Hal

when you go to the gym at virtually the same time on the same days of the week you inevitably begin to recognize people. one of my favorite fellow gym-goers is a blind man who comes in escorted by his seeing eye dog. by sheer luck he usually ends up selecting a stationary bicycle right in front of my treadmill so i get to see his whole routine.

it takes him quite a while to get set up and always with the assistance of one of the trainers. meanwhile, his dog lays quietly on the floor barely noticeable except for the fact that he's so out of place in a 24 hour fitness. the trainer turns on the machine, selects the setting, plugs in his headphones for him and then he's off. for the rest of the time, the man pedals away peacefully sweating as much as any of the rest of us.

Every time the devil on my shoulder suggests i skip my workout i think of this man (i've nicknamed him hal because he looks like a hal to me). with more obstacles in front of him than i can possibly imagine and a better excuse not to go then i'll ever come up, hal still manages to get his tush to the gym everyday.

how can i possibly let him down by not showing up myself?

Happy Anniversary

to us!

believe it or not...it may actually be a better day than my birthday.

Mall Rats

the alzheimer's association hosted a healthy aging expo in the mall today. as the senior relationship manager, it's my responsibility to secure all sponsorships and insure our corporate partners are happy.

i took a break from my role of schmoozing with the sponsors to run around the mall and visit all of the merchants who decided to help us raise awareness but wearing purple, dressing their mannequins in our purple alzheimer's shirts and hosting promotions on purple items in their stores.

if you can't tell...our signature color is purple.

it was a great way for me to step out of my role as an employee of a non-profit. for about a half hour i was not someone who could answer a question or solve a problem, i was simply a really enthusiastic volunteer who was fired up by how many people were excited to be a part of our fight against this devastating disease.

we were almost as high profile as susan g. komen.

almost.

Thelma Calls

here at the alzheimer's association, we rely on volunteer support for much of what we do. you see, we need to raise $2.2 million a year and serve 66,000 people in orange county with alzheimer's or dementia. that's an awful lot of work for the 18 of us on staff so volunteers play a huge role.

as you can imagine, that means we have a lot of different personalities to manage. fortunately, we have an incredible volunteer coordinator who keeps them plugged in and feeling appreciated.

thank god for her!

one of my favorite volunteers comes every friday to help around the office. she's an 80 year-old widow and she's adopted all of us her family. she brings us bagels and lox and matzo ball soup, tells us stories about her kids and grandkids and reminds us that we're giving her as much of a gift as she gives us. one of her responsibilities is to call our donors - even those who only gave $5 - to thank them for their generosity. most people would see it as a waste of time - that we should focus on the big fish - but we think everyone deserves our gratitude and there's no one better person for this task than thelma.

i walked by her workstation today on my way back from the break room and overheard one of her phone calls. i paused and smiled and imagined getting a call from thelma in the middle of the day. what would my reaction be? initially, a little impatient, i have to admit. she's definitely a talker and i'd probably be busy and rushing her off the phone. upon learning that it's a simple call of appreciation from an incredibly gracious woman, i hope i'd slow down and give her the time to go through her script - even if that meant she'd stray off topic periodically.


considering how well-received "thelma calls" are by our donors, it sounds like they all "get it." at this stage of her life, she doesn't have to commit the time, energy or gas (yes, she still drives) to support our work. but she does. and she does it with a smile, cheerful demeanor and unsurpassed enthusiasm.

Green Thumb

after nearly a week, our new plants, trees and flowers are doing just fine. i'd be lying if i said i wasn't worried they'd go into shock and all of our hard work would've been for nought.

instead, they're getting prettier everyday.

who knew that something as simple as a 30x7 square foot piece of land could make me so happy everyday?

Ecards

we received an early anniversary card today. it came through as an e-greeting which was just perfect because i received it in the middle of a very busy day.

i know that we think we're "the best couple" but it's always nice to hear that someone else thinks it too.

i suppose i should give credit to our really awesome role models! we're lucky kids.

Hide and Seek

there's nothing worse than misplacing something and it happens to me all the time. after running around in a frantic hunt for my passport minutes before leaving for the airport a couple of years ago, we decided that it's probably better for our marriage if mike takes responsibility for holding onto all of our important documents.

the passport and social security card may be covered but i'm still a big fan of tucking random papers, checks, mail and mementos away for safe keeping. the problem is, i tuck them away so well, i forget where they're located. this always results in an obsessive search through drawers and cabinets in purses and old wallets. and, with the exception of the graduation ring my sister gave me years ago and my mom's silver and turquoise ring from the 60's, i've always recovered my items (that loss was the result of my move from la to sf and i've never forgiven myself).

so, tonight it happened again.

believe it or not, there's always a strange gratification in finding my hidden prize and realizing how great a concealer i really am. maybe i subconsciously do this to myself just for the cat and mouse game.

is that possible?

Brrr...Chilly

i ran out to pick up a couple of bags of ice for an open house we were hosting at work this afternoon. i was third in line at rite-aid with a bag of ice in each hand - in my haste i neglected to grab a shopping cart. just my luck...the woman at the check out stand was literally paying for her purchase with all change.

trying desperately not to let my impatience show, i rocked back and forth in my 4-inch heels hands going numb from the freezing cold bags. she finally finished and the next woman in line smiled back and me and simply said, "go ahead, you look cold." i would typically argue but considering i was late and my hands were minutes away from frostbite, i jumped all over her offer.

it was such a small gesture but it really made my day!

Dear Pop...

thank you for introducing me to wonderful tradition that is dodgers baseball when i was still in mom's belly - i'm surprised i didn't come out singing "i love la."

thank you for purchasing season tickets my entire life and bringing me to at least a dozen games a season for as long as i can remember.

thank you for teaching me how to use a scorecard.

thank you for holding on to me as i nearly fell over the rail as a little girl - even though it meant sacrificing a once in a lifetime chance to catch a fly ball.

thank you for teaching me proper sports lingo so that i don't sound like a "girl" - it's 3-nothing or 3-zip but never 3 to zero!

thank you for making sure i was there to see one of the most memorable moments in baseball history - kirk gibson's game winning home run in the 1988 world series.

thank you for showing me that there's no better place to spend a summer day/night than dodger stadium.

and

thank you for not giving my husband TOO hard a time for being a cubs fan!

Sugar Ray Leonard

we landscaped our front yard today.

keep in mind, this is a really big deal.

it's been on our agenda since we moved in and we were really looking forward to the new and improved version of 602 green.

i assumed it would be a day filled with digging and weeding on our hands and knees but we probably spent 50% of our time at home depot picking out plants, trees and purchasing all of the various accouterments - potting soil, fertilizer, sod, etc. as if shopping for house stuff wasn't enough to keep me entertained on a saturday morning, we also had the pleasure of getting to know one of the home depot greeters - sugar ray leonard.

yes, that was actually the name on his orange home depot apron.

even if i wasn't currently writing this blog, sugar ray would inspire it. picture a 70+ year-old black man dressed to the nines. now, we're talking a full on suit probably from 1977 but maintained like he bought it yesterday. he had on the shiniest two-toned wingtips i've ever seen. and if his impeccable dress wasn't enough to catch your attention, he was possibly the most charming man i've met in a long time.

he wished everyone a blessed day and explained to us that each day he wakes up alive and healthy is a gift that he cherishes.

i couldn't help but think that if only the rest of us kept that state of mind, maybe we'd be fortunate enough to be as delightful as sugar ray when we're 70 something.

Mixin' it up

We planned to go to the beach for a picnic after work tonight. Sadly, when we got home it was super gloomy and a little chilly so we had to change our plans at the last minute.

Turns out, we had just as good a time with plan b.

The Riot

the dodgers/cubs series is quite an event in our household. mike and i have an agreement that we root for each other's teams until they play each other.

then, all bets are off.

tonight, was the first of a four-game series in la. we're going to the game on sunday but until then, we'll have to settle for tuning in on tv. early on in the game, we noticed that vin scully was was pronouncing second baseman on the cubs, ryan theriot's name all wrong.

being the legend that vin is, i tried to ignore the "th" at the top of theriot's name (pronounced teriot). unfortunately, there was no denying it and for some reason, this small mispronunciation repeated over and over again made us crack up.

since this blog is supposed to be all about the little moments that make life worthwhile, then sitting on the couch, baseball on tv, laughing with my husband over something so silly certainly qualifies as one of them.

Otanjoubi Omedetou

my mom and i went to a local hibachi steak house in yorba linda for dinner tonight. it's nothing fancy, just a small neighborhood place with about six grills, really friendly staff and pretty good food (although i did get a stomachache later from eating too much).

we were seated at a table with two women, four boys ranging from 9 to 18 and a man. at the table adjacent to us sat a couple and six teenage boys.

if i was sixteen again, i would've been in heaven.

over the course of the evening we learned that boys at each table were celebrating their birthdays. of course, the servers were very cute as they presented a sliced ice cream sandwich with a candle on top and led the restaurant in singing "happy birthday."what really got me though was that these "teenagers" weren't worried about how "uncool" it all was and instead embraced the moment.

considering where i would assume they'd want their birthday celebration - somewhere involving girls in mini skirts, a keg of beer and video games, i was pleasantly surprised to see that they opted to celebrate with their families and close buddies. now, i'm not so naive to think the alternative celebration didn't take place later that night or this weekend but still...teenagers can be so "anti" and to see the genuine laughter shared between these two different families was pretty impressive.

Dinner and a movie

i met a friend at the bridge for a mid-week movie date tonight.

the time traveler's wife.

we both read the book years ago and loved it and i can't think of anyone else who enjoys sappy flicks as much as i do - in fact, it gives her what she calls "warm fuzzies!" unfortunately, trying to make it to a 745p movie in la on a tuesday night does not result in anything like warm fuzzies. it's more like a cause for anxiety, aggressive driving and frantic, "i'm running late" text messages.

knowing this would be a problem and being the berkeley girls we are, we planned ahead.

i could get there with time to spare so my assignment was to head to rubios and get food to smuggle into the theater. one would think this is a relatively simple thing to do but no...the ushers at the bridge double as cia agents. they caught me early and made me throw out the two sodas i bought for $1.50 each. such a waste but worried that the aroma from the piping hot mexican food tucked safely in my purse would bury me deeper, i decided not to argue. instead, i headed to the concession stand where i bought two smaller versions of the same flat soda for $4.50 each and made my way to our assigned leather seats - yes, i said assigned and leather but keep in mind, it's the bridge and we paid $15 for the movie!

my friend arrived during the previews and all was good in the world. still, every time i popped a chip in my mouth or unwrapped my burrito further i glanced guiltily at the usher standing on the side of the theater sure he was going to catch on and promptly evict me from my very comfy theater chair.

i vaguely remember ushers taking their jobs a helluva lot less seriously when i was a teenager. or, maybe it's that the rebel in me rarely rears her bold head these days. either way, my covert mission was almost as fun as crying through the movie alongside my girlfriend!

Shaken not stirred

i'm pretty good about sticking to my workout routine...especially on mondays. today was just one of those days though. i got in my car after work gym bag beckoning from the back seat, started down the freeway and next thing i knew, i was driving right past the gym.

not only that but i convinced mike to skip his afternoon jog and instead share a cocktail with me on the patio while dinner cooked. he had a glass of wine and i had a martini and we had a great end-of-day chat.

the moment lasted no more than 20 minutes but it was a sweet ending to a long monday.

The Notebook

i was watching the notebook while i got ready this afternoon. i love that movie which is no shocker because i'm a total sucker for chick flicks and it's one of the best of its kind! what's amusing is that mike really likes it too. i always tease him that it's because rachel mcadams is hot but he insists that it's just a good movie.

i got to the scene where allie and noah are fighting by her car and smiled.

allie: look at us, we're already fightin'.
noah: well that's what we do, we fight... you tell me when I am being an arrogant son of a bitch and I tell you when you are a pain in the ass. which you are, 99% of the time. i'm not afraid to hurt your feelings. you have like a 2 second rebound rate, then you're back doing the next pain-in-the-ass thing.
allie: so what?
noah: so it's not gonna be easy. it's gonna be really hard. we're gonna have to work at this every day, but i want to do that because i want you. i want all of you, forever, you and me, every day.

i love this scene and especially the dialogue because it reminds me so much of our own relationship. we've had this same exchange before just not as eloquently or well-written. in my opinion, it's one of the many reasons why we're such a strong couple. we argue, we disagree and we both have really strong convictions. we're stubborn and passionate and god knows, neither one of us is a doormat. what's great though is that regardless of all that, there's a mutual respect that is always present.

it may not work for everyone but it really works for us.

Lemon risotto with shrimp and asparagus

i've heard risotto is really difficult to cook but i've never actually tried it myself.

until tonight.

it does seem to be mike's favorite menu selection whenever he plays chef for the night so i didn't imagine it was all that difficult.

boy, was i surprised.

in the risotto's defense, i was impatient and the longer it took for the rice to soften the more wine meghann and i drank and the hungrier we got. arms sore from the constant stirring, we finally took matters into our own hands and umm...improvised.

it turned out alright. not great and certainly not as good as mike's but better than expected.

in short, it was one of those nights where it was more about the company than the food.

good thing my company was so great!

Party at my house!

i spent the night at my parents' house tonight while they were in big bear. my sister and i made dinner, drank wine and watched the kids swim in the backyard. after she left, i snuggled up in my mom and dad's giant bed and watched tv until i fell asleep...just like i did when i was a kid.

as i was cleaning up the house at the end of the night, i found myself staring drunkenly out the kitchen window and reminiscing about the memories i have had in that house over the past 22 years. i spent a while remembering all of the "get togethers" i hosted in high school - it was so convenient that my parents traveled a lot - and found amusement in the fact that i define "excitement" differently nowadays.

my friends and i had some really good times in that house and i am still shocked that no major disasters ever occurred. in fact, i think one of the worst was scrubbing the oil stains off the driveway after all of my friends decided to park there the night before - don't forget, my dad is steve balsamo (he'd notice these things).

those days don't seem so long ago yet i'm really happy that they're in the past. maybe i'm an old 30, but a long chat with my big sis, a bottle of wine within reach and a home-cooked meal make for the perfect friday night and i'm not ashamed to admit it.

Nice to meet you

i had a networking event tonight at angel stadium. that might sound like an alright way to spend an evening but there were two problems for me. 1. i'm a dodgers fan which means i despise the angels and frankly the entire american league or as my dad puts it, "minor league baseball" and 2. networking events are the absolute worst.

i mean think about it, the sole purpose of these "happy hours" is to encourage shameless self-promotion and forced conversation. don't get me wrong, one of my favorite pastimes is chatting with strangers but when i'm forced to do it, i get all queasy inside. i feel like i'm speed dating but in "business bals" mode.

fortunately for me, my co-worker met me there tonight. i've always been drawn to this woman but by the nature of our positions at the alzheimer's association, we actually don't interact too often. she runs our latino outreach program and insists on communicating with me only in spanish to encourage and support my practice. she also just exudes goodness. she's gracious, soft-spoken and compassionate.

frankly, if she wasn't 25 years older than me i'd say that maybe i have a girl-crush on her!

tonight was great because we actually spoke at length for the very first time. i learned about her family, the early years of her life in ecquador, how she met her husband of 30 years (such a great love story) and how she got involved with social work. all this over a single glass of wine.

oh, we did do some "networking" too and met some strong sponsor prospects as a result.

all in all, it was a very nice way to spend an hour and a half.

The best part of waking up...

my incredibly sweet, remarkably thoughtful husband sets up the coffee pot for me every night and then turns it on in the morning so it's nice and hot when i'm heading out the door.

i mean seriously, how many men do this?

he learned early on in our relationship that i'm just not a morning person so i think it's his little way of helping me get the day started on a bright note. it's become such a habit that i'm embarrassed to admit that i haven't even acknowledged his efforts lately.

shame on me.

i worked from home today and last night told him not to go through the whole coffee ritual, especially because neither of us walked through the door until nearly 10p. this morning, in the sixty seconds it took for me to make my own coffee and subsequent five minutes i spent groggily waiting for it to brew i couldn't help but appreciate the man in my life.

he's so good at the little things. he's pretty amazing at the big ones too but it's the small gestures that get me every time.

Family

recently, my friend's three year battle to adopt four children from our tijuana orphanage ended in success. a few weeks back, the kids stepped foot on american soil. since then, they've traveled to florida to meet their grandma and the bahamas for some fun in the sun. in between their excursions, they've spent extensive time with an esl tutor preparing for their first day of school in september.

i had the incredible pleasure of seeing them for the first time since they arrived home tonight. i kept my composure and didn't freak them or their father out by tearing up but on the inside, my emotions were boiling over. i've watched these beautiful children grow so much over the past eight years. i've seen them captivate all of the volunteers who travel to mexico and stood aside as they supported one another because in many ways they are so much more than siblings. they are the only family they've ever had. until now.

i loved listening as they called to their "papa" and watching them scoot around with their backpacks strapped on wearing clothes that fit and sporting hair that's recently been trimmed, brushed and washed. they've always been loved by all of the volunteers, staff and other children at casa hogar sion but now, they truly have a family they can call their own.

this exact moment is why i commit my time, love and money to this cause. i've been asked, "why mexico?" or "why orphans?" and i've never had a better answer than simply "because it's my calling and i couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now." seeing the union between this new family has given me a better answer to those questions.

i truly believe that orphaned children can be loved as much as blood-related children. i advocate for all of the orphans in the world and do my piece to promote adoption and the widening of acceptance into our lives and our households. in the meantime, i fight to insure that as many orphans as i can reach have their basic needs met and ultimately, i dream of a day when we can break the cycle of prostitution, abuse and neglect.

for those who believed when i started my trips to mexico in 2002 that this would be nothing more than a "passing fancy," i think it's pretty obvious that i proved you wrong. but, it was never about you. it was about the children who have left a mark on my life and the family of like-minded, passionately motivated individuals who refuse to believe that a small group of people can do anything BUT change the world.

that's why i do what i do.

care to join me?

visit us at http://www.friendsofelfaro.com/ or join our cause on facebook at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/3328?m=618c3fb4.

Warning: The following post contains vulgar and childish content

mike and i have been operating on completely different planes lately. meaning, for 10 days, counting from last friday through this sunday, we will only be home together three times. that may not seem like a big deal to most people but we work really hard to coordinate our schedules so we see each other as often as possible.

alas, that's not always feasible.

tonight, was fortunately one of those three nights and we made the most of our time together. we made dinner, ate at the table (a tradition that is a "must" in our household), watched the dodgers game and played cards. it was perfection - even though i lost.

midway through our game of phase 10, i decided to download a new app for my iphone...the atomic fart. now, i know this is pretty immature but i have to say, we were laughing so hard at all of the different fart sounds my phone can make. everything from the "short but sweet" to the "lawn mower" and the "princess." don't even get me started on the "dangerously painful" and "short and wet."

my dad has always hated when i do or say anything that is not lady-like and he would most definitely not approve of my fascination with the atomic fart. still, i just can't help it. i guess there's a 10-year-old boy inside of my just dying to get out.

p.s. i'm willing to bet all my iphone readers are totally going to check out this app and i can't wait to hear your reviews. as for me, it's probably the best free app i've ever downloaded!

I missed you

saying "i missed you" to someone and genuinely meaning it with all your being.

so good!

What is "interesting?"

every once in a while i come across someone who is just so interesting. you know...the type of person who has so much going on in their own life, so many opinions on the world at large and such a thirst to hear all about your updates that they just don't have time to gossip about others.

only when i encounter someone like this do i realize how often the subject matter of my own conversations really is "other people's lives." whether i lead or merely partake in the conversation and no matter if the basis of the chat is positive or negative, talking about others really is boring.

i am refreshed by these "interesting" people and inspired to alter the focus of my own social interactions.

the best part of all is when that "interesting" person also happens to be a wonderful friend. i walk away feeling blessed that she keeps company with me and longing for our next visit. it's no wonder my husband considers her the "coolest" of all my friends. after all, he has some pretty incredible taste!

Girls Night

having been a bride not too long ago, i have such an appreciation for the thrill a woman feels in the months leading up to her wedding. sure, it's busy and stressful and there are about a million t's to cross and i's to dot but the anticipation of the "big day" is unlike any other feeling.

just one of the many celebratory events (and in my opinion, one of the best) is the bachelorette party. whether it's a day, night or weekend's worth of fun, it's a really special time if embraced for exactly what it's supposed to be - a chance for girlfriends to celebrate and maybe embarrass (a little and all in fun) the bride-to-be.

after a little reluctance, the bride in my life did just that - embraced her moment in the spotlight and allowed her supporting cast to truly relish the experience. she was such a great sport. she played the games. turned up the dial on her silliness. laughed her way through the weekend. and even managed to turn the tables on us.

how lucky are we to be part of this time in her life.

I scream. You scream.

i pride myself on not having much of a sweet tooth. people always think i'm lying but really, i could totally do without dessert...just don't take away the french fries, pringles or tortilla chips!

now, every once in a while i just get a craving. it's actually so rare that i don't even recognize it anymore. in fact, i think it's more mental than anything. but sure enough, today was one of those days.

as i was running errands, i swung into a parking lot and noticed a coldstone creamery next door to the supermarket. i felt this strange cosmic pull but resisted and instead commenced with my grocery shopping. unfortunately, the entire time i was picking out the ingredients for tonight's dinner my mind kept drifting to coldstone.

now, here's the interesting thing about that. when was of those aforementioned cravings kick in, it's usually for ice cream or fro-yo but almost never for coldstone. to be perfectly honest, i'm not a huge fan.

i like my ice cream straight up. not chopped and diced and filled with way too many ingredients.

i walked out with my bag of sensible groceries in hand and said, "to hell with it." i bypassed my car completely and marched straight into coldstone. i stared at the confusing menu of options (another reason i'm not a huge fan) and settled on a small mint chocolate chocolate chip something or other.

i drove home stuffing my face, all the while convincing myself that i was really just being a good wife by surprising mike with some double stuffed oreo disaster but in my heart i know the truth.

and you know what? the truth tasted pretty damn good on this hot thursday afternoon!

I need what?

growing up i had terrible vision. i hated wearing my glasses because i swear, it was like looking through coke bottles. it didn't matter how cute the frames were back then, the lenses had to be so thick they totally stole the show.

eventually, i got contacts and those held me over until i received the most amazing graduation present ever...lasic. for eight years i've been able to see better than anyone i know. i mean, we're talking so good that i actually joke, it's better than x-ray vision (i find this very funny...mike no longer does). all this from a girl who actually cried the first time she woke up and was able to read the alarm clock without any sort of optical assistance.

sadly, i've noticed over the past year that my eyes are tired at the end of the day. they're dry and sore and i attribute this all to working too much - oh, and my addiction to trivia games on my iphone! sure enough, i went to the optometrist tonight and low and behold, i need glasses.

i swallowed hard and explained that i haven't had to wear glasses since junior high. but, my protests fell on deaf ears. the doctor explained that the computer use and my bad habit of reading in poor lighting is effecting my far-sightedness and even at that, it's not anything major.

wait, so the lasic surgery didn't fail me? my distance vision is still okay? no coke bottles in my future? just cute reading glasses that will be more of an accessory than anything?

as the optometrist assured me, all the while thinking, "this girl is nuts," the insecure teenager inside of me breathed a sigh of relief. after all, this warrants some overdue shopping....

look out eyeglass store. here i come.

The specialist of occasions

driving to work this morning, i got hung up at an incredibly long stop light. as frustrating as that is when you're already running late, it did give me an opportunity to spy on the car behind me through my rearview mirror. and what did i see?

a true father/son moment in action. they were eating breakfast in the car clearly on their way to elementary school. the "father" must've said something funny because the "son" started laughing. then, i could tell that the "son" made a request but did not receive the response he expected because he immediately turned on the pouty "but dad..." face.

i immediately flashed back to my own childhood rides to school. most of the time my mom dropped me off but once in a while my dad took me. in my opinion, these were always special occasions although i probably didn't let him know that. in fact, i clearly remember making him go through our farewell ritual when we were still two blocks away from school.

god forbid the other first graders saw my dad kiss me goodbye!

i got so lost in my reverie i didn't realize the light had turned green. clearly the "dad" was preoccupied with the negotiations going on in his car as well because it took the guy behind him to toot his horn for both of us to bring our attention back to the task at hand.

it only lasted about a minute and a half but it was a really nice moment.

It's gettin' hot in here

with mike in class tonight, i didn't feel my usual desire to rush home and shower, begin dinner and get our evening started. instead, i decided to extend my workout by an extra 20 minutes and hit the steam room.

now, the gym steam room is a very interesting experience. i suppose it depends on which gym you attend. for instance, an equinox or sports club la is going to provide a very different experience that the standard 24 hour fitness sport of which i'm a member.

i don't typically utilize my gym for anything more than a run on the treadmill, some basic weight training or the occasional lazy day on the elliptical. besides, between bikram yoga and the gym, i spend more money on memberships than i care to admit. for those reasons, 24 hour fitness serves my purpose just fine. in fact, it keeps me honest because no matter where i go - my parents' houses in oc, sf, downtown la, etc. - it's right around the corner calling my name. you see, i have no excuse not to swing by for a visit.

now, back to the steam room. the few times i've actually ventured into the steam room, i've always been surprised. i suppose i expect it to be dirty, smelly and packed to the brim. granted, it's no ladies locker room at burke williams but again, it serves my mid-week, post-workout, take a load off purpose just fine.

better than fine, in fact. i'd say our mutually beneficial relationship is going strong.

Farewell, Mr. Snedden...We'll be seein' you

a bit of a downer of an entry today.

i found out this evening that my friend's father passed away this morning. he'd been ill but still, his death was unexpected. my friend was very close to his dad and i can only imagine how his heart aches right now.

in my attempt to be an eternal optimist this year, i did find one bright spot to the situation.

i remember a facebook status update my friend wrote on father's day. i went back through his profile to find his exact words because mine could never do it justice. i thought then that it was profound and honest and so unbelievably sweet. reading it now, i can't help but tear up out of happiness...i know that george knew he was loved because my friend is incredibly forthcoming with his emotions. what a blessed life.

"My Dad taught me how to fish and camp and ride a horse and told me things like - 'It never hurts to ask' and 'Don't pee uphill' and 'Don't spit in the wind.' I hope my kids love me as much as I love him."

Sniffles

9 out of 10 times, the best cure for a cold is a big bowl of chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese sandwich and large glass of orange juice. at least, that's been my remedy of choice since my mom served it to me as a child.

still, every once in a blue moon i like to mix it up and throw in a few matzo balls in lieu of noodles. you see, i made my first real jewish friend (as in a jew who does not celebrate hannukah and christmas) as an adult. he worked next to me for nearly three years at fox. during that time, i was perpetually sick and he introduced me to the wonderful healing properties of matzo ball soup in addition to all sorts of other jewish delicacies, customs and yiddish slang (i.e. my nickname was "shikki" for shiksa (non-jewish girl) and nikki).

like i said, most of the time i still opt for the 'ole "chocolate balsamo" standby but tonight as i reached for the pre-sliced cheddar, i changed my mind and instead decided to channel my inner yidishke.

oi!