Observations

[Ms Bear]

The special ones always find an excuse to call.  Sorry for your loss.

[larryJ]

I've observed that I make observations while out and about and usually forget them by the time I get home.

My 7-year-old granddaughter comes up with some gems now and then.  I am going to call them "K-isms."  The other day while taking her to school, her three-year-old sister was in the car and they were having a little argument about something trivial.  The older one stated she was going to go somewhere after school and the other one chimed in, "Me, too," which is one her favorite responses.  The older one responded with................"You are not on the V.I.P. list!"  I don't know where she got that from.  There have been others and I will post when I can think of them.

Another outing with the wife today.  (When will I ever learn?)  I accompanied her to a doctor's appointment mostly because we can use the carpool lane on the freeway having two people in the car.  I am not really needed for the appointment itself.  However, I do remind her of things she wanted to ask and occasionally I get to ask a question also.  On the way there she spotted a flower shop on the other side of the street with some big sunflowers.  After the appointment, she stopped at the shop and I waited in the car while she went in to get some sunflowers.  A gentleman who works there (or maybe he was the owner) came out to help her and.......................................20 minutes later...............we now know that Jose is 55 (she told him he didn't look a day over 39, flatterer, I would guessed 60), born in March, and that he is a handyman also, painting, tiling, whatever you need.  The shop had a radio blasting Mexican music and while she was waiting out on the sidewalk, she and Jose began dancing...............not together, just dancing.  So now we have another "best" friend in Jose and will be stopping there whenever we have to go to that doctor's office.  And, we are all on a first name basis..........................Oh, joy.

Larryj

[larryJ]

Oh, yeah............the gasoline prices have been averaging $4.33 a gallon for some time, which they were yesterday.  Overnight the price dropped to $4.13 a gallon, a $.20 per gallon drop.  The amazing thing about this is all stations went to the same exact price.  That never happens.  Some may drop to a few cents more or less, but never to the exact same price.  On my way to the dentist this morning our Chevron station had a price of $4.13.  Two hours later, I stopped for gas and the price was $4.11.  There must have been a lot of phone calls going around the station owners last night.

Larryj

[larryJ]

I used the word "overnight" figuratively............Okay I just wasn't paying attention I guess.  The news says the prices have been dropping for 32 straight days.  However, two weeks ago when I filled up, the price was $4.29.  Still, it is interesting that they all had the same price yesterday morning.

Larryj

[Diane Amberg]

We've been lucky and never did break $4.00 here. It's still around $ 3.73 or so most places.

[larryJ]

I have mentioned, ad nausea, here about shopping with my wife.  However, there have not been any incidents lately.

Because.......I have caught a cold from one of my lovely granddaughters.  Being compromised with COPD, colds are devastating.  I have managed, so far, to weather through this by just taking it easy and not exerting myself.  This began last Thursday coming home from Long Beach and our friendly encounter with "Jose" and Friday was a bad day.  We had made plans to go to Newport Beach on Saturday if I felt better.  I did and we went .  I began to relapse that afternoon falling asleep on the couch and barely making it home (wife always drives) as mentioned earlier.  Sunday, I stayed in bed off and on and Monday I began to feel better.  Tuesday was not good and on Wednesday, my wife decided enough was enough and took me to the doctor.  I have a virus (medical term for "we don't know what you have, exactly, so we'll call it a virus") and was given an anti-biotic, cough medicine with codeine, and told to resume using the nebulizer that I haven't used in a couple of years.

Long way to go for the observation.

I usually have always gone to my appointments and tests, etc., solo, without my wife.  I had forgotten.  I should have known. 

While the doctor (not my normal Primary Care) was going over my symptoms and listening to my lungs and chest, my wife regaled him with my complete medical history which was already prominently displayed on the computer screen.  While he was giving me simple instructions on what to do, i.e., dosage of medicines, resuming use of the nebulizer, she was having him repeat so she could get a full grasp on it.  Example:

Doctor:  "I'm going to give you an anti-biotic.  Anti-biotics don't do anything for viruses, but they do control any bad bacteria that made come along while your immune system is weak.  Take one each day."

Wife:  "How many?"

Doctor:  "One."

Doctor:  "I want you to resume using your nebulizer two or three times a day until this virus has passed.  It will help your breathing."

Wife:  "Could he use it four times a day?"

Doctor:  "He could, but I think two or three times will be sufficient."

Wife:  "But four times is okay."

Doctor:  "If it's necessary."

Doctor:  "I'm also going to give you some cough medicine with codeine.  This may make you drowsy."

Wife:  "He sleeps a lot now.  I have a friend who can't take the cough medicine with the codeine.  It makes her sick to her stomach."

PSSSSSSST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'M STILL IN THE ROOM HERE, HELLO, CAN YOU SEE ME?  HELLO!

Sheesh!

Larryj

[larryJ]

I managed to come up with enough energy to drive the five miles to the pharmacy today.  I lucked out and got "up front" parking.  I picked up my medicine and drove home............exhausted.  I can't wait for this virus to go away.  Anywho........

Many local cities in the valley have been installing black electronic signs on poles around schools which tell you how fast you are going.  School zones here have speed limits of 20 to 25 MPH.  I have been confused by these signs because all of the main streets have two lanes going one way.  How does the sign know which car is going the speed that pops up?  Sometimes the signs don't do anything.  They are solar powered, so I guess if it is a cloudy day, they aren't going to work.  There are no cameras involved with these signs that I know of.  We do have traffic cams on major intersections that are timed.  If you punch it through the yellow light and it changes red before you get across, the camera takes a picture of you, your car, and your license plate.  Then you receive a nice 5x7 glossy in the mail along with a ticket payable on demand.

Back to the black signs............and the observation...........

Returning from the pharmacy, I had to stop at a notoriously long red light, well known to those of us that drive this street often.  It had just changed red and I knew I was there for at least three minutes.  Across the intersection and about 30 feet down the street was one of those black electronic signs.................working..............nice sunny day.  As I sat there waiting, the sign was telling me, first one in line to go, that while I was stopped at the light, I was going 32 MPH or maybe the guy in the SUV on the inside lane was going 32 MPH while he was waiting for the light to change.  One of us was going 32 MPH!  And then, we (or I) slowed down to 30 MPH.  In these days of cutting costs from necessary programs,  those who lead us have decided to lay out the money for these signs.  It comes out of the education fund because they are there to make the school crossings safer.  I think the schools would rather have supplies or better pay for the educators. 

Just saying.............

Larryj

[larryJ]

I have lived in Southern California now for 47 years.  I have lived in many different parts of Orange County to the south and in Los Angeles County.  I have worked in several jobs, including the record company that had stores in Orange County and Los Angeles County.  Orange County is sort of laid back, kind of a young professional urban area, Yuppies.  Los Angeles is more diversified.  The cool beach people, the urbanites from the valleys, the homeless living under overpasses, street musicians, people wearing the weirdest clothes possible and some wearing as little as possible, 10 million people all in one county.  I worked in the Hollywood store in the late 60's and early 70's during the Vietnam War protests, watching young teenagers walk down the street dressed like they were homeless just to look like hippies, hippies, the two men who dressed in fake military uniforms protesting the war (one was Gen. Wastemoreland, can't remember the other right now), movie and television stars in my store, some sober, some not.  I, in all my years here, feel I have pretty much seen it all.  Nothing surprises me or amazes me anymore.  I have become used to the unusual and accept it.

Where am I going with this, you ask.

Our son and daughter decided that, in order to allow our daughter to spend Mother's Day with her in-laws, they would celebrate Mother's Day on Saturday, yesterday, at the beach.  This was fine and acceptable and my wife and I, along with her sister, drove the 45 miles to the beach.  All three granddaughters were having a good time down at the little bay beach.  The oldest one paddled over to the island across the narrow inlet on her boogie board several times until her arms begin to hurt.  The kids just had a blast.  There were four mothers there.......my wife, her sister, my daughter and my daughter-in-law and it was their day and it was a good one.  All or most of the houses in this area rent on a weekly basis and a few, such as the one where my son lives, rent out on a monthly basis between September and June and then go back to the weekly rentals during the summer. 

So what am I trying to say here........what is the observation, you ask.

Remember, I have been here a long time and I have seen everything.  That said, while we were all down at the beach watching the kids and the boats, there were a group of young people, say in their 20's, who had rented out a house on the beach for a week.  My daughter-in-law informed me that they were from England and were here on vacation.  There were eight of them equally spit between men and women.  They were about 50 yards away from us, just enjoying the SC sunshine and the water.  They had boards, the kind you stand on and paddle yourself around. 

What's so unusual, you ask.

THEY WERE ALL WEARING SUPERHERO CAPES!!!!!!!!!!!  THERE WAS SUPERMAN, BATMAN, AND WHO KNOWS WHATELSE!!!!!!!!!!!
GROWN PEOPLE SITTING IN THE SAND, GOING OUT ON PADDLE BOARDS.............WEARING CAPES!!!!!!!!!

Now, as I said nothing amazes me anymore.  I didn't say anything about things that amuse me, though.  It was funny to find out that Superman couldn't keep his balance on the board and kept falling in the water.  Then it became a game of jousting in which two players would try to push one another off the boards.  Several small children next to us were laughing hysterically every time Superman hit the deck. 

I suspect it was more than just a bunch of people playing it up and having a good time as there were two photographers there with big cameras taking pictures. So maybe it was some kind of publicity stunt for the folks on the other side of the pond.  Who knows?

Only in Southern California...................

My son had brought two beach umbrellas and put them up side by side for those who wanted shade.  I was sitting on the low wall next to the sidewalk.  One of the umbrellas fell down when there was a small gust of wind and I put it back, but I stuck it down through the arm of the chair to brace it.  Later my son commented that he had seen me pick it up and that it hadn't fallen again.  I told him that in all my years of going to beaches I had learned that trick.  His comment......"Just when I think I have learned everything my dad could teach me, I learn something new!"

Larryj

[Diane Amberg]

Thanks! I really enjoyed hearing about your adventure...and all the superhero capes! How funny!

[W. Gray]

There are discussions in this thread, #153, with photo, about the Galloping Geese.

In an article titled, "The Return of the Galloping Geese" in today's Denver Post, all seven of the Galloping Geese will be in Golden, Colorado, on June 16-17 at the Colorado Railroad Museum's "Goose Fest."

That would be something else if number 3 will get from Knotts Berry Farm to Golden, Colorado, under its own power.