She's going, she's going, she's gone!!!

Well, there were a few more days left in Vancouver when we spoke last, hence, of course, a few more lunches. Yet one last sushi run, this time with colleagues Leslie, Helen and Sherryl.....

.....and one last look at the golf course, on a miraculously sunny (if very cold - you will notice we are eating indoors) day, with colleagues Tim and Daphne..

...and one last dinner and bridge with the boys.

Even time for one last theater night with Tom, this time seeing the United Players at Jericho Beach, preceded, as always by a wonderful dining experience.  We ate at a place called Trattoria, on west 4th; again, a Dine Out Vancouver suggestion, and definitely a place we'll return to.

The play was fabulous; it was called The Pitman Painters (sorry, the playwright escapes me and the program has not come to hand), about a social experiment, if you will, in the 20's in England (apparently based on a true story).  Some miners, most of whom had been sent to the mines at the age of 8, with schooling to match, were given art lessons.  They painted, and were taken to galleries (for the first time, of course), and discussed the meaning of art both to the creators and to the viewers, and how they - and their instructor - changed over the years.  It fit nicely into my recent course (Why is this Art?), and was wonderfully (minimally, of course, given the tiny theater space and their dreadfully reduced budget) staged and acted, with some of our favourites from that company.  It was long, but well worth staying up for.  In any event, it was Friday, my work was - finally - done, and it was a great way to celebrate.

The last weekend in Vancouver was quiet, just getting everything ready for my getaway.

Sidebar, here.  My stress level continues to be high.  I see I have not told you about my "new" car, and the resultant aggravations.  The car is definitely NOT new, being a 2001 PT Cruiser with over 300,000 kilometers on it.  The short version is that it was the car I had just before David died, because he could get in and out of it from his wheelchair.  After David died, a colleague of mine bought it, and said that if I ever wanted it back, it was mine.  Well, he was downsizing his "fleet", and friend Mariah didn't have a car for Palm Springs, I was sentimentally attached to that car, well, you can imagine the rest.  I took it back, and spent the rest of the month I was in Vancouver trying to get the mechanic to get it spruced up (it is actually in remarkably good shape), so that it could pass Air Car, and get licensed and insured ( a friend is primed to drive it down to Palm Springs for us).  Needless to say, in spite of the fact that he had three weeks to do it in, it didn't happen (the mechanic is on Jamaican time, don't you know), so just one more thing over which I have no control.  It too will no doubt be done in the fullness of time, but meanwhile....

Did manage to find time for drinks on Saturday night at Brown's Social House with friend Donna, who I hadn't manage to connect with in the month I had been in Vancouver. We enjoyed catching up, but it was an early evening.

And the getaway on Monday morning was fine, an early start, of course, but no problems with either security or the plane, so an on-time departure and arrival in sunny, warm Palm Springs.  Art, bless him, picked me up from the airport (I was hoping for the Chrysler convertible, but the Lincoln Town Car was fine, thank you very much!)  And we went directly from the airport to - if you guessed bridge, you would be right!  Came in third overall out of 29 tables, in spite of the fact that I was half asleep.  She's back!

After bridge, we went home to rest, and I actually saw the state of the renovations, which would have left me in tears, if I were prone to that sort of thing.  Instead, after a dinner at Manhattan in the Desert (previously described in these pages and as good as always, although I wasn't really in the mood) with Art and partner Wally, during which they let me vent, I spent a sleepless night wondering when these renovations were ever going to be done and whether I was going to bankrupt myself in the process.  I wondered - most horrible of feelings - whether I was being taken advantage of.  I wondered.....

However, as they say, the night is always darkest just before the dawn (or do only long distance sailors only say that?).  When I talked to contractor Tommy on Tuesday morning, he pointed out just how much had been done in my absence, and assured me that any remaining problems would be resolved and work completed by February 25th  I believe him (perhaps, more fool me, but we shall see), and am feeling much brighter.  The sunny outlook helps, of course, as does the fact that friend Mariah has graciously said that I could stay in her place, just five doors down but well away from the construction zone.  So, all is well, as it always seems to be in Palm Springs.

So, after the "come to Jesus" (it is just an expression, and not mine either) talk with Tommy on Tuesday morning, I took the car (which is running perfectly, thank goodness), top down, of course, for a spin out to La Quinta to reconnect with friend Robin.  She has been previously mentioned in these pages - my friend from law school and ever since, most recently known as sometimes bridge partner and personal shopper.  And that is what we did.  After a lunch at - help, I don't remember the name, something Grill on El Paseo (I will provide the name at some point, as I will undoubtedly be back there.  We shared a Cobb salad for $12.95, which was so big that we couldn't finish our respective halves, had a dynamite pink lemonade, and enjoyed it immensely)  - went shopping.  I have decided I need new furniture for my "new" place, and nobody shops for furniture as well as Robin.  I will just say that we were successful - pictures will follow, when the stuff is in place.  In any event, retail therapy worked, as it usually does, Robin had a great time spending my money (I should probably stop shopping with my wealthiest friend!), and a good time was had by all.

By Wednesday morning, I was back to my regular routine at the gym (lord knows, I need it!) and feeling good about it too.  In the afternoon, neighbor Michael and I did - imagine! - more shopping, this time for carpets for the back bedrooms, followed by dinner at my favourite chain restaurant, Red Lobster.

Thursday, I was back to the gym, and bridge in the afternoon with Art.  We didn't do as well this time (although not badly), but the hands and the company were very interesting.  We have decided on a new schedule for bridge which will accommodate both Robin's tennis league and Art and his other partners, so we are back in the groove.

Thursday was February 6, and the anniversary of David's death.  It is amazing to think that it has been gone for 8 years.  As I customarily do on that date, I went out to eat by myself.  Well, not by myself, really; it is a night for communing with my husband, over bourbon (Maker's Mark, neat, ice water on the side) and prime rib (rare).  I have found a new favourite spot for this ritual, a restaurant called Billy Reed's, a place where I have been many times before, although not for this purpose (Davey's Hideaway having closed, I needed a new spot).  It is a great old Palm Springs tradition, and David would have loved it.  I'm not sure that David would be approving of my current spending spree (who am I kidding?  I know he wouldn't!)  However, it was good to check in with him nevertheless, and get my moral - and financial - bearings.

Friday. after gym and errands in the morning, I met friend Ken for lunch at Smokin' Burgers, a new favourite for lunch (as well as Happy Hour and Appys).  It is convenient as well as cheap, and the food is great.  Ken and I caught up, and made arrangements for next week's opera outing, which will be described in due course.  Friend Gerry (otherwise known as either Mr. White rock or, his preference, The Juke Box Man)  came by for a surprise visit in the afternoon, he being here for a brief visit from Vancouver.  (note to friends:  I love it when people drop in, even when my house is a construction zone.  There is always the patio, and while I may not have a stove, I still have a functioning refrigerator!).  He didn't stay long - between the contractor and his helper and the guy measuring for the shutters and the neighbors coming by, there was way too much chaos.  We did manage to arrange for a dinner next week before he goes back to Vancouver.

Friend Laurel and I had arranged for a walk at 4 that afternoon.  Laurel, you will recall, was my neighbor in Salt Spring Island and, by chance, is a near neighbor here in Palm Springs.  We did have a great walk in the beautiful mid-century modern Seven Lakes complex where she lives.  Not brisk, mind you; new puppy Chloe spent some time sniffing.  However, it was exercise enough - I had already spent an hour and a half  in the gym in the morning, after all.  It was a good thing we had a chance to talk, though; we retired to her clubhouse for drinks and entertainment....

and, while lovely, it was way too loud to talk.  We ended up moving to the dining room, where we had a lovely, extremely civilized, dinner.

Saturday night was one of our regular pot lucks at Palm Springs View Estates (pretty fancy name for a mobile home park, don't you think?)..

The observant among you might have noticed that while there are a lot of old (as in previously seen, of course, not as in aged) faces, but some new faces as well.  We have had a fair turnover this year - it is a seniors park, after all - and the new comers are a friendly bunch.  I'm glad for the new blood, the newly decorated places, the new life!

Which brings us up to date.  It is Sunday; Art and I are playing bridge - a Unit game, lots of opportunity for points - so I'm off pretty soon.  More anon.

Work, work, work

As advertised, it has been a much quieter week, a few lunches and coffees with colleagues, but not too much else.  Tom and I did have another theater night on Thursday, the 23rd.  We went over to Commercial Drive.  The cognoscenti among you know that it is the hip and happening spot in Vancouver, multi-cultural, multi-generational, the smell of weed in the air, you know, a total time warp to the Haight in the 60's.  (I always feel my ever-advancing age in places like that.)   The restaurant of choice was The Carthage Cafe.  It has apparently been around for 6 or 7 years, but new to us.

(A sidebar here.  This time of year in this part of the world we have something called Dine Out Vancouver.  Apparently a slow stretch for restaurants, so they get together, have set menus at really reasonable prices to get people out in the rain.  It certainly works for us - Tom and I participate every year, always adding new restaurants to our repertoire.  This is one of those; we will certainly come again.  In spite of the commotion in the streets, this was a really lovely "north African with French influence" cafe, withgreat food and service)

The theater, The Havana Theater was just down the street.  It is a funky little theater tucked behind a restaurant/bar of the same name.

and one of our favourite theater companies, Fighting Chance Productions, was putting on a funky little play called Reasons to be Pretty.  I can't say I was hugely enamored of the play, but I can't say it wasn't provacative!

One of my lunch hours saw me in a book store (yes, I occasionally pay 30% more to keep them alive!)  I did get three of the ones I was looking for (Alone Together, by Sherry Turkle, about our relationships with machines, specifically, robots; Red Fortress, by Catherine Merridale, a history of the Kremlin; and The Devil that Never Dies, by Daniel Goldhagen - he also wrote Hitler's Willing Executioners - about the rise and threat of global antisemitism.  Armistead Maupin's new - and purportedy last - book wasn't in yet!)  So, between walking between the raindrops, reading books and the Economists John had been saving for me, and the ever-present New York Times, well the weekend passed.

Just so you guys don't think I am a total Pollyanna (sorry, PA), I should tell you that it was not a good weekend for me.  I am feeling hugely anxious, worrying about the renovations in Palm Springs, mostly, and money, and the niggly things that need to be done to keep one's life running smoothly.  I know, I know, these are all first world problems, but they are causing me sleepless nights nonetheless. Well, I am heading back to Palm Springs next week, and I am sure all the problems will be solved in the fullness of time.  The hidden agenda item, of course, is that this is not a good time of year for me.  David died 8 years ago February 6.  I miss him hugely still, always, but I feel particularly alone this time of year.

Well, back to work this week.  This is my last week up here till May, and have to get all the files off my desk, so it really is work work work.  Nonetheless, one must have lunch, no?

Continuing with the ethnic theme (I had dim sum at the Continental - they still have the carts - with Lois yesterday), Randy, Bea and I had lunch at one of our favourite Japanese joints today.

And I will leave you with some pictures of my place here in Steveston....

...and a reminder that Nora's Steveston B & B will be open again in May, and awaiting the pleasure of your company!

So Much for New Years Resolutions

  And here I promised myself that I would be better at posting to my blog!

Oh, well, they say that if you fall off the wagon, you should just get back on again, so here I am, with a bit of a change up in routine for the week.  On Monday, we had a send-off for colleague Tony.  After better than 20 years in the compensation system (not to mention a horrendous commute), he was ready to hang up his cleats.  He didn't want a big fuss made, so we went to our regular Monday Pho place.  Same food (we all seem to be creatures of habit), more nostalgia than usual.

Here's Tony, outside our office..... (looks too young to retire, no?)

We did have a good time, as we always do (good conversation, good food, cheap, what's not to like?), but a little sad.  Tony's one of the old-timers, and there aren't too many of us left.  I'm not as bad about change as some, but still....

On Monday evening after work, yet another gathering of colleagues, just a "I'll bring wine, you bring take-out Chinese" sort of thing, gathering at friend Susan's place.  (She's decided she likes entertaining....)

Here's Susan, our happy host (pre-dinner wine will do that for you....)

We do have a good time!  I  am always grateful for my colleagues.  They are not only bright and funny, but supportive in times of need, and, well, good colleagues.

I've been diligently working, but did sneak out a few minutes early on Wednesday to catch yet another movie (it is Oscar season, after all, and I have lots of catching up to do).  I saw Saving Mr. Banks, and was delightfully surprised. I do like Emma Thompson, but I am not particularly a fan of Mary Poppins, don't much care for Tom Hanks, and downright dislike Walt Disney, and yet, and yet, I thought it was quite a charming movie.

Thursday, in the interest of multiculturalism, we had a (somewhat early, I know) Robbie Burns Day at work.  In the further interest of multiculturalism, I let them recruit me to take part.  The boys in the kilts (the answer to the question is "nothing", by the way) did the Ode to the Haggis (in Scottish) and a number of other poems, by Burns as well as other, less well known Scottish poets, I did the English (with a little Yiddish thrown in, ditto for the multiculturalism part) translation, and Clare did the Response of the Lassies.

We started, of course, with the ceremonial piping of the haggis (recorded, of course), and finished with the ceremonial eating of the haggis, as well as very strong "tea" from Scotland.  As you can see, we drew a fair crowd, had a great many laughs, and deemed it a hit.  Unfortunately, it may be the end of the era.  At least one, and possible both, of the guys in kilts will be retiring this year, and I can't see the younger crowd pulling it off - or wanting to!

You might have noticed over the course of the blog that it never rains but it pours.  I can go for days without doing anything but working and going home.  Then there are the days when two or three things at once are going on.  Robbie Burns festivities were Thursday afternoon; Thursday night I was meeting the boys for dinner and bridge.  Dinner was at a recently opened Japanese noodle house (I would tell you its name, if I could remember it - I should have checked, it was very good)...

....and bridge was at John's, as it almost always is.  I'm going through one of those stages at bridge.  Tom - god bless him, he always finds something kind to say - says it because I know so much more that I am realizing how much I don't know.  Anyway, I'm feeling exceptionally stupid, not to mention that I have been getting terrible cards.  Luckily, between the refreshment and the conversation, we always have a great time anyway, and the boys are such great teachers that it is always a learning experience.

Friday night Tom had arranged dinner and the theater.  Tom, you probably remember, was a classmate in law school - a few minutes ago - and has been a constant theater buddy, bridge partner and friend ever since.  We went back to an old favourite, The Water Street Cafe in Gastown.  We don't head down that way very often - never, really, unless we are going to the nearby Firehall Theater - but it is a wonderful restaurant, old fashionedly elegant, with good food and good service thrown in.  Lots of stars.

The Firehall Theater has been around - well, since I started going to the theater in Vancouver.  It is a small (maybe 100 seats?)  theater in a lousy neighborhood, but over the years, we have seen some of the best theater in that venue.  Friday, it was a one-person show called Medicine, written, directed and performed by T.J.Dawe.  It was an amazing piece, about how our past shapes us, and how we can escape from its power.  Normally, I find that kind of "california woo woo shit -ayahuasca experiences indeed" excessively tiresome, like listening to someone describe a bad acid trip, but I was astonishingly moved, and could not stop thinking about things in my past which might have formed my somewhat twisted personality.  The operative word there is thinking.  Some people go to the theater to be amused.  That's good too, but I prefer to be touched and taught.  A great piece of theater.

Not too much more, hold on.  Saturday, the weather broke - still too cold for my liking, but at least not raining.  Combine that with a half-heard book on my IPod (remember that newish Amy Tan book?), and it makes a long and pleasant walk.  (You have plenty of pictures of my haunts here; I won't bore you with more.  That, reading and knitting, oh, and doing the Dottie Domestic stuff that even I have to do occasionally, made up my Saturday.  Time for another walk on Sunday, to make up for stuffing myself at dim sum (the usual Fisherman's Terrace, but a different cast of characters - friend Arlene (the Vancouver one, not the Seattle one) who I hadn't seen since I've been back, and who is recovering from some health issues, and her friend John.  (picture to follow, maybe.  My camera was out of juice; John took a picture with his cell phone, but hasn't passed it on yet).  It was great to catch up, and the food was fabulous, as usual.  (You might have noticed a theme; I am gorging myself on ethnic food, in anticipation of its lack in Palm Springs, where I return in 2 weeks.)

So, another week in the life of....This coming week will be quieter, I think, although I may squeeze a few movies in, and Tom and I have another theater outing next Thursday.  Til next week, then. 

Surprise! It's Raining!

Yes, I am back in Vancouver, having flown in on January 1.  All is well with home here.  The cleaning lady had been in my absence, the mail collected by good neighbor Joan, and the car even started on the first try!  All that was required was a run to the smoke shop to order my Sunday New York Times (at $11 a pop, they don't get it in unless someone orders it) and a grocery run, and I was back at work on January 2.  After all, I am here to work!

It was good to see old colleagues and catch up on the gossip, but the files were waiting!  Didn't even go out to lunch (or dinner, for that matter), and stuck to my yogurt and fruit.  A good start!  By Friday afternoon, though, I was off again.  Friend Arlene was celebrating a birthday (and no, I won't tell you which one, although she is not a blog follower and I could probably get away with it!).  My new Nexus border pass had, thankfully, arrived in my absence, and the rain cleared in time for me to have an easy drive down to Seattle.  I started the weekend with friend Mariah (who, as you no doubt recall) also lives down there; we went to dinner at our favourite Chinese dive (whose name I can never remember, if I ever knew it).

The next morning, I was off to Arlene's, who has a lovely house on Queen Ann hill (is that right?  I should know that.....), where she had prepared her usual, simply elegant, meal.

As you can tell from the quality of the light, the weather was, for a change, clear.  Crisp, but clear.

We had planned a walk around Green Lake.  One of the (gratefully, few) legacies of my several bouts of pneumonia is that I have difficulty breathing in the cold.  I was game to try, though, and it was glorious, and even a brisk enough walk that I didn't want to interrupt the flow to take pictures.   For those of you who haven't been to Seattle, or at least not recently, it is a glorious urban park, and a lovely walk.

That was it, though; we gave up on the outdoors, and wandered over (by car, I might add, with the usual Seattle difficulty in parking) to a lovely little neighborhood movie theater, which looked like a converted townhouse, and saw the newest Coen brothers movie, Saving Llewelyn Davies.  All the critics have been raving about it, I know, but I guess I am too stupid; I just plain didn't understand what they were getting at.  Was it a great portrayal of New York life in the 50's?  Sure.  But I got that about 5 minutes in.   The acting was good, especially the lead (name?) who both sung and acted the role as if he were born to it. Nonetheless, iIf the film had lasted 5 minutes longer, I would have run screaming from the theater.

That excruciating piece of business was followed, however, by a lovely dinner at a place called Dahlia's, one of Tom Douglas's several restaurants.  It has apparently been around for a while (although recently moved), but neither Arlene nor I had been there and it seemed like a good place for a celebratory dinner (that pesky birthday, remember...)

Highly recommended, on all counts.  The food was, as was to be expected, lovely, but the service was beyond the expected.  I turned up my nose at the mashed potatoes with my steak (silly me - I thought "buttered potatoes" meant buttered potatoes)  I didn't have to say a thing - the turned up nose was apparently enough - a substitution was made cheerfully, with no cost and almost no wait.  As far as the atmosphere, it was, as you can probably tell by the picture, my favourite kind of restaurant, the adult kind, with no children or cell phones in sight, plenty of room between the tables and no noise.  And best of all, Arlene's choice of coconut cream pie, came with one candle but (thankfully) no singing!

After a good night's sleep (walking will do that for you, among other things not mentionable in a G-rated blog) will do that for you, we were ready for more girl-talk, and, of course, more food, this time a very trendy noodle house called Dim Tai Fung, in University Village.  So trendy, in fact, that by the time we arrived at 11 A.M., there was an hour wait.  We lucked out with a table in the bar, and lucked out still further with a great waiter, and a lot less fuss and feathers than we would have had in the (huge) main dining room, which was full of large groups and, well, imagine, children!

The food was great, quite delicate flavours and textures, again, highly recommended.

Followed by a (admittedly shorter than the previous day's) walk, this time around the open air mall. which is enough of a dying breed for me to consider it a cultural expedition.

...followed by a blessedly uneventful drive home (the drive, for those of you not from these parts, can be from 2 1/4 hours to 4 hours depending on the traffic and the border).

And Monday was back to work.  Although I started out with the best of intentions (not about working, I really don't have problems sticking to that.  They give me files with deadlines, I do them.), but about the going out to eat part.

By Tuesday, I was heading out to lunch with colleague Susan (who doesn't much like to have her picture taken).  Wednesday, I went out to eat with colleague Andrew (who is now sharing an office with me, as he has retired and gone on contract, like me)....

and former colleague Eric....

...who always makes me laugh!  The restaurant was Two Chefs and a Table, a neighborhood dive which has mad previous appearances on these pages.  (Aside from the fact that I do seem to return to restaurants I like, the industrial parks which populate the neighborhood where I work do not offer a lot of choices), where their signature dishes are tater tots fried in duck fat and mac and cheese!

A good rainy evening activity is, of course, the movies, and as it is Oscar season, there seem to be some good, adult movies around. There is a multiplex just five minutes from my office and on the way home, so a 4 o-clock movie is a perfect pick-me-up.  I started off with American Hustle on Tuesday, The Wolf of Wall Street on Wednesday, and, on Saturday afternoon (and yes, I was working on Saturday), the newest arrival, August: Sage County.

Briefly reviewed, in order.  American Hustle, apparently loosely based on America's Abscam scandal in the 70's, was fun, although really, I'm not sure I would find it Oscar worthy, except maybe for one or two of the performances.  The Wolf of Wall Street was Bonfire of the Vanities on steroids. It was sort of interesting to see DiCaprio going from tycoon Gatsby to Tycoon Wolfsohn.  However, I don't know whether it was all the sex, drugs and profanity, or maybe because it didn't seem like all that much of a stretch to me, having been way too close to Wall Street during my years working at the bank(s).  It just made me really uncomfortable.  And (those of you who know me well enough know this is true), while I do not usually see anti-Semites under every bed, there were altogether too many Jews in this movie behaving badly to be truly enjoyable.  I was glad to have seen both movies, but to say I enjoyed them would be putting too fine a point on it.

August: Sage County was the best of the lot.  I had seen the play (written, I believe, by Tracy Lett - ask me why I remember that?) twice, once in Ashland, Oregon and once here in Vancouver.  It was wonderful in the theater, and actually just as wonderful in the movies.  Not only were the actors fabulous -   Meryl Streep, Sandra Bullock, Sam Shepphard, and the currently ever-present and much beloved by me Benedict Cumberback), and many other well known character actors - but the mood you can set by panning the Oklahoma countryside - well you just can't do that in the theater.  Worth seeing!

Thursday, I played bridge.  Twice.  Not well, but twice, once at the club in White Rock where I generally play with friend Robin (who is back in the desert in the sun, like the smart person she is), where I had a new partner (who will probably never play with me again, given my performance),.

And then, later in the evening, I was reunited with "the boys" for dinner at West End's idea of a pub, Cardero's...

and more bad (on my part, of course, theirs is always good) bridge.  Bad or good, we do always have a good time, both at dinner and at bridge.  It is the one thing I truly miss when I am in the desert, and look forward to seeing them when I come back.  We talk about everything from economics to politics to John's training (he is always training for one athletic event or another), the theater, and, of course, about food.  And then there is the bridge.  It is one of those perfect meeting of the minds which, should it be disrupted by death or moves or other changes would be a loss in my life.

And, finally, to bring you up to date. today I met friends and former colleagues Joyce and Sheila for dim sum at our favourite place, The Fisherman's Terrace.  (As careful followers will have noticed, we do try new places from time to time, but always end up back here.)

Having stopped at Joyce's for some more talk, and having picked up my New York Times and gone for a (not long enough but at least something) walk, I am back home and have almost brought you up to date.

I'll just say that the book list for the last few weeks was: Conrad Black's Flight of the Eagle (still - it will be quite some time before that is finished, I can tell you), 1491 (Christmas present from Peter which I devoured.) It has been out for a while, so I assume you have all read it, or, at least, know the premise: it looks at the "new" world as it was before Columbus arrived, coming to a wildly different conclusion than anyone might have imagined), and Bernhard Schlink's book called Guilt about the Past.  He wrote The Reader (on which the recent movie was based) and other fiction.  This was non-fiction on the same theme, guilt and remembrance.

And that's all she wrote. Til next time.....