03/14/007 - Remember the blender

Don't forget the blender...I wrote it on my wrist. Don't forget the blender; too bad I took a shower. So I forgot to bring my blender to the potluck party at the office today. My mind is like a sieve. Solve the problem, just go home and get it before the party. Oops stop for gas first. $3.01 for regular at CostCo. My fill up stopped at the exact same amount as the previous customer...to the penny. How wierd is that??

Then home. Reluctantly lift the lid off blendy and sniff inside. Examine him carefully; is he clean enough for the office? No! some debris from Chocolate protein shakes clings to the base. And there is crud between the buttons. At least the jar has been through the dishwasher; so no worry about that.

Now, clean enough...gather it all up in my arms and run back to the car...oops my neighbor hands me a check that has come back from the bank. Someone wrote the amount in numbers and a different amount in words. Sheesh. Did the teller have to read it? There was a pile of checks all for the same amount...our HOA dues. I made the deposit. Never noticed the discrepancy. Damn, why did they have to question it? Out of context it looks weird but amongst the pile of checks all for the same amount, same every month, and same for the past 4 years...oh well.

Going back to the party, thinking I'm in a hurry and it is mid -day and I still have to stop by the post office to mail the HOA Corp Tax filing that is due for CA tomorrow. I'm mailing it today...I am so good. But then it happened.

Looking for that little U shaped loop that takes you by a bank of post boxes at window height; looking for the drive by post office. And there she was in a red car, waiting patiently to emerge and there I was looking for the entrance, but she thought...well I guess she thought she could read my mind and felt sure I was going to turn into some non-existent entrance, so she pulled on out and kept on coming and I'm being forced into the opposite lane, and OMG! I just squeaked by and found the mail drop and thought I'd be lucky to make it back to the party in one piece, with my old blender in my arms.

I was thinking, remember the blender in the "Brave Little Toaster"? Got his base in a vice and rudely got his motor yanked out for spare parts. Very sad and really gruesome. Not for my old blender. Cleaned him up pretty good. Good enough to make some "Irish Pirate" blended drinks.

Oh yeah, and Erin go Brach...blendy go brach too.

01/28/007 - Jones Girls

Party down last night, with the Jones Girls. I be the DD; well just one of the DDs. I wrenched the car away from my daughter. Tank was empty. Could not see out any of the windows. I figured my passengers would understand if I was a bit late from waiting on a Sat night gas line and hitting the Windex inside and out.

First scrambled up to Redwood city which has changed since my last visit but found my destination and hit more Windex. Rain slick streets and slimy wiper action. Then back down to Palo Alto and my second rider. Off we all went down 101 to 237 and then up and over to 880,680 and 580.Tassajara X.
2 hours later. We are there.

Mystery gifts in hand and pot-luck food contributions prepared. Party games en route and lots of champagne. That is what we are all about; food, drink, gifts, games and laughter.

There are 10 of us. 10 little Indians. 4 Jones girls, and 6 wannabes.

After food and dessert and more dessert and more food (and bubble water for me). We played the board game. and drew numbers for picking gifts.

I went last. I only got one token from the game board and that was a gimme. However, this is a strategically good position; a couple wrapped gifts left and all the rest open to be stolen. I went for the unwrapped gift, it was calling to me. A dragon incense burner, sits his butt down over a burning incense cone and the smoke comes out his face. He sits like a drunk coyote howling at the moon. Yes!

Passed up a marble top plant stand, a spice rack fully loaded, hand knit scarf and my favorite the Beatles remaster album, just released. OK, that was a struggle to let go. Candles, wine glasses and OMG wine!

I love my dragon.

I passed on all the gifts in addition to all the alcohol. Did my DD thing and made it home at 1:30AM. That is a very late night for me. It was fun to drive around on Sat night after midnight. Before the 2 AM scramble. Just quiet dark streets; I'm driving fast through familiar territory but blessedly free from traffic. Party down and out for the night. Thought ahead and made my little bed up with fresh clean linen. Gotta love it. Life is good, with the Jones Girls.

1/3/007 - Bird Food

Yummy gummy worms wiggle around in a pot filled with crushed Oreo cookies, ersatz topping for plain vanilla ice cream; but what was it doing next to 16 pints of high-end gellato? huh? Seemed like such a good idea.
Among the other good ideas: a variety of cheesecake with tons of nuts and seeds imitating a suet brick. Tasted great.
Tree branches downed in the last wind storm, were fashioned into a "tree" and festooned with little bird ornaments.
Champagne spilled freely in toasts to our newly retired friend. Our key colors: moss green, lavender, and gold; thank dog someone mentioned she does not like to drown everything in purple, as I so do.
A plethora of "Certificates of Achievement" really made the scene festive. Especially the one bestowed by the boss. Bravo!