Pie, books & vices...

We went to the game on Saturday, we lost to USC, 17-10. UA had more than a few opportunities but the better team took advantage of our mis-steps. Thats what changes a win to a loss...We got to see our friends at their tailgate for some yummy eats! They had ribs that, literally, fell off the bone! I would have loved to eat those ribs in the comfort of my own home with my hands, instead of a plastic fork and knife!! Oh, well, you make do with what you have. I have never seen that many people at a game before...the place was jam packed. It was homecoming, too, so that brings alumini, and just way more people than usual. We had to park 2 blocks further away than normal, and we got there 3 hours before game time! The evening turned a bit chilly, slight breeze...good thing I carried our jackets (Glen carried the chairs). We left about 10:45 pm with about 5:55 left in the game, and we still had a pretty long jaunt to where we parked, and we were both kind of hungry. Glen suggested we stop for pie and coffee, who cares if it ruined our sleep, today is Sunday. Anyway, I had a slice of cherry pie, a la mode, and Glen had French Silk...it was delish! As we were having our dessert, several more game fans stopped by...guess everyone had the same idea!

Not much planned for today...I got up at 8:30 am...I hadn't done that in a very long time! We had a big breakfast, which will carry us through til dinner (maybe). Some household chores, and time to do it all again tomorrow.

I finished reading The Choice by Nicholas Sparks. Not one of his best pieces, but ok, still. I am now reading, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Hilarious, yet touching. Its a true story about Walls' quirky family. Her parents are either eccentric or loving...or both. I should finish that today. So either I go buy more books, that I don't need, or dive into my current selection and read what I already have. Think I'll visit Barnes & Noble later today...hey, a girls' gotta have some vices!

Talk soon...

TGIF TGIF...

I am so ready for the weekend! Actually, I was ready on Monday morning when the alarm when off, but hey, thats a technicality! Work has been so stressful. Due to low house counts, and low projections for future heads in beds, we have begun to re-organize some departments. One of my very dear friends had her hours cut in half, effective Monday. She is a single mom of two kids, and my heart just breaks for her. She will definitely have to find another job. I am in the Executive offices, and work has been very slow for us too. I've heard some old timers say that this is even worse that 9/11 when we took a huge hit. I am trying not to be negative but when it is happening all around me, its just hard. You may remember that I was layed off from my last job in 2006, after being there for 8.5 years. I used to work for AOL, until they decided to take all member services off shore. Now, 2 years later, well, need I say more?? The worse thing is that losing a job now...who is hiring?

We are going to the UA vs USC game tomorrow. Even though we are an underdog in this contest, I am hoping it is at least a game. We will tailgate with several different friends...who knows, I may not care who is even playing!! Good thing Glen is going...need someone to carry the stuff!

My mom had knee surgery in April of this year for a torn miniscus. I took both mom and dad to the surgery, and gave them a ride home after the procedure. I found her doctor to be rude and condescending. Both dad and I were in the prep room with her, while the nurses explained the procedure, and the doctor blazes in, never acknowledged my dad or I (not that he had to I suppose, but a good morning would have been nice!). He barely talks to mom, he pokes his head out of the doorway into the hall and asks if anyone has seen his iPod, he can't do surgery without it. A nurse hands it to him and says, "I didn't know it was yours"...he rolls his eyes. Anyway, my mom has been in chronic pain since then, still. She has tried to see a different orthopedic doctor, but her insurance won't cover it. They are on a fixed income, and cannot afford to pay out of pocket. She had a follow up last Thursday, and my sister went with her. We thought that maybe mom just didn't understand what she was being told. My sister said mom asked all the right questions, and he prescribed another pill for her. Mom takes 14 pills a day (diabetes, HBP, anti-inflammatory, who knows what else)! When my sister asked him to address the root of the problem, he said, "I just gave her the answer, a pill". My sister asked why not try a different therapy since she already takes an anti-inflammatory. He kinda rolled his eyes, and said something to the effect that a knee replacement was to be the very last option to consider. Meanwhile, mom's pain is robbing her of a quality life. We'll have to get together to find another option because this is not going to work. Makes me wonder how many people just take their doctors word because they are a doctor, and don't question his diagnosis, especially since they are the patient and know what they are feeling!

Talk soon...

Weekend happenings? Notsomuch...

On Friday night, I got together with Alana & Alisha's at Alisha's apartment to celebrate Alana's birthday last month! Ok, so we're a little behind. We are the oddest bunch....Alisha is 29, Alana is 36, and I am 50! Really, they could both be my daughters -- maybe having Alana at 14 is pushing it, but not impossible! Anyway, this year, we've gotten together, I think this is the fourth time. We don't get together, all 3 of us, very often, but when we do, we don't skip a beat. We can talk, talk, talk, about anything and everything! Alisha made a yummy salmon, she actually caught it in Alaska in June, couscous, and a yummy chocolate dessert, tasted like a flourless torte, kinda thick and gooey! I supplied a salad, dressing, and some a red and white wine. We even managed to polish off a whole bottle! Then we just layed on the floor on some big pillows, and chatted away. Alisha had to work on Saturday, and it was well past 11:30 when I got home.

Glen wasn't feeling too good on Saturday, so I went to the UA game by myself. I stopped at our friends' tailgate party, but I had just eaten at home a little earlier in the day, and I wasn't that hungry. UA beat Cal, 42-27! I stayed until 1:33 left in the game. When Glen goes we leave at 8 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. We played USC on Saturday (Phil...be merciful!), and its homecoming. Oh, and I had some nachos and some red vines! Yes, I had to carry my own chair...dang!

I got the new Nicholas Sparks book, The Choice. I'm such a sucker for romance! I haven't seen the movie, Nights in Rodanthe, but I did read the book. And of course, who can forget The Notebook! I'll go through phases on the type of book I'll read. Sometimes its self help (and Lord knows I can use the help). I have tons of books on spirituality, and I saw a book on Chakra balancing, which I might pick up next week. Looking at my bookshelf, 80% of my books have a marker in them, which means thats as far as I got to reading it. So you may ask, why buy more books if I already have a bunch I haven't finished reading? Hmmm, I ask myself that too!

Today was a hot day...hey, what happened to fall?? It was 94F today! The evenings are nice and cool, but the days...fuggetaboutit! Gotta get ready for the week...talk soon...

Kids and cats...

Just wanted to share this pic of our grandkids at Carlos and Erika's wedding in September. The only one missing is Sophia, but she's only 5 months! From left to right, Ailani, 5; Alyssa, 10; Airas, 2; Anthony, 6; Christopher, 7.


Everyone came over for Chris' dinner. We're getting the hang of things, how to set up the dining room for everyone to sit at the table, while setting a "kid table" for the kiddos. As my sister pulled up, she saw the bobcat by our carport! Glen grabbed his camera and ran out to get some pics. The bobcat was on his way up the alley, and Glen was right on his tail. If you have a digital camera, you know sometimes it is hard to see the image on the display, so Glen just snapped away hoping to get a pic. He didn't get a good one. I am going to call Game & Fish tomorrow just to let them know it is in the area. I can't imagine there's a whole lot they can do, and I feel for the cat, but it seems to be quite docile and comfortable around people. I'm sure it still has big teeth!





The chocolate cake was a huge hit! I added a few teaspoons of instant espresso to the batter, so it had a subtle coffee taste. My mom brought over a lemon meringue pic too! Of course, the stuffed bolillo rolls were a huge hit, and everyone took home baggies of leftovers. It takes Glen and I 30 minutes to clean up after everyone has left. Carlos' birthday is 11/16, so we'll do it all again. I'm going to look for some outdoor games to play to involve the kids. I remember when we were young, the kids and adults would play softball or volleyball, and there would be a game of horseshoes going on. Our yard is certainly big enough to have several games going on.





In my last entry, Glen pointed out that I noted his name as "Glena"...what is really strange is he had a fiancee named Glenna back in the day. Glen and Glenna. My son Chris' wife is named Christina. Chris and Christina. Just though that was funny...or not!

Talk soon...

Now before y'all start thinking I'm a lush...I drink socially, although every now and then a cold beer fits the occasion, or a glass of wine with a nice dinner. And I admit, there have been times that I have driven when I shouldn't have, back in the day. Thank God, I made it home safely. Now, I have a drink, like last night, ONLY when I have a designated driver!

When the kids were small, and in my previous life, I'd make a pot of coffee, and bake or sew. I loved to bake for the kids' lunches. Carlos loved taking homemade cookies or brownies with his lunch. Carlos brown bagged his lunch all through grade school. He was a very picky eater, and the only way I knew he would eat lunch is to make sure I packed exactly what he liked. He used to tell me that the kids would want to trade his cookies and brownies for Twinkies and such! Sometime he would trade because, well, he had more of the good stuff at home, and when it ran out, Mom would make more. Nowadays, I don't bake very often. Both Glena and I don't really care for sweets too often, and Glen has his stash of Nutter Butters if the sweet tooth calls!

Anywho, where was I going with this? Oh yeah...when I cook I like to have a beer or a glass of wine...dunno, just because. Tomorrow, we're all getting together here for Chris' birthday. My oldest turns 31 on 10/16, and he wanted chocolate cake. I suppose I could have made the cake from a box, but I do enjoy baking so I made it from scratch. Popped open a cold one (or two), and baked away. He also wanted these bread thingies we make, don't have a name for them, but you cut the top off of a bollillo (sp?) bread (its a roll), hollow the inside, and fill it with a mixture of ham, cheese and green chili; wrap it in aluminum foil, bake it until the cheese melts. Its kind of a hot pocket, but without the preservatives! Labor intensive, but thats what Chris wanted. Carlos turns 28 on 11/16...and he wants the same thing!! Probably a different flavor of cake.

Anyway, I used to drink coffee when I baked, now I drink beer, turn on some tunes, and enjoy the process.

Glen was gone most of the day. He went to Phoenix with his boss to look at some computer software. The guy who wrote all of their programs is leaving next week, and they need to have a back up plan. Its a pricey conversion, and a new process to learn, but they've been doing things the same as they did 20 years ago. Time to upgrade.

It was a really nice day today, mid 80's. Right now, its about lower 70's...love it! Talk soon...

Mexican food and software...numb :)

I can always count on you guys to answer the tough questions...ok, well, any question! Thanks for the help!

Glen and I went to dinner, small mexican food place in Oracle Junction, Lupe's. Can't get more mexican than that! They have great food, and very reasonable prices! I love their margaritas...let me tell you, they are powerful! I can only have one, because it only takes one to make my face numb! When I start touching my face to see if its still there...Glen knows he has to drive! The place is usually very busy on Friday nights, tonight...notsomuch! I think everyone is feeling the pinch. We've actually gone out to dinner the last 3 Fridays in a row (thank you, Glen), which is a rarity for us, but a nice change!

Glen is going to Phoenix with his boss tomorrow to look at some software programs. The guy who does their CAD drawing, and who actually wrote all their programs, has given his notice. Only 1 week and they're on their own! I have tons to do tomorrow...and right now, I can't feel my face...

Talk soon...

Fuzzy letters...

This is probably a dorky question, but why, when I post a comment, on some blogs, I have to enter the fuzzy letters, and on others I don't? Help is appreciated.

Clean bill...

I had a physical today, probably the first in 4-5 years, blood work, the whole deal. Guess what?? I'm healthy!! Well, except for a few glitches, like high cholesterol, which I'm taking meds for. High blood pressure, meds. GERD, you guessed it -- meds! What I should say is that I am as healthy as I can be considering my age and heredity. I've tried controlling the HBP and cholesterol with diet, but it wasn't working as quickly as my doc would have liked, and he attributes the condition(s) more to genetics than my lifestyle. Diabetes also runs rampant in my family, and while I can put off meds for now by maintaining my weight, regular exercise, diet, etc., I have some good med-free years ahead of me. He also suggested some chondroitin for my arthritic (or soon to be) knees. I've noticed when I haven't worked out, that is when my knees start to tighten up...a sure sign that I must keep moving! I had a bone density test a couple of months ago, and he says my bones are at about age 35, and I'm 50! That is surely a good sign. So while I'm not 100% healthy, I am as good as I'm gonna be! Perhaps I should drink to that...

Work has been kind of slow lately due to poor house counts. Some departments have been asked to cut their already slashed budgets, and they have even started sending hourly people home, voluntary, of course, at least for now. Most of you know I work at an upscale health resort/spa, very expensive. The company won't compromise the guest experience, but what about the people that make the place run? We have families and obligations too! I hope business picks up soon or at the least, maintains.

Talk soon...

A lil of this and that...

Watched a little bit of the debate, and I had to stop watching. If each candidate would just answer the darn question, and stop attacking the others' record, votes, etc., and answer for themselves what they would do in response, maybe I could stomach it. Truly, I am an undecided voter. We received our mail-in ballots about a week ago, and we usually schedule a time to fill them out together. This year, I've been putting it off...because I just don't know. I mean, is this all we have? Is this all America has to offer?

When I walked out this morning to get in my car, I made sure to sing, rather loudly, in case there were any critters lurking about. I must admit, just knowing that bobcat was in our yard, gives me concern. We live on 1 1/3 acre, no fence in the back or front, so the alley in the back to the street in front, is an open space. We do have desert trees, cacti (LOTS), and two other buildings on property (beside the main house). We don't have pets, but when the next door dogs bark, there is something out there, usually coyote, but we have seen javelinas too. First time ever, Glen has seen a bobcat this close, and he's lived here over 30 years! This was all desert area, and there is still a lot of undeveloped land very nearby, so there is alot of wildlife. Bobcats seem to be common as I've seen pics in the newspaper of them in people's backyards sitting on chaise lounges! Whose turf is this anyway?

Talk soon...

The bobcat...

I got home today, and nearly jumped out of my skin because a stink bug was near my back tire! Ok, not much I could do about that. Glen comes running out to greet me, as he does everyday, and says, "thats nothing, guess what was walking through the yard about 15 minutes ago?" A bobcat!! Glen ran inside and got his camera with telephoto lens and got this awesome picture! The cat was about 30-36" from ground to head, then he walked towards the neighbor's house. I've seen a grey one in the area as well, but this is a different one. What a sleek and graceful creature. It probably has big teeth too!! Yeah, so if I said I was going to spend more time outdoors...probably not or not any time soon, and not by myself!!!

The weekend was uneventful. The football game was great, we won, 48-14 or something like that. It was really windy at the game, felt like my skin was windburned. Glen only carried the chairs, I carried the jackets. 'Course they're all packed into the right pocket, so they're not too bulky to carry. We ate lunch before the game at our friend's tailgate, hamburgers, German potato salad, coleslaw, and a pasta salad tossed with balsamic vinegar, sun dried tomatoes, and fresh basil...that was so YUMMY!! And I had a beer!! I could have had another, but ya' know I had to walk up 7 ramps to get to our seats -- Glen was already carrying enough :)

It was 57F this morning...beautiful! Talk soon...

The Weekend...or the start of...

I am so glad the weekend is finally here!! It has been a long week! We are getting into the fall season, and even though in AZ we don't have "seasons", like the changing of the leaves, our weather cools down considerably (well, upper 80"s vs 100+). The nights are so nice...I've promised myself to spend more time outside in the evenings...but I have to share the space with the geckos and other buggy creatures, and turning on any lights outside only calls for flying critters. No matter! One morning last week, I was coming in from putting something in the trash can outside, when I heard something in a bucket right outside the back door. I gingerly peeked to see what it was (afraid of what I might see!), and it was a 2-3" gecko. I quickly went inside and made a mental note to tell Glen to let it out when he got home. Of course I forgot to tell him, but he saw it himself, and released it. We have several larger lizards that live in the carport, and I have to be careful not to get too close. I jumped at the sight of one that crossed my path at work, and some Facilities people were standing nearby and saw me jump...hmmm, I hate when that happens. They saw it was a tiny lizard, too.

We have a football game today, UA vs Washington at 4:30 pm. Our seats are right near one of the tunnels, and when the wind rushes through, it can get pretty breezy. Not bad when its 105F but when its cool, we'll have to take a light jacket at least. This will be Glen's first game this season as he missed the first two due to a backache. I'm glad he's going because 1) he can drive 2) he can carry the chairs 3) he can visit the concession stand to get us some treats 4) if it rains, he can hold the umbrella. Oh, and we can enjoy the game together! Sounds like a plan to me!!

We went out for dinner last night, Benihana's. Its teppan style, Japanese cuisine. We've been there once before and we were not that impressed, but decided to give it another shot. The food was much better tasting, but the way they cook the food, by the time our veggies were done, our meat and rice were cold. This particular location used to be Sakura's, similar cuisine, but I don't remember our food being cold, it was all served at pretty much the same time. The temperature in the restaurant was kind of cold too, so maybe that could have been a factor.

You see, my life is pretty boring, huh?? Talk soon...

Followers, Dashboards, Blogspot...oh my!

I am slowly but surely re-building my network of friends. While I hadn't been writing much in my own space, I've been keeping up with you! I could not imagine not knowing what is going on with each of you. Funny, how I've become so engrossed with all of YOUR happenings, that I can't wait to read what each of you has to say. If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would have true friends, whom I've never met, I would have said, "thats crazy", yet it is so true. If I haven't made it to your blog to "follow" you, don't worry, I will.

Have you noticed the different lingo here? Here, we are followers. I have to admit I didn't know what a dashboard was (other than the one in my car). There is a learning curve here, for sure. Oh well, it is our home now...and isn't home where the heart is?? From my blogspot to yours...
Hugs

Talk soon...