GOTTA LOVE THE INTERNET

What in the world did we do before the Internet? Hardly a day goes by anymore that one of us doesn't ask a question in passing that the other one answers, "I don't know". For example, this evening watching the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder (YAAAYYY!!!!), Lou says semi-rhetorically, "I wonder what nationality Enes Kanter is?" I replied, "I don't know."

Years ago, that would have been the end of it since there wasn't a quick & easy way to find out. We probably had hundreds, or even thousands, of unanswered questions floating around out there. But, now days, thanks to the World Wide Web, I can grab my phone, type in a few words & tell Lou that Mr. Kanter is Turkish.

The Internet has so much valuable, interesting & useful information at our fingertips that it sometimes boggles my mind. It has to be one of the greatest inventions of our time. It amazes me what we can do with our "devices" - pay bills, look up anything in the encyclopedia, store photos & videos, text people instantly, literally watch basketball games, post on Facebook or Twitter, play solitaire, read books or even make a phone call.

Tonight I needed it for a food safety question & sure enough, a few key strokes & I had answers from several sources. First a little background as to why I needed it. It is Memorial Day weekend so Lou & I were planning a backyard barbecue for just the two of us. I'm more health conscious these days & had a recipe for turkey burgers from Rachael Ray I wanted to try - finely chopped apple, celery & onion in the ground turkey.

I decided to make potato salad (one of my favorites), too. Ready-made potato salad from grocery stores is pretty much all mayonnaise with a few bites of potato thrown in - the fat & calorie content makes me gasp! My version uses real potatoes, celery, pickles, onion & low fat mayo - & it tastes great. A quick aside here, the only store-bought potato salad that is REALLY GOOD is the Red Potato Salad from Publix Markets - delicious & tastes like real potato salad. Those of you in the south are really lucky!

But back to my Memorial Day barbecue. Wanting to get a jump on things, I boiled my potatoes late this afternoon while cooking dinner. I intended to let them cool for an hour or so, peel them, then refrigerate them overnight to make the potato salad in the morning. BUT, I got totally into the aforementioned Warriors basketball game which they had to win to force a game seven - AND THEY DID!

The evening continued with more TV, some computer time & a little reading. I went up to bed around midnight but wasn't really sleepy.  About 20 minutes later, my brain kicked in & I remembered, "Shit, I forgot the potatoes!" They were still sitting on the counter. I hopped out of bed, came downstairs, peeled them & put them in the fridge.

I am a real stickler for food left at room temperature for more than an hour or two. I know it is a breeding ground for bacteria. Many times I have taken food home from a get together where I know it has been left out way too long (in my opinion) & thrown it out. I refuse to take a chance on eating something that could cause food poisoning.

It got me thinking about my potatoes that were at room temperature for about 7 hours. So, I headed in here to my trusty Internet & did a quick search for "are boiled potatoes left at room temperature for hours safe". I was again amazed at what is readily available online.

The bottom line is - no, they are not safe & need to be thrown away. One woman who answered had recently taken a food safety course for working in a restaurant. She said that potatoes are the worst for all sorts of bacteria when left at room temperature. Two hours at room temperature seems to be the maximum. Another thing I learned is not to store potatoes that have been baked in foil in the fridge because it causes all sorts of chemical reactions. Who knew?

Apparently, I'll be heading to the grocery store in the morning to buy more potatoes to boil for my potato salad. This time I'll set the timer on my phone (yet another handy gadget - or is it widget?) to remind me to put them in the fridge. Just wish I'd have done my Internet research BEFORE I peeled the damn things that I threw away!

KIDS & ANIMALS KNOW

It's been said that you can't fool kids & animals when it comes to your true character. I believe that's true. Somehow they seem to know who the completely genuine people are & who are the imposters. I have always trusted the instincts of children, dogs & cats when it comes to judging the personalities of adults.

Fortunately for me, I seem to have chosen a life partner who is a favorite of kids & animals. I was reminded of this again recently.  While I am one who often rants, raves, swears & lets my feelings be known (but NEVER with kids or animals I might add), Lou is much more quiet, calm & laid back. He rarely gets angry or upset & when he does, it isn't expressed loudly or vehemently.

Lou has a gentleness about him that tends to have little ones gravitating to him.. He seems to exude a tranquility that is reassuring to kids & animals. Charley has always liked Lou & felt comfortable with him. For whatever reasons, she enjoys imitating his mannerisms. Even though he is 6' 3" tall, he seems to have an accessible, calming aura about him. A couple years ago when Lou stood up from the couch Charley commented, "He is really tall." Yep, he is, but he is a real sweetie.

One of my favorite photos was snapped last year when Charley & Lou were watching the Pixar movie "Wall-E" at our house. Lou was laying on the couch with his knees bent & Charley was sitting at the end, snuggled up against his lower legs with her arm wrapped around them.

     

Several months ago, Lou took a basket of laundry upstairs when Charley asked me what he was doing. I replied, "He's going up to fold laundry. You can go with him if you'd like." She did & followed him up the stairs. They spent quite awhile up there folding laundry & talking. He told me later than she handed him each piece of clothing & he folded it while they discussed all sorts of things. Remember, this is a man who never had children & has had little interaction with kids.

During her last visit here, Charley asked if she could go out in our back yard one afternoon. We have a pool so she needs to have an adult with her. I told her that I was cooking dinner & couldn't go out with her until later. Daddy was finishing up work on his phone & computer so she asked if Lou could go out with her. I said, "Let's go ask him." We did & he said, "Sure." They were out there for a long time, just talking with their feet in the pool. Lou said they had some interesting conversations including one about her rooster, Leonard, who died last year & went to heaven.

This past weekend Lou & I went to the Calaveras County Fair. My sister, Karen, lives nearby so we stopped for a quick visit with her before heading home. She has two dogs, Lilymae & Harley, who are complete opposites. They are some crazy dog breed combinations - Lilymae is Jack Russell terrier & Australian Kelpie while Harley is Labrador & Dachshund. Lilymae runs wild & literally can't sit still for a minute. Harley is really quiet & laid back. Harley has met Lou several times but really took a liking to him this visit. He kept sitting right next to him wanting to be pet & Lou obliged.

They have a child's gate across the hall to keep the dogs from terrorizing the cats who stay in the back rooms. We walked back to see the cats locking the gate behind us. There was a tiny door (like a pet door) in the gate that was open. Karen said both the dogs are too big to fit through it & have never tried. Well, a minute later we hear some racket & here comes Harley down the hall. I took him back out through the gate & pulled the little door closed but didn't latch it. A few minutes later, here comes Harley again! He trots right up to Lou.

Karen couldn't believe that Harley liked Lou so much that he squeezed through the gate twice. Or that he sat next to him to be pet while we were there. She said Harley has never done that with anyone before. My theory is that if you ever want to judge someone's character, see how dogs & kids react to them. That will likely tell you everything you need to know.

I already knew it, but Charley & Harley have confirmed that my guy is a real sweetheart!

MEMORABLE BACK TWEAKS

Recently I wrote about leaning forward while sitting in a Taco Bell booth to take a bite of my burrito & tweaking my back big time. Thanks to all of you who wished me well. My back is better, not good yet, but better. Many of you shared your "memorable back tweaks" with me & I decided to do a follow up post with a few of your stories.

My sister, Karen, has suffered from severe back problems her entire life. She had a few stories to relate.This was my favorite: 

One of my most memorable tweaks was in 1988. I only know the year because of where we were living at the time. Bruce Springsteen was playing somewhere & this was back in the day when you had to call BASS for tickets. That usually meant re-dialing forever until you finally got through. So, I finally got through, scored two good seats, hung up the phone, started dancing around with joy & WHAM!, out goes my back. It literally brought me to my knees. I told my long term chiropractor how it happened & she said, "I'm going to write that in my notes. I've never heard that one before."

My good friend, Deb, had this to say: 

The worst funky back pain I've ever had was back when I was about twenty. I was flipping my hair in the shower & my back goes out.

Another long-time friend, Jan, related this seemingly innocuous task that wreaked havoc with her back:

Once upon a time, I Iifted two glasses from the top shelf of the dishwasher and put them into the cupboard.  Big time tweak. !!!

Lou's sister, Judy, described this injury to her back. This one was legitimate - not a hair flip, glass reach or burrito bite:

I know the pain.  When I was 25 my ex and I separated and I went to live with my sister, Inge, in Shreveport.  I was applying for a job and walking down the steps of city hall outside when I slipped and fell, papers flying everywhere. Lots of people ran to help me but I was so embarrassed that I got up, picked up my papers and drove myself back to Inge's home. Of course I slithered out of the van and crawled into the house. There was no way I could walk.  I spent the next few weeks recovering in bed.  What was funny was the way I ended up getting out of the van when I got home. I opened the door and then just like molten lava, dripped out of my seat and onto the ground. What a sight!  

About 35 years ago, my mother-in-law, Bruni, developed a terrible back problem while at work in Wisconsin. Here is her account:

So on this very hot day they put up all kinds of fans and one of them hit me right in the back. What a draft that was! Well, from that I was crippled up with terrific pain in my lower back and it got so bad that it even affected my neck. I went to a chiropractor for help and he said that I probably will suffer from this for the rest of my life. I did have back problems all my life but I am happy to say that I never had it as bad again as that first time, but I always made sure I was not sitting in draft. So who knows what all can throw your back out???

Now, I'm thinking this probably fell into the same category as believing that a cold is caused by being cold, not by viruses. I figured that Bruni must have injured her back by sitting too long at work or twisting weird, BUT I got online & did some searching. Low & behold, there are a ton of people who believe that cold drafts or fans caused their back pain. There is no scientific evidence to support their claims but they are an adamant bunch who swear it's true! I am surely not going to argue with Bruni or any of them.

Finally, my friend, Darlene, who is currently dealing with back pain, doctors & MRIs, had this to say:

If rest and wine would fix it, I'd be all in!  (And Darlene is not a drinker!)

TWEAKED, AGAIN!

Okay, this is frickin' ridiculous!

If you have ever suffered from chronic back pain, you know that quite often the craziest little thing can cause it to "go out". I have bent down to tie a shoe or twisted to get out of a car or just sneezed only to feel that familiar twinge that causes expletives to fly out of my mouth. Sometimes it can even be a legitimate reason like playing tennis or bowling but most of the time it is something stupid.

Much of my adult life I've had occasional lower back problems. In my younger days, years would go by before it flared up again. More recently it seems to get tweaked two or three times a year. Most of the time it just takes a few days, lots of ice packs, ibuprofen & several glasses of wine....then I'm good as new.

Well, today has got to be the dumbest thing that has EVER tweaked my back. I'm not even really sure how it all happened. I was sitting in a booth at Taco Bell eating a bean burrito for lunch while I read a book on my Kindle. I was halfway done & leaned forward about six inches to take another bite when I felt a sharp, stabbing pain as my lower back muscles spasmed.

It was all I could do not to gasp loudly & utter "Fuck!" a few times. Since I was in a public place I tried hard not to call attention to the fact that I was in pain & struggling. It was obvious in a matter of minutes that this was not going away anytime soon.  I could barely get out of the booth then ever so slowly made my way across the restaurant to dump my tray. I looked like Tim Conway playing the little old man who could barely walk on the Carol Burnett Show. If you aren't old enough to remember that, look for it on YouTube. It's got to be there.

Back in my car (which was no easy task to maneuver), I popped a couple of ibuprofen before deciding to scrap my plans to run a few errands & just headed home. Thinking about it on my drive home, I couldn't imagine that a simple every day task such as biting a burrito could wreak this much havoc with my back.

What I think happened is this. I was at a doctor's appointment & she was running late. I waited 40 minutes in the waiting room in a chair that wasn't too comfortable. Twice I thought about trying to find a more comfortable chair but didn't do it. In hindsight, I should have changed seats or walked around. Once I was in the exam room, I had another 15 minutes of sitting on the table with no back support before the doctor finally made it in to see me.

My guess is that my back was already a little pissed off at all the extra strain of the morning & the slight forward lean for a bite of burrito put it over the edge. At least I hope that was what happened because if my back will now go out just from eating lunch, I'm screwed.

As I arrived home & very, very slowly made my way from the car into the house, Lou says, "How did it go?" I replied, "Good news & bad news. The good news is that I really like the new doctor. The bad news is that I tweaked my back eating a burrito." He looked quite confused, rightly so, until I explained what happened.

I have spent the afternoon & evening laying on the couch or slowly doing laps around the house. I really hope this will be one of the times that a day or two & I'm back in race. Oddly enough, standing & moving around the kitchen to cook dinner for half an hour seemed to help my comfort level the most. Well, that & the wine therapy.

CONVERSATIONS WITH CHARLEY

My 4-1/2 year old granddaughter, Charley, & I have some interesting conversations. This one took place while waiting in line at Kohl's. After making faces in the mirror, Charley noticed the nearby mannequins.

Charley: Look! Those ladies don't have heads!

Gaga: What ladies don't have heads?

Charley: Those (pointing at the mannequins). They have hands & feet but no heads.

Gaga: That's pretty weird. Guess they want you to notice the clothes.

Charley: They have boobs. I have little tiny boobs (pointing at hers) & you have big boobs (pointing at mine).

Gaga: Yeah, & when you grow up you'll get big boobs, too.

Charley: Yeah, I'll have great big boobs! (holding her hands way out from her chest).

Gaga: Well, hopefully not too big.

The cashier had a slight smile on her face but I couldn't see the expression on the man in front of us....probably just as well.

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One morning over breakfast Charley & I had the following interaction.

Gaga: I just can't believe how grown up you are getting. You are so big, eating your cereal & sitting at the table. I remember when you were such a tiny baby & we had to feed you.

Charley: Do you want that little baby back?

Gaga: Hmmm, that is a very interesting question, Charley (as I pondered it for a few seconds).

No, I don't think I do. I loved it when you were a baby but I really love it now that you are a big girl. We can talk & do lots of things together. And you can ask me these type of things. Yep, I love you just the way you are now.

Charley: Okay. Can I watch something on TV when I'm done?

Gaga: Sure.

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The other day out of the blue Charley brought this up.

Charley: Hey, Gaga, all my teeth are gonna fall out.

Gaga: What? Oh, you mean your baby teeth?

Charley: Yeah, they are all gonna come out.

Gaga: Sure, but it's just one at a time, not all at once. A tooth will get loose then eventually come out but it doesn't hurt. And I've heard the tooth fairy comes if you put it under your pillow.

Charley: Right, and you get money or prizes!

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And, finally, there was this one. Darrin says to me, "Listen to this."

Darrin: Charley, how old will you be on your next birthday?

Charley: Five

Darrin: When will that be?

Charley: October

Darrin: Who's going to be the next president of the United States?

Charley: Hillary Clinton

Darrin: But what about Donald Trump?

Charley: He's wacka-doodle!

I have no idea how that conversation came about but I think she's pretty right on....and hopefully her prediction is right.

SWEET GRANDCHILD OF MINE

The house is eerily quiet....

This happens each time Darrin & Charley leave after an extended visit. About 2:30 PM yesterday afternoon my son & 4-1/2 year old granddaughter left our house on the second leg of their daddy/daughter road trip. It was a wonderful visit as always but now the house feels unbelievably empty as I write this late at night. I can hear every clock ticking. The toys are put away, the dishes all done & the princess stickers removed from the coasters. We are finding colorful feathers everywhere from the multi-colored feather boa that Charley loves to play with.

It takes me maybe 15 minutes to get used to the chaos of living with a 4-1/2 year old. Schedules go out the window. The constant chatter warms my heart. Stuff is strewn all over the house. Bedspreads are wrinkled & messed up from using the mattress as a trampoline. We make up amazing games & stories, dance to the "Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggety Dog" song on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & generally embrace the enthusiasm & energy of a child.

Then after four days of this pure joy, a stillness like I've never experienced descends on my life. Even though I'll see her again in about a week & then a month after that, the bittersweet tears are just below the surface. I miss her so much that it is impossible to describe it with words.

We have the best time & always do something special. Last visit we saw "Frozen on Ice". This time we took her to her first baseball game - the Sacramento River Cats who are the Triple A farm club of our beloved San Francisco Giants. My natural frugality flies out the window where Charley is concerned. She has a cute Giants logo dress that Gaga just had to buy! I bought the four of us (me, Lou, Charley & Darrin) game tickets. It was "Princess & Pirate Night" so, naturally, Charley the special ticket that included a light up wand & tiara. Her favorite princesses (Belle, Cinderella, Merida, etc) were all there in costume & she loved meeting them up close & personal.

I promised to buy her ice cream at the game. We always bought Darrin a chocolate malt at the baseball games when he was a kid. He confided in me years later that he didn't like the games but went willingly so he could have the chocolate malt. Our Charley is a chip off the old block - I gave her a choice of the chocolate malt or a dish of ice cream. She insisted on the malt & ate every last bite of it! Although I'm pretty sure they are considerably smaller now & considerably more expensive.

We must have gone up & down the stairs 25 times to find princesses, get snacks, go to the bathroom, etc. And, of course, a 4 year old doesn't just walk up the stairs - they jump down them, run up them, hop down them & climb on the railings. Charley lasted until the 7th inning before getting bored. She stayed awake the whole game but laid with her head in Darrin's lap & her legs on mine the last couple of innings. 

She wanted to leave before the Saturday night fireworks because "it would be too loud" but then once they started (on our way out) we had to stay with hands pressed firmly over her ears. We wisely took her jammies & put them on in the car before we left the parking lot at 10:30 PM. She was out like a light five minutes later. A wonderful night for all!

We also visited Pop (my father), had lunch with Zizi (my sister), went to a fun park, ate dinners outside by our pool (at Charley's request), shopped for new clothes at Kohl's & had lunch at Taco Bell (for her favorite Baja Blast Freeze plus chips & guacamole!) Yes, she is definitely my granddaughter!

One cute, little side note. She & I (mostly her) put a puzzle together at my dad's. We did it on the hard floor in "my bedroom" since the carpet was too soft. She called for Pop to come see it. His 87 years are showing & as he slowly made his way out of the chair with his walker, Charley says to me, "I hope he doesn't fall." 

She is such a special little girl (ooops, sorry, "big" girl - I get in trouble if I call her "little"). Her numerous hugs & kisses every time you leave, even briefly, will melt any heart. Thanks for letting me share my Gaga thoughts with you. It really does make it a bit easier to handle the time away from her.

PLAY BALL!

It just doesn't get any better than a Giants/Dodgers series if you are a California baseball fan! Those of you who know me are well aware that I am a sports fanatic. I love the Niners, the Warriors, the Kings, NASCAR & pretty much every other competition in the wide world of sports. BUT my love of baseball goes way back..........waaayyyyy baaaccck!

I attended my first San Francisco Giants game with my dad back around 1960. They had just moved into Candlestick Park after relocating to San Francisco in the late 1950s. It was freezing cold & we had to brave the ancient two lane San Mateo Bridge to make it to the game. Honestly, I can't ever remember NOT being a baseball fan. I grew up knowing all the intricacies of the game. I played catch with my dad as far back as I can recall.

As we progressed through the sixties, the San Francisco Giants versus the Los Angeles Dodgers (formerly of New York & Brooklyn respectively) became a legendary rivalry. My family was glued to the TV for every game of the series. Often we would even take a ride over to Half Moon Bay (about 45 minutes) to purchase fresh roasted in the shell peanuts to eat while we watched our Giants hopefully beat up on the hated Dodgers. I'm not sure how that tradition got started but it shows you a little of how my sports craziness began.

Now, that I am an "old kid" of 66 & the Giants have won three World Series in the last six years, nothing much has changed. Lou & I are still glued to the TV & still can't help screaming & high fiving when we beat our despised Southern California rivals. We have won it all in the even years of 2010, 2012 & 2014....so I am optimistic that 2016 is our year again! Especially since we appear to have an even BETTER team than recent years!

Unfortunately, I didn't pay attention weeks ago when I planned an overnight getaway to Guerneville on the Russian River for Lou's birthday. It was on the last day of an early season four game series with the Dodgers. But we are two motivated, resourceful Giants fans who will find a way to see it or hear it or at least follow the score online.

The Giants have started this season off balls of fire, hitting lots of home runs, making lots of great plays & winning five of seven games to lead their division. These guys are amazing! I have to tell you it has been a total blast to watch these games. We are hitting up a storm & everyone is contributing. We beat the Dodgers soundly the first game & barely the second game. The third game we should have won but an error by our back up second baseman after our closer loaded the bases let the winning run score for the Dodgers.

As we drove to Guerneville on Sunday our radio coverage became worse & worse. In between the static we heard that the Giants were down 5-0 in the first inning. Yikes! After some sightseeing we stopped by a funky, little "sports bar" to check the score.....5 - 2. We strolled the streets taking photos & exploring (check out my "Travels Near & Far" blog to see them) then headed back to McT's Bullpen Sports Bar.

Pulling up a couple bar stools we ordered some beers & watched several innings with the "crowd" (maybe 10 locals) of Giants fans watching the game. One guy had a Giants visor, Giants shirt, Giants shorts & Giants socks - a true fan! It is great fun to yell & cheer with strangers who have a common bond as sports fans. We left the bar to head over & check into our hotel, giddy with the knowledge that the score was tied 6 - 6.

Ultimately we watched the last couple of innings in our hotel room - the Giants won 9 - 6 to take the series 3 games to 1. Woo Hoo!!!!

As much as I love the Giants & as successful as the last several seasons have been, this year has started with a magical quality that holds the potential to be the best year yet! I can't wait! And we already have a July trip planned (with tickets bought & paid for!) that includes a Giants/Red Sox game at Fenway Park in Boston PLUS a Giants/Yankees game at Yankee Stadium in New York! Nope, it just doesn't get any better in our baseball world!