Friday Randomness

Last Friday, Ted and I went to dinner in Oakland, to one of our regular spots. It’s a beautiful neighborhood (Rockridge, for folks who know the area) with lovely old Craftsman homes surrounding a bustling street of restaurants, book stores, boutiques, etc. I would buy a house there in a heartbeat if I had a million or two more in my bank account. I mean, I’d buy a beautiful old home and then renovate the electricity and plumbing so it doesn’t fall apart. Maybe I’d buy this house, but the arm has to come with the deal. Also the dinosaurs up the walkway.

Dinosaurs always remind me of Maya, who has always loved them. Sure, she’s 30 in just over a week, but still enjoys watching shows supposing the asteroid hadn’t hit and killed most of the dinosaurs. I remember when she was really pissed at us for something or another, and wrote a sign telling us to KEEP OUT, and put it in front of her door with her drums and her T-Rex.

Then there’s this picture, when she (with some help from my brother’s wife) sewed a stuffed trilobite for the science fair. She still has the trilobite somewhere, her name is Elizabeth.

For last year’s birthday, one of my gifts to her was for us to get manicures and (more importantly) pedicures, but we never did it. So on Saturday we went and had our nails done and our feet scrubbed, and everything is so much better now. Then lunch and some foux du fafa shopping downtown. It was a spendy day, between nails and lunch and shopping, but worth every penny.

There’s a house a couple of blocks from us with a beautiful flower garden in front. They have a long stretch of narrow property, which perhaps should be more drought tolerant, but I love how they have it planted.

Here’s the house (on the left) and the long narrow garden to the right, so you can get an idea of what it’s like.

Down the street a bit is a yard with a few Birds of Paradise plants in front, which are blooming right now. Aren’t they lovely? They remind me of Catherine, a woman I used to deliver meals to when I volunteered for my local Meals on Wheels. She had a beautiful Birds of Paradise in front of her house. She was almost entirely blind, a side effect of her diabetes that was caused by years on high dose prednisone for her Rheumatoid Arthritis. Way back when they didn’t know the dangers of long term/high dose usage, and just thought it was a miracle drug. Anyway, one year around this time, I was planning a birthday party for Maya, and thought it would be nice to have some Birds of Paradise flowers in a vase, along with some purple irises, and I asked if I could clip some before the party. It made her so happy to be able to do something kind for me! I always remember that, when someone wants to do something kind. Try to let them.

I took this screenshot on Monday, and planned to bitch about having the a/c blowing cold air on me all week just to stay sane, but you know what? We didn’t end up needing it. Spring (technically Winter) heat waves are like late summer/Autumn heat waves, in that the sun still goes down early enough that it cools down OK at night. I’m sorry that we’re having ‘maybe turn on the a/c weather, while many of you are cursing late March snowstorm, or perhaps tornadoes. I like sleeping in a quiet, dark, cool room, and we live near some busy roads and a freeway. So when we have to open the windows to let in the cooler night air, it can be difficult to sleep. Earplugs to the rescue! A few weeks ago, Suzanne mentioned that she was thinking of getting some loop earplugs for her daughter, and Stephany commented that she uses them to sleep when on vacation to drown out noise. GENIUS. So I bought some. I bought three pairs actually, one for each of us. I’m not sure if they are too noise cancelling to use for going to a loud concert, but if not, that’s a good use for Ted. For Maya, it would be when we go on vacation, for sleeping on the airplane or in the hotel. But I’ve busted mine out early, and let me tell you, they are a game changer. I sleep SO WELL with them in. I had no idea how much noise disturbs my sleep. I take them out in the morning and hear the traffic and breeze (if there is any), and think, “Oh, how lovely that I didn’t have to listen to that all night!”

Another factor in my improved sleeping habits recently is probably giving up my evening wine habit. I do like a treat in the evening, though, so I’ve been enjoying these Mocktails. My favorite is the Paloma. They have a little bit of capsaicin in them, which gives a tiny burn at the back of your throat. I think that’s the ‘afterglow’. Do they make me feel as relaxed as a glass or two of wine? No, but I definitely sleep better, and I feel better in the morning. Getting older means my body doesn’t deal with alcohol as well anymore, which is stupid but real.

This is Pinocchio, the newest cat at the rescue. He hangs out in his litter box, which is disgusting and also a sign that he is stressed. Poor thing. He’s not blind in one eye, that’s just the camera angle. I think his story is that his people moved away and just…left him. What the hell is with people?

Yesterday I stopped at a Little Free Library to straighten it up, and the juxtaposition of the Unabomber Manifesto being in there with a flyer from the Barnes Foundation was interesting. The Barnes Foundation used to be down the street from us when we lived in Philadelphia. We visited a couple of times when we lived there, it’s a spectacular collection, and the will of the founder determines exactly how the pieces are to be displayed (and way back in 2006 or so, Ted and I saw a play based on the legal struggle surrounding the founder’s will and the question of what constitutes art, and what should be displayed vs hidden away. It was really good). The Foundation has since been relocated to a more central area, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I liked that it was in a big house in a swanky Mainline town, but a downtown museum makes more sense. Then, the same day, a guy was out jogging in his Wawa t-shirt! Philly representing in the Bay, is what I thought.

We are now past the picture of tulip trees phase of spring, so now I’m posting pictures of wisteria vines. I took this picture on my morning walk, and I like how it’s just starting to bloom. Soon the entire structure will be covered in beautiful blossoms. Which brings me to Bridgerton. Have you noticed how the Bridgerton household has wisteria in bloom ALL OF THE TIME? Does this show only take place during the Spring? Does wisteria bloom later and longer in England? It doesn’t last all that long here, but you know what? I’m going to pay attention and see how many weeks we have blossoms. Count this as week #1.

Speaking of TV, what about The Pitt? Not talking about last night’s episode, but last week’s. I was so sure that Dr. Robbie’s motorcycle buddy that he mentioned a couple of times was going to come in with a serious head injury, since they made a point of showing us how Dr. R rides his bike without a helmet. Did anyone else expect that to happen?

Lastly, I’m excited for Jenny’s big 60th birthday / 60 mile run tomorrow! Go Jenny, Go!