freakin' hot...

out there. staying put in the basement is a good alternative to absolutely frying outside. i know Water World will be jam packed today. no thanks. unless necessary, i don't go outside when it's above 95 degrees - digging in eastern Nevada with 115 degree temps cured me of that.

speaking of weather, we've been trying to get updates from our friend in Cancun. seems Hurricane Emily wreaked more havoc south of there, in places like PDC, Tulum, and Cozumel. that's good because we still want to visit her in September, if not sooner. Worryfreevacations.com is offering a $192 fare to Cancun provided you leave 8/10 and come back on the 20th. a fare like that is really something to consider because usual fares to Cancun are in the $425-$600 range.

we so want to go to Mexico right now. i've been thinking of my favorite taco place in Villahermosa...sigh. i could easily go for a dozen tacos al pastor and a bowl of goat soup. chase that down with a couple horchatas and i'm blissful. seriously, it's enough to make you forget about the 90+ degrees/percent humidity.

unfortunately, going to Villahermosa involves an 8-10 hour (sometimes 12) bus ride from either Mexico City or Cancun - kinda equidistant from both. a couple weeks ago, we went to dinner with our friend, Regina, who is pondering a trip with us. that would be cool. if we could just buy an open jaw ticket (i.e., Denver to Mexico City and returning from Cancun) for eight days, that might be enough. we'd probably zip her around the main sights (Metropolitan Cathedral, Bellas Artes (kinda like the Mexico City Center for Performing Arts), and maybe the Nat'l Institute of Anthropology and History. we'd eat at our favorite place, Cafe El Reloj, and do some shopping at the San Juan Market for some jewelry or at Ciudadela for everything else.

and that's just the first day ;)

the second day would probably be spent up at Teotihuacan, about an hour north of the city. it was once a huge city that had 200 thousand people about 1800 years ago. the world's third largest pyramid, The Temple of the Sun, lies smack dab in the ruins. it's about 200' high and 750' along the sides...imagine a pyramid that covers roughly the area of fifteen football fields.

maybe a half day up there and the other half in the southern part of Mexico City, namely the Coyoacan and San Angel neighborhoods. these are more affluent environs where it's quieter and really laid back. we could go to the Frida Kahlo Museum and maybe the Trotsky Museum, where you can see the room in which he was murdered with an icepick to the neck.

ooo...gruesome. of course, still not as scary as Frida Kahlo's trolley/bus accident that she was in when she was 18...and she lived. we're talking about a post that slammed into her, leaving her with a broken spine, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, and 11 fractures in her right leg. In addition, her right foot was dislocated and crushed. and the post? it entered through her side and came out of her vagi..

yeah. tell me that don't hurt. wouldn't you wish for death?

luckily, accident aside, we'd check out the beautiful house that she shared with her ever cheating husband, Diego Rivera. it's definitely a great place to escape the noise and pollution of downtown Mexico City.

the third day? hmmm. good question. i'll get back to you.

soon. i promise.

grill pic

here it is...the survivor of Monday's Great Grill Caper

recent news...

went to the retinal specialist yesterday and he was quite happy with the progress of the eye. when i first went to see him at the end of May, i couldn't even see two fingers in front of my face, let alone the big 'E' on the wall. and with my eye test yesterday, i could even make out the letters on the 20/40 line...even though it's harder to see in lower light conditions.

so...it is getting better...just not as fast as i want it to happen ;)

this coming monday (25th), i have one last visit with the corneal specialist before he leaves his practice; i don't know if he's moving or retiring. anyway, he's been really cool because he knows i'm uninsured and has been billing me the medicaid rate, which is about 40% less. if i continue to go to his office (w/ the replacement ophthamologist) i hope the rate won't change. if that doesn't happen, i guess i'll make the retinal specialist my ophthamologist. i like his upbeat attitude and enthusiasm. i was glad when he offered to take me on as a regular patient yesterday; it kinda took a load off my shoulders.

and since we're on the subject of yesterday, i'll let you in on our new grill caper. ya see we went to Home Depot on saturday to check out their grills. prior to the eye problems, we had considered a couple grills at Target. there were a couple really nice Brinkmann and Thermos (which is what we have) that were sturdy and affordable - $179 - $259. unfortunately, if you didn't get them by the end of june, you were out of luck. seems that they only have them in stock till the 3rd of July...yet keep them out on display even through the end of the month. makes a ton o' sense, eh?

so we found a Char Broil grill at the Depot for $199...w/ free assembly! nothing like putting something together yerself and totally screwing it up. all we had to do was go last night and pick the thing up.

i know the moon isn't quite full, but we sure had full moon happenings. it all started with trying to claim it. we saw it in front of the service desk, with someone else's name on it...and ours on a cheaper model. no problem. the guy just tore off both labels and we were on our merry way.

not so.

we recruited my brother-in-law to help us with it. he has a truck and is stronger than me. that's where we went wrong...asking him. he had brought along his best friend because we were all gonna go to Rack 'Em and shoot a little pool/snooker. his friend had cracked the right side of the plastic counter part as he lifted it into the bed of the truck. and instead of apologizing, he agonized and strode off a couple yards and lit up a cig. hello?!? ya just fucked up our grill. you could at least apologize...nut!

no problem. lois and in-law take it back in and actually get them to build us another. in-law comes back out and says that he'll help us get in a couple days, when it's finished...and leaves with friend...who doesn't even feel sheepish. we're supposed to meet at the pool hall when i drop off lois.

well, i'm waiting out there on the bench when lois comes out and asks if they've gone. yeah. turns out that they weren't going to build another. rather, they were willing to give us a display model, which was even better...if we had the truck. okay...right before we were gonna claim it, i noticed that the ignition switch was missing from the model. no go. so we just asked the guy if we could take the good counter piece off the display and replace the cracked one on our model. done.

i thought about making the guys come back and help us with it, but we were pretty much at the 'fuck it all' point and just rented one of Home Depot's big trucks instead for $20. at first, the guy who was renting it to us was a bit leery because of the time constraint - they were closing in an hour - and wondering if little 'ol lois could drive the thing. we neglected to tell him that both of us weren't quite 100% with our vision...heh. he smiled when lois told him that she had worked for a major construction company for many years and can drive a flatbed ;)

it took us about 30 minutes total to load it, take it and take out some good brush in the alley (since we drive tiny hondas) before rolling it into the backyard, and return the truck. by the time we got home, it was 10:00 and i was still seething a bit at the guys. i always have given my bro-in-law the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his strange ADD/ADHD ways. i know that he's a really good guy...but he self-medicates...and doesn't always follow through (which is Lois' worst pet peeve). but he messed up yesterday! the plan was to pick me up at 6:15 so we could get it...NOT call me numerous times to say you're running late and to eventually just ask me to meet you at Home Depot at 8:00, with goony friend in tow. had we known that, why would we go to the trouble of asking you to help us? we coulda had the damn grill in the house long before 7:00...sheeyit.

so, i was itching to go to the pool hall and stomp their asses in straight, 8-ball, 9-ball, cutthroat, snooker - you name it. i was a bit steamed to say the least. wouldn't ya know it...they weren't there when i showed...no messages on my phone either.

i hope he shows up today to pick it up...what dumbshits.

oh yeah, i wonder if there are no coincidences because as we were leaving (after dropping off the rental), we were approached by a lady who needed something. usually, that's a sign of a panhandler who is stranded in our case (i swear, you wouldn't believe how many times that has happened to us in parking lots at gas stations, major department stores, malls...it's like we have some huge neon 'sucker' sign on our foreheads). for once, that wasn't the case. this lady needed a jump and had cables - we were happy to oblige. for all we know, had not all that grill fiasco come together, that lady might still be at Home Depot on Colorado Blvd. ;)

ya think?

bits and pieces...

okay you guys, i decided to do a more complete update on the past month. however, i've gone back to certain dates and put up a post. so the majority of the posts will be right after June 12th.

finally...

a pic of my nephew, Christian, born on 5/19. isn't he the cutest? all he does is eat, sleep, poop, and cry - good for him! more to come...

it's...

a BBQ joint!?!

the Birchmere (where Swing Out Sister is playing) is a freakin' BBQ joint! they're all strict when you walk in...check yer bags...confiscate your bottle of water...no standing or dancing...and the place turns out to be all row tables with red and white checkered tablecloths - weird. they may as well have played at Trail Dust Steakhouse.

the concert, strange settings and all, was quite good. the band was comprised of six people: Corrine (lead singer), Dee and Sylvia (background singers), Tim (guitarist), Juneroy (bassist), and Myke (drummer). they came out and performed sixteen songs over a span of 95 minutes. their concert ended at approximately 10:05 and we waited a good 30 minutes for our taxi, which wasn't even ours. it really was for these two guys on the bench, just outside the doors. lucky for us, they agreed to share their taxi since we were both headed for the Pentagon City metro stop. thank you guys from Atlanta...

now, while Swing Out Sister was great (as usual). the opening act was not. her name was KinneyStarr, a canadian performer who would have seemed more at home in a cafe that was sponsoring a poetry slam night. her act...songwriting...guitar playing...needs some polish. but hey, i'm sure that SOS likes to support the up-and-coming (if that's what you wanna call her) artists. and that's a good thing. after all, it's not easy getting up there to perform yer stuff in front of 500 people. just think how the Jimi Hendrix Experience was soundly booed when they opened for the Monkees on their first tour. and what about Prince opening for the RollingStones in the early 80's? you gotta start somewhere...

out and about...

today, we spent walking along the National Mall, a two mile stretch that starts with the Lincoln Monument on the west end and ends at the Capitol Building at the east.

although we didn't quite have enough time to see everything, we were still able to catch the WWII Monument and the Washington Monument (even though we didn't go up; tix usually are gone by mid-morning). oddly, we didn't go into any of the Smithsonian buildings or Nat'l Air/Space Museum - both are so impressive.

The WWII Monument was a new one for me. unfortunately, we weren't able to really enjoy the structure and its architectural nuances because my eye was killing me. initially, i thought i'd be okay with the 'vision impaired' sun shades that i had brought. ha! you have to remember that my left pupil has been constantly dilated since the end of May. so...to avoid brain-splitting headaches from the sunlight, i had to have a visor, clip-on shades, AND the sun shades just so i could enjoy the sights with few complications.

anyway, the monument is quite impressive. unlike the Vietnam War Memorial, which is emotionally striking but a long wall with the names of the 58000+ casualties, the WWII is a beautiful central fountain surrounded by fifty six granite pillars that (along with the fountain's reflection) are almost blinding in the afternoon sun. i think seeing this monument affected me more than seeing the Vietnam Memorial in 1987 because my father fought in Europe in 1944-45.

we didn't see the Korean War Memorial, which was a bit further down. i wish we would have gone though; i wonder what Lois' reaction would have been. when i first saw it in '97, it spooked me. just looking at the bronze soldiers, so life-like, returning from what looks like reconaissance, almost puts you there without the sound of war - too surreal.

after suffering through the all too bright sunlight and reflection from the fountain, we headed towards the White House...which is too blocked off for a good view. feh.

we ended up in a *$$ just NE of it and got some major brain freeze from that yummy frappucino we shared. after hiding out for an hour, we decided to feed our tummies and took the metro to a Thai restaurant not far from the Capitol building.

mmm...Thai food. whenever we travel in the U.S., we always try to seek out a Thai restaurant in each metropolitan city. this place was a teeny narrow place with fewer than 15 tables. it was so great to get out of the prohibitive heat and humidity, into a cool refuge with spicy food. the a/c stops yer sweat, but the food starts it up again...cooling you off starting off with yer forehead, now dripping with beads of sweat. ain't life grand?

hot...hot

D.C. is a great place to visit...so many places to visit...countless ethnic cuisines...provided you can withstand the heat.

i think the next time i come, it'll be in april or october.

it is just so hot outside. we got off the plane around 6:00 and are sweating it out in our pants. i know we probably should've worn shorts but we did get on the plane early this morning and sometimes those planes can be downright cold.

we had a couple hours for our layover in Milwaukee. had some pizza and breadsticks at the Pizza Hut on the concourse and waited it out in the adjoining bar, armed with this month's Discovery magazine...which was really cool. there was an article about one of the nation's foremost mycologists. it basically outlined his mere existence as the 'top mushroom' guy. you'd think that his life was just teeny slivers of mushrooms on a slide, under a microscope. really though, it isn't. he gets many calls a year from hospitals, asking for advice on patients who have come in, sick from a mushroom he/she probably shouldn't have toyed with in the first place.

i love mushrooms. i once bought a book on 'em during a survey in the mountains. we were coming across so many specimens in open fields, under foliage, in fallen tree trunks. i wanted to know what they were and if they were edible. unfortunately, this book was perhaps too vast in its mycological analysis; i should've looked for a Colorado mushroom book ;) it was too daunting to collect some, look through the book, and find out that the mushroom was either very tasty with a bit of oil and garlic or it was deadly poisonous. there are many lookalike mushrooms that can only be singled out with a spore print of the gills. and sometimes the difference between palatable and sick to yer stomach is a dark residue or white residue. and who has time to deal with that?

so...i stick to store bought mushrooms. one of these days though...

anyway, it's hot here in the nation's capital.

as i mentioned, we're staying at the Channel Inn, which is right off the Washington Channel, not far from the Potomac River. the room is pretty average...nothing that you couldn't get at a Super 8 or Motel 6. the only plus is that we get a balcony and a view of the boats on the pier, as the super sweaty walkers/joggers pass by on the parallel sidewalk.

one thing that this hotel may lack though, is a proximity to places to eat. the hotel restaurant, Pier 7 specializes in seafood, but other than that and a seafood buffet up the street, there ain't much. we did make our way to a 'Margaritaville-type' place on the water and had mediocre food, but a great view of the channel and the spectacular views of the lightning across the water, towards the landing planes at Reagan National.

tomorrow, we head to the National Mall for some sightseeing and maybe lunch at a Thai restaurant before the concert. tonight, though, we're gonna hang out in the room, watch some telly, and crank up the A/C.

a good time...

was had today - twice.

met cindi for some *$$ before she headed for the last show at Shwayder. although the visit was only a scant half hour, we crammed in some good conversation and laughs. i sure like that lady...she is SUCH a keeper.

a few hours later, our friends, bob and wanda, came to the house to take us up to arn & helena's gathering in Longmont. we weren't sure about the weather, but we brought camp chairs anyway. good thing because after a quick shower before we left, there was nary a hint of rain afterwards. what luck! the chairs came in good use even if we ended up eating our dinner on the steps of their hot tub ;) i think of the 40-50 people there, only about 20 brought chairs...so they were strapped in getting enough people sat in their backyard...which is SO beautiful. i think they have a 1/4 acre...filled with trees, flowers, shrubs, two grassy knolls, and that 9 person hot tub. i guess they're leaving this little eden for an argentine one.

it's going to be a bit sad without arn & helena. we met them through a network group for anthropologists about ten years ago. and of the original 35 members, i think our core group of four couples have stayed tight knit (mainly because three of the women went to grad school together) and have gatherings at least twice a year. it's just not gonna be the same without those two...on the upside though, it's a great excuse to go to Argentina!!!

should be going to bed soon. our flight leaves at 9:25...and we need to be there probably by 8:30 at the latest. luckily, i've already checked in online and we may just have carry on luggage. so really, we just have to go through the line and pray for no delays. one piece of news that i found a wee bit discouraging though was that our flight (#2905) was cancelled this morning due to maintenance. i'm sure we'll have a different plane but...

i just wanna get there - no hassles. yeah.

now, if i could just figure out what clothes i wanna take...it's supposed to be in the low 90's for the first three days and about 80 degrees the day we leave. i hope i can find some really lightweight pants that still fit my porky ass ;)

see ya!

wired...

i swear, prednisone makes you downright irritable. for me, it's like being on meth...geez. i'm wanting to go and talk 1000 mph.

today was pretty busy. got the haircut that i sorely needed. although it's a bit short, at least it'll grow back. it's funny, the last two times my stylist has cut my hair, she parted it down the middle. ummm. you've been cutting my hair for about three years and you know i part it on the side, right?

we talk and laugh and she then wants to spike my hair, saying that it's all the rage w/ asians. sorry, not me. twenty years ago i used to do that because...it was all the rage. i'm not mr. retro and i don't want to be spencer the rock star. ugh.

ah well.

anyway...

it was go to the store day too. susie is gonna come over and watch the ol' fat dog for the three days we'll be gone. it should be a nice respite for her and the baby. their place is so crammed with baby shower stuff that you almost can't breathe ;) you say that you only have 500 diapers left?

so...we got groceries for them (Andy too). isn't it hilarious how you need a few things and end up getting a week's worth of food instead? $94?!? but we just came in for some coffee...

the second stop was the Entenmann's outlet (well, now Bimbo's) for bird bread. talk about going on a binge. seventy-five cent loaves of rye...half price boxes of donuts...free items. i think we got 15 items for $12, about a quarter of the price than the supermarket. why spend $2.49 or $3.29 for Oroweat breads when you can get 'em for $1.49 at the outlet?

our final stop was the liquor store. we wanted to find a special bottle of wine (or two) for a going away party tomorrow. our friends, Arn and Helena, have sold their Longmont house and are going to travel the U.S. and Holland (Helena's homeland) from July to October, before moving into their new plantation/orchard/winery in Argentina.

i...so...hate...them ;)

well, just a bit of jealousy. for the past few years, they'd been thinking of leaving it all behind. they just figured that all their hard earned money over the years may stretch further in another country. initially, they were considering New Zealand or Panamá, but they settled on a beautiful bodega in the Mendoza wine growing region of NW Argentina.

sure, the place is gonna need some TLC, but they're just the right people to do this. you should see the garden/landscaping/construction job that they did at their old house in a few short years. we're hoping to visit them late next year and check in on their progress.

back to the liquor though. we settled on five bottles (ha!)...we'll be taking an Albariño. it's a white wine from Spain that i'd just found about last month. it's the primary grape used to make dry white wine in Galacia (NW region of Spain). supposedly, it's the premier Spanish white wine. lois'll like it because it has many Riesling qualities (i.e., fruity, sometimes with a hint of floral).

hopefully, it was a good choice. after all, it cost $13!!! not much when it comes to wine, but we rarely drop more than $11-$12 on a bottle because there are so many great ones for $6-$9. and really, i'm no oenophile. i know what i like and frankly, a $50+ bottle of wine would just be wasted on me. unless, that is, you're buying...then, and only then, could i fully appreciate it in a "Sideways" manner ;) but without all the melodrama and condescension.

suffice to say, all that shoppin' pooped us out. so what the hell am i doing up at 2:19AM? flying on prednisone and coffee. i'm wondering if i should take my chinese herbs too that my acupuncturist concocted for me yesterday. although i don't speak mandarin, i heard her mention 'ma huang' when she was instructing her husband on someone's herbal mix. if that was mine, then taking the herbs will turn on the jitters because 'ma huang' is essentially ephedra...whoo hoo!

so nighty night just might not happen...drool

getting closer...

to our trip.

as i may have mentioned in a couple posts, lois and i are going to the nation's capital for three nights on the 13th. she's never been there and it has been about eight years since i was there last.

it's funny that the main reason for the trip is not for the monuments/museums/national zoo.

no.

we're actually going because my favorite group, Swing Out Sister, is playing at a club in nearby Alexandria, VA. i've been such a fiend for their music since the first time i saw one of their videos (Waiting Game) on VH1...in 1989. unfortunately, in the past 20 years, SOS (as they're affectionately abbreviated) has toured the states twice (in '94 and '97) AND only in a handful of cities.

lois and i did catch their last american tour about eight years ago in San Fran, when they were supporting their release of Shapes and Patterns. that show was magical. it was just after my 27th b-day, at a place called Bimbo's 365. the place was jam packed. we grabbed a teeny table in the back and ended up leaving it for the dance floor. while we were in town, we got to eat some of our favorite cuisines, Burmese and Afghani. ever had either? Burmese food is kinda like Thai with chinese and indian influences. unfortunately, there are no Burmese restaurants in Colorado. as for Afghani food, it's middle eastern with some Persian (iran) and indian thrown in. think slightly sweet (persian) with stewy (indian). there is one Afghani restaurant in the metro area, Kabob House (in Aurora). it's not as good as Helmand in SF, but it's 1300 miles closer ;)

now, on this trip, we're gonna see SOS for my 35th b-day and eat ethnic. Along with NYC, Chicago, and San Fran, DC is one of the best cities to cure almost any ethnic food craving. just hanging out in the Adams Morgan district will do the trick. who needs to go to Georgetown/Foggy Bottom? there's good cheap ethnic in that area BUT the majority of the embassy houses lie in Adams Morgan. where else can you walk a block and see thai, ethiopian, lebanese, (el) salvadoran, spanish, italian, argentine, cuban...u name it. supposedly, there are cambodian and azerbaijani places too; something i'll have to investigate.

we even changed our accomodations on a whim. originally, we had reservations at the stinky ol' Econolodge in Arlington (near the Pentagon). good because of its proximity to the Birchmere (where SOS is playing)...and the free airport shuttle...and the continental bkfst. (read: sugar donuts and shitty machine dispensed 'juice')...and the shuttle to the Pentagon Metro station. $95/night. sometimes ya gotta pay for convenience...

nah.

we changed our minds and ended up reserving a room at the Channel Inn instead. closer to the main attractions, view of the Potomac instead of the highway, and we won't have to worry about scheduling our shuttle to get to a metro stop since there's a stop a few blocks away. okay...no airport shuttle...no stale donut or carcinogenic juice...and $139/night. sometimes ya gotta pay for comfort ;)

and dammit, it's gonna be my birfday. with all the crap going on with the uveitis, i deserve some stress free sumpin'!

ahhh, it's nice to finally pointlessly rant again. it has been so long since my blog had ANY content...

not all...

is bad though.

tuesday night was a lot of fun. our good friend, Cindy, and Susie came by. of course, susie was armed with her adorable son, Christian. lois and cindy just oohed and aahed all night.

we just hung out...had a couple drinks...ordered chinese take out.

good little babies seem to make everything all better sometimes.

stay tuned for pics...

she gonna be mad...

tonight, we were supposed to catch Iolanthe at the Shwayder. you remember...Cindi and her bfg's show. in fact, lois' friend, Carol (who is also in the show), had set aside two tix for us.

well...

we didn't make it. i hate to say it, but we only have two good eyes between us. my left one is jacked and lois' right one still has oil from the retinal reattachment AND a slipped lens (which will be fixed when the oil comes out in ONE more operation - making it four). i think if we were to drive back after the show, we'd have one ourselves. the spectacle of us driving/navigating at night would be like a cross-eyed 90 year-old who needs to get to the nearest bathroom. fu-un.

so...sorry we weren't able to make the show Cindi. i hope we can do something soon.

did i mention...

that this freaking ailment is getting expensive?!? granted, i won't have to contend with an operation that would run in the thousands, but still... it adds up.

lessee here...

visit to optometrist $149
two visits to corneal specialist $173
two upcoming visits $126
generic pred forte eye drops $44 (15 ml.)
atropine to dilate pupils $14 (5 ml.)
medro steroid pack $17 (21 pills)
prednisone prescrip. $16 (at least there's 100 tabs)

and the kicker...

blood drawn for 7 separate diagnostic tests $442...gee, i didn't know that two ounces of my blood were worth so much.

i swear, if i see one of those 'priceless' mastercard commercials, it'll cost even more because the TV will have my foot through it.

fuck...it...all

okay, i feel better now.

btw, i've blown $981 so far. it'd be more if the generous eye tech at the office didn't slip me 'real' pred forte sample bottles, which saves me $77 a pop!!!

god, i gotta get a job with benefits. i'm getting too old to pay this kinda shit.

but hey, it IS my eye; i think my vision is worth way more than my $221/oz. blood.

oh yeah, after getting stuck twice on my right arm (thankfully no bruising), i have come to find out that my best blood drawing vein is, in fact, my left hand - IT CRANKS IT OUT.

"Houston, we have a gusher."

he's on the juice...

yep. BALCO may just come after me with this confession. i have willingly used steroids the past week...and may remain on them for a few more.

about two and a half weeks ago, i experienced some fuzziness in my vision - like looking through a piece of artist's tracing paper. it was weird. other than shitty vision in the first place, i'd never had this weird sensation; it scared me.

at first, i attributed my sudden deterioration in vision to abuse of my soft contact lenses. after 18 years of wearing them, i was bound to fuck up and neglect 'em. yeah, real bright, eh? so i vainly tried to baby my eyes, making sure they were well irrigated and free from any foreign objects/deposits/etc.

and after a week, my vision was improving and clearing up.

that is, until the saturday before memorial day. something happened that night to cause the fogginess to pretty much triple. instead of looking through tracing paper, it was like looking through wax paper - yikes.

of course, i finally wised up and saw my optometrist this past tuesday. i didn't 'see the light' though, because i probably should have gone and seen him RIGHT when it happened.

the initial diagnosis? a massive detached retina. yeah...i was totally scared shitless because lois is still recovering from her three retinal surgeries that she endured in february. in fact, she won't know if she's in the clear until late June. i was so stunned that i didn't break down until we got in the car to see a retinal specialist. i wondered why he kept asking me about a head injury in the past two weeks.

when we arrived at the retinal specialist, his assistant was getting me a slot for surgery the next day. that five minutes seemed like an eternity, we just sat there in a stupor. got the paperwork done...the examination...and the next day's plan. even though i was terrified, having taken lois to her three surgeries prepared me for what was looming. my main problem was how i was going to cope if i had a non-repairable ruptured retina.

during the evaluation with the doctor, i was tense but trying to stay positive without cracking. i guess it's like shitting yer pants and trying not to notice the smell...

anyway, his diagnosis was much more comforting. with the ultrasound, he showed me that my retina was completely fine. however, he called my condition a 'rip roaring' inflammation. in fact, i have 'uveitis.' basically, my entire eye is swollen. luckily, the mis-diagnosis of the detached retina gave way to canceling the eye surgery...whew. still, uveitis is not something to be taken lightly; supposedly it's the third leading cause of blindness - great.

anyway, the retinal specialist prescribed some drops and referred me to a corneal specialist, who sees more cases like mine. i've already seen him (only in my right eye - ha!) twice and have at least two more visits.

so...my days have been filled with Pred Forte, which are an ophthamic steroid drops, applied every hour i'm awake during the day...Atropine, a pupil dilator...and now Prednisone, an oral steroid which is supposed to relieve the interior eye cloudiness. sigh.

it really sucks to be completely dilated in the left eye for the entire day...every day. my brain still wants the eye to focus and the pupil to contract when it encounters bright light; driving is such an adventure.

later this week, i'm supposed to get some tests that the doc recommended. they include: chest x-rays (for possible TB), a sacroiliac x-ray (for ankylosing spondylitis), six blood tests, and a skin test. it's hard not to be discouraged...and i haven't even gotten the damn tests yet!

ah well. perhaps it was time for something 'exciting' to happen in my life. i guess almost getting abducted in Mexico...or a spider bite that affected me for 10+ years...or the hundreds of mosquito and sand flea bites...or the mummy dust that will just make you barf...or the labyrinthitis that put me down for almost three months, were mere spit in the ocean compared to this eye affliction.

it's funny because all those tests will probably come up negative. what really sticks in my mind though is the reappearing of the phrase "autoimmune disease." sure, i don't have AIDS, but i never thought of those damn bites when i got 'em. i'm just wondering if my body chemistry got all whacked out between 1991 and 2001, when i was out of the country a total of 18 times...

god, i'm truly scared about the outcome. vision is probably the most important sense to have. you never appreciate what you have until it's gone...sigh. i want to be so positive but the uncertainty of permanent vision loss lurks in the shadows, like some pernicious joke.

no self-pity here...i'm just anxious and scared...and i guess i just need to get this off my chest. let's hope this little posting is that cathartic purge that will get that crap outta my left eye...

isn't it crazy though? all i wanted to hear the optometrist say was, "Don't wear your contacts for a month and take better care of them." HA-FUCKIN'-HA!

don't worry though, there'll be more promising news in my next post :) even if i hafta lie...

kewl...

stolen from cindi

spencer is the #384 most common male name.
0.03% of men in the US are named spencer.
Around 36750 US men are named spencer!

and

lois is the #91 most common female name.
0.22% of females in the US are named lois.
Around 280500 US females are named lois!

sounds like rain...

and my car windows are WIDE open! wish i could do something about the hole in my head...

it's like driving down Havana...

yesterday, we were heading north on Havana, just past Buckingham Square, when i had a flashback (sorry, not drug related). it was about dusk...we passed the massive flag in front of the car dealership near Exposition.

Thawin Kittikunsereekam

huh?

when i was in middle school, Vinh Nguyen was the king of the table tennis courts. this little vietnamese kid just smoked his opponents with his swift reactions and deft flicks of the wrist.

until one day...

a new kid with an unpronounceable name ravaged poor Vinh in his once unpenetratable territory. all we knew was that he stomped the sheeyit outta him...beating him by at least ten points in every set.

who was this new guy?

a week later, while in science class, someone came to the room, looking for a cantonese speaker. well, who do ya think they picked? yep.

apparently, they needed someone to translate in the office for a new kid and his classes/abilities. now, my cantonese is not the best, but it was either me or Lisa, who was mixed and even less fluent.

we walk into Mr. Dreith's office and lo and behold, it's the vinh-dicator. he was about my height and with scrawniness to match. who was this david? did he have a sling with that ping pong paddle?

to be honest with ya, vinh was a head shorter than both of us. i just prefer the sarcastic metaphor ;)

well, i found out that the kid with the unpronounceable name was actually Chinese, but raised in thailand. his name was Thawin (tah-win) and he had a freaky sixteen letter last name - Kittikunsereekam. he was here to attend 8th grade and was living with his uncle...on Galena...just northwest of Buckingham Mall.

fast forward to 1987. Thawin and I were just finishing off our junior year in high school. And before every Calculus study session, we'd head to my house and held the ping pong challenge.

unfortunately, i was a mere mortal to this table tennis juggernaut. even with a ten point advantage, i beat him once out of the dozens of times we played. good thing i still could stomp him in chess...or English (hey, no fair...so what if i was born here).

for some odd reason, i have an image burnt in my mind of walking down Havana at sunset, towards the King Soopers. it was one of the few times i ever studied at his house...but it remains vivid, even after 18 years.

so anytime i pass the huge flag in front of the car dealership near the intersection of Havana and Exposition, i think of Thawin. and if i ever pass it at dusk, the exact 1987 image pops into my head.

funny how the mind works whenever you don't need it (to)...

anyway, after high school, we kept in touch. i went to archaeology and he went to mechanical engineering. in 1994, Thawin returned to his little corner in Hat Yai, Thailand...and i haven't seen him since. other than some emails and a couple xmas cards and photos, i only know that he's married and has a kid and another on the way.

just last week, i reestablished contact with him (after a few years of non-contact). and guess what popped into my head the moment i opened his email? uh-huh...huge flag, Havana traffic, and the oncoming May dusk.

now, if i could figure out some sort of Pavlovian process to make me blog...i could probably market it. as long as it doesn't taste like chinese herbal medicine ;)

yucky...

as of late, i've been abusing my contact lens use. yep. nothing like poor upkeep to tempt bacteria and other goodies into my eyes.

last tuesday, i noticed a bit of redness in my left eye and took it as a sign to take out my contacts...and leave 'em out for a bit. well, over the course of three or four days, my eye reddened and subsided...and my vision worsened to the point of a weird blindness - liken it to looking through a piece of wax paper. NOT GOOD.

after getting a hold of some antibiotic eye drops i obtained from the opthamologist, i made an appointment with my acupuncturist. after suffering through a bout of labyrinthitis in 1996, i've always made a point to consult my acupuncturist when western medicine didn't help. and the pills they gave me only worked for two days...

so...i was a human pin cushion on my left side this afternoon. a couple needles in my foot...a few in my arm...three in my neck...and two in my eyebrow. that's not the yucky part though.

nope.

the yucky part is the powdered herbs that i'm supposed to dissolve in two oz. of water, twice a day. ewww. never pleasant tasting, but always effective.

ya see, puttin' needles in ya and drinking foul tasting herbs usually go hand in hand when it comes to chinese medicine. the needles start the healing process and the herbs accelerates it. now, both aren't always necessary, but this time it was.

so i get another dose tonight and maybe eight more after that. oh joy.

happy drinkin'

...GAG!

time...

just gets away from ya when you don't feel like blogging. alas, the blogging police (aka, CB) is out in force. but hey, we can't all be going to her place; i'll try to do my part...really!

and to what was the above alluding? not a damn thing, just a ramble.

big news! my sister, Susie, gave birth to her first child last thursday. Christian Albert Richard Downs came into the world on 5/19/05 at 5:19(!) PM via c-section. poor thing. his head got stuck in her pelvic bone, so that was the only option.

7 lbs. 4.8 oz.

20"

cute as a button. just downright adorable. haven't loaded any pics yet...but will do so soon.

anyway, sis is getting out of the hospital today. it was supposed to be yesterday but Christian had a bit o' jaundice and dehydration, so the homecoming will be around 6:00.

eight days already?

time to get off my lazy blogging ass and catch up some, eh?

well, the baby shower that susie's co-workers held was a small affair - 15 people. still, she freakin' cleaned up. all kinds of clothes, especially socks. that boy must've gotten three or four dozen pairs... the family/friends shower is saturday. we'll see what kind of goods she'll hoard then ;)

been going out again. i'm really in a funk about cooking dinner. i've got great ideas and am usually an excellent improviser, but it's just the action of cooking; neither of us has felt like it.

last thursday, we drove on over to our fave Mexican restaurant, which has relocated to the same area as Pat's (Cindi's favorite philly steak joint), only to find that the renovations still hadn't been completed. sigh. to go two months without the #9 combination at La Cocina de Marcos is unjust.

tired of all the places around there, i decided that we were gonna try a new place that had recently been reviewed in the Denver Post. it's a teeny little place that sits a half block from my ol' high school, in a really short strip mall just off of Leetsdale and Monaco.

Italian.

it's called Nonna's Bistro...and it's a keeper. lois had penne with spicy sausage and i had the asparagus ravioli...mmm-good. one of the best touches was serving a freshly baked mini loaf of bread, steaming hot with a side of marinara for dipping. good coffee too. we'll hafta go back soon to sample the rest of the menu.

really though, it wasn't the food that was most memorable. nope. it was something that happened towards the end of our meal.

a couple walked in and was given the choice of a corner booth in the back or the first booth near the window. they chose the latter, probably to catch the beginning of the sunset.

about fifteen minutes later, while we were finishing our dessert and coffee, there was a thunderous crash in the back...like someone had dropped a massive tub of dishes. turns out that a TV positioned in the corner, too heavy and not stabilized enough for the surrounding drywall, tore out of the wall and onto the table and booth below - where those two people luckily didn't sit.

yep. that 13" TV could have easily bludgeoned someone or at least caused permanent spinal damage. geez. either those people needed to buy a lotto ticket for their fortunate choice, or the owner because an incident like that would surely have put them out of business and into the throes of bankruptcy.

i may think twice before sitting under a TV in a restaurant again. whew.

and more going out...

went to a new buffet near Cinderella City for Mother's Day. this place, Int'l Buffet, was advertising half off for mothers in parties of four or more - we just had to go. two mothers (my mom and eldest sister) and an expectant one made for some discountin' heh. unfortunately, they still charged susie full price, even though she's as big as a house. i guess she should consider herself lucky that they didn't charge for two people, eh?

as chinese buffets go, the food was generally good. there's a new wave of restauranteurs who are starting chinese buffets with offerings of crab legs, sushi, and even mongolian bbq or dim sum in addition to the usual offerings of sesame chicken, lo mein, broccoli beef, crab cheese wontons, and hot and sour soup.

still though...what was international about it? other than the clientele... the buffet was asian, not international. but hey, whaddaya want for $8.99?!?

tuesday was Chipotle. we stopped into the Tiffany Plaza one before catching 'The Aviator' at the cheapies. remind me to never get chips and guac (at Chipotle) again. they lime and salt them...which would be okay if they didn't use huge almost rock-like salt. i could've thawed the snow off of a driveway with a basket of their chips. weird.

of course, this is coming from a person who opted for a $1 hot dog at the cheapies. how scary is that? it's really sad how much i have a penchant for an occasional hot dog. i'll even make sure i have one on every trip to mexico from a sidewalk vendor. for about twenty cents, at least you know you're gonna get a hot dog with bacon, mayo, and chile. at the cheapies, you get a hot bun with a steaming WTF?!? when you bite into it. the flavor is so...alien.

god, i shoulda forked over the extra $1.50 for the raisinets...

The Aviator was quite good. after having seen three of the best actor nominees - we have yet to see million $ baby and hotel rwanda - i feel that jamie foxx wasn't as good as Leonardo di Caprio or even Johnny Depp (in Finding Neverland). DiCaprio was over the top as Howard Hughes. and Cate Blanchett? she totally nailed Kathryn Hepburn's accent! wow.

perhaps we can catch Million $ Baby this weekend... and hotel rwanda? just rented it from McD's.

speaking of McD movie rentals, we did get a few during their free rental code promo. we got to see 'Sideways' 'Lemony Snicket' 'Closer' 'House of Flying Daggers' and 'Ocean's 12'. i wonder what's coming out next...

what about you guys? and Cindi, what movies did you pull out of the box that i lent ya? are you hating them all yet?

at 4:30...

i'll be taking my mom to susie's workplace for her baby shower. just three more weeks (until the due date). who knows when baby Christian will run out of air and want out.

last night, lois and i spent an aggravating 45 minutes at Target, looking for baby registry items that were simply not in stock. i think the first eight or nine items that we were considering buying...were purely imaginary. and was there anyone there to help us?!? HAH!

ah well. we did manage to find six items that filled two bags nicely though. i'm thinking that we should just get some of the original items online for the friends/family baby shower in a couple weeks.

bidding...

been looking for cheapo ink cartridges for my printer on eBay. i figure i should be able to find some for around $7 (incl. shipping). i just refuse to purchase them for $25-$30 each anymore. i know i could also go to the hassle of using refill kits, which i used to do for my old printer. you know what though? they ain't that convenient and there are other problems like leaks and smudges...no thanks!

mebbe it's time to get a lower end laser printer; i just don't print that much with color. we'll see...

ugh...

my back has been killing me. although the pain hasn't been debilitating enough to keep me from sleeping, it sure sucks to try to get out of bed every morning. guess it's high time to see the chiropractor for an adjustment...

aside from the spinal aggravation, it has been a good week. lois' b-day was on monday and she totally cleaned up ;) we had dinner at the new asian latin fusion restaurant, Zengo, which is located in the riverfront area of downtown. man, that area is really coming along. what was once just railroad tracks, is becoming the new star in downtown development. maybe we'll start hanging out there some this summer; a walk at sundown would be stunning, i think.

double yay!

finally did my taxes... it looks like my refund will be about enough for a trip to see our friend, Yani, in Cancún for a week in August. aside from the heat and humidity, it'll be a good time. it has been much too long since we've been back to Mexico (Spring 2003). lois and i were longing for our favorite cafes in Mexico City (El Reloj and El Popular), the best tacos in the country (Rincón Brujo in Villahermosa), and our dessert/coffee hangout in Mérida (Cafetería Impala). we must get away...pure and simple! it's just too bad that Cancún is so far away from the first two cities - 24 hours and 12 hours by bus, respectively. ah well, mebbe we'll be able to sneak in a flan napolitano and a couple coffees in Mérida...only about 4-5 hours west of Cancún. and yeah, it's totally worth it.

yay!

just got three months worth of Men's Journal in the mail recently. a couple years ago, i let the subscription lapse, when i should have continued it and quit Volleyball Magazine instead. besides, it's cheaper anyway ;)

over the past couple of years, i've reached a point in my life where some simplification has become more desirable. and magazine subscriptions were just starting to take up more and more space. really, goodwill et al. could (and has) benefitted from donations of:

Volleyball Mag (15 years worth)
Consumer Reports (10 years)
Popular Photography (6)
Archaeology (5)
National Geo. (8)
Entertainment Weekly (6)
Reader's Digest (ugh...two years of the worst drivel)
Budget Travel (8)
Men's Journal (4)

so i guess i've decided to stick to the last two magazines for now...

more movies...

just looked at the cheapies and there's nothing that we wanna see. so, maybe we'll make a night of it and catch a first run instead. mebbe 'The Upside of Anger' or 'Millions'. i dunno. it'll just be good if we catch the movie tonight or tomorrow. if that winter storm does come in, i know we won't want to go out at all...

cindi invited me last minute yesterday to a sneak of the new DrewBarrymore and Jimmy Fallon movie, 'Fever Pitch.' although i had to turn it down, we'll keep it in mind. we've always liked miss barrymore; she was so good in 'Ever After.'

well, i guess i'd better get dinner started. we went to Sunflower Market and loaded up on the veggies on wednesday night, after a week of going out. sometimes ya gotta be good and cook for once, eh? besides, how many times have we all let great veggies DIE in our fridges?

so what's on the menu? some beef ribs...cauliflower...orange bell peppers...guatemalan canteloupe (hey, it was 25 cents! not extremely sweet, but really orange ;)...some leftover brown rice...and some organic strawberries. what else? we'll see...

movies?

just got Hit The Deck, an old 50's musical in the mail. won it on eeBay. unfortunately, it's a VHS copy, since it probably will never be released on DVD. ah well.

lately, we've been renting DVDs from mcdonald's of all places. it's not a bad deal for $1 a night. however, they get you on when you return it. once you rent it, you're given until 10PM the next day to return the rental. it actually states by 10PM (or when store closes)... well, the mickey d's by me closes at 11:00. if you return it after 10PM, but before they close, you'll get popped for another $1...cheeky monkeys.

anyway, last week, we got the Jude Law's LAME remake of (Michael Caine's classic) 'Alfie' and 'Napolean Dynamite', which was hilarious. i may just have to get a copy...

speaking of movies, Cindi...just wondering if you've had time to watch one of the vids i lent ya. i don't need 'em back (even this year)...i was just curious and wanting to know if you liked the selections :)

LPs...

are sometimes the way to go for that pure listening experience.

yep. i've spent the last three hours or so listening to some old albums, waxing (no pun intended) nostalgia.

so far, i've put on Earth Wind & Fire's 'I Am'...Carole King's Greatest Hits...Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass' Whipped Cream and Other Delights...Joe Walsh's "You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind"...and right now, a Jimi Hendrix compilation called "Kiss the Sky" is on the turntable.

sure, some of the albums had some clicks and pops, but digital sound is too clean and can't capture the warmth of vinyl.

'nuff said.

oh joy...

about a week and a half ago, lois and i both got sore throats the morning after we went out to eat. yeah, the server or one of the cooks must've been sick...great. well, i toiled with a bit of coughing and a snotty nose. and lois? ummm...

she got worse.

in fact, her hacking was so bad that i convinced her to let me take her to the hospital. the last time i sounded that bad was when i had a bout with bronchitis in 1988; the only time i had it. and lois' cough and labored breathing was even worse than mine ever was.

and guess what...it's pneumonia. luckily, the antibiotic that they have her on, attaches itself to the white blood cells and goes straight to the spot of the pulmonary clog. most patients notice a marked difference after a day or two of its use. and, of course, you shouldn't leave the pharmacy without a prescription expectorant like guaifenesin with codeine...oooh.

so...she's back at work today and probably threatening to cough up a loogie on anyone who fucks with her...she's so cute.

chicago...

philly...or baltimore.

my favorite group, SwingOutSister, is doing a short U.S. tour in support of their new cd, Where Our Love Grows, which was actually released last spring in Japan and in October for the USA. the tour is scheduled to pass through eight cities in June. of course, Denver, isn't on the list.

sigh.

so lois and i are once again going on the road to see them. back in 1997, we took a trip to San Francisco just to catch them at a club called...get this...Bimbo's 365. that tour had even a shorter list of cities - San Fran, Los Angeles, and NYC. still, it was well worth the plane fare and the hotel stay. there's something about their music that makes you want to play it over and over. my sisters, lois, and i all agree that a swingoutsister cd is perfect driving music...even through rush hour traffic ;)

as for the above three cities, we're just looking for cheap fares (i.e., something under $200) and i've been to all of 'em for between $140-$180. we just need more confirmed dates.

that's all i want for my birthday (june 15th), a trip to see swingoutsister again...

btw...

MargaretCho's show at the Buell last thursday was great. it had been nearly five years (and three tours) since Lois and I had last seen her, so it was good to let out some laughs. the best thing about Margaret's stand up act is that she keeps up with the times and presents her material in a fresh, but still thought provoking, manner.

maybe that's too much to ask of all comedians. too cerebral may be a bad thing. goofy is good too.

eh, whatever.

need...new...

sandals.

just split the top of my front left nail on my big toe. frigginfrazzleugh. the cheapo sandals that i wear in the house are a little loose due to the low quality material; slightly split and stretched along the top...about par for wallymart soccer slide type sandals that go for $2.87.

ah well.

anyway, i skip stairs usually whenever i ascend - a bit dangerous and not advised when descending - a staircase. so, naturally, i was climbing the stairs and had just neared the top when i caught my left foot against the edge of a stair...and continued to fling the basement door open and fall on the landing...a thing of beauty...almost as amusing as the expletives that were filling the air.

humph.

huh?

i know my past couple postings have been nothing short of confusing...sorry.

still no news on the lady that i rear ended last week. luckily, she consented to me paying out of pocket if it ran less than $400. she said that she'd try to get estimates from three places and we'd go from there; i haven't heard from her since. i'm guessing that i call her on sunday or monday if i don't hear from her tomorrow.

mole hole?

over the past two weeks, i haunted the mole hole in cherry creek during its relocation sale. the first time i went (with lois), the prices were 50% off and we bought a few small things. i closely paid attention to what lois liked but declined buying; the best thing to do when shopping for future gifts. so, the second time i went was immediately after my breakfast w/ Cindi (who was so nice to buy...thanks...the company was awesome!). that was when i purchased the nicer looking clock and some cute things for my oh-so-pregnant sister - a baby blue clock that has the words 'eat, sleep, poop, cry' in place of the hour markings and a stuffed crane with a cap that says 'special delivery' and a baby bear(!) in the blanket.

this last time i went - yesterday morning - i took advantage of the 75% off and grabbed a couple clocks worth $90 retail and paid a paltry $22.50...whee. of course, the prize buy was a tiffany style lamp that was going for $245 - yikes! initially, when lois and i were there, i was praying that one of the four lamps i was eyeing, would still be there at the end...and whaddaya know! one survived the sale carnage and was waiting for me; saving another $61 was just icing on the cake.

this lamp is similar to the ones that you can find at LampsPlus for the equivalent, but the shade is glass! not the cheapo resin that adorns some of them... i am truly happy with this purchase and i'm pretty sure that lois will be delighted. i only say 'pretty sure' because i was wrong this past xmas with an item that i ultimately had to return. still a good batting average after eleven years...

whoops. gotta go. although we're not going to the Indigo Girls concert like Cindi, we've got tix to MargaretCho at the Buell Theatre. curtain is at 8:00...so i'll be back...eventually.

here's the 'nice' one that i bought last week after having breakfast w/ Cindi. although it would have been nice to get it at 75% off rather than 60%...i know it would have been gone had i waited until today. i think it'll look very nice on the piano :) 

one of the three Bulova_clocks that i scored at MoleHole during its relocation sale...like it? it's very much lois' style. 

maybe...

i've been too lucky lately. that's the reason for the wee fender scraper. ah well. gotta have little doldrums to keep things in perspective. no one was hurt and she was cool about it (although not at the beginning, maybe it's a defensive mechanism).

after i take all of the insurance crap, guess i'll do some laundry and make an appointment for a car alignment (that was already necessary). gee...can ya stand the excitement?

of course, tonight is another matter altogether. we're going to meet Cindi downtown for a movie. so things are really looking up.

i also have about eleven movies that i'm gonna lend cindi. i'm pretty sure she hasn't seen about ten of them. i'll get a confirmation today...hope she enjoys them.

what's new in everyone else's world. better watch out, there are crazed jelly doughnut fiends rear ending people in droves...

kee-rap

i tell ya...it was the jelly doughnut calling me...really!

dumbshit has a day off and was heading to Donut Cafe for a dozen.

dumbshit rear ends someone at a stop sign.

no damage to dumbshit's car...nary a scratch...what luck.

the rear ended, however, has a cool imprint of dumbshit's license plate holder and top two screws scratched into back bumper.

no police called...just exchange of info.

hello, my name is dumbshit and i blog here on occasion.

btw, dumbshit didn't get the dozen after all...sigh.

but hey, at least i won't have to pay for two damaged cars. thank god for that.

a testin' we will go...

time for the emissions test. here's a handy link to Air Care Colorado and its stats/pointers. we're gonna take their advice and see if the Lipan location has few customers. luckily, it's about equidistant from the house as the Warren location, which is one of the busier ones (and our regular center).

but first, we're off to the bank and a cuppa joe at the nearbyPeaberry. and then...and only then...will we think about keeping that air clean ;)

a quick note...

going to Beaver Creek today for a concert. just made the reservations for the hotel...even though it'll be for one night. i just don't wanna drive back late tonight; sometimes it's nice to spend a night and take a leisurely drive the next day.

glad that the weather is supposed to be nice, although cold (forecast high today for Avon is 36 degrees). the last thing i wanted to do is fight snow on Vail Pass...not a pretty sight when a blizzard kicks in.

probably will be leaving at noon, which leaves me enough time to finish some laundry and blog a wee bit. we are so needing this overnighter. since lois' eye surgeries, she has had nothing but cabin fever.

so...for the past five weeks or so, we've been watching movies at home. i just returned four vids to the dvd rental kiosk at McD's. have you used it yet? the movies are a buck a night and the selection ain't bad. over the past few days, we watched Ray...The Village...I, Robot...and Friday Night Lights. this may turn into a habit at this rate ;)

of course, we've been hearing good things about Netflix too. so we may consider that if she's off work another three weeks or so.

been buying movies off of eBay too. cheapo VHS though. some of the movies aren't on DVD yet. recently was high bidder for a couple of Coen Brothers movies (Barton Fink and Miller's Crossing) and Fred Astaire movies (Barkleys of Broadway and Broadway Melody of 1940).

other than that, we've been home hermits.

talk to ya soon.

gaa-aag!

or is that PEE-EEW?!? lois' friend, lily, is here and redoing her nails. ugh! i don't know how you can put up with that nauseating odor for more than a few seconds...

lily is one of lois' good friend's who started out as her manicurist...left the industry...but still comes over a couple times a month to do her nails. however, i'm usually not around when she gets here; i remember why now.

ever hear people who try to outdo each other when they talk about how poor they grew up? well, lois has a friend who used to compete with her, saying, "When I was little, we were so poor..." you know what i mean. well, that friend (nor lois) have nothing on lily. she has horror stories of growing up destitute in communist Romania that will just elicit anyone to say, "Okay, you win. You grew up WAY poorer than I."

i din't grow up poor, i just had parents that wouldn't spend any money...and we would have been foolish to ask ;)

celebrate with a wedge...

with the good news of the dentist visit, i am making sure that last night's pizza doesn't feel lonely ;) not great pizza though...but it was free...which usually makes for better tasting pizza. regardless of their ads, i don't see how their better ingredients make for better pizza. if that's the case, then NY Pizzeria and Anthony's have cornered the market on sublime ingredients because their crust, sauce, and flavors just kick ass all over the competition.

Yak & Yeti huh? isn't that an Indian/Nepalese restaurant? if i'm ever in that part of town, i'll make sure to try it. there's nothing like some Nepalese momos...mmm.

a good sign...

just got back from the dentist...with good news! ya see, last week, i had a dull pain in my lower right jaw...which is not usually a good sign. the last time i had pain there, i had found out that one of my molars had cracked and was starting to abscess. you guessed it, root canal and crown. i think i could've found something much more fun to do with that $1500. ah well, at least i still have all my teeth.

so...the visit today determined that i may just have an anaerobic infection that arises on occasion with root canals. the verdict? i gotta go out and get this prescription filled...whew!

isn't it funny how you expect the worst when you have dental problems? thank god when everything comes up negative!!! yay

no way...

i just checked my counter and this creaky ol' blog still averages 7 visits a day. i really didn't think people stopped by anymore. that stat may just give me a little oomph to post more often. i guess i come away a bit empty if i go to someone's blog, only to find that it hasn't been updated in quite some time...now i'm getting the message ;)

i should update you on the pizza date that i had with a goddess last week...i even got to meet a friend of hers. just between you and me, the goddess is much better company; i find the friend to be a slightly annoying and insecure conversationalist.

still, it was a nice night out. we met at the NY Pizzeria by my house. i swear by their pizza...although it was not up to par that night. it seemed that the slices were lacking sauce and that slight chewiness that epitomizes their perfect crust. ah well, you can't be on top of it all the time, eh? i think the next time we meet there, i'll opt ordering a small pizza instead of the slices. i just don't get it though...the last few times i was there for two or three slices, they were phenomenal.

talked movies and british comedies (aka, 'brit-coms')...two of my favorite topics ;) we went on for a couple hours giving general recommendations for our next rentals. wow...goddess and her friend are PROLIFIC movie watchers. i simply cannot sit through a trifecta of movies on a regular basis - i'm just too wimpy ;)

i was only too happy to chat about 'Allo, 'Allo and other shows that i watched over the past 12-14 years on PBS. i can readily admit that i was once an 'Are You Being Served?' junkie for a few years. i tell you, this Britcom has a huge cult following here in the states. if you mention british comedy and PBS in the same sentence, i bet more than 2/3 of the people would say, 'Like Are You Being Served?'

who else likes quirky shows like...Mr. Bean, Red Dwarf, Fawlty Towers, Open All Hours, The Thin Blue Line, or Keeping Up Appearances? in a way, these series could be formulaic, or even cliche-ish, as the majority of most American sitcoms are now, but there's something special about britcoms that i can't put my finger on. maybe it's the sight gags or the accents. for some odd reason, the humor of these shows seems more refreshing... perhaps someone can elaborate on what i'm trying to say in this vague diatribe.

anyway, the past couple years, i've been trying to catch episodes of Waiting For God, Two's Company, and The Last of the Summer Wine (which is the British equivalent of Gunsmoke or 60 Minutes in terms of longevity - 30 years).

i'm glad that they're making many of the abovementioned shows available on DVD though. now, if i could just find 'em all on eBay for dirt cheap ;)

wow...

my sister's eldest daughter, Natalie, is celebrating her 21st b-day today. i cannot believe it. well, i hope you're enjoying it immensely, Natalie, because it's all downhill from here ;)

heck, i know she's living it up...Miami, FL is not exactly a quiet city. methinks it's time to drop in on her...before the year is out.

sigh.

always thinking of travel. yesterday, i perused through an old guidebook that we used for Bolivia and Peru in 2001. however, instead of reminiscing about that trip, i found myself reading the Ecuador section, feasting on its turbulent history. did you know that from 1931 to 1948, Ecuador saw 21 presidents ultimately resign from the 'coveted' post? it was probably better to be the shit sweeper for the country's fattest, stinkiest pig.

oink.

wired...

was in Cindi's stompin' grounds this afternoon. lois had an appointment with her eye surgeon this morning at 11:00. this time, it was at his west location, which is near I-70 and Wadsworth.

yep. lois is not finished with eye stuff... you'd think that after the two cataract surgeries last summer, that'd be enough for a lifetime. nope. turns out that she had a quarter of her (right side) retina detach last week. she was seeing a little shadow in her right eye and knew that it needed to be taken care of.

i guess that people who have had cataract surgery/lens replacement run a 3% higher risk of retinal detachment. this is one stat that you don't want to be in the top 3%...

so...she has been resting up since yesterday's procedure. are you familiar with it? go to this site for details...

in her recovery, she had to sleep propped up on a bunch of pillows. and after today's follow up, which revealed a touch of fluid build-up, she'll be able to sleep lying down, but must cock her head to the right for a couple days during her waking hours to facilitate the liquid dissipation. weird. looks like she has a really bad crick in her neck or sumpin'.

anyway, it shouldn't be more than a couple days for the swelling and fluid to go down. she makes a really cute prizefighter though ;)

oh yeah. i'm wired because we stopped at the *$$ on 55th for some caffeine before heading up to one of our fave Middle Eastern restaurants, Damascus, on 65th for the best hummus and pita in town.

*GASP*

it's gone. we drove up there and found a 'Grand Opening' sign over our beloved Syrian refuge. sigh. i guess Mahmoud sold it to some Vietnamese/Chinese restauranteurs. as if there aren't enough in this city...

ah well. luckily, the first Damascus is still on south colorado, not far from PCL. it's a helluva lot closer than the wadsworth store, but the service is spottier...and the parking SUX. it's in a strip mall with three other restaurants, Moroccan, Persian (i.e., Iranian), and Lebanese. four restaurants and no parking...you get the idea.

crestfallen, we headed back down wadsworth and stuffed ourselves with breakfast at IHOP. mmmm...peach pancakes. almost as good as Damascus' creamy hummus and light and chewy pita. thinking of it just makes me drool. i can see them bringing out the bread out of the pizza oven, hot and steamy heaven.

speaking of pizza ovens...looks like i got a date w/ Cindi and her BFG at the NY Pizzeria by the house. hands down the best in town. what makes their pizza so great? it's the chewiness of the crust and the slightly sweet sauce that makes you lust for more. sure, it'll kill your blood sugar levels, but it's a legal high! ooh, i can't wait. i'm supposed to meet them in a couple hours...

lying low...

not really any exciting news to report...

after we got back from Vegas, i've felt even less motivated to blog. i wish i could get over these non-bloggin' blues.

i think one of the things that set me on the lazy path was coming back and finding an obituary of one of my friends. geez...not a good way to start the new year. i'm really gonna miss her. we had been pals in high school and had just gotten back in touch a couple years ago, when we saw each other at an annual 5K walk/run that's held in memory of one of our classmates who succumbed to brain cancer in '98.

anyway, KB was a great person. she had a million dollar smile that would light up the whole room. she always had encouraging words for others and passed out hugs like candy. it will be totally surreal without her at the race this year.

man, life is too short to waste with lame bickering and petty differences. although i never make new year's resolutions, i vow to let fewer things bother me and to live it up with my friends more...that's just how it has to be ;) and yes, i will try to be a better blogger because i know only posting every three weeks sure gets on some people's nerves...heh.

at least...

Cindy still comes to my blog. I guess I've lost all my readers from non-blogging periods. So, to keep Ms. Bryant from coming over here and gluing my butt down to the chair (kinky!), here goes...

xmas was pretty smooth. everyone liked their gifts. i got new rear brakes for my car and assorted dvds and cds as well as Target gift cards...and even a King Soopers gift card. lois scored with another dvd player, movies, a pump espresso machine, a media tower (i.e., dvd/cd/vhs bookcase), a watch, and a brand spanking new luggage duo (22" and tote).

as for the xmas dinner. that was surprisingly without drama. see, the past three years, it has been at the 'favorite' son's house. no big deal. he's usually a great host, but has a short temper and is known as the martyr of the family. so you get the picture...

also got to see a friend afterwards. Armando and Lisa live a couple miles east of favoriteson. geez, we hadn't seen them in a couple years. Mando was one of my best friends in high school. we double dated, shot pool, and went to concerts together. he moved away during our senior year and i didn't see him again for almost another five years, when he stopped by the house while on leave from the Navy. well, we had lost touch for another decade when he found me through his wife's classmates.com account. so, we've been in touch for the last three years...way cool. he was definitely a keeper as friends go ;)

it was great to catch up with them that night. they have two beautifully behaved kids, Nicholas and Haley. we even got to see their WILD italian greyhound (don't recall his name). whew! that guy is fast! he just whizzes around the house like a roadrunner. it was great fun to hang out and watch the kids try to catch the dog ;) hopefully, we can have them over for dinner this month or next. and they can watch the polar opposite of their dog; a fat, old, female silky terrier ;)

one note: we brought over a candy cane pie that we bought at Village Inn. ugh. don't bother. the cream topping tasted strangely artificial and buttery. and the filling? wa-ay too sweet. picture a whacked out french silk on acid...

off to Vegas the next morning...

remember, when i blogged about getting a cheap 4-night package to the Luxor in late october/early november? well, it was between 12/26 and 12/30 (lois' best friend, Peggy, had a surprise b-day party for her husband, Brian, on the 29th.

it was a bit tough to get up at 4:30 and get ready for our 7:00 flight. usually, if we've got a 6:00 flight to Mexico City, i stay up and sleep on the plane. it was strange to tell ourselves to go to bed early on xmas night...

not too much hassle getting there, with the exception of finding parking. for the past seven years, we've used diavaluepark at 32nd and airport blvd. they're open 24 hours, have both covered and uncovered parking (even though they used to have an indoor heated facility ;( and drop you off right at level five. for about $6-$8 a day, it's a much better deal than paying $15/day for DIA's garage or $5/day for the satellite lots that are a couple miles away and with too few shuttles.

well, the hassle this trip reared its ugly head when we tried showing up without a reservation. we weren't thinking that it was the day after xmas...duh. so, we were turned away at the gate. and the alternative? paying $15/day at the garage or missing our flight while we sought out a space at another parking company.

so...we bit the bullet and parked at the airport. we even got through check-in and security with 30 minutes to spare - whew!

Vegas was great...

got to see my friends, Earlene and Al. they used to live in Denver, but moved to Vegas for the lower altitude; Earlene has pulmonary problems.

shopped at the Aladdin marketplace(?) nice, but jam packed and the decor was too much like the open air shops/eateries/casino at the Paris.

stopped in at the Fashion Show Mall for a dress shirt and a couple ties. THAT mall (next door to the New Frontier) is really nice...and huge. it's like four levels and has 200 stores. a tiring day indeed.

slogged through the rain for a couple days...wotta muddy mess. Vegas actually gets cold and rainy...windy too. it's not a perpetually warm/hot place that people perceive it to be.

found a great Thai restaurant, Lotus of Siam. it's even in Las Vegas' Zagat Survey...which is pretty major.

saw Cirque du Soleil's second newest Vegas production, Zumanity, which is showing at NewYork, NewYork. two words...don't go. of the five Cirque shows that we've seen (Mystere, Dralion, Alegria, and Varekai, are the others), this wasn't that great. stunts weren't spectacular. and the emcee was a drag queen. weird. btw, i have nothing against drag shows, it's just that i would never spend $91.25 for one ;)

the newest Cirque show is at the MGM. it's called KA and tix are $150...right! next time, i'll have to get tix for the Blue Man show or Penn&Teller.

and now to the dinner...FREAKIN' WOW!

it was at Charlie Palmer Steakhouse, which is in the Four Seasons Hotel (within Mandalay Bay). geez! Peggy must've blown a few thousand dollars on this fete. exquisite appetizers, copious amounts of wine (pairings with each course too!), surf and turf (i.e., filet mignon and lobster tail)...with a generous tip, the bill was easily $3000 for our party of 20. and that was after drinks and appetizers earlier in the day at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville...which was $600. must be nice to have money like that to burn...especially on us lushes heh.

god, i wonder what her husband is gonna do for her on her 50th... regardless, consider us there ;)

that's all for now, folks. i promise it won't be another three weeks and a reprimand from Cindy. and cindy, thanks for keeping me in mind...when are we going for philly steaks or pizza?

freezin'...

sorry about the eleven day lapse...

my weather pixie says it's -4 degrees right now. and weather.com shows a -15 wind chill.

i do not want to go out. however, it may not be avoidable. see, like a dummy, i haven't finished my xmas shopping. i may go to a couple places in the early morning tomorrow, but i also have the chance to not fight any crowds if i do some late night spending today. Foley's is open 'til midnight and there's usually not that many people if you go there after 9PM when they're doing the 'open late' thing.

damn watch.

i bought a cute watch for lois that has all her 'good watch' qualities: large face, no frilliness/teeny diamonds, and either a stainless steel band (she's allergic to nickel) or leather strap. it's ready to go...not.

of course, i bought the damn thing without tooling around with it. now, had i done that, i would have found out that this 'good' watch has a really shitty pin to adjust the time. it's totally slick and nearly impossible to turn. so...i gotta take it back. sigh

really though, i'm not short that many gifts. just a few. easily doable...for someone motivated ;) it'll get done...even if i have to pay someone else to do it heh.

hope you're all staying warm and entertained because this posting sure ain't curing cold temps or boredom.

see ya.

not hungover...

just parched. PCL's xmas party was last night. luckily, susie's husband was driving, allowing lois and me a bit more imbibing ;)

it was at the downtown hyatt...a couple hundred people...mostly old friends...good food (rare roast beef, chicken, salmon, caesar salad, huge dessert spread) although not as varied as years past.

three bartenders...two were great...the gal in the corner though? poor thing, she may as well have not had arms - she was SO slow :(...AND she had the shortest line!

wTf? what am i doing up at 7 in the a.m. blogging about this stuff? more water and back to bed ;)

we'll continue this chat sometime this afternoon...

so full...

i'm about to burst. yep, we finally made the turkey that had been hogging up the freezer for a couple weeks. add some peas, yellow squash, wild rice stuffing, a baked yam, jellied cranberry sauce (my favorite), and you have one happy and stuffed spencer. now, where's the pumpkin pie?

wow. i can't believe that i neglected my blog for more than three weeks. sorry. i know i get into non-blogging funks for a week or two. and i know i've gone three weeks before, but i don't recall going more than that...

well, have any of you started yer holiday cards? unbelievably, i had this year's cards, addressed and ready to fill, prepared immediately after last xmas. i had a few extra boxes of cards and started on them when i took inventory of who returned a card. i know that sounds funny, but after a couple years of sending them to just about everyone in my address book and only getting a percentage reciprocated, i decided to take inventory. there's about three dozen who will be my 'permanent' list. as for the rest, it means i've saved about five minutes of my time and 37 cents postage.

i'm very particular when i write holiday cards. i try to personalize each one to the recipient and talk about the things that are important in their lives as well as the common things that we base our rapport. i abhor nothing more than a generic card that is sent to everyone, detailing the things that the Smiths did this year...ugh...barf. why don't you just blog about it and send us the url? to me, i find it incredibly insensitive and lazy...

so, i did manage to finish about a dozen cards that i'll send out tomorrow. just two dozen more...

they'll hafta wait until tomorrow though...i hear a wedge of pumpkin calling me.

she wants me to write...

something. hee hee.

somethin' to do...

following cindi's path...albeit a week late ;)

Name THREE of your...

* Pet Peeves: asshole drivers, rude people, the growing cavalier attitude of the general population (howzabout some humility?)
* Favorite Sounds: music, laughter, rustling leaves
* Favorite Flavors of Candy: ANY dark chocolate, gummi bears, reese's peanut butter cups
* Biggest Fears: failure, dying in a fire, health of parents
* Biggest Challenges: fear of failure, procrastination, staying focused
* Favorite Department Stores: Target, Foley's, does BigLots! count?
* Most Used Words: "whatever, you moron"
* Favorite Pizza Toppings: sausage, mushroom, pepperoni
* Favorite Cartoon Characters: Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny
* Movies Recently Watched: Bourne Supremacy, Shark Tale, Motorcycle Diaries
* Favorite Fruits: pears, cherries, watermelon
* Favorite Vegetables: corn, peas, carrots

overrated...

alright cindi, went to Pat's yesterday and was a bit disappointed. food was good, but the prices were a bit high and the guys working the counter were acting like they had much better things to do than serve lowly me a small mushroom and cheese philly. methinks we need to meet at Taste of Philly for our next foodie outing ;)

BigLots is a baa-aad place. you walk in for one thing and end up buying five or six bags of things you 'can't live without.' granted, that often happens wherever you go, but the buying spree is compounded by the lower prices.

ah well, i don't care. i know i can use those 75% off halloween knicknacks...next year. ooh, i did get a box of halloween truffles that were half off. mmm...they're orange. i love chocolate truffles. strange is that the same truffles were being sold in red and green wrappers...as xmas truffles...but remained orange flavored.

what a great day! i wish this weather would stick around for another month. i'm never ready for cold and/or snow. still, i could think of worse places...

oh yeah, we did finally get in a cheapie last night. we caught the last showing of the BourneSupremacy. it was good. plenty of action although some of it was jaw rattling. sometimes it's difficult to watch a movie when the camera is shaking so hard. car chase at the end almost rivals that of the FrenchConnection. sure, i bet there have been some pretty cool ones in recent movies, but this one didn't look like anything was computer generated. then again, they're good at faking that too ;)

ooh, more cheapies. ManchurianCandidate...I,Robot...and Shrek2 again. pass the popcorn.

bright lights...

big city.

well, not that huge.

yes, we finalized the plans for our post-xmas trip to Vegas. although it's not one of our usual destinations, it'll be nice to get away and see some friends. if you don't recall, lois' friend, Peggy, has planned a 50th b-day party for her husband at CharliePalmer steakhouse, which is located in the Four Seasons Hotel, right above Mandalay Bay.

and after a week of research and deciding, we got a four night package for $299 through worryfreevacations.com. we'll be staying at the Luxor, which is right next door to Mandalay Bay. i'm glad we settled on the Luxor though. for the money, it was probably the best deal with convenience thrown in. i guess i'll have to stay intrigued with the $175/night specials that occasionally are offered for Treasure Island's Tower Suites...or the Orleans $60/night mini-suites for a bit longer ;)

i wish...

i forgot to tell you about a recent trip to the ATM. a couple weeks ago, before we went to Santa Fe and Monte Vista, Lois and I stopped by what used to be the Bank of Cherry Creek (i don't know its new name) and got some money from their drive up ATM.

well, you know how some people inadvertently leave their receipt. in a hurry...don't want to be bothered with another sheet of paper...etc. during the transaction, i pulled this person's receipt out and handed it to lois - nothing out of sorts - and she put it in my glove compartment.

last week, i was pulling out my trusty film canister of quarters out of the glove box when i came upon the long forgotten receipt. apparently, this person ain't hurtin' for anything. i looked at his/her balance and had to do a double take. whomever has an account ending in 6828 at this bank, has $152,838.39 left. geez, must be nice...

you cain't always get whatchu want...

and i want that big eared smirking chimp outta office. gawd, we are so screwed... we can only hope that he can't possibly do any worse the next four years. gee, mebbe he can add another zero to that half trillion dollar deficit; seems like the biggest deficit is between those massive ears...fu-uck!

other than that, at least everything else i voted for...passed. i'm really psyched about FasTracks. it's something that we should have tried to implement about ten years ago, when the population started exploding around here. we are in such need of a rapid transit system. i only wish we had some super fast trains like the bullets in japan and europe; riding the train between Madrid and Seville was so cool...and smooth. look at the subway system in mexico city - cheap, fast, and convenient. trust me...in a metropolitan area with about 20 million people, driving is a TOTAL nightmare. their Metro is one of the best things about the city...

hey cindi, what about those Jeffco voters? i cannot believe that they finally came through on the school bonds and mill levies? i bet you had a total sigh of relief this morning when the numbers came out...yay!

best thing about today being the 'day after'...no more freakin' ads. hallelujah! hell yessssssss.

where's the line?!?

earlier this afternoon, i took my parents to vote. boy, what luck! there weren't but a few people ahead of them. WTF! when i went to vote early last week, i waited more than two hours!!! of course, it was the first time i voted early. i should've known that the lines would be much shorter today since there are more polling precincts...hee haw.

ah well. at least all those damn campaign ads will go away after today. they were really starting to get on my nerves...three weeks ago! there was just no escaping this mudslinging gala, ugh.

like...totally

get out there and check out the total lunar eclipse. it'll be the last (total) one until March 2007. it's going to peak from 8:23 PM until 9:45 PM for those of you in the Mountain Time Zone...

gonna be that spooky red color...just in time for Halloween!

like a morgue...

in here. sorry about that. you guys didn't miss much anyway ;)

yes, we did go to Santa Fe and returned through Monte Vista. a quick couple days, but well worth it.

on saturday night, Antonio wasn't available so we hung out in the room for a bit and watched a dog show on the telly. i think it was like the Eukanuba nationals or something. geez, it was long - 3 hours. we only watched the first two hours and finally headed out for dinner at Castro's.

ha...right.

before we set out, i checked the phone book for their phone number...(505)438-0146...and address...997 W. Rodeo Rd.

and that's where things went wrong.

i called to see how late they were open - 9PM - giving us roughly 50 minutes. however, trusting the yellow pages listing, i didn't confirm the address, which is really 3512 W. Rodeo Rd.

yep. i drove for nearly twice as long, looking for the wrong address. by the time we called them (and they answered), they were 15 minutes from closing. we relented and ended up eating at a Carrow's (a Denny's type joint with better food) on the way back to the motel.

grrr...of course, i had jotted down the correct address in a notebook that i had brought, but left in the car. talk about adding insult to injury.

so, it wasn't meant to be. the next day, when Antonio returned our call, we found out that Castro's was about a ten minute drive from the motel. we even passed by it! but look at the numbers...Rodeo Rd. runs east/west, so we were looking for the restaurant on the north side, since it ended in an odd number...when its location is on the south side of the road (3512). ah well, Antonio told us that it still may have been hard to find because they don't always have their sign on...

even screwier is that Yahoo! has Castro's listed at the incorrect address as well. i found the correct address before we left...on Mapquest.

anyway, we did hang out with Antonio for a few hours on Sunday. he stopped by the room and we chatted for about an hour before we headed to Guadelupe Cafe (since Castro's is closed on Sundays), in downtown Santa Fe. not as good though, even though you would think so since we waited a half hour for a table. the red chile, while HOT as hell, didn't have much depth. it was just extremely garlicky and pure fire.

Cindi, we did pass by yer favorite place though. Antonio said he had never been to Tecolote's, but that he'd try it and update me ;)

sleepy...

no, make that downright snoozy. i really should be getting to bed, but i also need to blog...even if it's gonna put you to sleep too.

the past few days have been both up and down...

wednesday started out on a good note. went to Mervyns for some jeans and came out with three shirts and a fleece blanket as well. dontcha love it when you go into the store for one thing and come out with three or four more bags of groceries? or isn't it always you go expressly for that item and inadvertently forget it. happens all the time, eh?

anyway, it was after i got home from shopping when the rollercoaster ride started. i had received a somewhat cryptic call from a friend of a friend. jane, a friend of karneko (pseudonym), had called and left a message asking me to immediately call karneko. of course, when i called karneko's number, jane answered and informed me that karneko had died over the weekend. wow...i was not expecting that.

stunned, i called mutual friends, the whole time sharing our total devastation over her passing. it was not a pretty scene. for the first two friends, i stayed composed and explained what had occurred - she passed in her sleep. however, by the time i called the third friend, Cindy (the one that i see $.50 movies with), my voice was cracking...completely breaking down when she let out a wail and started bawling on the phone.

isn't it strange when unexpected deaths arise? terminal illnesses are one thing - you just endure and keep the rosy outlook...but the healthy (or seemingly so) ones who are there one day and gone the next...sigh...talk about throwing you for a loop.

well, an hour after my conversation with Cindy, i had a pizza date. this time with a Cindi :)

the rollercoaster car had definitely zoomed up from its nadir. the couple hours spent with Cindi were great. we talked about everything from our blogs to family to occupations to movies to travel; just about everything under the sun. she is SO cool...so down-to-earth...and has a beautiful smile. it's kinda funny, but after reading her blog for a year, Cindi is what i imagined her to be...really. i can't wait to meet again over a yummy meal ;)

cleaning house...

not literally though. even if it sure could use it. no, i'm talking about changing my daily blog reads. there are a couple blogs on there that are now officially dead. i guess the blog fire has been extinguished for them... look for a couple new ones in the next few days; as soon as i get permission to blogroll them.

i probably should add some links too. although none of you may find the sites that i visit very interesting, it may provide a little more insight to my surfing habits.

glad to see that Cindi has a clear schedule this week. we can finally meet for pizza!!! yay! it is such a guilty pleasure for me since lois' self-control is much stronger than mine. you would not believe how she can swear off things; you never have to twist my arm.

so how does tomorrow look, Cindi? i'll be sending you an email here shortly.

been checking out accomodation prices in Vegas for the end of december. lois' good friend, Peggy, is staging a 50th birthday party for her husband at the CharliePalmer Steakhouse (in the Four Seasons Hotel...right above Mandalay Bay). we're not gamblers, but it would be nice to get away for a couple days...and i have some friends who live in North Vegas.

anyway, the celebration will be on the 29th...and it looks like hotel rooms are still relatively reasonable on the 28th and 29th. of course, for the brave souls who choose to pay exorbitant prices for the 30th through the new year, good luck to them. most of the prices along the strip for those dates are in the $269-$500 range. ha! right... you're talking to people who pay $20/night on average in Latin America. you know how far $500 will go for us there :P 10-15 days, baby.

since the bash will be on the south end of the strip, i'm considering the monte carlo (which is low key nice), the luxor, and mandalay. all three are in the $85-$120 a night range. of course, i've always been intrigued by Treasure Island's Tower Suites, which are 900 sq. ft. and have two marble baths, whirlpool, walk in closets, etc. during slow times, these go for $175/night - not bad...considering we've stayed in teeny 100 sq. ft. rooms in Spain for $95/night. i think it'll be worth it to drop $235/night for the suites on the 28th and 29th... i may just surprise lolis and book it...even if it is at the opposite end of the strip.

the Orleans casino is a longshot consideration. supposedly, all their rooms are 500 sq. ft. suites and generally go for less than $100/night. the only problem is that it's off the strip, giving rise to the transportation issue. we like renting a car, we just hate the traffic congestion of Vegas. i believe the city needs to calibrate its system of traffic lights. the last time we were there, we timed the lights at one major intersection and noticed that the north/south light was roughly green for 45 seconds, while the east/west light was double that. no wonder it takes forever to drive/take a bus or cab along the strip; you could almost walk faster...

regardless, we'll work it out and make it to Brian's 50th. now, it's on to finding a cheap fare...

btw, if anyone is considering going to vegas, i did find out that the Orleans has rooms for $20/night for the few days before thanksgiving and xmas...wotta deal.

on a roadtrip this weekend. we'll be going south to Española, NM to see our friend Antonio. i think i've mentioned him before. he's the curator of ethnology at the museum of indian arts/culture in Santa Fe. a LONG time ago, he and i were washing and cataloging pottery finds...digging in mexico...drawing soil core samples in colorado...and drinking bars dry ;) you would not believe the money we started saving the day he moved back to NM for a job at the School of American Research...

it'll be great to see him. i think it has been at least a year and a half since we last saw him. if there's one sure thing, we're gonna go to Castro's and feast. i swear by this restaurant. it is absolutely one of the best joints in Santa Fe. their red chile is sublime...

Cindi, your eyes are getting very round...like pepperoni.