Another beautiful day in San Diego for Linda

I could also post sweet classroom pictures from 1st grade, that's how long I've know Linda. She lives in the Bay area now with her hubby, Dave, and two girls. Dave was snapping photos, so why not make them interesting in true 7th grade drama class form.

They came down to San Diego for a family vacation and we hooked up on Thursday night. We drove back down to my neighborhood and had dinner at Spread. It was a great place to have a casual dinner and get caught up, as Linda wrote in her review.

Yes, too much time flew by and I hope to explore more of the west coast and catch up again with her soon.

Wooster-quarium

Wooster likes getting to high spots. He likes a challenge, so we change things up periodically. Altitude adds to the appeal.

Here, I placed a plastic container on top of the TV cart. So Wooster can spring up four feet to the pillow and step into his new favorite sleeping spot. There's a fleece blanket inside and it probably collects some radiant heat from the television. It's very amusing to be able to see the cat sleeping, but have him feel protected by the sides of the cat-quarium, as Larry has dubbed it.

Low Tide at Sunset Cliffs

This past weekend was very low tide in San Diego. It won't be this low again until October.

So Larry and I took a long walk along the shore, exploring the new worlds exposed. We saw fish darting in between rocks. Sea anemones and barnacles were more visible. Dogs and families were enjoying the fresh terrain and fresh smells.

I spoke with a surfer who said that it was very glassy out in the water. How does the low tide affect surfing? There are smaller swells. Still, there were many surfers out enjoying the conditions.

It was a gorgeous afternoon to just take in all the beauty and contemplate all the amazing details.

Happy Birthday with no work scheduled

It's nice when you're not scheduled to work on your birthday! So I filled my day with things I like to do, and then some.

Ikebana flower arranging is a very popular class (over 30 people) held in Clairemont. Here's a picture of me with our Sensi, Akiko Bourland. This week's arrangement included forsythia, dutch irises, and solidago. The irises are open today and perhaps the forsythia will leaf out more.

After class, Janice and Norm took me out to lunch at the nearby Thai Time III off Genesee Avenue. They have a very nice lunch special which we all enjoyed. Norm and Janice both tried the green curry with tofu. I tried the spicy basil dish vegetarian style (all vegetables.)


Later that day, I went up to the Toby Wells YMCA to try their cycling class. That was the first time I tried a "spin" class and I liked it very much. The music certainly helps and the instructor mixes it up nicely. The hour went by relatively quickly.

I EARNED some dessert! Our neighbors, Reba and Jay, and Larry and I went over to Heaven-Sent Desserts in North Park for an evening birthday treat. Larry and I split the vegan pecan cookie and a cup of decaf. We need to walk, go to the gym, or clean house furiously to work off calories at the wonderful dessert places available in town: Extraordinary Desserts, Heaven-Sent, and the dessert case and vegan soft serve at Kung-Food.

Dat Phan's Birthday Party

World Famous is the restaurant where Dat Phan chose to host his birthday party this year. One degree of separation from this celebrity: Larry is his web programmer (along with Carolyn, a graphic designer on the far left.) Dat won "Last Comic Standing" in 2003.

As you might imagine, many of his friends are associated with his line of work. So half the room was filled comedians, writers, and significant others. Many social gatherings have witty banter, but it was taken up a notch today. Maybe they can't help but try out new material. The funniest comments were directed at the police officers patrolling the beach, presumably for open bottles. In our space, they were hitting on young girls. Hard to replicate the exchange here. Go see some of the comedians at the Comedy Store in La Jolla.

Carlsbad Marathon

It was a beautiful morning for the Carlsbad Marathon! Here's a picture of our intrepid Organic Athlete group who participated in the half marathon: Cynthia, Marissa, Dustine, Jim, Kathy, and Michele. Marissa and Jim were there to support the team, having joined us as "sweepers" on their bicycles during the Sunday training runs.

Dustine said that she found the last three miles very challenging. Congratulations to Dustine for finishing the race, even though she had a strained IT band three weeks prior to the race and got to ride on the back end of the beach cruiser for a portion of that 12-mile training run.

Kathy rode for 50 of the 100-mile Stagecoach Century ride the weekend before. She took a spill and bruised her ribs. A big organic carrot to her for running and finishing this 13.1 mile race!

Michele also rode in that chilly Century ride last weekend. Perhaps she would have been well protected from any fall with her 7+ layers of clothing. The Marathon race weather was much more ideal.

Congratulations to all Organic Athletes and I hope to train with you and participate in the La Jolla Half Marathon in April!

Muchas Smooches

What would life be without animals? That was the title of the chain email I received this week with a dozen cute animal pictures attached. Pointedly, one of them commented on the large hat-slash-mask on a kitten that some people should not have pets. Most of the pictures were of what pets do best: snoozing, relaxing, eating.

Here, Wooster and Cappuccino have know each other for at least 7 years now. But it doesn't hurt to get reacquainted now and again.

We moved the furniture around (again) which exposed a nice big sunspot area on the rug in the front of the room. The kitties were taking advantage of this new paradise (see Percy in the background.)

Top 10 things learned in 2006

In no particular order, I look back on experiences and lessons learned in 2006.

1. "You like sunshine and fresh air." This was actually a fortune written on a little slip of paper inside a cookie. Fortunately, we live in San Diego.

2. Organic Athlete is a great group to join to get out and get some sunshine and fresh air. Running, biking, and as I hear it, swimming for those motivated triathletes.

3. Straining your ankle hurts, immobilizes you, and takes at least three weeks to heal before you can get back to almost walking normally.

4. There will be other half-marathons.

5. Everything that grows has protein. All Vegan store has a lot of great cookbooks and reference books. Eating more raw foods (at least a salad a day) makes me feel good and is good for you.

6. The H3 machine at the San Diego blood bank allows me to feel great after donating. They separate components they need (Apheresis (ay-fur-ee-sis)) and replenish fluids at the end of the process. I just wish they had Newman-O's in the canteen.

7. Cockroaches can't get into plastic zipper bags.

8. Ball python snakes like to hibernate in fluffy Santa caps.

9. Professional Organizing gives me some interesting stories. Ethically, I keep these stories generic.

10. On the special occasions when they let you into the Spreckle's Organ Pavilion during a concert, such as the 92nd anniversary, standing next to the pipes is very loud.

Homework for 2007: Try not complaining at all, out loud or in your head, for seven straight days. Or on the positive side, gratitude.

Quote: "We say that life is like a marathon race, but the former can only be run once."

-- Marathon, A novel by W. William Winokur, (c) 2005, p. 442.

Boxing Day

Merry Christmas! As usual, the box is the best part of the gift. My aunt knitted and sent me a beautiful yellow afghan. She sent it in the perfect size box for the gift and for the cats. Wooster, Ccino, and Puffin each took their turn in the box. Larry's parents sent the boys each a catnip mouse, so that was exciting to have the mouse cornered in the box.

It's sunny and warmish in San Diego, but I'm wrapped up in my new blanky. I like how it came with some of Smudge and Suzie's fur on it. My aunt has two black-and-white kitties and you just can't hide black fur on a yellow background. Anytime I need a hug from the East, wrap it around and know that every stitch (single crochet debbie style btw) is a stitch of love.

Spreckles Organ on Christmas Eve

This is my church for the holidays: listen to the sweet pipes of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, Balboa Park, San Diego. Today, Carol Williams, San Diego Civic Organist for the past five years, performed an assortment of pieces demonstrating the range of the instrument. For the holidays, she played Greensleeves, Silent Night, and ended the program with a medley from the Sound of Music.

Sample of Greensleeves complete with plane flying overhead (thank you SD airport)