>spraying sung, linda's fragrance, on the pillow
>at costco, buying a new camera and then eating an entire chocolate dipped toasted almond covered ice cream bar all by myself (the traditional meal was two hotdogs and sodas, followed by the ice cream, but i skipped the hotdog as i was going out to dinner.
not sure if it the humidity or the barometric pressure, but the cat is definitely affected by something. the forecast is for big storms tomorrow. amazing. last night he was doing crazy circles on the bed. on tonight's walk he saw something and got fluffy tailed. i picked him up and he bit me. out comes the antibiotic ointment and then i can pack it. his claws need clipping. i guess that's tomorrow.
the auxiliary suitcase of things to be donated in africa weighs only 38 pounds. lots of space for more. not sure if i'll reach weight or volume limitation first. bunches of shoes, sox, underwear, pillowcases and more. i think there are paper goods coming too cuz i have room.
and yet....
there is still much to do.
fortunately the cat has settle down so maybe i will get some sleep.
according to blogger's faithful counter, this is post #299. wow. time flies.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
when is lavender a neutral color?
well, if it's in my wardrobe, i guess. just ask my sister.
the biggest news is that my father, well, elinor's father, also, died peacefully on Tuesday night, October 6, 2009. while it was not totally unexpected, and he had been failing rather dramatically of late, the finality of it all is a tad overwhelming. this makes 4 in a row since march 2007 when my mother died.
it was pretty interesting how he choreographed it, in a sense. he told the cleaning lady that he had a dream in which my mother appeared and told him it was time. he got to see daniel and elinor and tom last weekend. he saw his doctor, his yoga teacher. and he waited until elinor and i got down to LA. (but only about 3 hours). amazing story.
the funeral was friday, 10/9 at noon. here is the obituary from the LA Times:
Jack Levine
Born in Lithuania, son of Freda and Rabbi Lipman Levine, he was raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
A long-time Santa Monica resident, Jack died peacefully at home. Jack and Ann came to California in the '40s where he first worked as a longshoreman. A graduate of UCLA law school and labor lawyer, he represented many unions and was the attorney for the committee that worked to save the Watts Towers in the '60s.
Jack loved classical music, especially symphonies and string quartets, and had a great appreciation for art. He will be remembered for his strong sense of ethics and social justice, and great kindness.
Predeceased by his wife, Ann, survived by daughters Deborah and Elinor, and grandsons Jeremy and Daniel. Services will be held at Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 W. Centinela, on Friday, October 9 at noon.
A celebration of Jack's life will be held at a later date.
or with the photo here:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=134140408
we are all doing pretty well ok. i came home to sj in time for simchat torah service and a lot of hugs. this morning's service was pretty amazing also. there is a yizkor (memorial) service as part of this week's shabbat morning service and it was so quiet when the words of the mourner's kaddish were recited. everyone there was thinking of particular individuals and could hardly get the words out.
then replaced the car battery (original equipment) which had drained as i had the cell phone in to charge while i was on a long distance call. ah well. i was close to the mechanics and it was really easy.
ah yes. so what's that about the neutral color?
elinor's flight was sooner than mine and she had not a lot of time at home to pack so she called requesting that i bring sox, thin ones. i grabbed several pairs. two of which were kind of lavender ... elinor is like linda in that there are palettes, grey, brown, black, blue. fortunately there was a pair of blue sox that went with the shirt, inside the black shoes of mine that elinor was able to wear. so yeah, lavender can be neutral, in my closet.
probably only need to do one load of laundry. took the packing list in. clothing is almost done. easy squeezy. so far. leaving on wednesday. that's the plan.
the biggest news is that my father, well, elinor's father, also, died peacefully on Tuesday night, October 6, 2009. while it was not totally unexpected, and he had been failing rather dramatically of late, the finality of it all is a tad overwhelming. this makes 4 in a row since march 2007 when my mother died.
it was pretty interesting how he choreographed it, in a sense. he told the cleaning lady that he had a dream in which my mother appeared and told him it was time. he got to see daniel and elinor and tom last weekend. he saw his doctor, his yoga teacher. and he waited until elinor and i got down to LA. (but only about 3 hours). amazing story.
the funeral was friday, 10/9 at noon. here is the obituary from the LA Times:
Jack Levine
Born in Lithuania, son of Freda and Rabbi Lipman Levine, he was raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
A long-time Santa Monica resident, Jack died peacefully at home. Jack and Ann came to California in the '40s where he first worked as a longshoreman. A graduate of UCLA law school and labor lawyer, he represented many unions and was the attorney for the committee that worked to save the Watts Towers in the '60s.
Jack loved classical music, especially symphonies and string quartets, and had a great appreciation for art. He will be remembered for his strong sense of ethics and social justice, and great kindness.
Predeceased by his wife, Ann, survived by daughters Deborah and Elinor, and grandsons Jeremy and Daniel. Services will be held at Hillside Memorial Park, 6001 W. Centinela, on Friday, October 9 at noon.
A celebration of Jack's life will be held at a later date.
or with the photo here:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=134140408
we are all doing pretty well ok. i came home to sj in time for simchat torah service and a lot of hugs. this morning's service was pretty amazing also. there is a yizkor (memorial) service as part of this week's shabbat morning service and it was so quiet when the words of the mourner's kaddish were recited. everyone there was thinking of particular individuals and could hardly get the words out.
then replaced the car battery (original equipment) which had drained as i had the cell phone in to charge while i was on a long distance call. ah well. i was close to the mechanics and it was really easy.
ah yes. so what's that about the neutral color?
elinor's flight was sooner than mine and she had not a lot of time at home to pack so she called requesting that i bring sox, thin ones. i grabbed several pairs. two of which were kind of lavender ... elinor is like linda in that there are palettes, grey, brown, black, blue. fortunately there was a pair of blue sox that went with the shirt, inside the black shoes of mine that elinor was able to wear. so yeah, lavender can be neutral, in my closet.
probably only need to do one load of laundry. took the packing list in. clothing is almost done. easy squeezy. so far. leaving on wednesday. that's the plan.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Yom Kippur is past, gardening, packing and more...
facebook takes a lot of time. i am neglecting the blog. apologies to the loyal readers out there, esp. those not on facebook.
yom kippur went well. lots of good reviews of the entire series. glad that part is over. for this year. there was a sense of calm that was so nice, thanks to the interim exec director. team effort, and all.
i'm working with the therapist who was the facilitator for the monday night partner loss grief support group. she calls it transition coaching. working to figure out where i am and where i want to go. not a lot of dwelling on the past. it seems to be going well. i really like her a lot.
today was very accomplishful, which is an indication of how well things are going. up early, bkfst with the boys, drive daniel to airport for his visit to santa monica. at home i cleaned out the car, took it for a vacuum and wash in the open bays of self-service, stopping at the farmers market on the way for a last foray into summer stone fruit (white nectarines, plums) for the next 10 days before i leave for africa. yes africa. there are people who do not know this. now you do. questions invited. kenya, 2 wks, with walking buddy who is africa specialist (this is her 23rd trip). great clip on 60 minutes tonite on the wildebeest migration. getting me ready.
started packing (actually putting stuff in suitcase, may have to adjust up one size) from the stuff i had set aside after washing laundry from israel trip. also taking some clothing to leave in africa. underwear. pants from thrift stores for me that don't fit. and leave the suitcase there.
then i went outside to check on the cat and my neighbors were out working in the front, replacing some plants by the sidewalk. i took this opportunity to work with company to deadhead the agapanthus (last year for this boring job) and take out a dead bush at the corner of the lot.
i really felt like i had earned my dinner, and also the shower that will be later.
reconnecting with linda's friend from law school, who has as her FB profile photo a picture with linda. very sweet. thank you. it is really lovely.
ketzl is playing with a piece of carrot stem on the kitchen floor. it is pretty funny. and probably better than plastic coffee stirrers, which he tends to chew on and most likely ingest. :( i need to remember this.
yom kippur went well. lots of good reviews of the entire series. glad that part is over. for this year. there was a sense of calm that was so nice, thanks to the interim exec director. team effort, and all.
i'm working with the therapist who was the facilitator for the monday night partner loss grief support group. she calls it transition coaching. working to figure out where i am and where i want to go. not a lot of dwelling on the past. it seems to be going well. i really like her a lot.
today was very accomplishful, which is an indication of how well things are going. up early, bkfst with the boys, drive daniel to airport for his visit to santa monica. at home i cleaned out the car, took it for a vacuum and wash in the open bays of self-service, stopping at the farmers market on the way for a last foray into summer stone fruit (white nectarines, plums) for the next 10 days before i leave for africa. yes africa. there are people who do not know this. now you do. questions invited. kenya, 2 wks, with walking buddy who is africa specialist (this is her 23rd trip). great clip on 60 minutes tonite on the wildebeest migration. getting me ready.
started packing (actually putting stuff in suitcase, may have to adjust up one size) from the stuff i had set aside after washing laundry from israel trip. also taking some clothing to leave in africa. underwear. pants from thrift stores for me that don't fit. and leave the suitcase there.
then i went outside to check on the cat and my neighbors were out working in the front, replacing some plants by the sidewalk. i took this opportunity to work with company to deadhead the agapanthus (last year for this boring job) and take out a dead bush at the corner of the lot.
i really felt like i had earned my dinner, and also the shower that will be later.
reconnecting with linda's friend from law school, who has as her FB profile photo a picture with linda. very sweet. thank you. it is really lovely.
ketzl is playing with a piece of carrot stem on the kitchen floor. it is pretty funny. and probably better than plastic coffee stirrers, which he tends to chew on and most likely ingest. :( i need to remember this.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
wicked was great
of COURSE it was.
with Patty Duke playing Miss Morrible. she was fantastic too.
understudy for Elphaba was terrific. it is a great show. costumes, music, story. linda was a huge fan of Stephen Schwartz. it was so much fun to share it with Audrey. and then a lovely dinner with Fran at her house on the way home. perfect timing. then back to the house to pick up Aud's bags and then to the airport. she had the trifecta returning home: no a/c in the building, no hot water, and a rodent of some kind in her apartment. yikes.
and Cheech and Chong were seriously on my flight home from LA. one of the gate agents took a photo with them but otherwise pretty unassuming. they did not sit together. Cheech was in the row ahead of me on the aisle.
i now let people bring down my suitcase from the overhead bin. always.
with Patty Duke playing Miss Morrible. she was fantastic too.
understudy for Elphaba was terrific. it is a great show. costumes, music, story. linda was a huge fan of Stephen Schwartz. it was so much fun to share it with Audrey. and then a lovely dinner with Fran at her house on the way home. perfect timing. then back to the house to pick up Aud's bags and then to the airport. she had the trifecta returning home: no a/c in the building, no hot water, and a rodent of some kind in her apartment. yikes.
and Cheech and Chong were seriously on my flight home from LA. one of the gate agents took a photo with them but otherwise pretty unassuming. they did not sit together. Cheech was in the row ahead of me on the aisle.
i now let people bring down my suitcase from the overhead bin. always.
woo hoo, 4 of 4 over and it wasn't too hot!
things went very well. smoothly. calm. etc. wonderful.
on my way home from break-the-fast, with a torah in the back of my car, i drove on capitol expwy and was reminded of an early conversation with Linda. she had taken her car to the dealership and i was to come pick her up. she didn't have the exact address so i said, how will i know where you are? and she looked out the window and said, "it's the one with the big american flag." the joke here is that EVERY dealership on capital expwy has a huge american flag. what was then Bob Lewis hyundai took good care of her car. and we had some nice meals at a handmade noodle shop nearby, including mango chicken i recall.
adam broke his fast with wonton soup, spareribs and general tsao's chicken with brocolli. yum. a meal linda would have enjoyed.
so the high holy days are almost behind us. rabbi points out that there are still sukkot and simchat torah to come. but the large piece, involving LOTS of bodies, is pretty much over except for the debriefing. phew.
now can i start getting excited about going to Africa? not quite sure yet, tho i have begun setting aside things to pack. which is good.
ketzl is such a good fellow. he is up by my side instead of the usual toward the bottom of the bed. just licked my hand around the corner of the computer. silly guy. there are asparagus on his breakfast menu.
on the schedule in the time before i go: mammogram and bone density test. i am taking care of myself.
on my way home from break-the-fast, with a torah in the back of my car, i drove on capitol expwy and was reminded of an early conversation with Linda. she had taken her car to the dealership and i was to come pick her up. she didn't have the exact address so i said, how will i know where you are? and she looked out the window and said, "it's the one with the big american flag." the joke here is that EVERY dealership on capital expwy has a huge american flag. what was then Bob Lewis hyundai took good care of her car. and we had some nice meals at a handmade noodle shop nearby, including mango chicken i recall.
adam broke his fast with wonton soup, spareribs and general tsao's chicken with brocolli. yum. a meal linda would have enjoyed.
so the high holy days are almost behind us. rabbi points out that there are still sukkot and simchat torah to come. but the large piece, involving LOTS of bodies, is pretty much over except for the debriefing. phew.
now can i start getting excited about going to Africa? not quite sure yet, tho i have begun setting aside things to pack. which is good.
ketzl is such a good fellow. he is up by my side instead of the usual toward the bottom of the bed. just licked my hand around the corner of the computer. silly guy. there are asparagus on his breakfast menu.
on the schedule in the time before i go: mammogram and bone density test. i am taking care of myself.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
high holidays and hosting Audrey
yes it has been another long gap. no quite so long. no other writing yet. busy. someone tonight said i had the busiest social schedule of anyone he knows. really?
so we are now 2 of 4. rosh hashanah was last week. yom kippur coming up on sunday night. things are smoothly moving along. it's all good.
balancing activities, different people, well most of the usual suspects. and of course the food. it revolves around foodings. after services, before services. (not during) so far: sonoma chicken coop, outback, aqui, and the two major dinners, tonight at merit vegetarian and sunday at mandarin gourmet. plus movies: julie and julia (excellent) and the informant! (fun, fluffy, nice cameos with the smothers brothers; matt damon in an ill=fitting toupee, etc.). and manicures. some of this was done as seeking air conditioning even tho it didn't get nearly as hot as it was supposed to, which was great and totally fine by me.
but tomorrow: matinee of WICKED. great tickets purchased today. grateful to my work for allowing me to take an extra half day off in this slightly crazed time. i am really excited!
a vacation stuck in amongst the busy time.
not quite doing all the official work that is supposed to be accomplished in this 10 day period. but making progress. that's important.
from a slide show someone sent recently where there were some nice quotes (i should go back and check for accuracy, but the gist is here):
try to make at least 3 people smile each day.
each morning figure out what your purpose is for that day.
iife is too short to waste energy hating someone.
life isn't fair but it is good.
ok here's the link to the full set
http://www.lshs64.com/enjoytheride.html
having to get up early in the morning
this is all i have brains for tonight.
so we are now 2 of 4. rosh hashanah was last week. yom kippur coming up on sunday night. things are smoothly moving along. it's all good.
balancing activities, different people, well most of the usual suspects. and of course the food. it revolves around foodings. after services, before services. (not during) so far: sonoma chicken coop, outback, aqui, and the two major dinners, tonight at merit vegetarian and sunday at mandarin gourmet. plus movies: julie and julia (excellent) and the informant! (fun, fluffy, nice cameos with the smothers brothers; matt damon in an ill=fitting toupee, etc.). and manicures. some of this was done as seeking air conditioning even tho it didn't get nearly as hot as it was supposed to, which was great and totally fine by me.
but tomorrow: matinee of WICKED. great tickets purchased today. grateful to my work for allowing me to take an extra half day off in this slightly crazed time. i am really excited!
a vacation stuck in amongst the busy time.
not quite doing all the official work that is supposed to be accomplished in this 10 day period. but making progress. that's important.
from a slide show someone sent recently where there were some nice quotes (i should go back and check for accuracy, but the gist is here):
try to make at least 3 people smile each day.
each morning figure out what your purpose is for that day.
iife is too short to waste energy hating someone.
life isn't fair but it is good.
ok here's the link to the full set
http://www.lshs64.com/enjoytheride.html
having to get up early in the morning
this is all i have brains for tonight.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
how do i pick up after so long a break?
someone noticed and commented offline that there have not been any updates for a while now. i also saw someone else who expressed concern about how difficult it is to decide what to include after such a hiatus. while the break was nice, i realize that i really need to be doing more writing ... whether here or in a handwritten journal or in another electronic format.
part of the reason for not posting is the approach of the high holy days and the return of the rabbi from sabbatical. things have been "crazy-busy" at work. it will all come together and we will be fine, but there are another 5 days to go. yoiks.
so what's been going on, besides the work?
it is related to the coming time of introspection. i'm trying to do it pretty rigorously this year. more than ever before. it is supposed to be a time of examining oneself, one's actions over the past year. making serious plans to change and do things differently in the coming year. to return to the proper path. there's lots about forgiveness. between rosh hashanah and yom kippur, we are supposed to go to each person we think we have harmed in some way, consciously or unconsciously, with our words or actions, by acts of commission or omission... so i'll be in touch with a lot of people in the next 10 days.
we are all works in progress. and there is the possibility for change and redemption. cf the life of Senator Edward Kennedy. but one needs to be actively aware of the need to make adjustments when things are not working. there was a nice study session with a couple of interesting checklists to work on as we approach the coming "days of awe." today was kever avot, visiting our ancestors, a small service at the cemetery, starting in the chapel and then moving down to Home of Peace, owned by Temple Emanu-El and a clear piece of Jewish land. i have lots of friends who are there, along with the founders of the synagogue. it is always comforting to me to be there, walking around, cleaning up a bit, finding people i was looking for, and others i didn't know i would find. i said hello for people who might not have been able to come visit today. it feels important to do this annually, at least at kever avot.
i have started seeing privately the facilitator of the monday night group. she bills herself as a transition coach, with a limited time frame (interrupted by the holidays and the trip to africa 2nd half of october, but it felt more important to start sooner than waiting until november).
my sister-in-law arrives on wednesday evening for a week. that will be fun, to have someone here. i enjoy my time here and am not uncomfortable being alone in the house, but it is quiet and i will welcome the company.
my wonderful cat let me clip most of his front claws today. good kitty.
so not sure if this qualifies as a good catch-up. the best i can do at the moment.
part of the reason for not posting is the approach of the high holy days and the return of the rabbi from sabbatical. things have been "crazy-busy" at work. it will all come together and we will be fine, but there are another 5 days to go. yoiks.
so what's been going on, besides the work?
it is related to the coming time of introspection. i'm trying to do it pretty rigorously this year. more than ever before. it is supposed to be a time of examining oneself, one's actions over the past year. making serious plans to change and do things differently in the coming year. to return to the proper path. there's lots about forgiveness. between rosh hashanah and yom kippur, we are supposed to go to each person we think we have harmed in some way, consciously or unconsciously, with our words or actions, by acts of commission or omission... so i'll be in touch with a lot of people in the next 10 days.
we are all works in progress. and there is the possibility for change and redemption. cf the life of Senator Edward Kennedy. but one needs to be actively aware of the need to make adjustments when things are not working. there was a nice study session with a couple of interesting checklists to work on as we approach the coming "days of awe." today was kever avot, visiting our ancestors, a small service at the cemetery, starting in the chapel and then moving down to Home of Peace, owned by Temple Emanu-El and a clear piece of Jewish land. i have lots of friends who are there, along with the founders of the synagogue. it is always comforting to me to be there, walking around, cleaning up a bit, finding people i was looking for, and others i didn't know i would find. i said hello for people who might not have been able to come visit today. it feels important to do this annually, at least at kever avot.
i have started seeing privately the facilitator of the monday night group. she bills herself as a transition coach, with a limited time frame (interrupted by the holidays and the trip to africa 2nd half of october, but it felt more important to start sooner than waiting until november).
my sister-in-law arrives on wednesday evening for a week. that will be fun, to have someone here. i enjoy my time here and am not uncomfortable being alone in the house, but it is quiet and i will welcome the company.
my wonderful cat let me clip most of his front claws today. good kitty.
so not sure if this qualifies as a good catch-up. the best i can do at the moment.
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