Bowling? Maybe not!

Hello,
It's a warm Thursday barely-morning after a steamy day in San Diego. My mood is pretty good.   I'm listening to some juicy Bossa Nova on Sky.fm.   What is it about Portuguese?  They could read a grocery list to the music and it would sound sexy.

I don't usually complain much in my blog, I find it unseemly, but I guess I should clarify the bowling post from Sunday night. Turns out, Arnold I'm not.

Well, some of you that know me, know that I have a pretty serious case of Sjogrens, a form of arthritis.  So on Sunday I was not exactly bowling in the usual way.  Not being able to hold the ball in the usual way was, however, not a problem to a resourceful person like me.  I two-handed the light weight  "baby ball" the lanes folks gave us for my grandson to use, and I was able to get it down the lane. We had the "bumpers" up on the sides so that the ball can't go into the gutter, so it's more like shooting pool, with the ball careening back and forth as it staggers toward the pins, but staying in the lane.  Lots of fun.  I had a great time. World's worst score, but fun.  However, I have been paying the price for this fun the last few days.  Nothing really works right, but especially my hands, most especially the right one.  Oh, well.  I've been dipping them in the hot wax therapy.  Some years ago I had a carpal tunnel operation done and the physical therapist used the hot wax to loosen things up so that she could work on me.  So, I got a hot wax machine at her suggestion  (sold in the beauty supply store as a cosmetic item).  I use it from time to time, especially in the winter.  Well, it's been in use all right this week, LOL.  Maybe not bowling next time.  We just did one line.  Dan sat out and watched the rest of us get silly, maybe he was the smart one.

I've been making lots of fun crocheted juzu beads in bright and pretty colors.  Maybe I'll post the pattern if I can figure out how to describe what I do. I give them away as fast as I make them.  But I'm really clumsy right now with the right hand not working normally.  Sigh, soon I'm be a "happy hooker" again,  LOL.

Lilo is busy guarding the front door.  Earlier I had it open for the nice cool evening air and a big old gray tom cat tried to come into the house.  She hissed at him and puffed up as big as possible, so I shut the door.  Now she is on guard.  This afternoon I put some catnip on the little rug next to the computer where she likes to wait for me to finish using the computer or blogging.   She just loves that.  She rolls around on it and gets kitty-drunk. Poor thing, now her mood is spoiled and she is on high alert.

See ya soon,
Julie

Bowling, anyone

Hello, Everyone,

It's a very warm Indian Summer Sunday late night, following a scorching hot day, complete with triple digit temps and the hot, Easterly winds we old time San Diegans call "Santa Ana's" .  I know it's a misnomer, but that's what we call them just the same.   I'm listening to cooling guitar music from the Restful Mind.  I feel great other than being a bit hot.  Life is good!

Dan stopped by the grand opening of a new Fresh and Easy grocery store this morning and won a $25 gift card.  Way to go, Dan.


I had a fun day.  I went to a lovely Buddhist meeting at Evelyn's house and then took her with me to have Thai food with the kids for my birthday at, you guessed it, Amarin Thai.   Aey was our server and she is very nice.  She made me a special plate of home-made tasting coconut ice cream with whipped cream and a birthday candle.  We sang and it was fun.  Thank you, Dare.

Then we went bowling, LOL. 

First time I've bowled in maybe 10 years.  Great fun.  Nate was so cute.  

He bowled pretty good for a kid, beating me.  His mom skunked all the rest of us.  She was in triple digits.  I bowled a 49.  With the kiddy bumpers up.   I actually did the comedy thing where the ball flies off your fingers backwards at the people in the sitting area, LOL.  I get the prize for world's worst score, but it was fun.


When it was time to go Nate was sad.  He was having a great time.

Well, we had a lot of silly fun at the bowling alley.  Thank you, Ambie.


Then, we had adventures.  When we went to leave the bowling alley, the car would not start.  There were some guys hanging out in front of the Bowling Alley who helped us push start the car - Thanks, Guys.


Then we drove to the nearby auto parts store, and Dare bought me a new battery. I really appreciate it.  Thank you.


Then the guy from the auto parts store installed it, while we sat in the shade and had cool drinks.  Thank you, Auto parts store Guy.


Then we took Dare home, then Evelyn, then home for us and a well earned nap.  All's well that ends well.


My friend Eri is expecting this winter, so I am knitting baby stuff.  I'll post pics when I get them done.  Baby stuff is so cute and so much fun to knit.  Especially for a winter baby.  Snugly little sweaters, darling booties and hats, etc.  When I finish blogging I'll get back to the cute baby sweater with a flower petal yoke I've been working on.


Lilo sez "hello" to her adoring fans, swishing back and forth, stroking my leg with her tail in a all her pristine whiteness.  She likes to help me blog and it's too hot to sleep anyway. 


Time to go and find an icy cold drink.  Dean Martin is playing now, "Ain't that a kick in the pants", so he must have suggested it to me, LOL.   With 3 maraschino cherries and maybe some gown-up beverage additions, LOL.  Hey, Dan, you tending bar tonight? 


Love,
Julie (with Lilo posing prettily and Dan tending bar)

Thai one on

Hello,
It's late Sunday night in San Diego, I'm ok and the weather was lovely all day.   I'm listening to Ottmar Liebert play "Summer of Joy" on Sky.

I enjoyed a Buddhist study meeting this afternoon. This is the material we discussed if you are interested.  http://sgi-usa.org/studyandpubs/study/2010_intro_exam_study_guide/index.php

I finished some beautiful socks, dark green with cream and multi color work, but I can't show them until I give them, as the recipient reads this blog.

This evening we went to Amarin Thai again.  Wow, are they great cooks!  We had the Tom Kha soup (creamy and flavorful), the beef salad (wonderful rare beef), chicken satay (moist and tender), Mambo Mambo Chicken curry with rice (wow! best flavor curry ever, my fav), beef pad thai (Dare loves this, but I like more egg and other adornments), garlic pepper shrimp (crunchy and garlic-ey, on a bed of sauteed shredded cabbage, more garlic than you can imagine, Dan's fav).  There was plenty left over for Dare's lunch tomorrow.  Next time maybe we'll try the tiger beef.

For a little quickie place in a Mira Mesa strip mall, the food is amazing.  The servers are nice girls, helpful and and attentive.  Good attitudes all around.  Prices excellent for the level of quality of the food.  I'd go again in a heartbeat. They play this interesting modern Bassa Nova music, very sexy sound.  Like this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ASIN/B000JJS4GE?tag=riaaradar-20 

'Way cool.

Lilo is meowing at me.  She wants to go to bed.  Ok, Lilo.  I'm coming soon.

'Night all,
Julie

New shrug and Shannon's shower

Hello, Everyone,
It's a chilly late night after a warm Tuesday, very fall-ish.  I feel ok, bit of a sinus thing going on.  It makes me want to sleep a lot during the day, then I can't sleep at night, sigh.  I was listening to Paul Schoenfield: Cafe Music on KUSC, now it's Segovia playing Schumann.


I'm crocheting a filet heart doily from www.hassdesign.com.   He has some very interesting stuff.  I want to learn his Delta crochet, it's like filet, but triangles instead of squares.  Interesting stuff.  


I finished a new shrug.  It's based on an interesting baby jacket construction.  It's a puzzle sweater in the same way the BSJ is one, you make a very odd shape with lots of increases and then seam a few short seams and , Voila, a sweater emerges.  This one is a different odd shape from the BSJ, but the puzzle concept is the same.  I took a baby sweater, removed the sleeves, upsized radically, and it's a shrug for me. 

Sunday I went to a shower with Heather for Shannon.

 It was fun.  Lots of silly shower games.

Here she is with her grandmother, Betty.  I had a great time.

We went to dinner with Dare at Amarin Thai on Mira Mesa Blvd.  Yum, yum.  We're talking about going back next Sunday.  Spicy but oh-so good.  


Lilo gave up on me and went to sleep.  I'd better get in myself.


Good night,
Julie

Heather's mother of the groom jacket

Hello, Everyone,

Well, it's good to get back online.  My computer died after a week inthe computer ER and I'm trying to get everything working on the new one now.  I went through major internet withdrawls.  Bur we're good, now, if I can only get everything set up right and working again.

It's a warm summer night after a lovely warm (but not terribly hot) summer Labor-Day-Sunday.  I feel good.  I'm listening to random music from my library via randmp3.exe.  Right now it's playing Klezmer music.  I have an eclectic library of music.  Now it's "Only the Lonely".    LOL.

I enjoyed World Peace Prayer this morning, then a nice steak on the barbie lunch with Dan, then an afternoon pool party at Larry's, then had a nice dessert with Dare since we usually do Sunday evening together and by then I was 'way too full for dinner.  

I've been doing a lot of juzu beads, but I can't show them to you, since I don't have the camera sync working yet on the new computer.  Working on it.  Tech support says I need to buy a new $40 adapter, Sigh.

Heather finished her jacket for her son's wedding in Oct.

Circular construction with fou-fou yarn and sparkle yarn at the outer edge and the sleeve edges.  Really cute on her.  Right now she is closing it with a shawl pin.  She could add a button if she wanted, but she is still thinking about that. 

She had a really great benefit last Tuesday.  She and Ron were at the hospital for a routine doctor's visit in the same building, when they decided to walk downstairs and have breakfast in the cafeteria.  As they passed the ER, Ron began experiencing chest pains.  The staff whisked him right in and he got instant care.  One stent later they released him to go home and today, Sunday, he came out to World Peace Prayer!!! Talk about a speedy recovery.   If you have to have a heart attack, that's the place to do it!  A few feet from the ER...

Here's the piece he sent family and friends.

Talk about protection....

Lilo is helping me blog and sends hugs and kisses to her adoring fans... silly kitty.  She knows she is so pretty and white and oops, not so clean tonight.  I wonder what she was doing.  No collar again.  She is the darndest cat for losing her collar when out on adventures.  I always get her the breakaway kind.  This last time she also lost the nice name and phone number tag Amber got her.  Sigh.  Have to get her a membership in the Collar-of-the-month Club, LOL.

Nite, All,
Julie and Lilo

Hot tamale!

Hello, Everyone,

Well, it's hot tonight.  I feel fine, just hot.   It's a little after midnight, Wednesday morning actually, and the temp is over 80 in my house.  Humid, which is uncommon for us in San Diego.  Sticky.   Summer is finally here in force.  The pink "naked lady" lilies are blooming in the yard.  A big bunch of them on the dining room table are making the house smell good.

I had Vietnamese spring rolls for dinner at my friend Nhien's house.  I went there for a Buddhist meeting, but she asked me to join them for dinner first.   Wow!  Her home-made dipping sauce is way so much better than what they serve in restaurants!!!   I never knew what it was really supposed to taste like before!!!  Awesomne!   Hers is full of little super hot peppers and generally super yummy. 

 I'm listening to Sahbeesation, which I have not done in years.  Very interesting. . 

Boy, did I have a big benefit today.  Last week Heather and I took Nate swimming.  She was putting sun screen on my back and she noticed a couple of colorful spots and remarked that it would be wise to show them to a dermatologist.  I thought, "With no health insurance, how am I going to pay for that?"  So I'm chanting under my breath and thinking about this, but no answer was obvious.  We stopped at Sammy's for Pizza, and there, sitting in the parking lot was a "doc in an RV" from Aveena, with a dermatologist inside doing one exam after another.  Community service from Aveena.   I signed up and got the next to last appointment.  He did not like a spot on my shoulder. He thought it looked like another basal cell carcinoma, as in cancer.  And close to the other one I had removed in January which is not good if that means it spread from one spot to another.. The words  "spread" and "cancer" do not belong in the same sentence.   So on Monday I called Dr K and asked for an appointment.  He squeezed me in today before his normal start of day to do a quick biopsy. . (Wasn't that nice of him?)   He did not agree that the spot was anything much, certainly not cancer, nothing to worry about and did not do any biopsy.  No cancer!  Then he did not charge me for the visit.. (Now that was really nice of him!!!)  Thank you, Dr. K, you rock.    Dan took me to Bread and Cie to celebrate, best coffee and pastry in town. (See: http://breadandciecatering.com/default.aspx ) Dan really is a big sweetheart.  He rocks, too, you know. 

I finished a pair of socks.  For my size 14 big foot nephew. 

These are "cheaters" as the tops that show when worn are plain black, while the feet are brightly colored.  The colorway is the German flag.   Into the Christmas drawer, with you!

Last night I came up with a new way to do juzu beads.  I crocheted them.  Interesting.

More flexible than strung ones, nice to use.  I hope they last.

And now one in progress so you can see how it's done.

. 
Neat, huh?

Lilo and I are trying our best to keep cool.  She's sprawled on the floor in front of the fan.   You keep cool, too, ok?  I can't believe we were complaining about the cool, foogy summer we had  ... bring it back, please!

Ta-ta,
Julie

100th post

Hello, Everyone,

It's a cool Sunday evening after a warm afternoon in August in San Diego.  Warm, not hot.  This is the summer that wasn't.

I feel fine, I'm listening to Jose Feliciano play classical guitar on Sky.com.  I really enjoy the variety on this channel.

I made a pretty crochet bridal garter with blue thread and pearl beads.  I don't have a ribbon for it yet, so you'll have to wait a bit on the pic.  I am working on a second one in white with a green shamrock row in it in and green beads for a Irish bride. 

Nate went home to his parents last night.  Gramma had fun with him.  On the way home we stopped at his favorite restaurant, Tip Top, in Carlsbad (see: http://www.tiptopmeats.com/  ) and had "Cherry-chocolate cake", aka Schwartzwaelderkirsch.  

Oh, to be 6 again.  Whipped cream on his face and loving the cherries. 

Lilo is outside enjoying the evening air tonight.  Funny psychic cat.  As soon as I type her name in the blog she comes in the cat door.  Hi, Lilo.  Welcome home.

I've been enjoying some homemade sesame flat breads today.   Topped with liver sausage, Swiss cheese, and thinly sliced onions.   Yummy.   Nate was helping me knead the bread dough yesterday.  He enjoyed that.

Must run, Dan wants to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo with me.  I should take him up on that.

See ya,
Julie

More summer

Hello, Everyone,

It's like we forgot what summer feels like.  It seems so strange to have a hot summer Friday, LOL.   I feel fine, listening to Drew Tretick play violin.  "Somewhere in Time".  All very romantic stuff.  We heard him play on our honeymoon and the music is a nice reminder.  Why, thank you, I did just have an anniversary.  Yup, enjoyed it, I did. 

Nate and I went to the City run mini water park at the Del Mar pool today.   Lots of fun and not expensive.  Nate loves it.
(See: http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/aquatics/carmelvalley.shtml )

I could post a picture of my sunburn (despite SPF 55 waterproof sunscreen) but I'll let you imagine it.

We had a nice pizza lunch at Sammy's after that. (See: http://www.sammyspizza.com/ )

Ever since Heather and I had Chicken Shwarma at Alladin's, we have been trying to figure out how to do it at home.  This is my last, best effort.  I feel like I'm almost there. Theirs is still better.   (See: http://aladdincafe.com/ )

Chicken Shwarma
Remove excess fat from a tray of chicken thighs and put them into the crockpot.  Add 6 plump cloves sliced garlic, more if the cloves are puny.  Sprinkle on:
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper.
2 tsp Pensey's Greek seasoning  (See: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysgreekseas.html )
1 tsp Pensey's Turkish seasoning  (See:  http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysturkish.html )
1 tsp cinnamon
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.  Remove bones.   Serve with fresh home-made flat bread, if you've got it.  Top with a bit of melted Brie.    Heaven!

Today must be my day for links.

Lilo is out enjoying the night air.  Oh, here she comes inside.  How does she know when I mention her name? Psychic-kitty.

Lilo playing with Nate's flip flop.

G'nite,
Julie

Summer is finally here

Hello, Everyone,

Summer is finally here!  Today is nice warm, sunny summer Thursday.  Finally. 

Nate is visiting again..

He loves his race car bed at Gramma's.

I'm listening to Classical guitar on sky.fm.  Loving it!


Cinnamon roll time again.  Gotta go get 'em out.

Bye,
Julie

baby girlie sweater

Hello, Everyone,
It's a coolish Sunday morning in this strange cold, foggy summer of 2010 in San Diego.  I feel ok, bit of a sniffle.  Listening to Nestor play Latin jazz flute on "This Side of Paradise".  Go, Nestor!


I finished a cute girlie little baby sweater.  (After all those boyish booties, LOL)

Big natural shell buttons, cables and lace. Just darling

I have 2 friends expecting and neither knows the gender yet.  Can't have too much baby stuff stashed in the gift drawer.  


Nate and I are making cinnamon rolls this morning, so I'd better go and help him.  He loves to cook at Gramma's.  Last night he made a nice salad.


Tata, 
Julie and Lilo