The Perfect One
Fluffy just realized that she is the only one in the family who doesn't wear glasses or have allergies, and exclaimed, "I'm the perfect one!"

This 'n that
Hmm... it's already March.

Scooter played in a soccer tournament in Downey last weekend. Really not much to write about. This team is not so good. They did manage to score a few goals this time, and we rewarded them with pizza and ice cream at Thursday's practice.

Guido has been in England for the last week plus. Things are not as hectic as I envisioned. In fact, things run pretty smoothly without him around to cause everyone grief. Homework gets done. We eat dinner at home instead of take-out. Kids take a bath. House is vacuumed. I get to watch TV before 10:00 for a change. And I get to drive the Pilot! He should leave more often. The only problem is that I can't get Scooter to soccer practice, because it starts at 4:00 and I don't get off until 5:00.

Smaller, Cheaper, Better...NOT

Did I ever mention that Pen Maker is moving?  The crappy building we're in has a brand new warehouse attached to it, and I guess that fetched a decent selling price.  So all the product in the warehouse was moved to another warehouse in Ontario, and the people get to move next door to another crappy building Pen Maker leases.

Personnel decreed that each person is allowed eight boxes to move everything.  These are eight SMALL boxes, something like 8" x 17" x 12".  I have eight years worth of work and documentation piled up in my office.  There is no way I can fit everything into eight boxes.  But there is a bright side.  Just recently, MF (those are his real initials, but you can subsitute words that may be more apropos) announced that we are all getting laid off this summer.  Suddenly, all those files that were oh, so crucial to my job aren't that important anymore.

We show up at the new (old) building next week Tuesday.  In the meantime, packing is fun!

If a Deal Looks Too Good to be True...
I don't get this. I upload pictures into my blog and I don't touch them after that, but every so often part or all of a picture goes missing. I don't know how to fix it, except to delete it and upload it again. The only problem is that I usually delete the versions I upload (smaller) and now I can't find them. #@$%! Maybe this kind of stuff wouldn't happen if I actually paid for space!

Scone Update
So out of desperation I made bisquik scones. I made them like drop biscuits, but added dried cranberries and orange zest. They weren't that bad, and definitely better than Fluffy's chocolate chip variety. But no one else liked them. Maybe I need to add some sugar. Or maybe I need to get a real recipe.

Rainbow Skies
This weekend was a little busy, but it was still pretty nice.

On Friday night, Fluffy had basketball practice while I exercised on the treadmill and bike.

Saturday morning, Fluffy had an 8:00 GATE test. The entire family had a 10:00 dentist appointment. After that we went to Mitsuwa for lunch and to the Redondo pier to buy a kite.

That night, Fluffy and I made Valentine's Day cards for both b-ball teams, while Scooter practiced with his team.

Fluffy and I went kite-flying in San Pedro yesterday. It was supposed to be a Rainbow event, but we were the only ones who went.

Fluffy made sandwiches and packed us a nice little lunch. She's so cute.

There wasn't much wind, but Fluffy was able to get the convertible kite in the air and keep it there, while my new, fancier one kept crashing to the ground.

It was such a nice day, and I love cruising, so we took the scenic way home.

Guido took Scooter and I took Fluffy to their basketball games.

Weird Japanese
I was at Mitsuwa with Scooter & Fluffy this weekend. What a shock when I walked into the bathroom. It's totally remodeled with automatic everything.

In each stall, on the wall partition, there's a little box that looks like a radio or intercom. I can't imagine that many people need to call for help when they're in the bathroom. Anyway, I put my hand in front of what looked like a sensor, and there was the loud sound of a toilet flushing! So I have two theories. (1) The sound of rushing water is to encourage anyone with a shy bladder. (2) It drowns out the sound of you going pfffftttttt!

What is Kidney Pie?
Gina was home from the U.K. for a week, and I forgot to ask her what treacle tart, haggis, and kidney pie are (they eat a lot of that stuff in Harry Potter). Is kidney pie really made of kidneys? Which animal? Really, when you think about it, eating any part of a once-living animal is sick. If you slice off a piece of my thigh (there’s plenty there), bread it and fry it, would it taste like chicken? And why in the world do people eat organs like kidneys and livers? Why not just eat an oil filter from your car? In fact, if people ate cars, what would be considered the “good” part? The tires? Bumpers? Would the fan belt be a delicacy? Would people fight for the antenna or dip stick and snap it in half for good luck? What parts would be considered edible and what parts would be thrown away? Of course, if you’re Chinese, nothing would go to waste, and you’d eat every part, even the tailpipe.

Soccer World
The soccer season is finally over for us. It definitely was a good one.

Fluffy's team took 1st place in the girls U10 division, 2nd place in the Commissioner's Cup, and played very well in the area playoffs, winning their first two games 3-0, and losing their final game by an awesome goal scored by San Pedro in the fourth quarter.

This past Sunday we had our final Earthquake activity - a tailgate party followed by the USA-Norway soccer game at the Home Depot Center. We had such an awesome team. The girls got along, the parents were nice, and the coach was a terrific guy! It was a great season for Fluffy in her first truly competitive season of soccer.

Scooter's team also took 1st place in their division, boys U12. They didn't do as well in the Commish Cup, but did a great job on the playoffs, making it to the semi-finals at the Field of Dreams. We ended the season with a party at Round Table Pizza the following day. One thing I have to say about Scooter's team this year - all the boys were really good kids. They were very respectful, polite and sweet. I have special admiration for RJ, who is the biggest-hearted boy I have ever known. Whenever a player went down, on either team, he was always there to see if he was okay. Watching him play on the sidelines with the little kids was endearing. I hope his parents realize what a special person he is.

Scooter still has select soccer, but it'll be pretty low-key compared to last year's team. We don't have the same talent as last year; this year's team is basically a social club. But it lets Scooter play year-round, which is what he wants.

My Retirement Plan
I was once again lamenting the fact that we don't have enough money saved for our old age (I don't want to work at Carl's Jr until I'm 80). Scooter said he'll take care of me because "I'm going to be the next Donald Trump." And Fluffy adds, "Well, if you're going to be Donald Trump, I'm going to be DONNA TRUMP!"

So later Scooter was telling Fluffy, "You're not that good in sports and things with your body, but you're good in math and school stuff. You should be a college professor."

They crack me up.

Gina Visits!
Gina was back home in the States for a week. We haven't seen each other in about 12 years. After I moved from SF to SoCal, she moved to Scottsdale, then Atlanta, and finally England! So I took a day off work and drove in rush hour to Canoga Park, where she was staying with her sister. She looks the same as before, except her hair is blacker because she colors it now.

We didn't know what to do (what is there to do in Canoga Park?), so we drove back down the freeway and spent the day at the Century City shopping center. It's undergoing remodeling right now, but it was still nice. The food court is awesome. They have sofas and tables OUTSIDE where you can lounge around. If I worked in one of the surrounding buildings, I wouldn't be able to have lunch there, because I'd never want to go back to work.

We ate at Fuddruckers, something neither of us has been able to indulge in for years. They still make the best hamburgers (except for Baxter's in Marin, where I had the best guacamole bacon cheeseburgers).

Bloomingdale's is the only store that validates parking, and we were trying to avoid paying $30 for parking. There was absolutely nothing in that store I could afford. I finally found something on sale that I actually wanted - socks. I got some really cute ones, too - they're decorated with sushi.

We walked around the mall a few times. Shopping really isn't that much fun when you don't have money. We finally ended up at Brentano - surprise, surprise - and spent too much money on books.

And then it was time to leave. But I did take my camera, so we don't forget what each other looks like.

Recipe for Scones
I really need a good recipe for scones. I stopped by the new Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and paid $2.25 for a scrawny raisin scone. I'm sure I can bake one for pennies. A hard, dried-out muffin is almost equivalent to a scone, right? Then Bisquik it is!

December Sports Wrap-Up
Scooter's team didn't do so well in the Commissioner's Cup. We played against the Blob, and they wanted blood. We got eliminated in the first round.

Fluffy's team did much better, making it all the way to the final round. Unfortunately, we lost to the Fierce Strikers. Fluffy got a 2nd place medal, something Scooter never got, so I'm glad for her, since she tends to get overshadowed by all of Scooter's activities.

Scooter made it onto one of the select teams, but to be honest, I'm not expecting much from this team. The kids are nice, but no match for the other select teams out there. We played in the Christmas Classic, and lost all three games in our pool, scoring not one goal. I know the boys were very disappointed, which probably led to their downward spiral near the end. I hope with good coaching they can improve on their skills, knowledge and teamwork, but how do you teach them to run faster?

On the up side, Scooter's basketball team has been doing fairly well, compared to past seasons. Scooter is taking a more active, assertive role. Since he's fast and has a lot of energy, he usually gets to guard the tallest guy in the middle, which is hard for him, because he's pretty short. But he does a good job, and helps our shooters score.

Fluffy's team is on hiatus until January.

I Love Trees

Interesting Twist of Events
Everyone assumed that Shockwave would beat the Current this weekend. With United in first and Blob in second, Shockwave would be in third. But the Current shocked everyone by winning, so Blue Crew slid into third, pushing Shockwave down to fourth. There were so many contingencies, and everyone who was supposed to win or lose went the other way.

Fall Fun
Scooter had his last game of the regular season on Saturday. It was against the Blob, the #1 ranked team (we were #2). We knew it was going to be tough. The score was tied 0-0 for most of the game. In the middle of the fourth quarter, we made a goal. The Blob rallied hard, but we held them, and took first place for the season! What an intense game! We face off against the Blob again in the Commissioner's Cup. They are going to want to kill us!

So both Fluffy's and Scooter's teams took first this year, and both teams are going to the playoffs in January! How exciting!

Later that afternoon, we and the Dawsons (who coincidentally are a Blob family) went to see the newest Harry Potter movie. As the books get darker, the movies are getting more intense. This one was almost too much for Fluffy. We had to cover her eyes a few times. But it definitely was a good movie, and I wanted to see it again yesterday!

Nice to be on hiatus from basketball and soccer for a while. We did nothing yesterday.

My Work Husband
Scott and I were writing an article together. He would start a sentence and I would finish it, and vice versa. I said, "We make a really good team. We should get married."

And he said, "Yeah, that would be the perfect marriage. You could date other guys. And so could I."

My Hard Disk Runneth Over
Okay, after having this wonderful camera for two weeks, I have discovered there is a downside - what do I do with all the pictures? We had to uninstall the program that came with the Coolpix and install Picture Perfect, which is compatible with both cameras. I can't figure out how to edit my pics in PP. In fact, I couldn't even find the pics on my computer for a few days. Well, I finally found them, and now I have to continue uploading pics to Kodak. Very slow when you have a dial-up modem. No, make that just about impossible. Here's one more thing for my wish list: DSL for life!

Double Aack!
Penmaker is moving to Ontario. No, not Canada, California. But it might as well be Canada.

Aack!
I think I've eaten more chocolate in the last two weeks than the entire last year. Usually we get a lot of crap for Halloween, and it's easy to toss it out (okay, feed to my co-workers). But this year, we got all good chocolate stuff, so Guido and I are eating it all up! Oink.