Well, check me out! Working three jobs! Who do I think I am anyway--superwoman? It really hasn't been as bad as it sounds. I knew I would be busy with training and that is just temporary. After I am sufficiently trained at the third job, I will hopefully have a two or three day per week schedule, and if it is less than that, that would be good, too. I am extremely grateful that I have any work when I see so many people who are unemployed or less fortunate, and it isn't just any work, but I like all my jobs. I really do not have to look very far to see just how blessed I really am. The bad thing about it--I just haven't had time to do my blog and my Facebook and my e-mail and my pictures. And me just getting the hang of all this electronic stuff! This week, I am off to CPR training as I let my CPR card lapse at the end of February due to not paying attention.
Sorry there are no photos of the delicious dinner my dear husband is preparing. We have been talking about green enchiladas for weeks now, and tonight is the night! Its a big batch, too, so there will be plenty to go in the freezer for one of the nights when I worked at least two of my three jobs.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Happy (early) Birthday to Me!
What a great early birthday gift I received from Greg! Last night, he took me out to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Taste, in Plymouth. Taste hosted a Library and New Release Dinner for our favorite winery, Vino Noceto. We are long-time diners at Taste--love the food, love the staff, love the owners; but we are very new to the winery scene, even though the area where we live is fast becoming the new “Wine Country”.
Earlier in the fall, we visited Vino Noceto for the first time, and sampled their red wines, and as a special treat, we tasted Frivolo for the first time, and loved it! We went back to Vino Noceto in January, and the tasting room staff told us about the upcoming dinner. We were actually on our way to Taste for dinner when we stopped at the winery, so when we arrived at Taste, we immediately made reservations for last night’s dinner, and were the first on the reservation list. We wanted to share the experience with friends or relatives, so we made a reservation for four. When I got home, I immediately e-mailed Lee to invite her and Mark to come, but it wasn’t in their plans due to other commitments. So, we proceeded to try to think of someone else to invite, and finally decided to invite our friend, Shawn, who unfortunately called yesterday to say he couldn’t make it to dinner due to an outbreak of poison oak. So, there we were with four reservations, and just Greg and I able to go to dinner. Greg called the restaurant to cancel two reservations, and we felt badly that it might have prevented someone else from attending dinner. (We later found out there was a waiting list of 30.) We knew there were very few tables for two at the restaurant, but we had enjoyed dining with strangers at our table when we were in Europe, and thought it would be great fun if we shared our table at Taste with someone we didn’t know.
From our couple of trips to the winery, we became slightly acquainted with the tasting room hostess, Tracy, who is very knowledgeable about wines, local geography, horticulture and viticulture, and local history, and she likes to share her knowledge with others, so she is a really interesting conversationalist.
We arrived early at Taste and were very pleasantly surprised that we were served a glass of Frivolo. Of course, the restaurant was packed—with wine connoisseurs, wine brokers, grape growers, winery owners, investors, high-volume wine buyers, and media people. And then there was Greg and me.
Tracy, from the winery, was there to help with the presentations, to mingle, and of course, to sell wine. We greeted each other and visited for a few minutes, and then she was off to greet other people. At one point, she came back to our table, and said she thought that the seating had been changed so that she would now be sharing our table. Of course we were delighted that we would be sharing our table with someone we already knew a little. Then she flagged down her husband, Brad, and brought him over to the table, which was the first time we had met him. We all hit it off famously and started visiting, and sharing experiences, and just really had a great time getting to know each other.
At one point, Brad used a word for a beverage that is never heard in California. He called soda “pop”, and I was just about to ask him if he was from Wisconsin or Minnesota. He then said he was from St. Peter, MN, so we were off on Minnesota stories, and growing up German. All in all, we had a great time, made some great new friends, ate delicious food, drank wine we would have never otherwise tried, and I deemed it the best birthday party I ever had!
Check out the websites for the restaurant and winery at www.noceto.com and www.restauranttaste.com If you come to California, we will take you to both, and you will have a great time, eat amazing food, meet cool people, and see beautiful scenery.
This is the menu from last night. The restaurant owners remembered that I am allergic to shellfish, so they substituted the prawn on my plate with a piece of monkfish. We think we are kind of pretentious and snooty, eating cheese for dessert (and both of us with a sweet tooth).
Earlier in the fall, we visited Vino Noceto for the first time, and sampled their red wines, and as a special treat, we tasted Frivolo for the first time, and loved it! We went back to Vino Noceto in January, and the tasting room staff told us about the upcoming dinner. We were actually on our way to Taste for dinner when we stopped at the winery, so when we arrived at Taste, we immediately made reservations for last night’s dinner, and were the first on the reservation list. We wanted to share the experience with friends or relatives, so we made a reservation for four. When I got home, I immediately e-mailed Lee to invite her and Mark to come, but it wasn’t in their plans due to other commitments. So, we proceeded to try to think of someone else to invite, and finally decided to invite our friend, Shawn, who unfortunately called yesterday to say he couldn’t make it to dinner due to an outbreak of poison oak. So, there we were with four reservations, and just Greg and I able to go to dinner. Greg called the restaurant to cancel two reservations, and we felt badly that it might have prevented someone else from attending dinner. (We later found out there was a waiting list of 30.) We knew there were very few tables for two at the restaurant, but we had enjoyed dining with strangers at our table when we were in Europe, and thought it would be great fun if we shared our table at Taste with someone we didn’t know.
From our couple of trips to the winery, we became slightly acquainted with the tasting room hostess, Tracy, who is very knowledgeable about wines, local geography, horticulture and viticulture, and local history, and she likes to share her knowledge with others, so she is a really interesting conversationalist.
We arrived early at Taste and were very pleasantly surprised that we were served a glass of Frivolo. Of course, the restaurant was packed—with wine connoisseurs, wine brokers, grape growers, winery owners, investors, high-volume wine buyers, and media people. And then there was Greg and me.
Tracy, from the winery, was there to help with the presentations, to mingle, and of course, to sell wine. We greeted each other and visited for a few minutes, and then she was off to greet other people. At one point, she came back to our table, and said she thought that the seating had been changed so that she would now be sharing our table. Of course we were delighted that we would be sharing our table with someone we already knew a little. Then she flagged down her husband, Brad, and brought him over to the table, which was the first time we had met him. We all hit it off famously and started visiting, and sharing experiences, and just really had a great time getting to know each other.
At one point, Brad used a word for a beverage that is never heard in California. He called soda “pop”, and I was just about to ask him if he was from Wisconsin or Minnesota. He then said he was from St. Peter, MN, so we were off on Minnesota stories, and growing up German. All in all, we had a great time, made some great new friends, ate delicious food, drank wine we would have never otherwise tried, and I deemed it the best birthday party I ever had!
Check out the websites for the restaurant and winery at www.noceto.com and www.restauranttaste.com If you come to California, we will take you to both, and you will have a great time, eat amazing food, meet cool people, and see beautiful scenery.
This is the menu from last night. The restaurant owners remembered that I am allergic to shellfish, so they substituted the prawn on my plate with a piece of monkfish. We think we are kind of pretentious and snooty, eating cheese for dessert (and both of us with a sweet tooth).
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A Love Story
We have an interesting story on how we met—or maybe it’s racy, or naughty, or maybe that is just how life is!
In 1991, I had lived in Sacramento for three years and dated a few men, but not the right ones. My friend suggested I put a personal ad in the free newspaper. I thought it sounded like a poor idea (you know, it would bring out all the nut jobs), but she insisted it was a great idea as I would be able to pick out whoever I liked!
Against my best judgment, I wrote up an ad: I was looking for someone 35 to 50 years old, someone who liked to hike, bike, and camp, someone who was close to retirement, etc.
The way the ads work is this: The girl (or guy) writes the ad, which is published, then makes a recording for the guy (or girl) to hear, so they can leave a message which you can retrieve, and then you call the person who responded to your ad. The ads run in the free newspaper for three weeks.
Okay, then, my ad was published with an error! So I was put-off by that, and decided it really was stupid and a waste of time and I wasn’t going to make a recording, so there!
Then, I checked my messages, and I had five responses, even though I hadn’t made a recording. So, I quick made my recording, but it wasn’t anything like the printed ad—it was kind of more or less a joke.
I kept a notebook of the callers. I know you don’t really know if someone is crazy or not until you meet them, but the guys that called all seemed alright. There were 45 that called. They left their first names; last names; where they worked; their home phone number; their work phone number; how many kids they had; their alimony payment; and whether they were bald, fat, or toothless—all the information a single girl needs!
So, again, like I said, all these guys seemed alright, then Greg called!
First off, it will help to understand the story if you know that Greg is an electronics genius. He was a computer repairman in the Air Force, he worked at a radio station, and I don’t fool with anything electronic without his approval and instruction, so the funny part of the story is coming up.
The messages played in reverse order, so I got this message, “Hi, this is Greg, and this is the third time I’ve called. I don’t know if I am sending the message or erasing it. I don’t know how to use voice mail”, and he proceeds to tell me a couple things about himself.
The next message, “Hi, this is Greg, and this is the second time I’ve called”. . . .and so on.
The next message, “Hi, this is Greg. I’m 32 years old. I’m a babysitter and housekeeper. I’m in a wheelchair”, etc. (I later found out he had never read my printed ad, he just heard my recording).
Before I had even met him, he made me laugh! I laughed all day! I didn’t know if I was going to call him back—you know? He apparently couldn’t read (the wrong age; way, way too young), it was pretty apparent he didn’t bike or hike, close to retirement age???? And what kind of job is a babysitter and housekeeper? Anyway, like I said, I laughed all day, and that evening decided to call him. Maybe he had fallen out of his wheelchair and bumped his head or something, you know? Or needed some other kind of help—like with reading or voice mail. Oh, plus, he had the most magnetic, intriguing, sexiest voice I had ever heard.
So, I called him, but he was busy. Then he called me, and I was busy. Then I called him back at 11:00 p.m. and we talked for three hours; we didn't want to hang up. I know I am not witty, I don’t think fast on my feet, I don’t have funny things to say, and Greg is witty, funny, fast-thinking, articulate, and charming. But, on our first phone call, I was saying funnier things than he was! Now, where did that come from? I was being so clever, that he couldn’t even think of something clever to say back.
We finally decided we would meet the following day. We decided a good, safe, neutral place to meet would be the Sacramento Zoo. But, he didn’t drive, so we couldn’t meet there—I would have to go to his house and pick him up! A very, very good thing that he wasn’t a serial killer or something!
Anyway, I went to the house where he lived with another couple whose baby he took care of, and as soon as we met, we were both, “Oh, you are so cute!” We went to the zoo, and we could hardly look at the animals because we had to look at each other!
He wanted to take me out to dinner the next night, so of course, we did that. And, then the rest of our life happened and we had this picture taken!
In 1991, I had lived in Sacramento for three years and dated a few men, but not the right ones. My friend suggested I put a personal ad in the free newspaper. I thought it sounded like a poor idea (you know, it would bring out all the nut jobs), but she insisted it was a great idea as I would be able to pick out whoever I liked!
Against my best judgment, I wrote up an ad: I was looking for someone 35 to 50 years old, someone who liked to hike, bike, and camp, someone who was close to retirement, etc.
The way the ads work is this: The girl (or guy) writes the ad, which is published, then makes a recording for the guy (or girl) to hear, so they can leave a message which you can retrieve, and then you call the person who responded to your ad. The ads run in the free newspaper for three weeks.
Okay, then, my ad was published with an error! So I was put-off by that, and decided it really was stupid and a waste of time and I wasn’t going to make a recording, so there!
Then, I checked my messages, and I had five responses, even though I hadn’t made a recording. So, I quick made my recording, but it wasn’t anything like the printed ad—it was kind of more or less a joke.
I kept a notebook of the callers. I know you don’t really know if someone is crazy or not until you meet them, but the guys that called all seemed alright. There were 45 that called. They left their first names; last names; where they worked; their home phone number; their work phone number; how many kids they had; their alimony payment; and whether they were bald, fat, or toothless—all the information a single girl needs!
So, again, like I said, all these guys seemed alright, then Greg called!
First off, it will help to understand the story if you know that Greg is an electronics genius. He was a computer repairman in the Air Force, he worked at a radio station, and I don’t fool with anything electronic without his approval and instruction, so the funny part of the story is coming up.
The messages played in reverse order, so I got this message, “Hi, this is Greg, and this is the third time I’ve called. I don’t know if I am sending the message or erasing it. I don’t know how to use voice mail”, and he proceeds to tell me a couple things about himself.
The next message, “Hi, this is Greg, and this is the second time I’ve called”. . . .and so on.
The next message, “Hi, this is Greg. I’m 32 years old. I’m a babysitter and housekeeper. I’m in a wheelchair”, etc. (I later found out he had never read my printed ad, he just heard my recording).
Before I had even met him, he made me laugh! I laughed all day! I didn’t know if I was going to call him back—you know? He apparently couldn’t read (the wrong age; way, way too young), it was pretty apparent he didn’t bike or hike, close to retirement age???? And what kind of job is a babysitter and housekeeper? Anyway, like I said, I laughed all day, and that evening decided to call him. Maybe he had fallen out of his wheelchair and bumped his head or something, you know? Or needed some other kind of help—like with reading or voice mail. Oh, plus, he had the most magnetic, intriguing, sexiest voice I had ever heard.
So, I called him, but he was busy. Then he called me, and I was busy. Then I called him back at 11:00 p.m. and we talked for three hours; we didn't want to hang up. I know I am not witty, I don’t think fast on my feet, I don’t have funny things to say, and Greg is witty, funny, fast-thinking, articulate, and charming. But, on our first phone call, I was saying funnier things than he was! Now, where did that come from? I was being so clever, that he couldn’t even think of something clever to say back.
We finally decided we would meet the following day. We decided a good, safe, neutral place to meet would be the Sacramento Zoo. But, he didn’t drive, so we couldn’t meet there—I would have to go to his house and pick him up! A very, very good thing that he wasn’t a serial killer or something!
Anyway, I went to the house where he lived with another couple whose baby he took care of, and as soon as we met, we were both, “Oh, you are so cute!” We went to the zoo, and we could hardly look at the animals because we had to look at each other!
He wanted to take me out to dinner the next night, so of course, we did that. And, then the rest of our life happened and we had this picture taken!
Greg and Elaine - September 27, 1992
Thursday, February 26, 2009
My Eyes Are Younger Than Me!
Good news following my eye exam! I guess that is something that doesn't usually happen when a person is old. I think my last exam was two years ago and the guy said I had cataracts starting. Today, I found out I have no glaucoma, no cataracts, and no macular degeneration. I told the dr. I thought my vision was better than it used to be, and she confirmed it. She wrote me a new prescription for weaker glasses. She also said my eyes "were set for the computer", so I don't need trifocals. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I have heard previously you can train your eyes to be nearsighted or farsighted by how far you focus your vision; i.e., you can make yourself nearsighted by holding a book too close when reading. I have never been able to get any glasses to work right when I am using the computer, so I have just plodded on typing and typing without glasses, and now I think I have trained my vision to be adjusted to computer work. I still need glasses to drive and to see across the room, but the new prescription is for a lower adjustment. And I have been religious about taking my nutritional supplements, which I think has played a huge role in my improvement and subsiding cataract condition. Anyway, hurray!!!!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
"A Walk to Beautiful"
If you have not yet seen this movie, it is being rebroadcast on NOVA. Be sure to watch it. My dear husband had recorded it for me a while ago, not realizing what it was about, but he likes to keep me amused. The subject is kind of . . . let's say, "icky". But we were both deeply touched by the movie, the young women in it, and the charitable organization. The website for the organization is www.fistulafoundation.org and the website for the movie is www.walktobeautiful.com If you like to donate your time or money to worthy causes, I think this is one that would make the top of the list.
Friday, February 20, 2009
I finally stepped into the modern age and set up a Facebook page less than two days ago. What an amazing tool for finding missing loved ones! My son has a FB page, and we can instant message each other, and I wrote on his wall. I found a niece I hadn't heard from in more than 30 years, and we have e-mailed each other and written on each other's walls. And I found my son's first girlfriend, from when they were 12! And we e-mailed each other and exchanged a couple of laughs. The story of the first girlfriend: I was so proud of Todd that he called a girl when he was 12 and was so polite. We planned he would invite her to lunch on a Saturday so they could have the entire afternoon to play. We had tater tot casserole for lunch. She was dropped off at our house by her dad, and when she arrived, she was a foot taller than Todd. She was wearing a skirt and hosiery! She was a young lady! We had a lot of fun entertainment planned--board games and MTV, and we had an Atari game. Things went well through lunch and for probably an hour or so, and then Todd's 12-year-oldness got on top of him, and he just had to do somersaults and acrobatics; couldn't help himself, that's what he did best. Hmmm, not a good thing for impressing young ladies. She was very politically correct, though, a very proper young lady, and didn't start crying or go home, but spent the rest of the day talking to Lee. I have shared this with hundreds of people and they all enjoyed it. Todd still makes me laugh and I was very happy to connect with the young lady so we could share the fun of this story.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Head Trauma or Lil' Flip?
I am a person who can’t just wake up and jump in my car and go to work; never have been. It just takes me a while to wake up. If I need to be at work at 4:45, I get up at 2 or 3 a.m., so that I have time (in my words) to “get over myself”.
Everyone knows I have been ill with the flu or some other respiratory-type illness now for a couple weeks, and I am getting tiresome about my symptoms and all their details. I have improved every day, so you can imagine my dismay when I awoke at 5 a.m. on Saturday to prepare myself for work, and I had something wrong with my hearing! It was a horrible buzzing and roaring sound, with blank spots. Okay, I did have an earache with this flu, but I thought it was better, and until now, it hadn’t affected my hearing. My first thought was an ear infection or fluid in my ear. Ohh, wait—my hearing is fine, it’s not my ear at all. The noise I hear is inside my head, a whooshing, sucking sound! My second thought was I had a stroke—only a brain lesion would make that kind of howling noise. Or--nooo, I think I would feel much worse if I had a stroke and maybe not be able to use my arm or leg and be unable to make coffee; the noise isn’t inside my head. Oh, I know, it has been storming—that must be it; yeh, the wind is blowing. Well, hmmm, if the wind is blowing that hard, as unlikely as it is to happen in California, it does sound somewhat similar to a tornado.
So to check on the storm, I pulled open the back door after I had determined I did not have ear infection, wasn’t going deaf, hadn’t had a stroke, and was still able to make (and, most importantly, drink) coffee. It was just Lil’ Flip, a “celebrity” motorcycle rider who lives behind us, riding his stunt cycle, revving the engine, and sliding around corners, over and over, at 5:00 a.m. in the rain. Silly me, I thought stunt riding was a 5 p.m. thing, not a 5 a.m. thing, and it hasn’t been that long ago that he was “stunting” and ran into the mailbox, and broke his arm.
I’m happy to report that my flu symptoms continue to subside, my hearing disorder is gone, and I don’t think Lil’ Flip broke any bones.
Everyone knows I have been ill with the flu or some other respiratory-type illness now for a couple weeks, and I am getting tiresome about my symptoms and all their details. I have improved every day, so you can imagine my dismay when I awoke at 5 a.m. on Saturday to prepare myself for work, and I had something wrong with my hearing! It was a horrible buzzing and roaring sound, with blank spots. Okay, I did have an earache with this flu, but I thought it was better, and until now, it hadn’t affected my hearing. My first thought was an ear infection or fluid in my ear. Ohh, wait—my hearing is fine, it’s not my ear at all. The noise I hear is inside my head, a whooshing, sucking sound! My second thought was I had a stroke—only a brain lesion would make that kind of howling noise. Or--nooo, I think I would feel much worse if I had a stroke and maybe not be able to use my arm or leg and be unable to make coffee; the noise isn’t inside my head. Oh, I know, it has been storming—that must be it; yeh, the wind is blowing. Well, hmmm, if the wind is blowing that hard, as unlikely as it is to happen in California, it does sound somewhat similar to a tornado.
So to check on the storm, I pulled open the back door after I had determined I did not have ear infection, wasn’t going deaf, hadn’t had a stroke, and was still able to make (and, most importantly, drink) coffee. It was just Lil’ Flip, a “celebrity” motorcycle rider who lives behind us, riding his stunt cycle, revving the engine, and sliding around corners, over and over, at 5:00 a.m. in the rain. Silly me, I thought stunt riding was a 5 p.m. thing, not a 5 a.m. thing, and it hasn’t been that long ago that he was “stunting” and ran into the mailbox, and broke his arm.
I’m happy to report that my flu symptoms continue to subside, my hearing disorder is gone, and I don’t think Lil’ Flip broke any bones.
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