Observations

[larryJ]

Hah!  Good one!  Just one of many pet peeves........like sex in the movies.  I hate sex in the movies.  Tried it once.  Seat folded up.  Drink spilled.

Larryj

[Warph]

Ouch... good thing you weren't drinking HOT coffee.  Where'd she wind up?  Win some, lose some...

Speaking of losing something... golfing buddy of mine, Wally Gronowsky, just came back from Mexico with this story:

Wally was traveling through Mexico on vacation when, lo and behold, he lost his wallet and all identification.  Cutting his trip short, he attempts to make his way home but is stopped by the Customs Agent at the border.

"May I see your identification, please?" asks the agent.

"I'm sorry, but I lost my damn wallet," replies Wally.

"Sure, buddy, I hear that every day.  No ID, no crossing the border," says the agent.

"But I can prove that I'm an American!" Wally says.  "I have a picture of Ronald Reagan tattooed on one butt cheek and a picture of George Bush on the other."

"This I gotta see," replies the agent.  With that, Wally drops his pants and bends over in front of the agent.  "By golly, you're right!" exclaims the agent.  "Go on home to Boston."

"Thanks, sport!" Wally sez. "But how did you know I was originally from Boston?"

The agent replies, "I recognized the picture of John 'Lurch' Kerry in the middle."

[larryJ]

Did you ever have one of those occasions when your immediate family all get together on a moment's notice? 

On Friday we had thought we would go to our son's house on Saturday and see our grandson.  When we called to tell our son our plans, he informed us that they were going to the mountains to look at a house that was for sale.  Well, okay, so much for our plans.  On Saturday morning, he informed us that they would be stopping by on their way back from the mountains.  I had gone to the pharmacy to pick up some medicine and my wife called and gave me a grocery list to get on my way home.  It included Filet Mignon, potatoes, bagged salad, and other items.  When I got home, I thought I had better vacuum a little to get rid of the dog hair and clean up the kitchen a little.  As the afternoon went on, wife and cousin began preparing the meat and potatoes for dinner.  I baked a gluten-free chocolate cake.  A phone call had been made earlier to my daughter to have her come over for dinner. 

What looked like an ordinary "do little, but relax day" turned into a family gathering with both of our children and all four grandchildren.  Nothing is better than that.  It was great watching my two oldest granddaughters arguing over who gets to hold the new baby first and then watching them as they did.  Our new grandson managed to sleep through most of it no matter who was holding him. 

As a side note, my son has become some sort of gadget buyer.  I don't mean little electronic things......I mean things such as....

An commercial ice crusher for crushed ice for drinks and sno-cones, a cotton candy machine, a popcorn popper on wheels like you see at fairs and maybe some I can't remember right now.  Yesterday though, he showed up with his own "bouncy house", you know, like the ones you call the party supply place and they come out and blow it up for the kids to jump around inside.  He set it up in the front yard and the kids (and a couple of neighbor kids) had a great time.  Future birthday parties are really going to be great for the kids.

All in all a wonderful and fun day.

Larryj

[larryJ]

Today began my wife's physical therapy following her back operation.  She had made an appointment with a local place about three miles away, but canceled that one and remade an appointment at a place about 10 miles away because she heard it was better.  Both are franchises of the same company.   This one is located in one of those little shopping centers common to major intersections in SoCal.  There are a variety of businesses from a restaurant and a Karaoke bar to other physical therapy offices, as well as, and right next door to the therapy place..........................a "gentlemen's club" or "nudie joint."  Interesting.  I spent the whole time we were there trying to figure out how I was going to be able to slip over there while she was getting her therapy.  (sigh) ain't gonna happen.  Place looked really high class, too.  This therapy place is in the City of Industry........that's the name of the city......mostly industrial area and few houses.  But they do have several of these "gentleman's clubs."  It is about the only remaining area in this end of the San Gabriel Valley that still allows such stuff.  Most other cities have closed them down over the years, but the City of Industry, being mostly industrial, have residents who don't have the voting power to force them out.  In fact, a few years ago, my son was in charge of the city's financial well-being.  The company he worked for handled the city's accounts.  He told me that there are (or were) at that time only about two thousand people who actually lived there.  During the daylight hours, though, some 50,000 to 60,000 people were working in the area.  They hold a big rodeo every summer and we used to get VIP tickets for free until he left the company.

I have given some thought to all this and I have decided that it is not absolutely necessary for me to be in the therapy room with her so I will sit out in the lobby and stare out the big plate glass windows and watch the people going to the club. Oughta be fun.



Larryj

[Diane Amberg]

Here's hoping her physical therapy works well and your mental health therapy does too.

[larryJ]

Back in the dark ages, I once had a college professor tell his class that to learn the true meanings and ways of life, you must go to the local hardware store, buy a lawn chair, pack a picnic lunch, put on your sunglasses and go to the busiest intersection in town and sit in the shadiest corner (moving when necessary) and spend your whole day just watching the people.  He said you could learn more by doing that than sitting in a classroom listening to some idiot professor tell you the meanings and ways of life.  His words exactly.

Yesterday, in just a few brief moments while I was getting the van to pull around to the front of the therapy place, I watched a guy park his car across the parking lot about the most distant place you can park from the gentleman's club.  He looked around and as I pulled the van up he walked across the parking lot toward the restaurant then turned to his right and headed for the club.  He must have thought someone might be watching him.  Funny!

Everyday you can see something amazingly funny or different just by watching people. 

One of the grandmothers who picks up her granddaughter from kindergarten is 75 years old.  She seems to be a nice lady in the few conversations I have had with her.  She has a wonderful sense of humor, a mouth like a sailor (when needed) and pretty feisty.  Today she pulled up to park on the street in an area where two cars can park between two red no parking zones.  She pulled too far ahead and was preparing to back up when a guy in an SUV pulled in behind her blocking her way.  Being courteous though, he backed up and allowed her to finish parking.  They got out their cars at the same time and she let him know that if he would have blocked her she would have "whupped his ass."  Too funny!  He was laughing about it. 

It promises to be a fun school year. 

Oh, and the kids are moving back to the beach apartment this weekend so I will be going to the beach more often now and to the Legion for lunch and drinks and music and good times. 

Yep, things are looking up.

Larryj

[larryJ]

This has been one of those rare quiet weeks.  Our daughter "reminded" us on Monday night that she was on vacation and we would not be watching the girls this week.  This "reminder" came via text message.  I went outside to where my wife and her cousin were sitting on the swing and asked her if she knew about this.  It was a surprise to her also.  I hate lack of communication.  Anyhow, we have not seen our two oldest granddaughters all week meaning no running to the school or winter softball practice.  So, my wife said she missed them and called to see if they were available yesterday afternoon after school for a trip to the yogurt place.  Unfortunately, they were not available for that so then she asked my daughter if dinner was an option.  That was okay after the girls were done with their practice.  Having set this all up, my wife then came to me and told me what she had done and "did I want to go to the steakhouse for dinner?"  I said I would like that and got all cleaned up and we got in the van and I drove to the steakhouse.  Just as I was about to pull in, my wife said, "Where are you going?"  I said, "Right here, the steakhouse."  Up to this point, I had assumed that my daughter and her husband and the girls would be joining us for dinner.  Again, lack of communication.  It turns out that we were going to their house and just taking the granddaughters to dinner.  Hearing this, I could see disaster written all over it. 

We got there and the girls were smartly dressed.  The 8-year-old loves the steakhouse so that is why we were going there.  We have eaten at this place for many years, although we had slacked off in the last few years mainly for lack of interest in steaks, I guess. 

The disaster?  The 5-year-old was asked what she wanted and she chose cheese pizza and fries.  Now, she is one of those that whatever her older sister wants, she wants.  So when her sister decided on the kid's steak and baked potato, that's what she wanted.  Nana convinced her to stick with the pizza.  The older one got her steak and potato along with a one-time trip to the salad bar for an extra $.99.  Then the younger one wanted the salad bar, too, but was convinced to stick with the pizza.  So we sit and Nana and the older one go to the salad bar and get their food.  After finishing her salad plate, the older one wants to go back for more, mostly the fruit stuff and as Nana was there getting her salad, she started to go back.  I told her that she could only go once, but she chose not to listen and went back and Nana let her get another plate.  At this point, I knew that if she ate that she would not want her steak.  Our food comes and the older one begins to try to cut up her steak.  Now......she doesn't have a lot of expertise at this and I offered to cut it for her, but she insisted on doing it herself.  So we had a lesson on the way to cut a steak and she managed to do that, albeit, with a great deal of effort.  Meanwhile, the little one is more interested in the floral decorations on the wall behind her and not in her pizza.  She finally did eat most of it.  The pizza is about the size of cinnamon roll.  She totally ignored the fries.  The older one, having eaten two plates of fruit and salad, began to eat her baked potato............holding the potato in one hand and eating with the other.  (Note to self:  time to begin etiquette lessons for her.)  I tried to tell her that the proper way to eat the potato was to leave it on the plate and eat it.  She again ignored this suggestion and continued to eat it the way she wanted.  By this time, the cut-up steak was now cold and she was full. 

So, for the grand total of $43.52, (we both had the all-you-can-eat salad bar), the French fries were untouched, the steak went home in a box, but we got to spend about an hour and a half with our granddaughters. 

Well worth it, according the one who knows.

As a side note, this restaurant like many others hire high school kids to wait tables, etc.  The way this place works, you walk in and someone meets you and takes your order before you go sit down.  Then you walk to the register and pay the bill and go to the table and they bring out the food.  As I said, the total was $43.52.  I handed the young teenager $44.02 to make it easier for her.  She politely asked me what the two pennies were for.............then she entered the $44.02 into the register so she could see that she had to give me $.50 change.  (there is not icon for "shaking my head" or I will just use......

Larryj 

[larryJ]

Ah, September, the beginning of the fall season, cooler temperatures, more morning clouds in the sky.........no, wait, that's smoke.

Ah, September, the beginning of the brush fire season........

Sitting on the swing outside yesterday evening, my wife commented on the fact there was some smoke towards the local mountains.  We tried to determine if it was a house fire or a brush fire.  After a few minutes, several helicopters began flying in the area dropping water and fire retardant.  This was followed by the two big Super Scoopers on lease from Canada.  So it is a brush fire about ten miles to the north of us in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.  It started just of State highway 39, the road that goes up the canyon where I used to go hiking, biking and just getting back to nature.  Brush fires tend to burn uphill and by dark the flames were highly visible through the trees between us and the hills.  The Super Scoopers don't fly when it gets dark, but the helicopters do for a while. 

Hate to see it start this soon into the brush fire season.

Larryj

[larryJ]

Ah, October, the coolness of the fall season.  Not long before the start of our rainy season in November.  Wait.......what's that noise?  Gee, it's raining!  Not much, but it's raining.  My wife says the seasons are getting all messed up.  Some of the local trees that sprout flowers during certain times of the year are blooming when they are not supposed to.  Plants are also flowering when they should be dormant.  #1 granddaughter was the first to say, "I miss the hot weather!"  All I can do was to look at her.  It was warm yesterday!

I have always told my family after the first little cold spell that there would be an "Indian Summer" as I remember it being called.  They just look at me like I'm crazy.  But then we have a spell where the temps go back to the nineties.  Last night's weather forecast for the next seven days shows an increase in temperature by the end of next week reaching into the nineties.  Then when that happens they look at me like I might actually know something worthwhile.  With that little storm yesterday, some of the leaves from the tree in the front yard fell, but it is by no means turning colors yet.  That won't happen for another month yet. 

#1 granddaughter's next one will be, "come on, summer!"  What a goofus!  But I love her dearly.

Larryj

[larryJ]

We attended the annual Industry Hills Rodeo last night.  When my son was employed by a company who was one of the sponsors, he could get us free tickets and entry into the VIP club for free food and drink.  He no longer works there so we had to go mingle with the "common folk."  My daughter and her family (#1 and #2 granddaughters) and my son with #3 granddaughter all came.  My daughter-in-law opted to stay home with our grandson.  Bummer.  Anyway, this is a pro rodeo and as long as I can remember the announcer riding on his horse around the arena is the same guy.  They had a different rodeo clown this year.  They announced that there was over 7,000 in attendance.  This is a charity event with the proceeds going to various charities.  At the beginning, the clown came out pulling a wagon labeled hot dogs.  He stopped in the middle of the arena just to our right.  He singled out #1 granddaughter out of all those people and had her come to the low wall and stand on it holding on to the rail.  He then asked her if she wanted a hot dog.  The 8-year-old nodded her head and the clown pulled a bowl out of the wagon and pretended to be doing something with it.  Then he asked her if she wanted a bun.  She shook her head no.  This almost blew the act because she was supposed to answer yes. 
Finally, he got her to nod her head for the bun.  He then asked her if she wanted mustard and she nodded yes.  He then pulled a wiener dog out of the cart with a open bun on its back.  It was kind of an idiot skit, but she was thrilled to be singled out. 

The Norco Drill Team, a group of ten young ladies, opened the show carrying American flags.  They did their routine with the eleventh young lady riding in at the last moment to finish off.  I was surprised at how many people didn't realize that they were supposed to stand and salute the flag.  Then they had a young lady sing the National Anthem and she was good at it.  The rodeo featured all the usual events, except this year there was two motorcycle riders who had a ramp and an even bigger landing ramp and they made several runs at the ramps doing acrobatic movements while soaring through the air.  #2 granddaughter really likes "horsies" and when the rodeo was over, the Norco drill team came back out and lined up just inside the rail and allowed people to pet the horses.  #2 was overjoyed with excitement.  She wanted to pet all ten horses.  Before the rodeo started after we came in, my daughter had taken the girls over to where they could ride on the little ponies so that was a treat. 

It was a good night.  We all had jackets and there were two blankets in case anyone needed them, but it was a pleasant evening.  The arena is open air with a roof.  The grandstand is L-shaped and there are a lot of vendors behind the grandstand with all kinds of things to buy and, of course, food.  My wife and her cousin went to get us some food.  They always have tri-tip with beans and potato salad.  This year the tri-tip and the beans were a bit too spicy for me.  I ate some of it, but couldn't finish it.

But it was a good time to be with family.

Larryj