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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.