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.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
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.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
baseball update -- go Giants
so yes there was polenta at siena
then last night 18 of us gathered at SJ Municipal Stadium to watch (mostly) the giants defeat Visalia Rawhide. the giants are way out in front. dinners were yummy, i brought unsalted peanuts that got demolished nicely. highlight of the evening (besides the cake i brought from the ballpark, required) was when four of us competed in the "musical chairs" event down on the field. rochelle was the winner!! it was a great evening. good choice to buy the cake. they have a big knife. but no candles. i had matches. we improvised (last year was the french fry menorah) with one toothpick in paper wrapper. worked pretty well. that was the only really difficult part, singing happy birthday to linda. but we did it. new faces. mostly old faces. good to be together.
today was cpr training at the office. first time for me. ok now. not sure i want ever to use it.
i'm tired. need to shower before getting into clean sheets. it was good being home this weekend. but then i won't be here this weekend. it's a pretty amazing cycle. if i'm here, then i won't be next weekend. very simple. santa monica is still beautiful but the visits are getting a tad more difficult for both me and elinor.
Ted Kennedy has died. what a loss. a true liberal champion.
then last night 18 of us gathered at SJ Municipal Stadium to watch (mostly) the giants defeat Visalia Rawhide. the giants are way out in front. dinners were yummy, i brought unsalted peanuts that got demolished nicely. highlight of the evening (besides the cake i brought from the ballpark, required) was when four of us competed in the "musical chairs" event down on the field. rochelle was the winner!! it was a great evening. good choice to buy the cake. they have a big knife. but no candles. i had matches. we improvised (last year was the french fry menorah) with one toothpick in paper wrapper. worked pretty well. that was the only really difficult part, singing happy birthday to linda. but we did it. new faces. mostly old faces. good to be together.
today was cpr training at the office. first time for me. ok now. not sure i want ever to use it.
i'm tired. need to shower before getting into clean sheets. it was good being home this weekend. but then i won't be here this weekend. it's a pretty amazing cycle. if i'm here, then i won't be next weekend. very simple. santa monica is still beautiful but the visits are getting a tad more difficult for both me and elinor.
Ted Kennedy has died. what a loss. a true liberal champion.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
290 posts, but who's counting?
well, blogger is. counting.
so monday is the 3rd annual Linda B. Klein Birthday Baseball Bash. I've decided to order a cake. the garlic fries were less than satisfactory last year. some of the regulars won't be with us physically. we may need to resort to cell phones for connection. it will have some new elements in the group as well as the same old reliable faces. weekday night is not so great.
tomorrow night i'm going out to dinner to a place that Linda and I used to frequent. that will be nice. hoping for polenta. yum. or mushroom soup. double yum. not wanting to be alone on Linda's actual birthday, i solicited a dinner invitation, and it worked. woo hoo.
had a long phone conversation this morning with a very old friend (well he is older than i am) whose wife is now pretty actively dying after being sick for more than 10 years. it was an interesting and pretty far-reaching conversation.
i am looking forward to a lot of things, and that feels good:
dinner tomorrow; writing in silence workshop saturday; dinner in bkly sunday; monday baseball game ... keeping busy.
on the to-do list beside the regular maintenance things: find a drumming class; do more writing; maybe find a tai chi class (or xi gong as some call it). a personal recommendations would be nice. i think i need to put those out there more and see if anyone has had good experiences.
smoothly. i like when things go mostly smoothly.
there is an unruffledness that feels good even as the panic begins to rise briefly. elements of the high holy days are coming together nicely and that is excellent.
garbage is more than taking the barrels out of the garage. cleaning the litter box is on the agenda tonight as well. there are critters back in the garage and overhead. not good. not liking that part. maybe i'll find someone to do a variety of small tasks around here: new shower head, critter traps (and retrieval?), deadheading the agapanthus in front. a list. no time.
fresh tofu is so delicious. maybe that's the after garbage snack tonight!
so monday is the 3rd annual Linda B. Klein Birthday Baseball Bash. I've decided to order a cake. the garlic fries were less than satisfactory last year. some of the regulars won't be with us physically. we may need to resort to cell phones for connection. it will have some new elements in the group as well as the same old reliable faces. weekday night is not so great.
tomorrow night i'm going out to dinner to a place that Linda and I used to frequent. that will be nice. hoping for polenta. yum. or mushroom soup. double yum. not wanting to be alone on Linda's actual birthday, i solicited a dinner invitation, and it worked. woo hoo.
had a long phone conversation this morning with a very old friend (well he is older than i am) whose wife is now pretty actively dying after being sick for more than 10 years. it was an interesting and pretty far-reaching conversation.
i am looking forward to a lot of things, and that feels good:
dinner tomorrow; writing in silence workshop saturday; dinner in bkly sunday; monday baseball game ... keeping busy.
on the to-do list beside the regular maintenance things: find a drumming class; do more writing; maybe find a tai chi class (or xi gong as some call it). a personal recommendations would be nice. i think i need to put those out there more and see if anyone has had good experiences.
smoothly. i like when things go mostly smoothly.
there is an unruffledness that feels good even as the panic begins to rise briefly. elements of the high holy days are coming together nicely and that is excellent.
garbage is more than taking the barrels out of the garage. cleaning the litter box is on the agenda tonight as well. there are critters back in the garage and overhead. not good. not liking that part. maybe i'll find someone to do a variety of small tasks around here: new shower head, critter traps (and retrieval?), deadheading the agapanthus in front. a list. no time.
fresh tofu is so delicious. maybe that's the after garbage snack tonight!
Monday, August 17, 2009
i am getting way behind here
so the home weekend was very productive. i miss that already. i need more.
so this weekend was another short visit to santa monica. things are declining a lot lately, which is difficult. both physically and mentally, my father is getting weaker. we are so fortunate to have the caregivers we do. they are so sweet and gentle with him.
saturday before i flew down was my first ever visit to Filoli Gardens in Woodside, with our tour guide being an old (literally) friend who has been a docent there for more than 20 years. he is 5 days younger than my father. that is sometimes difficult because he has all his marbles, charles does. the comparison is tough.
talking last night with someone about last year's high holy days and then this year's coming up and i realized (well i knew already) that it starts in less than a month. o dear o dear o dear. panic may set in now in full bloom.
last night on the walk with ketzl after i got home from the airport, the lawn sprinklers were on next door. ketzl alternately batted at and tried to drink from them. it was pretty hysterical.
this coming saturday, i'm taking a post-grief writing workshop with the woman who was the facilitator for the partner loss support group. that should be very interesting. i need to get back to writing.
and tomorrow is a significant date: it was my parents' wedding anniversary, from 1940. wow. and it is the day that Linda arrived in California for her first visit, ten years ago: August 18, 1999. also wow.
so this weekend was another short visit to santa monica. things are declining a lot lately, which is difficult. both physically and mentally, my father is getting weaker. we are so fortunate to have the caregivers we do. they are so sweet and gentle with him.
saturday before i flew down was my first ever visit to Filoli Gardens in Woodside, with our tour guide being an old (literally) friend who has been a docent there for more than 20 years. he is 5 days younger than my father. that is sometimes difficult because he has all his marbles, charles does. the comparison is tough.
talking last night with someone about last year's high holy days and then this year's coming up and i realized (well i knew already) that it starts in less than a month. o dear o dear o dear. panic may set in now in full bloom.
last night on the walk with ketzl after i got home from the airport, the lawn sprinklers were on next door. ketzl alternately batted at and tried to drink from them. it was pretty hysterical.
this coming saturday, i'm taking a post-grief writing workshop with the woman who was the facilitator for the partner loss support group. that should be very interesting. i need to get back to writing.
and tomorrow is a significant date: it was my parents' wedding anniversary, from 1940. wow. and it is the day that Linda arrived in California for her first visit, ten years ago: August 18, 1999. also wow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)