blogging, blogging, blogging about blogging

i love blogging...it is so much fun. i love when people leave comments the most. i love reading other people's blogs too. i read lots of them and i even love reading the ones that make me mad sometimes...how come they didn't have blogging in the 70's? i could have blogged about a lot of really interesting things...

apples to apples!

if you've spent any time at my house you'll know that we all love to play board games. my favorites are word games like Scrabble and Boggle, but Pictionary, Taboo, Dice and 'Apples to Apples' are right at the top of the list too!

last evening we had a relaxed and hilarious time with Aria, Daniele, Barb and finally the long awaited, weather delayed traveler - Meredith! the menu was pasta primavera and the game was Apples to Apples. Barb decided that this was a great way for Daniele to learn more English - i think his Italian accented English is totally charming (as is he - lucky Aria!). we had a blast. i don't know what time we fell into bed last night but i kept hoping that magical sprites would clean the kitchen before i woke up. alas - it was the sprites night off! but the kitchen is tidy once again, the girls are still in dreamland, the dogs have been walked, watered and fed and i have a tiny little headache (thank you vodka tonics, wine and brandy - we never did get around to the champagne!) that i hope will go away soon.

on the second day of Christmas...

oops - can't finish that song..don't have a true love...that is a first (of sorts) for me since I was oh....about 15 1/2 years old! Here is the list:
David N.
Ronnie A.
David A.
David A. #2
Michael C.
'mystery person' who shall remain unnamed
David K.
Kirk S.
Miguel D.


Christmas was lovely once the kids arrived. We had fun opening our gifts. They have become such thoughtful and sweet young adults. They seemed to like their presents also. I am glad.

We enjoyed a nice and relaxed dinner - Nate joined us and then we had a rousing game of Cranium - I don't really know how to play it, but just did as I was instructed and got by ok. Today is quiet and I like it. Jordan and I are going to see Milk. Nat will come over after work. Maybe we will go to MOGO's for dinner.

Tomorrow Meredith arrives (YAY!!) and then Aria, Barb and Daniele will come to dinner and game night. I must be crazy to think about making pasta for a real Italian - but I will tread boldly into my cucina and try to channel some ancient Italian MOMMA energy with a hint of Episcopalian crone chi. Hope he likes it...he is too polite to say otherwise though I know!

why?

why does he call me on Christmas only to tell me that he is with his family and his 'girlfriend' is there?

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2008

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone...first, a confession - I wimped out last night and did not go to St. James' for the late service. These are my excuses: I was very tired, I was very lonely, it was very rainy. So I sat snuggled up with the two good pups and listened to K-USC which had a fantastic program of classical Christmas music and gazed at the tree and thought about all the Christmases past. A bit melancholy you say..well, ahem..yes. I stayed up late, the morning came quickly and now I am cooking and waiting for the kids to arrive from PHX. Going on in the kitchen now is gingerbread, lasagna and banana cream pie ( a request from Nat). My temptation is to set the table now and have all the hors d'oeuvres out within the next 30 minutes..but that would be goofy because the kids don't get here till 1pm and then we will want to leisurely open our gifts, relax a bit and then have dinner around 6pm. The kids wanted pasta - they say I stress too much over standing ribroast, yorkshire pudding and trifle and so much of it goes to waste if it's just the three of us..so although lasagna doesn't seem particularly festive to me...I am making it and they are probably right - that easier is better these days. Nat's housemate and friend from prep school (Nate - yup, and he has a sibling named Jordan too!) is Jewish and his family won't arrive for a few days from 'Sactown' so he will join us for dinner. We'll play board games later. Jordan and I are sure to beat the boys at Pictionary!

Things I am missing:

• snow and cold and a good excuse to wear layers
• my true love (whoever he might be!)
• little kids in the house
• my family (my mom, dad, brothers and their families)
• the innocence of life before cancer
• being surprised at gifts I receive
• delighting my children with surprises
• boundless energy
• in-laws
• someone to snuggle with in bed when it is chilly
• a full bank account
• pretty feet
• a flat stomach
• confidence and trust that all will be well
• a sister (never had one, always wanted one)
• one BEST friend
• someone who loves me the best
• a good memory
• Connecticut

Tomorrow - things for which I am grateful.

MAY BLESSINGS, JOY, GOOD HEALTH, PEACE IN YOUR HEART AND FAITH IN THE GOODNESS OF THE UNIVERSE VISIT YOU THIS DAY AND STAY WITH YOU THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

it's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas is almost here! I am so excited. Nat flew to PHX very early this morning - poor guy only got a few hours sleep last night between a late shift at work, packing etc...both kids will fly home tomorrow morning. I plan to attend late night services tonight (alas...alone). And on the way in to work I listened to the PBS broadcast of Lessons and Carols from Cambridge. It was moving as always...and so weird to be hurtling down the 101 at 70 miles an hour (that alone is weird since traffic usually creeps by at 2 miles an hour) in my snappy red MINI and hearing the dulcet tones of choirboys in England.

Santa came to the hospital yesterday and the kids were overjoyed! Everyone of them got lots of presents. There was a brass band of Shriners playing carols and the clowns...they were the best! Every year I get teary at this event...this year was no exception. Blessings abound.

the rain in LA is supposed to be snow!

no one wakes up and says with delight, "it's RAINING, it's RAINING"...unless they live in a desert or something. so it is raining cats and dogs in Sunny Southern California. a good day for staying home with a good book or baking something for someone you love. but, alas - i am at work..which i DO love and anyway...i don't have a good book to read and i need to go shopping before i can bake anything...

today we have a potluck for the Ambulatory Care Dept which should be delicious...and our Secret Santa gift exchange which should be fun...there is Christmas music in our office and we even had some singing monkeys - their specialty was Sonny and Cher...I sang along and unlike at home - no one told me to stop!!

nuts, beans and chocolate

Nuts...while at my local supermarket yesterday I was standing in the "nuts" aisle contemplating which would be the least fattening option. I LOVE nuts. I don't usually buy them because then I eat them and the kind I like are the salted ones which aren't good for you. So as I contemplated... a little sprite of a lady stopped and said, "Go ahead dear..we only live once". I turned around to see a sweet lady (named Lupe she told me) who wore a fashionable little car coat (the kind that went out of style in the 70's) and had a huge smile of her own perfect teeth. She had the most beautiful thick and wavy silver gray hair that was cut in a cute pageboy style. I told her that she was right. She said that she was 85 and when I asked her secret to longevity and happiness...she told me - never let your daughter catch you at doing things you shouldn't be doing. We both laughed. She told me her daughter always scolds her for making friends with strangers. And I asked her who her daughter thought she should make friends with if not strangers? Because if they weren't strangers then they must be friends already! We had a nice hug, wished each other Merry Christmas and went on our way. I bought the salted deluxe mixed nuts!

Beans....Saturday was the night of the annual Pomerance Christmas Party. It is always a potluck and I think I have gone most years since 1991. Various people have accompanied me..Kirk in the early LA years, then the kids one by one and sometimes both, then Migue. This year I flew solo. I brought my 'famous' 7 bean Fiesta Salad. Very easy, but nutritious and tasty. I spent most of the evening talking with my old friend from Cedars-Sinai, Dorothy and her husband Gayle. I've known them since Nathaniel was toilet training. They have 7 grandkids now - I am jealous! Everyone looked older, there was no scavenger hunt for the kids - the Pomerance 'girls' are professionals now - a doctor and a teacher. It is the 4th different house the party has been held in over the years...can't wait til next year.

Chocolate...I got home to a sick and guilty looking Sprout. When I went upstairs to try to discover what had happened - I found the remnants of a box of foil wrapped chocolate balls that were meant for Nat's stocking (sorry Nat!). The clever Sprout had tucked the remains into the crate where Matilda sleeps rather than her own - I think she was trying to 'frame' Matilda for the crime. I got worried about the dogs ingesting that much chocolate and when I called the vet's emergency line at 10:30pm sure enough I had to bring them both in. I don't think Matilda ate much (if any) of the contraband. But 5 hours and $840 later - both had had their stomachs pumped and were doing well. Merry Christmas HOLLY!

wrapping things up!

i wish! packages are arriving daily (i love internet shopping so much that i wonder how we ever dragged ourselves through the stores?) and tomorrow i have promised myself i will open them all..wrap them and put them under the tree...the delight of having grown-up kids (no more having to hide presents or wait till they are in bed on Christmas Eve to wrap or assemble them).

head out of the bucket!

thank goodness it (the scourge of stomach virus) has passed - literally and figuratively! i am finally back in the land of the living and am so grateful. work is lots of fun these days - the best place to be in the holiday season is a pediatric hospital. the kids love all the parties and presents and so does the staff.

i am eagerly counting down the days till Christmas when both kids will be home in the morning - my own personal great and bestest ever Christmas present!! of course, the dogs are good too.

sick, sick, sick

i am so sick from a stomach bug that i am barely keeping anything down. i hate being sick. there is nothing that makes me depressed more easily than feeling sick, and scared and alone.

yesterday there were a few moments of feeling good when Nat came over and put up the Christmas Tree. he did it mostly on his own with just a bit of help from me.

we also enjoyed some time with our sweet elves...

how are cars and girlfriends alike?

• first you get a reliable, practical car that is affordable and can take you where you need to go
• it takes you everywhere you need to go and you can always count on it
• it is very low maintenance
  
• you use it regularly and pretty much enjoy it until you begin to get bored
• then you focus on all its faults in order to justify why you need a new one
• you start to abuse it - not terribly, but just take it for granted - it will always work; it will always be there
• you notice that other people have newer, sportier, cuter models than you do
• you being to wonder if your boring, trustworthy, low maintenance vehicle is a poor reflection on you
• you stop paying attention to it
• you don't get it washed and buffed as often
• you let trash build up in it
• you fantasize about getting a new car
• you test drive a few new models
  
• you spill things on it and don't worry about cleaning up
  
• you decide that you DESERVE more, better, newer
• you get rid of your old car and get yourself a shiny new one

• your old girlfriend feels very sad
• she goes out and gets herself a very sporty, new little car
• she wishes she could drive around in it with you
  

soju, kimchi and sitting on the floor

Where am I?? Hancock Park of course! What a great night of GCS partying - complete with noraebang (karoake) and gift exchange. We had a gathering of past delegates and GCS leadership. What fun! The food was fantastic; I met lots of new and interesting people including two other social workers and two people who described themselves as social workers but aren't(always a personal favorite! - like me calling myself a, uh, lawyer...because I have an affinity for or interest in law). Go figure. I didn't get into the whole discussion about how CA doesn't have title protection for social work so basically anyone can call themselves s social worker. Look out world! Or at least California...

Tonight is the holiday party for work and tomorrow will be dedicated to decorating and putting up the tree and maybe a movie if there is time and energy. Milk? Doubt? or Frost/Nixon?

Thursday Night and Tomato Bisque

I love Thursdays - it's the one evening during the week when my sweet and funny 20 year old son and I hang out together. Often we go to one of our favorite eating spots but last night we stayed in...I made comfort food for both of us - tomato bisque, grilled cheese sandwiches and homemade chocolate chip cookies. It was great! I think the tree will go up this weekend.

fun in bed

it's been so nice to have Sprout in my house. she is a full fledged member of the family now. yesterday morning i woke up to find two (not one) dogs in my bed with me. it was a Holly sandwich...so nice and cozy and furry.

last night Sprout snuggled in right away and Matilda doens't mind one bit.

oops...i am turning into a crazy dog lady.

dreams and wishes

this is the time of year filled with dreams and wishes.

i dream of someone to hug every night before sleep and every morning even before brushing my teeth.

i wish my four legged bedmate were a better hugger.

cavorting in covina

I tried out a new hairdresser yesterday - always a traumatic experience, but I was desperate (that being the operational word!!) cause my usual hairdresser wasn't answering any calls and I lost the number for my old hairdresser and the email address of my friend who could give me the phone number for the old hairdresser so I went to one in Burbank that a friend at work had recommended. My friend at work has really pretty hair. I keep thinking that if I go to a hairdresser of someone who has really pretty hair then I will have really pretty hair too.

So - the color is wrong, the cut is too short and it is generally ugh...but..value lesson learned from having been bald in the past year... HAIR GROWS BACK! So I don't really panic anymore even with a bad hairdo...but actually I also learned that NOT all hair does grow back - ask my armpits and my eyebrows. TMI you say? Well, just be glad for the discretion I am practicing because, trust me, I am NOT telling you about all the hair that does or doesn't grow back.

So after getting a bad haircut I drove in my snappy little Pepper to Covina to spend the day with Olga and Lulu. Olga and I worked together at CHLA. She and Lulu are a fantastic couple of ladies from New Yaaawk, Olga-Puerto Rican and Lulu-Italian. We had a great antipasto and a nice bottle of Chardonnay and then the fun began! Young friends of theirs came over - Norm, Janet and Joey. Janet also from CHLA. They drank 7&7; bottled water and seabreezes while I stuck to Coke Zero. We sang oldies and laughed our heads off. I had a great time and was home by 9pm to play with the dogs and get tucked into bed early. But my head was spinning with many, many thoughts and so I was up till 3am. It was nice to sleep in but the doggies had to go out so I dragged myself up to let them out and slept in till...9AM. I played hooky from church today. God and Jaime will forgive me...

Today has been very productive already - online shopping, baking peanut butter cookies and finished up a novel I had started weeks ago. And you? What are YOU doing??

BREAKING NEWS!

Sprout chooses grass over cement!! Yes...ladies and gents...it is TRUE! Today on our morning walk the intrepid Sprout chose not only to pee on the grass but to poop on the grass too! This is a first. I have been troubled by the peeing on the concrete since it (the pee) tends to runs along the concrete and get on her paws and then I feel compelled to wash her four little feet when we get back into the house...It has really slowed down my morning 'get to work routine' and my evening 'go to bed' routine to do the four foot doggy wash. The poop on the concrete I have not minded since it is easier to collect in the little blue baggies I carry. I hate walking into the grass to pick up Matilda's poop since I always end up stepping in the poop of some other critter who's human has NOT used the blue baggies. So - Sprout is definitely acclimating to 'country' life...if anyone out there really thinks North Hollywood is 'country' life - then we should talk or text or skype or blackberry or iphone each other or something!

payday, Friday, weekend...what could be better?

WOW - a whole week without posting. It is an indication of how busy this time of year really is...

Yesterday I saw my surgeon (whom I adore). Her name is Lina Romero and she had on the cutest blue suede clogs. We compared clogs - I was wearing black patent leather. She admitted that mine are much more practical for hospital wear...but she was reminded of a pair of blue suede clogs she had in residency that she loved. I gave her the info on ZAPPOS.COM where you can get great discounts on DANSKO clogs.

I also started on a new medication - a calcium channel blocker. What is a calcium channel and why do we want to block it?? Gotta love getting old.