid, sprayed the beams and pillars and perimeter of the gazebo, and hosed down the foundation and some of the garden furniture. They may be small, but they can be pretty hearty little creatures!
A late start and an hour-long delay of ant-zapping called for some creativity of where to go today. I needed to get out and have a change of scenery, perhaps feeling the weight of the summer's end. Lying around the house is just plain depressing. This is Los Angeles, after all! There are hundreds of things to do and places to go.
Because of time we decided to keep it simple and go to Montrose, a less-trendy, but cleaner and smaller version of Old Town Pasadena about 10-12 miles away. While there I got some new pajamas and a fabulous little toy for my nephew, (he turns 18 months old today.) It is a toy that my brother and I had as kids--a little mallet pushes colored pegs into a board and then you turn the board over and start all over again.
We also had dinner at the Star Cafe'. Man, that place is good! I had only been there once before and it was in the morning. Tonight I had chicken carbonara on penne pasta and Mom had the Chicken Caesar with grilled salmon. And, since I take my camera everywhere I go now, we took some pictures. Because... "I know you care!" Yeah, right.
As of today, my house is totally, completely, and 100% finished on the outside. The only things that had prevented it from being so before were the rain gutters. The brick guy left behind a problem that Sonny--my heroic painter (!)--took it upon himself to solve. Problem: how to reinstall the old rain gutters now that the brick was in the way?
I'm telling you, I wish every painter, brick guy, contractor, etc. could have a work ethic like Sonny. After some experimenting, he used a hack saw to cut the gutters and reposition them around the brick. Two of the gutters even needed to be moved to one side, which he also did.
When that was done, he painted them the color of the house. ALWAYS paint your gutters the color of the HOUSE, not the accent color. They're gutters, after all. They don't need that much attention.
And, because cutting them also meant eliminating some of the length, he bought some pieces to add to the bottom. Part of the dilemma is that these are the older style of gutters, which don't have all of those bendable parts like the new ones. And, yay! They're all done.
The finished product
This one had to be moved over a few inches to the right. The original spout was exactly where the bricks are down the corners of the house. That meant cutting a new hole and patching up the old one.
And this next thing has nothing to do with gutters, but it is still really cool. This afternoon I was getting cabin fever and offered to chauffeur my mom around town on some errands. She's having an old O.W. Lee table restored and powder-coated and we had to stop at San Marino Tile and Pool to pay the bill before it is delivered tomorrow. Cool store! And very nice employees. Inside I saw 2 things I have been needing for my backyard: an outdoor clock (mine died months ago,) and a light for my umbrella.
The umbrella light is SO cool!! I've never seen anything like this before. I don't know why they aren't available everywhere patio furniture is sold. It is like a donut that opens up and then clamps around the umbrella. It has 6 LED lights and a rechargeable battery + the charger. I love it! And that concludes the adventures of my exciting day.
My goodness, yesterday went fast. It wasn't as sluggy-slug as I thought it would be, but it was still a quiet day mostly at home.
A little laundry, a little watering, a quick errand, and a little miracle with some big relief.
Some friendship mending took place, something I wasn't sure would ever happen. But it did, and this part of me that has been frozen in time for the past 5 weeks finally feels like it can start to heal. Awkward, yes. Regrettable, no. Baby steps, slowly but surely, but it's something. "Something" sure feels a lot better than nothing. Communication is an amazing thing.
I feel so much better.
And today I'm celebrating my friend, Bobby's, birthday with him by heading back to Disneyland this afternoon. Dinner reservations at the Blue Bayou, baby! That place is so cool, and I haven't been there in ages.
And now it feels like I'm celebrating 2 things, Bobby's birthday and the reconnection with a dear friend. Both very good things.
With only 2 weeks of freedom left before I have to go back to work, if I don't slow down the pace I've been keeping for the past week, I will burn out before I have to set up my classroom, which is very intense.
So today I have dubbed as "Slug Day." No outings, no housework except watering the flowers and maybe a little bit of laundry. This is "lay around-read-nap-blog-sing-veg-shirt/shorts day."
So far so good...I've blogged, I've sung (la, la, la, and la,) and have done plenty of laying around. (Each "la" is a link.) My philosophy? When you know you've earned them, never feel guilty about days like this.
Three cheers for "Slug Day!" Slugs Unite!
***UPDATE*** 1:45pm Slug Day continues with no guilt. I did decide to drag myself into the shower, just so I wouldn't offend myself. Then I put in a little quality time in Farm Town. There are no more levels to reach for, but it's still fun "maintaining the farm." Click the pic to see full-sized. You know you want to... :-)
In the tradition of this entire week, yesterday was another very full day. I went to Disneyland for the 5th time this summer, meeting my friend, Tracey, at 9am, which means leaving the house at 7:30am, which means getting up at about 6am. I always plan 90 minutes between driving, parking, tram to the park, getting through the entrance, and walking to the meeting place (the Walt and Mickey statue.)
As a Disneyland Premium Pass owner, I can go any day of the year (which is awesome,) get "free" parking (again, awesome, so you're not paying $12 before you're even in the park,) and I get discounts on all food and merchandise. Seriously, if you live in So. CA and enjoy Disneyland like I do (close--about 30 miles, clean, safe, and fun) it really does pay to have a pass.
We went early because I had a family party to attend in the evening.
As soon as we met, Tracey had the idea to go on Splash Mountain, a log ride which has very high water that has a habit of spilling into the log and onto you. The inside of the ride uses the characters from the old America Sings attraction (which I still miss a lot--that Innoventions thing is ridiculous...) After a few wet drops through the ride and seeing the Song of the South characters, you climb this very tall slope and plunge down a STEEP hill about 80 feet high into the "briar patch." Somewhere in that plunge you see a flash off to the side as you get your picture taken, immortalizing your silly reaction.
I don't know if it was because we were sitting in the front of the log (I made Tracey sit in front of me, to block the water a *little,* since it was her idea,) of because it was first thing in the morning and the water was extra high--but we got SOAKED. Absolutely soaked. I was drenched from my mid-section to my feet. My sandals made a nice squelching sound as I walked for the next 2 hours. Tracey got splashed in the face and hair and soaked her denim shorts. Yes, walking through the park you can always tell who has just been on Splash Mountain. Definitely more a summer than a winter ride!
If you want to "experience" it, I found this very good POV video on YouTube that someone shot. I didn't realize the ride was almost 8 minutes long! And don't let those little drops fool you, that is where you end up the wettest!
After Splash Mountain we pretty much stayed in Frontierland and New Orleans Square, which are my favorite areas for the rides and the atmosphere. Is it crazy that a 38 year-old enjoys Disneyland so much? I really do. The sights, sounds, smells, all transform me into a 10 year-old kid. I feel it every time I get off the tram. And guess what? I'm going again tomorrow. My friend, Bobby, has a birthday, got the day off, and we're going to spend it at the Magic Kingdom. We even got great dinner reservations at the Blue Bayou (the restaurant that opens into Pirates of the Caribbean.)
Because Splash Mountain is on the end of the park, we were in the Winnie the Pooh area, which gave me a chance to go into the candy shop and take a picture of the honey machine that my Uncle Ruben built in his garage (my mom's brother and the family's super-talented artist-in-residence.) Sorry for the quality...cell phone camera... We also had lunch at the Cafe' Orleans. I had some wonderful French Onion soup and chicken gumbo crepes. Those things were spicy! Good, but spicy. I was holding back the tears by the end of the meal: One of the best things about the Cafe' Orleans is the view, because you're right next to the walking areas between Pirates and the Haunted Mansion and across from Tom Sawyer's Island and the Rivers of America where the steamship Mark Twain and the Columbia go by. Here's our view at lunch. The park stayed pretty empty for the first 2 hours we were there and we got to do a lot. By noon there were a lot of people. The weather was great, though, so it was a good day to go.
I was getting pretty tired by about 2:30pm after this past non-stop week and getting up early. We left at 3:15 and I got home at about 4:30. We had a great little impromptu family party at my mom's house, BBQing hamburgers and hot dogs in the back yard, laughing with my aunts and uncles and sharing everyone's current goings on, eventually moving to the family room to watch a DVD slide show of my cousin Robby's flight training ceremony at an Air Force Base in Mississippi.
I really enjoy the family get-togethers, and this one was no different, even though it was a small group and we were missing a few cousins.
After days of errands and gardening, I was due for a break. Today I met a friend at the mall and we went and saw the new movie, Julie & Julia, together. Amy Adams (Enchanted) plays unfulfilled cubicle worker Julie Powell, who decides to cook and blog her way through 500+ recipes in Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Meryl Streep plays the iconic TV chef who paved the way for all the Nigella Lawsons and Rachel Rays who followed.
Although the 2 women never meet, they lead somewhat parallel lives decades apart. Both former government workers, both happily married but childless, both using cooking as a way to fill life's voids.
The main differences are that Julie has Julia's cookbook to use as a tool and doesn't come off quite as likable as Julia. That lack of likability really isn't Amy Adam's fault as an actress. I just felt that the audience was never given a reason to invest in her character. OK, her job kind of bit, but other than that, I didn't understand why she was so unhappy. Instead of counting her blessings, she focused on everything that was wrong with her life. I guess she should be heralded for finally being proactive about doing something fulfilling, but she whines her way through the journey so much, that by the time things start looking up, you just don't care.
Meryl Streep was probably the best choice to play Julia Child, not only for her looks, but for her ability to adapt a character's voice and mannerisms. And, boy, Julia Child's voice is unforgettable. The character comes across slightly over the top because Julia Child was somewhat over the top in real life. Also, because Child was 6 feet tall, there were obvious adjustments that were made to create that height in Meryl Streep, like low ceilings, shorter supporting characters, and even the proportions of things in her kitchens. At times she looked positively Amazonic, and it was like watching Hagrid the giant's mother (from Harry Potter) cooking dinner.
So how did the director want us to feel about these two women? I'm not sure. I found myself slightly annoyed with both of them by the end of the movie. Although things were probably intensified for entertainment's sake, their culinary journeys come across as narcissistic at best. They don't feel heroic or interested in anything or anyone but their ultimate goals: for Julia, writing a book about French cooking for Americans, and Julie, cooking her way through the book. And the more whiny Julie gets, the more you try to tap all the likability out of Julia, who, unfortunately, disappoints the audience towards the end of the movie.
Thank goodness for the 2 supportive and saintly husbands--Stanley Tucci as Paul Child (he and Meryl Streep seemed oddly mismatched after she played his controlling boss in The Devil Wears Prada) and Chris Messina as Eric Powell (how he put up with his wife's constant meltdowns I'll never know.) But again, when the most likable characters are the supporting characters, there is something wrong.
Overall, it was "cute," but not something I need to see again or own. I'd be curious to hear what other people think.
I don't know what has gotten into me. I have been so motivated to work in the yard and go non-stop all week. Today was the 4th straight day that I've created an ultra-busy day from morning 'til night.
This morning I woke up earlier than I wanted to, spent a little while sitting in the backyard reading, and then realized that, yes, I did have the energy and the time to do that last flower bed today. It was the only thing standing between me and a 100% completed backyard. After a good breakfast, I set to work cleaning out that rascally thing, all overgrown with weeds and calla lilies popping up hither and thither. Those blasted things are impossible to get rid of! I dug until I hit the bulbs, but I know there are still some I missed that are going to start popping up again. I need to stay on top of them.
The cleaning out took a good 2 hours, plus distributing new soil until I ran out. After some errands and lunch at Ruby's Diner with Mom, I went to the nursery and stocked up on colorful flowers. I didn't even start planting until 5:30pm and finally finished at 7:30pm. Then of course there is putting away all the gardening tools, throwing away the empty containers, and cleaning and sweeping up the dirt and debris.
I'm so proud of myself! It is going to be a festival of color once the flowers start to fill in!
CLICK ON PICTURES TO SEE THEM FULL-SIZED...
STEP 1: Blecch!! This area needed to be cleaned out so badly! It's a big job... STEP 2: OK, big progress, need to add some dirt and smooth everything out, but it already looks a lot better! STEP 3: All done! Ah, the feeling of satisfaction is awesome! And, all through the day I was followed around by my 2 little gardening buddies, Bailey and Ramius. I finally got a shot of Ramius up in the orange tree and a really cute picture of Bailey. They were both underfoot all day! Can you find the kitty? On the branch above the birdhouse...
Attention Buffy and Twilight fans! A friend just shared this on Facebook and I thought I'd post it. It is a cleverly edited 6 minute video that splices together clips from the Buffy series and the Twilight movie. It's very well-done and sometimes even funny, thanks to Buffy's endless sarcasm.
If I seem prejudiced, I am. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of my top 3 favorite shows of all time, and probably the cleverest of them all. Still, this is a lot of fun, especially if you're familiar with both stories. Who knew that Edward was stalking Buffy on the side?
Today I set aside as the day I would plant a new round of flowers in the backyard. Because I have such large windows in my house, the backyard really feels like an extension of the house, and I feel a responsibility to keep the yard looking nice. You see it the minute you walk through the front door.
I purposefully got up nice and early so I could get to the nursery before it got too hot. There were some cute planters I saw the other day and I got 4 of them for the corners of my brick patio. They match the planters along the wooden fence. The good thing about the planters I got today is that now, Bailey the dog won't be able to pee on my flowers! I got them for the looks, but it's a perk, that's for sure... I also learned about a new potting soil, called Danish Potting Soil. Apparently it has more peat moss in it and holds the water longer, so you don't have to water as often and it doesn't dry out as quickly. Good for CA weather and for people like me who can get kind of negligent about watering sometimes. Got 3 bags of that. Another upside is that the bags are much lighter.
So I did the 4 new planters around the brick, the 5 planters along the fence, and 3 pots. I was in the mood for pinks, red, purples, and white. Bright and deep colors. Got lots of dianthus and a few vincas and pansies. Let's see if the pansies do better in these planters off the ground. Sometimes they attract bugs when they're in pots on the ground. I also got 2 pre-planted color bowls for the front porch. One of these days I'm going to have to plant more flowers in the front yard. I also need to clean out the area under the kitchen window in the backyard and plant some flowers there. Another day...definitely, another day.
From the nursery trip to the final clean-up, the whole project took about 3 hours. Wow, was I hot and I tired. I went through 3 bottles of water and really had to rest. The sun was blazing by the time I was done. After a little while I also went out and trimmed the birch tree. It was getting a little out of control.
OK, pictures! The 4 corners of my yard. I recommend clicking on the pictures to see them full-sized. It's hard to see all my hard work in these tiny little ones! The wall planters up close... And, as always, there are leftovers because I end up getting more flowers than I need just to be on the safe side. They turned out pretty good! The front porch got spiffed up a little bit too. I hope I don't forget to water these! (An occupational hazard with them in the front of the house...) I'm feeling very accomplished these last few days! Selling my car, tons of errands yesterday, and gardening today.
And, on a more solemn note, yesterday I went to the cemetery and visited where my sweetie, Brad is. I found this really pretty bouquet of red-dyed sunflowers at a local market and felt inspired to take it to him. I've been thinking about him a lot with all the improvements on the house. I wish I could share that with him. 3 years he's been gone. Wow. Feels like so much longer. This picture turned out really pretty. My sweet, sweet man. He was so wonderful. Sorry, I don't mean to end on a bummer note! The last few days really have been very good. Busy and good, good and busy. Click on any of the pictures to see them full-sized.
How cool is this? One of my mom's friends from her Tuesday night Weight Watchers receptionist job is in a commercial. Jennie is the gray-haired lady responsible for the "head-butt" at the end of the commercial. Funny! We were just at her house last week. She recently started getting into commercial acting, and here she is!
Oh, what a beautiful morning...wait...I need to come up with something original in this post...
But it was a lovely sunrise this morning. It would've been even lovelier without all the roofs and wires blocking it... There we go... And then it was time for the pets to belly-up at the trough...LOL! And Ramius, the white kitten, is starting to climb the orange tree. This morning he made it all the way up to the birdhouse. There is no one to teach him about climbing trees because my 2 older cats have never been tree-climbers. I think it is because they spent their first 4 years as indoor cats at my apartment. Oy, that kitten is so active! I'm really glad that he is comfortable being outside a lot (although right now he is taking a power nap on my bed.) Everything is a toy with this cat. This video looks like it is sped up, but this is real time. He never stops!
Well, my 1999 Honda now has a new home and new owners. We met tonight at the tables outside the local In n Out Burger and did the final exchange of the balance and the pink slip. Such nice people! Just the kind of owners I would want to turn my car over to. They were so grateful for the smooth transaction that they bought dinner for my mom and me and we got to know each other a little better.
After a more in-depth tour of their new purchase, and a yummy burger dinner, we parted ways and my first new car went to its new home. I hope they get as much joy out of it as I did!
Love those CR-Vs! My 1999 and my 2009 side-by-side right before the '99 went to its new home.
Rich and Betsy--the happy new car-owners. I'm glad Betsy finally got the car she's always wanted. I know the feeling!
OK, well, not really. Right now I'm at the local car wash getting my '99 Honda all spiffed up for the final transaction tonight. The new owners are going to pay the balance of the cost, and I'm going to sign over the car's title to them.
I'm still amazed at how easy it was. The wife is so cute--she has been wanting a Honda CR-V for ages, since they first came out, and now she is finally going to get one. And interestingly enough, she prefers that older body style. Also amazing is how this couple, who saw the car on Saturday when I had it parked in a high-profile spot in the neighborhood, had no plans to haggle on the price. I had it priced halfway between the "excellent" and the "good" condition prices that the Kelly Blue Book site suggested, and they were totally OK with that.
They gave me a very decent down payment to let me know that they were serious, and tonight we seal the deal at a local restaurant parking lot. Speaking as someone who is currently experiencing the thrill of having a new car, I decided to have it waxed and to buy some new floor mats for it so the new owner can have that same thrill.
It's also the first time I've ever done a blog entry from my Blackberry.
Saying goodbye to my old car is going to be a little hard! There are so many memories associated with it. We've taken it on trips, moved furniture, and have had some passengers who are no longer with us, like my grandparents and Brad. That car has seen a lot.
I think the only thing that makes it easier to let it go is knowing how excited the new owner is to get it.
Yes, try saying that five times fast! (Doris Day day, Doris Day day....OK....stop.)
I haven't done the online karaoke thing for a couple of weeks, and now the site lets you record and save the same song multiple times. That's a good thing when you want to sing a song again and keep the newer and an older version.
So, I decided to do an ode to Doris Day, who has one of the best singing voices of the 1940's. Click on the song titles to listen to them...
Anyone who knows me knows that I love my house. Love it. It is across the street from my mom, it is on the street where I grew up, it's in a great neighborhood, and it fits me.
Decorating it has been a treat since I moved in. It was built in 1941, and I'm always trying to find ways to make it look welcoming and preserve its charm.
Each year there have been little improvements here and there...the first year I moved in and did the basic decorating on the inside, the second year I bought patio furniture, and the third year I added more flowers to the back yard. But this year was a biggie...the house got painted and got some brick work done in the front.
And now it is ALL DONE! 5 weeks of brick and/or painting, and, as of yesterday, it is all done. I'm thrilled with the way it turned out. How many differences do you see? :-) (click on the pictures to see them full-sized...)
BEFORE: AFTER: BEFORE: AFTER: BEFORE: (I know! Happy Halloween!) AFTER: My goal: to update the colors, to have cool colors, to clean up the roof, to have a dramatic accent color. I love it!
Big day! Tonight, after lunch with my friends and selling my car, my mom and I went out for sushi with my nephew.
Xander is not normally a big eater, and lately he has been a little fussy, but tonight he ate with gusto! Edemame, miso soup, rice, and, especially, tofu...he loved them all. The fun part was watching him hold the bowls with two hands and say "hot" after each gulp of soup. A video...
This kid is constantly getting spoken to in 3 different languages. My mom speaks to him in Spanish, his other grandparents speak to him in Vietnamese, and everyone else in English. It's never too early...
And some fun pictures... (Click on any to see it full-sized)
