Oct 10 (Fri) Yom Kippur is over. Wednesday night, the new caterer brought some wonderful food. And dessert. And challah. And soup. But there were still complaints. I give up. I’m just going to order what the 3 of us want from now on & stop trying to please everyone.
Robin & Dan’s Annual “Break the Fast” party was great, as usual (last night). Tons of food & about 50-60 people. Shannon, Patty & I had more of a chance to sit down & talk than we normally do when we’re together. It was very nice. The kids played basketball & ping pong & poker. I look forward to that party every year. Alex actually did fast this year. Last year too.
Today is Alex’s last day of fall break. No tennis either this wk because of Yom Kippur. He was hoping to try out for the tennis team at school next year, his sophomore year, but the back surgery killed that.
Okay, this wk-end I absolutely HAVE TO decorate for Halloween.
We’re going over to Cathy’s next Sun to celebrate the October birthdays. Alex is an October birthday. Terri too. I don’t think Brandon & Tarah will get there until after 4:00, & we’ll be gone by then, so I won’t get to see the ultrasound of the babies.
We had game night last Sat at Jan’s house. Played Scene It movie trivia. When we have game night at our house we’ll play the Scene It music trivia. I love that stuff. Jan made beef burgundy & a Grand Marnier dessert. Tons of food & drink. (I think we should have game night more often). The next time is at our house – in a few wks. I was trying to tell someone who never wants his name mentioned that the Grand Marnier reminded me of years ago when I was young & stupid & used to drink B-52s. It is a drink containing a shot of Grand Marnier, a shot of Kahlua, & a shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream. A very good tasting drink you can sip for a long time. But if I recall correctly, I believe we just downed it in one gulp. Stupid waste of money & good alcohol.
I’ve been noticing lately that my left eye is smaller than my right eye. It looks sort of closed. I’ve been watching my electronic photo frame that I have on my desk at work & I see pictures of me in groups. So I’ve been able to notice about when it started. It’s been about 2 years. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me? Maybe they didn’t notice. I didn’t notice myself until recently. Now I’m wondering what happened to make my left eye different. I also notice when I open my eyes when I’m waking up from a short nap or just resting for a while, that the right eye opens just a fraction of a second before the left one. Wonder if I should mention that to anyone. (or this might be one of those minor things I should just blow off).
This will be a nice, relaxing wk-end. No plans for Saturday. On Sunday Lewis & Alex are registered to walk/run in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race in downtown Phoenix. Alex’s biology teacher said anyone who participates in it gets extra credit. Maybe she’ll give Lewis extra credit too.
Oct 14 (Tues) Getting my flu shot today. American Express Health Services in my building gives them to Amex employees at no charge. Lewis & Alex got theirs last wk.
Drove to work this morning with my windows down & no air conditioning on. This is only the 2nd day I did not use the air conditioning since it’s “cooled down”. Had the windows down, the nice, cool breeze in my hair, & “Light My Fire” playing very loud on my CD. What a great way to start the day !
When I got in, I went into our copy room / service center in my area & dropped off some mail for Lewis. Looked like they were bills. No, he still doesn’t pay the bills online. But one of them was a big envelope which was his early voting ballot. I will fill mine out later tonight & mail it tomorrow. I was a little hesitant about dropping his ballot in the Amex mailbox, but it IS secure, & I’ve never had any trouble with the mail here.
Lewis & Alex participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this past Sunday. They said it was nice & cool at 7:30 in the morning. Alex raised a decent amount of money for the cause.
I had to stop at Borders after work yesterday to pick up a book for Alex for school “Romeo & Juliet.” Then I met Rosalie for a margarita. Seems we never have enough time to catch up.
Just went to the cafeteria & got some fruit & vegetables. I think they didn’t wash the grapes. I just ate 1 & it tasted funny. The skin. Sort of dusty & funny tasting. Yuck. I will not eat the rest. I brought a banana with me today that I will eat instead of my grapes. My lunch consisted of cheddar broccoli soup, 3 small side dishes – baked butternut squash with butter & brown sugar, brussel sprouts, & a mix of zucchini & mushrooms (not deep fried or breaded). Delicious !
Oct 17 (Fri) You’d better be sitting down for this announcement: The closet is cleaned – FINISHED. Done, finally. I did it. You can actually walk in there now without tripping over stuff. Rosalie, who thrives on organization, would be so proud of me.
Speaking of Rosalie, we met for a margarita a few days ago after work. The place we go raised all of their prices, including happy hour prices. And they now charge for chips & salsa instead of just bringing them to the table. We are going to find another place to go from now on. A Mexican food restaurant charging for chips is just downright cheap.
Lewis & I met at Benihana of Tokyo for lunch yesterday. He was working at home. It’s nice to do that once in a while.
I got my new glasses. Yes, there are MORE new glasses. Three pairs, to be exact. One pair is strictly computer glasses. The other is for reading, & the other is for distance & mid-range – movies, driving. I’ve never worn glasses for distance, only for reading. (My reading prescription changed). Once I put those distance/driving glasses on yesterday, I couldn’t believe it. Opened up a whole new world for me. I didn’t realize my vision was not as sharp as I thought it was. Now I can actually see better. What a surprise. I keep my computer glasses at work. The other 2 pairs I carry around with me in my huge purse.
I have my former manager’s laptop. I’m supposed to be trying to get into it to retrieve some documents, but the passwords I have don’t work anymore. Also, the encryption key doesn’t work. I’m waiting to hear back from her. (She’s in Australia now). I need this information. My new manager needs the information that is locked up. The laptop is an IBM T-42. No one uses a T-42 anymore. The thing is ancient. I can’t believe it’s still on the Amex warranty list. Can’t replace it until it drops off the list. I had to go digging around in all the drawers for a power cord. (The T-61 power cords don’t work with it.)
Tonight Alex & his friend, Brian are going to the high school football game. Lewis & I will go too. It’s at another school, not his, & that school is way too far to drop them off & then come back & pick them up, so we’re going to stay. Brian’s mom took them last time. Tomorrow Sparky is going to the beauty shop, then we are going to Lewis’s parents’ house to spend some time with them. After that we are going out to dinner with our chavarah. It’s at an Italian restaurant we haven’t tried before.
On Sunday we’ll be at Cathy & Dennis’s to celebrate the October birthdays. We never know what to get Alex. The kid gets whatever he wants or needs. Tennis lessons, the new tennis racquet. Lewis just got him a new basketball a couple days ago. He has his laptop as well as a desktop computer. We buy him things as he needs them. We should stop doing that. One time (about 2 yrs ago) he actually told us to quit buying him things because he doesn’t want to end up being spoiled. Whose kid is this?
I got a new wireless headset at work. I make very few calls, & no one ever calls me (except Lewis but he calls on my cell), but if I am going to be on the phone for a while with the help desk (American Express), it’s best to use a headset. I love getting new stuff. I still can’t find the instruction booklet for my new chair, but I’m sort of getting used to sitting this way.
My other manager is in Australia now. I have to change his flight to get him back to Phx earlier. Weird time difference.
Oct 20 (Mon) We changed plans for this past wk-end. We wouldn’t have enough time to see Lewis’s parents, so we postponed that until next wk.
In the morning, I went to the book store to get Terri a gift card, then I stopped at the jewelry store to see about getting my necklace & Alex’s chain repaired. This is the same jewelry store that made my ruby ring when I turned 40 (13 yrs ago) for my birthday present. We’ve had other things made there too over the years. It’s a family owned & operated business – since the early 70’s. I decided to get a new chain for Alex. It should be in sometime this wk. So as one of his birthday presents, I wrapped the old, broken chain. When he opened it he just said, “Gee, thanks, mom.” I explained to him that it was just symbolic of what he is getting next wk. Cathy said, “Why are you giving Alex broken jewelry as a present?” She wasn’t there during the first part of the conversation. Surprisingly, Michael understood it right away, even before I said anything.
I also took a pendant to the jewelry store with me. It was one I found on the playground of a school I worked at about 5 yrs ago. It’s a blue topaz surrounded by diamonds in gold. It’s beautiful. No one claimed it through the whole school year, even after I sent notices out to all of the parents. So I ended up with it at the end of the year. I thought it might be one of those nice, but fake pieces you buy at those home jewelry shows. But the jeweler said it is all real – diamonds, blue topaz, & gold & that it would retail for about $500.00. That was a nice surprise. It’s really beautiful & will look nice on me! They are soldering the clasp shut so I won’t lose it.
Lewis, Alex & I saw a movie on Sat afternoon, “Eagle Eye”. Kind of a strange “big brother” type of movie. Lots of chasing & explosions & cars rolling over. While we were at the theatre, I was trying out my new long distance glasses. A lense fell out before the movie even started. I’m taking them back today after work to get another frame because this one looks took weak.
Sat. night at Marco’s Italian Bistro with the chavarah was very nice. After dinner, we sat out on the patio near the fire pit. Although it’s still very warm, it wasn’t uncomfortable there & we had the patio to ourselves & lots of time to just sit around & talk. I asked the busboy to take a picture of our group. He took 2. They’re okay with one exception: The kid is pretty small so everyone was looking down at the camera which makes our eyes look closed. I will have to get another picture of the 8 of us when we’re together next month for dinner & a play.
The 8 of us (chavarah) at Marco's Bistro.
Robin & Dan’s Annual “Break the Fast” party was great, as usual (last night). Tons of food & about 50-60 people. Shannon, Patty & I had more of a chance to sit down & talk than we normally do when we’re together. It was very nice. The kids played basketball & ping pong & poker. I look forward to that party every year. Alex actually did fast this year. Last year too.
Today is Alex’s last day of fall break. No tennis either this wk because of Yom Kippur. He was hoping to try out for the tennis team at school next year, his sophomore year, but the back surgery killed that.
Okay, this wk-end I absolutely HAVE TO decorate for Halloween.
We’re going over to Cathy’s next Sun to celebrate the October birthdays. Alex is an October birthday. Terri too. I don’t think Brandon & Tarah will get there until after 4:00, & we’ll be gone by then, so I won’t get to see the ultrasound of the babies.
We had game night last Sat at Jan’s house. Played Scene It movie trivia. When we have game night at our house we’ll play the Scene It music trivia. I love that stuff. Jan made beef burgundy & a Grand Marnier dessert. Tons of food & drink. (I think we should have game night more often). The next time is at our house – in a few wks. I was trying to tell someone who never wants his name mentioned that the Grand Marnier reminded me of years ago when I was young & stupid & used to drink B-52s. It is a drink containing a shot of Grand Marnier, a shot of Kahlua, & a shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream. A very good tasting drink you can sip for a long time. But if I recall correctly, I believe we just downed it in one gulp. Stupid waste of money & good alcohol.
I’ve been noticing lately that my left eye is smaller than my right eye. It looks sort of closed. I’ve been watching my electronic photo frame that I have on my desk at work & I see pictures of me in groups. So I’ve been able to notice about when it started. It’s been about 2 years. Why didn’t anyone ever tell me? Maybe they didn’t notice. I didn’t notice myself until recently. Now I’m wondering what happened to make my left eye different. I also notice when I open my eyes when I’m waking up from a short nap or just resting for a while, that the right eye opens just a fraction of a second before the left one. Wonder if I should mention that to anyone. (or this might be one of those minor things I should just blow off).
This will be a nice, relaxing wk-end. No plans for Saturday. On Sunday Lewis & Alex are registered to walk/run in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Race in downtown Phoenix. Alex’s biology teacher said anyone who participates in it gets extra credit. Maybe she’ll give Lewis extra credit too.
Oct 14 (Tues) Getting my flu shot today. American Express Health Services in my building gives them to Amex employees at no charge. Lewis & Alex got theirs last wk.
Drove to work this morning with my windows down & no air conditioning on. This is only the 2nd day I did not use the air conditioning since it’s “cooled down”. Had the windows down, the nice, cool breeze in my hair, & “Light My Fire” playing very loud on my CD. What a great way to start the day !
When I got in, I went into our copy room / service center in my area & dropped off some mail for Lewis. Looked like they were bills. No, he still doesn’t pay the bills online. But one of them was a big envelope which was his early voting ballot. I will fill mine out later tonight & mail it tomorrow. I was a little hesitant about dropping his ballot in the Amex mailbox, but it IS secure, & I’ve never had any trouble with the mail here.
Lewis & Alex participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this past Sunday. They said it was nice & cool at 7:30 in the morning. Alex raised a decent amount of money for the cause.
I had to stop at Borders after work yesterday to pick up a book for Alex for school “Romeo & Juliet.” Then I met Rosalie for a margarita. Seems we never have enough time to catch up.
Just went to the cafeteria & got some fruit & vegetables. I think they didn’t wash the grapes. I just ate 1 & it tasted funny. The skin. Sort of dusty & funny tasting. Yuck. I will not eat the rest. I brought a banana with me today that I will eat instead of my grapes. My lunch consisted of cheddar broccoli soup, 3 small side dishes – baked butternut squash with butter & brown sugar, brussel sprouts, & a mix of zucchini & mushrooms (not deep fried or breaded). Delicious !
Oct 17 (Fri) You’d better be sitting down for this announcement: The closet is cleaned – FINISHED. Done, finally. I did it. You can actually walk in there now without tripping over stuff. Rosalie, who thrives on organization, would be so proud of me.
Speaking of Rosalie, we met for a margarita a few days ago after work. The place we go raised all of their prices, including happy hour prices. And they now charge for chips & salsa instead of just bringing them to the table. We are going to find another place to go from now on. A Mexican food restaurant charging for chips is just downright cheap.
Lewis & I met at Benihana of Tokyo for lunch yesterday. He was working at home. It’s nice to do that once in a while.
I got my new glasses. Yes, there are MORE new glasses. Three pairs, to be exact. One pair is strictly computer glasses. The other is for reading, & the other is for distance & mid-range – movies, driving. I’ve never worn glasses for distance, only for reading. (My reading prescription changed). Once I put those distance/driving glasses on yesterday, I couldn’t believe it. Opened up a whole new world for me. I didn’t realize my vision was not as sharp as I thought it was. Now I can actually see better. What a surprise. I keep my computer glasses at work. The other 2 pairs I carry around with me in my huge purse.
I have my former manager’s laptop. I’m supposed to be trying to get into it to retrieve some documents, but the passwords I have don’t work anymore. Also, the encryption key doesn’t work. I’m waiting to hear back from her. (She’s in Australia now). I need this information. My new manager needs the information that is locked up. The laptop is an IBM T-42. No one uses a T-42 anymore. The thing is ancient. I can’t believe it’s still on the Amex warranty list. Can’t replace it until it drops off the list. I had to go digging around in all the drawers for a power cord. (The T-61 power cords don’t work with it.)
Tonight Alex & his friend, Brian are going to the high school football game. Lewis & I will go too. It’s at another school, not his, & that school is way too far to drop them off & then come back & pick them up, so we’re going to stay. Brian’s mom took them last time. Tomorrow Sparky is going to the beauty shop, then we are going to Lewis’s parents’ house to spend some time with them. After that we are going out to dinner with our chavarah. It’s at an Italian restaurant we haven’t tried before.
On Sunday we’ll be at Cathy & Dennis’s to celebrate the October birthdays. We never know what to get Alex. The kid gets whatever he wants or needs. Tennis lessons, the new tennis racquet. Lewis just got him a new basketball a couple days ago. He has his laptop as well as a desktop computer. We buy him things as he needs them. We should stop doing that. One time (about 2 yrs ago) he actually told us to quit buying him things because he doesn’t want to end up being spoiled. Whose kid is this?
I got a new wireless headset at work. I make very few calls, & no one ever calls me (except Lewis but he calls on my cell), but if I am going to be on the phone for a while with the help desk (American Express), it’s best to use a headset. I love getting new stuff. I still can’t find the instruction booklet for my new chair, but I’m sort of getting used to sitting this way.
My other manager is in Australia now. I have to change his flight to get him back to Phx earlier. Weird time difference.
Oct 20 (Mon) We changed plans for this past wk-end. We wouldn’t have enough time to see Lewis’s parents, so we postponed that until next wk.
In the morning, I went to the book store to get Terri a gift card, then I stopped at the jewelry store to see about getting my necklace & Alex’s chain repaired. This is the same jewelry store that made my ruby ring when I turned 40 (13 yrs ago) for my birthday present. We’ve had other things made there too over the years. It’s a family owned & operated business – since the early 70’s. I decided to get a new chain for Alex. It should be in sometime this wk. So as one of his birthday presents, I wrapped the old, broken chain. When he opened it he just said, “Gee, thanks, mom.” I explained to him that it was just symbolic of what he is getting next wk. Cathy said, “Why are you giving Alex broken jewelry as a present?” She wasn’t there during the first part of the conversation. Surprisingly, Michael understood it right away, even before I said anything.
I also took a pendant to the jewelry store with me. It was one I found on the playground of a school I worked at about 5 yrs ago. It’s a blue topaz surrounded by diamonds in gold. It’s beautiful. No one claimed it through the whole school year, even after I sent notices out to all of the parents. So I ended up with it at the end of the year. I thought it might be one of those nice, but fake pieces you buy at those home jewelry shows. But the jeweler said it is all real – diamonds, blue topaz, & gold & that it would retail for about $500.00. That was a nice surprise. It’s really beautiful & will look nice on me! They are soldering the clasp shut so I won’t lose it.
Lewis, Alex & I saw a movie on Sat afternoon, “Eagle Eye”. Kind of a strange “big brother” type of movie. Lots of chasing & explosions & cars rolling over. While we were at the theatre, I was trying out my new long distance glasses. A lense fell out before the movie even started. I’m taking them back today after work to get another frame because this one looks took weak.
Sat. night at Marco’s Italian Bistro with the chavarah was very nice. After dinner, we sat out on the patio near the fire pit. Although it’s still very warm, it wasn’t uncomfortable there & we had the patio to ourselves & lots of time to just sit around & talk. I asked the busboy to take a picture of our group. He took 2. They’re okay with one exception: The kid is pretty small so everyone was looking down at the camera which makes our eyes look closed. I will have to get another picture of the 8 of us when we’re together next month for dinner & a play.
The 8 of us (chavarah) at Marco's Bistro.
Shannon & Jonathan, Patty & Eric, Robin & Dan, me & Lewis.
My Maui Jims are missing. How do you lose a pair of sunglasses when you wear them several times a day? ! They are always either on me or in the protective case in my purse. Maybe I just didn’t look hard enough when I dug through my purse yesterday. Hope I find them soon. I really love those glasses. I’ve never had sunglasses so absolutely perfect. I feel like I’m not wearing any glasses at all when I have them on. They are my miracle glasses. No glare – ever. I would like to be a spokesperson for the Maui Jim Company.
Yesterday was Alex’s 15th birthday. It’s so hard for me to believe my little boy is - - well, NOT a little boy. We spent Sunday at Cathy & Dennis’s house with the family to celebrate the October birthdays. The only other birthday was Terri. She just turned 47 last Weds. My son is 15, but my baby sister is 47. Cath & I decided since Terri is 47 & doesn’t look that old, & mom is 75 & doesn’t look near that old, that we will both be 47 as well.
Yesterday was Alex’s 15th birthday. It’s so hard for me to believe my little boy is - - well, NOT a little boy. We spent Sunday at Cathy & Dennis’s house with the family to celebrate the October birthdays. The only other birthday was Terri. She just turned 47 last Weds. My son is 15, but my baby sister is 47. Cath & I decided since Terri is 47 & doesn’t look that old, & mom is 75 & doesn’t look near that old, that we will both be 47 as well.
The October birthdays.....Alex & his Aunt Terri (my sister).
Alex doesn’t understand why I keep taking pictures of him - - first day of school every year, all through the day on his birthday, every holiday, any other time he looks cute, when he’s playing with Sparky, when he’s playing his guitar, anytime really. And he asked me why we have to re-hash Oct 19, 1993 every year on his birthday. Wants to know why I always tell him what happened that day, who came to see us when we were in the hospital, what the nurses said, how cute he was, what he wore. He actually said, “Mom, why do we have to re-hash this every year on my birthday? I’ll bet my friends’ moms don’t do this.” He’s such a guy!
Samantha & Michael - Wedding. Aren't they too cute!
Michael & Samantha, the newlyweds, seemed extremely happy. They told us about their trip to San Francisco & everything they did there. They are so good for each other.
Brandon & Tarah came over later because Brandon was working. Tarah showed us lots of ultrasound pictures of the babies. It’s so exciting! Her ob/gyn is making a DVD of each ultrasound for Tarah so she will have their growth on record to keep forever. My ob/gyn did that too but she used a VHS tape because it was “the olden days”. Recently, I had it transferred to a DVD so it will last. I know no one will ever want to look at it again except me - - or maybe Alex’s future wife. But I don’t even want to think about that.
Today, Oct 20, would have been Jonathan & Stephanie’s 2-yr anniversary.
We got Alex’s report card on Fri, in the mail. He’s doing very well. We’re very proud of him. He seems to be working extra hard since he started high school.
The 3 of us are still OD’ing on “24”. Can’t get enough of it. We’re still renting them from Blockbuster because we just started watching season 5. We won’t watch them on TV until we’re finished with the seasons we’ve missed. Then we will record them & watch them on wk-ends & skip past the commercials. There are 4 1-hr episodes on 1 disk, so each season is 24 episodes, 6 disks. That show just never loses momentum. Once we finish watching 1 episode, we look at the clock & wonder if there’s time for another 1 before we have to go to bed. Without the commercials they are about 40-41 minutes each. Wk-ends is when we can watch the most. Most wk-nights we don’t watch any.
I’m going to make egg fu yung for dinner tonight. Lewis bought the ingredients, & I did all of the chopping last night, so the hard part is over. Washing & cutting all of those vegetables. When I start it tonight I’ll just have to throw all of the ingredients together with the eggs, fry it in canola oil & serve it with rice & brown gravy. Yummmmm.
My friends & family know that I go through binge snacking. For about 3 months I snacked only on croutons. Another few months it was only Trader Joe’s cheese crunchies. Another month it was Rolos. For the past 2 months it was popcorn only. But now I’m on to a new snack. It is clusters of oven roasted cashews & dried cranberries & mangoes. Cut into little squares. Delicious. My mouth waters just thinking about it.
Brandon & Tarah came over later because Brandon was working. Tarah showed us lots of ultrasound pictures of the babies. It’s so exciting! Her ob/gyn is making a DVD of each ultrasound for Tarah so she will have their growth on record to keep forever. My ob/gyn did that too but she used a VHS tape because it was “the olden days”. Recently, I had it transferred to a DVD so it will last. I know no one will ever want to look at it again except me - - or maybe Alex’s future wife. But I don’t even want to think about that.
Today, Oct 20, would have been Jonathan & Stephanie’s 2-yr anniversary.
We got Alex’s report card on Fri, in the mail. He’s doing very well. We’re very proud of him. He seems to be working extra hard since he started high school.
The 3 of us are still OD’ing on “24”. Can’t get enough of it. We’re still renting them from Blockbuster because we just started watching season 5. We won’t watch them on TV until we’re finished with the seasons we’ve missed. Then we will record them & watch them on wk-ends & skip past the commercials. There are 4 1-hr episodes on 1 disk, so each season is 24 episodes, 6 disks. That show just never loses momentum. Once we finish watching 1 episode, we look at the clock & wonder if there’s time for another 1 before we have to go to bed. Without the commercials they are about 40-41 minutes each. Wk-ends is when we can watch the most. Most wk-nights we don’t watch any.
I’m going to make egg fu yung for dinner tonight. Lewis bought the ingredients, & I did all of the chopping last night, so the hard part is over. Washing & cutting all of those vegetables. When I start it tonight I’ll just have to throw all of the ingredients together with the eggs, fry it in canola oil & serve it with rice & brown gravy. Yummmmm.
My friends & family know that I go through binge snacking. For about 3 months I snacked only on croutons. Another few months it was only Trader Joe’s cheese crunchies. Another month it was Rolos. For the past 2 months it was popcorn only. But now I’m on to a new snack. It is clusters of oven roasted cashews & dried cranberries & mangoes. Cut into little squares. Delicious. My mouth waters just thinking about it.
It's Mon eve. now. The egg fu yung was wonderful. Now I'm snacking on my CranMango Cashew Crunch. Life is good.
Hugs,
Candace
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