Rhythm and the Blues

I have tried over the last few months to accept and deal with my inevitable lay off, slated for March 2009, but will probably come sooner. I alternate between the denial, procrastination of looking into alternative work prospects; and generally just cruzin’ for the brusin’. The whole thing has a lack of rhythm.
Prior to the announcement of our demise, things were busy. There was a guarantee that everyday I showed up at 6:30 a.m. there would be something, a lot of something to do. With the agenda full, I set to the business of completing the tasks at hand and left each day feeling I had accomplished a "noble" deed.
As the work slowed because Merrill Lynch and First Franklin were going in two different directions, Merrill being the parent, FF the red-haired step child, there was talk of expected let down and lay offs.
Then "the LIST" made its way into our department and we saw the dissections and flat out dismissal of our friends and foes alike. "Why was that person laid off, they contributed a lot to the department", "She has worked here over 15 years, now what?", and the ever popular, and I do mean popularity contests, "She/he is only staying because she/he knows someone up higher". There was a total lack of sense. The rhythm was gone. The clock stalled at high noon.
This is what greed smells like.
My friends and family looked to me when I mentioned I was in the throws of the meltdown, as if I should have said something! Me!? My peers and I saw it coming in the form of an attitude of "no self denial". Everyone was wooed with false promises and ‘quick sand’ guarantees. All the brokers had two and three cells phones to conduct business. The Account Executives scrambled to catch the next rising star. And the lack of the beat went on. There is a beat that goes, one, two, three, and four. They skipped a couple of counts like where it counts to be honest, forthright, prudent and considerate.
So here we have a lack of rhythm and a lot of blues. Oh, Mr. King would have had a good time with this one!

Medical Wonders

Well, today I completed the mandatory "check in with me every $1000. ahemmm no what I meant to say was...every 6months" appointment with my primary care doctor.

At my age, I wear my medical conditions as a badge of experience and endurance~! I guess I never really understood that the human body is a machine that eventually wears out and parts start to be replaced.

There is there ever popular colonoscopy ~ WEEEE, the preparation is worse than the procedure. Mammograms are great comedic material until you are the patient. And then the knee joints connected to the ...opps.. no connection, looks like arthritis has done it's job here.
On that note, as I leaned heavily on a stylish blue cane, I was prescribed a "Bledsoe Thruster RLF" brace for my knee which has lopsided cartilage. As the technician was fitting me, he offered a wide variety of "colors". I was surprised. I thought they were all military black... so, your gonna love this... I chose Paradise Pink!!!! Hey, there is no reason I have to advertise the aliment, but I can do it in style!!! This clever contraption is very good at it's purpose *(and as my uncle used to say, "otta be, cost enough!"). The ticket price? $2500! Oh yeah, and the black stocking I put on under it to prevent chaffing? $249.99! I tell ya, it's a racket and I feel like making one over the corner we are put in with medical services.
My doctor, who has never been 2 ounces over his target weight, seems to think that all you have to do is cut down your portions and the world is your oyster. Better make that something with less cholesterol! I have talked about gastric bypass surgery and today I breached (as in whale)the subject with him. I told him I wasn't looking for a magic bullet, which seems weird to me...why would I shoot myself??? Anyway, I feel like I am getting the most information I can and yet he still wanted to "refer" me to a gastric guy, another boat payment has to be made after all. I guess he thinks I will talk with his guy and come to the realization the cutting down portions is the only out, or not.

I love my life. I really do. And my blog is showing the side of me that may not ring true to the former sentence. I guess life is meant to frustrate us sometimes so we can relish the contrast when things are perfect. Did I say THAT??!!?? OK, not perfect but certainly more rosy than not....

Evolution of Catering

I have to say that my catering history has made great leaps and bounds! I used to stay till the last light was on, now, I cook,setup and leave. I did a 95 year old birthday party for a grandmother of a former boss. She was a lively gal, who danced her heart away to "Brick House"! Served two kinds of spagetti sauce on over the counter pasta, organic greens with cherry tomatos, artichoke hearts, avacado, and sprinkle of carrots. Garlic bread. Simple. Easy and cheap. Had a wonderful helper, Gwen our new next door neighbor from New Orleans.

So, my daughter on the other hand did a wedding the same day in Napa. Her menu consisted of several hor's devours.... lovely salad bar with 4-5 different salads and a cold cut buffet. LOTTA work, not so much $$ and my bet is that she is still recovering, and stayed till the lights went out.

Our particular species just doesn't progress so much... but I have to say that our food is great just the way it is and that is not worth evolving from!!

Sticks and Bones

As I approach the mid month of September, I am reminded on a regular basis that my body is about 3 years ahead of my head... thus the "sticks and bones" title!
I am using a rather sleek and sophisticated walking stick to assist me in my travels these days. Quite the fashion statement! This due to the inappropriate timing of my right knee and lack of cartilage and abundance of arthritis. Ouch. Today I was accosted by a brace man. He came to my work to fit me for a very pink and precious knee brace. It is supposed to help me with my giddy up and tally ho! Five days and we will see. This on top of a visit tomorrow to Pacific Labroscopy to do a consult on a possible gastric bypass surgery. There, I said it, right on public blogging. It is supposed to be a very in depth consultation lasting for about 3 hours. My friend Lei is taking me as she knows the way... literally. She had the same operation about 18 months ago and is 145 pounds less a woman and counting. She had the same issue with her knees and decided that taking the weight off was the way to help her knee and it worked.
I have mixed feelings about the surgery. I know that "with exercise and diet" all people can lose weight. I know that when I tried to increase my activity years ago, by walking our dog at 5 a.m. every morning for a year... and that was a BRISK walk for at least 3 miles a day, the results were less than stellar. In fact, I even included a low fat, low sugar meal combo and lost...well, let's see, hm mm, 4 pounds. There was something intrinsically wrong here. The dog looked great, no longer panted crazy like after the work out and I just came home sweaty and discouraged. When I was a single mom with two young boys to support, my life was always on the move. I love to dance, so when that opportunity came up, I slipped on my boogie boots and away I went to a Church dance. I worked full time as a chef and so I didn't eat too much, in fact, usually one meal a day. But I have never been, what is the word, svelt???
Now I have set up a 'catch-22' situation. Too large to move enough to make a difference, so one cancels out the other.
Enough of the self defeating behaviour and on to thinking outside of the bulge!

I will keep you posted on the events as the come up, but my request of you all is to keep me in your thoughts...good ones.

Hit and Miss Care'n

I know, I know... blogging is fun. So much fun. Very fun. Some fun. Who's fun? I shouldn't complain, I DO like to enter, but with my schedule, I just am wipped out after work so my creativity gets waylayed and I crash at 8. No film at 11.

I came home from the Jim and Jessica wedding in one piece to a devoted husband. Not much had happened while I was away. But the first ever crop of peaches went unpicked and so there they were...crowding the weeds at the base of the tree. Boo. I was so looking forward to : a: sliced peach on my cereal b:sliced peach on vanilla ice cream and c: 1/2 cup of a peach cobbler to share with David. Next year.

We are in a whirlwind mode of organizing our home and garage, to live more simply. It is so rewarding when I can say, "David, please go out to the pantry and get me a can of pineapple (because the peaches didn't make it)" and he can go directly to the shelf, didn't have to pass GO or pay to get out of the maze! He has made incrediable movement on the house. I love it!

Work is more or less.... make that LESS than interesting. We are finding files and sending them to archives. Whoopee. We are all just bidding our time for the big layoff in December. I don't know the plans beyond that, except I have made noises about going back to school so I can learn how to poke people in the arm and draw blood. I VONT YOUR BLOOOOD! It could take a year, which I may not have. This is the part where I panic, but it doesn't look as good on the screen as in person. Quite the sight... mouth wide open, eyes squinted, heart visably beating out of my chest, hair being pulled, and small little steps in a circle as I chase my tail! I guess you have to be here..as a matter of fact, you should be here! Anyone reading this is welcome to come and pay homage to the dead peaches, cheer me up about my future *or not* job, or pick up a clear plastic box and store it on the shelf for us! We are leaving the light on!

ROAD TRIP!! WHOOO WHOOO

Well, we are off on an adventure... it is Stephanie, Jimmy, Kaitlin and me! Unlikely foursome on to Utah to go to a wedding! Jim's to be exact.
We rented a van big enough (almost) to carry all our stuff and other people's stuff and most important, CAR FOOD! Car food is a science really. You should chose food that will not look to bad when someone gets motion sickness....... not! Really, healthy car food is a blasphmy.... it has to be Ding Dongs, Cheezeits, string cheese *ok I'm not that insensitive to healthyfood*, Carmel and Strawberry rice cakes, sparkling water, and so on and so on. Maps are optional on a road trip. Adventure a must!
We left David at home due to the fact he doesn't travel too well, gets wrinkled you know. So I will miss him, but we are filling the time with family, dinners, more family and driving, driving.
We will leave very early in the a.m. and travel all day.
I made a dress for the wedding, but unbeknowst to me, my body decided to add some weight and when I finished it, it didn't fit! Help! So shopping will be in the agenda as well.
I hope to add to this blog during the week, so stay tuned and remember, car food is good only on the road!

Father

My father (sometimes hard to use the more familiar term "dad") has come up in the more recent "LOOPS" (see earlier blog) with my mom. She has referred to the way they met, at night school in the library. Their courtship was brief and then my father proposed. However, my grandmother did not approve the pairing because she needed the "room and board" my mom provided and the impending nuputials would cut off the funds. That and the fact that my father was not Catholic did not sit well with my grandmother. Well, then WWII made the news, and my father was drafted and sent off to North Africa as a general's clerk and editor of the "Screaming Red Asses (as in donkey)" unit newsletter, and the wait was on...four years to be exact. Upon his return in August of 1945, they planned their wedding. On a bright and sunny Saturday in November, they wed.
Long story, to bring you to the point of my entry today..and that is that my mother's patience was life long. You see, my father traveled the entire time we kids were growing up. He started his career in 1947 with the Military Sea Transport Service, aboard a ship that carried 4400 troops to the Pacific Rim. In the early days, the troops and their families would make the 6 week trek to Okinawa or the Phillipines aboard this large ship. The Army owned ship made a concession to the families and had a 10 ft by 10 ft cage on the deck that had a swing, slide and hopscotch drawing inside. That was were the kids could play when sailing. Pretty sad, but necessary in high seas. My father was a purser. Chief purser. He was in charge of all payroll, ship's bills, and supply orders. He was very well respected by his peers. This is were things get interesting. After their wedding, my sister was born almost a year later. My father was antsy, he wanted something other than working for my grandfather's accounting firm. He signed up for MSTS and the rest is (my) history. He sailed the high seas for 38 years. Sailing for 6 weeks, home for 3 days, gone again for 6 weeks, and on and on. Not exactly an ideal life for a family. The family suffered. Sometimes in silence sometimes in protest. I did try that once. I was 16 and decided that I wanted an explanation for the absence. Well, that didn't go over very well as my father did not see a good reason to justify his choice. It was sad. I thought that he would want to reassure me that he loved us, wanted to be with us, but that didn't happen. I believe that he felt trapped by my confrontation and just walked away. I never did get a good explanation from either my mother or my father. This is the kind of thing you have to forgive and move on or it will haunt you.
Despite the trama, my father was an incrediable man. Self educated. Would be reading 2 or 3 books at a time. Had a full typed record of all American and National League baseball players: runs, times at bat, trades, etc on 3 x 5 index cards. He was meticulous with this hobby. He introduced us to classical, country, jazz, big band music. Even The Supremes. He taught us about Japanese farmers who wrapped silk bags around each apple blossom as a form of protection from insects. Also, he showed us how to stain a redwood fence, and the proper way to eat an ear of corn. These are small examples of his way of parenting. He was a very complex man. I am sure that when we are united in the next life, he will be more prepared to welcome us into his heart. I am ready.

Busy Bee

The last three days have been so hectic and busy that I wonder if I can do this all the time. It wouldn't be so much if each event wasn't so committed.
On Thursday, I "volunteered" my Smoky Joe for a company BBQ, which in and of itself is pretty benign. However, because I opened my big mouth about catering, I was "volunteered" to assist the execs in their cooking duties. Well, it would have been fine had the execs had an idea on how to grill. Bless their little hearts. But because of novice rank, I ended up running back and forth between grills trying to keep some semblance of order. Fun. Really fun. Honest. Fun.

Friday proved to be a run around day too. Flag ceremonies in the morning, BBQ with mom and her cronies (some of which are two steps short of a walk).... but she decided to move to the "new" Maple House II. She will have a lovely room with patio access and new everything. I think she will really enjoy the change, until she doesn't. Off to cook dinner for the missionaries and ALSO a dinner for a new mom of twins, Melanie Suttner. How could I resist? A boy named Cameron and a girl named Autumn. Sweet, little and a lot of work. Run home, eat dinner, get surprised by a visit from Stephanie and Jimmy and Kaitlin. Now there is a busy bee!!! She is so curious and persistent for answers. I love it. I played on the computer with her and my Webkinz. She was fascinated by the activities and wanted change their clothes every 5 minutes, it was fun.
Off to bed by 11, and totally spent. Do bees go to bed at 11?

My blues man...

I just talked to Stephanie (daughter) on the phone. She returned from her combo trip to Idaho (for a trade show) and Utah. She was tired, but always upbeat. As I was conversing and finding out the latest and greatest with Kaitlin, dogs and fires, I had incredible background music from my husband, David. His talents never cease to amaze me. My parents bestowed us kids with love of music and it has never wavered with me. For years (still do) I would sing along with the radio, much to the dismay of my parents/children/innocent riders. Often I forget the words which doesn't make me a very good candidate to preform in front of someone. Oh yeah, and the words I forget I just make up something that sorta sounds like the lyric. Maybe that is a talent too!
David started playing the guitar when he was 10. His family on his dad's side all had some honky tonk tunes in their back pocket and gave him his first "geetar". His mom shared with me that sometimes David would come out of his room with bloody fingers from playing so much. That was in the beginning, and his dedication has never faltered. I really understand that passion, which makes it even sweeter in my appreciation. My cooking falls in that same spectrum. Everyone should have at least one thing in life that never gets old, never fades or goes away.
Tonight he is just playing simple notes and melodies that are familiar to me but on his new Seagull guitar sound so good.
He defines himself as a musician. Not a guy who plays instruments, but an ingrained title of artistry.
They say if you don't use your talents you lose your talents. Well the opposite must be true, if you indulge your talents and make them part of your life, they increase. That has been the truth for David.
Maybe it is not so important if he is acknowledged in the world, or have articles written about him, multiple albums sold. Yes, it might help pay the bills, but the price of "selling out" (not concerts) to the "man" would take its toll.
You see I have learned a lot about artists by living with David. Art for art's sake is truly a mantra for many. Just the idea of creative juices flowing is enough for some people. They don't need the accolades.
I have encouraged David's exploration of music worlds. I thought it would be great for him to write a children's album...of "Blues for the Babies". Kids surely must have a case of down and outs from time to time. Maybe that is what is meant by "spilt milk".
How about an acoustic version of hymns?
He calls his music "sinnin' music" which limits what he can play for Ward potlucks (inside joke). But for the most part, his music is a total reflection of his view on the world. That may sound depressing, but David is a thoughtful man. His thoughts are his way of reaching out and connecting with someone who may be going through hard times. I know he has very tender spots in his heart and singing about them somehow protects him from getting hurt. But for me to analyze him on this blog might just embarrass him. Either that or he will go into complete denial... regardless I truly love my husband...sinnin' music and all.

Today I cried....

I cried today, which may not be unusual, because I have often been accused of being anatomically incorrect (kidneys behind my eyes).

But my tears were more of a child's hurt. You see, my mom is a demencia patient, often in a "15 second loop" for her conversations. Example: "Who was your father? What was his name? How long were we married? Are you married? Who was your father? What was his name? How long were we married? Are you married? " and so on. My confusion is that I never know what will set her off on a "loop". The loops are both positive "I sure like this ice cream. I remember when I was little and we could only have ice cream every few months. Chocolate is my favorite.I sure like this ice cream. I remember when I was little and we could only have ice cream every few months. Chocalate is my favorite." or take on a negative slant which I don't need to demonstrate.

Today, I stopped in to visit her at her assisted living home and she was in a foul mood. I could tell just by the reception I got. Immediately, she started in a loop of "I thought you were coming to take me home. Why can't I go home with you?I thought you were coming to take me home. Why can't I go home with you?"
When I tried to explain that THIS was her home, I was met with steely eyes, a sullen look, and the ever popular, "Fine! Just fine."
With a few rounds under her belt, she finally said, "We will not talk about this anymore". There was no pleasing her. No upbeat comments that she could digest. This is the part where I cry. Only I cry in the car. I don't ever let her see me upset. She wouldn't understand. My tears were created by so many elements. Being her sole support in this world, by that I mean, morale, transportation, financial administrator, health care consultant and reporter to her doctors, her only connection to her children (I call them to talk to her) and her sister ~ is a large job. Sometimes it feels too big for me. Any reprive I might have comes by not showing up as often to see her. And then the guilt creeps in. Finding the balance is not easy.
So crying was a reflection of my hurt, hurt at being scolded. At being wrong, once again. Reduced to a 6 year old in mischief, I left the home. Got in the car and cried. I don't like it when my mom is mad at me. I come from a generation that doesn't normally talk back to their elders. So for me to try and rationalize with her was pointless.
She is 87 years old ("How did I get to be this old?") and so her credits for age out weigh any anger I can express to her. She told me the other day that she was coming to the end of her days. I asked her if she was afraid. She said yes. Only because she doesn't know where she will end up. I told her I believed that she will see her husband, my dad, again. She says she wishes she could remember him better. "He will know you, so don't worry" I tell her. She believes that she has to take a run through pergatory first.... oh well.
I suppose that there are many reasons I can cry because of my mother. My choice is not at her funeral. Love is funny that way.

Lazy hazy days of the first day of Summer

Nat King Cole is turning in his grave right now..I decimated the title of a very cute song.
"Lazy" days because of the heat!
Last Thursday it was 101 in Santa Cruz and for all of you NOT familiar with the weather pattern in Santa Cruz, that is too hot. If I went to the beach to get cooler, I would be harpooned as a beluga whale, so I had to be satisfied for a quick run in the sprinklers! David got a kitchen towel and soaked it in cold water and "surprised" me with the relief!
This brings up the subject of where I can live out the rest of my days, summer or not. We took a trip to North Carolina in April and announced that the weather was just fine, not too hot, or too cold... but good little Goldilocks perfect. Now I am not so sure I could live a summer there. Google has a cool tool where you can show the weather in another part of the country and keep a chart of your local weather right below.. compare and cheer, or groan depending on the forecast. Well, last week, Charlotte North Carolina was peaking at 99 degrees and 85 degrees humidity...hmm sticking to the furniture are you??? I lived those summers in Rhode Island with NO air conditioning in the home and it was not pretty. But everything we have looked at in real estate boldly claims to have air conditioning ~ should send a clue that if EVERY home has it, why?? Yep, hot summers.
Just yesterday, I looked at a home online which had an above ground pool. Does that mean the ground is too hot to dig for an in ground pool? House hunting online is great...in - out, no gas to travel in the quest. Quick judgement if you could live there or not. Square footage, size of lot and location are all part of the equation... but again, every home advertised says, "smoke alarm". Why? I don't know, but it seems logical that you wouldn't have to mention that as a selling feature unless homes in North Carolina are known for spontaneously bursting into flames, go figure!
Oh yes, and "hazy" because of all the fires going on around us. It started with the Mount Madonna fire( many acres) ; then the Bonny Doon fire (800 acres); and on Friday, the Trabing fire (named after the street it started on - and about 600 acres) which endangered many horses, cattle and wild life. The ash from Bonny Doon covered our cars in a sticky, ugly mess. Ted Bear used to say, "Hey don't worry about nuclear blasts, we still can't control fire!". How true. Some were set delibertly and some by nature's way. In fact, on my way home 10 days ago, there was a fire started on the side of the road near a county park. That was scary.

We are back to lazy today (Sunday) as the weather has given us a break and shows all the world why God prefers Santa Cruz to most anywhere else. He even tolerates the surfers, Boardwalk arcades and traffic X(times) eternity. All this to capture a lung full of slightly marine layer air, mixed with breezes on the 8 mile speed limit, crossed with just enough heat to knock all will to work out of you. Serene? you bet. I will miss this place...and I haven't even left yet!

The changes we make in our life....

Well, this is the third entry of my blog and I think I am getting the hang of it. I was scolded by my daughter for not entrying every day, but that discipline will take a while.

Change is one of those things that sometimes you embrace and other times it seeks you out, hunts you down, and attacks your will and bam! you have to change. I know some people claim they love change, but I think those few are the ones where they have avoided the 'pounching change dogs' and made the change just in time. I have changed my weight, my hair color, my employment (whew! lots'o'times), my name, my address (between ages 17 and 25 I moved 28 times!), the amount of my own teeth in my mouth, shoe sizes *see number one on this list*, my nail color, my share of diapers, my license plates, and occasionally my mind. I have reinvented myself several times in the work force and couple of times in my personal life.
My boss at work says we have to be "Gumbies" in real life...you know, flexible! I hope that I always keep the attitude of "change for the better" as the progression road to happiness. I have to say, I am happy. I have made many changes that have brought me happiness. One of the biggest ones is tolerance over things I can't change.

Change forces us to see perspective. Lots of perspective. Someone else's perspective. In a world where it is rough to find a port in the storm, finding a different perspective can really sooth the savage in us.

This is turning out to be "cliche" city and I am not sure that is my intent.

I know that looking back in my 58 years, I have resisted change and welcomed it. The best is when you see it coming, acknowledge it, hold on tight and scream if you have to ~ but remember it will be over soon and then you get to do it again!!! Roller coasters, life and change!

Second day at the races

Well, here I am on the second day blog. Something tells me this might be easier if I wasn't questioning the "ego" of this activity. But knowing this can also be interpeted as journaling, I will forge forward and add some insight into "Life in Santa Cruz".

Today was another hot one... with it hitting 85 degrees here. Fortunately we have the marine layer come in at about 7 p.m. and all is well.

I had an interesting day at work, it seems with the close down of the company looming over our heads, there are more execs "arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic" than not. Funny, the company is going away completely, and they are concerned with the pecking order. I left early and went to a doctor appointment. While I was there, I told the doc that my last couple of months are not going as planned. Starting on April 30th, with a phone call at 5 a.m. from the ER doctor telling me that my mom "was on the knife's edge, I don't know if I can save her!" ... so rushing to Dominican I see her in congestive heart failure, pneumonia and barely breathing. We got thru that one and her 6 day stay in the hospital. She goes back to her home, only to fall 4 days later, get re-hospitalized for 4 days then on to a rehab center for 2 weeks. Oh, also on March 27th, I was rear ended on Highway 17 on my way home from work... March 30th, yep~ hit again coming home from the pharmacy with a drug that I was supposed to be using to elevate my 'good' cholestral (which didn't work, just made me flush bright red). So, two accidents within 4 days. Yeah, things were not going to good and I shared that with the doctor today. He didn't have much to say, except. " Sounds like you have had a hard time of it". Ya think? But I also had a chance to share with him my basic philosophy is that my mother continues to teach me even at 87 years old. Things that are not tangible... like patience, compassion and unconditional love. She gives me plenty of opportunity to grow and learn. I love it!
I should interject that April was not a complete bust... David and I went to North Carolina on a 'fact finding' trip and had a wonderful time. We learned about the area and found out where we DON'T want to live. Scott (son#2) has a beautiful home and seems happy with his choice. There are plenty of houses for sale and it will be hard to choose, but we will have a good time trying.
My birthday in early May was fun!
So here we are in the middle of June, and life in Santa Cruz is good. And I am signing off for the time being....

Blog on!

In the beginning.....

It seems I have gone the way of my daughter and started a blog.

That being said, I have to bring up the whole "security" words used here and in other sites..you know the "type the word as you see it to get further into this site" words presented in outlined boxes. Well, I am here to say that those words don't exist. I just used ~ 'gumade' and 'attizb' to get this far and I have never heard of these words let along know what they mean. It reminds me of a sick game I used to do as a child (rather annoying then too) where at bedtime in the lower bunk (*I hated that) I would bait my sister by saying, "Chris, what does xrerbc spell?" at which point she being very tired would exasperately say, "Nothing". "Ok, what does weruikl spell?" Answer from Chris? "Nothing". Here is the punch.... "I thought xrerbc spelled 'nothing'". On and on I would go until the "MOTHER!!!" cut off call from Chris and then I would pretend to be blissfully asleep. I am thoroughly surprized I lived to tell that story!

I live in Santa Cruz, CA with my wonderful, patient and talented husband of over 7 years, David.

I have lived in Santa Cruz twice. Once from 1982 to 1992 and then again from 2002 until now. It is truly a wonderful, magical place. Full of diversity (another word for nuts) and incrediable landscape.

I always have taken this area for granted until I lived in Rhode Island, an equally "diverse" place but with seasons like Spring, Summer, Fall and WINTER! I did like that part believe it or not and sometimes I just sit in my shower with the water barely running to remind myself of the humidity and heat. Ahh yes, Rhode Island.

I also lived in the "armpit" of California, Modesto for 11 weeks until the cultural police came and took me back to San Francisco. Spent some time there before settling into Redwood City where I started my culinary career. Unlikely place, but it worked and I was a professional food person in various roles for over 25 years.

I suppose I will continue this blog as the memories, thoughts and war stories continue. Until next time, remember, you too can indulge in new sport of baring all!!!

Until next time, be a terrific pig...ah I mean have a great day!