All About Eva and the Dumb Doctor

My search for the right person to ease my pain ended when I found Eva - a masseuse.  She is a little Chinese woman whose features belie the power that emanates from her fingertips.  She is little and yet so powerful.  She kneaded the knots out of my back and shoulders and neck.  I have never felt so good after an hour.

It was funny too.  It was my first time to have a little Chinese woman walk all over my back and I liked it.  I have already scheduled (in my head) my next session.  Glad I found that little place.

And I finally found time to visit my dentist.  I am aware of how important our dental health is but going to the dentist is not such a fun experience.  In the past years though I have made peace with going to the dentist especially since all I need are regular cleaning.

So today I went to see her.  I have been feeling yucky about my gums and wanted to raise this point to her even though my appointment is for cleaning.  She gave me x-rays too, it has been a year since the last one.  And there I found out I have a cavity.  Oh no! I haven't had one in over 20 years.  I must have been neglecting my flossing.

Anyway, while I was in the chair before my dentist could clean my teeth, I told her to give me a referral to a gum doctor.  Her eyes got big and was confused?  She asked, why and before I could answer her she added she needed to treat me first.

When I got the chance to reply I said, I needed the referral coz my gum hurts.  She bursts out laughing saying she heard me say DUMB DOCTOR the first time, hence her confused reaction.

My dentist is a hoot.

Taking a Short Break To Be With Nature

See you shortly.

One Fine Weekend

The long weekend aka Labor Day weekend had come and gone and the next 3-day weekend will be roughly here in 3 months.

This weekend also signals the end of summer in everyone's mind. The kids have gone back to school and daylight is a little shorter than it was a few weeks ago.

People usually take trips, camping trips as a last hurrah for summer during this time. We stayed home given that in a week's time we'll go on our long-awaited vacation.

Three things happened this weekend. Let me enumerate:

First - I finally got to cruise the bay. The San Francisco Bay that is. Courtesy of a voucher from Travelzoo that we purchased a couple of months ago, we boarded the Happy Hour Bay Cruise out of Pier 39. The cruise was a 1.5-hour ride in the bay with snacks and drink/s. I checked online for regular price of the said cruise and it was $35 pp. We paid $25 for both of us - huge savings.

Well, you know how locals always say they won't be caught dead in the tourist spots in their town, right? I on the other hand love to be there, to watch the tourists enjoy the city that I love and call my own. Of course I don't live in the city. I live outside the city, but I call this city my very own.

And so I enjoyed walking the 2 blocks from where we parked to the waterfront, watching people/tourists marvel at our very cold weather. How they enjoy everything about this beautiful city.

Anyway, the cruise boarded at 6 pm. There was a spread of snacks - chips and salsa and guacamole, cheese and crackers, assorted nuts. Our ticket also included one alcoholic drink per person or 2 non-alcoholic drinks. Of course we went for the alcoholic drinks given that this is a happy hour cruise. I had blue margarita and the hubby had tequila sunrise.

As the Blue and Gold Fleet was leaving the dock we passed by the sea lions, not as many as it used to be. Still a mystery why they came here and why they left.

Then it cruised by Alcatraz, close enought to get shots, but the weather wasn't cooperating. It was gloomy, cold, and breezy. Oh yeah, foggy too.

Then it went back and cruised along the city waterfront terminating in AT&T Park which is a jewel of a ballpark along the water. We stopped there for a moment then went back slowly to Pier 39. It was a wonderful experience, cruising under the SF Bay Bridge.

There are other itineraries, some go to Golden Gate Bridge.

We were so stuffed that we didn't have any dinner at all that night. I may have snacked myself full with cheese and crackers - they served the cheese that I liked.

Second - Our friends abducted [kidding] us and took us to this Vietnamese restaurant that they loved and have wanted to show us for months.

The pho definitely was good. Our friends and my husband all went with pho and I had something else. I cannot remember what I had but it's noodles and grilled beef with veggies. Really fabulous and full of taste.

However, I got really sleepy midway through. Could it be they have way too much MSG in their food? WE also ordered durian pearl shake. OMG, the durian smell was outrageous. I hated the smell but at the same time I loved the taste that I was torn between sipping and not the whole time.

It was indeed a good place to get pho. It was inside a strip mall with nondescript facade. The interiors were sparsely decorated and it was a local hangout. It was full and people kept coming.

Third - my waterheater died. Luckily we knew this was going to happen as it died before. But this time it was for good. It leaked and flooded the garage. Lucky that I was looking for my cat Buster who I knew was at the garage the last time I saw him and when I went there to call him I saw the floor flooded in one corner.

So there we were sopping up all the water that was dripping from the water heater. I watered all the plants with all the water we got from our garage floor. Not too fun time, but the guy that we contacted before came through for us. One day later, our new water heater is installed and I didn't have to shower in cold water. I'm really blessed. HOpefully, this will last me 30 years.

How was your weekend?

When?

I was at the doctor's with the hubby this morning for our shots in connection with our upcoming trip next week. He was called in first and given his shot, and I came later because I needed to take 2 shots and apparently that needed more time to prepare.

Not wanting to waste time, he decided to go to the pharmacy, which is a few yards away from where I was waiting, and pick up our prescription - a thyphoid (did I spell that right?) vaccine tablets and some diarrhea medication for just in case.

So 2 patients later I had my shots and went to the pharmacy to join my husband. We were waiting for the RX to be filled up. In the meantime I decided to wait in line since the line was quite long. I was right in taking that measure because the minute my name was up on the board, I was 5-6 people away from the front of the line.

Now here's the kicker. While waiting in line I was checking my name under my MAIDEN NAME and not my married name. So it was my husband who pointed out that my name was up on the board. I wasn't checking under my married name. Still I consider myself as Maria M and not Maria R, which is really ridiculous. However, this made me think. On the spot like this, I always check M for my name first before R, where I belong now.

Funny how when people ask my name, automatically I say Maria R and that name comes out of my mouth smoothly.

But when I am by myself, I see myself as still Maria M, is that what this incident means? Or am I making too much of it?

When will I get used to my married name?

Does this happen to you too?

I'm Excited

I'm excited at the prospect of leaf-peeping drive this fall.

Blah, Blah, Blah

Friday again, another end to another work week, and an end to the first week of school.  I am well aware that kids are back to school even if I don't have one at home.  I pass by the elementary school on the way to the freeway so yes, I do get the slow down by the school every day. 

While technically there is still a whole month's worth of summer left, the return of school in session has somewhat cancelled the rest of the summer and fastracked us into fall.  Now here I am again wondering where summer went. 

We have been really lucky with our summers.  If I remember correctly, this would be (knock on wood) three summers in a row where the temps were cooler than usual and the number of days where our heat index went up way north were limited to a handful.  I guess it's the "normal" weather pattern here in this side of the bay.  But I'm real thankful just the same.  I cannot even imagine the torture that the rest of the country had suffered due to overwhelming summer heat.  I was watching the news one day and the meteorologist said that it was the 40th consecutive 3-digit temp in Texas.  Whoa,  a whole month + of 100 F or more in successive days?  That's a lot of hot!

But I guess they are used to it by now.  They all have AC out there I presume.  The houses in my neighborhood were built in the 1980s including mine and they are not equipped with AC, because well, we are close to the bay and the temperature does not really rise high enough to require an AC.  Plus, when we do have successive days of oppressive heat, it doesn't last long.  A week tops, then our natural airconditioning kicks in, in the form of a fog bank. 

And so this summer I am cooped up in my little hole working.  I just realized I badly need a little break.  Doncha worry I am getting it in a couple of week's time. 

Meanwhile a little shake up at work.  Now you know I hardly share anything about work situation, because I don't like to put that part of my life up front and in print.  I'm quite sad that the people I work closely with are going to be gone.  One has left a couple of weeks ago and the other is due for retirement at the end of this month.  They do not belong to the same department as I am but my job is closely link to theirs. 

I am sharing it here because it's part of my documentation process.  I have to make a mental note to get her flowers next week. I appreciate all her guidance and tutelage and her teamwork.  She's a great leader.  Far too young to retire, except that she's worked here a looooong time.  She is qualified to receive her full retirement benefits including the medical benefits.

I just hope they hire her back on a part-time basis, otherwise, it's going to be hell where I'm concerned.  My boss even said we're looking at rough sailing here for a while.  Yeah!

Change gears here.  I have a new crush.  A travel crush.  I mean a travel destination that just captured my heart.  I was watching my Netflix rental 2 nights ago and I was besotted to the location of the movie.  The movie is THE AMERICAN.

And the location is Castel del Monte in the Abruzzo region of Italy.   This is what wikipedia has to say about this gorgeous village:

Castel del Monte is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and comune in the province of L'Aquila in northern Abruzzo, Italy. Located in the heart of Gran Sasso mountain range, the town is set into a steep hillside nestled beneath mountain peaks near the high plain of Campo Imperatore. Castel del Monte sits opposite the ancient mountaintop fortress of Rocca Calascio and faces Monte Sirente in the distance. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park.


Cobblestone streets, Medieval architecture, scenic views.  Oh yeah, the movie is good too.  Classic Clooney.  The movie is actually based on a novel, A VERY PRIVATE GENTLEMAN by Martin Booth.  Note to self, check this book out. 
Happy weekend everyone.  Stay safe. 

My Love Affair With Roses

Ever since I can remember I have always been fascinated by roses. I love them. Rose trees, rose bushes, rose vines, ground cover roses, fragrant ones, singles, doubles, any kind.

While we have a few rose plants in the house, my husband was not agreeable to planting only roses in the garden. I do love other flowers too, but my love for roses remain at the top of my list.

What's not to love with these?