I Hope I Can Remember Where I Put My Winter Clothes

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All good things must come to an end, including my California sojourn. In the few days since the Food Show ended, Avi has been on vacation and we have spent a lot of quality time with Yaniv (oldest of Brandvain boys), Louise (my oldest sister and birthday twin) and Neil (brother-in-law) who looks he could be Avi’s brother. 

Highlights of the last couple days include:

• Listening to Avi’s conversation with the IT guy at work. Avi’s portable wireless device wasn’t working and he was desperately trying to get his email. He never mentioned to the guy that he was on vacation.
• Seeing Yaniv’s new apartment
• Confirming that Davis really is the Bicycle capital of America. Cars seem to outnumber bike by about 10 to one in the city. 
• Yaniv beating Avi at rackeball
• A visit to Big Basin park. Gorgeous and impressive redwoods.
• Delicious veggie lunch at Dharmas in Captitola. It was a cross between a Denny’s and Inn Season.
• Making dinner at Louise’s house last night. Yum Yum Yum.
• Taking Yaniv shopping for some much needed new clothes and housewares
• Being very graciously thanked!
• Doing nothing all afternoon which makes me very tired

Tonight we have a reservation at the place with the Belly Dancing. Louise and I went there last week. We think the boys will like it and everyone know that I don’t dance. 

 

Tomorrow we are scheduled to come home. I just went to print the boarding passes and guess what popped up? A weather advisory!

Food Glorious Food

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I just spent the last two days in San Francisco. Avi is here to work at the Fancy Food Show and I am here to provide moral support and to check out every type of olive, cheese, chocolate, tequila, cookie, fruit spread, candy, nut, tea, cracker, and balsamic vinegar in the world. Since (as usual) I have renewed my vows with weight loss, I was fairly selective about my tasting but I still did pretty well. Exercising restraint while here paid of. We’ve had three fabulous dinners. Sunday was at a Sushi place (name unknown). Monday night we went to a place called Fang. Chinese is not usually my favorite but it would be if more places were like this. The server suggested that we tell her what we do and do not like /eat. We agreed and she took it from there. There were four of us and we all enjoyed everything she brought to the table. Last night we took more good advice from the concierge at the hotel and went to a Peruvian place called LaMar. I think the English name could be Yum Yum.

 

About my renewed vow to lose 5(+) pounds: I did walk around the show a few times. Once was even with one of my super athlete friends, Eileen. And yesterday afternoon Louise and I drove out to Muir Woods for a short and beautiful hike. Her GPS tried to route us to the neighborhood of Muir Woods, just outside of Indianapolis. Really? Hawaian Gardens was one thing, half way across the country is another thing. 

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I finally got in at Stanford

Prologue:

 

Before I left LA, I enthusiastically joined one of Audrey’s group exercise / rowing classes. I loved the rowing but probably should have passed on the part with the weights, or maybe it was the flight to San Jose that did me in. Anyway, when I got off the plan my back was killing me.

 

 

Saturday:

Half Moon Bay was on the list of possibilities. When Louise remembered that there was a Chiropractor in the town who did not observe the Sabbath and was open on Saturday, the decision was made. In a nutshell, here’s a brief summary of how we spent the day:

•  Late morning appointment with Chiropractor Dr. Mark T. Heath
• Stroll through the lovely town of Half Moon Bay
• Lunch at a beautiful sushi place with exquisite decor, disappointing presentation and mediocre food
• A gorgeous scenic drive along the Skyline Hwy from Half moon Bay to Palo Alto
• A visit to the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. I especially enjoyed the Stanford Family Collection and learning about the family that endowed the university. If you go there, check out the cool painting of Jane Stanford’s jewelry collectionwhich she sold to endow a library.
• A trip to Louise’s local bike shop where she ordered a new Bianchi Torino. She has committed to a starting goal of 50 miles a week. This will be increased when we get to daylight savings time
• A delicious dinner at an Indian restaurant in San Jose. The waitress was so nice that she even turned the lights and the heat on once we sat down. We’re guessing that most of their business is carry out.

Sunday:

• A scenic drive to San Francisco via Half Moon Bay and Dr. Heath’s office again.
• Stopping at a light next to a woman who really wanted to finish the Sunday crossword puzzle
• A visit with my sisters brother-in-law (or should that be my brother-in-laws brother?) at his charming home in Noe Valley. His “winter” garden is amazing and includes several varieties of apples,artichokes, herbs, carrots …. and saffron yeilding crocus.
• Reunited with Avi
• Dinner with Avi and Yaniv! Great to see him!!!

 

Tour de’Beach

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There is only so much fun a person can have out here without breaking down and breaking a rule or two. I am happy to report that my foot and my crotch, both really out of cycling shape, survived an easy does it ride to Venicebeach and back. News flash: I now know why so many people really don’t like riding. The massive discomfort I experienced while riding on Benny Adler’s bike with a seat made out of cement and mounted at an angel that reminded me just how deconditioned my crotch is, did put a slight damper on the festivities. Needless to say, we had a great time anyway!

 

Venice Beach is always fun, unless you happen to be one of the people who call it “home”. We stopped at one of the booths and bought a boatload of funny sunglasses for Audrey to use as give-a-ways at an upcoming party. Original price was $4 a pair . Soya, our new best friend on the beach, “gave them away” at $2 a pair + she threw in two nylon bags that we used as backpacks to ride the 40 pair of shades home. The bags “retail” at $5 each but customers like us don’t come around every day so she cut us a deal. I think she just wanted the free entertainment we provided while we danced in her shop.

 

Somehow, my foot and my crotch survived the ride. We celebrated with dinner at yet another kosher restaurant. The place was called Nana which means mint in Hebrew. When we ordered tea with mint we were told they didn’t have any. It seems like there is some kind of a problem with microscopic, non-kosher bugs in the California supply of mint. The rabbinic council is working on the problem and tea with mint should be available in a week or two, In the meantime, can I suggest lemon?

 

By the way, we are trying to blend in on Pico Street. 

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About Yesterday

If patience is a virtue, I have neither.

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12917073/cycling-psycho-girls

California Girl

When I planned this trip to California I really didn’t know what kind of shape I would be in but I was pretty sure I would be in two shoes and walking, which I am. I’ve been in LA since Monday (today is Thursday) and I’m staying with my friend Audrey. Look up FUN in the dictionary and you will see her picture. 

 

Normally, this would have been a bike trip, but I’m currently in terrible shape and the orthopedic surgeon suggested that I rent a convertible instead of a bike so we’ve been hanging around in LA. My guest suite at Chez Adler has been remodeled and now has a safe for my valuables. Too bad I didn’t bring any.

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We’ve put lots of miles on Audrey’s car which, at times, has been as much fun as riding. Tuesday we scouted out routes for our upcoming for profit (hopefully) bike tour. At this point the plan is for a women’s 4 day, kosher and vegetarian friendly tour with rides out of LA and Westlake Village. The inspiration comes from last year’s ride, memories of which continue to challenge my bladder to this day!  We had lunch at the Fish Grill and dinner at an  Asian Vegetarian place, both Kosher of course. This place is like Oak Park on steroids. 

 

 

Yesterday we went downtown to the Santee Alley. Between fits of laughter we dropped $5 a pair on some new shades, looked at a bunch of ugly dresses and took advantage of Siri’s ability to remind us to get back to the car before the meter expired.

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After that, our intent was to drive out to the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena but a slight miscommunication with the GPS took us toward Huntington Garden Center.Realizing our mistake, and not needing any landscape supplies, we got off the freeway. We found Hawaiian Gardens instead. There is nothing botanical about a casino full of middle aged, overweight Hawaiians playing craps, poker and baccarat while eating fried rice at 3:00 in the afternoon but it sure was fun.

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We finished our tour with a visit to the Queen Mary which is docked in Long Beach. Dinner was at Milk and Honey (kosher of course). Other than the lack of biking through this beautiful part of California, everything is perfect.

 

 

 

I found my way to San Jose

All good things must come to an end. I would love to stay longer but if I do, I will have to become sabbath observant. Plus, I have a great sister in San Jose. (I also have one in Ann Arbor). The $10 I paid for a good boarding position on the Southwest flight really didn’t pay off. My boarding pass said Group B, Positon 28. I think that’s code for middle seat. When I nicely told the woman at the counter that I hoped not to have claustrophobic breakdown on the plane, she smiled and offered my a blue pre-boarding pass. It’s for people with medical conditions. I got a seat in the front row on the aisle next to a skinny person. It was almost like 1st class without food, silverware and pampering.

 

 

Shabbat Dinner in San Jose wasn’t kosher. Instead of a rabbi in the kitchen there was a dancer on the floor.

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Goodie Two Shoes

If you know me well you might not agree with the “goodie” part of the title which I have bestowed upon myself but, I’ve gotta tell you that it sure feels great to be out of the post surgical boot and into my very own Brooks Cross Trainers. Bye bye 5 bullet proof velcro straps- hello laces! Other than being in the worse shape of the last 10 years, I’m feeling pretty good about the whole thing. 

For my maiden voyage on two feet, Zoe and I went on out biannual shopping trip. Armed with her discount card at Anthropolgie, tons of patience, Zoe’s  keen eye and a Lululemon gift card that I had been carrying around in my purse since May*, we bought 5 things which in effect doubled my wardrobe. Can you believe I didn’t buy this dress?

I had never been to the legendary lululemon store before. Having no idea what to expect, I was pretty surprised to see a normal figured saleswoman modeling the latest in workout wear (including a tighty whitey tank to that would normally be reserved for the gym or an outdoor summer workout). She was folding and reshelving merchandise while drinking coffee and eating an orange! Really? That’s what I call multi-tasking.

 

Tonight I’ll be packing my new black pants and a few other things and heading to California to hang out with friends and family. I’ll be in LA, San Jose, San Francisco and Davis. I’ll keep you posted.

 

 

*Thank you Betsy, Diane, Susan and Michelle!

 

How many calories can I burn getting into and out of the car?

The good news is that I am making excellent progress as I recover from the surgical expedition that took place in my right foot almost 3 weeks ago. The bad news is that my life has not really been very interesting lately. After all, when you can shower, drive, make latkes and get your bottomless mug refilled at Brueggers a couple times a day all by yourself, what difference does it make if you are wearing a knee high surgical boot with 5 super glue strength strips of velcro that has to be taken off and replaced with a Dansko shoe every time you get behind the wheel of your car? This process has to be reversed to get out of the car but I am just happy to have my independence and I can really use the exercise, especially since I have been enjoying my meals and snacks without the benefit of riding a few hundred miles a week.

 

 

A note about personal hygiene

Its hard to believe that I’ve been so busy doing “nothing” that I haven’t had time to blog in a week. The exercise of writing these posts is more for me than anyone else. There are so many things that happen everyday that are worth recording, plus writing is good practice in case I ever do anything the requires a “writer”. For those of you who read this and enjoy it, I’m glad. Forge on!

 

One of the instructions I was given when I left the hospital after my very minor foot surgery was to keep the leg completely dry. This rules out one of my favorite past times- – the one that involves a very long and hot shower a couple of times a day. The bath with a leg hanging out had been suggested but for the 1st couple days I wasn’t up to trying to get myself in and out of there and the idea of resting up against the hard, cold faucet didn’t appeal to me either. Avi and I came up with a great system of sitting on a double layer, towel covered metal chair with two pots of water, a plastic cup, a washcloth and a tall laundry hamper on which to elevate my leg. To protect my fabulous twice done by Dina beauty shop hair* there was also a shower cap involved. Since my nude modeling days are over as of the last Barely Team Alex calendar, we decided against posting a photo of the event. Instead. I have reenacted it (sans shower cap) using a stuffed animal I had in our give away pile.

 

It worked but as I got stronger and was able to stand on my right leg, the bath tub started calling a little more loudly every day. By Monday I was almost ready and then, just in time for the Chanukah season, a great miracle happened here! I’m talking about the amazing and brilliant gift I received from my friend Barb Wiggins. Thais adorable little frog is actually a faucet guard and it is ever so soft to lean back against.See how comfy the bear looks?

 

I’m still considering breaking the rule and showering with one of those “waterproof “ cast covers, I’m pretty happy with my current arrangement. In fact, I’m pretty happy with everything. I’m a little uncomfortable but really appreciative of my good health, my good friends and my great life.

 

Beth

 

* It turns out that if you don’t work oiut or sweat, it is not necessary to wash your hair every day. My current record is 6 days.