Decking the halls

This holiday season is looking to be one of the busiest yet - and yes, I know I say that every year! I have my Christmas spreadsheet updated, but until I get this fellowship off my desk at work and submitted, I will feel like I am treading water, barely keeping my head above the surface. To help get me into the Christmas spirit, Jay and I decorated our apartment this weekend. For the last few years we have not had a Christmas tree. Jay has always wanted a live tree, and I've always been much too practical to consider it. I decided to give in this year and see how it goes. Meow has calmed down considerably since her kittenhood, and so is unlikely to knock the tree over and break every ornament (this is what she did her first Christmas). So on Sunday we trekked out to the Home Depot tree lot and picked out a 7 foot Noble fir. We tied it to the top of Subaru in the falling rain and drove home, where Jay trimmed off the extraneous branches and we got it into the apartment. We drank eggnog and played Christmas carols while we hung our ornaments and lights, and put out my growing nutcracker collection. We collect ornaments during our travels so that we can reminisce about our trips and happy memories while we trim the tree. Here's Jay in the midst of draping the lights, complete with eggnog in hand!

And here is our nutcracker collection.

Our stockings are hung, our advent tree is filled with chocolates, we have lights in our windows, and snowglobes and holiday tins line our book shelves. Now all I have to do is finish the Christmas cards, buy all the gifts and wrap them, and get them in the mail! At least I have this lovely tree to keep me motivated and in the spirit.

Crazy Chinatown Bus Stop Lady

I have an update on my crazy bus commutes. Perhaps you thought I'd run out of stories? No worries, L.A. has an unending number of odd personalities to document. This one is one of my favorites, as she never disappoints.

Some of you may remember that in February Jay and I attended the Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown near downtown L.A. I didn't write about it then, but that was when Crazy Chinatown Bus Stop Lady got her name. Jay and I had parked at his office in downtown and planned to take the bus to Chinatown for the parade to avoid crowds. As we were waiting for the bus, a woman with long, stringy, dyed-black hair and white roots, nicotine-stained teeth, and bright fuschia lipstick smeared over face and teeth approached Jay. I can't remember how she started the conversation, but Jay politely responded to something she said. I could've told him that was his first mistake. She kept talking to him, louder and louder, in a screechy terrible voice, despite the fact he was now clinging to me and trying to ignore her. I finally rescued my poor polite husband by suggesting we give up on the damn bus and just walk to Chinatown. It couldn't have been more than 5 miles at the most. Relieved, he agreed and off we went.

Ah, but the story doesn't end there, otherwise why would I be writing this post? A few weeks later, I was riding my usual bus into the lab. I sit down behind a woman with long, stringy, dyed-black hair. She was muttering to herself, and I thought I recognized her.... surely not, why would someone from downtown be on MY bus? Then she made a phone call, and sure enough, that screechy loud voice rang out. Oh my word, it WAS crazy chinatown bus stop lady! I sat quietly, not moving, hoping she would not recognize me. She didn't - I think she had been more fixated on my handsome hubby than me. As we approached her stop, rather than pulling the stop cord she begins screaming out, "This is my stop! Back door! Back door! Let me off the bus!" She continues screaming this until she is off the bus, despite the fact that no one is blocking her way and the bus driver is patiently waiting.

As it happens, I have encountered her several time since then. She is always very loud, with a voice like nails on chalkboard, and she is always overreacting to some imagined situation on the bus. I always know she will put on a show. For instance, this morning. I get on the bus, and lo and behold the only available seat is next to crazy chinatown bus stop lady. So I stand. As we approach the stop at Westside Pavilion, the local mall, she begins. She starts by screeching, "The bell's not working, it's not working!" as she slaps the bell cord vigorously. But anyone who rides the bus regularly knows that the bus ALWAYS stops at the mall. It's one of the timed stops on the route. So the bus stops, as it always does, and she begins shoving people aside, screeching, "Let me off the bus, LET ME OFF THE BUS, I need to get off the bus, BACK DOOR, BACK DOOR, stop the bus!!!" Total fruitcake. She always gets off the bus with no issues, but can't seem to stop herself from panicking at the thought of possibly having to get off one stop away from her intended destination. Ah, crazy chinatown bus stop lady. You are insane.

Yep, another weekend in wine country

In the interest of improving my blogging rate, some posts will remain picture-less. I mean, it honestly has nothing to do with being a photographer's wife who never seems to get to even look at pictures he's taken much less ACTUALLY get something to put up on the blog.... yes, the whole cobbler's-wife-never-has-shoes syndrome. Moving along.

We had planned this weekend back in September, and I had been looking forward to it ever since. We drove up to Solvang on Friday night, and spent Saturday and Sunday with our friends Alias and Helen and their adorable little boys Elijah and Jason. On the drive up Friday we stopped and had dinner in Santa Barbara with our friend Linda. Linda is one of our favorite people, and dinner with her is always a lot of fun. She picks delicious restaurants, and the conversation is never dull. This evening we dined at a place called Elements. If you are ever passing through Santa Barbara and are looking for a quiet place for dinner with great wine, drinks, and food, this is one to try. The atmosphere was relaxed, the wait staff attentive and friendly, and the food was delicious. It was a harbinger of what was to come for the rest of our little trip.

We arrived very late Friday night at the Kronborg Inn in Solvang, where we have stayed before. As chance would have it, we were booked into a room right next to Alias and Helen and the boys! It even had one of the connecting doors, which meant when the boys were put down for the night Helen and Alias could hang out in our room and we stayed up late chatting. But I am getting ahead of myself. I heard little voices bright and early Saturday morning, and Jay and I got up and headed into town where we had breakfast at the Greenhouse Cafe. The latte and coffee were fantastic, as was the meal. We then headed off to meet with our friends at the Los Olivos Grocery where we buy fresh bread, cheeses, meats, and fruit for a picnic at whatever winery we end up at. Jay and I selected an loaf of olive bread, fresh figs, a smoked cheese, and prosciutto. Then began the wine tasting.

Our first stop was Curtis Winery, and they had their late harvest Viognier, which is the closest one can get to an ice wine outside of Canada or Germany. We bought one bottle to put aside for Christmas, and also picked up a chilled Rose for our lunch. We are members at Curtis and so also picked up our November shipment. We then ended up at Fess Parker, where we had our lunch. Fess Parker has an enormous rolling lawn perfect for children to run and play, and the boys did just that. They were even joined by a neighbor's Jack Russell terrier who helped them chase after their soccer ball! Helen and I continued playing outside with the kiddos while Alias and Jason tasted inside. On this stop, Jay picked up a Syrah for our Christmas dinner in San Antonio, which he claims is one of the best he's ever tasted. I am looking forward to trying it!

After the boys' naps that afternoon we had a 6:00 reservation for dinner at Los Olivos Wine Merchant Cafe. That dinner was soooo good! I honestly cannot remember what Jay had, but Helen had the risotto and I had the pumpkin gnocchi, which came in a parsnip cream sauce sprinkled with pomegranate arils and parmesan cheese. Excellent. We split a bottle of zinfandel, and for dessert I had the best creme brulee I've ever eaten, Helen and the boys split the Chocolate Scream, and Alias had the Apple Honey Tart. What a wonderful dinner it was, and the boys were very well-behaved. We were stuffed and exhausted, and after an evening of conversation we all headed to our beds.

The next morning Jay and I had breakfast at the Solvang Restaurant, where we finally tried Aebleskiver, a Danish delicacy. We wandered into the Antique Center as we always do, then met with Helen and Alias and the boys to walk town a bit more. Jay and Alias tasted at the Mandolina tasting room in town before we left, and this time Jay brought home a Pinot Grigio. I drove us home while Jay finished reading the latest Robert Jordan book in the Wheel of Time series. We got back in time to tidy up and buy groceries, then get ready for another busy week of work.

We now have 40 bottles of wine at home and are in desperate need of friends to help us drink them... anyone up for a visit?

Halloween in West Hollywood

Greetings! This has been the worst year of posting to Southern in Socal that we've ever had - probably because this has been one of the busiest. I'll try to improve that!

Jay recently went out of town to spend some time with his dad and brother. The three met in Florida to watch the shuttle launch, originally scheduled for this Monday. Due to repairs the shuttle was not launched and so they missed it, but Jay did get to hang out with family, which was the more important part of their trip.

I stayed home to mind Meow and generally keep the household running. Per my usual habit, I stayed very busy! On Saturday I attended a cook out at my friends' house in Echo Park, and on Sunday I decided to go to West Hollywood with Gil and Alex. The West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval is the second largest event held in Los Angeles, even bigger than the Oscars. I've heard a lot about it, mainly about the crowds and outrageous costumes. It seemed very much like something one should see in their life, so off I went!

I dressed as a flapper (a bit of my costume is seen in the picture below) but I forgot my camera. Early in the evening I handed out candy to our annual Trick-or-Treaters, and got dressed. We all had dinner at Sunnin in Westwood before we headed off to Sunset Boulevard. The drive was very slow due to the street closures and large number of people trying to get to where we were going. But eventually we made it, and spent 3 hours just walking the streets and taking it all in - and it was amazing! The amount of time, effort, and thought that must have gone into many of the costumes was amazing. I speculate that at least some of the attendees work in the entertainment industry and perhaps had access to some Hollywood prop houses and costumes. Certainly at least some make-up artists were in the mix, because they were flawless! Some of the more amazing costumes came from Tron, there were some incredible mad hatters, and perhaps my favorite were the people made up as though they were Mexican day of the dead dolls.

This picture was from Gil and Alex's camera, if I get some additional ones I will post them here. Gil dressed as a ghost, and Alex as a homocidal ram. He got a lot of attention! Everything I am wearing I already owned, except my headpiece, which I bought at a Halloween store for $12.00. Not too bad for a frugal Halloween costume!

Happy 8th Anniversary!

Happy 8th Anniversary! You still make me laugh more than anyone I've ever known. I love you!

Camping at Lake Cachuma

Jay has really been wanting to get out of Los Angeles lately, but we've been busy, busy, busy. Since this month is my birthday, we decided to celebrate by finally taking a weekend out of town. We headed to Lake Cachuma just north of Santa Barbara for a couple of nights camping out, and remembering that there are stars in the sky. We drove up on Friday evening, and set up camp. We got up Saturday morning bright and early, and hiked around the lake. Jay took lots of pictures, and that afternoon we took a boat tour of the lake with a state naturalist. She identified many of the local bird species for us, and though we hoped to spot a mountain lion we only saw rabbits and deer. That night was more marshmallow roasting and relaxing by the fire. Sunday we broke camp and headed into Solvang where we visited our favorite Danish bakery for breakfast and went to two of our favorite wineries before heading back to Los Angeles. Below are a few of the pictures I took while we were hiking along the lake Saturday morning.





Here is Jay pictures.

IKON Company Picnic

This has been a terrible posting year. I realized today when I got an email telling us how many times we get clicked that no one has been reading... well, that may be because I've not been writing! I've been working a lot, and I kept feeling that I should post pictures of our Europe trip before I did anything else. Well, lots of things have happened since Europe, and while I am planning on getting those pictures posted (check back this weekend), I thought I'd let you see what has been happening in the meantime.

This weekend we worked a LOT. Not just at the lab for me, but also on sorting through our pictures from Europe, selecting, printing, and framing a few for the living room. I've also been trying to get my journals up to date, and work on AWIS events. Also on Sunday the IKON company picnic was held at El Dorado Park West in Long Beach. The day started with a softball game, LA people vs. Irvine people. LA lost, but Jay managed to get some softball time in. He even slid into 2nd base and was FILTHY. He loved it! The picture below is Jay on 1st, right before the big slide.


We then headed over to the picnic area where everyone was lining up for yummy picnic food. I miss grilling out, so I was very excited to get my hands on both a burger and a hotdog. There was also potato salad, watermelon, chips, drinks, brownies and cookies. Yum!

It was great, because the sun actually showed itself. This has been an especially cold and gloomy summer here in SoCal, with the temps remaining in the 60s and the marine layer hanging on throughout the day. Meow and I really miss the sunshine! Poor kitty was so cold this weekend that she cried until I made her a nest and tucked her into bed. This is where she stayed while we were enjoying the picnic.
Notice the pale pink ears and nose. It's a good way to judge her temperature. When she's freezing they are pale white, and as she warms up she gets pinker. So she's finally getting comfortable when I took this shot.

Meow's two-week spa getaway

Before I begin telling you guys about our recent European vacation, I wanted to let all you feline fanciers out there know what Meow did while we were away. Jason and I know who you really want to read about on this blog!

I was very anxious about leaving Meow for 17 days. We've never been away for so long before. The longest trip we've taken without Meow lasted 10 days, when we drove cross-country to Montana. We boarded Meow at that time with a vet near our house. When I picked her up, I was handed a towel and the staff wished me good luck. Meow had been moved into the laundry room, where no other cats were around, and there was a big sign on her cage stating "DO NOT TOUCH MEOW." Food was poked through the bars. It was terrible, and I felt terrible for what she must've gone through. Guilt plays a big role in my life, and I prefer to avoid it whenever possible.

The first thing I did was tell Jay I could not in good conscience leave her for that long, and so I would fly home early while he stayed and enjoyed himself. In an effort to deal with his cat-crazy wife, Jay said the fateful words: "I don't care how much it costs, we will find a solution that you can live with and we will enjoy ourselves in Europe. You will relax, and Meow will be fine." I then began researching potential options. The list was:

1) Have a friend check on her. Well, we were going to be away for a while, and Meow wouldn't get as much attention as she likes, and honestly, who likes us that much?
2) Hire a pet-sitting service. Again, she wouldn't get a lot of attention and if an emergency (say major earthquake occurred) no one could get to her easily.
3) Have someone stay in the apartment. Everyone I ask was allergic to cats.
4) Find a good kennel. Well, this didn't work out so well last time, but in LA you can find some snazzy kennels. We toured several, and as soon as we walked into California Cat Center I knew we'd found Meow's home away from home.

Firstly, she wouldn't have to stay in a cage. She could have her own suite, with no other cats around. The suites had plenty of sunshine, personal water fountains, futons, floor-ceiling scratching posts, bay windows for napping, and flat-panel televisions at cat eye level that played 24-hour catnip TV. Catnip TV, by the way, consists of reels of squirrels, birds, mice, etc. for the cats to enjoy watching. There was an hour daily of "people"time where Meow interacted with staff, and an hour of daily birdwatching wherein a cage of live finches was provided for her to watch. There was also a kitty aerobics room full of enrichment activities and she could have her own food and toys present. All this for a mere $100 per day. Did I mention we were going away for 17 days? And now you know the true meaning of crazy-cat lady.

Meow didn't pitch any tantrums when I dropped her off, she just hid beneath the futon. No meowing, no crying or wailing. I left a 2 page description of her various habits, likes, and dislikes, along with what her usual meows meant. Jay dropped by about half an hour later to drop off some additional food and toys (she brought her own towels, fur mice, feathers, wet and dry food, cat nip, and some grass to nibble on). Jay said that she was still very calm, and meowed to the staff when they called her by name.

While we were away I emailed with the staff, and they responded with updates about Meow's stay at the center. They called her a lovebug, and said she had an "adventurous spirit." I was even sent photos. The one below shows her in her "privacy tent" where she could nap or hide as she felt.



The plate next to her head is her dinner that night. They essentially brought it to her in bed. I was beginning to worry that Meow wouldn't want to come home... and I was right. We landed in LA about 7 pm on a Saturday night, and arrived at the center at 9 am the next morning to pick Meow up. As soon as I entered the room, she looked alarmed and tried to hide inside her privacy tent. I pulled her out, and Jay put her in the carrier to go home. She didn't cry until we were walking out, and I imagine it translated into, "NOOOOO, my finchesssssss, my catnip TVVVVVV! Whyyyyy?" She didn't speak to us on the ride home, or for two days afterwards. Yep, she had definitely raised her standards while we were away.

Happy Father's Day! We went to the beach.

Wow, has it been a while since you heard from us or what? Well, if it's any consolation we missed you guys as well. Our lives have been extremely busy this past month, and we've got lots of blogs we need to write to get you caught up. First we went for our first trip to Europe. We spent 17 days exploring Amsterdam, southern Germany, Paris, and Rome. As soon as we returned home, I hopped a plane to Georgia where I attended a four day workshop and visited family. This was officially my first weekend home in over a month. To celebrate, we did nothing! It was so nice.

Before we get to the details, a happy father's day to all those great dads in our lives. While my grandpa passed away 11 years ago, I miss him and appreciate even now all the wonderful things he did for me. Jay still has his dad, and his brother is expecting his second child tomorrow. And to all our friends - believe me, we don't see how you guys do it! But you do it well.

Today we biked to Venice beach (home of surfers, the famous muscle beach, and the boardwalk you see in all the movies). We spent the entire afternoon napping in the sun, watching surfers, or reading. Here's Jay below, enjoying the sunny afternoon and getting in a little relaxation. I hope you guys had a happy and restful father's day, and we promise to be posting pictures from our recent travels soon!

Golden Beet Tatin and Meow's Amazing Vet Visit

This is really two posts in one, but I am behind in posting and need to catch up! The first part of my post is about a dish called Golden Beet Tatin - it's delicious, and easy, and a fun way to work beets into your dinner. I once believed I didn't like beets, but now I can easily say they are one of my favorite vegetables. The above recipe is from a blog called Closet Cooking that I read regularly. We started by roasting golden beets we bought at the Farmer's Market in Venice, then sliced them and placed them in ramekins. Over that we poured the red wine and honey gastrique:

At this point, I topped them with phyllo dough I had on hand in the fridge, and normally they get popped in the oven for about 15 minutes. But our oven was, unknown to us before we began, broken! So Jay microwaved the beet and gastrique mixes, and fried the phyllo dough topping. Below I am adding the phyllo sheets one by one. (You can also get a preview of my new haircut!)

We also sauteed some fiddleheads to go on the side:
It turned into a lovely dinner that we enjoyed immensely, and altogether (since we had pre-roasted the beets the night before) it only took us about 30 minutes. The beets still have a nice firm texture, and the smooth tartness of the goat cheese against the sweetness of the beets and gastrique is delicious!


But enough of our cooking, onto the real story. Meow's vet visit this week. I was once a dutiful kitty owner, taking Meow into her annual vet exams for shots and other assorted affronteries. But she is an absolute terror, and after moving away from our last excellent vet, Margo Golden, I neglected to take her. I could go on with the horror stories, but I'll just remind you of our previous post called Meow's first illness. We thought she was dying, but she fought off a vet and two techs. When she was brought in a second time they just put her entire carrier in a box, gassed her, then took her out for her exam. The screaming and fighting just tears my nerves apart, and I am a basket case when I take her to the vet.

I took the afternoon off work and met Jay at home. We got Meow into the car after dragging her from beneath the bed, crying piteously, and shoved head first into her carrier. She cried forlornly all the way. When we got to the clinic, the first thing I spy is two cats in the waiting room. Trouble with tails. But... she ignored them. She stayed quietly in her carrier while we waiting, no hissing, no growling... I am terrified. Clearly the cat is plotting something. It's at this point that Jay decides to take off to run an errand and left me alone with my nerves and the hell cat. Thanks, honey. So into the exam room we go.

The vet enters with Meow's chart, and I notice that written on the top in big red letters is: WATCH OUT. Her reputation precedes her, and the first question the vet asks me is, "So, when does she freak out?" Well, usually she already has. He has to give her a distemper vaccine, and decides to try it alone. So he dumps her out of her carrier onto a towel, and instead of exploding in a fluff ball of teeth and claws, my little cat curls up and mews. Mews! The vet petted her, and she didn't even hiss. Then he decides to get bold and weigh her, so he picks her up and puts her on a scale. She doesn't fight him, she doesn't do anything. She just sits on the scale and watches him. We discuss her diet, her habits, any unusual behavior, etc. and he then gathers her scruff and injects her quickly. This elicits a little hiss, but no swipes or howls. He then makes up a little bed for her in her carrier, and she walks back in. That's it. No howls or cries on the way home, no fights, nothing. All that nervousness wasted. Maybe Meow has turned over a new leaf with vets? Or, more likely, she plans to have them let down their guard so she can really do some damage next visit...

Sunday brunch in Topanga

A couple of weeks ago Jay and I were given reservations to Sunday brunch at the Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga Canyon. They serve a very California brunch, in a very California atmosphere. Brunch consists of a raw bar (for the raw foodists), a vegetarian bar, a pescatarian bar, and the omnivore bar for those who eat everything. The food was all delicious, and there was a lot of it! We also had mimosas.


The restaurant was once a church, and there were beautiful stained glass windows throughout. But most of the dining options are outdoors, on a terraced hillside that leads down to a small stream. We were seated on the terrace just above the stream, and of course there was new age flute music piped throughout the seating areas :). Little tables were tucked everywhere they could find a spot, and the whole thing was actually very charming. Some areas were covered in tents and swag, as you can see in the picture below:
We had a fun time watching the kids play around the stream while very well-dressed parents (most of the moms in 5 inch heels) tried to keep them from falling in.

Topanga Canyon State Park is just a short drive up the street from the restaurant, and it is one of our favorite places to go mountain biking. We drove to the park after brunch and changed from our dress clothes to hiking clothes, and headed out across a meadow. We hiked this time, going on new trails we hadn't yet explored. It was a perfect day for it, and Jay, my shutterbug, took plenty of photos.


He hasn't downloaded those pictures yet, but maybe I can convince him to post some of the newts if they turn out nicely! That's right, newts. We were hiking down into the canyon, where we ended up following a little brook:

When we came to one shaded spot, I noticed a quiet, relatively deep pool near some rocks. I came over and was peering intently, wondering if I could at least spot some tadpoles. It was then a pink creature with four legs and a long tail swam up towards the surface from the leafy bottom. I was flabbergasted - this was far too large to be a tadpole, unless we had been invaded by some giant frog species! I called for Jay. He tried to take pictures, as the bottom of the pool turned out to be home to several of the newts, and although it was difficult to count them (they are extremely well hidden) I think there were at least six, and likely more. They turned out (upon google inspection) to be California newts, and it was their breeding season, thus they were living a few months in the seasonal stream pools where they had been born. We didn't touch them, which I am glad of since they excrete tetrodotoxin. You have to ingest it to die, but it is extremely potent and there was no place to wash our hands well. I know me. I would've wiped my mouth on the hike back and died somewhere on the trail.

It was a fun and relaxing Sunday, and we were very happy to have spotted such an elusive little creature as the newt. I hope all of you have had some nice relaxing weekends as well!

Just to clear the air...

So it's been a while since we have posted. And the usual excuse still applies: "we're really busy!" Blah blah blah.

Anyhow, I wanted to make this post real quick:

Occasionally we will put political stuff up here, and I know that there are people that read our blog who are on both sides of the Health Insurance Reform debate.

Frankly, I haven't seen so much dishonest, scare-tactic B.S. in a long, long time, than I have seen from the extreme Right Wing, than is being spread in regards to this reform.

http://my.barackobama.com/WhatItMeans

Go here to get a more clear picture of what's really in this. And yes, this will be the "optimistic" view, but it's really pretty accurate. I have read about 900 pages of the legislation, and skimmed through all of it.

Yes, there are problems. It doesn't do enough to limit insurance companies costs, and federal subsidies will probably be higher than estimates. Yes, the plan will probably cost more than is being estimated.

But there are also parts of this legislation that haven't been reflected in terms of likely cost reduction:

• Reduced administrative costs for healthcare providers by reducing uninsured non-paying patients. If more patients have insurance, they will have a significant reduction in bad debt from patients that can't pay. Simple stuff. Just like any business, the cost you charge for your goods and services has to have enough profit built into it to cover the losses. That means that your Doctor bill, or Hospital bill, has a certain amount that is built into it to cover the expense of non-paying patients. Therefore, your insurance company covers that cost. Guess what? You and your employer, for the majority of us who have employer-based insurance, then end up footing the bill. So for those of you that are complaining that you shouldn't have to pay for someone else? Guess what? YOU ALREADY DO! It's just like any other business. The cost you pay at Wal-Mart covers the loss that they have in stolen merchandise. It's really exactly the same thing. So by reducing this lost revenue and the expense of debt collection, cost will be reduced.
  
• Preventative Health Care services- The same people that go to the emergency room when they are sick and then can't pay, have basically no access to preventative health care. By having access to this, the average person will be healthier, and make better healthier, decisions. Oh, and by the way, they won't be clogging up the emergency room when they have access to a regular physician! This will drive down cost.
• More patient and Doctor control over your health care decisions- The bottom line is that this legislation has, to a limited degree, taken power away from the insurance companies, and put it back in the hands of physicians and patients. Less limits on coverage. No ability to refuse coverage due to pre-existing conditions. No lifetime caps on payouts. The false information that is making any claims that the government is getting in between you and your Doctor is patently false. The opposite is true.
  
• Strengthening Medicare/Medicaid- Contrary to what is being said, these programs are not being robbed. And I want to point out that Republicans have been screaming for decades that Medicare needs to be more efficient. That's happening as part of this legislation. But Republicans are trying to claim that Medicare is being raided, when what is really happening is what they have called for for a long time: Making Medicare more cost-efficient!
• Better for small business- The vast majority of small business won't be penalized. If your employer doesn't have at least 30 employees, they are basically exempt from the penalties. It's really only employers with more than that who get hit with a big penalty for not offering health insurance. And if you work for a small business that doesn't offer you health insurance, the federal subsidy will bridge the gap. And that will make it much easier for small businesses that aren't large enough to offer insurance, to be more competitive! Say thank you! BTW it really pisses me off when people complain about this one- if our ENTIRE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS BUILT ON THE CONCEPT OF EMPLOYER-BASED INSURANCE- then shouldn't there be some provision THAT REQUIRES EMPLOYERS TO OFFER INSURANCE??? Seriously, it's really that damn simple!
• It's not going to bankrupt the country. The bottom line is that there are at least 30 countries that do a more efficient, effective job of providing healthcare than the US does. And don't thing that just because it's the US that we're the best. Sometimes we're really not. And we really suck at making sure that everyone has access to healthcare. And we shouldn't.
  
• It's not going to bankrupt you- Do you make more than $200k per year? Really? That's awesome! Thanks for helping provide healthcare for the single mother that works for the pest control company in your town, that's too small to afford to offer insurance! She really appreciates it! And she also works for a living. Oh, you don't make more than that? You make less than $150k combined? And YOU work for a small company that can't afford to offer Health Insurance? Well, You're welcome! You're healthcare costs just went way down!
  

Summary: While it's not perfect, (and oh btw why doesn't the republican party help address the costs by working with the Dems on improving the controls?) it's a very solid start.

Comment away! But be reasonable.

St. Patrick's Day

Despite the expression on my face in the picture above, I am very pleased it is St. Patrick's Day. Happy felicitations to all our friends! I remembered to wear green today, and Jay and I are celebrating tonight at home with some Irish ale and potato bread for dinner. A quiet evening, but very relaxing which is just what we need.

Hope you all are drinking a toast to Irish eyes today!

Golden Dragon Parade in Chinatown

This weekend Jason and I finally paid a visit to old Chinatown here in Los Angeles. This month is the celebration of Chinese New Year, the year of the Tiger. The Golden Dragon Parade was on Saturday, and we headed down. We got to enjoy lots of floats and dragons. Below are the gates that mark the entrance to Chinatown from downtown LA.

Here is a video of the fan dancers:


There were several types of dragons I saw. There were short dragons that consisted of two people, longer dragons that were many people covered by the dragon's head and body, and long dragons carried on poles. The video below shows the short dragons as well as the long dragon on poles:




We were exhausted but had a great time. But my day didn't end there. Jay headed home, while I met one of my workmates to see a performance of the Los Angeles Ballet. They performed three separate pieces by Balanchine, called Serenade, Kammermusik #2, and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #2. The performance was at the Freud Playhouse at UCLA. We had a wonderful time, and thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

I hope you all had a fun weekend as well! Hopefully this week we will also find the time to post pictures from last weekend when we attended the Scottish Festival and Highland Games at the Queen Mary in Long Beach.

A rainy weekend in Solvang

This weekend was more rain here in Los Angeles. The winters here are incredibly mild, with temperatures rarely dipping below the 60s. It is however the only time it ever rains. So we decided to get away for a little trip to Santa Ynez Valley, where we visited one of our favorite spots, Solvang, CA. We arrived late Friday night and stayed at the Kronborg Inn and slept in till 9:30 the next morning (I remember when 9:30 was early...). We headed into town and had a light breakfast at one of the Danish bakeries, then visited a few of the stores. One of them was the Book Loft, a used bookstore that also houses the Hans Christian Anderson Museum. Here's Jay browsing for books, and a shot of the entrance to the museum:



We also popped into the Solvang Antique Center, which is full of some of the most beautiful (and expensive) pieces I've ever seen. We try to visit every time we go, just to drool over the unusual and rare furniture, jewelry, paintings, and other items. Afterwards we popped into the Mandolina tasting room to sample some of their lovely wines.

Solvang is full of little shops, most of which we've never even been in. It's also surrounded by wineries and beautiful scenery, also most of which we haven't visited yet! We often visit Gainey Vineyard and Curtis Winery, and we always stop at Bridlewood Winery. Normally we picnic on the beautiful grounds at Bridlewood, but because of the rain this time we headed to Buellton to have lunch at a place called Pea Soup Anderson's. Jay loved the split pea soup and sausages we had for lunch....

After our delicious lunch we headed to Bridlewood where we sampled wines and picked up several months worth of wine club shipments. Yay for wine club! Bridlewood is lovely, and here are a few shots of the tasting room and the grounds:


We then left Solvang and headed back to Los Angeles, but stopped along the way to take pictures and have dinner with our friend Linda in Ventura. Jay was taking a few pictures when we dropped the D300... oh sad day when the lens is broken! There was much lamenting over the accident. Lucky thing the Nikon repair center is close by!

The view of Santa Ynez Valley from Vista Point:


And the intrepid photographer just before the tragic accident:

Europe is in our future...

Okay, so that probably reads like we are moving.

Again.

To Europe.

Well, we are not (at least not yet... Who knows what the future holds, right?). We are, however, in the planning stages of a trip we will be taking this year. Many of you who read this blog have been across the pond to visit, to live, or for your own birth, so we thought it would be a good idea to reach out to all of our wonderful friends for suggestions on places to go and things to do. As of right now we are planning to be in the following places for at least a few days:

London
Dublin area
Glasgow area
Amsterdam
Southern Germany, Ramstein specifically (couple hours southwest of Frankfurt)
Northern France
Somewhere in Italy

So if you have a favorite spot in or near one of these places, now's the time to let us know!

Thanks everyone!