A free day, for a change. I have a habit of writing down what I want to accomplish and/or where I want to go. Fairly often, I don't get to cover everything on the list I wanted to, but yesterday, I did. To wit:
1. Gathered up all the recycle stuff--more than a week's worth of newspapers, plus a wine bottle, two jars, and a can, and took it to the enclosure on my way to
2. the library in town to pick up a book I requested, then swung around to
3. California Street, just down Main, to check out Lure Seafood Restaurant, where my new friends, Nancy and Joyce, will meet soon, then
4. continued to the Amtrak Station, as I'm nervous about driving home from Carolyn's in the dark, but it's okay, an almost straight route;
5. next, I went to Kohl's for undies before
6. stopping home for lunch, after which, I mixed the ground beef I had bought Wednesday with eggs and breadcrumbs, formed them into balls and browned them;
7 then fried up onions and garlic, filled a big pot with spaghetti sauce, added the meatballs and o. and g., then let it simmer while I
8. checked out a few things on the computer and revised one of my plays until I figured the meatballs were cooked, so I
9. took them off the stove and let everything cool while I drove to the Farmers' Market (every Thursday at the Kimball Street Park),
10. where I took a knife and sought out my co-widows' group member, Chuck, who sharpens them, plus bought a bunch of beets and a bag of grapes.
Whew! I had quite a sense of accomplishment when I got in the shower (doctor's appointment today), then sat down to play a hidden object game. (I allow myself to play only after 5:00 pm.)
Got a call from a guy named Bob Little, from the Maritime Museum. I had called there to see if they had anyone who could repair the ship I gave Pat years ago; the rigging (actually threads) broke and some of the sales came off. I'll meet with Bob on Sunday to get an estimate on how much it would cost to repair. If an enormous amount, I think I'll just ask if he'd like to have it and give to him free of charge.
Friday, November 06, 2015
Thursday, November 05, 2015
HTML Problem
Don't know what happened. I went back to edit something on today's post and when I tried to update, got a message that my HTML brace tags are broken, so I couldn't change it. As it stands now, the beginning doesn't make sense. What was omitted and I can't add is that a woman named Kathleen at our table texted through the speaker's talk, the jerk. After that came "And the speaker was terrific." Ugh, I hope this isn't a continuing problem.
Meeting and "Morsals"
The BCNN Coffee turned out to be very enjoyable.
I sat with two women named Barbara, who discussed their gluten intolerance. That seems to be the allergy du jour And that speaker was terrific. She's a master chef named Amy Tyrell, who owns a catering firm named "Morsals As You Wish," (a clunky, somewhat awkward name, if you ask me, but no one did). Anyway, she has a fascinating personal, as well as work background, having been married three times. First hubby walked out when their daughter was diagnosed with cancer, second died at 46 of a brain stem tumor, third was the keeper and they have a place in the Channel Islands, plus one in San Francisco. Not too shabby.
Amy had worked in the corporate world for years, but finally was able to follow her dream and go to culinary school. She mentioned how much that cost: $87,000. Boggles the tummy.
Incidentally--or not so--she demonized GMOs, which she said are poisons and she cautioned about processed food. She uses only "certified organic," as opposed to just plain organic (I never knew there was a difference) and mentioned with approval Whole Foods.
During her career, Amy worked with many of the well-known T.V. chefs, including Andrew Bourdain, whom she called "a hunk" (well, yeah, I've seen him); Wolfgang Puck, whom she said was very supportive and kind; and the pretty young woman (Italian descent) who weighs about 80 pounds and is the daughter or niece of a famous director (too lazy to look her up), whom she said was wonderfully warm and sweet-natured. She mentioned others I hadn't heard of and had some less-than-complimentary things to say about them.
Let's face it, food means a lot to me and that's probably the reason I was so enthralled--but so was everybody else. Amy is a terrific speaker: good, strong voice without theatrical tricks; lots of fascinating info; and she delivers her pitch with a balance of enthusiasm, solid information, and sly jokes. She wowed the crowd.
I signed up to get her newsletter and will check out her blog, as well as her business. Sent Ellen info about her because I thought Greg, who's a very creative cook himself, might be interested.
I was pleased to hear back from the other of my--I hope--newly-hatched friends, Joyce, and she, Nancy and I are tentatively set to meet for lunch next Wednesday.
My cousin, Sally, called to thank me for her mother's album, and we had a good long talk. She suggested I come visit her in San Diego on the train and I'm definitely planning to do that. Sally is full of zip, although she has her hands full with a rapidly-failing husband (several strokes, heart failure, and other problems) and a son who is also gravely ill.
I sat with two women named Barbara, who discussed their gluten intolerance. That seems to be the allergy du jour And that speaker was terrific. She's a master chef named Amy Tyrell, who owns a catering firm named "Morsals As You Wish," (a clunky, somewhat awkward name, if you ask me, but no one did). Anyway, she has a fascinating personal, as well as work background, having been married three times. First hubby walked out when their daughter was diagnosed with cancer, second died at 46 of a brain stem tumor, third was the keeper and they have a place in the Channel Islands, plus one in San Francisco. Not too shabby.
Amy had worked in the corporate world for years, but finally was able to follow her dream and go to culinary school. She mentioned how much that cost: $87,000. Boggles the tummy.
Incidentally--or not so--she demonized GMOs, which she said are poisons and she cautioned about processed food. She uses only "certified organic," as opposed to just plain organic (I never knew there was a difference) and mentioned with approval Whole Foods.
During her career, Amy worked with many of the well-known T.V. chefs, including Andrew Bourdain, whom she called "a hunk" (well, yeah, I've seen him); Wolfgang Puck, whom she said was very supportive and kind; and the pretty young woman (Italian descent) who weighs about 80 pounds and is the daughter or niece of a famous director (too lazy to look her up), whom she said was wonderfully warm and sweet-natured. She mentioned others I hadn't heard of and had some less-than-complimentary things to say about them.
Let's face it, food means a lot to me and that's probably the reason I was so enthralled--but so was everybody else. Amy is a terrific speaker: good, strong voice without theatrical tricks; lots of fascinating info; and she delivers her pitch with a balance of enthusiasm, solid information, and sly jokes. She wowed the crowd.
I signed up to get her newsletter and will check out her blog, as well as her business. Sent Ellen info about her because I thought Greg, who's a very creative cook himself, might be interested.
I was pleased to hear back from the other of my--I hope--newly-hatched friends, Joyce, and she, Nancy and I are tentatively set to meet for lunch next Wednesday.
My cousin, Sally, called to thank me for her mother's album, and we had a good long talk. She suggested I come visit her in San Diego on the train and I'm definitely planning to do that. Sally is full of zip, although she has her hands full with a rapidly-failing husband (several strokes, heart failure, and other problems) and a son who is also gravely ill.
Wednesday, November 04, 2015
Brain Gym
Went to "Brain Gym" at the Health & Wellness Center; also met the manager and gave him my proposal for Acting for Everyone. Now I'm sorry I didn't emphasize the quasi-health benefits--concentration, increased confidence, and so on--as that's the direction in which most of the courses go. However, if I get to see him, I'll add that.
Brain Gym was fun, if a bit different from what I thought it would be. The director, Joyce, is a physical therapist and very engaging. There are about twenty-five people in the class, including two or three men. (I think that proportion is pretty much the usual in older people groups.) The exercises included a number of what seemed to me new-agey type info: for instance, massaging your "brain center," which is, we were told, between one's collar bones. At the same time, the other hand must rest on the stomach. Similar directions were given and we did those. I'm just not convinced there's research to support the idea that, for instance, your left brain is stimulated by putting your thumb behind your right ear. But hey, who knows and who cares? I enjoyed it, anyway.
It was over at noon and I immediately went home to take my wash to the laundry place. For some reason, I was even more irritated than usual with the chore. However, I got it done and in between, changed my bed and went to the supermarket.
I was pleased to get a message back from Nancy, whom I had met on Monday, saying she'd love to meet for lunch. She also sent a listing of bus trip outings from Ventura, asking if I might be interested in any. Told her I'd look it over and let her know. Didn't yet hear back from Joyce; if I don't by later today, I'll call her.
I got back to niece Carolyn and told her I could come next Monday on the train. Must look up location and times. Talked to Betty and sent (via scan) a picture of her at her real estate agency in Ocean City. Must be forty years old, at least.
BCNN meeting this morning.
Brain Gym was fun, if a bit different from what I thought it would be. The director, Joyce, is a physical therapist and very engaging. There are about twenty-five people in the class, including two or three men. (I think that proportion is pretty much the usual in older people groups.) The exercises included a number of what seemed to me new-agey type info: for instance, massaging your "brain center," which is, we were told, between one's collar bones. At the same time, the other hand must rest on the stomach. Similar directions were given and we did those. I'm just not convinced there's research to support the idea that, for instance, your left brain is stimulated by putting your thumb behind your right ear. But hey, who knows and who cares? I enjoyed it, anyway.
It was over at noon and I immediately went home to take my wash to the laundry place. For some reason, I was even more irritated than usual with the chore. However, I got it done and in between, changed my bed and went to the supermarket.
I was pleased to get a message back from Nancy, whom I had met on Monday, saying she'd love to meet for lunch. She also sent a listing of bus trip outings from Ventura, asking if I might be interested in any. Told her I'd look it over and let her know. Didn't yet hear back from Joyce; if I don't by later today, I'll call her.
I got back to niece Carolyn and told her I could come next Monday on the train. Must look up location and times. Talked to Betty and sent (via scan) a picture of her at her real estate agency in Ocean City. Must be forty years old, at least.
BCNN meeting this morning.
Tuesday, November 03, 2015
Widows' Group
I left for the Widows' Support Group lunch too early, stopped at a supermarket, then took a different route and managed to get myself lost and was fifteen minutes late.
However, I had a great time. I'm getting to know some of the people who attend and met two others with whom I really clicked: Nancy, Joyce, and I exchanged e-mail addresses and discussed getting together outside of the group. Also met Carla who, interestingly, lives right across from Ellen in Riverview Townhouses. She announced that she had been named to the Board of Trustees there, obviously expecting me to be impressed. I asked if it included a stipend, but no, of course not, so why bother to take it on? (I didn't say that to her.) Unfortunately, Carla is the big talker/little content type and struck me a a bore. The only thing I found interesting about her is that she mentioned she had lost 105 pounds.
Nancy, Joyce, and I exchanged our husband death information; as I had remarked in this group to general agreement, our stories are all different and they're all alike. Joyce, who I think is about my age (Nancy said she was 77), had a harrowing how-I-reached-widowhood story: Her husband had some disease, but it wasn't considered life-threatening. He went out one day and an hour later, the police called to say he was in the hospital. Shortly after, her son called from Arizona or somewhere--the police had gotten his number from his father's wallet--to tell her her husband had shot himself in the head in a parking lot. Why in the hell the police didn't go to her home and escort her to the hospital is beyond comprehension.
Anyway, others whom I like were there: pretty Vera, who founded the group; Donna, who works for the county; and Chuck, who handed out flyers promoting fund-raising for Soaring Spirits. I gather that Soaring Spirits is a grief support group for widows and widowers, which is international. There's a web site and blog in which different widows write. I looked into it and found it interesting, but it's not quite for me, as most members seem to be young, whose husbands (or others) had died fairly recently.
When I got home, I wrote to the SCAN manager, applying to conduct my Acting for Everyone class. Added my theatrical resume (truncated) and a copy of the blurb from Stockton and will submit it when I got there this morning for the Brain Gym class.
Texted my daughters, both of whom texted back with words of encouragement and derision. ("Don't forget to proofread," wrote one.) Listen, it's hard on my dumb phone; the alphabet doesn't come up, for one thing. Hey, one of these days I'll get a fancy smart phone and thumb my nose at everybody!
Note: The weather has turned very cold; bone-chilling, in fact. The paper said it got all the way down to 69. I even wore a jacket. Well, a light one. Anyway, it's refreshing.
However, I had a great time. I'm getting to know some of the people who attend and met two others with whom I really clicked: Nancy, Joyce, and I exchanged e-mail addresses and discussed getting together outside of the group. Also met Carla who, interestingly, lives right across from Ellen in Riverview Townhouses. She announced that she had been named to the Board of Trustees there, obviously expecting me to be impressed. I asked if it included a stipend, but no, of course not, so why bother to take it on? (I didn't say that to her.) Unfortunately, Carla is the big talker/little content type and struck me a a bore. The only thing I found interesting about her is that she mentioned she had lost 105 pounds.
Nancy, Joyce, and I exchanged our husband death information; as I had remarked in this group to general agreement, our stories are all different and they're all alike. Joyce, who I think is about my age (Nancy said she was 77), had a harrowing how-I-reached-widowhood story: Her husband had some disease, but it wasn't considered life-threatening. He went out one day and an hour later, the police called to say he was in the hospital. Shortly after, her son called from Arizona or somewhere--the police had gotten his number from his father's wallet--to tell her her husband had shot himself in the head in a parking lot. Why in the hell the police didn't go to her home and escort her to the hospital is beyond comprehension.
Anyway, others whom I like were there: pretty Vera, who founded the group; Donna, who works for the county; and Chuck, who handed out flyers promoting fund-raising for Soaring Spirits. I gather that Soaring Spirits is a grief support group for widows and widowers, which is international. There's a web site and blog in which different widows write. I looked into it and found it interesting, but it's not quite for me, as most members seem to be young, whose husbands (or others) had died fairly recently.
When I got home, I wrote to the SCAN manager, applying to conduct my Acting for Everyone class. Added my theatrical resume (truncated) and a copy of the blurb from Stockton and will submit it when I got there this morning for the Brain Gym class.
Texted my daughters, both of whom texted back with words of encouragement and derision. ("Don't forget to proofread," wrote one.) Listen, it's hard on my dumb phone; the alphabet doesn't come up, for one thing. Hey, one of these days I'll get a fancy smart phone and thumb my nose at everybody!
Note: The weather has turned very cold; bone-chilling, in fact. The paper said it got all the way down to 69. I even wore a jacket. Well, a light one. Anyway, it's refreshing.
Monday, November 02, 2015
Stardust and Ca Marco
Fine, fun day. Ellen picked me up at 11:00 and we went to "Stardust," a mobile home community. It's a very neat, clean, and quiet place and we looked at the outsides of some of the homes. Went to Ojai after and saw a few others. This small mountain town was crowded on a beautifully sunny day and we didn't see a place where we really wanted to have lunch. Then I remembered that years ago--at least ten--she and I had eaten at a small restaurant a little way out of town. We weren't sure it was still there or if we could find it, but it was and we did.
It's called "Ca Marco"; El said "ca" is short for "casa" or "house," so "House of Marco." There were just four other people in the cozy dining room, which was decorated in an Italianate, but low-key, tasteful style. They had pizza, but not the usual thick slabs slathered with red sauce and piled with cheese. Ellen ordered one and it had a thin, delicate crust, with various thinly-sliced meats and veggies on top. She gave me a pizza and I liked it, although I'm not a big pizza fan. I had melon slices wrapped with prosciutto, really delicious and accompanied by tiny slices of strawberries and plums. I thought a Corona was called for and it came in a frosted mug with the obligatory wedge of lime. Altogether, that was about the best warm-weather meal I've had all year.
My friend texted El while we were out to the effect that they were just approaching Sedona on their Arizona trip. Think I'll try texting her sometime; she'll be amazed.
Back at Stardust, we went in one of the new homes and saw others from the outside. They're lovely and about as far as it's possible to get from a "trailer park" habitat, in both size and style. It was when the prices were mentioned that the reality of living in this area hit home. Not only are the places themselves expensive, certainly half again as much as they would be in Jersey, but the "space rent" on top of that is higher than my mortgage.
Good thing we were just looking around and speculating. Anyway, I love to tour both old and new homes, just speculating or not. El lent me a lawn chair and we put it in my trunk, as I want to take my lunch now and them to that wonderful park on Poli Street. She dropped me off about 4:30--the sun was starting to fade!--after a fine day.
Happily, I slept well last night and when I got up, had welcome e-mails from my friends, Aline and Vivian. I had met the latter at Wellspouse when Pat was so sick; she has cared for her husband for thirty-some years. He has MS and is almost completely immobilized. She said her son, who is a musician and had been employed by the Disney group (ugh!), had moved to L.A. and was trying to break in as a music producer. I wrote back to Vivian, but didn't mention I might approach my nephew's wife to see if she has any relevant contacts.
Or I might not.
It's called "Ca Marco"; El said "ca" is short for "casa" or "house," so "House of Marco." There were just four other people in the cozy dining room, which was decorated in an Italianate, but low-key, tasteful style. They had pizza, but not the usual thick slabs slathered with red sauce and piled with cheese. Ellen ordered one and it had a thin, delicate crust, with various thinly-sliced meats and veggies on top. She gave me a pizza and I liked it, although I'm not a big pizza fan. I had melon slices wrapped with prosciutto, really delicious and accompanied by tiny slices of strawberries and plums. I thought a Corona was called for and it came in a frosted mug with the obligatory wedge of lime. Altogether, that was about the best warm-weather meal I've had all year.
My friend texted El while we were out to the effect that they were just approaching Sedona on their Arizona trip. Think I'll try texting her sometime; she'll be amazed.
Back at Stardust, we went in one of the new homes and saw others from the outside. They're lovely and about as far as it's possible to get from a "trailer park" habitat, in both size and style. It was when the prices were mentioned that the reality of living in this area hit home. Not only are the places themselves expensive, certainly half again as much as they would be in Jersey, but the "space rent" on top of that is higher than my mortgage.
Good thing we were just looking around and speculating. Anyway, I love to tour both old and new homes, just speculating or not. El lent me a lawn chair and we put it in my trunk, as I want to take my lunch now and them to that wonderful park on Poli Street. She dropped me off about 4:30--the sun was starting to fade!--after a fine day.
Happily, I slept well last night and when I got up, had welcome e-mails from my friends, Aline and Vivian. I had met the latter at Wellspouse when Pat was so sick; she has cared for her husband for thirty-some years. He has MS and is almost completely immobilized. She said her son, who is a musician and had been employed by the Disney group (ugh!), had moved to L.A. and was trying to break in as a music producer. I wrote back to Vivian, but didn't mention I might approach my nephew's wife to see if she has any relevant contacts.
Or I might not.
Sunday, November 01, 2015
Car Bad, Shrimp Good
Darn it all! I went to the library and backed into a metal post and dented my lower fender. It's badly scratched, too, of course, and AAGH!!! However, what if I had hit a person? A child, even? I would gladly have traded that for totaling my car, so I simmered down and will see what can be done.
Anyway, it was a red-letter day because I heard from ALL of my children; it's unusual that they all get in touch on the same day. Wait a minute--little K. Skyped me on Friday. All right, I heard from all my children over two days. El texted me and I laboriously texted her back. Then she called and we decided we'd go to a festival at the museum today. If we find it too crowded or it's not interesting, we'll go elsewhere.
Called my friend and we had a long talk. She and her husband are leaving tomorrow for Arizona, where they'll stay at several different camp grounds. It seems so wonderful that they had decided to do this--he retire, she quit her job, sell their house, buy an RV, move to New Mexico--and they did. My friend expressed surprise that they're still busy, even though neither are working. I feel the same way--I have plenty to do, although I don't have the obligations I did or the everyday care of a house anymore.
Mike Skyped me in the evening and I loved hearing from Vivian and Violet about the Halloween party they went to, and all their other little-girl news. Talked to Betty--she bought a car--and to brother, Frank. He said maybe he and Marybeth would be able to drive down once I get my new place and a sofa bed--hope so.
Bought bubble wrap to send my cousin, Sally, her mother's album. I know I have a lot of packing stuff left from my move, but can't find it. Oh, well, I'm sure I'll be using it soon. Took the album to the post office, then drove up in the hills. I still marvel at the beauty of the ocean and the mountains hereabouts.
Bought a pound or so of fresh shrimp and stir-fried it in just a bit of coconut oil. With wedges of fresh lemon and cocktail sauce, I had only that for dinner. Boy, it was good. I resolved never to buy frozen shrimp again, this was so delicious.
Anyway, it was a red-letter day because I heard from ALL of my children; it's unusual that they all get in touch on the same day. Wait a minute--little K. Skyped me on Friday. All right, I heard from all my children over two days. El texted me and I laboriously texted her back. Then she called and we decided we'd go to a festival at the museum today. If we find it too crowded or it's not interesting, we'll go elsewhere.
Called my friend and we had a long talk. She and her husband are leaving tomorrow for Arizona, where they'll stay at several different camp grounds. It seems so wonderful that they had decided to do this--he retire, she quit her job, sell their house, buy an RV, move to New Mexico--and they did. My friend expressed surprise that they're still busy, even though neither are working. I feel the same way--I have plenty to do, although I don't have the obligations I did or the everyday care of a house anymore.
Mike Skyped me in the evening and I loved hearing from Vivian and Violet about the Halloween party they went to, and all their other little-girl news. Talked to Betty--she bought a car--and to brother, Frank. He said maybe he and Marybeth would be able to drive down once I get my new place and a sofa bed--hope so.
Bought bubble wrap to send my cousin, Sally, her mother's album. I know I have a lot of packing stuff left from my move, but can't find it. Oh, well, I'm sure I'll be using it soon. Took the album to the post office, then drove up in the hills. I still marvel at the beauty of the ocean and the mountains hereabouts.
Bought a pound or so of fresh shrimp and stir-fried it in just a bit of coconut oil. With wedges of fresh lemon and cocktail sauce, I had only that for dinner. Boy, it was good. I resolved never to buy frozen shrimp again, this was so delicious.
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