New Year's Eve 2005

My wonderful husband Norm came down with a sore throat yesterday so we decided to cancel our exciting plans of dinner and a movie so we could stay home and nurse him back to health. I thought perhaps I could find a good movie on TV to occupy our evening and enjoy some Chinese takeout. I did not have much luck with finding good Chinese takeout or anything remotely interesting on TV. (To my friend who encourages me to become a food critic online -- this restaurant is not worth getting a free dinner out of and they don't even have a web site.) While Norm watched reruns of Law and Order I amused myself with the Falling Sand Game. Check it out -- it's great if you're really bored. Scroll down to the bottom of the game window to see the tools you can use to play this game. Before you start feeling terribly sorry for me, please know that I've never really been much into New Year's Eve festivities since I don't like to stay up too late. Most years I'm in bed before midnight only to be awakened by the sound of fireworks, gunshots and car horns as other people in the neighborhood ring in the new year. The best New Year's Eve party I ever went to was back in my college days. It was probably around 1986 or 1987. Our young adult group at church had a great party in which we borrowed someone's video camcorder (you know the really big ones that used a regular VCR tape) and divided up into groups to make our own TV programs. I was in charge of producing spoofs on commercials for products like coffee that makes your guests want to leave in a hurry. Other groups performed The Dating Game and the evening news using headlines from the National Inquirer. At the last minute I also participated in one of those news stories as an eyewitness to an alien invasion. After we spent the evening filming, everyone came over to my parents home for pizza and to view our video. In case you are reading this Cindi V., do you remember that night? I wonder who has that videotape? May you have good health and blessings from God in 2006.

A New Gig

Blogger friend Pat asked me to redesign her blog template so she could have a more customized look to her blog. She provided a photo for the header and I made the necessary customizations to the photo, template graphics, HTML and CSS code to create a one-of-a-kind look. Here is a before photo of her blog. Now go to her blog, Pat's Pond, and see the new look. Tired of your "off-the-shelf" blogger template? Let me customize it for you with a whole new look. Send me an e-mail (see right sidebar for my e-mail address) and provide your current blog URL and any information on the kind of changes you would like such as graphics or colors, etc. I'll take a look and give you an estimate on my very affordable services.

My San Diego Christmas Trip

Wednesday, the 21st Norm and I were able to get an early start on our six-hour road trip to San Diego. We made our usual pitstop for gas and that all-important bathroom break in Yuma. The gas station had one of those single stall ladies rooms so Norm was able to help me without our having to clear the bathroom first of other women. (If you aren't a wheelchair user you have no idea what I'm talking about.) I looked around to see if there were other women who were going to be needing the room before we went in there, but I saw no one else around. After we got in and locked the door someone started knocking on the door after we had been in there about a minute. Every time they knocked on the door I hollered "just a minute it, occupied," but it seemed that they could not hear me. I came out of the restroom and saw four women standing outside the door. As soon as they saw me they apologized for knocking so many times. LOL We ate lunch at Cracker Barrel. I was hoping they would have chili, but alas they did not so I had my fill of Pinto beans with ham hocks and cornbread muffins. Not the kind of thing you can find on most restaurant menus. Norm had a hamburger but said it had no flavor. We amused ourselves playing with one of those silly games the leave on the table -- the kind that make you feel like an idiot because you can't figure it out. The rest of our drive was rather uneventful but fun because we were together and listening to Christmas music on the satellite radio. We arrived at my parents home around 4 in the afternoon. Mom's dog, Mitzi, was very excited to see me and spent the evening in my lap. I don't know why she did that because she has never done it before, but I enjoyed it because I love to hold animals. Mom made us a wonderful spaghetti dinner, but I don't remember much else after that, so I guess we went to bed early since we were so tired from our drive. Thursday, the 22nd My sister-in-law, Ashley, and the three darling girls -- Hannah, Mackenzie, and Zoe, came over to my mother's house in the afternoon and we played games and had a good time visiting. Norm brought our two-way hand-held radios for the girls to play with. Hannah went down to the other end of the house and Mackenzie stayed in front room with us while Norm showed them how the radios worked. Hannah would call Mackenzie on the radio and she would answer back by yelling into the radio. I instructed Mackenzie that it was not necessary to yell since the radio would carry her voice all the way to the back of the house. From then on Mackenzie would whisper into the radio as she played with her older sister. It was rather funny! The girls went home and my dad came home later and we had dinner and sat around and talked the rest of the evening. I recall it was rather secret stuff so I won't divulge it here. Friday, the 23rd Mom had an outing with one of her best friends at the Hotel Del Coronado, so Dad took Norm and I to lunch at Mr. Bon's in the Claremont Mesa area of San Diego. Mr. Bon's Restaurant and Grill is located at 5487 Claremont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, 92117. It's a quaint little American Grill serving breakfast, lunch and dinner that's been open for about a year. Sang Bonsynat and his wife Waraporn are the proprietors. They are a friendly couple from Thailand who Dad met through the Thai congregation that is part of Dad's church. We had a wonderful lunch and received excellent service. I highly recommend their restaurant if you're looking for good, wholesome American food. Their menu has a wide variety of options of typical American-style food. Great portions and decent prices. After lunch, Norm and I went to my brother's house to visit with my nieces. When our little yearling Zoe saw Norm and I walk up to the door she started saying hi and waving at us. It was so cute -- and she is such a bright and advanced one-year-old. She is always trying to keep up with her older sisters. I played games with Hannah and Mackenzie and watched their cat Sasha and she was loving all over the fish tank. Fortunately for the fish she doesn't know how to open it up. Later that evening my parents and Norm and I had "breakfast" at IHOP where we ran into an old neighbor from about six years ago. It was good to see Louise, who is such a dear lady, and one of the best neighbors we've ever had. She looks great for someone who will soon be 80 years old. Louise adopted our dog Vanessa when my parents moved to another area where they could not have an outdoor pet. Louise's husband Ed passed away a few years ago so Vanessa is a wonderful companion for her. Saturday, the 24th We were lazy and slept in. Norm woke up with a hankering for Mexican food so we decided to have lunch at El Indio. I couldn't remember exactly how to get there so I asked Dad for driving directions. All our talk of El Indio got Dad thinking so he suggested we meet him later at the church so he could take us to El Indio. Dad has been going to that restaurant since the 1950s and he never passes up an opportunity to dine there. It overlooks the San Diego Bay but the fog had rolled in so we never saw the water. It was very crowded because everybody in San Diego decided they were hungry for good Mexican food as well. I grabbed a table and Dad and Norm got in line to put in our order. It took 30 minutes just to put in the order and another 10 minutes to get our food. It was definitely worth the wait. I think we went over to my brother's house again and played with the darling girls. It's one of my favorite things to do when I'm in San Diego. In case you can't tell, I love being Aunt KK! Later that evening Norm and I played a rare game of Scrabble in which I beat him badly. I like playing Scrabble and I like to win. Sunday, the 25th Christmas Day began by attending church. It was really cool that morning and I got chilled to the bone. I didn't warm up all day so I went around with a blanket over my legs and a wrap around my shoulders. Everyone else was hot. My parents invited a couple of sailor guys to spend Christmas Day with us. I can't remember their names, but one was from Texas and the other from Iowa. They were really nice young men and will be serving aboard the aircraft carrier John C. Stennis. My brother and his family came over and we had a wonderful lunch and then opened presents. It's fun to watch the kids open their gifts and get excited over the things they got. Mom served sparkling pear juice instead of Martinelli's cider this year. I must say that it was very tasty. I think it's made by R.W. Knudsen. We had pie and cake and cookies and delicious dark chocolate brownies. We ate all day -- but then again that's what we do at Christmas time. Norm watched the Law and Order marathon on TNT. He was a happy camper! Monday, the 26th We saw the Chronicles of Narnia movie with my dad. It was a well done movie and fairly close to the book, although they did make a few changes. Overall I was impressed and look forward to the next movie. We got to the theater early so we could get good seats. We waited 45 minutes and sat through 15 minutes of commercials and then they started the movie but there was no sound. After awhile the management came in and announced that they would restart the movie from the beginning but it would take a few minutes. It was a packed house but everyone was cooperative. Jack and his family came over for a delicious enchilada and beans dinner that Mom prepared. Afterwards we had a rousing game of spades. Dad and I against Jack and Ashley -- guess who won? Mom, Mackenzie and Hannah watched the Velveteen Rabbit video and Norm was happy in the other room with more Law and Order reruns. Poor baby Zoe was rather cranky, which we discovered later was from cutting a new tooth. Tuesday, the 27th Mom and I worked on computer stuff that she was saving up for my visit. Dad and his brother Paul took Norm to lunch at Hometown Buffet. Uncle Paul and Dad go there every week. Mom and I feasted on leftovers -- I think we had the better meal. Later that afternoon we made one last trip to my brother's home to play games with the girls. We played Candyland, Where in the House, and Kadoo. We had a great time and I wish we could stay longer. My brother had to continue his school bus driver training so we did not see a lot of him. You can read about his adventures on his blog -- 4 Girls 4 Me. Norm decided he needed a seafood meal before we left town so we ate at Anthony's Fish Grotto in La Mesa with my parents for dinner that evening. Norm had half a lobster and my parents and I had Baquetta which is a nice mild whitefish. Normally it comes from the Baja area but they listed this one as being flash frozen from New Zealand. Not quite as good as the local variety. I recommend Anthony's as a great place for seafood when visiting San Diego. Also, they have the best bread which they serve with a sun-dried tomato butter. Delicious! Wednesday, the 28th We got up early and packed the car and off we went back home. Somehow the drive home is never as fast as the drive over there. It seemed that we made about three or four stops, but we had a good time because we were together.

Merry Christmas Joyeux Noël Feliz Navidad Schone Weinachten Suk San Wan Christmas Sing Dan Fai Lo

Making My List and Checking It Twice

I'm a list maker and I come by it naturally as my mother is a list maker extraordinaire. With Christmas coming and our road trip to San Diego only 17 hours away I have lots to do and so I made a list of everything that we needed to get done or take with us on the trip. When I informed my wonderful husband, Norm, of the list -- organized by category and neatly printed on my Canon inkjet printer, you should have heard the groan he made. LOL -- funny thing is that he is checking things off as he gets them done. He doesn't like to admit it, but he does appreciate my organizational skills. We have a six-hour drive ahead of us tomorrow so I hope we can go to bed early tonight. Not sure how much I will be able to blog while I am away as I won't have my wonderfully customized computer with me. I sent out Christmas e-mail greetings to friends and family today so if you want to see what I sent to blogger friends then check this out because it has one of my favorite Christmas songs in the background. (Be sure in turn up your computer speakers first.)

Pizza Pizza Update!

My previous post on my disappointment with pizza in Scottsdale got the attention of someone who forwarded my blog to Patsy Grimaldi's restaurant operations director. I received an e-mail from the director apologizing for my recent dining disappointment and inviting me and a guest for dinner on him so they will have an opportunity to change my mind about their pizza. Needless to say I was quite surprised and let him know I appreciated his offer and will take him up on it after the holidays. I'll post a review here when I next dine again at Patsy Grimaldi's. I have a feeling that it will be a good experience because they know blog readers are paying attention! (Maybe I should become a restaurant reviewer?)

The Office Christmas Party

Norm is self-employed and works out of our home. Every year we have "the annual office Christmas party" which is usually just the two of us and sometimes a friend. Last night we decided it was time to have our little party so we made our trek out for pizza (see story below) and came home to enjoy our dinner and festivities. I turned on Christmas music and we begin to eat. So we are eating our pizza and I ask Norm, "What are we supposed to do at an office Christmas party?" Norm replies, "Eat, drink and be Mary!" I look at Norm and say, "Well we are eating and drinking, but I can't be Mary because I'm Karen." "No, I don't want you to be Mary either -- she is my ex-wife!" LOL Other than watching the cats be silly that was best laugh we had during our party. (Oh what an exciting life we lead...)

Pizza Pizza

I've had this strange craving for pizza lately, which is surprising because I'm not a pizza fan. A couple weeks ago Norm and I decided to try the pizza at a restaurant new to us called Streets of New York. I looked them up online and decided they might have good pizza so we drove over to their restaurant and could not find a place to park because the parking lot was so small. As we drove around the building twice we noticed they had a drive up window and we could see inside the restaurant. It looked very small and cramped so we decided to go somewhere else as we don't like to be in tight quarters. Since I was still wanting pizza we went to a place we hadn't been to in a while but we had enjoyed in the past. Patsy Grimaldi's Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria, also from New York, is quite the swanky place in Old Town Scottsdale. Unfortunately we had the worst pizza I have ever eaten -- it was soggy which is not something one wants in pizza. In the past their pizza was pretty good and something I enjoyed because I like thin and crispy crust. The waitress said that ordering fresh mushrooms is what caused our pizza to be soggy because they have so much water in them. It looked to me like it was really the sauce which was nothing more than smashed up tomatoes. More like salsa Fresca rather than pizza sauce. We also ordered a Caesar salad to share but it was no better than something we could have got from the grocery store in one of those convenience bags. A rather disappointing experience and one I would not recommend. Last night we decided to try Streets of New York pizza by ordering on the phone and then going through their drive up window. It was easy enough but much to our dismay it was horrible pizza. They did not have tomato sauce -- rather you could order barbecue sauce, Alfredo or pesto. We ordered the barbecue chicken pizza but it was not good. I don't recommend that place either. So here we are -- 0 for 2 in satisfying my pizza craving. Any suggestions? Be warned that I do not like pepperoni, sausage or peppers and I am not a big fan of oregano. No wonder I don't like pizza that much.

Who Thinks Up This Stuff?

A MATH TRICK (hat tip: George P. Wood) 1. Grab a calculator. (you won't be able to do this one in your head) 2. Key in the first three digits of your phone number (NOT the area code) 3. Multiply by 80 4. Add 1 5. Multiply by 250 6. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number 7. Add the last 4 digits of your phone number again. 8. Subtract 250 9. Divide number by 2 Do you recognize the answer?

The Truth about Blogging

Sometimes this is what blogging feels like. Hat tip to the Patty Blog.

Fire Retardant Cat

While surfing the Internet last night I came across blogger friend Pat, of Pat's Pond, sharing a photo of her lovely cat who appears to be putting her tail awfully close to the flame of an Advent candle. Fortunately for the cat it is an electric candle! Seeing this reminds me of my cat Miss Ellie who nearly got herself in flames for Christmas. It must've been 12 or 13 years ago when I lived with my parents in a ranch house in the San Diego area. This home had a fireplace but we rarely used it except for special occasions like Christmas. Miss Ellie was a rather inquisitive young cat and she knew no fear of anything. I don't think it was exactly Christmas but I know it must've been near Christmas when we lit the fireplace for the first time that season. It was an old house and the screen in front of the fireplace was one of those drapery types but it was broken and did not close completely over the front of the fireplace. Dad built a fire in the back of the firebox and we sat there enjoying the glow of the flames. We didn't really notice her come into the room, as cats have a way of being stealth, but the next thing we know she was right there on the hearth. We all watched to see what she would do. Closer and closer she went towards the open fireplace. She found a large gap on the side of the screen and stuck her head inside! We all watched in amazement at her daring feat. The firebox was rather large so she was not right on the fire but she had to have been at the most 8 to 10 inches away from the fire. It crackled and popped as fires do and she was not afraid at all. No flames touched her but we were all scolding her for being such a foolish cat and shooed her away from the fireplace. Miss Ellie's daring ways never changed and every time we lit a fire in the fireplace she was right there ready to enjoy it with us. I don't recall her ever sticking her head inside the firebox again, but she did enjoy reclining on the hearth as close to the firebox as she could manage. Another thing she liked to do with fireplaces was to use the ashes left over from the previous night's fire as a litter box. We would find tiny ashy footprints on the hearth and know that Miss Ellie had been there. She is a great cat!

ACLU Announces Lawsuit against Santa Claus

I just got this e-mail from my dad containing the following information. Since I don't know where he got it I cannot credit the original source. Read the whole thing -- it's a laugh in light of current events.

Subject: ACLU Announces Lawsuit against Santa Claus

CHICAGO - The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that it was bringing a lawsuit against Santa Claus for violations of the civil rights of children. An ACLU spokesman, Mr. E. Scrooge stated that, "Mr. Claus has been violating children's right to privacy and has been putting that information in a vast database. The information is then used by the law enforcement arm of Mr. Claus organization to determine which children are considered naughty or nice. It is obvious Mr. Clause has violated the children's rights, as we have alleged in our suit, because of the memos and other company information we have obtained. In addition, we believe Mr. Claus has been engaging in mind control experiments designed to prevent the free expression of beliefs." Among the documents presented to the courts today was a memo in which reads, in part:

You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. I'm telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to town.

He sees you when you are sleeping He knows when you're awake, He knows when you've been bad or good So be good for goodness' sake.

Mr. Scrooge claimed the document, was obtained from one of workers in the distribution department of Mr. Claus' organization, "...clearly shows a concerted attempt to restrict the rights of children to free expression and free thought. In addition, there are concerns about the security of the information. What would be the result of such a database being made available to other law enforcement agencies around the world?" Lawyers at the Justice Department also confirmed today that they were investigating the possibility that Mr. Claus was at the core of a vast conspiracy against children. Anonymous sources from inside the Justice Department stated that, "We believe a large number of parent, ministers and teachers are involved in this business and we expect several of them will testify for the State in return for a lighter sentence."

In addition, the same sources indicated a parallel investigation by the Department and the FBI on possible charges of smuggling on the part of Mr. Claus, "our records do not show Mr. Claus, or any one else paying any import duties or taxes on any items he has delivered. Since Mr. Claus has representatives in all of the States of the Union we believe he should have to pay state and local taxes on all of the goods he delivers." Lawyers for Mr. Claus stated, "The charges of the ACLU are absurd. Mr. Claus is a well known and highly respected figure. His supporters are from around the world and his message of love and respect can, in no way, be taken as a form of "mind control" or a violation of the civil rights of children." The lawsuit is complicated by the fact that Mr. Claus is not a resident of the United States or any country which the United States currently has an extradition treaty. It is unknown where Mr. Claus is at the moment, but it is believed he is hiding out at his north pole estate. In a brief statement, read by his lawyer, Mr. Claus said, "I find the charges of the ACLU absurd and am confident they will be rejected by the courts. As for any criminal charges, I believe the Justice Department will discover they have no basis." Experts are uncertain what possible effect the suit or possible pending charges might have on Mr. Claus' Christmas travels this year.

And Now for a Musical Interlude

One of my favorite Christmas songs is O come, O come Emmanuel. I came to enjoy this song during my childhood. My grandmother gave us the Sunshine and Snowflakes Christmas album back in the mid-70s. The funny thing about it being from my grandmother is that she never approved of rock 'n roll music but this album was full of 1970s style rock 'n roll. To this day I think it was one of the best gifts she ever gave us. It became our family's favorite album to play during Christmas. We wore out the album playing it so many times. It's no longer available but thanks to the wonders of the Internet I came across a digital version on another blog called The Mad Philosopher. Cut number 1, A Sunshine Christmas Medley, is the one with O come, O come Emmanuel at the beginning part. I encourage you to listen and enjoy. Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus is another great one to hear. Enjoy!

Doing a Little Decorating...

I thought my blog could use a little sprucing up for the holidays. What do you think?