Traveling at Christmas

Remember when traveling by plane used to be fun, elegant, exciting? No? Well….. those of us who are REALLY old do. And now traveling during a holiday is even more of a challenge. Like this holiday when the Mid Atlantic area was socked with snow and all those travelers that couldn’t travel at the beginning of the week were FORCED to travel today when I am trying to get to the East coast for a nice family Christmas. First, it is the news story on the radio when it goes off at 3:45am about the “near misses” experienced by planes due to a lack of enough air traffic controllers. Then, it’s the 4:30am taxi who arrives at 4:10AM when I have barely dried off from the shower. And while waiting in a rather long line to check in – even at 4:32 (which is when we got to the airport for our 6:15am departure) – I notice a rather rambunctious boy of about 6 who is running up and down the escalator. That’s running up the down and down the up escalator. And then LYING at the bottom of the up escalator squealing like a little pig as the steps fold up under his back and disappear into …… wherever elevator steps go. And I’m trying to pay attention to the ticket agent who is asking about my bag and where’s my ID and all those important questions. But I’m THINKING this kid is going to get his shirt sucked into elevator step HELL and THEN  there will be blood and gore and I WILL MISS MY OVERBOOKED FLIGHT!! But luckily the wild and wiggly small person jumps up and runs back to Mom and Dad who look very tired. As they wait in line, the child is talking NON STOP! I whisper to Mark, “Aren’t you glad we aren’t traveling with HIM!” So we get through security and get totally redressed and repacked (and in front of ALL those other people frantically trying to get recombobulated). And we find our gate. AND, best of all, Mark (who IS a saint) even finds GOOD coffee. And all is well. We will get on board – No, we will NOT volunteer to take another flight. Do we look crazy? – and we will eat the little meal I have packed (no promises on food provided) and all will be well. So we are one of the first to squish into our little seats and settle in because we are almost at the very back. And then it happens….. remember that little boy?....who almost DIED on the escalator? YES! He is sitting RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. Of course. And as soon as he sits down, he starts shouting, “When are we going to get going? When are we going to get going?” over and over. Now this plane is oversold and everyone has packed extra full bags. So nothing fits in the overhead and no one can get into their seats and it is taking a VERY long time to get us GOING. But finally, the doors shut and we begin to taxi….. Then he begins to shout, “WE ARE GOING TO DIE! WE ARE GOING TO DIE!” And I am thinking…. No….. not WE….. And his mother keeps leaning over and whispering to him to keep quiet. And he won’t, of course. And then she sees me watching (through the space between the seats) and says through  the crack, “I hope you like children….?” Good question. And THEN she asks him if he wants a chocolate brownie with chocolate icing…… HELP! Wait – there’s more. So we are still climbing with the seat belt sign on and it starts to get bumpy….. like we are driving a bus over boulders very fast. And my little friend HAS to pee. NO he can’t wait. HE HAS TO GO NOW! So up pops Mom AND Dad as my friend is, of course, by the window. And Dad runs him back to the bathroom while the flight attendant is saying (in a slightly pissed off way which they must practice in flight attendant training school) PLEASE remain seated while the captain has the fasten-seatbelt-sign on. And I agree as the Dad and son are bouncing from one side of the aisle to the other like an arcade game….. AND THEY WILL NOT GET THE HIGH SCORE. While they are gone, the flight attendant announces that there will be a bad children’s movie shown and headsets are $3 each and they don’t take cash. Now this is a movie FOR children that has BAD-AS-IN-STUPID content. And the Mom isn’t sure she has a credit card to get head sets. And I’m about to dig in my wallet or take up a collection to get her a set. And the boy and Dad return unscathed. The headsets are attached. The movie starts. And my little friend is…… quiet! And…… not wiggling! And his parents IMMEDIATELY fall asleep. Do you blame them?

Ho Ho NoCal Style

I am sitting in my sunny office/studio/spare room/.... in the sun listening to Christmas music and thinking about the season. It is very different having Christmas without boots and gloves and hats and parkas and shovels and.... well, you get the picture. Here in NoCal, we celebrate the season a bit differently. I live in a neighborhood of Buddhists and Muslims. So there are very few Christmas lights on the houses - see above. And most everybody is elderly and may not be able to PUT lights up. And then there is our house...... with wreath and Maine window candles and lights - of course the tasteful small white ones to show culture and good breeding. Also note - green grass freshly mowed and wet sidewalk from winter rain. Yes, we are still mowing and weeding and fertilizing the lawn which we can still see. And with the winter rain, the brown hills to the east are now the -slightly-less-brown-turning-a-bit-green hills. But back to Christmas. We weren't going to get a tree and do much decorating inside as we will be away for Christmas. But when shopping, we found a little "tree" that we just HAD to buy. So we have a ...... well..... it's a Christmas bush-cut-to-look-like-a-tree. AND it is rosemary. AND we can plant it in the gorilla hair after Christmas. So how environmentally friendly is that! AND it has a string of LED lights that look blue not tasteful white..... oh well. We still have LOADS of traffic at any place that sells anything and LONG lines at any post office. So we aren't all that different. But Mark and I walked down to the Farmers' Market to get fresh citrus - samsuta tangerines, 3 kinds of grapefruits, pumelos, grapes, apples, broccoli sold by the cutest girls and their mom who had a blanket tied around her head because she had to stand out in the cold for hours. We were informed that the market closes for 2 weeks during the holidays. We bought extra sourdough bread for our little freezer. And Japantown has very few Christmas decorations up. Just a LARGE shark wrapped up in rice and seaweed to look like sushi.... is that Christmas? We have been receiving Christmas cards and have even sent some out this year. But, just like in Maine, we have collected the goodies to take to the nephews and neices and sibs and in-laws. We have mailed all the stuff that had to go far away. And we are ready to enjoy the time with family and friends. Because.... after all.... isn't that what the season is REALLY about? Like the Whos down in Whoville - the tall and the small. The Whos who had nothing at all. They all joined hands and started singing........
And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" 

And maybe it doesn't really matter where you are for Christmas. 
So to all of you both near and far
When you look up and see a star
Know that I am thinking of you
And wishing for peace the whole year through!

So Cal Museums

Last week we drove to LA. Actually I drove as Mark's driving makes me nervous....especially as he hasn't BEEN driving anything but his bike. While Mark attended VERY important meetings at ABC/Disney (where they have Mickey Mouse heads artistically done in wrought iron on the tops of the fences), I went to museums..... LOTS of museums. This will be a Mainer-who-now-lives-in-NoCal's review of the museums. So, here we go.... First day: It is POURING rain (Really!) and I went to MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) in downtown LA. And, yes, there IS a real downtown. The downtown location is one of several and is kitty-corner to Gehry's Disney Concert Hall which is very cool - at least from the outside. The website gave directions to the parking garage which costs $10 and entry was $9. I drove around the museum's block FOUR TIMES and could never find the parking. So I parked in what I thought MIGHT be the parking for the museum and found that it was $18 - UP FRONT. But the museum was worth it. I walk in the door looking like a drowned rat and making a big puddle on the floor as I pay my fee. They take the soggy sponge I call a coat from me and I slosh my way to the ladies' room to try to dry off a bit. After LOTS of paper towels, I am ready to wander happily looking at stuff from the 1920's and later. When I reclaim my coat, the guy says, "So, did you see anything you liked?" I paused (HE thought it was because I was in deep thought - but I was deciding if I should make the first wise-ass comment I thought of or be nice. I chose nice). I replied (in an educated elitist intellectual way, "It was like meeting old friends." The gum-chewing young woman behind the counter said, "Oh that's so sweet." Hmmm....... Second Day: No rain - Thank God! So off to LACMA (LA County Museum of Art) and the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. Now the Tar Pit visit wasn't really planned. But they are right next to each other and so I thought Why Not? As you walk around the Tar Pits (which are fenced off holes in the ground filled with water and leaves and don't look very dangerous or pitty), you SMELL the tar. One of the pits is being excavated and you can look into the excavation and see..... well, water and leaves and holes and wooden braces and tools..... The museum has a wooly mammoth that moves and moans VERY LOUDLY as if it was.... well, whatever wooly mammoths moan about. And there is a skeleton of a saber toothed tiger that goes dark and then when the lights come back on, it has fur and eyes and looks hungry. I overheard one young guy say to the young lady he was escorting around that the tiger used to be his favorite part of the museum and he would watch it change for HOURS. I tried to picture the patient parents standing around waiting..... When I got tired of the tar smell, I went to LACMA to check out more art. The collection was great and the space is very modern. The parking is easy to find and only $7. And on Tuesday (which it was) the museum is FREE. Day Three: Went to the Huntington Museum in Pasadena. It was the home of some VERY wealthy people who liked collecting 18th C. art and furniture. Now most of the stuff in the house is French as Arabella Huntington wanted a house just like Marie Antoinette's. Hmmm....... I am not a fan of the Rococo, so I admired the beautiful rooms and architecture and skimmed over the art and furniture. It was all that gilded stuff that seems so fragile that if you sat on it, it would shatter. And all the portraits are of soft slightly pink slightly chubby women who are over dressed in ruffles and frills. See my bias? The gardens are really amazing - acres of space devoted to different types of plants - desert, Japanese Tea garden, rose garden, lily ponds..... At least that is what the map said. The museum is only open from 12 noon to 4:30pm. And I got there at 1:30 and spent WAY too much time with the chubby people. So by the time I got outside, it was getting dark-ish and I HAD to save time for the gift shop. If you go to the Huntington, you MUST do the gift shop. It was listed as one of the best museum gift shops and IT IS!! I got GREAT stocking stuffers and gifts there. So I guess I'll just have to go back to see the gardens. Day Four: I only had a half day as we were driving to San Diego in the afternoon. So I went to the Museum of Natural History. Again, parking was easy to find and $8. Entry fee was $9. But as I walked up to the massive building which was built in the 30's, I notice HORDES of children arriving and going in. When I got to the entrance desk, I asked if they allowed adults in who didn't have any children with them. They assured me that they did and told me that it was school field trip day...... Lucky me! This museum is like the one in the movie about the guard in the Smithsonian. Lots of dioramas of critters in their "natural" habitat with dim lighting and big echoey spaces and ancient bathrooms with antique plumbing and WIDE marble stairs. And, best of all, in the entrance rotunda is a HUGE tyrannosaurus and triceratops FIGHTING. Well.... the BONES are fighting. Although I'm not sure why the T-Rex would WANT to chew on a triceratops that was THAT boney. But, besides the dead animals, I saw live insects like a black widow spider.... COOL! Day Five: Finally, the Getty. Now, the Getty has been the the art news alot lately for problems with ownership of the art they have. So the museum is free - I'm not really sure that is why it is free, but I like to think that they dropped the entrance fee to improve their image. And parking is $15 - that includes the tram ride to the top of the hill and the museum which Natalie and I saw.... IN THE RAIN. The Getty has some amazing art - I LOVE the manuscripts that they have. And they have some of the classic paintings like Van Gogh's Irises. But this was Day Five of museums and Natalie had just finished a week of hard finals, so we were both a bit tired. And when we saw the Degas painting "After the Bath" (see image on side), well..... we got to giggling. The poor girl looks like she just fell getting out of the tub and the lady just caught her by the hair. It reminded me of some of the wonderful cards of Renaissance art with great captions..... like Raphael's "Love's Arrows" which shows a young maiden about to be shot with arrows held by a gaggle of baby cherubs and the caption says "Lucretia is soon to discover that sometimes, love hurts." Now Natalie and I are VERY sophisticated intellectual ladies and we weren't guffawing or rolling around on the floor or bumping into people. We were just standing in front of the painting and giggling. And a Getty guard comes over and says, in a dark and smarmy voice "Can I help you find something?" (Implied addition - like your decorum??). So, if you do go to the Getty, DON'T LAUGH AT ANY OF THE ART. That is NOT OK in a really sophisticated museum.

Living Through a Shift

par·a·digm (pr-dm, -dm)
n.
1. One that serves as a pattern or model.
2. A set or list of all the inflectional forms of a word or of one of its grammatical categories: the paradigm of an irregular verb.
3. A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline from: www.freedictionary.com

I admired my grandmother (who lived to be 93) for weathering all the changes in her life. Born in 1906, she saw the car become the major mode of transportation, landing on the moon, the birth of television, cell phones, internet.... While she didn't OWN a cell phone or computer, she was interested in learning about them. I couldn't imagine how all that change could affect one's life. And then I realized that I am living through a similar change.
When I was little...now I'm REALLY going to date myself.... my sister and I would get up early (6am-ish) and turn on the small black and white TV set with the slightly bulgy screen to find.... white hissy snow. That would last for about 45 minutes until the test pattern and a loud humming-sort-of noise would follow. We would eagerly stop building forts with the couch pillows and plunk ourselves in front of the box to wait for the start of programing....at 7am. And then... the Texas Rangers - in black and white of course - would come on. I remember when Disney brought COLOR to TV and the Disney castle would be all colorful and magical. But there were still only a handful of channels and TV programming ended late at night (WAY past my bedtime) when it started snowing on the screen. Now, we have HUNDREDS of channels (the programming isn't much better) and it is ALWAYS in color and there is programming ALL night long. And that is a major change in the "good old days". And it slipped up on me with no noticeable effect. So, are paradigm shifts REALLY such a big deal? Did my grandmother even NOTICE all the changes that were occurring in her lifetime?
I have been feeling so progressive and superior about all the changes Mark and I are making in our new life in NoCal. I like to think of them as paradigm shifts because that sounds intellectual and progressive. But maybe they aren't. Maybe they are just sensible choices that an educated person who understands her place in the ecosystem would make (now THAT sounds superior!). We have changed our ideas about getting around... we have 1 car, Mark bikes to work and walks/bikes most other places, I own a bike and use it sometimes (well, I never said I was perfect), and we use public transportation more. If you don't count trips for business where we drove, I have only filled the gas tank twice in 2 months. That is a change from my Maine lifestyle. And I have not purchased any books but used the library and web for information and reading material. We recycle more - but it helps that San Jose makes it easy. So what is so shift-y about my new lifestyle? Maybe it isn't behavior, but a way of thinking. I am amazed at how easily my children can text on those itty bitty keys that are hard to see let alone punch. One daughter receives over 2000 text messages/month (I know because I pay the bills). AND she can text WITHOUT LOOKING! So, to be more progressive, I have tried to text more.... it is still a challenge. And I want to learn about the picture thing too. While at the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA, I noticed a group of teens enjoying a Bruce Nauman installation using TVs and closed circuit cameras. They were posing in front of the cameras and friends were taking cell phone pics of the image on the TV. And have you noticed..... ALL the coffee places - the Starbucks and wannabees - have WiFi (another new term) and EVERYONE has their laptop out and is VERY busy doing something on it. I never took my laptop out of the house. But now I will.... once I find/design a great bag to carry it in (always fashion forward!). And when I have a question, I go to the internet - not the reference books I kept in my bookcase. So I guess I am being progressive and..... what the Hell! I can even say I'm shifting.... it sounds so superior.

Coping with a New Do and Snow

Now that I am living on the West coast, I thought I should change my appearance and be a bit more upscale.... a bit sleek and sophisticated. At least that's what Erin-who-cuts-my-hair said. So we are going for the no-curl (I have had a big-curl-perm for several years) look. Now, to get this look, Erin said I had to blow-dry my hair using a special LARGE round brush. And the back should have the top 2 layers blown UNDER and the bottom layer flipped UP and I should probably use a spray leave-in conditioner and some clips to hold the hair in sections while I'm blowing a lower section dry would help. And THEN I should use a hair iron to straighten the hair on the sides to just SWEEP under my chin with NO CURL. And don't set the iron on too hot a setting or I will FRY my hair. Now, I have to give you the full visual.... Erin is very attractive with beautiful long dark hair streaked a lovely shade of teal and twisted into a very retro and interesting way with a silk rose in the back. She has dark red lipstick and dark eyes and is such fun to chat with. And then there are her tattoos.... On the right arm, she has Jimmy Dean... well, actually SEVERAL Jimmy Deans in various poses from his most famous movies with speeches from each movie wrapping around her arm. And on the left arm, Erin just had a cute retro "Mom & Dad" wrapped around 2 cupcakes above another retro style tattoo. She talks quickly as she flips the big fat round brush around behind my head and waves the blow dryer over me. And remember.... I wear glasses and am REALLY blind without them.... like get-the-seeing-eye=dog-or-white-tipped-cane-type blind. And I have my glasses OFF while getting my hair cut. So it is always a surprise when I put them back on and see what has been done to me. So, Erin is saying how easy it will be to style it like this and she knows I've worn the wash-and-wear look for years, but I should just try this and I will really love it and Target sells all the stuff I'll need and as my hair grows out, it will be MUCH easier. So I'm squinting and trying to see what she is doing and nodding slightly and saying reassuring things like "Yes, I see" when all I see is a blurry fuzzy mess! And then the glasses are on and I look..... well different.... and it's not too bad.... in fact, I think I like it! So I thank Erin and she says to call her if I have any questions about how to do any of it. Then I head off to Target to get the few things I'll need..... like the brush (my old round SMALL AND PLASTIC brush just won't do), and spray-leave-in conditioner, and a blow dryer (who thought I'd need the TWO I had in Maine and cheerfully gave away) and a hair iron (HAIR iron?? I thought you only ironed clothes... and that I do infrequently) and clips to separate the parts as I dry the layers.... I think that is all. Now I'm at home eagerly unpacking all the stuff and setting up a spot to perform the magic. I choose my bedroom... lots of light, mirror on the wall above an outlet, BIG bed just behind me (remember... it is the MOUSE house) to hold all the equipment and product. The next day, I jump out of the shower, throw on clothes because I can hardly wait to get started on the hair. I spray on the conditioner and brush it through (my OLD brush will work for this step). Then I separate out the upper layers and place a clip in to hold it after giving my hair a professional quick twist to help it stay in place. I pick up the LARGE round brush and hair dryer and begin.... Now I have to confess that my good old Yankee spirit was kicking in a bit as I blithely tossed all that stuff in my basket in Target. So I did not buy the most expensive blow dryer. And now I see why it wasn't the most expensive blow dryer.... first, it doesn't blow, it whiffs. And second, the cord is 4'6" long which means that I have to have my nose almost touching the mirror to hold the blow dryer behind my head to dry the hair back there. So I'm squinting up my nasal reflection as I whiff my hair and realize that each "little" roll of hair I'm trying to flip up is getting fatter and fatter as I pull more and more hair OUT of the clip and ONTO the BIG round brush which must be BIG so it can hold ALL the hair on your head. And I will have ONE GIANT FLIP in the back if I don't stop soon. So I try a different technique and that seems to work - NO MORE CLIPS. Now I can't see the back, but as I FEEL it, it seems ok. I have preheated the hair iron - BUT NOT TOO HOT or it will fry my hair (I did remember THAT part of Erin's directions). I grab a bit of hair and slowly slide the iron down it watching the steam (or smoke?) rise from the strand. And when I take the iron away, VOILA! The hair is straight! And not burned. And it doesn't look too bad. And I feel a bit better. But I don't have the courage to look at the back. And I have purchased an extension cord to assist me in getting a better perspective....
A quick word about the weather.... the weatherman says that it MIGHT snow in the foothills of San Jose tonight. And that HEAVY rains are expected on the peninsula.... so heavy that they are handing out 10 free filled or unfilled sand bags to all SF residents.... So Mark and I, wanting to avoid this dangerous weather, have driven down to LA for the week where we are much safer from Mother Nature.... Now if we can just live through 16 lanes of traffic, we will be just fine.

Wintering In

We must be in winter now even though I haven't turned on the heat yet. I know it must be winter because all the leaves are falling off of everything and there is frost on the green lawn in the morning and we don't have to mow EVERY weekend - just every OTHER weekend - and everyone in the grocery store has hats, gloves, coats and scarves on. And most telling of all..... everyone is talking about how COLD it is! Now, I realize that I am not a native Mainer... not even a native New Englander made of good granite. But I did grow up in upstate NY and lived in Maine for 12 years. And it was definitely cold there. I mean in the minuses-in-the-middle-of-the-day cold. So when the house is 65 in the morning and 70 in the evening, it is NOT cold... yet. I went to the quilting group again today. This lovely group of older ladies came all bundled up with winter wear and made lots of tea to warm their hands and talked about the damp and cold. And I smugly smiled and said, "This isn't really that cold." Oh you just have thicker blood, they told me. We have lived in California all our lives and aren't used to the cold. One lady, who is in her 80's, said her parents lived in San Francisco when the original "Big One" hit. Her father had to patrol for looters while her mother stayed home. And she also described a trip to New England for the fall foliage. She said that she FROZE while there. I just smiled and nodded and felt..... well..... a bit superior... like I'm made of sturdier stuff...... until my friend sitting next to me said, "Well, you are wearing a turtleneck sweater and down vest..." Oh yes.... but I have NO SLEEVES on the vest. I stopped smiling so much. It does feel like late October here. Our fig tree has lost all its leaves. But before all the leaves fell off, a few brave little figs tried to grow. So now they hang on bare branches looking like little testicles blowing in the wind. And the doves - flocks of them!- can be seen sitting in the tree. I am told that it will rain alot in winter. But I don't think it has started yet. And Mark continues to bike to work despite MANY comments about how brave he is to ride in this FRIGID weather. They don't realize that he is, like me, made of sterner stuff.

Turkeys in the Mouse House

It all began this past weekend...... I KNEW it would happen. I could predict it. Even though he is a wonderful guy, I could count on him doing this.... and he did. Let me explain. Mark and I made up a HUGE grocery list for this holiday as we will be hosting our 3 children for 4-5 days. I envisioned filling the car with BAGS of food etc. from several grocery stores (several because I STILL haven't found the perfect one). And then Mark disappeared while I was cleaning up breakfast. And when I looked for him..... he was in the driveway with THE BIKES out and his trailer attached to his and he wanted me (the slug) to RIDE AROUND TOWN to get groceries. When I started to protest, he said that we could carry everything in his handy dandy trailer. After all, isn't that why he got it? Now remember, I have only been riding about 20 minutes at a time (try 2 times) as training. So a marathon shopping expedition in traffic following a trailer overflowing with bags for MILES was not my idea of fun. I suggested a compromise.... we would go to the Farmers' Market and ONE grocery (the closest!) by bike and then the rest by car. Mark was crestfallen but he saw that determined gleam in my eye and realized that half a loaf was better than none. So off we went. And it was chilly and my nose was running and I didn't have Kleenex (I hadn't figured out the purse thing for bike riding yet) and Mark kept shouting things out to me which I couldn't hear..... but we made it. I suppose I should tell you that the Farmers' Market is 2.5 blocks away.... well, I never said I was an athlete! Buying local produce like persimmons and fresh shitake mushrooms and the absolute MOST sweetest grapes in the world is really fun. And the grocery store was just a few blocks more. So I bit the bullet and didn't complain.... at least not so Mark could hear. After getting home and emptying that cute little trailer, we jumped in the car and finished up the list - having to go to 2 more stores. Rather time consuming. So now we have more food than this little house can hold. And I have cleaned every nook and cranny - 2 hours instead of 1. And the kids will sleep in the master closet and under the desk in the office. At least in NoCal, the weather allows you to spend lots of time outside. Which will be good. We will huddle around our raised firepit (in the driveway of course) while we take turns running into the house to use the tiny bathroom. When we are all inside..... well, we will see. I'll fill you in nest week. But at least we will be together and well fed. Happy Thanksgiving.

Thar's gold in them thar hills

Mark had to go to Grass Valley on business so I got to tag along. Grass Valley is in the Sierras northeast of Sacramento. The three hour drive took us over the "brown mountains" and through another valley toward the BIG mountains. As we passed through the brown mountains, the sun was just coming up and the sky was all pink with miles of tiny white lights twinkling in long rows..... Oh wait...... those are headlights on the MILES AND MILES of cars creeping in to work. Now remember, it is just o'early o'clock with the sun barely up. And I am CERTAINLY barely awake (scary thought as I am driving) and here are 3-4 lanes of bumper-to-bumper cars creeping along for HOURS trying to get to a job they can sit at for 8-9 hours so they can CREEP back for HOURS to a box in the suburbs.... as you can see, I was a bit negative about it all. Luckily we were headed in a direction no one wanted to go at 6am. Grass Valley is a bit "old West-ish" as it was settled mainly during the famous California Gold Rush (1848-ish for you non history types). While Mark went to work, I set off for the Empire Mine State Park to see more, go to www.parks.ca.gov and look for Grass Valley and Empire Mines). Now, in researching what to do in Grass Valley, this seemed like the most promising. But when I went on the web-site, there were big red notices that alot of the buildings were closed as the evil governor (Arnold-I'll-Be-Back) had cut the budget WAY back. But I figured that it would be interesting anyway. And it was. The mine has been closed since 1956/57. In its heyday, it went over 11,000 feet below ground and produced (over its lifetime) 6 million ounces of gold. The mine's main shaft is on an incline of 30%. To get to work, miners would sit on what looked like a toboggan on wheels. They would keep their heads down and elbows in as they hurtled 600 ft/MINUTE to the bottom of the FIRST shaft. That ride took 30 minutes. Then they walked 1 mile UNDERGROUND to another shaft to drop the rest of the way. Work went on 24 hours/day 6 days/week. The ore cars were pulled by mules who spent their WHOLE LIVES underground. They were stabled and fed underground and very well cared for. The yard area outside the main shaft (which you can see into) was full of old motors and parts from the mine.... a bit like a cemetery full of head stones. After being a good historically trained person and reading EVERY SINGLE sign/plaque/diagram in ALL the shops and buildings, I went on to the house built by the mine's owner. It was built of stone scraps from the mine and very beautiful. The grounds were spectacular with fountains and reflection pools and rose gardens and gravel paths.... you get the idea. And it was a gorgeous day - blue, blue sky, sparkling crisp air, sun sun and more sun, red and gold leaves.... like a great New England fall day. And it was peaceful and quiet with interesting bird calls... and I thought was a marvelous place to wander in a long gown and to have tea by the reflection pool and to read in the shade.... and then I remembered all I had read about the mine (which is visible from the house - like right next door TOTALLY). It had the LOUDEST whistle in Grass Valley and blew AT LEAST 10 times before 3:30pm. AND the stampers (BIG - I mean REALLY big) machines that crushed the rock when it came out of the mine ran 24 hours and could be heard CLEARLY in town 3 miles away. And the winches pulling the men in and out, ore in and out, supplies (remember the hungry mules?) in and out running 24/6. And the traffic in and out of the mine property.... and forget the idyllic times by the reflection pool! But at least I could enjoy the space today with none of that. The park staff were planting cyclamen. Apparently, they LOVE the cold of this type of winter and make beautiful dark burgundy or white flowers with deep green foliage. I received a spectacular one as a house warming present and had put it out in the morning and gently brought it in at night (so the poor little thing's toes wouldn't freeze). If the cyclamen in Grass Valley can survive the colder nights there, then mine is out PERMANENTLY. And it still is happily blooming. Anyway, after 2 hours of mining, I decided to look for ghost towns..... well...... there aren't any around here. Just a cute little town called Rough and Ready. It did have a cemetery. So being the ghoul that I am (I do enjoy cemetery art), I wound my way up to the gate, parked and explored. It looked like the earliest grave was 1856 (a newbie compared to New England). And something different from the New England headstones - here they list all the places the person lived. For example: born in Virginia, moved to Missouri and then came here to California. There were even 2 amateurly carved headstones of people from Maine. The saddest grave was of a young man killed in Iraq. Even in this small mountain village tucked into these beautiful quiet hills, the events of the world can be seen. Mark and I stayed in the oldest hotel in town - we know it to be true not only by the historic plaque on the building, but because the windows were single paned, no heat except an electric plug-in heater and a clawfoot tub with a funky shower curtain that let water spray all over the bathroom door and floor. When I pointed this out to Mark in my most Virgo-like way, he reminded me that there was a Holiday Inn just down the way if I was so unhappy..... I shut up and enjoyed the adventure. Sometimes you just have to be an UN-Virgo. When you are north of home, it just makes perfect sense to drive OUT OF YOUR WAY to go to Napa for a bit of tasting. And who can taste and not purchase.....? Not Mark. And we have room in that spacious new wine cellar/refrigerator/furniture. So we came home with a few bottles..... well..... maybe more than a few. And I am surprised to admit, it felt good to be back in the Mouse House.

Wheeling Into A New Paradigm

Well, I did it. Finally. I have a bicycle. And I even ride it. For those of you who don't know, Mark has been a bicycle berserker since he had a "cardiac event" 7 years ago. Now, I'm not complaining about it. I'm so happy he took the warning seriously and is much healthier. But he is a berserker because he now owns FIVE bikes (2 custom-made), subscribes to AT LEAST 1 bicycle magazine, owns a DRAWER full of "bike garb", listens to EVERY bike podcast made, and avidly follows ALL bike discussion groups on line. We often discuss the deaths of cyclists in Iowa or Nevada over dinner and how it was something stupid either the cyclist or driver did and how this city or that is voting to put in bike lanes which have PROVEN to be bad according to studies and opinion and why do we continue to support infrastructure for cars SO HEAVILY and not for bikes which are better for the environment.... you get the picture. Mark has participated in AIDS vaccine research fund-raising rides that cover over 400 miles and last days. He rides to work.... and did so in the old neighborhood.... even when there was snow and ice on the roads and it was in the single digits. So you can see what I was up against. I had to work REALLY HARD to be a lazy fat slug that refused to give up my comfy car to get to the grocery store five blocks away. I did TRY bike riding back East. I rode one of Mark's bikes. He said we would "just go around the block"..... right......!! The block was AT LEAST 5 miles and ALL UP HILL BOTH WAYS. I ended up walking his bike part of the way. And my butt bones HURT on that VERY LITTLE leather seat of his. So much for riding in New England. But I must admit... Mark never nagged or begged or coerced. He just kept talking.... and that was enough. So now that it is FLAT and NOT FROZEN and the streets are WIDE and things ARE CLOSE, I have no more excuses. We went bike shopping and found a cute iridescent pink girl's bike (no high bar to get caught on) and a BIG SQUISHY seat. So I rode it around the parking lot and it felt OK. But you can't JUST get a bike when you are married to BikeMan. I had to get a helmet, lock, basket, lights.... you get the picture. I tried on Girl helmets... too small. So I tried on Boy helmets.... but no cute colors or patterns. And of course, I want to be fashion-forward when I am tooling around town. So the very nice and VERY YOUNG sales woman suggested a shiny black one - after all, black goes with everything and you can dress it up with jewelry for an evening look.... VOILA! Then the 30 lbs. of lock stuff you need as bike theft is common in parts of town (and where do you KEEP all this metal when not locked up??). Got that covered too. So now a "Little Old Lady" style basket to put stuff in. Mark uses a panier system (that's new bikespeak for saddle bags). He started pulling several styles out for me to test. But I wasn't happy with that. After all, as a girl with a purse, I would then have a wallet in the purse in the panier. Talk about being a bag lady! So we decided to wait and do more research... ONLINE of course. We squished my new bike into the car (it fit!) and as soon as we got home, Mark was online checking out baskets. "Come here honey and look at this one!" We found a wire one that comes in pairs and fits on either side of the back wheel attached to a rack. AND they collapse when not being used to cut down on the drag (very important when you are a little old lady cruising around!). They and the front/rear light system are on their way... I have even gone for a bike ride and..... I hate to admit it...... I REALLY enjoyed it.

Entertaining NoCal Style

Tomorrow we will have our first guests over for dinner. My normal routine would be to clean for a whole day and then spend the next day shopping and cooking and then the day of the dinner, set the table etc. But here it is a bit different...... Because I am still on the hunt for THE grocery store, I spent ALL day yesterday shopping. I went to FIVE stores trying to find food and table stuff. First, the hunt for brass candlesticks..... Yes, I know. I own LOTS of candlesticks and some are brass...... but they are somewhere in the myriad of boxes buried in the garage. And then I wanted some bittersweet or other attractive fall foliage to put on the Star Wars-esque tablecloth I purchased/made (that was the day before when I went to the fabric store after looking in TWO stores for a table cloth which I know I own a million of but they TOO are packed in a box in the garage so I had to buy fabric and hem it). I looked in THREE stores just for those things and decided to Hell with it and got a frog-pokey-thing for fresh flowers. Then off to find food. I might as well be wearing a skin loincloth I've become such a hunter/gatherer! I had to program Garmin Nuvi to find the place. I forgot I had changed the settings (it's so much fun to have Garmin speak with a British accent as Daniel from BBC America) and so instead of the FASTEST route, he sent me on the SHORTEST route which was through neighborhoods - a bit disorientating. But I arrived at FoodMaxx at last. Again I found myself wandering back and forth around the produce section (which was HUGE and VERY well priced - mangos $.48/each, pineapple $2.98/each) as I tried to find everything on my list. Oh, did I mention that for our first dinner guests am I making something simple that I have made MANY times before? Of Course Not! I am making the Julia Child Beef Bourguignon! And here in THIS grocery is every possible Mexican ingredient you could find including a BIN of dried pinto beans and 12 different kinds of fresh chiles..... go figure. This store, as most stores in the area, has a huge amount of Mexican products. Where we would have 3 feet of produce space for parsley and herbs, here it is cilantro. And shelves and shelves of GIANT bags of tortillas - 50 to 100/bag! This gringa gets overwhelmed by it all (I have to get a Mexican cookbook/dictionary just to figure out all the cheeses). Unfortunately, the 'We're not in Kansas anymore" phenomenon happened...... no watermelon rind pickle(for a delicious appetizer - wrap small pieces in bacon, broil and eat with a toothpick - quick and exotic). Drat! I should realize that I can't really sit at home and plan a menu that uses exotic other-life-type ingredients when I am shopping in NoCal. So with a few items still to get, I asked Garmin/Daniel to get me to Whole Foods. Now, we have a Whole Foods in the old neighborhood. It is new and large and spacious and has LOTS of great stuff (even if it is expensive). Not so with THIS Whole Foods. Out of 10 aisles, 4 were for health/beauty/vitamin type stuff, 1 for cleaning products/pets and the rest for human edibles. So I wandered around again and ....... no watermelon rind. On to plan B...... cheese and crackers and to HELL with them! My shopping took all day yesterday. So today, I'll clean the house (1 hour) and cook (LOTS of hours) and walk to the library in the sun shine and blue sky and winter cold (55). I sure do waste alot of energy and time on this eating thing.

FInding My Way Out of the South Bay

We live near an airport. I mean NEAR. I can watch the planes coming in for a landing and often wave to the passengers as they eagerly stare out the window.... well, maybe not QUITE that close. But, in my efforts to shift my paradigm, I decided to take public transportation to catch my flight to Oregon. So I walked to the VTA light rail. I passed roses, bougainvillea in bloom, green grass..... and, with a small carry-on-type rollie, easily made it to the station. I purchased the $2 ticket and waited about 5 minutes before a train arrived. I rolled aboard - the train lines up with the platform so there are no steps - and found a seat in the almost empty car. We rode a few stops and I got off. Across the street is the bus which takes you right to the Departures section of the airport for FREE. Again, the bus was at the stop as I arrived and left 10 minutes after I boarded. So from my house - to the airport - through check-in was 45 minutes. And no hassle with cars to park and expensive parking fees. Very civilized... the flight was easy too. Horizon gives its passengers who are over 21 complimentary beer and wine of the month. AND snacks - again FOR FREE. Oregon winter weather had begun so it was cool, misty/rainy, gray skies.... a nice change from SUN SUN SUN! And I enjoyed wearing a heavy sweater..... and a raincoat.... and avoiding puddles because I didn't have rubber boots on. But seeing my "kids" was great. This was the first time I had ever stayed with them. That was interesting. I tried hard to be a good guest and not a picky mother/mother-in-law. That can be tricky at times..... Like staying out of their disagreements and not being too high-maintenance about meals (WHAT???? No hazelnut coffee???) and saying "Sure I can stay up until midnight while you finish this quest on World of Warcraft son" (I was sleeping in the living room RIGHT next to the computer). But everyone gave a little and it was really fun. We went to a baby shower for the Lump(my first grandchild) and her parents on Saturday. It was a bit strange.... knowing that when people look at me and see the graying hair and a FEW wrinkles they can easily see "grandmother-to-be". But looking out from MY side, I see it all as if I was maybe..... 40ish? I suppose that this is pretty normal. But it's my first time and it does feel a bit weird. Sunday my son and I went to Portland to hear/see an Oregon Symphony performance of "Video Games Live". This is a production created and performed by Jack Wall and Tommy Tallarico. Wall is the conductor and Tallarico is the host and composer of many video game scores. Now, I must admit, my knowledge of video games was small..... I remember when Roo got Nintendo's Mario Brothers for Christmas 25+ years ago. That catchy little tune (do,do,do,do,do DODADO) drove me crazy. But I never thought of it as a serious MUSICAL COMPOSITION. Boy, was I wrong. This show featured the Oregon Symphony, the Pacific Youth Choir, 3 GIANT screens for video display and lights (strobe, swirling/flashing/blinding lights). While the orchestra/chorus performed music from video games, the games were projected on the screens behind them. It was AMAZING!!! To see the evolution from the simple Lego-like characters and basic moves of the early games to the highly sophisticated complex graphics of today's games was inspiring. Many are based in fantasy or the future and have very complicated stories and characters. Roo has played War Craft since it started. On the drive home, I asked him to explain the game to me. He talked ANIMATEDLY for 2 hours about the history, the characters, the strategy, the technical aspects...... it was quite an eye opener. And at the concert - the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall was PACKED. I think I was the oldest person in the place. And every time a new piece of music started, the audience would shriek and yell out the name of the game and jump up and down and go wild. Where have I been all this time????? There are 11 million people in the world playing War Craft alone!!!! And 2 of the members in Roo's guild are a husband-wife team stationed at Ft Hood. Roo knew more about the Ft. Hood shooting before it was even on the news. Whoever thought that gaming would be a powerful tool of information dissemination. I know that Twitter has become a new way to learn about events in the world, but gaming? And then when we got home, Roo had to get online and finish a quest and sell stuff at the War Craft auction - stuff he found or won in previous quests like silver and gold and purple lotus.... you know, important stuff! I was watching over his shoulder asking questions and making comments.... and it was getting late..... and poor tired mama-to-be finally said she was going to bed..... and Clint and I - with eyes glued to the screen because he was in the middle of killing THREE scorpions that had attacked him and if he killed them all he would move up a level and it was very tense - mumbled something about see you in the morning.... and then I realized...... I could be a gamer too when I got home...... Hmmm.........

A Little Help from Some New Friends

I have been trying to find replacements for many of the aspects of the New England life. For example, a grocery store, dry cleaners, eye doctor, hair cutter...... you get the idea. In my effort to move into the 21st C and do things differently, I have been using the Internet to find some of these things rather than the yellow pages, my old favorite. Through this new method, I found Erin who cut my hair. She had great reviews, the store was in downtown and easily reached on light rail (another part of changing - less driving, more public transportation/walking) and she could fit me in soon. Not only that, but she has LOTS of cool tattoos and the most beautiful shade of teal in her hair. She did a great job of trimming me up (it was that or a flea collar and leash!). Then I went to pay........ Toto, we aren't in New England anymore! THAT part of city life I could do without. Mark and I will be out of town in December and I need to find the South Bay version of Happy Cats (a great place to board your cat back in New England). While I am willing to test out a new place I find on the Internet (after all, hair WILL grow back), I was less comfortable finding a place for Daisy that way. So I have been putting it off. Then yesterday I went to a meeting of a Quilting group at a local community center. Julie (wife of person who works with Mark and hostess of the first dinner at someone's home event) had invited me to join her. She said you don't have to quilt to come. And she asked if I would bring some of my felting as several people in the group had expressed an interest in that. So I dug through the boxes in the garage, found a few pieces, programmed Garmin Nuvi and off I went. This was the first real outing on my own where I would have to interact with REAL Californians. Would they talk funny or have a different sense of humor? Of course I got there before Julie and felt a bit awkward. But a very friendly person came right up to me, introduced herself and got me settled in. As more people arrived, they signed in, found a seat at the table and pulled out some handwork - quilts, cross stitch, knitting, crewel work..... When everyone had arrived, one member quieted the group and started the "sharing". They go around the table and share what they are working on getting feedback, comments and questions. Some of the work was truly inspiring. It's interesting to be the new person in a group. Because I didn't know anyone (except Julie), I could observe the group dynamics. There is the Organizer - the person who comes early, sets up the refreshments, puts out the sign-up sheets, reminds people of upcoming dates.... And there is the Gatekeeper - if you share too long, she cuts you off and says brusquely "We have alot of people and we have to keep moving!". There is the Harmonizer who wants to keep everyone happy. It all went very smoothly and all had a good time. And I found out lots of good stuff..... like the name of someone who is very gentle and will come to the mouse house to catsit Daisy. Hearing a real person describe the cat sitter and recommend her was comforting - not something easily felt by reading a list online. It's good to get a little help from new friends...

Spelunking in NoCal

Mark has found a new hobby - spelunking. Now I'm sure you have this image in your mind of mysterious caves with incredible formations of stalagtites and stalagmites and dripping water..... but in NoCal, we spelunk a bit differently.... We do it in our toilet. In the South Bay, the water is VERY hard. So hard that when you pop open the soap dispenser in the dishwasher, you will find a stony crust around the edges. And the underside of the sink faucets have a stony beige-and-grey crust on them that you have to CHIP off to remove. When we got here, the toilet did not flush very well.... well? It barely flushed at all. And you had such a cute burbly symphony of water sounds as it feebly tried to empty. There was a ??stain in the very bottom that would not go away with the normal toilet brush scrubbing and cleaners. And with TWO Virgos in the house, THIS WOULD NOT DO!! So Mark began to investigate. First, we tried the store solution that was made for slow toilets..... nothing after half a bottle. Then we tried a Lime-Away-type product to open up the drain..... a BIT better. But still not the powerful gush with a flush that Mark was looking for. So he began to do research on the computer..... after hours (well, maybe not HOURS), he discovered that mineral deposits were building up in the toilet. So he took the toilet OFF the seal on the floor and tried to remove the deposits...... with a BIT more luck. So now we had a better gush-and-flush, but you had to hold the handle down for a LONG time to get it to do this. So back to the computer for more research. And then Mark discovered the answer......COCA COLA. We bought a liter of it and some white vinegar and Mark got to work..... He also found out that the little hole in the very bottom of the bowl (you will never see it unless you can fit your head into the little space and look back towards the front of the toilet) has to SQUIRT water into the bowl to get the syphon going or something like that.... To be honest, I wasn't paying too close attention to the physics of toilet flushing because I was so intrigued with Mark's animated VISUAL display of how it was supposed to work (hands waving and whooshing and pointing and flushing... you get the picture). And then Mark said he needed a mirror so he could SEE the small holes UNDER the rim of the toilet (Did you even KNOW that there were holes there??). The only mirror I could find was in a compact of blush... so I reluctantly gave it to him (wet toilet blush.....). He got his spelunking equipment together - QTips, white vinegar, coat hanger, mirror - and entered into the dark........ I left. Well, the bathroom IS small and this kind of spelunking is best done alone. A while later, he emerged, damp and grinning. "Well honey. Want to see it flush?" So we both eagerly stood shoulder to shoulder (the only way we can both fit in the bathroom) around the bowl as Mark pushed the handle........ and GUSH!!! The water raced out of the space in the bottom and disappeared to..... who-knows-where. Mark was grinning from ear to ear. "You should see all the gunk I chipped out!" he proudly announced. Thank Heavens I was spared this view. Then he said that he wanted to "tighten up" the handle a bit so it wouldn't have as much play in it ( a playful toilet handle is a bad thing I guess). I went into the office to pay bills and soon heard a quiet "Oh Damn". Yes, the playful handle parts had playfully broken. So we had to ask Garmin Nuvi (remember? She/he has a GPS brain?) to find us a hardware store open on Sunday that sold toilet tank repair parts...... To make a long story a bit shorter, the new parts also broke. But the determined engineer I live with was not giving up. Using a coat hanger, he jury rigged the lever inside the toilet and got it to work. So now our toilet GUSHES and flushes and you only have to hold the handle down for a FEW seconds to get it to work. Progress!

Halloween NoCal Style

We were invited to a home for pumpkin carving Friday night. The guy works with Mark and has 2 children. When we arrived, the driveway was full of small people busily carving and lots of parents assisting. Apparently, this is an annual event and there are prizes for the carved pumpkins. The home is in a cut neighborhood where many of the houses on the street are Craftsman-style with front porches, single story, multi-paned front windows.... you get the picture. Charming. And as we shook LOTS of hands and heard (or not) LOTS of names, I noticed that the driveway went from the house - literally cement RIGHT UP to the building - to the neighbor's fence. And it was only about 11' wide. So I wandered into the front yard and looked at the other side of the house..... maybe 5' to the neighbor's fence and then about another 5' to the house next door. PHEW! That's close, I thought as I fondly remembered the gullies on either side of the New England house full of trees and light and space. So as I watched the party evolve (more watching than chatting on my part as it was very noisy and hard for me to hear), I noticed that the driveway is used as living space, not parking space. In the back by the 1-car garage (full of kid stuff and no car), there were planters and chairs. Kids could play in the strip by the house and out in front. Cars are on the street. The backyard (about the size of a large patio) was full of a hammock, rope swing, BIG tree with steps for climbing, small garden and compost area.... in other words, every space is used. It made me realize how easily I took for granted all the room I had outdoors in New England. But best of all were the outdoors fires...... Because there is little space outside and all the space has to be multipurpose, there is no place for a fire pit or other place to have a permanent outside fire. So..... the portable fire pit! It comes in many styles - the large rectangle that simply holds a fire of small logs about 3' off the ground and is open on all sides so lots of people can pull up chairs and sit around DRINKING WINE OF COURSE and enjoy a fire outside at night. Or there is the Mexican-style fire planter. It's not really a planter, but it is often made of red adobe clay and it IS sold in the garden center part of Target and other stores. It is a round belly-like container with an opening on one side and a chimney attached to direct smoke up and away from the smaller number of people pulled up in chairs sitting around AND DRINKING WINE. When I asked people at the party about the two different styles, many preferred the chimney-style as you didn't get smoke in you face, hair and clothes (Yew! Smelling like you had been OUTDOORS and CAMPING). Again, it sits up off the ground and is portable. So you have your fire in the evening.... and then pack the thing away in the morning! VOILA! Reusable space! Needless to say, Mark and I have started shopping for one..... We are thinking about the chimney-style...... smoke smell, you know.
Now, in NoCal, you can't be too organized and carve your pumpkin the weekend before...... it will rot in 4 days. So we had to carve a new pumpkin..... no, I had to carve (Mark didn't do his ahead....) my pumpkin Saturday. Of course I couldn't simply make a face.... as you can see..... We decided to use Mark's bicycle lights in them. Mark used the red tail light (VERY BRIGHT!!) and had it flashing while I used the tamer white one. Then we opened up the 2 LARGE bags of candy (some of my favorite kinds) and put on our costumes (Thing 1 and Thing 2 to follow up my pumpkin motif)and waited...... At 6:30, the first trick-or-treater came. And he wouldn't come up on the porch because he was scared of Mark's pumpkin! His dad was pushing him up and his mom kept saying, "Oh Look Dear! The Cat In The Hat!!". I was eagerly hanging out the door shouting, "Happy Halloween!!" and waving the BIG bowl of GREAT candy at him. He finally saw the candy, reluctantly came up, grabbed a piece and ran away. So much for our first time. We ended up with 32 trick-or-treaters (we counted to get a better idea of candy quantity for next year) with the last about 9pm. Most were little.... so, Mark.....NO SCARY PUMPKINS next year. It was great to hear PARENTS not kids say, "Oh look - Thing 1 and Thing 2. You know Johnny - from Dr Seuss!" and Johnny is dressed as a Transformer or the murderer from Scary Movie or Spiderman......Hmmm...... Lots of cute babies dressed up with Mom and Dad collecting the loot. Some parents had brought cameras - Moms usually photographed my pumpkin, Dads took pictures of Mark's. And then it was finished and Mark and I as Thing 1 and Thing 2 could sit in front of our Big Screen TV watching murder and mayhem and stuff ourselves on all the leftover candy..... Halloween is such a great holiday!

Finding a Granny Pantie Grocery

So I went to ANOTHER grocery store yesterday in search of just the right one. And yes, I broke down and went to a Safeway. I have to explain to those of you who might be wondering why I would be so anti-Safeway..... It reminds me of Shaw's in New England. I don't like the idea of having all my purchases tracked by a SAFEWAY CARD just to get decent prices. So, now that I've whined, I'll get on with it..... I was wandering around the store feeling a bit ..... well, MORE than a bit - annoyed. Every aisle including produce was full of HUGE carts being used by employees for restocking. The rabbit warren of a produce department had most of the aisles blocked. I know, I know. If I didn't have a chip on my shoulder to start off, I wouldn't have been so frustrated. Anyway, I'm weaving down an aisle FULL of empty boxes tossed on the floor by a woman restocking when my phone rings/vibrates. It's my New England daughter whining (it IS genetic) about an exam she has to take.... Instead of being sympathetic, I start barking at her to get over it. "Woah, Mom. I was just commenting..." "Oh, sorry dear. It's just that I'm shopping in Safeway...." "OH" she says in a knowing voice. Then, all of a sudden, I wonder.... why am I SOOOO obsessed with finding the PERFECT grocery store???? After all, food is food and it's not like Mark and I are starving or have no choices or CAN'T ADAPT??!! But as I think about how much I enjoyed going to Hannaford's, I realize that it's alot like wearing comfortable undies. You know, the "granny panties" that don't ride up, pinch your waist and thighs and feel so good. You put them on and then forget about them all day. I walked into Hannaford's and knew I would find all the ingredients for any recipe I wanted and I even knew where to find it. No thinking.... no stressing out if it wasn't there..... no wedgies..... The Shaws and Safeways are like the thongs of life for me - not enough there and always rubbing me the wrong way. I am looking for San Jose's tidy whitey grocery. I think I'm a flexible enlightened person..... but maybe when it comes to grocery stores, I'm not. I must say that my hunt has led me into many interesting stores. Living in the South Bay, we have several Asian grocery stores. Mark and I stopped in one after dinner out. I found the cutest little plastic bottles shaped as fish with little red screw tops. Mark said they were for soy sauce in children's school lunches. Next to them were the cutest little sets of chop sticks in pastel colors with little bears and rabbits on them and little plastic cases to store them.... also for children's lunches. And then in Mi Pueblo, the Hispanic market they have Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead bread). I will go out today and get some. So it isn't all bad in my searching...... and who knows? Next week, I'll have stories about Halloween NoCal style.

Hard Lessons in Downsizing or How the Elderly Learn Slowly

Before I forget, let me inform all of you non-Californians that, according to a local, Winter has arrived. How do the NoCals know? We have "Weather"....... That means that we have something OTHER than sun and 70's. The "Weather" that we are having is..... get this.....WIND. Yes, I know, I know. For those of us used to the Antarctica winters of New England WIND isn't weather. But here when it is quite breezy with gusts UP TO 45 MPH.... that is "Weather". Mark even wore his long bike pants in today because it was cold..... low 50's!!! What can I say?
So now the next chapter in Downsizing. It is hard to break old habits. As I mentioned, I ordered coffee so I wouldn't have to give up my New England fru-fru Hazelnut Eight O'Clock brand (not found out here). And yes, I did go over a bit...... well, a 23 lb package might be more than A BIT. But I'm learning after all. But at breakfast this morning I was trying to explain to Mark why I thought grocery shopping only once/week was a good idea - I would be forced to be creative with what I had in the house and not end up with big hunks of frost-bitten mystery food in the rather small freezer (not to mention millions of little bits of things in jars in the refrigerator). Mark didn't get it. And then he kindly pointed out that I really didn't NEED to get that second GALLON of milk LAST week when we still had more than half a gallon left. And I kindly pointed out that the reason I had to stay home today was to sign for ANOTHER shipment of wine....... And just so you don't think that I am being picky and spiteful, let me SHOW you another area where my geekman hasn't quite learned to downsize........ remotes. Yes, check out the attached pic and COUNT the remotes.... there are 7. And that is just the ones we NEED for our system. The ones we don't need were packed up and returned to the garage. So I rest my case. We both have more to learn about downsizing. Habits that have been carefully cultivated over many years are hard to break. So I will do laundry (yes, I have to battle the Miele monster again), plant seeds (yes, we can still plant cool weather crops) and wait for our excesses to arrive....... then I'll go to the grocery store for the second time this week. Oh well......

Weekend Warriors

Another sunny weekend in SJ.... It was actually in the 80's Saturday. With Mark home, we were able to get alot of the BIG projects done..... like put up the antenna. Mark has decided that we will not have cable (fine by me). So we have high-speed internet, a TIVO box, purchased programs that we can't get any other way (like Top Chef) and an antenna. Now those of you in New England may wonder how in the world you could get ANYTHING with an antenna. But when you live in a relatively flat place with short trees and LOTS of people (after all, we ARE in Silicon Valley - capital of Geekland), you can get HD with an antenna - in fact you can get 63 channels of HD with an antenna. There is just one small complication...... the antenna has to be mounted on a very high place like a roof. So Mark gets all the pieces out of the box and has them laid out on the deck and begins assembling them. I look out an hour later and he is still assembling.... but now he is reading the directions. It seems that having several courses during your Electrical Engineering program in Antenna Theory does NOT help in putting an antenna together..... the directions are much better. So he has the thing all attached to a VERY LONG POLE and he is staggering with it to the back of the garage where he has placed a VERY TALL LADDER. I'm waiting for the call...... (for those of you that don't know it, Mark HATES heights!)........ and then I hear.....Honey..... can you come out and help me for a minute? I'm ready to assist. Mark asks me to hold the ladder (balanced in 12" of "gorilla hair" - what our landlord calls redwood bark shavings and not very stable) while he manfully climbs WAY UP to the top dragging the pole and antenna along. It is very sunny and getting hot and Mark is sweating and looking very nervous..... But he gets the antenna onto the roof where it is left lying. He then makes a brief attempt to lift it up and place it in the bracket he has all ready put up. He starts swaying, the ladder is wiggling, and the antenna...... well, the antenna looks like a flag of surrender being frantically waved in the bright blue sky. And where am I, you might ask, as my husband is about to plunge to his death? Why, I'm at the bottom of the ladder trying to take pictures and laughing my head off of course! Ok, Ok. I know that seems a bit harsh..... So I offer to make the supreme sacrifice. I tell Mark to come down and I'LL go up ON THE ROOF ITSELF and lift the antenna up into the bracket so he can anchor it. He gratefully agrees and VERY QUICKLY climbs down the ladder. So up I go..... Now remember, I have less than 100% balance abilities because of my ear issue. And there is a satellite dish all ready on the roof impeding my ease of getting up and into position. So I get on the roof and try to lift the antenna realizing that it is VERY HEAVY and I AM FACING THE WRONG WAY! So I carefully put the antenna down and hope it doesn't slide off the roof as I try to turn around maneuvering my feet around and in between the satellite dish. Finally I am in position..... but I have to reach BEHIND me to get the VERY HEAVY antenna and raise it up (just like the flag at Iwo Jima!) and slide it into the bracket and HOLD IT THERE while Mark tightens the bolts. But we did it and we now have more TV channels than we could ever possibly watch in HD no less.

I'm Singing the Miele Dryer Blues...

Well, last week it was the washer..... this week it was the dryer. And in case you think that I am exaggerating or making things up, I have included the proof! Yesterday was "Finish the master clothes closet organization" (also known as the second bedroom) and "Clean the house" (a 1 hour job) and "Do the laundry"....... I sorted the clothes early as I knew that it would take me all day to finish the few loads I had. Then I loaded the machine and got ready to add the soap et. al. I think I have figured it out.... you build a dam with the powdered Borax near the BACK of the cup BEFORE you pour in the liquid detergent. And you get the detergent all ready (measured into the little cup/lid), pour it BEHIND the Borax and QUICK slide the dispenser drawer almost all the way in. Then you VERY QUICKLY pour in the softener in the VERY SMALL SPACE at the back of the dispenser drawer and slam the drawer shut BEFORE you start the water part of the cycle. PHEW!!! No soap on the floor this week. So now it's the dryer...... take a look at the control panel and tell me this - WHAT IS TURBO????? The dryer takes off at super speed and goes....... And then there is - "Normal" and "Normal+". Your clothes dry normally and then...... MORE normally???? And what does a "rotary iron" look like?? I have looked inside that thing and in the lint trap and all over and I don't see anything that even BEGINS to look like an iron. Maybe it happens when the door is shut and it is all dark and warm and whirling around inside..... Kinky! I just wanted dry jeans and tee shirts. And I love the little rain drops ON A DRYER. I obviously don't think like a European when it comes to doing laundry. And it DID take all day to get the laundry done - especially when the washer fits 1 set of queen sized sheets in a load.
Ok - now to rag on the stove again. I know, I know. I am a spoiled brat. And yes, after 12 years of cooking on Olaf the Viking stove I have forgotten what the rest of the world knows as normal. On the Viking, things cook FAST as you have LOTS of BTU's pouring out of each burner. On this 1950's O'Keefe and Merritt, the burner might light..... and then it might get warm...... and then your food might cook....... and then it is time to go to bed and you are eating semi-raw food because you have NO PATIENCE. I sit around reading my good book (The Alienist loaned to me by my sister-in-law) until just before Mark comes home and THEN I start dinner. WRONG!! We have been eating 90 minutes after he gets home because I have misjudged how long it will take to COOK the dinner. So it means less reading time and more cooking time (I know, I know.....wah, wah, wah). But at least no more burns (my war wound is still blistery but healing).
Today I am ready for an adventure! I will go the the San Jose Public Library to get my library card. The two most important memberships I like to get in a new place are library cards and a museum membership. I will get a book on gardening in CA today and spend some time this weekend figuring out what veg I can plant this time of year (eat your hearts out you New Englanders!) and what flowers are seasonally appropriate. I want to clean up the flower beds next week as the inside will be mostly organized. I may also look for a bird book to try and figure out who is singing the most interesting song in the early morning. The only problem is that with no directional hearing, I have yet to figure out where the bird is or what he looks like. A small dilemma. Mark will be putting up the antenna this weekend. So I will have great stories and pictures on Monday of the adventure. Wait til you see the remote DRAWER (it takes a whole drawer to hold them all!). But, after all, we are in the capital of the Geek World.

How to Fit 3000 lbs into a 500 lb house

So the unpacking continues...... I was ruthless as I weeded out shoes. When I made piles by color, I thought "Honestly! Who needs 5 pair of black shoes when you only have 1 pair of feet! BE RUTHLESS!" (the new motto). So off some went into bags for Goodwill or whatever they have out here - that is another project. I did read that you can recycle textiles. So the really ratty stuff doesn't have to go in the bottom of the Good Will bag (hoping that they won't notice until you have driven away...) but can be recycled. The master dressing room now has piles on the floor and couch and everywhere (remember, that is the original master bedroom but the closet door which opens into the middle of the room doesn't allow for a bed anywhere but in the corner - and we put a fold out couch in there for guests who will feel like they are sleeping in a walk-in closet which they are!). So I am going to deal with all that today. And then the front room/office which is even worse. You see, as I unpack boxes and I come across something I don't know where to put...... into the office it goes. One other aspect about recycling here - in San Francisco they have started sorting all garbage into three groups - trash, recyclables and organic wet food-type stuff (including meat, bones etc.). We will get a compost bin (probably online - our new favorite place to shop) and start our own 3 grouping as soon as the dust settles a bit more.
My car came yesterday. So now all our stuff is here..... well, that is all BUT Mark's darkroom and workshop stuff which he ran off and left to be packed....????? It feels good to have my car here - a bit of home from away. My grandmother used to say that her car was like her cup of coffee. She liked the way the seat and steering wheel and mirrors were JUST RIGHT. And she liked the familiar sounds and feels and smells when she got in and started it up. I can now appreciate those small joys. I tried a new grocery shopping experience - Target and Trader Joe's combo. Hmmmmm......... Target has all the paper/cleaning type stuff and even some food stuff (crackers, milk, yogurt, cereal). But is still lacking. And Trader Joe's has lots of wine (EVERY store - even Target - has LOTS of wine) and nuts and interesting entrees - both fresh and frozen. But the produce all comes in packages - just microwave in the bag! - and it also lacks stuff (like no cole slaw). AND it is expensive. So next week I'll try another store.
Other cute things about this house and neighborhood: our mail is dropped through a slot in the front door and goes "Plop!" on the floor when it arrives. To have a letter picked up, just leave it hanging in the slot and it magically disappears. And the gardener who cares for the lawn next door comes on Thursdays at 7:30am. I can hear the edger and mower going. We are developing a routine - Mark gets up at 6am and I wait until he is out of the bathroom before I get up as there is only room for 1 in the bathroom at a time. We have breakfast and he leaves by 7am. Then I blog/note and sometimes sneak back into bed to read a bit and then start organizing more stuff. Daisy the cat likes the back-to-bed part best. Today is laundry day. And while I can clean this place in an hour, the laundry will take AT LEAST all day. The washer is so small that I can't even fit 1 set of towels in it. So yes, you only use a gallon of water..... BUT you do three times the loads. Well, the machine is done so I best get busy or it will be dinner time and I'll only have done 2 loads!

Still settling in.....

Yesterday was "Unpack and Organize the Kitchen Day". After loading the garage so full of boxes Monday that there was no room for Mark's new bike rack and barely room to tuck his bikes in, Mark was feeling pretty discouraged by all the STUFF. So I brought in all the boxes marked KITCHEN and began unpacking. It's amazing how much stuff you can cram into lots of tiny spaces. And how much redundancy we have. We have 6 pieces of equipment to make coffee and 1 more to store it once it's made. We have 3 small round pyrex glass baking dishes WITH lids, we have 13 pyrex ramekins..... I could go on and on. And the sad part is that we did do some cleaning out before we moved. HELP! But I got it all in and now we are beginning to see the blue tarp on the floor of the garage. I am trying to be more aware of old habits and ideas and then think about changing them. For example, trash...... here the city provides a recycle bin and a garbage can that the truck can come by and automagically empty with a big gripper-thing that lifts and tips. The garbage can is about as big as a tall kitchen garbage can. And the recycling bin is HUGE. So, in the house, I have my tall kitchen garbage can and a small recycling bin under the sink. The goal is to ONLY have 1 bag of garbage/week and empty the recycling bin daily. I went online to read about what I could recycle. And it is alot. So now, I carefully read and sort.
The other habit I notice that Mark and I both have is going out to shop for more STUFF. Now, I have to be a bit easy on us as there does seem to be certain stuff that one needs when one moves into a new place - toilet plunger for one as we left both of ours behind (no pun intended). And of course - bucket, mops and brooms (we are BOTH Virgos after all). But I am trying hard to THINK before I BUY. Do I really NEED that thing-a-ma-bobber...... or do I just WANT it because I THINK I need it..... We went to Costco the other day looking for a wine refrigerator (more on that later). At first, I thought it would be great to have a membership. Then I looked around and most of the shoppers were parents with many children hanging off their baskets. And where would I put 12 rolls of toilet paper??? So when we didn't find a wine refrigerator, we left and felt very righteous that we didn't get the membership. But old habits are hard to break.... after all, when I couldn't find Eight O'Clock coffee anywhere here, I just went online and ORDERED some..... well, not some...... more like 23 lbs!! WHAT WAS I THINKING????? I hope our mouse house freezer can hold it all. And we are now on first name basis with our Fed Ex, Post Office and UPS drivers as Mark has gotten bike parts, a bike trailer, antenna for the TV....... We have to stop all this at some point. Now, saying that, let me explain about the wine refrigerator...... Because we have no real basement (the 5x5' bomb shelter under the house HARDLY counts as a basement), we have no good place to keep wine. And in this part of the world, you HAVE to keep wine. I think many people brush their teeth with wine. Wine is sold in EVERY store - even Target. So we decided to look for one of those wine cooler/refrigerators. I started reading about them online and so did Mark. One blog said to get a bigger one than you first planned on. So I thought - 45 bottles seemed good..... Then Mark said, "But that's not even 4 cases!". He was thinking along the lines of 84 bottles..... OMG!! And they make some that look like furniture so we wouldn't have a big stainless steel cabinet in the middle of the living room - just off to the side of it in the "dining space". So, as you can see, that old habit needs LOTS of work. Oh, and the quarter-sized burn on my hand from the stove-from-Hell is getting better. I did make a very necessary purchase and bought 2 oven mitts with gripper strips on the hands that go up to the middle of my forearms. HA HA you killer stove!!!

Do You Know the Way to Half Moon Bay?

Our first full weekend in NoCal was spent visiting Half Moon Bay for the Pumpkin and Arts Festival. When you stand on our street and look to the East, you see the "brown mountains" (locals call it GOLDEN). If you look to the West, you see the "green mountains". We took one of the windy roads over the green mountains toward the coast. I think everybody in the Bay Area had the same idea. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic . But very pretty and nice to just be a vegetable in the back seat.... Well, I suppose it would have been more polite to engage my hostess in polite adult conversation (and yes - VERY SEXIST - girls in back, boys in front). But I was pretty wiped and not very chatty. So every now and then, I would turn to her and say, "So ...... what do you like to do?" And then after her answer and a long pause....... I'd say, "So..... what do you like to do? Oh, sorry. I just asked that." I wasn't really that bad, but close. We got to the Festival after admiring wide open vistas of ocean and beach - unlike New England, most of the coast in the West is public. The festival took up all of Main St. and was full of people. Small booths of arts and crafts, lots of live music and food and beer..... and lots of people. Did I say that there were lots of people? Oh, and the sun was shining. I know I sound like a wet blanket, but I was tired..... tired of being admired..... oh, wait a minute!! Wrong movie! I didn't want to buy anything - NO ROOM IN THE MOUSE HOUSE. So just looked. The town (which was hard to really see) was very cute - lots of pretty Victorians and Craftsman-style houses on Main St. Mark and I will go back when it isn't a festival. After a really nice time with our hosts, we headed back to the Bay Area to have dinner at their house. And then it happened...... I did the most rude thing I have ever done with someone I just met..... I fell asleep and I'm SURE that I was AT LEAST drooling.... and maybe a bit of a snore/purr. OMG!!!!! I woke up with a start when Mark asked from the front seat, "Honey..... are you asleep?" and my hostess answered FROM THE BACK SEAT NEXT TO ME, "Yeeeesssssss. She is...." Oh well, so much for a great first impression. After a very nice dinner, Mark and I did the dishes and then beat a hasty retreat promising to have them over when we were unpacked. So, on to Sunday....
I have a new friend! Her name is Garmin Nuvi and she has a GPS for a brain. She loves to ride in the front and talks to us as we drive. And her route she suggests is outlined in pink!
MONDAY:
BOY WERE WE OFF ON SPACE!!!! We barely got everything into the garage and even had to put MORE in the house. Why did I ever think I would need 9 suits or 13 skirts??? And I haven't EVEN found the WAY TOO LARGE box of shoes yet. I had felt so righteous for all the "cleaning out" I did before we moved. HA HA! We now have paths through each room with the only clear space between the kanoodling chair (the leather loveseat recliner) and the Flat screen TV (you have to have SOME priorities!). The cat is happy and wants us to quick unpack the Planet Earth DVD's about birds (her favorite). I am being very organized and flattening all the packing paper, rolling it up and saving it for the next move. I keep hoping I'll make Mark a nice dinner in the mouse house kitchen..... then I get to the stove and everything goes wrong! This time, I decided to avoid the burners - I can never get them to light - and opt for an all-oven dinner. After all, it sprinkled today and was only sunny for a few hours. So we needed a nice cozy sort-of meal. The oven reaches 350 degrees when you have the dial set at 500 degrees. And then every time I open the door to put something in, I burn my hand on the edge of the door. I GIVE UP!! It's microwave TV dinners from now on... either that or cereal. Mark has spent the whole afternoon programing the TIVO - he is so excited to press all those buttons. Good thing he goes back to work tomorrow! Boy, I hope it's sunny tomorrow. This half-day of rain is SO depressing!!! You can shoot me now....

Day Three in NoCal

Weather: sunny (AGAIN) and in the 70's (AGAIN).
Today I mapped out my route to Ikea to find the tiniest bedside tables in the world . The store is up in Palo Alto - a mere 21.4 minutes on the 101 (that's CA lingo for 10 lanes of wacko drivers and lots of big trucks). I wandered through the store with my handy dandy tape measure and was so excited to see "ENTIRE HOME IN 691 SQ FT" "ENTIRE HOME IN 480 SQ FT". So I eagerly wandered through these "homes". The people living there had 3 shirts, 2 pars of shoes and enough dishes and pots/pans to make a meal for 2 not-very-hungry people. And as I continued to wander through the store, I realized that my problem is that I have TOO MUCH STUFF to put into the mini storage units for sale all around me. I need 3000 sq ft of mini storage units to hold it all. Rats! More weeding out is due. I did find the world's smallest bedside tables - 14" wide, 15" deep. So I eagerly wrote down the item number, aisle number, bin number and went down the the furniture-in-boxes-stacked-to-the-ceiling area. I found the aisle - 6 - and bin - 46 - and saw....... nothing. SOLD OUT for the next four weeks and I couldn't even talk them into 2 of the 4 floor models that they had set up. So back home and Target to exchange the wall-mounted paper towel holder for a sit-on-the-counter model (we have tile halfway up the walls in the kitchen and plastic lamenated cabinets). I decided to be daring and take the 87 off of the 101 - more CA lingo.... I got off at a familiar street and turned left... I realized I was going toward the house not Target. So I went "around the block" (about 4 miles) and found that if I had turned LEFT off of the 87, I would have been 1 minute from Target. ARGHH - the learning curve again. As I wandered through Target, I began to feel that I was in a world of aliens. Most people have these black or blue small rectangular boxes attached to an ear and flashing lights. Hmmm...... And I thought I was the only one who communicated with the Mother Ship through artificial attachments in the ears! No, No. I'm in California and it is illegal to use your cell phone while driving unless you have a hands-free set up. So the new CA jewelry is a bluetooth stuck in your ear which you put on in the morning and take off at night. How Special! Another interesting feature I observed while driving to Ikea were large (and I mean REALLY large) domed long buildings sitting in a large open area. Mark says that they are old blimp hangers. It is amazing to think of a giant balloon in those buildings and taking one to some far off city like we take planes today. Mark and I began talking about a plan in case there is an earthquake. The last BIG one occurred 20 years ago so that is on the news alot. Today we are going to Half Moon Bay with another couple from here.

Starting out in the Mouse House

I thought about writing emails about the adventures of becoming a California girl. But then I thought if I could blog it, then you would have the choice to read or not and I would learn to blog! So here goes.... It is sunny and warm in the mouse house each morning - 78 degrees with all the windows that have screens (and some that don't) open. I even turned on the attic fan to cool the place down yesterday afternoon when it got to be 85. It did start to cool things down, but I had to hang on to the poor cat so she wouldn't be sucked up into the attic. Mark had to turn it off the minute he got home - TOO MUCH NOISE!! I had just turned off the hearing aids and was fine. So after I bleached the bathroom and dug wads of hair out of the drain so that I wouldn't be standing in water up to my knees while showering, I was able to get dressed and get going...... until I realized that I was out of underwear ( I did pack in rather a hurry) and the load of undies in the washer wasn't done. So I checked the very high-tech European washer which very kindly tells you that it will be another 2.6 hrs before you can even HOPE to get your clothes out only to find a puddle in front of the washer. When I gingerly stepped in it, it was slimy -not wet. Hmmmm...... laundry soap! It seems that if you pull the soap drawer out TOOOO far, the soap doesn't go INTO the washer but dribbles down the interior and onto the floor. So my undies hadn't even been washed in soap. NOT ok for a Virgo!! So another 2.6 hours with soap this time. I added more undies to the list of things to get when out and about. Then I had to call Mark to find where he had stored the maps. Got those... and the list.... and the measurements for new window coverings.... and ready to go! I decided to try to find Wal Mart. Now I know some of you will ask - WHY BOTHER??? But I was on a mission to find Schweppes Diet Ginger Ale and Eight O'Clock coffee. Wal Mart in ME carries both. I found the store and even figured out how to get into the parking lot (not an easy thing to do with 5 lanes of traffic in each direction!). No coffee or g'ale. Then on to Target in a totally different part of town. Well, I can just hop on the 101 and take it to the 880 and then I'll be there......OMG!!! I am sounding like a California girl!!!! And it only took 10 minutes even with traffic!!! So I wander through Target looking for roller shades (I passed up the ones in Wal Mart thinking I would opt for the more expensive and obviously better ones at Target). Target doesn't carry roller shades and I don't think I can brave all those freeway numbers again especially as it is now after 3pm and the traffic is getting worse. So I will just have to sneak around in the house in my pjs in the dark for another night. (The roller shades were for the front windows because you can see into the bedroom and back hall from the front of the house and I am a paranoid person!). The last stop was the grocery store. I am on a hunting expedition to find a chain-type grocery that ISN'T Safeway. Today's test was PW Market. A bit tricky to find and VERY tricky to get to. Not only are there 5 lanes of traffic in each direction, but out in this part of town, they add dividers filled with bushes and trees (upscales the neighborhood) so you can't even see how you might possibly get in. The store was ok - better than Safeway. But food is expensive out here - bananas $.79/lb. We are trying to keep the supplies of back-up stuff down. So no more jumbo packages of toilet paper or extra large sizes in artichoke hearts. It felt good to get home - even if the house was hot. But then I tried to fix dinner and couldn't get the stove to light and couldn't find any matches to manually light the gas burners (kitchen matches are now on the list). So I just decided to sit down, eat some hummus and drink bad ginger ale (virgin - no Jack Daniels) and wait for Mark. Of course, he just turned on the burner, waited for 4 minutes and the thing lit. I just didn't have the patience to WAIT for it to light (nor the courage. I didn't want to blow up in CA on my first full day!) I was getting pretty tired and so was happy to huddle in front of Mark's computer to watch Top Chef on his 17" screen - Thank God the TV arrives on Monday with the rest of my underwear! Oh, and Mark and I are going to be Thing 1 and Thing 2 for Halloween when we answer the door. He wanted to wear a scary mask. But if all our Trick-or-Treaters are little, I didn't want to get the reputation of being the neighborhood ax murderers our first year. I will sign off and crawl through the 12.5" of space between the wall and my side of the bed.....