’10 February

February 27

So, Haiti 7.0, 2-300,000 dead and a country living in tents. Chile 8.8, and we don’t know the extent yet of the damage. (In comparison the by-disaster-standards very modest Northridge quake was 6.7.)

I live in California, on the coast, on the fault lines. I’m (finally) looking up all that Earthquake Preparedness advice right now this very minute and later, I’m going shopping…although…extra shoes and bottles of water don’t really respond to that whole dropping off into the ocean thing.

February 25

From Merlyn and Hilda’s back patio – these are both Merlyn’s photos. I was up visiting and while looking over their recent pictures I knew I just Had to have these. The snow is from a few weeks ago and the fire is from the latest blaze.

Really cool, yes! M&H are going to be in Italy at the same time I’m going to be there. I hope a meet-up works out…ah, the world, and it is a magical place.

mc.

February 24

I did some pictures of one of Lona and Hartley’s soon-to-be vacant apartments, and the current tenant had these two sweet little puppy dogs padding about… Awww.

February 23

A few more from Tuesday. Rome got her hair cut at the place called Rock Star on Ventura Blvd.

Soon the place was full of children and their guardians. Every Single Girl wanted only the pink plane and would wait for it rather than take an alternative. Every Single Boy wanted only the red race car and would wait for it rather than take an alternative. I’m just sayin’…

Claudia and Sarah got their hair cut too. It’s the girls being Rock Stars! I just Love Rome’s leg action, like she knows, which she probably does.

February 22

Rome made us a tent to play in, and she prepared a lovely tea party with pomegranate tea, a slice of cheese, and a french fry. I didn’t last tooo long in there but it was fun while I could. Angela took these.

ak.

Lilly says “Look Granny, a red one!”

Angela went to get Rome at school and we played with every one of these amusing pieces.

I’ve got more pictures too – more for later!

February 21

Renoir in the 20th Century at LACMA. You have to pay an extra twenty bucks to see this giant compilation – room after room of paintings, and within each room an almost overpowering sameness. Of course I’m very glad to have seen it, but I didn’t come out a big fan.

Here’s what I wrote to Nancy about yesterday in response to ‘how are you feeling?’. (NA, Sharon, and I went to LACMA together):

“Better I think, thanks. I was a little buzzed out yesterday having taken not one but two allergy pills to quell the storm, but this morning I haven’t taken any so that’s good. I’m kind of agitated that I can’t read [on paper] comfortably. Maybe with the next cataract surgery I’ll pay the extra money for a guarantee to be able to read without glasses. Of course watch out what you ask for because then it could turn out that I could read and not see beyond a foot. Blah blah, I’m going to forget about this for awhile. I can drive. I can use the computer. I can take pictures. What else do I need to do?”

February 20

I met Nancy D and Muriel at Bergamot Station for an art show opening where Jo Ann was one of the participants.

That’s hers, the furry apron. Each artist made their take on that shape and purpose, an apron. I liked it!

February 19

Still not done. There is so much gunk getting kicked up – cement dust, dirt, cutting out walls inside and out, ick in the air from plastering up the holes… my eyes are watering and I’ve been coughing like a fool!

February 18

The crew who have entirely dug up the whole yard and cut big holes in all the buildings to finish the water re-piping. My little lot is becoming a virtual gold mine of copper and now in serious need of landscaping repairs and major patch and paint.

February 17

I went with Brigitte to the MOCA at the Pacific Design Center, never having been there before.

MOCA is in the very small tan building center left. The building is small, the exhibit is small – a nice thing to do if you happen to be in the area and you want to have a stroll through the Pacific Design Center.

This is a picture of a picture in the main lobby of the whole Pacific Design Center project. The Blue buidling came on line in 1975, the Green in 1988, and the Red building is under construction now. Yikes, the Blue Whale opened 35 years ago? How is that even possible.

Look what we have here! Pictures from Jonathan’s engagement party in Israel!! Mazel Tov Jonathan!!!

Jonathan has been living in Israel for more than two years now and this is his Israeli soon-to-be bride Judy. Ben and Bonnie are going there for the March wedding and my plans to visit Jonathan in May have now become even More interesting!

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February 16 evening

Carl invited me to join him at the Laker game! First we had a delightful and delicious dinner downtown and then…

…could you Be any more center? No you could not. Carl’s got season tickets, Lynn works Tuesday nights, so Carl’s friends get to go pretty often. Oh fortunate to be among Carl’s friends!

Jump ball!

Coach Jackson, the best coach ever in the whole wide world (can you tell I’ve been out with Carl?). At every timeout Phil would step away from the crowd, deep into his clipboard, and then with 5 seconds to go he’d tell everyone what they should do next.

Phil Jackson’s teams are benevolent dictatorships.

Winners! They won this game too. It’s extra fun when your team wins.

February 16 afternoon

Angela, Lilly, and Rome. Lilly just looves to stand.

Rome has a cold. This is her new tissue box, powered by germ fighters…

February 15

That’s Marsha on the far right and her three sisters.

I took this picture off Marsha’s facebook to tell about the several times I and so many of her friends and relatives have been pitching in to help in the Last Move (ever according to Tom) this time into their lovely newly purchased home in Sylmar.

Home Owners, and the second day in, a drain got clogged and they had to call a plumber…who showed up instantly and fixed it in moments. No more waiting for the absent landlord’s scummy cousin! That was satisfying.

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Congratulations Tom and Marsha!

(The real estate broker took this one.)

It was good, watching the summer Olympics on my compter and it seems to me ‘thay’ have improved upon a good system and made it really good. I’m delighted to be able to watch Anything Anytime without commercials, fast forward past the boring bits, and without the video stuttering. What a world.

Now I have to get out of this house. I’ve been watching the pairs figure skating program for the last 2 1/2 hours!

February 14

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

I got to watch the sweet as sugar candy little girls while their parents went out for a just-us-two eye-gazing delicious and festive holiday lunch.

While Lilly took her nap Rome and I made Valentine’s Day decorations for the door. All you need is LOVE!

February 13

Time for a Beach Walk day. It was gorgeous and totally packed out there on the path I should add. Like everone was thinking the same thing – ‘wow what a day, let’s go walk at the beach.’

Nancy modeling a decoration she got for a young girl’s birthday. Cute Nancy!

February 12

What with one thing and another I haven’t been taking pictures so here’s some from prior days that I didn’t use yet.

On a walk with Sharon in Pacific Palasades. Really yummy stairs.

On the drive down from my last adventure in San Francisco, here’s the sweet little motel I enjoyed on my last night, just doing nothing, watching tv and messing with my pictures.

On the day I went with Ben and Bonnie to the Huntington. Pretty golden, in the newly re-opened residence.

My bed-couch-living room. I love that leopard picture so much. Such a cool cat, hangin’ out, serene yet watchful for whatever comes his way.

He’s a poster and he’s fading ever so slowly and I can’t find another one of him anymore. Oh NO! I wanted to buy a replacement so I’d have him on hand and now what? I’d have to hire someone to paint him again!

February 10

DONE! I’m home now looking through my brand new eyelens, Clear! Bright!

‘They’ told me a couple times that my eye will take a few days to ‘settle in’ from cataract surgery so the crosseyed puffy feeling will surely go away. So far so very good…And it doesn’t hurt At All!

February 7

Super Bowl XLIV! I like this one chance all year to use Roman numerals, except for the occasional crossword puzzle clue and the occasional formally numbered outline. It’s exotic.

Sharon and Marsha are here doing Tom’s insane Super Bowl quiz. Marsha has done the thing XI times and she still doesn’t know them all. Next year I’ll be starting all over too!

February 6

Another set of movies I’ve seen recently…trying to get through the important Oscar candidates. Here’s the first and the second set.

Precious: Mo’Nique’s performance was simply astounding. It seems the movie might be just too overwhelmingly sad, but not so.

Crazy Heart: Good, and Jeff Bridges was certainly very good, but for me not craaazy good.

Coraline: I caught it on video and it was so imaginative, so well crafted, so engaging, and pretty dang scary.

UP: I saw UP when it came out in the middle of the year and still carry around those characters with me – mostly the kid and the dogs. Everybody loves this movie.

The Last Station: Helen Mirren was quite wonderful but what I float back to is the music and the scenery, and the history lesson. Oh Mother Russia, sing us your song.

February 5

Sharon, Nancy A, and I met for lunch to bid Bon Voyage to Nancy D who is taking a year’s sabbatical, renting a huge and fabulous home in Hope Ranch in Santa Barbara.

Oh goodie! A new place to visit!!

More cuteness from yesterday. The moms and the babies had an outing and I got the girls and we had FUN! They were both utterly charming and so well-behaved…I didn’t tsst-tsst or waggle my finger even once.

February 4

No way In The World I could wait until Valentine’s Day with this one. Who could? You couldn’t either.

Top left is our lunch in the shape of the letter V for Valentine and a heart for Valentine’s Day. This is our second collage!

Rome and Lilly in their sister outfits.

Can’t resist those baby hands. She has become so much more purposeful with her movements – grabbing, kicking, smiling from across the room, and standing. She looves to stand.

February 3

Bought the ticket…ready to GO! March in Kauai. Oh lucky dog me and don’t think I don’t know it!

Kauai in: 2009 and 2007 and 2006

February 2

Brought to us by Nancy Artz, here we have our Sandy, her daughter China, China’s husband Doug, China and Doug’s firstborn Lucas (of the melt me eyes), and handsome second son Everet. Ahhh,

na.