April 27, 2008

Perfection

If I accomplish nothing else during this time in my life, I will have at least mastered what is undoubtably the perfect cocktail, The Ivy Gimlet. Let me first say that I was skeptical when friends described the Ivy Gimlet (yes, it deserves capitalizations) as the perfect cocktail. And then I had one (fine, four, but who's counting). And they're right. It's perfection. After my first visit to The Ivy, during a girls movie afternoon, we tried to recreate the cocktail. They were good, but not Ivy good. So the other day, I'm making food for the hummingbird feeder (don't laugh, it's hot out here and they're thirsty and even though I don't like birds, I like hummingbirds) and I'm thinking of the Ivy Gimlet (yes, sometimes I think about drinks, doesn't mean I have a problem, just that I think about things, random things) because you need a simple syrup. So I make the simple syrup and clean the mint and attempt to whip up an Ivy Gimlet - mint muddled with the syrup, add vodka and fresh lime juice, muddle some more, add crushed ice and there you have it, perfection. Needless to say, I've been buzzy ever since.



Oh and the little knitted piece under the glass is a flower washcloth I knit a million years ago and gave to my mother. It's knit with a varigated mercerized cotton and was kind of fun. Each petal was knit seperately, the stitches kept active on a long circular needle and then joined with decreases to close it up. My mom left it here - a place she visits only twice a year. She's normally so appreciative...

April 23, 2008

Death in the Desert

And today, I'm convinced that The Mr. is trying to kill me. We're just back from an uphill hike behind Bob Hope's house. During the hottest time of the day. With the sun beating down on us. He says I need to get acclimated to the heat for the trip to Central America. Whatever, I plan on convincing Captain Jim to run the air conditioning on the boat! On top of the heat, some hikers coming down told us about seeing a rattlesnake just off to the side of the trail. It's been about an hour and I think I'm still feeling the effects of a mild heart attack or at least suffering from heat stroke. He's totally trying to kill me before my benefits run out at the end of the month. I need a food taster. Any volunteers?



April 22, 2008

Tuesday

This morning, I cleaned the lanai (it's more of a patio, but I like to say lanai - like the old boat) while the Mr. went for a ride. While it was drying, I practiced yoga to Pavarati. Lucy watched. It was difficult to concentrate with the stupid bird outside making what I suppose is something of a chirp, but sounds more like nails on a chalkboard to me. I wish I knew where the bb gun was packed. Just kidding. Sort of. It's been a while since I went to a yoga class and today I totally felt it. I over did it and bruised my spine or something. My back totally hurts. Part of the problem is that I suscribe to the theory that yoga is a competitive sport. Maybe that's more than part of the problem.



And then we went to the $1.50 movie theater to finally see Juno. It was in the Netflix queue, but that's over now. And by the way, if you watch movies and you're not using Netflix, you should be using Netflix.
I can not believe I'm going to say this, but it's too hot to knit.

April 21, 2008

First Day of the Rest of My Life?

Since giving notice, the last two weeks have been a complete blur. I had the baby shower last Sunday. The rollneck sweater was a big hit. One woman even suggested that the Santa Monica mommys from her kids preschool would pay serious money for those in cashmere. Something to think about. I drove out the Palm Springs last weekend for a taste of what's coming and to visit the Mr. and Lucy.

The last week of work was tough. I really tried hard to get through everything and leave my cases in a good spot for my replacement, whom I started training. The last week was packed with lunches with wine and champagne, happy hours with cocktails and dinners with more wine. I suspect detox is just around the corner. I was a mess the last day. If I thought giving notice was rough, walking out was worse. Fortunately, a facial with Rita at Murad was waiting in the afternoon. And afterwards, I picked up EK back at the office to head up to her house to get ready for a see you later knitini! Hair cut and errands over the weekend. And then Sunday morning, after pancakes from Mr. EK's $19.48 griddle, I left the South Bay for what may be the last time.

And so today was the first day of the new gig and truthfully, it didn't feel all that different. Sure, it was leasurely. We didn't have breakfast until 11, showering and getting out of the house took forever. Gettind dressed, actually, took longer than it should have. If you recall, that was a concern. Black Nike Golf skort (huge pockets), white t-shirt, Bernardos. Boring, I know, but it would have been silly to make more of an effot. We had to check on the kitchen remodel, pick out hardware and light fixtures. Unded up at the Lowes in Palm Desert, which is far, but the Costco is right there, so we stopped in for lunch ($1.50 polish sausage dog and soda with refills) and it turns out, I was horribly underdressed. Man I wish I had a super secret invisible camera because I can't even begin to describe the woman in line in front of us. Beyond fried, over-processed yellow blonde hair, partially pulled back with a white jaw clip (if only it had been a banana clip). Skin a shade of orangy tan not seen on legs since QT, summer 1987. Chest - bulbous and served up if you know what I mean. Super short denim shorts accentuated by 4 inch platform wedge flip flops. Seriously a vision. Saw her later smoking a cigarette in the parking lot. I suspect that the super secret invisible camera would get a lot of use out here...Anyone know where to get one of those?

April 10, 2008

Live, Laugh, Love, and Learn

That was the response from this girl that I know only through email when I told her I was quitting my job, taking a break from real life, hanging out and traveling a bit. Live, Laugh, Love, and Learn. That and send me a postcard. That's what she wrote to me.

April 3, 2008

Once Again

Once again, it's confirmed. I am such a girl. I gave notice today. And couldn't get through it without tears. Such a girl.

But the deed is done. The cat is out of the bag as they say. My bosses and co-workers were surprised. No, shocked is probably more accurate. And after that, the reactions have been mixed. The most common response: what are you going to DO? And I've been thinking about that too. Knit (my project list is big). Obviously, but what I'm really going to work on is learning to quiet my mind. I'm realizing how the wheels spin. Always thinking about what's next, what I should be doing, making mental lists, counting. Wait, do I sound a little crazy? Maybe, but I want to learn to be present and not think about the what's next. Wonder where my yoga mat is...

By the way, 28Thirty is back on the needles and turning out quite lovely. Photos soon.