Drinking Age
Fluffy comes to me and says, "You know, when I'm nine and Scooter's twelve, we'll be old enough to go into a bar together."

Old Dinosaur Bones
I filled up gas yesterday. It's just a small, 14-year-old Honda Accord. And I didn't even get a full tank. And it was $36.25. I wish I could ride my bike to work.

Color Me a Rainbow
This weekend was fun. On Saturday morning, we went for the usual six-week haircuts in Hermosa Beach. I was vacillating between going and not going to Polliwog Park for Earth Day after that, but Fluffy wanted to go, so we did.

There was a guy singing silly kids' songs, and we learned a song in American sign language. Eco-Station was there, and we saw some cool (but yucky) reptiles. I've been looking for volunteer opportunities for the Rainbows. It's amazing how hard it is to find something for third-grade girls. You always hear about how they need volunteers, but when you try to sign up, they say, no thanks. So I'll keep looking.

We went down to the duck pond, and since we didn't bring any old bread, since we didn't know for sure that we were going there, we crushed up some pretzels and sprinkled those around. The ducks turned the other way, and the pigeons only wanted the big pieces. Even the animals in Man Bch are spoiled.

Fluffy and Scooter got free frisbees, and we threw those around for a while. We really need to learn some frisbee-throwing technique. Even the toddlers could throw better than we could.

I don't know why I was torn about going to Earth Day, because I end up loving it every year.

That night we got out the Model Magic and made lots of dolphins, starfish, fish, a crab, and coral plants for Fluffy's diorama project.

Yesterday, we met a bunch of Rainbows at Islands for lunch, and then headed across the lane to Color Me Mine. My kids have painted ceramics a lot of times, but I've never done it. It was so much fun, I can't wait to do it again. Next time I'm giving myself a lot of time, though, because I was kind of rushed yesterday. Fluffy, Scooter (honorary Rainbow and dreamboat) and I made Mother's Day gifts for Pau-Pau, Grandma and Auntie Kinu (#1 auntie in the world).

Fluffy and I did more painting at home as we worked on her diorama. I don't know why I always balk at painting stuff. It was a lot of fun. We mixed colors to get different shades of blue for different depths of the ocean. It was cool.

It's so nice when there's no sports going on. We get to be kind of normal.

Memory Loss - Short and Long Term
This is terrible. Whenever life starts getting interesting, I get too busy and stop writing about it. Now I have to backtrack and try to remember all those things, which maybe weren't all that interesting since I can't remember them.

Spring Break in S.F.

Scone Update
Made bisquik scones again, but I ran out of mix and my batter was a little runny so I threw just a little flour in it to thicken it a little. I was afraid it was going to be a mess, but they turned out really nice. This time I added some lemon extract and cranberries, but no orange zest.

Fluffy the Firefighter
For years Fluffy has been on this kick to be a firefighter when she grows up. So I humor her, and tell her to eat lots of veggies, drink lots of milk and get lots of sleep so she can grow. This weekend, she was struggling to carry a camp chair to the soccer field and said, "I don't know how I'm going to be a firefighter if I can't even carry this chair." She's so cute.

Volcano Water
Really weird thing happened. I was boiling a pot of water. Just as it started to boil, a friend called, so I turned off the stove. After ten or 15 minutes, I figured I'd better continue making dinner even though I was on the phone, so I turned it back on again. It boiled very quickly, but kinda weird, like a really furious boil, with water jumping all over the place, not just bubbling. All of a sudden, a huge bubble of water burst out from the middle of the water, like it was exploding up and out of the pot. Water was all over the stove and floor. Very dangerous. My theory is that the water in the "middle" was already hot, even though the water on the surface was cooling. So when I turned on the stove, the water in the middle got super-hot and it exploded. But I need to look this up and find out what really happened. Could be an interesting science research project. But kind of dangerous.

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!