HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I ended up with this costume:

Do you get it??

Fork in the road.

I went to a party and had a good time. There were lots of great costumes.

Until tomorrow...

CHOOSING A COSTUME

I finally chose a Halloween costume. I want to be Charlie Brown from the Halloween special. Charlie Brown had a sheet over him with many eye holes cut in it. He carried a brown bag filled with rocks. That is what I wanted to be. I went to three stores looking for a cheap white sheet. I only found a $89.99 sheet set. I am not spending $90 to cut up a sheet.  So that costume went out the window.

Back to the drawing board.

Until tomorrow...

WORLD SERIES WIN

The San Francisco Giants won the World Series! It went to game 7 and the 7th game was a nail bitter.  The final score was Giants3, Royals 2.

Now I see the news stories of how the celebrations are getting out of hand. So sad! Can people be happy without setting things on fire or breaking bus windows anymore?

The big celebratory parade is supposed to be on Friday, Halloween rain or shine.

Until tomorrow...

ALMOST KILLED A MAN

(No humans were injured or killed in the making of this story)

Today I was driving down the road at a reasonable 20 miles per hour when a man stepped out from behind a van right in front of my car.  Because I have a tiny car and the man was behind a van, I didn't see him until he stepped out into the street. I was about 1/2 of a car length away and slammed on the brakes.  He had the audacity to give me a nasty look. It sure did wake me up! He was fine although slightly annoyed. Maybe next time he will do what we are all taught in pre-school LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE YOU CROSS THE STREET !

Until tomorrow...

YOU ARE TOO __________.

Have you ever been talking to someone and they say those words"You are too_____."  It doesn't matter what it is. As soon as you hear those words your defenses go up.

I was watching an episode of Real Houswives of somewhere the other night (yeah, I know what you are going to say) and the women were sitting around talking and drinking.  All of a sudden I heard it: "You are too sensitive." A fun evening of girl chatter and drinks suddenly became an unhappy group of arguing, crying, unhappy women.

Today someone told me I can be too whiny. I was a bit surprised, okay shocked. But maybe I am not so self aware. Maybe I am whiny. Maybe people are just being polite and this person is telling the truth. Suddenly I feel like I am on Survivor. Is the tribe lying to me or is my alliance lying to me?  I don't know. After the person said it she sent me a text sort of apologizing telling me we have known each other a long time and gone through a lot. That anything she says is with affection.

This is why I don't like "You are too..." statements.  Of course you are too statements can be positive also. You are too nice. Pretty. Smart. Sweet. Brilliant. Kind.  Those I like.

Until tomorrow...

DID SOME WORLD SERIES COOKING

Today I did some cooking. I made soup:  White Bean with Fennel Soup.  It it really good. I tweeted it a bit by adding carrots and sautéing the fennel, carrots, onion. It added more flavor. I also added a second can of beans.  I use fresh spinach not frozen.

Then I made Swiss Chard with Chickpeas and Couscous.   This tastes fabulous. You have to like chickpeas to like this recipe.  I accidentally put in two cans of chickpeas but I wouldn't suggest it.  Swiss chard, pine nuts, raisins, chickpeas, and couscous. Yum!!

It made for a delicious dinner and a week of leftovers.

Until tomorrow...

SCRATCHY THROAT

For a couple of days now I have had a scratchy throat. Okay maybe a sore throat. At first it felt like I was getting a sore throat but it felt different.

I have been using an asthma inhaler and now I think the sore throat is from the inhaler.  I stopped using the inhaler on Friday just in case. I thought if it was the inhaler, I would start to feel better but I don't.  I drank hot tea, cold pops, lozenges. Nothing seems to help.

I see the doc on Wednesday and will see what he says.

Until tomorrow...

WILD THE MOVIE

I just found out that WILD the book I just read is coming out as a movie. It is starring Reese Witherspoon. The release date is December 5, 2014.  I am real excited to see this book made into a movie. The views of the Pacific Coast Trail should be beautiful.  This is one movie I can't wait to see.

Until tomorrow...

READ A GOOD BOOK : WILD

I just finished reading Wild, by Cheryl Strayed. I really liked this book and finished it quickly.   It is about a woman who hiked the Pacific Coast Trail from Southern California to Oregon. I thought it would be dry and boring. Reading about someone hiking didn't sound that interesting. Cheryl is such a good story teller that I was entertained for the majority of the book.  She intertwined the hiking, the story of her life and reasons for hiking the PCT.

I felt like I could not put the book down.  I recommend it.

Until tomorrow...

GREETING CARDS

I enjoy a greeting card. I like to get them in the mail. I love witty greeting cards.  I know some folks have moved on to e-greetings, emails or texts but I like going to the mailbox and seeing a brightly colored envelope. Then opening the card and reading the greeting. 

Today I made a Target run and bought a bunch of cards. I needed four cards for upcoming birthdays. Then I bought a bunch of cards with no one in mind. A few generic happy birthdays and a couple of funny happy birthdays.  For the wee ones I got some sticker cards. 

I know the practice of sending greeting cards seems to be dying out but that makes me sad. Nothing brightens someone's days like getting a card in the mail saying get well soon, I miss you, happy birthday or congratulations.  An email, YouTube video, text or e-greeting is just not the same.  

Until tomorrow...

NEW SCALE

For weeks the scale I have been weighing myself on has been acting funky. I weigh myself and I weigh X. Then a few minutes later I weigh myself again and I weigh Y. I changed the battery, still no luck. I just knew I could not lose 2 pounds in five minutes.

Today I bought a new scale. The old scale has gone in the trash. I guess 10 years is a good life for a scale. The new scale has all kinds of fancy stuff. It measures BMI, etc.

It is a pleasure to weigh myself now. Especially since I have lost 16 pounds.

Until tomorrow...

GOT THE CABLES

Today I went after work to return the cat5e cables.  It took about 5 minutes to find the correct length cables and go to customer service and return the 6' cables.  Now I will be able to set up my office the way I want.

Until tomorrow...

WENT BACK TO BEST BUY

Today I went for a bike ride and went to Best Buy. After riding all the way to Best Buy, the store had no bike rack. I had no where to lock up my bike.  I wanted to return the Cat5e cords that were the wrong size. I was bummed that I rode all the way there and there was nowhere to lock up my bike.  I will have to return it tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

MEASURE TWICE

I decided to move the router to my computer closer to the middle of the house.  That required a trip to Best Buy to buy a longer Cat5e cord. I measured the length of cord I needed before I went and bought a cord a bit longer. I got home and moved the router to the location I want it. The cord was too short! Of course I didn't lay the tape measure along the ground. I measured as the crow flies. Now I have the cord across the window.  Tomorrow I will have to return it and get a longer cord.

Until tomorrow...

WENT TO DINNER WITH FRIENDS

Tonight I went to dinner with some friends. They have been away for two months on a trip abroad. It was interesting hearing about their travels. They went to Canada, Turkey, Sweden, Germany, and England. I find it fun to hear about travels to cities I have never been to.

Until tomorrow...

NUTRITIONIST WAS SURPRISED

I saw my nutritionist today for the first time in three months.  He was happily surprised with my 16 pound weight loss. We had a long talk on how I got to this point and how I can lose more weight while staying healthy. We talked about my eating habits, exercise.  I have a better plan for the next three months to expand my food choices.

Until tomorrow...

OUR POND PUMP IDEA WORKED

As everyone has heard, the West Coast has a drought. Many of us have thought of ways to save water. Not washing our cars, not watering our lawns, using dishwater (gray water) to water our plants, and taking shorter showers. We came up with a novel idea after our last water bill.

We had filled the pond. During the summer the pond loses water from evaporation (the exact opposite happens during the winter rainy season when I have to pump out water)  and I have to fill about 1/3 of the pond every three months. The pond is about 750 gallons so 1/3 is a significant amount of water.

The last time I had to fill it, I got dinged on my water bill. If you go over a certain level of water usage you get a super charge. Because I used 250 extra gallons, I got dinged. We are trying to avoid getting in trouble again AND keep our fish alive.

At first we were taking buckets of the cold water from the shower before it gets hot. But that was getting tedious, I got costocondritous, I couldn't carry the buckets of water down the stairs. Then our brainstorming team came up with the idea of putting a big bin (with a lid) on the balcony, dump the buckets of water in the bin, then once it us full, put the dechlorination liquid in it and pump the water into the pond.

Today I tried this method for the first time. All week we have been filling the bin and today I pumped the 25 gallons into the pond. It took about 10 minutes total to set it up, pump it, and break it down.  Of course it would be best if it rained but I won't be holding my breath. The pond is down about 200 gallons so hopefully we can keep up by adding 25 gallons every 4-5 days.

Until tomorrow...

RAGGEDY ANN

I could have titled this post Raggedy Ann and Andy but today I am specifically writing about Raggedy Ann.

I have always been in love with the story of Raggedy Ann and Andy. My beloved next door neighbor had a book that I adored and probably had her read a hundred times. When I got older she gave it to me. It is quite old and it is one of my treasured belongings.  I also have Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls sitting in my living room.  

The reason for this post is about another treasured item. It is a necklace I received as a girl. It is Raggedy Ann. She has a pull chain that has a heart that has "I love you" engraved on it. When you pull the chain Raggedy Ann's arms and legs move. It is quite cute.  I wore it today because Ann's hair matched my shirt. I received many compliments. 

Some other time I will tell you about my obsession with Mickey Mouse (not Minnie).

Until tomorrow.

CLEANED OUT MY MEDICINE DRAWER

This weekend I decided to clean out the drawer that held my medications. I got motivated when my doc prescribed a medication and I told him I had a bottle. I got the bottle out and it had expired in 2009.  Time to clean out my meds!

I could not believe how many bottles of pills I have that are expired. In fact it is embarrassing. I filled up an entire grocery bag.  Now I have to prepare them to be dropped off at a medicine drop off site. Brenda wanted me to throw them out but medicines in the trash or water system are wreaking havoc on the environment.  Antidepressants dumped in the water system (by people flushing them down the toilet) are disrupting the reproductive cycles of the fish populations.

I have so much space in my medication drawer.  I love it.

Until tomorrow...

PIPING HOT

It was so hot again today. I appreciate here hot days. I really do.  I would have appreciated them more a month ago.  It was nice yesterday but today I didn't want to do anything. No biking or walking.  I just sat in the shade and read my book with a glass of iced tea.

Until tomorrow...

BIKED IN THE PARK BY MYSELF

Today I took my bike to the park on the bus by myself.  I packed a picnic to eat. I rode my bike for a bit and then ate my lunch in a beautiful area of the park. Then I rode some more. I walked around an art exhibit and through a flower dell. It was a nice day.

Since I have not been riding the recumbent bike lately, I didn't have the stamina I had a month ago.i have to ride more often.

Until tomorrow...

UNSCHEDULED VISIT

Today I had an unscheduled visit from a service technician.  We have been having this beeping coming from our alarm system and a tech needed to check it out. I had scheduled a visit about two weeks ago and I sat around for four hours. No tech arrived. The main office screwed up the appointment in their calendar. (Then try to tell me I got the date wrong,)  after a long talk with a supervisor I was put on a list in case there was a cancelation, I would get bumped to the front of the line.  I made an appointment for the 15th.

Fast forward to today. I am in the shower and Brenda says a service technician is here to fix the alarm.  Call me crazy but I immediately called the company. I wanted to make sure this guy was legit.  Turns out the company forgot to contact me to tell me my appointment got bumped up to today. Thank goodness I just happened to be at home, since I was going to go pick up my car from the shop.

The service tech fixed the problem in about 10 minutes.  He understood why I was suspicious when he arrived once I explained it to him.  Can't be too careful these days.

Until tomorrow...

DINNER WITH A FRIEND

I went a to dinner with a friend. It was nice to catch up. It is sad she moved so far away and we don't see each other too often.  It is hard when friends move away. It just isn't the same with email and texting.  We had a nice visit.

Until tomorrow...

FULL MOON

Did you see that full moon tonight?  It was beautiful. I hear there was an eclipse at 4am. I was not awake at that hour but I hear it was gorgeous.

Until tomorrow...

SOVIET WAR IN AFGHANISTAN

I have to know about the Soviet War in Afghanistan and I have realized that I know very little. I know I lived through it, I mean not through it like I was in Afghanistan but I was alive during that time, but I don't know that much about it.

I am clear that the war was unsuccessful. It included the Soviet Union and Afghanistan.  I remember a lot of people in mountains. That is about all I remember.

I feel like there was a break down in my school's curriculum. The war happened in 1979 and I was still in school. Shouldn't my school have taught me this?  I have no recollection of ever learning about this war. Vietnam War, check. WWI, check, WWII, check. Civil War, double check (they really drilled that one in).  No Afghanistan War.

I guess I need to bone up quickly.

Until tomorrow...

GOSSIP OR NOT

So when does telling somebody information become gossip? Where is the line?  I met with a friend today and we were talking and sharing stories and at the end she said thanks for the gossip.  Now, I didn't think I was gossiping.

Now if I had told her that Mike and Dan had broken up and were getting a divorce after they told me not to say anything to anyone, that would clearly be gossip.

If the information I was sharing was work information that happened to me,  is that gossip?  I didn't feel like it was gossip. I don't want to be thought of as a gossiper.

Until tomorrow...

STREET FAIR

Today we went to a street fair. It was a really hot day so we didn't stay very long. It was nice to get out and walk around. We ran into a few folks we knew and stopped and chatted. I wanted lemonade so badly because I was so hot. We looked and looked. Finally in desperation I bought a lukewarm water. Then I saw lemonade! I paid my money and was given a number. I waited and waited. They were handing out food and more food. I was thinking I just need my lemonade, why are they making me wait in this heat? Then Brenda came over and asked them what was going on. They gave her the lemonade. A large (I paid for a small).  Sadly it was not fresh squeeze as they advertised. But it was ice cold!

Until tomorrow...

HOT HOT HOT

It is so hot here, no one wants to do anything. My office is like 101 degrees. I practically fainted after being in there for 5 minutes. I went for a walk with Licky early in the morning and drank a ton of water. Our whole upstairs is about 80 degrees. Downstairs is 15 degrees cooler. It is so hot, I sweat just sitting still.

Ugh!

Until tomorrow...

WENT ON THE SCALE TODAY

I weighed myself today. Who am I kidding, I weigh myself every day. But today I lost just over 15 pounds! I am pretty excited considering my progress has been slowly with getting sick. Exercise has been out if the question. I am thinking of starting to bike again. What's a little asthma to slow down the progress? Can't start this weekend. This heat wave is unbearable.

 Instead I will sit and bask in the glory of the news that I lost 15 pounds.

Until tomorrow...

I SURVIVED MY FIRST DAY

Today was the first day of my new gig.  It all went well.  I was careful not to shake hands with anyone since I am still coughing.  I know I am not contagious but others may be fearful. 

The asthma meds seem to be working. 

Gotta run!

Until tomorrow...

START MY GIG TOMORROW

I can finally start my new gig tomorrow. I was supposed to start my new contract on Monday but I was to ill to go anywhere so we postponed my start date.

I have my outfit set out like the first day of school. My papers and computer are packed. I made a quinoa salad for lunch. I packed my lunch and it us in the refrigerator. I have quarters ready for the meter.  I put gas in the car.

I guess I am ready to go in the morning.

Until tomorrow...