Did My Husband Pay You To Say That? - Day 56

Today is a rainy day.  Not my favourite. Nonetheless I must go and get some groceries, wash my hair and prepare supper early so we are ready for Halloween.

Here's the thing……since it is raining and humid I know that even if I straighten my hair today, I will step outside and I will not only feel it but also hear it curl as soon as I hit the sidewalk.

What to do?  So, I decide I will wash it, dry it but NOT straighten it.  I can do that once I get back. 

For all of you out there who know me well, you know I NEVER  leave the house with curly hair.  You probably have never seen my curly hair or even know I have natural curls. Brett, however, loves my hair curly.

I look at myself in the mirror asking myself if I really am going to go through with it.

Once, twice, three times I go back to the mirror to consult it as I hesitantly move closer to the front door.

Speaking to myself now, I say,"Girl, just do it.  Nobody knows you here."

Fine, out I go to the store -  no issues. Great.  Get to the till.

'I have to tell you, I love your hair" says the nice young man checking out my groceries.  

"Thank you" I say with a smile while inside, I hear EGHHHHHHRRRR.

"Did my husband pay you to say that?" I ask him laughing.  

"No, he didn't.  I just thought it looked really good.  But, don't tell him I did  though…."

I know there is a group of you out there that prefer my hair in its natural state.  

This one's for you.

OH The Shame - Day 55

A very innocent moment meant to check the news this morning to get an update of Hurricane Sandy after it hit NYC turned into a day of watching TV.

The day wasn't a complete waste.

I must interject here with my great success in accomplishing my tasks:

- laundry done ( thank god for commercials )

-made a healthy lunch  ( took over 90 minutes,  thank god again for commercials )

-managed my e-mails for the day  ( yes, you have guessed again, thank god for the commercials )

Curtains closed so no one could see my shame when I wasn't on commercial break.

The enticing beast

A Big Hug! - Day 54

That's me hugging the biggest tree.

Sunday Sunday - Day 53

Cooking up a storm today.  We cooked a yummy green herbs and beef stew.

Very pleased Chef...

Relaxing in the evening.

Have You Ever Seen Such a Blue Sky? -- Day 52

Saturday, the perfect day.

Today, we decided to explore our neighbourhood a little more.

We found a beautiful park just a few blocks from our house which, 

 leads to the Berkeley Art Centre.

Form there we explored some more Art and Craft boutiques on the side streets:

This I thought would be perfect for my studio/gallery.  So cute, good location and good size! 

I'm putting it out there…..

The Election - Day 51

The U.S. election year: Prepare to be bombarded with multitudes of advertising and mud slinging!

That's what any Canadian would expect when living in the United States of America during the 2012 campaign.  

Interestingly,  in California, we are quite surprised there are no ads for either of the candidates. Probably because this is a Democratic state and both candidates feel they need to campaign in other states. What we are seeing is advertising for the Propositions here.  Prop 30 , Prop 37, Prop 39 etc.   

Some signs we see on our walks:

Still it will be interesting to feel all the energy on election night!

Cards - Day 50

Anyone who knows me will tell you I love playing cards.  This is no big secret.

Growing up, both sides of my family were card players at all gatherings.  During the Christmas holidays my mom, brother and i would play cards till all hours of the night.

It's easy to see then how card playing easily translates to holiday and happy times.

Spite and Malice, 3-4-5-6...., dice.  Here in Berkeley, every night I feel on vacation! 

Locked in - Day 49

Like every morning I drive Brett to school and then come back home to attend to my day.  This morning after struggling with parking on the hill ( long story,  will not digress at this time) I looked out my car window and saw our landlord's big dog running loose just in front of my house.  I let a few minutes go by waiting for the proud owners to come running and gather their lovely pet.  Wait, wait, wait.  The dog is having fun checking things out.  Me I am waiting.  

This is the dog who wanders his yard, which is in back of our house, who has a true "Barry White"  bark (but not in a romantic way) - Deep, Loud and Menacing.  Really,  you can't pass gas without this dog letting you know he heard you even though you are still in the house. 

Plus, this dog is at least as big as me.  So, I waited some more.  Nothing.  He is still having fun.

Taking action,  I started the car and decided I was going to move further up on the street, get out and walk in the opposite direction to Safeway to do my daily groceries.  

Brilliant!  

Must remember to look out for the dog when I get back.  I tend to get side tracked really quickly.  Oh, look! There goes a squirrel …….

Looking For A Snack - Day 48

Not an easy thing.  No eggs, no yeast, no nuts….

Sadly, that eliminates quite a few goodies.

Lucky for me,  I can have dark chocolate.  Once in a while though, a girl wants something different….. 

Browsing the aisles at the gourmet grocery store, I came across this package of licorice. Wow, can't even remember the last time I had licorice.  Looking at them,  I just had to have them. They sang to my heart.

Check ingredients.  Yeah, I can have these!!

They are so yummy.

That night playing cards, as well as rapidly going through the bag of licorice, I rekindled my love affair with my long lost delicious candy.  It's at that moment that I fondly remembered that my grandma was the one who always had red licorice twisters at her house when I was a little girl.  Not only was the candy a delight it was also a very yummy memory.  

I'm Such A Vegetable Geek - Day 47

Prep:  

My four course meal:

Green Pea Velouté

Baby Greens

Main Course -  Fake Mac n' Cheese with steamed greens

Dessert !!!!

Would you believe.... -- Day 46

Just down the street from where we live, I found the coolest fire station ever!

Plus, on my way back home, walking with my thoughts, I had to do a double take.

Did I just see a lime? 

Yes, hanging there right on my path.

The Haul - Day 45

The goal:  buy crew neck white short sleeve T-shirt for Brett

Location:  San Francisco Downtown

Targets:  Banana, Gap, Old Navy, Macy's

Strike out:  Banana, Gap

Jack Pot:  Old Navy

Purchase:  2 Long sleeved plaid fall shirts  ( clearance )

                  2 Long sleeved casual  Tee- Shirts  (  on promo )

                  6 Short Sleeve striped layering Tee-Shirts  (  clearance  )

Added Bonus:  extra 20 % off at till on total purchase

Brett:  super thrilled at the cool stuff he found and the amazing deals!!

Mission objectives:  abort  (  only found V neck white tee -  at regular price   )

Report:  great success !

Outcome:  Brett strutting his stuff.

What would you do? - Day 44

Being from Calgary we hardly have to worry about Earthquakes.

However, when in California it's a different thing.

So last night while watching a TV show, we noticed there is even a commercial showing what to do in case of an earthquake.   

The good thing is --  we are living in a house that is close to 100  years old.  That is goooood news.  This means that since it has survived this long, we are most probably in good hands.  And its on "terra firma".

With this information making me feel really good.  I can now share with you my thoughts on the condo in accordance to this topic.  Standing by myself in the middle of  my living room on day 2 at the condo, I realized that if ever there were an earthquake, while I was in the house I was probably very hooped. 

My best bet, I felt, would be to get out  of the house, run up the stairs, cross the road and put my back to the wall, which is the hill itself.  

Hiding under the table in a house suspended on the side of the hill was just not doing it for me.  Here is the wall, with my very proud lone tall cactus.

Come Again.... - Day 43

This morning I had a special visit.  Right from where I sit at the dining room table I spotted this lively hummingbird. 

Hummingbird outside the window (Middle left of pic)

It's one happy little thing.  She comes and examines her domain from high up on the one branch.  Then she flies away swiftly, light as a whisper yet with such purpose.  Most of all, I am grateful for the precious visit Linda.

Hair - Day 42

Finally picked my salon  -  "Artbeat"  ( you're not surprised! )  

Perfect fit for me  - walking distance, Aveda concept and loved the name.

Cool view from my chair.

Building was awesome.

Ahhhhh,  I feel like me again :)  

New style for the day.

Kali - Day 41

My first yoga class in quite a few years and a New Moon - Today unbeknownst to me was Kali Puja - a goddess festival dedicated to the Hindu Goddess KALI.

The essence of our work today, in conjunction with the physical practice of yoga, was Empowerment and the release of anything holding us back.  Time for change…..

If you couldn't see us,  you could definitely hear us,.  We practiced breathing out, tongue sticking out, curling in with a gut wrenching RRRRRRRccchhhhhh  sound.  That was the letting go part.

Balance was also an important aspect of the class as we were letting go, to bring about balance in strength and compassion.

Truly lovely class.

A pleasant surprise indeed,  as I had planned on going to a different studio but at the last moment realized I had the wrong day. Determined I was as I quickly found this class instead at a different location.

I am grateful  and thankful that the universe brought me here for a totally different experience of yoga. 

P.S. Loving the non air-conditioned yoga room with the windows wide open.

P.P.S.  By the way, I was the only one in the class to grab a blanket, put on my socks and long sleeved t-shirt for Shavasana.  It's automatic for me.   Once a Canadian always a Canadian!  

P.P.P.S. Teacher came around with "Love Potion"  essential oil and laid hands on our heads gently massaging our cranium!  Wow! That was fantastic.  A truly beautiful spirit .....

The Very Important Search - Day 40

It's that time.  Actually it is past the time.  

Anyone who sees me thinks I am trying to fit with the locals, the ones with the long grey hair, the hippies.

Yes, you may have guessed, my roots need tending to.  Hence the search.  The very important hunt for the right salon for my precious hair.  

To be continued........

Not Many of These Around! - Day 39

During one of our walks on campus, we came across this sign:

How cool is this!

Lovely Visit! - Day 38

Saturday we had a wonderful surprise visit from my niece Behnaz and her niece Mana.  We met downtown Berkeley and had a great lunch at the Iranian restaurant Alborz. 

 

Great food. Got to tell stories and lots of laughs. Then we had a stroll around campus and downtown.  Such a nice afternoon :)

My "Little Niece" with her "Little Niece"

I'm So French - Day 37

I've been told this many times,  " You are soooo French. " 

Me, personally, I don't see it.  "I am English".  I tell them defiantly.

What could possibly happen to make me step back and relook at this?

The occurrence that has caused this,  is well, a restaurant of course.  My total love for my new favourite restaurant:   "Poulet"

Every time we drove by it, I was attracted to it.  Everything about it appealed to me. The Name. So cute.  Red White and Blue.  Chicken, I love my chicken.



 Cute little bistro with open widows and tables outside. Perfect location, right on the corner.

When I was lucky enough to walk into the doors the menu sang to me.

Today's Special:  Chicken Stew with Sherry on Mashed Potaoes.  Soup Today:  Green Vegetable Potage.   All served with REAL crusty bread and butter.  OMG

Sorry busy now....

This is  totally  the way I like eat, the decor is so French

- Pause -   OK , maybe they are right?  I am soooooo French :)

ID Card Please - Day 36

The new Safeway by our house has it all.  They actually sell booze.  All kinds.

Even Brett was pleased to find Non Alcoholic Beer.   

Time to Pay:   "Can I see some ID please?"  says the young man at the till.

Brett hesitates a moment, decides it's ok to show it even though it is totally unnecessary….really….but politely says,  " You know this in non-alcoholic beer?"

Oops says the young man's expression.  What do I do now?  No response coming to mind.

At the same moment Brett hands him his ID  -   Poor soul -  Now the tortured expression on his face betrays that he is having difficulty subtracting the big unfamiliar numbers --   must be sure he is over twenty-one…… After some deliberation on his part he hands back the ID and quickly glances at Brett ….still puzzled,  probably still doesn't know how old he is ---but he has followed the rules even though they never told him what to do about non-alcoholic beers :)  Who knows maybe this guy stole his grandpa's ID???   

The Hardest thing to Find in Berkeley: Guess? - Day 35

As you know I am not one for over the counter drugs much.  However, once in a while some help may be needed. That is where Tylenol  can come in handy.

One month we have been here and believe it or not we have not been able to find Tylenol anywhere.  Walgreens ( many locations ), CVS , Target, Walmart.  All of them in Berkeley, all of them boycotting Tylenol.   We did find many bottom shelves with a slot for Tylenol but not one box to be found.  

Update:   My luck -  brand new  Safeway Opening -  they may have what I am looking for.  Yes, I did buy one box of the two remaining on the shelf.  The only reason I got it,  the store has only been open a few days, and it was a listed item.  

Now the question is,  who will be the other lucky person to get the last box and most importantly,  will the buyers actually restock it????

Apple Of My Heart - Day 31

The weather here  has been beautiful since the kid's visit.  (  Thanks kids for bring it with you  )

Being Canadian, it's that time of year and my body knows that it wants it.  Overall, not a big fan of fall and the coming cold except for this saving grace.

For weeks now I have been hunting....for my McIntosh apples.

Got the scoop to check out everyone's favourite grocery spot  -  The Berkeley Bowl.  It is a discount version of Whole Foods.   Finally reunited with my favourite McIntosh Apples! Phew :)

Not only did they have them, they even had ones from Canada (woo woo), Washington, organic, non organic.  All these options!  This store  is now my new best friend. 

Now keeping fingers crossed.  Will it pass the meat test??

Italian Night - Day 34

Last night after the move we went out for pasta. As you know it has been on my mind lately  (carbs)  and so the move was the perfect excuse :)   We selected an Italian restaurant that had great reviews and good prices.    The funny thing is we ended up walking all the way back to where we used to live.Felt like an hour walk. When we got there there was a line up outside the restaurant with as many people waiting inside for their orders.

We waited in line with the other clients (that had an average age of 19.2 years old)  and waited patiently.  Couldn't help notice we were the only parents / grandparents  (aka old ) in the restaurant. That did not deter us. We were not going to give up.  This many people could not be wrong…. finally our number is called. Good food.  We will be coming back. 

Now the walk back home. It works though, working off the calories ingested…..