Taking Care of the Elderly...

I remember when....

Oy... those words really take a toll on you when you're in your 30s and rolling with friends / co-workers who are in their 20s. Recently when Lizzie and I went to the Gay Pride Parade with Nick and Taylor, they mentioned how Trix was changing their look into round shapes.

*blank stare*

Um.... they were round before they were shaped like fruits.

Lizzie and I went into a crazy trip down cereal lane and reminiced about round Trix. Nick and Taylor have only known Trix in their "fruity" format. We then schooled them on other "vintage" cereals and their existence pre-1985. I know Lizzie felt old... because I felt like a dinosaur.

I was talking with a friend via FB yesterday and she mentioned a playground encounter she had. There was a mom with a 3 year old at the park. The kid had all his clothes on backwards. My friend went up to the other mom and said "So, you're kid's a big fan of Kriss Kross, huh?"

The other mom says, "Who's Kriss Kross?".

Shot down and made to feel old... all in one fell swoop.

Yes... I did sit out and wait for Harry Potter

Oh yes... it's that time again. Mid July rolls around and the release of the newest Harry Potter serial arrives.

Previous midnight showings of this film found me in line alone.... with other Pot(ter) heads. Other people weren't as fanatical as me, I guess. I'm not going to say I dressed up... though I will leak that when the 2 installments of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows comes out.... I plan on going all out for those. Yes, I'm talking nerd city. This, though, is for another place and time when I plan said (embarrassing) outfit.

This time, I wasn't as pathetic and was able to go with Scout and Lizzie. My new, local theatre didn't have a ton of people as most went to the old standby in the neighboring town. We were able to get there about 2 hours before the movie and set up "camp". A beach blanket, junk candy and a deck of cards lasted...oh... 15 minutes before the whole line moved and we were ushered inside. Let me just say, that this theatre is the smartest theatre ever! They sold tickets for 12:01, 12:11 and 12:21. There were different lines for each showing so everyone wasn't all smooshed together.

Scout and I saw some friends in line and their little boy was dressed up as HP! Too Cute! Again, let me say, I fully plan on costumes for the final 2 movies!

I don't want to give too much away, but it was one of the better Potter films in the series. A squeal worthy part for Lizzie and I was watching London getting decimated by Dementors. I don't like bridges. At all. I had a hard time walking over the Millennium Bridge on our way to the Globe Theatre. I scurried across quickly. That bridge was destroyed in the film... and there were people on it! That scene.... I wasn't so keen on and I will be leery crossing it again on my next trip to London.

xoxo
Emma

Straight Girls, Gay Pride

As aforementioned by Lizzie, we went to the Gay Pride Parade a couple weekends ago. What an amazing experience to be surrounded by so much love. Thank goodness I was wearing sunglasses... because I actually did tear up because the vibe was beautiful.

Nick and Taylor stayed the night at my place. We had intended on making shirts. But... being the old codger driver, I faded quickly. As a group, we managed to polish off 2 bags of beef jerky. BOEUF!!

We were able to get a nice early start for the 11 AM start time for the parade. I'm usually the driver when it comes to the Bay Area. I'm the one who enjoys the challenge of getting lost and (eventually) found in the City. The morning was beautiful. Compared to the heat of our town, the respite of San Francisco's crisp breeze was a welcome break.

Let me mention...I had never been to Pride, so I was excited to see hot gay men and drag queens (aren't we all?). Unfortunately, one of the first things I saw was a fully naked man at the Nudist booth. *gah*

I won't go too much into the parade, as Lizzie has covered it well, but the parade was LONG. Everybody had a float. Sometimes no float and people walking with signs. Highlights of said groups: Virgin America Airlines, Diesel, Anti-Circumcism, and Jews for Gays... and no, the last 2 groups marched nowhere near one another. As Lizzie mentioned we saw *swoon* Gavin Newsom. He's dreamy. He also touched Lizzie's hand. All I got to see was a blue, naked indian with a small dingle.

While waiting for the parade, Nick had pointed out some people sitting on the Port-O-Lets. He said "Damn, people shouldn't be sitting on that! What if it breaks or something?" Sure enough... about 4 hours later... one did. There was loud CRACK sound and when we turned around, some guy was trying to hold himself up with his arms to avoid falling knee high in waste. People were laughing and pointing. Lizzie and I were amazed. We don't see that kind of thing here (though... there are times that people certainly smell that way). The guy eventually fell in. When he stumbled out of the cubicle, people were laughing and pointing. He was shirtless and you could see where he got some bad plastic burn from the fall.

It's a shame I didn't get more pictures. There were some characters out in force that day and it would've been awesome to show them here! For now, I'm content with the experience I had. Will I go again? Umm... only if I had an umbrella. I got a sash tan from my shoulder bag.

:)

xoxo
Emma

Long time, no blog (the final chapter)/ aka "Being lazy in Monterey"

This is the third and final installment of this series of blog entries. I'll try to make it short and sweet. This past Sunday/Monday was a Girls Trip to the beach at Monterey. Emma and I and my sis-in-law Alice.

We stayed at the Best Western Beach Resort Hotel, which is in an absolutely perfect location, right on the beach. Although we didn't have an oceanview room, our lodgings were fantastic. The hotel has been recently renovated, and there were very nice amenities, including a 40" flat-screen Phillips TV with snazzy cable and electronically-operated blackout screen on the large bay windows. I would guess that the oceanview rooms are totally worth the money. It was worth it just to have a room where you could walk out the door, and down the stairs and be on the beach. The beach itself was quiet and clean.

Weather on Sunday was OK, but not great. Mostly cloudy, so that when the sun peeked out from the clouds all was glorious and warm-- but cold and breezy when it went away. In a lame attempt to even out the t-shirt tan I received in SF on Pride Day, I did get a bit sunburned again. Oops.

After the beach we headed over to Cannery Row for dinner and shopping. We decided to try a pub called Captain Bullwhacker's for dinner... mostly I was drawn in by their $26.99 steak and lobster special. The food was good for the cost, and Alice really enjoyed her shrimp scampi.

It was relaxing to just stroll down the Row, browsing in whatever shops were still open late on a Sunday evening. I was on a hunt for any locations that were featured in Steinbeck's novel "Cannery Row," which I had read only the week before. The Cannery Row of today is, of course, very different from the downtrodden 1930s locale of Steinbeck's day. Some original buildings do still exist, and I wanted to find Doc's "Western Biological" building, where one of the main characters lived and worked. I didn't find it, but I did find the building where "Lee Chong's" market was (the Wing Chong building, now a seashell store) and the "La Ida" bar (now a bakery/ice cream store called Austino's).

Monday was absolutely perfect. Lovely weather, and huge waves that came crashing in one after another. Usually I love to get in the water and try to bodysurf... well, my sad attempts at bodysurfing, anyway. I had ventured into the water Sunday despite the cloudy weather, and I really, REALLY wanted to go frolick (yes, frolick) in the waves that were crashing around on Monday. But since we had checked out, and didn't have a hotel room- specifically a shower- anymore, I had to abstain. There's nothing worse than driving home with sand in places that sand ought not to be. So no swimming for me on Monday.



After a couple of hours of relaxing on the beach, we packed up and headed up to Santa Cruz, where we had dinner at my favorite restaurant on the Wharf, Gilbert's- home of the nom nom Hot Crab Bake, and then spent a little bit of time at the Boardwalk. I love the Cave Train. Yes, it is for little kids. Yes it is cheesy. But I love how horribly campy it is. I was also planning on riding the carousel a few times. BEST. CAROUSEL. EVER. Reaching out to grab iron rings from a mechanical arm and then hurling them at a clown face is great fun. We were disappointed, though, that the ring machine kept breaking down. :( So we decided to head home.

I love the beach. I love the ocean. The Pacific Ocean may be cold, but I feel very fortunate to live in California, despite the current problems in the state government. I can't fathom that there are people in this country who have never seen the ocean, have never stood in the water waist-deep so that the surf crashes down all around you. Just watching the waves is so calming to me, that it serves as a kind of reset button when life gets stressful.

Now if I could just get a camping trip to Yosemite off the ground.....

~Lizzie~

(OK, not so short)

Long time, no blog (part two)/ aka "Clapton is God"

So the last post was about adventures in San Francisco on June 28. The next day, June 29, I was back in the Bay Area to make good on this year's Father's Day gift to my dad.

I took the day off from work so that we could hit the road as early as possible. Our first stop was McCovey's Restaurant in Walnut Creek. Owned by San Francisco Giants legend Willie McCovey, it is a fabulous restaurant for baseball fans, and a must for Giants fans. The atmosphere is casual dining, surrounded by baseball memorabilia. Somehow, I always get seated at the "Pete Rose" table. The restaurant is laid out like Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T Park, with red brick walls and booths designed to resemble baseball gloves. It's really fan-flippin-tastic! The food is basic homestyle comfort food at reasonable prices. I ordered a BBQ plate with beef brisket, pulled pork, beans, cole slaw & potato salad. We watched the Giants game on the big screen. Good times.





After dinner we headed to the Oracle Arena in Oakland to see Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood in concert. I'm not really a fan of Winwood... I remember a couple of hits he had in the 80s. I never knew that he and Clapton were in a band in the 70s called "Blind Faith." We were really there to see guitar god Clapton. I've seen a lot of classic British rock acts live over the years: McCartney, Elton John, The Who. McCartney & Elton are very well-produced, kind of sing-along greatest hits spectacles. Who concerts (well, only Roger & Pete now) are high-energy and very LOUD.

This concert was a very subdued, all-business affair. In fact, I've never been to a concert where the headliners bantered with the audience so little. The only words Clapton spoke were, "Thank you!" and "Steve Winwood, everyone!" When the set started, they just walked on stage, and started playing. He doesn't prance around the stage, or windmill like Townshend. --I'm not saying that isn't enjoyable-- He is the consummate professional. He just plays the music. The most movement on-stage was his near constant, yet still subtle, foot-tapping. He just stands there, and makes his guitar sing. He plays with effortless ease. As the graffiti that began to spring up in Tube stations around London in the 1960s once proclaimed....Clapton is God.

I'll be honest, I didn't know much of the set list. I'm sure many of the songs were from their "Blind Faith" days. The songs I did know: After Midnight, Forever Man, Cocaine, and Layla (acoustic). My dad can now die happy-- he got to see Eric Clapton play "Layla" live.

~Lizzie~

Here's a video I found on YouTube. No, our seats were not nearly this good.

Long time, no blog (part one)

I don't know if this is a sign of aging, or not-- but it seems like every time I do something fun it takes me a week or so to recover.

Lame.

The last three weeks have been filled with fun excursions and entertainment, and I'm exhausted! I may spend this whole weekend napping. So this is the first of three belated blog entries to catch up.

SF Pride Day
June 28 Emma, Nick, Taylor & I headed to San Francisco to witness the spectacle that is the Gay Pride Parade. Now, I'm not a big fan of parades. Watching people walk down the street waving is not my idea of fun. In fact, when parade time comes around at Disneyland, I think that's prime attraction-riding time. The only parade I never miss is the Main Street Electrical Parade. But this was Nick's SF Pride Debut, and I'm always game for having a new travel experience. That, and I figured there would be many interesting sights at this parade. I expected assless chaps and drag queens galore.

We secured a decent, but not perfect, spot along the barricade near the end of the parade route (which means we waited a looooong time for the parade to reach us). We coveted a spot on the other side of the street, but the SFPD had blocked off our path, so we looked longingly at the folks on the shady side of the street. Yes, we were in full sun. Fortunately I had sunblock in my purse. Unfortunately, it was only SPF 30... so we all got sunburned anyway. Poor Emma was wearing her bag slung across her chest, and ended up looking like Miss America fell asleep in the tanning booth with her sash still on ;)

The Pride Parade takes forEVER. First were the Dykes on Bikes (topless lesbians, ahoy!), then the Mikes on Bikes (assless chaps!), and eventually the Tykes on Bikes (awwwww). Then it was like 2 hours of people walking, holding signs and waving. There was a serious lack of drag queens, which was kind of disappointing. And the lesbian girls on my left were pissing me off by continuously blowing weed smoke in my face. Nasty.

Many floats were playing Michael Jackson music, which got a roar from the crowd, and then the news started to go around that Billy Mays had died. I got a text from my mom that Willie Mays had died. Thank goodness I knew she was wrong.

But the BEST part of my day was getting a high five from S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsom. OMG, he is just dreamy. I would vote for him for governor just to watch press conferences with little hearts in my eyes.

The other best part of my morning was getting a rocket pop from the Mexican ice cream push cart guy-- and, no, that is NOT a euphemism. And there was a guy walking through the crowd wearing a Native American headdress... and nothing else.... and he was painted blue from head to toe...including his dingle. Sadly, he was not good looking, and I am not posting pics here.


After the parade ended we headed for lunch. Emma and I are fans of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" on the Food Network, and we have a deal to try to visit as many of the local establishments that have been featured on DDD as possible. We've already been to Taylor's Automatic Refresher at the Ferry Building. This day saw us at the Grubstake Diner, which is inside an old train car, and features burgers and Portuguese food. The garlic bread and linguica was delish. I ordered a burger and fries, which were decent.

The rest of our day in the City was spent shopping, and I think that by the time we got home we were all pretty spent, even the young 'uns.

Enjoy the photos,

~Lizzie~

Nick










He, he










*swoon*










Frau Blucher!










Ye-ah!










Drag queens

Fear the Sarge.... then watch her cry later part 1

My dad called me yesterday morning at about 6:45 AM to tell me that my mom was on the ground and couldn't get up. I had only awoken about 10 minutes before, but I scrambled out of bed and drove over.

He was freaking out. My mom was on the floor of their bedroom and unresponsive. The part of me that is prone to cry and freak out shut off. I instinctually knew what to do... but the little part of me that is the consumate cryer, really tried to break free and let itself be known.

I'm gonna say that going to CPR training was really helpful because it helped me to assess the problem and not panic as much. She was on the ground on her stomach, but I could tell by how she was that she didn't fall and hit her head. I was, though, unsure if she had fallen off the bed and hurt her back. I made the decision to not move her. She was less than responsive to anything I did. I yelled her name, nudged at her, clapped my hands... it was met with grunting and groaning. Her eyes did not open and her breathing was very sporatic. Not gasping... but irregular.

I called 911 and stayed with the operator until EMT arrived. They moved my mom away from the bed and when they tipped her over off her stomach, she vomited bile on the carpet. She still remained unresponsive. The room got even smaller when a batch of fire fighters arrived. No, they weren't cute.... I looked.

I went to the front room to call my brother. After the first call, I left a message. After the 4th consectutive call, he finally picked up. He was definitely worried, but asked me to keep him in the know. I called my boss after I called my brother. She's a sweet woman and when she asked me what was wrong, the crack in my wall opened and I cried a little. She did what a good boss would do, she told me to not worry and she would take care of everything. I'm positive that she did. I made sure that she got word about how my mom was doing. It's the least I could do for the compassion she showed me.

We were taken to our local hospital. Luckily, it isn't really busy here, so she got swift and excellent service. The only person I'm not really thrilled with is her doctor. He's an asshole.

Emma