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.