Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Cribbage...

Heather came over Wednesday to set me up for a couple of days, she is really busy this week but she always makes time to help me out, she is such a sweet lady.  She had some fresh cod that was just caught and man was the amazing. She made this great sauce for it and also made some chicken soup, sautéed spinach, sautéed eggplant, roasted potatoes and of course a couple of wraps to last me until Sunday or Monday.

On Friday my mom and I went to Claudius shop to get a haircut and a manicure, we were supposed to play cards on Saturday but my brother and his daughter were going to come down for the weekend so we decided to play cards on Sunday instead.

Heather came by on Friday and we decided to go shopping and get stuff to make ravioli and garlic bread.  I had raviolis in the freezer from Costco, spinach and mozzarella cheese, and Heather was going to make the sauce and the garlic bread and some green beans.  The sauce was some heavy cream, artichoke pesto and mushrooms... needless to say it was awesome.  She makes the best garlic bread too.  Stanley and Corinne arrived on Friday night but it was really late so we just all said hello and went to bed.

Whenever Stanley is here he makes breakfast.  There was some left over cream sauce from the night before so he made its own version of eggs Benedict with scrambled eggs and bacon and it was delicious.  Unfortunately I had made an appointment to interview Teresa on Saturday so we got a late start at the boardwalk, Carrie, the girl next door, and Corinne wanted to spend the day together.  The interview went really well and Teresa will start on Friday evening but by the time I finished interviewing it was almost 1 p.m.  Stanley, Corinne, Carrie and I headed for the boardwalk and had a great day.  We stopped to have dinner at a restaurant on the corner called The Ideal.  Corinne and I have been there once before and the waitress remember us, I think mostly because of Brodie.  She remembered Brodie because I told her that I always bring my Barcuum cleaner when I go out to eat to clean up after me, she thought that was hilarious.  I had clam chowder and calamari and it was pretty good.  I guess every Saturday they have karaoke and it was so much fun to listen to everybody sing, I wish we could have sat somewhere and watched it.

On Sunday we met Lee and Claudia, my aunt and uncle and Ellen at our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner and then came back to my aunt's house to play cards.  About halfway through the games I started feeling really bad so we had to leave early.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Wheelchair accessible dentist...

I am really going to miss my cruise along the wharf today and tomorrow and I'm sure that Brodie will also. Brodie is up right now having a spa day with Tue Tue, they always come back so proud of themselves and I think it is so cute.

Tuesday after our long cruise around the beach I came home to rest for a while and then went to the movies with my aunt and my mom, we went to see My Best Friend's Girl.  I liked it, my aunt and I thought it was funny but my mom did not like it because no matter how good the movie is if there's bad language she just can't get past it, she didn't like the other movie Dane Cook was in, good luck Chuck, for the same reason.  Dean Cook reminds me of the character Hugh Laurie plays in the TV series House.

I found the wheelchair accessible dentist in this area this morning.  After the movie yesterday my aunt, my mom and I walked around the downtown office buildings looking at plants that will grow good in this area.  We came across a dentist's office and my aunt went up to the door but it was locked, as she turned around a lady came to the door and we asked her if she knew of any dentist offices that were wheelchair accessible and she said that she didn't but she would look into it.  She called me this morning and told me that there was one downtown, I will never get over how friendly and helpful EVERYBODY in Santa Cruz is.  I have an appointment next Tuesday.

We had a really nasty trees, five of them, at the end of the driveway.  They're called fruitless but they have these really nasty red plums that nobody could eat but they were squashed all over the concrete and they made a big mess.  My uncle Dick and my cousin Richard spent the last couple of days cutting them down and clearing them out and WOW what a difference it makes.  It brightens the whole driveway.  The fence behind it is really old and falling down, luckily I have a bunch of morning glories seeds that will eventually cover it up quite nicely.

There is the possibility that Stanley and Corinne are coming down on Friday evening and staying at night or two, I'm really excited about that.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Hurt baby seal...

Yesterday I had a really nice surprise.  Heather came over with some Mahi Mahi, I didn't expect to see her until Tuesday.  She made blackened Mahi Mahi and it was really good.  I have seen it on menus and cooking shows before but now I know how incredible it tastes.  She also made some squash... I can't remember what kind she said it was but it was delicious and some rice.  While she was at the store she got me some rice cream, I had never heard of it before but it was really good.  Low in calories, salt, no dairy... it may not sound like it but it was really good.  She also got me some rice creamer, both brands were Good Karma.

 I'm cutting all of my ties to San Jose so I need to find a new dentist here in Santa Cruz, one that can do ALL of the work that needs to be done in my chair.

It looked like there is a lot of good movies out so my goal this week it to go to the movie by myself, I get a little nervous because there is an elevator and I really don't like elevators and I especially don't like going into by myself but I'm going to do it.  If I print out the ticket on Fandango I can just tuck it in the side of my chair and get it out when I get there.

We were going to go through the lagoon and as I started over the boardwalk I smelled something really weird but really familiar.  As I got a little further I noticed that there with about 60 goats off to the side and then it dawned on me what the smell was, when I lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains we had goats.  I guess in Santa Cruz they use goats to clear out brush and grass, they do it during the summer to keep down the grass on the Hill across the street from where I live.  Out of curiosity I wanted to be what Brodie's reaction would be because she has never seen a goat before.  I really wasn't surprised that as we got closer they started to run and she started to bark and lunge at them so I decided we'd better turnaround and get to the wharf through the park.  While we were cruising the wharf I saw the sad thing ever.  A baby seal was on the lower deck and it had several huge gashes on the side.  There was a couple of people standing there watching and I heard one of them say that a veterinarian was on the way so itmade me feel a little better and I hope the gashes work because of something a stupid person did.  I wanted to stay around and watch but I didn't know how long it was going to take and it was getting really hot, I needed to get home and take off my sweater.  I think I will go back and make sure that everything is OK, just because it will make you feel better.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Just a really bad day...

I guess that every day can't be a really good day, today I'm having a really bad day and I think that everything is just closing in.  I tried to go for a walk a couple of times today but my heart just wasn't in it and all I wanted to do was get back home and sit in my room and lose myself in movies or playing games online at Pogo.

My morning caregiver starts school on Monday and is going to have to start leaving early.  Her four hours a day has already turned into six or seven and starting Monday she definitely have to leave after four hours, I don't know what's going to happen after that.  The girl that works in the afternoon seems to always have something going on and I think in the last two weeks she has only work about six hours.  My computer program, Multimedia Max, is not working.  I am not able to adjust the thermostat and I can only turn the light on/off sometimes.  Before I was always able to program new buttons and I cannot do that either.  I know it's just a bad day and everything always seems to work out and I know that this will also but right now it seems really defeating.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Trout

This morning we went for a walk with my aunt, her friend Susan, my mom and I.  Susan and her husband are longtime friends of my aunt and uncle.  Once a year they have about 40 people who meet and go camping for about a week and I have a really great time.  Susan's husband, I can't remember his name, was the best man for my uncle when he got married to my aunt 48 years ago, it has to be so cool to have friends from that long ago.

I went down to get Brodie's records from her veterinarian so I can take her to get groomed, unfortunately they don't groom dogs at her veterinarians.  After that I went down to Cedar Video to return the movie that I rented a couple of days ago.  Brodie and I cruised down to the wharf but we only went about halfway because it was kind of crowded and my chair was running out of juice because I forgot to charge it last night, it sure was beautiful though.

Heather came over and made some trout, some green beans, rice, a wrap and some tuna salad to hold me over for a couple of days, even though I shouldn't be I'm always amazed at how great everything Heather makes tastes.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Triple ginger cookies...

On Monday my uncle and aunt, Heather and my mother and I went to see Burn after Reading, it was a very funny movie but also very weird.  I'm glad that I saw it but I won't be seeing it again.  After the movie Heather and I went to Trader Joe's and I got some triple ginger ginger cookies.  Next week I want to go see The Women.

On Tuesday I went to San Jose to see Tony to get my SP tube change and to get a copy of my records so I can start going to the doctor here in Santa Cruz.  I had always intended to keep the doctors that I have but it's just too hard to get to San Jose that often.

On Wednesday my uncle, my aunt, Cassie and I went to Moss Landing to have some clam chowder at a place called Phils Fish market, man was that delicious.  I also had an artichoke stuffed with crap and shrimp.  My uncle was having a craving for red clam chowder so we decided to go, I'm glad that we did and I hope that we go back again.

I joined a video rental place and rented two movies, one was called Bonnieville with Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates and the other one was the movie Juno, I liked open them a lot.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Burn after reading...

Sunday was a nice relaxing stay at home, watching movies day.

Yesterday Brodie and I went for a really long cruise along the lagoon and down to the wharf, it was a lot more crowded than it usually is on the weekdays.  A lot of couples young and old, they must have taken a day off work knowing that it would be less crowded.  It was the man with his three children fishing off the side.  One of the boys, he looked like he was maybe four years old, decided that he wanted to take the fish off the hook so his father let him.  You could tell that he was afraid to touch it but I really wanted to do this when all of a sudden a bird came out of nowhere and try to grab the Fish, the little boy freaked out and jumped back and luckily the father caught the Fish again and wrestled it away from the bird.  As I was coming back down the wharf I looked over on the rail and I saw a Pelikan, I have never seen one that close so we sat there and stared at each other for a while.

Saturday on our way back from Claudia's we ran into Heather getting ready to go shopping.  She came over later that evening and made some cod, it was awesome, she also cooked sautéed spinach and this rice thing... I wish I could remember the name of it.  She made a veggie wrap at some tuna salad to hold me over until she could come back.

Yesterday she made some sausages with fennel, artichoke hearts, bell pepper, what looked like a little red onion but she called it something else and crushed tomatoes.  She also made my favorite roasted potatoes and she made some roasted eggplant, one of my new favorites.

Later on today we're going to see George Clooney and Brad Pitt's new movie Burn after Reading.  For sure Heather and I are going but I invited my mom and my aunt and uncle, we will see.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Tomorrow is not promised

Tomorrow Is Not Promised

Sometimes people come into your life
and you know right away that they were meant to be there,
they serve some sort of purpose,
teach you a lesson
or help figure out who you are
and who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be:
your neighbor, child, long lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger
who, when you lock eyes with them,
you know at that very moment that they will affect your life
in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you
and at the time they seem painful and unfair,
but in reflection you realize
that without overcoming those obstacles
you would have never realized
your potential strength, will power, or heart.

Everything happens for a reason.
Nothing happens by chance
or by means of good or bad luck.
Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity
all occur to test the limits of your soul.

Without these small tests,
whether they be events, illnesses or relationships,
life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere,
safe and comfortable,
but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life
and the successes and downfalls you experience
create who you are,
and even the bad experiences can be learned from,
In fact, they are probably the poignant and important ones.

If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart,
forgive them,
for they have helped you learn about trust
and the importance of being cautious to
whom you open your heart...

If someone loves you,
love them back unconditionally,
not only because they love you,
but because they are teaching you to love
and opening your heart and eyes to things
you would have never seen or felt without them.

Make every day count.
Appreciate every moment
and take from it everything that you possibly can,
for you may never be able to experience it again...

Talk to people you have never talked to before,
and actually listen,
let yourself fall in love,
break free and set your sights high...

Hold your head up
because you have every right too.
Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself...
for if you don't believe in yourself,
no one else will believe in you either.
You can make of your life anything you wish.

Create your own life
and then go out and live in it!
"Live Each Day As If It Were Your Last...
Tomorrow is Not Promised" 

 

                                                            Unknown

Saturday, September 13, 2008

My first independent film...

On Wednesday my uncle and I decided to go to Costco to get a few things... mostly a hotdog.  On our way we stopped by the Nickelodeon theater, it's a small theater that shows independent films.  There was a movie there that we both wanted to see but the last showing was at 7:10 p.m.  We also stopped at the AT&T store and I finally found an earpiece that will stay on my ear, I have the tiniest ears in the world and I can't seem to find an earpiece that works for me so I was so excited.  I shook my head and it didn't fall off, one of the guys in the store even did jumping jacks for me and it didn't fall out of his ear, talk about an enthusiastic salesperson, after that I just had to get it.  The next stop was the bakery where we got some fresh bread and they sliced it for us, it smelled so good.  We finally made it to Costco and picked up my prescription but we didn't get a hotdog, Heather was supposed to make me dinner and I didn't want to ruin my appetite but I told my uncle I would sit with him while he have one but he decided not to.  On the way back my uncle was going to show me a shortcut but it turned out to be very steep and about three quarters of the way up my chair just stopped, I had been running around all day and the battery was getting low and the hill just really drained it so we turned around and called my aunt to come and get us.  When we got back we decided to have a liverworts sandwich with our new fresh bread and go to the Nickelodeon theater and watch the movie.  I don't remember exactly what it was called but something about a midnight kiss, it was actually a really good movie.

I have been trying to figure out a way that I could cruise around town and stop at the store or at Costco to go shopping by myself so my aunt took a camera case and one of those things that go around your neck so you don't lose your keys and part of a wallet and put it all together for me, it works great.  I have my cell phone, my ID, some cash and my Costco/American Express card.

On Friday Heather came over and decided to make me a buffalo burger with cheddar/horseradish cheese and grilled onions, some Parmesan mashed potatoes and some beets and carrots, I had never had a buffalo burger before but it was really good.  She told me that she had rented a movie that I wanted to see called Baby Mama so she let me borrow it and I returned it for her that afternoon, I also signed up for a membership at the video store, it felt really great to go and do it by myself... with Brodie of course. Friday afternoon my uncle took my mom and I to Costco... I think he was still craving a hotdog so along with everything else that we needed we got some hotdogs and went over to my uncle and aunt's and had hot dogs and Chile, I guess hot dogs are really bad for you but they taste so good.

Today my mom and I cruised over to Claudia's beauty shop and got a manicure/pedicure and then came on home.  Heather came over and made cod, this really good kind of rice/pasta stuff and some sautéed spinach, man it was good.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Santa Cruz people are so cool...

Yesterday and the day before Brodie and I took a very long cruz through the park, down to the end of the wharf and across the boardwalk.  If we leave here around 11 a.m. there is virtually nobody around, it is great.  I don't think that Brodie has ever seen a sea lion so usually stop at the end of the wharf and we watched them for a while and Brodie watches them very intently and whines, I'm not sure what that means but hopefully she will get used to them.  I can't even describe the feeling of cruising down the boardwalk and watching the waves crash on the shore, the boats floating in the water and the surfers riding the waves... are they crazy?  I just feel like I'm on vacation every day of my life.

And then it really doesn't end there.  I usually come home and my kitchen smells incredible because Heather is whipping up a couple of gourmet dishes.  On Monday she brought me some halibut and she made some green beans with onions and some rice.  I heard her talking about a taco salad that she had and when my eyes lit up she decided to make that for me also, it was the best I ever had.  She made me a couple of wraps, an Italian one and a chicken one.  She is very busy at work this week and that that she has seen more chicken than she cares to see in a lifetime.

Yesterday my uncle, my aunt, my mom and I went to see the movie Bangkok Dangerous, Nicolas Cage's new movie.  I really liked it and everybody else thought that it was just okay, it was the best movie I could see out of the choices but this Friday two really good movies come out.  I'm going to start going to the movies once a week, if I cannot find anybody to go with me I will go by myself.  There is a couple of theaters here that show independent films, I have to admit I have never seen one but I hear people talk about them so I'm going to check them out.

Susana called in sick today.  She have her wisdom teeth yanked out yesterday and she is still hurting and she has a headache.  He's usually off tomorrow so if she can find a babysitter she will be in tomorrow.

I finally got my camera yesterday and I am so excited, I love to have pictures of everything... it's just too bad thatIcannot take them because I would have a blast taking pictures of the ocean, the sea lions and the lagoon.

Whenever I cut through the park a usually see my neighbor Anthony, he works for the Parks and Recreation Department.  I told him that I was nervous about going over the water part of the lagoon so he did some research for me to find out just how much of boardwalk with the pontoons will hold, he said the vehicle that they take on there way about a ton so I should be fine.  They just painted their house a really wild purple color, it looks great and I'm sure that a lot of people will use their house at the landmark to guide people to their house... "turn left after the purple house".

Yesterday I met a guy and his dog in the park, he asked if I would like to have him unhook Brodie so the dogs could play for a while.  Being from San Jose my first instinct is to be scared because somebody is being nice but I put my tongue and said "sure, that would be great" and I'm glad that I did.  He moved to Santa Cruz around the same time that I did but from Modesto.  I'm not sure exactly what he does but he works at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and he said that he has a couple of chefs that work for him, as it turns out I lives the next street over from me so I'm sure we will run into each other again.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Fandango...

Friday I was so happy to get up.  When I lived in San Jose I stayed in bed a lot more and I think I got used to it.  Basically because thing like it with an awful lot of work to get up and then sit around and do nothing, there really wasn't anywhere I could go by myself and I didn't really know how to initiate doing things.  I'm still not very good at it but I'm working on it.  I'm getting an account with Fandango that I can go to the movies whenever I want by myself.

Saturday was a really good day although kind of hot.  Brodie and I went for a walk on the lagoon and of course as soon as we get the boardwalk she decided to poop, I really get embarrassed when she does that because there's no way I could pick it up and I hate leaving it.  She's used to going to the bathroom on the concrete because that's what her dog run was so it's hard to get her to only go in the dirt or on the grass.  She's only supposed to go when I get for the release word but she's getting older she just goes whenever she wants.

Today is another day of staying in bed and I'm already bored.  I have a bunch of books on my Yahoo music jukebox account so I think I will listen to a couple of books, that sounds relaxing.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Prime rib at Gilda's

The last couple of days it has gotten really hot here really early so Brodie and I haven't been able to go on a very long walk.  Wednesday evening is prime rib night at Gilda's so pretty much the old neighborhood, about 10 of us, decided to stroll down there and have dinner, it was so nice to be able to sit down and talk to everyone, usually it's standing in the middle of the street or just a quick hello as we walk by.  I think are going to try to do it once a month.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes on the days when you stay home to do nothing end up being the busiest?  Today is Susanna day off so I was just going to stay in bed and watch some movies.  My mom gave me some coffee and some breakfast before she left for Los Gatos, she was taking Rosie to his doctor's appointment.  My uncle came by to make sure everything was OK, he was up on the roof and needed a break.  After he left my aunt called and asked if I needed anything from Costco, I told her if they were going to get a hotdog I would love one... they have the best hot dogs.  My uncle came back with a hot dog and a pink lemonade and then told me that he did not get one because he was supposed to be eating better, I felt a little guilty but I ate it anyway.  About an hour later Cassie to see if I was hungry and she hung out for a while and watched Will and Grace with me before her soccer game... it was about 90° outside.  About an hour later Heather came by and we visited for a while and she brought me some Keller mashed potatoes, I can't remember what she said she put in them but they were awesome.  I heard the front door open so I looked up, there is an alarm on the doors and windows so I can tell when they are opened and I have surveillance cameras in my room.  I see Brodie walking out the front door, who thought it would be a good idea to teach her to open the door?  She has never done that before unless I go outside without her.  I think that it had been a while and she needed to go to the bathroom.  I saw her walk down the driveway so I called my aunt and pulled her to be on the lookout for a visitor, Brodie likes to go over there because they have a big yard and a lawn.  She found Brodie and started to bring herback and apparently my mom's dog also went out the front door, went to the bathroom and was waiting outside my bedroom door.  Autumn came over because she was taking Yoda, their dog, for a walk to my aunt took Brodie and went with her.  My uncle came by again with some stew that they had made so I had a bowl, it was delicious and I ate WAY too much today... I will start my diet tomorrow.

I got an e-mail from Corinne, she got her haircut and she really look a lot older, she is so cute.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

The final papers...

Pat came by with a final papers to close escrow on my ex-house in San Jose, I am really glad to get rid of it.  She brought by the gentleman, Floyd, who took down the rails for the ceiling lift and did the maintenance, his son as ALS and he is painting, patching, repairing and fixing everything at my old place in exchange for the rails.

By the time they left it was already 80° outside so unfortunately Brodie and I did not get to go for a walk.  I ended up just sitting around all day and I thought I was going to go crazy, I cannot believe that when I used to live in San Jose I sat around a lot and it didn't bother me.  I can not get over how lucky I feel to live in Santa Cruz where it is so beautiful, whenever we go cruising around I just can't stop smiling.

Heather came by to hook me up for a couple of days, she made Pork loin marinated in hoisin sauce, spinach and cheese raviolis with sausage, brown rice, sautéed spinach with arugula, roasted eggplant, another chicken and monster cheese wrap... that should last me until I see her again on Thursday, I'm sure it will last me through the weekend.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Cribbage

On Thursday Brodie & I went for a walk to the lagoon, it is so beautiful there.  We went on the trail that led to the top of the hill past the tennis courts, past the playground and through the park.  I wanted to go a long the trail that leads to the boardwalk and wharf but Brodie started limping so we came back through the lagoon and came back home, I hope this is not an indication that she's not going to be able to go on long walks anymore because it breaks my heart to see her limp and it breaks her heart if I leave her home.  The fillets that Heather made were awesome and the sauce was killer.  I have never put sauce on anything, gravy, ketchup... I always thought it was covering up the taste of what you are eating but ever since I started tasting Heather's sauces I am addicted, her sauces just make everything tastes better.

Friday night was the last night of the concert on the boardwalk and the band that was playing there was The Tubes, of course I didn't notice until after I was already in bed, I would have loved to have seen the concert.  Next summer I'm going to go to every concert that I can now that I know I can do it by myself, with Brodie.

On Saturday my uncle and my mom made a HUGE pot of chili and we were supposed to have some friends over to play cribbage.  At was 7:30 a.m. and Susanna wasn't here so I gave her a call on her cell phone and she said that she called and left me a message at 5 a.m. to let me know that she wouldn't be in because she wasn't feeling good.  After she said that I remembered my cell phone waking up and somebody leaving a message.  My uncle came over to tell us that one of the couples that was going to come over was sick and not going to be able to make it so I decided to just stay in bed and they could just play without me.  They decided to wait and do it on Sunday instead.

After I got up on Sunday I took Brodie for a walk and we decided to try a new route, this is going to be our new routine.  I came home and Heather was cooking.  I had talked to her yesterday and I told her that I really needed to start losing some weight and she said that she would help me out.  Tonight she made this awesome fish, bustle sprouts and some kind of grain thing thatis supposed to be really good for you, it looked like couscous and it actually tasted really good.  She also made me a big salad and a wrap for tomorrow.  She's coming back over tomorrow to set me up for a few days and hold me over while she is at work.