What's up? A cookbook!

I haven't been posting because I'm writing a cookbook. Requested by my children, so it'll feature our favorites and fairly detailed instructions. So far it's going well, the big effort will be in making everything and taking photos.
Would you like some of my recipes?
xo
La

OK

What is my alternate universe? The Riviera, Cote d'Azur, Paris, Montreal......any beautiful beach in the world, the coastline of Portugal.   I guess that's really my heaven on earth.   An alternate universe, tho, hmmm, perhaps I don't have the imagination or the words.

Do we (do I) want to run from this barbarism? Do we (do I?) want to stand up for thought and reason and humanity and say NO, Hell NO, to this sad, yet lethal, parasite that has gained our notice lately and more ferociously than ever before.
We are ALL of this earth; how dare anyone tell another that they are "less than". What is your authority? You have none. We share this earth. How dare we destroy her? There is enough - there is more than enough - if we honor and cooperate and compromise and focus on health and safety and good social interaction. Who wants anything other?? All the money in the world. Is that why the stock market is your only real God? All the material goods. If that is what you really desire, go for it. Let the rest of us live in peace. But NO you want to use our one precious life to advance YOUR pocketbook. Divide and conquer. Dissent.   The answer to it all is cooperation and dignity and purpose and compromise and inclusion and civility. We are civilized people - Why are those among us who want to revert to a barbaric state? One of fear and insecurity and lack. It makes no sense, unless you are profiting from this ugly- fear- disgusting- empty - sickening -vengeance unloaded upon human beings simply for being other human beings.

What do we do?
Run to Central America or perhaps, Canada and live on our retirement money and social security? We definitely could. Do not think we could afford Europe on what we have....but perhaps. America, you may be too far gone. Where are the good voices? I see Sherrod and Bernie and other statesmen who give me hope and so many more who don't with their pathetic lack of integrity. It's not that hard. Isn't it even in a book, something about 'everything I needed to know I learned in kindergarten' (or some shit like that) - the golden rule!!???  And the knife to the heart is that so many of them are 'Christians'. It's perverted.

well, I've let off some steam.   but don't feel too much better, just bled.

hmmm.....mind dump

Well it's coming up on August!! Time to get at summer full force. I need to get to a pool or the lake or.....We've been on the deck a decent amount of time thus far. We have been working with an Arborist to determine the status of our extremely old, extremely large Sycamore tree. The news is good, it's healthy but we do have some pruning to do and some other work needed on our Ash trees - we have two that survived the disease that pretty much eradicated all of  them in NE Ohio in the past few years!! He's going to give them a shot - a vaccination if you will. Trees are amazing and we've enjoyed talking with our guy about them.

Summer: need to accelerate the summer-ness of things. I have hopes but.....with all our gigs, work etc...I'll have to be mindful. I've had a few rounds of Aperol spritzes -my European drink of choice - going barefoot as much as possible - wore an ankle length tied dyed jersey dress for a day, very comfy if shapeless - eating antipasto, tuna and egg salad - I would really love to go to the beach.......
maybe in September we can do that. I love Sept and Oct.

I've 'stabilized' weight wise. In about 18 months or so I've kept my weight at about 10 pounds below what was my steady weight for some time. Measurements too, with about a loss of 4 to 5 inches, total, from hips and waist. Culprit - if that's the word I wanna use: almost daily exercise of 15 - 20 minutes combined with the dietary change of less/no sugar - none in my coffee, drastic reduction in bread carbs - so that's very pleasant to acknowledge. At this time last year I was down five more pounds, but I was being very vigilant on carbs, so I think this is a very realistic, very maintainable plateau for me.
yo,

Callback audition

Last post was my experimental self. I wonder if spacing and other variations made upon 'correct' writing helps the reader to feel and understand what the writer is attempting to convey. 

Today something totally different to get myself to write for twenty minutes. I have two things on my calendar today: a callback audition and a gig. That's the content of my blog today. 

The callback is for a well know insurance company. I'm in the running as 'grieving spouse'. Which is a refreshing difference from patient/doctor/hospital administrator etc. Enough cannot be said about the benefits of life insurance and these guys are trying to say it with some emotion, so I'm gonna ramp it up if I can. I got weepy at first audition, but that may have been luck and emotions that were already close to the surface. Today I'll have to summon it more. Strategies. Should be memorizing the script right now. Right.

Gig: cool resto in Solon area - we're there every other month and will, probably, be performing on the patio (!! yay) this evening. Coincidentally a man who has played my 'husband' in some commercial work also has a callback for the same project today and he, sometimes, comes with his wife - who happens to be mayor, not of Solon, but near by, to this gig.  That's a long sentence, live with it.

So a day in the life. I run on the variety of my schedule. Yesterday was completely different: I met with  a tenant about a new lease and had lunch and then dinner with two different friends. Two of my long time, best of the best, friends.

Tonite's gig is the first of a five day run - summer is big concert time in NE Ohio, as everywhere, and we are very well represented and well received everywhere so it's an honor to do this work. And it's work to sing and dance in go go boots for up to three hours at a time, day after day. I'm not that young either: see grieving spouse, above. I guess I'mma use it till I lose it. I have my third massage of the month next Tuesday, this has been a pampering month on that front but it's made the difference in my getting back to feeling 100% and so worth it.

love yourself first,

La

designing your life

a ted talks title. can you design your life? isn't so much of it random? how can you design what you don't know - ie life itself is a process that takes, well, a lifetime. so i guess you're designing on the fly. ha.
i didn't watch the video but the title stuck with me; actually having experienced most of the stages of life by now gives a different perspective. i'd like to design my epitaph but i'm sure i'll be remembered differently. i believe i am/ vs/ who i really am.    there is a duality, a split, in my private nature and public persona. i live in my mind. guarded and sardonic. i could be melancholy if left to it.   so.......where were we. oh yea, introspection. can we move on? please? so much of life has happened, just happened, and it's been good. great even. i have everything i could ever, ever need. i believe i've made pretty consistent/good decisions and held up my end of bargains. i wish i had saved every ticket stub/backstage pass because it would be cool to really know that stuff but hey, regrets, i've had a few....etc.
and now i'm entering old age. really, i guess that's it. let me google it. ok i'm - phew - pre old 'age pausal'. the 'accepted' age at which one is considered "old" seems to be 68. many people i know live another thirty years, try and make them good ones.  party like you're about to be in the old category.
cheers!

Age in America

What a title. I do enjoy alliteration, even if I can't spell it. Ugh age. Why such a "thing"? Should be a joyous celebration, you are alive, blooming, learning, growing. Until you are not. But we make it very hard. Who is we - our culture/is it worldwide/is it mostly women? Why do we feel so negative about aging? The signs of aging (god, especially on the neck), physically and mentally are really frowned upon. Grey hair, wrinkles, slowing down, a tendency to harden into a sharper version of yourself. Anti aging everything: creams, procedures, exercises. But you can't really anti age, that's not a "thing". Your eyesight weakens along with your hearing, distancing you from what was once reality. Time really flies. I guess the best you can do is accept and attempt. Accept the gift of aging. Think of those who really have 'died too young'. Think of  your family/children/friends who would really miss you were you gone. Accept and appreciate all that you can still do and what you have even tho some of it doesn't seem to look or work as well as previously. Attempt to forgive, everyone - including yourself. Attempt to be your best self at any age. No one wants to sit next to Debbie Downer. Stop sighing, complaining, explaining, instead ask questions and listen. Try to be interested and interesting and who knows, maybe it'll work?! Take care of your body not just because you are trying to look good but because you want to be able to get out of a chair by yourself for life, walk unassisted and get around, ignoring the aches and pains (and trying to get rid of them - I've found relief with keto diet and CBD oil) and pampering your old self. Massages anyone? I just booked another one two weeks out to have it to look forward to........
All said, the distillation of a person as she ages is an interesting process. Only the old/older can have perspective on aging. Youth, as well as age, is a state of mind and consciousness that is enabled by actual age and experience but, I think, can also be influenced by desire and awareness.
More coffee now,
La

FASHION AND FINANCES FROM VACATION

Ooh la la. Well it's not that risque, talking about money - is it? Generally I'm a 'don't care too much' kinda gal. Which means I'm bad at budgeting (at least the conventional way) and keeping track. I want it, don't get that wrong and we've done pretty good if I must say it. But my way of dealing has always been to be moderate. I don't spend big, generally, and we've made some good investments.
We both work. More than one job each. But again, not conventional - we're singers and umpires and self employed all around. Lots of flow. So as it relates to the trip, we spent about 6500. US all in. Not bad for four of us. That total includes two r/t airfares (C&M paid their own) and then, everything else: trains, metros, airfare, lodging, food, some shopping, sightseeing, incidentals for four. We used credit card for just about everything and bank/debit the couple of times the card didn't work. Way easier than trying to use cash and they are just like us - no one really uses cash anymore!!

Ok fashion. Black tights: Paris - very dark/opaque; lighter/sheerer in A and C.
 Black booties - ubiquitous, mostly flat/chelsea style but a real variety to be seen.
High heels: seen in Paris - Not at all in A and C.
Tennis shoes, trainers, sneakers - whatever you call them - are seen in Europe. On stylish people. Most footwear is black, walkable (but there were plenty of Parisians doing high heels!!), we were early in the season but it was warm and we saw almost zero sandals! so not a sandal but a proper shoe or boot.

Above the foot, well, it's more structured/tailored/businessy in Paris. Generally. A bit more color.
Amsterdam: jeans, dresses - flowy with sturdy black boots, Casual.
Copenhagen: jeans, dresses, complete Nordic sailor - yes, we saw a few: weathered head to toe, ruddy but otherwise completely colorless hair and skin, nautically striped shirt, cropped linen/cotton pant, espadrilles.. You might see them in Amsterdam too.

The fashion above the foot didn't stick out to me - even tho I was looking for it - I think because it was moderate. Muted. I'm sure I was looking at a lot of other tourists as well.....you can generally spot them.
la

Leaving Paris: Home - Time for the Luxury Routine

So, now we are three again, retracing our steps back to Canada from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. M has gone to catch the RER into Paris and we luckily didn't press him to hang out because we then had the first/only airport problem: luggage (all three total/ together on scale, weird right there) were slightly overweight. This was weird b/c we're now on flight number four of this trip, same luggage (we did a very small amount of shopping!!!) and have to check/pay for one of our bags. I volunteer. Idiot. Try kiosk. Oh wait, first we walk waaaaay back to the Air France desk. Try kiosk. Takes all info and then does nothing, giving me a 'receipt' that says it's not a boarding pass. OK. Get in, really, the world's slowest short line ever. Maybe 7 parties/groups of two or three. Finally get to pay again altho I explain my recent kiosk pain/process to the attendant. Now, for the first time in my life I'm really feeling the "oh these pricks the French" feeling. So, down $120 I regroup with J and C and we pretty much walk another mile or two and board. That was not Air France's finest hour, however I am pleased to report that, just yesterday!, I received an email that my complaint call (yes sir you better believe it) had garnered a refund of the extra charge!! Ugh they cannot make up for that line so easily.... Flight to Toronto fine, dinner, breakfast, some sleep. Five minutes with A, grab the Prius and hit the road for a earnest drive to the CLE.
Yay, home.

Quick home update: so since being home (in three days we'll have been home one month). The entire process: planning (seed was planted last December) and we got serious about 2 months out. Trip - flies by. Now home already a month. And just getting settled. There are some interesting take aways. The financial. etc and so I'll keep writing to explore those aspects, but now being home I have decided to embrace what I call the Luxury Routine. There is some discipline. Which I hate and don't even really like to type. And some luxury. yea babe. In a nutshell it's basically my normal morning routine, followed strictly and aided and abetted by extra deep tissue massages, more sleep, chiropractor (maybe). Yesterday was a ninety minute deep tissue massage and it was what I want, once a week, from here on out. I did something differently: booked massage for ten a.m. - generally I go later in the day thinking I'll take a bath and go to bed or relax or.....  Anyway I got out of that bliss into soft sunshine, home to a hot, Epsom salt bath and complete exfoliation, hair wash etc. I just continued the spa experience,( massage studio is only five minutes from home so..) at home. Great lunch, well after one p.m. so I'd done the keto fast that I love, about thirteen or more hours) and felt hydrated and healthy.

Did some work. Made a blueberry crumble (one of my 'specialities') for Dad and delivered it with ice and whipped cream both. so gooooood.
I mean yummy!!

Early June Days in Copenhagen

Sunday thru Wednesday June 2-5 we spend in CPN as you know. Gorgeous weather, no rain, mix of sun and clouds, about 70 degrees. Our airbnb is so spacious, clean and has an interior courtyard with some greenery and a few tables. A clothes drying rack. Bike shed - long and just wide enough for the length of the bikes - running along one side of the grassy courtyard and it's a rough wood structure that will have even more vines covering it soon. Since it's Europe and we're smoking, we're out here a bit. There is a 7/11 diagonally across the street - nice for incidentals like cold water or smokes. We love our home here. We continue to walk like troupers, so so much. I could do a post on my feet thruout Europe. I'm still in recovery mode. The trip and the bronchitis. The air quality. The cats. Getting a massage today. soon. yay. So necessary. We'll have been home one month on the sixth and this is massage number two. Keep 'em coming, I say. Performing has been hell, so exhausting. But this is the month of 'luxury routines' coming back into my life and, hence, massage.
So, leaving CPN was really the worst part of our trip. I won't dwell but I got lightheaded/nauseous/almost inert in the early morning. We had a flight to Paris at noon and struggled to make it to the airport. We got 'busted' on the metro for our tickets - we had bought 24 hours ones, we thought! - and with the sickness delay etc...our authoritarian Danish supermodel of a metro policewoman was, in hindsight, funny. She looked at me, at the very end, with her seaglass green eyes, very strong eye contact "you understand now what you must do?". No, but bitch I'm getting on a plane soon, not soon enough but....  I nod, solemnly, yes. The couple across from me smile sympathetically. A young woman walks with us toward the airport a few minutes later and says '  don't worry, they will forgive the first time' .  So we were off with a flourish. SAS airline was fine to Paris. We sadly bid adieu to M. - his flight for LA is tomorrow morning and he'll eat the crepe we didn't get to (le petit grec, Rue Mouffetard) and see Edith at Pere since we had to leave at closing the other day and missed her during our visit.

adieu,
Moi

All Right, all right

jeez, time to step back. A really good time - Monday morning AND July 1, rather 'step back' and 'start up' rolled into one. Monday and the first of the month. Anyway, it's been quite the 2019. I live very ephemerally in someways and, when writing at least have a record. Otherwise I'm off to the next thing. Really. So a couple of things alerted me to the fact that maybe I should reflect: cleaning my desk and finding the notebook of my bronchial travails, VC PopTart telling me that that took it's toll, and, ta da, my horoscope saying that perhaps I'll take a look at getting healthier. Let's just say I am pretty damn healthy. For any age so we won't qualify it. However, with having been so afflicted now, mostly, behind me I really have/should/need to crank up the healthy. So here's to it and I have a pretty good routine that I've followed before. There has been a change in my wake up time since Europe - and it's been almost a month since we've returned - and it's very early. For me. No biggie, I'll just launch into the am routine earlier in the day. I think it has/might make fasting till noon or one harder, we shall see. This am routine is a luxury that I can afford being self employed. This time of year some of it can happen on the deck/patio/grass. The luxury is being in my delicious home, doing things I like to do for myself and my family/house. I'll crank up the spa feeling with really clean Ketoesque food, massage(s??!!), making vitamins/supplements/water a priority, more yoga/stretching alongside walks and/or 20 minute workouts (Jessica Smith), epsom salt/essential oil baths, vaporizer overnight.
There is more Europe wrap up coming BTW.
L

There's more to Copenhagen then meets the eye

As I get close to wrapping up this trip portion of blogs I realize that I have a lot of stuff to cover in CPN. Along with the fact, as mentioned, that we were now a group of six (mostly, we split off, more later, for a morning....)  we did quite a bit. An even tho CPH seems a bit 'duller' in some way in my mind, thinking of all we did....
So our first full day we all took the train to Malmo, Sweden. So we've been in seven countries now. Ha. Some for hours/minutes..... Anyway, easy 30 minute train travel and exit at the standard Euro square/train station area. Walk a bit and then choose a lunch spot. Aperol spritz, yes. Nothing else spectacular. We walk a bit around the city and head back to Copenhagen. This ends up being pizza night. Next day: we four are off to Christiania. You know it, if not, and you're traveling there, you will. We got there (retrospectively), early. Maybe 10 -11? Walked around the sleepy area - nature/lake/residential area and the 'town square', some side streets with studios etc. As we were leaving the place really started to wake up - and we (again with the retrospectively), should have turned back around and stayed, but we did not. We walked to a canal and got on a resto/bar boat and had a cocktail and contacted JK/MKK. They were now moving, slowly, and we decided to meet, soon, at the food hall. Indoor/outdoor upscale 'food court'. We had a variety of sandwiches, sides and a big bottle of Tattinger. They provide champagne glasses (plastic, stemmed), Of course they do. Again with the civilized. This evening we end things with a bang: a terrific canal boat tour. A charming Finnish gal, about 24 years old, was our captain. We had beers/wine/etc provided. Ilona is the kind of person who should go far in life: very engaging, funny and warm. She told us about the Danish word skat. There are two dots above the a, by the way. It means taxes, but the slang use means your girlfriend, your baby. Skat. We hunted her down after disembarking, wanted to tip her but had no kroner. I wrote her a note, in case we had to leave the $20 US we decided on, with the booking guy. She came up and we told her again how much we enjoyed. She looked at my little note, in which I called her skat, and was smiling about it.

I'll finish it all by the end of the next post!
promise xxoo

The trip that keeps on giving....More from the Netherlands and Denmark

Last night I said to my husband something like: the trip seems so over, so long ago. He agreed. And I've yet to finish my wrap up and I still think about it every day. Good news - I have completed the expenses total and will spit it out as well.
In retrospect the Netherlands has a fond place in my trip memories and is just a cool city. Hippie chic and that's probably a good two word-er for me. I'll add anything that comes up, but from here we fly, KLM, to Copenhagen. Easy metro and walk to the airbnb which is gorgeous. Thank goodness. Large, two bedrooms, living and dining rooms, clean kitchen and heated floors/towel rack in bath. The heated wall hung towel rack is pretty common and pretty nice. That idea, actually both, may be incorporated in the upcoming bath remodel! We cleaned up and walked the 10 or so minutes to JK and MKK's really gorgeous apartment on the lake. Lunch al fresco down the street and was introduced to the, now ubiquitous, aperol spritz. History.  So here we changed gears - from nuclear family (minus one) to a family now traveling with a brother and his sister, family friends, for a few days. Pretty cool. For an example of a 'difference', one night we picked up pizza and had a few boxes and bottles (of red) in their lovely apartment. Otherwise we'd have certainly eaten at a resto.  Another night in CPN we missed dinner - that first night actually, Sunday - by waiting too late. 9pm, who knew that Sunday was such a loser? We had okay middle eastern at a small place, one of the few options. Ate outside.  "Doing" CPN, you will inevitably be told about Tivoli and, quite frankly it sounds worse than it is. Ha. Tivoli is an old amusement park / garden / restaurant/ theater mash up that is, as is much of what I've seen regarding group encounters in Europe, civilized. It's not garish, the food's not gross and the people are behaving sanely. The hardest part was getting in, they have ticket machines and, as mentioned in an earlier post, Danish is Greek to me/us. And the thing got stuck with the ticket up in the, what should have been, exit. Try saying that in Danish and get back to me.

no .. over an A here,
L

Twenty Twenty

There is something I like about that. Twenty twenty. Next year. I saw a day planner at Marshalls the other day. White with black lettering: Twenty Twenty. Bought it. It runs from this August thru December 2020. So in honor of my birthday today I'm taking off from trip reporting and doing a freestyle post on things. What a topic! Things.
Have been really great. Not sure if it's the trip or the Magic or the little spinning plates of fate, but whatever - I am grateful for my new attitude. The annoying little things aren't as grating. The lovely little things are being noticed. Despite the rain, and we've had more than enough, my thoughts are sunny. Sing that you optimist. My home looks lovely. Garden/yard: same. My relationships are smooth. Balance in my work. Money in my bank account. Greek Fest in my future. Wardrobe snazzy.  And 20/20 looming in my mind. We have so many thoughts for vacations: Montreal, Palm Springs, Ireland.....Our main bathroom is going to be remodeled soon. I have $200 in Nordstrom gift cards. Yes!! Don't need anything right now tho I believe I'll need a new pair of the black 'leather' leggings I love from BP, they don't usually show up until fall. Maybe  some black leather high top sneakers. Yeah....
So in 2020 the plan is to forge ahead, in a new, more deliberate way. We can slow down a bit. Savor our being. Take extended trips and some short ones too. Maintain our simple, luxurious lifestyle, make it even more gentle and civilized, enjoy it everyday. Update our outdoor space - repair gas heater and get some lights strung. Maybe a new grill (altho we aren't big grill folk). Eat al fresco often, as the default. This weekend we plan a trip to the farmer's market: I'm hoping for Charentais melon. A home tour on Sunday - renovated house near one of our rentals. Greek Fest tonight with sisters, a tradition now. Aperol spritzs in our immediate future: got a bottle of it and two of prosecco!
That melon, with prosciutto, and perhaps an Aperol to wash it down, is the bomb.
Cheers!

Day Two: Amsterdam

We did a lot of shopping in Amsterdam. Or rather, most of it, we didn't get a lot. Got Mom a pair of pearl earrings at Parisienne - a cute shop. We bought three things for CFJ in Amsterdam: a vintage Moschino top - flowy polyester with a bulldog on the back and a sweatshirt -ish tunic with Girl with a Pearl Earring on it. An antiqued coin necklace. I got a similar necklace too. CKJ bought some black pants and I got a pullover sweater, Danish lable, in creme de menthe. Small, low cowl neck.  We went to a bougie furniture/accessories store twice - so sleek - CKJ bought a wallet for J and we rated theirs the best restrooms in town. We had great waffles, twice, in A. Same place. So freakin' yummy.
We walked everywhere! Then we'd stop for a drink and to use the restroom. Great plan! Along one of the canals we stopped, outside - we only ate outside the entire trip - and engaged with the men next table over. They had a dog, Yella, and of course CKJ was all over him. One gentleman had on an ABBA necklace! At some point I said 'my dad adores ABBA' and asked to take his photo. He said 'not my old face' and handed the necklace to CKJ to model in a pic. Great guys! After they left we found out they had paid our check!!! How pleasant and I loved that my children experienced that brief, friendly meeting.
It was in Amsterdam that we laughed out loud the most: specifically an Uber ride from downtown to the JoHell airbnb. Nice, black Mercedes. Country music on, M in front, the three of us in back. J starts singing softly to "Okie from Muskogee" (???!!!). Yes, I know. How and why come to mind. Driver is impressed and turns it up, egging J on. He obliges but loses it in the second verse (doesn't know all the words?) but by now we all join in on the chorus.A little harmony. Driver says to M - "your parents?" . LOL.
A little on fashion here: the footwear of choice is a low heeled/ or flat black boot that hits above the ankle. Or perhaps black leather high top tennis shoes, maybe black tennies with black sox. It's all black and made for walking below the calf line. Flowy dress or jeans. No leggings as pants, NO. One woman had on black platform sandals with a black ankle length skirt - looking good, but the sandals stood out!! Not really into them there it would seem.
barefoot!
La

Amsterdam

Is a great city. Walkable. Friendly, Charming. Diverse. I'll admit our entry into this heaven of an urban/esque city was rough. But I was quickly enchanted. Our train ride was smooth, moody and cool. Coffee and croissant helped. Passed thru Belgium ( country # 3) - no passports viewed in European union countries - into the Netherlands. Here is where I state I got permanently lost, in a weird way, for the rest of the trip. The language is impossible. For someone for whom words are vital in a strong way it's odd and a bit castrating to have that ripped from you. Dutch, Danish, gibberish. And "the Netherlands? Holland? I fell in tho. Until safely back in France, at the airport. Into the comforting hands of Air France. But that's foreshadowing.
So train ride: fair. And getting to the JoHell was accordingly: poor. Bad directions from Joel (the airbnb owner). And her place was so so. But we rallied and showered and hit the town. Soon we were eating and drinking and smoking up the place. There were a monstrous amount of people there. The weather: perfect and that's a draw. Red light, check. We'll be back a bit later some day to see a bit of live action. Lunch on a canal at the end of the district. Narrow, mostly walking and scooter, streets hemmed in on one side by canal water and moored houseboats and the other by tall homes with serviceable landings and porches and windows making the most of the outdoors.  Specifics of Amsterdam as it relates to us: tried to get into Anne Frank house, but failed. Perhaps we didn't try hard enough, but it's a hot ticket. We attended Europe's Largest Food Truck Festival on Saturday at Vesterbrook (?) Park. Question marks like the previous one will indicate, again, my troubles with the language there. Luckily our son, M. went to school a semester nearby a few years ago and was an excellent guide! Besides being smart and street savvy, he's about 6'4" and so easy to follow! So at the Festival: civilized European behaviour all around. No entrance fee, just a million bikes parked, neatly, in the lot. No ticket needed, just money thank you, at the food trucks. You can buy beer in a recyclable plastic cup OR bring whatever you want in with you. Big bottle of champagne, Check. We had beer, but the gals we sat near had a few humongous bottles of bubbly. M ate more duck - we all did, he got two and they were delish!
quack,
La

Paris: Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday 5/27-29, 2019

So now with our travel party complete we head to Mouffetard and end up at La Contrescarpe - highly recommended. It's on the corner of a busy square and we snag a table right out front. The four of us crammed into two round cafe tables and chairs. Smoking, drinking a carafe of red, Jake opting for a Pepsi and sharing a charcouterie plate. Great sleep on a great mattress! First day is a success.

 Jake lets us sleep in. He's an early bird and reads his Hunter S Thompson (actually a reread, his 'vacation' paperback). Lazily we make our way to the river, the Marais and the crazily popular L'as du falafel. It is good - eggplant etc and fork eatable. Cali and I bought some nail/hand cream/buffer. Place des Voges and a brief rain shower.  Then walked to the Louvre and did the Tuileries and kept right on going to the Eiffel Tower. That's a lot of walking btw. Great Paris walking. Uber to Vrbo - that's funny - and hit the hay. One more day here.

Wedneday is Montmartre day. We have croissant/cafe at Verse Toujours and take Les Gobelins metro to Les Abbesses. Hills, lots of them. Major walking all over Montmartre. Lunch right in the square near Sacre Coure. So touristy I know but I had to stop and sit and replenish. Prosecco, for sure. Can't recall my food. Then metro to Pere la Chaise and just make it past Jim Morrison heading toward Edith Piaf when the place closes! At 6 pm. Who knew?  It's light till about 9 these days, but I get it. Anyway we returned 'home' via metro and then had dinner, last night! fairly close to our VRBO and I can't remember the name. Mick had duck, which he had frequently it turns out. Tomorrow we have a 6 am train for Amsterdam.

Ugh getting up so freaking early. 15 minutes earlier than we had said we needed to. Feeling shit and trying to enjoy the lonely streets of Paris at 5 am. as our Uber zips toward Gare du Nord. Pockets of partying young people/students still out. Several and considering it's Wednesday.....ahh Paree.

Wander train station and make the move to the Netherlands.

see ya there.

Postmortem Paris

So picking up on the Paris story. J, C and I walked about 15 minutes to our VRBO. Hidden behind a tall wooden door we entered a straight walkway, lined with doors, shuttered windows, containers of small trees and flowers which branched right about 400 meters from the entry. This was the courtyard of our small wing (maybe 4 apartments?) and we were ground floor! Cleaning woman just leaving, she rode a scooter. One bedroom, great mattress, large closet, living room/second bedroom - decent pull out bed. Kitchen area and small toilet separate from the floor to ceiling tiled shower/sink room. We were just steps from the intersection of Les Gobelins/Rue Monge/Mouffetard. Verse Toujours was our am coffee stop; also had a salad there on Monday, sans Mick. We bought some body lotion and C started loving on the dogs. Which are much more reserved in Europe btw. Mouffetard was a bit quiet - many shops closed on Monday -but that actually made it better when we walked it again on Tuesday, with M now, and it seemed a different street! Lively with fresh seafood, cheeses, bakery, sandwiches and crepes and pita and...some jewelry etc.  At some point we got near St Germaine and I texted G, my niece, that we were headed to Cafe de Flore. She and her girlfriends had just  landed there! Great minds. We waited for C to use the Starbucks, single, restroom. I bought back up bandaids while waiting. After a quick stroll to the Flore we hung out on the street a minute talking to G, C and M - the table next to them was in the process of opening up!! Soon we had a drink and caught up with their adventures. They'd been out till 6 am, riding a scooter, meeting Italian men etc etc. Pretty cool to see your family member from Chicago for a drink in the sixth. We had to leave them to rendezvous with M at the Port Royale RER. Nice walk past Luxembourg Gardens. He strolled out the exit almost as soon as I had lit a cigarette (European behaviour only) - groovy timing. We took him to home for a shower and then went out for dinner.
xxoo
La

Organizing Europe 2019

The tired is real. Very real. Travel, train/airplane/tram/metro/boat/car/foot. By foot. Lots of it. Then home, so inspired! - that I almost immediately weeded/planted the front yard. Looks great. Off my ketoesque diet for two weeks. Therefore my body is screaming at me. From all fronts. Note to self: always allow several days to recuperate. Stay focused on diet. Drink lots of water.

Focused. Today is to distill/organize some of our traipsing thru Europe. We can go many ways: by city, restaurant experiences, lodging experiences, walking, sites, meet ups, travel, moments.
Our first big travel moment: leaving Toronto via Air France. Lovely airline overall. Adorable flight attendents, tres stereotypique. Chic - no overstatement - on flight safety videos. Wrapped blankets and pillows and headphones and eyemask. Fresh rolls served by tong via the attendant to your three course meal tray, including cheese and champagne. Cognac, but of course. No coffee, try to sleep but I first get sucked into watching Colette on the inflight movie. Heck, I am on a flight to Paris. Wanted to see this movie, am a sucker for Colette, didn't really regret it, but I should have slept. Arrived (apres coffee, small yogurt, croissant on board) to CDG and the charming RER train. Airport is massive. We exit at Porte Royal and walk, easily, to our VRBO on Rue du fer a Moulin. I am so glad we stayed in this area - it was different from where I stayed both times previously in Paris, but still so walkable to the Seine. Rue Mouffetard is my kind of exquisite - walkable, varied, leads to something (Sorbonne). It's a lively mix of locals, students, some tourists. Everything to eat, displayed as artwork vignettes. We, sans Mick, explored a pharmacy and walked the hood to the Seine.

Wrapping today up here, for now. Am tallying all expenses and will try to make sense of that in the future as well.
smile......
La

Super Stoked

There is only so much to say in a (self imposed) 20 minute morning writing spree. For good or evil.
Today I choose good - gratitude b/c I am feeling it. Generally. The continent was all it is - beguiling, charming, enticing - so easy to love. Ancient, chic, clean, aware. I got home and almost immediately began weeding/clearing/planting my front yard, my legs are screaming: all the travel - planes, cars, trains, *walking* - and then gardening. Tonight I gig and so arnica and deep stretches soon; had hot baths last two evenings with Epsom salts. My point: all I saw was so inspiring. My entrances, gardens deck and patio need attention and work. So I working my way around, starting with the window box, front beds and easing some set ups on the patio; power washing the deck and wooden dining table.

 Our interior is yummy tho - and that's one area for which I'm really thankful!! As I look around and appreciate my space my heart is happy. I didn't miss the peonies - super thankful. Mme Isaac Pereier roses look so good!!! On my hands and knees, little stories come to me - characters really. I've been weeding really close down to the moist earth, by hand, and sorting through the soil comes a snippet of a life, a  short vignette, it just does...the garden, the earth will talk to you. So I have more to do there, but some perennials I put in two (?) years ago are looking good.
times up!

Aunt Kitty

We were lucky enough to have a very interesting role model - Aunt Kitty. Mom's brother's wife. We didn't know her well even tho they lived in the same town in Maryland we did - Uncle Ed was older than Mom and they weren't close. He had played football for the Redskins and owned a car dealership afterward. They were more glamorous than we were, by far. They had two sons and one daughter - we share the same name,  she's younger than me but attended the same grade school. Aunt Kitty would pick her up in, seriously, a different, brand new Buick convertible every week (or so it seemed). We walked or rode bikes.  The few times we were invited to their home it seemed so fancy. We heard Kitty got up early to put on 'her face' before Ed woke up. Her makeup and hair were always just so. She'd been a hat model pre marriage and, funnily enough, often wore a hat. Uncle Ed passed away from cancer - he was a handsome man and refused the treatment because it would have ruined his face somewhat - that was years ago. In about 2005 two of my sisters and I returned to Maryland for a reunion of our grade school. We made plans to have lunch with Aunt Kitty at her country club - a very chic one in the DC area. She was still an imposing woman - ramrod posture, hair done and impeccable manners. We learned more about her, as adults. For example she loved to sew. I had never pictured this, but she took us to her home (a new one in Kensington) after lunch and said she'd made all the curtains. She had boxes and boxes of hats in the basement. Oil paintings of her and her daughter - so they were still quite different from us!! But she was gracious and fun and had several sayings that I heard that day : "Oh really" (with a smile and arched eyebrow);  "well now what do you think?" ( not answering a question);  "you sillyhead" (shrug and closed smile); " I have no idea" (deflecting); "wonderful,wonderful"; "yes darling"; "oh forever",  " call me" or "bye bye"(quickly, crisply yet in a sing song voice); "he was a rascal" (describing our cousin's first husband). She was thrilled we were 'lovely and pencil thin'. And had enough manners to lunch at the club and keep up the conversation, I'm sure.
She's now gone but sometimes I think of her - I think she made her own reality and enjoyed her life on her own terms. Ed was a rascal, big time, but she found her own way to deal with it and stay happy. She was a good mother and eventually moved to Charlottesville to be nearer my cousin, near the end of her life. She would organize and moderate fashion shows in her retirement home.
bye bye,
La

Wednesday: pre trip musings

Yikes, we leave Saturday for Toronto. Then on to Paris from there.  Lots to do these next three days. It's exciting and a bit nerve wracking to travel so far from home, including leaving behind one of my children and aging parents. Life is crazy and you just never know.....my intention is to have a wonderful time and I know I will, but it's human to worry sometimes.

My good friend A is in Amsterdam right now and her Instagram feed is full of terrific photos - so picturesque. She's heading to Belgium next. Spoke with my niece yesterday, we'll be talking on Monday in Paris and coordinate a meet up for Tuesday. She'll be with two friends, I don't want to hijack her time, but she and my kids want to see one another so I hope we can get together. Jim (from LA) is excited to meet up/spend three days exploring Copenhagen with us - he's so much fun to be around - can't wait to see him too. The weather is, perhaps, going to be less than perfect - chilly/rain - and both my other times in Europe the weather was always dry, so my luck could be running out in that department. Positive thoughts!

I'm using packing cubes for the first time, will report back on them. As mentioned, packing very light, I even bought a smaller sized carry on than one I already own.

Trying on stuff later and starting to finalize packing. I've been eating rather unwisely and may regret that, but I'm back on semi-keto/intermittent fasting after the trip. I never gain weight on vacation anyway, always very active, lots of walking and no snacking to speak of, I'll probably lose a pound or two. I fluctuate a bit anyway, 5-7 pounds, and I'm tall so that's not any kind of issue with me, but I just feel better when my stomach is flatter and my clothes fit smoothly. :)

Sucking it up,
L

My life part ten

So, I think we're pretty much all all caught up with my life. Working as a real estate appraiser, singing with The PopTarts, managing our rental properties, Mom to three - one child still living at home, wife, daughter of two aging parents (Dad undergoing chemo at 88), sister of four, aunt of many......
and now prepping for a 13 day vacation to Europe. Yay!!

 It looks like rain for some of our trip, I got some cheap disposable rain ponchos via Amazon to tuck into my bag; going to fine tune my packing tomorrow. Taking very little - our rentals all have washer/dryer included and I don't want to be lugging a lot of stuff around. I've been a minimalist travel packer for many years now and it's definitely the way (for me) to go! Wear the heavy stuff on the plane and layer, layer, layer if, when you arrive at your destination, it's cooler than planned. Of course with modern tech you can get fairly reliable forecasts in advance. Black, denim/blue and faded army green are my colors. A big scarf, doubles as a picnic tablecloth. We plan to hit the french pharmacy upon arrival and choose a bottle of body lotion to share throughout the trip.  Taking one small tube of toothpaste for all to share. Same with some micellar water etc.  So excited!! Remember, they have stores in Europe, all you really need is money (and your passport!).

I plan to blog a few more times before we depart, but I have some work appointments this week and final planning/packing to do - so no promises. I can share some photos upon return. We have daughter's boyfriend staying here to watch the cats/hold down the fort. He's here now making us homemade pizza. I highly recommend a nurse/chef combo for your daughter's boyfriend if you have a choice! My sisters and Mom will be taking good care of Dad.
bisous,
L

My life part nine

Apologies for making this so long, never thought this 'series' would take this many blogs. Anyway, it's for me and I'm feeling good that I'm actually writing every day and (somewhat) taking stock of my myself. Not much more to go.....
So in 2008 my kids are in high school, I've finally gotten certified/licensed as a real estate appraiser and our beloved dog, Sarge, passes. As mentioned 2006-2008 were pretty gloomy for me and the financial crash didn't help - especially as real estate was now my career. No money. Well, very little. So in 2009 I went to Julie and said let's start a band. One where we can make some money. Julie and I've known one another since the 1980's - she's always been in bands/involved in the CLE music scene/produced the cable tv show 'Cleveland Rocks' (I was the gossip reporter) and I knew that we could do something financially viable. Both of our husbands are musicians but you can't make money in CLE, playing locally, with a big band of live musicians. And I needed money. College was looming large. So we decided to sing to tracks. We spent some time checking out other local acts, knew two women who were doing pretty well singing to tracks together (lead and harmony) at restaurants and Julie came up with the idea of 1960's girl group, The PopTarts. www.the-poptarts.com.  She knew two other singers and voila we were successful out of the gate (after a bit of rehearsing of course). We've been playing over 130 gigs a year (that's a lot!) for nine years now. We have over 13 pair of go go boots, matching Mrs Santa outfits etc. Three records. Two songs in a Lifetime movie channel movie- Love at the Christmas Table. Fans and 'groupies'. We are very lucky but we've worked hard and do a really fun, entertaining show. There is nothing like having people tell you 'you've made my day' 'you girls make me feel so great' and having even small children dance, sing and, basically, adore you. We make people happy and we're doing something we love as well. Win Win. We had two gigs this past weekend and one tomorrow, so it can be exhausting. But I am grateful for this part of my life.
So I'm gigging a lot, two of my children go away to college and one to California (that's been covered already). Real estate rebounds. In 2015 J and I make a second trip to Europe together. Paris, Rome - where we meet up with our middle daughter who was spending her junior year of college at KU in Leuven, Belgium. The three of us travel together to Barcelona (highly recommended) and then to Leuven so we can see where she's been studying. Great trip. Now we're gearing up to leave this Saturday for ten days in Europe - thirty years after our first, honeymoon trip there. Our other two children will join us for this one, wish we could all go, but C's got a wedding to be in and a school year to close out.
Gotta run, XXOO
La

My life part eight

So for many years I was a working mom with three children, all close in age; rental properties to manage; parents and siblings living near by - it was a very busy time. I love/need plenty of sleep and was often deprived of it, sometimes I wonder if staying so long in traffic reporting was wise and if I'd have been a better mother if I'd done something else (you have to get up early to be at work at 5 am camera ready) but hindsight can be 20/20. At the time it seemed the only choice, not the least of it was that I worked 20 hours and got health coverage for the family, as mentioned J is self employed and that cost is prohibitive on our budget.  My kids weren't overly scheduled but they did have activites outside of school: some sports, band/lessons, performing in plays etc. The two eldest went to college (expensive and on the east coast, good thing they were smart and got some decent financial aid) and the third wanted to go to California instead. She got some nanny interviews and during her senior year spring break she and I went out, stayed with J's sister in Mill Valley and went on her interviews. She got hired by a wealthy family in Los Gatos - she had her own little house on their property! - and worked for a year there. She decided to come home afterward and I think we made the right choice, she would have resented us/always wondered what would have happened if she'd been in CA (meeting the Kardashians? hanging out with Seal and Heidi Klum?? ,  thats what I think she thought it was going to be). M now lives in LA, he's a writer. C is in Baltimore, teaching and loves her job, little C is going to community college, waitressing, acting and voice over and has a great boyfriend.
Over the years we took extended family vacations, about 4 times total, to Nags Head. Rented a huge house right on the beach and all my four sisters, their families and my parents would go for a week. Great memories. We always still get together for holidays and birthdays. My parents are 88/89 years old and still living independently, but that's getting more tenuous daily. With five daughters, all living within close proximity,  they get help/visitors etc. regularly. Gram lived, very healthy mind and body, to 100 years old.  She was a seminal figure in my life, love her so much.
Gonna end here today.
Love you Gram!
Laurie

My Life part seven

Thinking about this blog 'series' and I've definitely left some things out, not consciously but in trying to keep things moving. So eventually I'll update/add some stuff.
So I'm married at thirty one. Living in a cool condo downtown and working at Channel 3, the NBC station (see, I mixed up traffic reporting which I didn't start doing yet with this tv gig). Anyway I'm 'vacation relief'' which means I do all kinds of stuff: still storer, teleprompter, master control, satellite control etc. And walk the picket line when we go on strike. I meet the gal who, to this day, cuts my hair - minus the years she spent working in NYC.  Back then she cut it in her apartment, as we shared a joint. Later she was make up and hair for many 'stars' including Gweneth and Marlo.
J and I had a belated honeymoon - three weeks in Europe, my first visit. It was spectacular - London, Paris, Spain and Portugal. We were lucky enough to know someone married to a Frenchman and living in Paris and spent two nights in a Parisian apartment - at the time I didn't appreciate it fully. They also showed us around a bit. Very cool. We rented a car apres and drove to San Sebastian stopping at a couple of rural villages and spending the night along the way. Portugal was great - we drove the Algarve stopping wherever we wanted, spending days on the beach and nights meeting people from all over the world and eating delicious seafood. Our frantic drive to Lisbon to make our flight was ridiculous - we ran thru the airport like manics, but got on the plane in time. It was a simpler time - we called home once from a pay phone, no internet etc.

Back to CLE and then I was working as a traffic reporter. Split shift and still singing in bands. Good thing I had the energy of youth. After five years I got pregnant with M and we decided to move to the 'burbs - Tremont was still pretty sketchy and not a place to walk with a baby. Altho our Newfoundland, Butch, was a pretty impressive walking partner and anyone even thinking of messing with me usually crossed the street when they saw him. 140 pounds of pure baby love, but I wasn't going to tell them that.  We found a great home, still live here, in the suburb where J was born and raised. Had three children in six years - crazy - and I was still reporting, altho only mornings now -and we didn't need any help cause J stayed home till I got here at 9:30. Back then he was dad in charge of breakfast, lunch making and taking/getting them to school.  The morning of 911 I was waiting to do a traffic cut in on the CBS morning news (by now I was a traffic reporter on both radio and tv) and they showed the plane flying into the tower. No cut in that day. I went home and watched tv and talked on the phone with my sister as we found out what was going on.
So rock and roll was out, parenthood in and we raised all three kids here. Good kids. One bout with anorexia. One gay coming out. So not always without drama, but pretty great. The toughest time was about 2006-7 when I left reporting and apprenticed (it's a two year process) as an appraiser. Market died and work/money was tight. It ended up fine, I like the flexibility and money I can earn now, but it was a low point emotionally for me.
smiling now,
L

My Life Part Six

I am still practicing 28 days of The Magic - gratitude training - it's going ok. I am grateful that I've had such a long life that it's taking me forever, it seems, to document it here - however sketchily I'm doing it. Getting a bit bored with it, but I want to finish.

So, I am now in my early twenties, working on air as a traffic reporter and singing in a band with my future husband. I've got a cute one bedroom on Edgewater Dr and I paint the living room walls salmon pink and have an old black upright piano in the living room. I thought it was very Parisian. Prior to The Leisure Set (our band) I'd been lead singer for The Fondells - motown! Horns and great music, I was in heaven. We were 'ahead' of our time, this was before James Brown's music was used in a laxative commercial, way before The Blues Brothers.  We were extremely popular but eventually I left to pursue (rather half assidly) a career in an original music band. Leisure Set did pretty well but Jim, our main songwriter, left for some stupid reason (we didn't love the name of the band) and we found another guitar player and became Separate Checks. Again with some popularity, recording etc. At some point we became disenchanted, our jobs were better and so we couldn't/wouldn't take it on the road and our music careers stalled.

After dating for five years(!!) we got married. Had a pretty cool reception at J's Aunt's mansion in Bratenahl - outside on a gorgeous day, catered by CLE high society caterer Hough in one of Charlie Pyle's last weddings/events before closing. All the high society stuff was on my husband's families side,  mine was 'new' cleveland BTW.  J and I found a super cool condo in Tremont, downtown and becoming gentrified, in an old building. We own it to this day. Neglected to mention we bought a triplex in Lakewood while dating which we still own. Landlording has been our salvation, financially. He's willing to get dirty and learn how to fix stuff - I've cleaned up lots of crap myself many times after tenants vacate, give me some thick rubber gloves and..... and I've handled finding/vetting tenants. Teamwork. And it's paid off.  We've been together 36 years.

stuck like glue?
L

Ma vie part five

So college at O.U. I studied Radio-TV and did very well in my classes. I was a booth announcer for WOUB-TV. Had my first serious boyfriend In other words, one who wanted me to meet his family for instance. Senior year five of us girlfriends rented a house on Mill St.
Graduated and moved to Columbus for the summer, at least, and stayed in my sister's empty house at OSU (she and her housemates were all back home for the summer). Got a job selling air time for a radio station north of the city and spent a lot of time enjoying great lunches at a place that gave us trade for spots (food for commercials). Didn't much like selling air time and didn't apply myself to it at all. Moved into an apartment in German Village with a gal who had been a housemate of my sisters. Started to wait tables at a nice place and met Mo, another waitress, who would eventually introduce me to her gang of friends and we were a tribe for several years. These friends lived in CLE, but had also gone to OU - they were a year older than me and in the two years I was there we had never met. Soon I left Columbus moved home to CLE and studied for, and got, my third class radiotelephone license - an anachronistic license that allowed me to work in the engineering department of a tv station, which is what I proceeded to do. Dark days in 'master control' surrounded by mostly older, rather geeky, really smart men. Literally dark as the lighting was kept dim so you could read all the lighted meters etc. Became friends with two of the long time CLE air personalities of an earlier era: Barnaby and Super Host.  Lin Sheldon and Marty Sullivan. Met my future husband working there. J and I dated, secretly, for a few years because I didn't want it to impact my perceived professionalism. He left there before I did and began to work his family business as he does to this day. I really took notice of him when he gave me grief about my complaining re: some vacation mixup. He was part time and got no vacation. I asked him to go with me to a band audition (all guys, sketchy area) and he did. Then he asked me to go see The Waitresses at the Agora and that was that.  I was fired from that job, they started up a news operation and cut many positions thru out the station to fund it. In retrospect it was a great thing - many of my  peers are still working there! 40 years. I'd die of boredom.
So I did some waitressing, got a job at a community college in the radio/tv lab and finally got wind of a perfect gig for me: traffic reporter. An engineer at Clockwerke Recording Studios (our band The Leisure Set was recording there) said 'you'd be great on air, great voice!' so I asked him what a traffic reporter was (ha! I was in bands and never got up early enough to hear a traffic report on the radio), he gave me the name of  Baron Aviation - a husband and wife team of pilots who flew and reported on area stations. Seriously, about one week later I was doing reports on the big am station WWWE and was a 'natural'.
And that's the traffic,
L

My Life part four

In high school, as mentioned, I was a lifeguard after senior year. Went to Miami (Ohio) and met a life long friend Laurie, we do girl's night to this day - about once a week! Had some good times there although it really wasn't for me. I enjoyed political science class. Smoking pot and listening to the Grateful Dead (that was the influence of Karen from NY!) or smoking pot and going to art class - and if I'm at all talented in drawing I've kept that talent repressed all my life!! Awful drawings/paintings. I worked at the library - LOVED it. Took out way too many books - I saw so many as I checked them out or checked them back in and I left, always, with a stack. Became friends with Marta - she was a professors foreign (German??) wife who also worked at King Library. She chewed a cigarette holder constantly between bright red lips which contrasted nicely with her raven hair. Glamorous in a euro trash way - I adored her. Wish I remembered more about her. I 'dated' a few guys, nothing serious. Went to the Kentucky Derby sophomore year with a casual friend who knew someone who's parents were away but had a house in Louisville where we could crash. She had a car so we went. I don't believe we ever saw an actual horse - but if you've been to the Derby in the cheap (infield) seats you know that's not the place to watch the race, it is good people watching tho! I spent the summers working in Ocean City Md. I was a waitress, first at Hall's Coffee Shop then at the iconic Phillips Crab House. Joe and Marie Hall had nine tables when I worked for them and they lived with 3 kids above the shop, right in downtown OC. He cooked. Taught me to add water -not milk! - to eggs before a scramble. Now they have a huge restaurant further up the strip, or at least they did about 30 years ago when I made a trip there with family. Marie seemed to remember me - one of her 'original' girls. Someday I'll go back. I learned to drive a stick shift there so you know this was long ago - the traffic was light enough to learn in. Moved on up to Phillips where my sister K also got a job. We were Denny and Jeff - you had to make up a name if there was already a waitress with your real name. They served us family breakfast early in the resto even tho they didn't serve customers until dinner. Lines around the block were common. Big sheets of white butcher paper on the table, you wrote your 'name' on it when you approached a new table and introduced yourself. Gradually the table became a mess of crab shells and butter  to be rolled up and tossed out. We had fun and made some friends there but no one we still remember.

At some point I decided to transfer from Miami to Ohio U. I was a radio tv major and the school of communications was considered excellent at OU, plus it was a party school. Win. So for junior - senior years that's what I did. Also, my buddy from high school/new jersey that I met in the girl's room attended OU, as did her brother, so I had ready made friends there.
party on dude,
La

My life part three

This  is taking more time than I thought (well to be honest I didn't really think ahead of time how long this would take!), but at 20 minute increments I suppose this is what it is.

So I'm in high school. I neglected to mention Northwood High School which I attended for - and I'm not sure really - for about half of 10th grade, before we moved on up to the new house. So that's seven schools by now. I've lost contact at this point with my grade school buddies but never fear - we reconnect in the future. I skip a lot of school but my grades are fine and I stay out of trouble, miraculously. Then, at the end of 11th grade my parents tell us that we're moving to Ohio. Nobody seems to really know where Ohio is, exactly. That's the East Coast mentality about the rest of the country, true.  My parents drive out with my two youngest sisters (one's an infant) and  the moving van. I, at 16, am charged with driving the family station wagon and Grandmother (she didn't live with us but visited often to help with the arrival of a new baby, or when we moved etc.) and my two middle sisters. I guess this points to my maturity, I'd never have let any of my children do that.  The main two things I remember from this drive: my younger sister K went thru my wallet and found my fake ID while I was behind the wheel and read it out loud so I turned and smacked her (remember Gram was in the car and I was afraid she'd rat me out!) and when we pulled into BV, our new town, K and I began to laugh and cry - it was so different from metropolitan DC.  And that state of shock is pretty much how I spent my senior year of high school. My clothes were different. I was different and in the days before the Internet and cable tv etc there was a real difference between what I knew and what the kids from BV knew. I met a new transplant from New Jersey in the girl's room (I think we were sneaking a smoke?) and Patti and I became friends. Thankfully.  This high school was like something out of the 1950's. I did make another great friend, D - we were lifeguards together at the city pool- and she became a big wheel in the cosmetics business in NYC after college. I encouraged her to make the move to NY and she flourished. Sadly she passed away eight years ago from a brain aneurysm. I miss her as does the world. She had a smile and a love of life that is very rare.

In my ignorance of Ohio I chose to attend Miami U in Oxford OH, which was a poor choice for a free spirit like me. Very preppy,  into Greek life (I was totally ignorant of frats and sororities, had to be told what they were and what 'rush' was); additionally Miami U is small and isolated.

later,
La

My life

My life so far is pretty interesting. I wonder if most people feel that way?  Today it' s a quick biography of me.
I was born in PA. Mom a nurse, Dad an insurance bondsman. I was the first of what would be five daughters. Both parents were born and raised in Pennsylvania but by the time I was five we would be living in Maryland, just outside of Washington DC. My sister K was born one and a half years after me so we were always together. I attended Montgomery Knolls elementary school where I called my (African American) first grade teacher "mom". I am Caucasian btw. On Buckingham Street I was accidentally mauled by a german shepard (he was trying to pet me back, I think) in the face and fortunately didn't lose my right eye altho I did need many stitches. The scar remains on my right temple, but it's very faint. We moved in second grade, right in the middle of the year, to another, larger home because now we were adding more daughters to the fold. My second grade teacher had me sit in the front of the room and my classmates had to come up and read me something about me/say goodbye. I don't remember what anyone said but I remember the event.

Now we were in the Forest Knolls neighborhood, attending the elementary school there, thru third grade, after which we were sent to St Andrew the Apostle. A common theme is that I attended many schools in my life. In this neighborhood we learned to skateboard (Dad made me one!), swim - we were all on the swim team, ride bikes and play with lots of imagination. Always doing plays and make believe. Pretending to be Nancy Drew or models or the cast of Hogan's Heroes. Our biggest heroine? Honey West. I was Honey and K was Sam. We had a gang of neighborhood kids. I remember singing "Going to the Chapel" (among other songs) in Ann Pierce's basement - she had older brothers and lots of records!! Funny cause that's a much requested song in the PopTarts show now. We had all sorts of 45 records too, in our finished basement, but many of them were my Dad's favorites - "That old Bill Ballowmoon" (? not sure of the last name, but I can sing it for you) and "Drink Drink Drink" from The Student Prince. We had "Henry the 8th" and designed choreography to that number. I am now friends with Rich Spina who is in/tours with the current band Herman's Hermits with the original Peter Blair Dennis Bernard Noone.  Synchronicity. And a bit of foreshadowing.  One of my best friends was Judith Bankier who lived just a few houses away. Her parents were from Grenoble, France and visiting that house was the start of my life long Francophilia. I made baguettes, learned to call their dog by yelling "vien ici" and saw the formidable Celine instruct Judy in French - very rigorously; sleep sans pillow for her posture, swim elementary backstroke laps with her coral lips and pixie haircut looking so chic (and different from the other moms).

Well times up and I'm still in grade school.
A demain,
L

The Magic Day Three

I'm on The Magic day three. So far so good. Everyday you start out with a list of 10 things you are grateful for and reread it saying 'thank you' three times for each item and feeling the gratitude as much as possible.

Day two you find a magic rock to hold before going to bed and envision the thing that you are most grateful for that day; you will continue to do this every night. Day three you take photos of three people you love and get grateful for them - just the way they are. Doing that after this blog.

My Topshop Moto jeans came yesterday and I'm so glad I exchanged them for a smaller size. Fit is SO important and, I think, especially in these newfangled 'mom jeans'. Very high waisted. I love Nordstrom. The customer service is tops.

Today The PopTarts have two gigs: a luncheon (45 min. set) and a bar/resto gig at night. Also gigging tomorrow night, so starts the summer busy season. Today's day gig will impact my morning routine and it's the nuface and piano that are getting the ax, cause yesteday I didn't work out.  Honestly I complain sometimes but when we are in our slow season I feel like a lazy slug. I guess after nine years you get used to being busy especially on the weekends.

Visited Mom and Dad yesterday, they are in such good shape for 88 and 89 years old. Living in their condo, golfing (well Mom is, Dad's been undergoing chemo for pre leukemia and feels poorly cause of it) and still driving! That was the thing I was most grateful for with my magic rock last night. This gal has a lot to be thankful for.

Put tomato cages around the peony plants yesteday, should have done it sooner as they are pretty tall already. I find the cages keep the heavy blooms supported and upright and you can't see the cage in all the foliage. I hope to get some zinnia seeds in the ground before our Europe trip. The raspberries and grapes look great - lots of blossoms and we have a tomato garden that self seeds (volunteers!) every year. Love that tomato garden - there is not much better than just picked cherry tomatos on toast or cheese toast for lunch. Also made several batches of penne a la vodka last year using our garden bounty and boy was that delish. And simple. Perfect!

Spring is not a great season in CLE - crazy temp swings, lots of rain and that's the case right now. Something I'm not grateful for because it wreaks havoc with my head/lungs/etc. The ups and downs of barometric pressure affect the water in our bodies and I really feel this, unfortunately. Again, not great for a singer but my affirmation is that my lungs are healthy, clear and strong. And they are and I will be fine.

alleluia!
L

Color quiz for you! Bronchitis and The Magic day two

Well I did my gratitude practice this morning. Took all of three minutes. I am very thankful for all that I have. Thank you! I am doing 28 days of The Magic (book), if you care.

Here's a link to a color personality quiz. It's for your living space interiors. I found it to be spot on, altho if you take it a few times and your answers vary a bit you will get slightly different results. I did find that all results - I took it three times - had the basic colors remain the same and the accents, while different, to be ones that I know I love. It was developed using analytics,not just someone's opinions, for what it's worth. Here's the link: http://www.loriweitzner.com/odetocolor/#     I hope you enjoy it!

After a bad allergic reaction in October of last year I've developed some bronchitis. It's a weird illness that can be triggered by just about anything. Not fun. I spent a few hours one Sunday night in the emergency room because I had such difficulty breathing my daughter insisted we go. Breathing treatments, chest xray, blood work - $3,000 later (great health care system even for the insured she wrote, sarcastically) I was given some steroids and an inhaler. Eight months later I'm still not 100%. It's not a good thing for anyone, but especially not for a singer.  At first I supplemented with bromlein and lecithin - herbs for lung health and the Castor oil pack. And peppermint tea. Now I'm trying lobelia drops and a honey turmeric mixture, which seem to be helping. And I'm grateful for that. I was a cigarette smoker years ago and quit, but honestly I continued to smoke pot (which should be legalized). Anyway I don't smoke anything now and am concentrating on healing my lungs completely. I do exercise and work really hard at gigs, I also practice some intentional breathing exercises to work my lungs out. I always, year round, run a vaporizer at night. Put some lavender oil or eucalyptus oil in there. Ahhhhh.

Big breath in thru the nose and out the mouth,
La

My Mornings and The Magic day one// Life with Dee blog

Bathroom, big glass of filtered water with a splash of apple cider vinegar, floss/brush teeth, splash eyes with water.

 Black coffee from my french press which I bring to my office/computer to drink from my la Madeleine mug as I write: first my 10 item gratitude list (7 minutes)and then this blog - for which I set a 20 minute timer. Then I  cleanse my face and do a facial massage or use my nuface device, work out (another 15-20 minute block), practice piano (same, 15-20 min). If I keep moving it's about one and a half to two hours.

So I start the day feeling healthy, pampered and accomplished. I do not eat until about noon - I'm not  usually hungry and even if I am, I wait. Intermittent fasting is a good thing. More on that another time.

Today I've added the 10 item gratitude list as part of doing the 28 days of The Magic. This is Rhonda Byrne of The Secret fame's practical book. Excited to be doing this. I, as most of us, have so much to be thankful for and so much to offer if I can just unleash myself. I hope to extend this to my children, especially my son, who tends toward the negative and is job seeking currently.

I wrote a comment to Dee at Life with Dee, check out her blog! I wrote her because she's referred some readers to my blog and is also the moderator of the facebook group French Chic. Since I quit facebook I can't participate but I do miss the like minded community. Might be the only reason I rejoin facebook, but I can't stomach the rest of it...... my issue I know.

If anyone wants to comment or request or ask me anything, please feel free to do so.  I plan to keep this up, maybe even blog (or vlog!?) a little from Europe later this month. I love to write but am thinking that vlogging might work well for me also. Many folks do both and I enjoy many of their channels/blogs. Whose? Well, maybe I'll share in a later post cause my 20 minutes are up and I gotta go do my neck/facial routine. The neck stuff is paying off! Another post? Maybe....

mysteriously,
L

Cats and stuff

I really don't feel like writing today, and since I've begun writing here daily that's a first. Even tho I generally don't know what I'm going to write about I've been happy to sit here, first thing in the morning, and let it out. Whatever comes.

I've never been a cat person - probably because I'm extremely allergic to them. Not all of them, but it's hard to determine why some make me sneezy and stuffy and others don't. As a baby my parents discovered this allergy when visiting friends with kittens and I puffed right up. So I've never been really close to the cats. Till my daughter brought home a stray, who happened to have 3 kittens (it's a long story) and we ended up with Lila (mom) and Earl Grey (son). We kept them in the shed and then the basement and I don't seem to be allergic to Lila, but when Earl was about 6 months I had a bad allergic reaction - to him? or what? It was not like other times with cats - when an allergy pill helped and when I got away from the cat I was fine,  but a crazy swollen eyes and bronchial reaction - for days. I've been struggling with some breathing issues since. It's been almost 8 months.

Needless to say I've become attached to the cats but I can't wait for them to leave.  I am trying lobelia -an herbal remedy - so we'll see. I am a proponent of herbal medicines, arnica is amazing and so under the radar, for example.

What else? Well I've done better on the youtube watching. My mornings continue to be productive: writing, facial, exercise, piano. Then on to appraisal work or other stuff for the afternoon. 
I've lost 5 pounds being mindful of carbs and the linen pants I got from Marshalls fit nicely now. I am waiting for a pair of jeans from Nordstrom to arrive, the first ones were too big, but I liked the cropped yet longer length of these Topshop Moto jeans, so I exchanged them. Here's hoping!

xo,
La

Stay chic

So this blog is to help me write more. Check. Bring more je ne sais quoi/french chic inspired style to my life. Semi check. What have I been doing? Well, writing about the CLE has been cool and I believe that blogging every morning has helped me be more conscious during the day of being slower, more deliberate, less work and more 'life' driven. I take the mornings (because I am self employed and I can!) and write, do 15-20 minutes of movement (yoga or Jessica Smith TV or walking), a facial massage or Nuface and today I'm adding 15 minutes of keyboards practice. If I keep moving that's about 1 1/2 hours of "me" time - right off the bat. So my day begins with me and I feel accomplished early on. I started a modified version of this about 14 months ago with the workout portion and have added the other things. It seems to work for me. Some days I don't do it all - I may have an early appointment for example - but it's a solid routine for me and I'd recommend it. Some people get up really early (5 am!!) to do this before they have to hit the office etc. Thankfully I don't have to do that cause I wouldn't.

We had family dinner yesterday (pizza and beer, not so chic) and watched Game Night with Jason Batemen. Funny enough with a couple of 'turns'. It kept moving, that's for sure. I've enjoyed him in Ozarks.

I am sending it out into the universe:  no more endless youtube. Since quitting facebook (don't miss it) I've gotten wrapped up in the nomadic lifestyle of people who live in an RV, van or even their car - because they like it. Fascinating to me for some reason. Also watching lots of Paris/Amsterdam/Copenhagen planning videos, which I'll allow. But the snowbirds and retirees moving to Mexico, or attending the next RV meetup - they gotta learn their place with me! Those folks have a lot of time to videotape themselves and whatever grabs their fancy and I've been sucked in. Come on, I'll never 'bake' grands biscuits on a wooden dowel over a campfire even tho I now know how to do it. Will I?

Tomorrow I get my 6 -8 week haircut with B. She's a master and charges like one, but I always get a great cut, it grows out nicely and it's worth it to me as I rarely have to do more than dry it and go. I'm growing it a bit longer so tomorrow will be a shape up session. It's all grown out, natural grey, and I get lots of complements on both cut and color.
Chop Chop,
La

Do you have some Mossimo in your closet? NYT and Copenhagen

Ah Sunday. Coffee and the Sunday NY Times. We have it delivered and it stays on the breakfast table all week. J does the word games, I read/skim most all of the paper and get some great book ideas from that section, I like how the children (when home) also peruse the paper and, maybe, get some fresh perspective/ideas/etc. With this subscription we get free access to the NYT all week on line.Our local paper only publishes three times a week now and is pretty useless so this has been an alternative. We watch/listen to PBS during the week as well.

I pulled on a pair of bike/exercise boy shorts that I've had for a while. Label: Mossimo. When the college entrance scandal broke I didn't know anything about Lori Laughlin and her husband. I never watched her tv show(s) and never realized there was a real man behind the ubiquitous Mossimo brand. I never thought about it, but I bet almost every woman in America has a piece of his clothing in her closet, or if she's a real declutter freak, used to have. I mean Target and Mossimo - what a couple they were. In style, affordable and easy to get at your local Target, Mossimo was a giant for years. I guess, obviously, you shouldn't be able to buy your way into college, but am I surprised by it? No. And when you've gotten/made money from every woman (and child?!) in America you can afford to bribe almost anyone.  Ah current events. It's a lovely era we're in. Or is the spotlight just finding all our peccadillo's more easily because of the advent of iphones and security cameras?

We've got our Copenhagen air b&b confirmed. All of the hosts have been lovely and prompt in responding to my queries. In Copenhagen she said to take the metro, about 20 min. to her stop, and walk 400 meters and voila, there! She said I think you'll be here at about 10 am so I'll be at the house to meet you. Wonderful! Also we are a 10-15 min walk from the (Los Angeles based) friend we are meeting in CPH, so we did pretty good on that front. We will have a wonderful time with Jim, always do. He was a writer/script runner on The Golden Girls and has stories and a great wit. Can't wait. (which is how we've been ending our emails lately).

Heading to brunch soon for Mom's 89th birthday. She really is amazing. About 16 of us will be there.
Mimosa anyone?
La

In and out of the CLE/art scene/L'Albatros

In exactly three weeks we will be leaving CLE and driving to Toronto, spending one night at our friend Andrea's house and leaving the next evening, Sunday, for Paris. Wow.  I feel pretty well organized but of course still have a lot to do. I'm watching videos on airplane security lines and packing your liquids, keeping your tickets on your phone and other helpful travel tips. The travel bit is always the most infuriating part of a vacation and I'm planning on sailing thru it this time. Intentions!

Last evening we met some friends at the Paper Factory downtown - it was an opening exhibit of works made with paper. I've never been there but it was fairly standard with some beer/wine for sale and cheese and crackers offered along with the works on display. We ran into an old friend, Carlo, and it was great to see him. He's been ill - the second friend of ours to get the septic virus when hospitalized, but he's on the mend. Has to go to the hospital every day for a month to be fed antibiotics intraveneously. Sally, on the other hand, wore a pump with an IV for several months. Be grateful for your health, always! When Carlo moved to the CLE from New York  the first writing assignment he had was to cover our band Separate Checks. He wrote a great article, with big photo, for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. We've been friends since then - 1985.  Currently he's writing a book about Terry Gilbert, attorney, who is a well known guy AND was the sax player in my early '80s band, The Fondells, We were a Motown outfit - trumpet (Tommy), sax (Terry), bass (O'B), guitar (Jeff, an emergency room doctor!), drums (John) and me on vocals. What a blast we had - we played all over town in clubs, at Party in the Park, at weddings (one for Matt the Cat, famous WMMS DJ) among other gigs. My life in music has been wonderful and it was interesting to see Carlo and reminisce a bit. Terry is an interesting guy and Carlo says this is probably the best story he's ever told!
Additionally, I should do a post about the Cleveland art scene - it's very healthy.

Afterward we made our way to University Circle to L'Albatros. No cream of mushroom soup, boo, but we all had a cocktail and enjoyed some chicken liver pate and good conversation. We didn't end up ordering more food, no one seemed hungry, so we parted for the West side and they went up the hill to get another drink on their way home to Shaker.  Nice evening.

Tomorrow is brunch for Mom's 89th birthday. She's amazing for her age - does yoga. volunteers at the hospital (retired nurse!), takes care of Dad who's undergoing chemo right now, keeps her own condo clean etc.....We'll have a pretty good sized group - maybe 16 of us -  for that. Of course she was born one week before Mother's Day so we'll figure that out as usual, later.
Sweet!
La

Paris in Cleveland - part two

I realize I forgot L'Albatros in yesterday's post. Located in University Circle, L'Albatros is a wonderful French resto in the CLE proper. I had the best cream of mushroom soup of my life there - I still think about it from time to time. We may have to go this month as it's mushroom season. I'll call and see if they have it on the menu. We've been dining in as a prep for Europe, saving a bit for that splurge. Oh, they have a most excellent cheese board - it's huge and must hold about five thousand dollars worth of cheese at at time.
http://albatrosbrasserie.com/    Yum.

Another place that seems 'french' to me is Mediterra Bakehouse. http://mediterrabakehouse.com/ 
Absolutely delicious bread. Many of my favorite restaurants in CLE use their product and you can buy it at the West Side Market, which is itself a very European feature of the city.

The third place I forgot about yesterday is Cleveland Bagel. A fairly new start up, this place is wonderful. I know that water is the main ingredient (most important anyway) in a bagel and we have great water here. That's the theory anyway - NYC has great water and great bagels - for example.
These are the best bagels I've ever had and I grew up on the East coast and consider myself to be a good judge of these things! Crispy outer layer, chewy interior. A complex crust that, as noted is crispy and then layered finely. Heaven.  They've done so well a second location has opened near the Cleveland Clinic main campus.

So if you are keto, or sometimes keto like I am, these second two are tempting little devils. But I believe in moderation in all things and I'd never, ever give up good bread forever.
Amen,
La

Paris in Cleveland

Bonjour,
Today I'll write a bit about places/things in CLE that could be remotely considered to be somewhat French/Parisian.    I'm writing at my desk with my french press coffee and small white cup and saucer with 'la Madeleine'  and some red and blue stripes around the rim. This refers to the famous Proustian cookie but I am generally sans cookie. Last evening I met with Laurie at a farm to table resto in Gordon Square. I feel Spice is rather Euro in it's concept and approach. The resto has it's own farm and locally sources most of the food they prepare. We sipped - I had sparkling white wine and picked at chicken liver pate followed by fish and chips. Both delish.   Another place in the CLE is Le Petit Triangle - a creperie. Coincidentally Jake and I thought about buying this place 20 yrs ago but realized that we couldn't do it with three small children. More recently our daughter's boyfriend was the chef there (as he attended nursing school). The Triangle serves crepes of course and other traditional french foods in a charming small triangular space!
If we go east of the city to Chagrin Falls we have The Paris Room. I can't recommend this place as they actually make the food in one location and then reheat it at the resto. I love the ambiance - old building, exposed brick walls, gravel patio, but can't get over the reheating thing. I also didn't think the food was that tasty, but I 've only been once.
Third times a charm and this place is the best! Chez Francois in Vermilion. About 40 minutes west of the city is this three level/three dining rooms resto built on the Vermilion river with water views from the wrap around Cafe deck, interior dining in the more formal Paris Room and at street level the bar Touche. The service is wonderful, the food divine, the atmosphere terrific - we finally made it out there about a year ago and have been going fairly regularly since. Our first visit was the two of us and we sat at a small table waterside. Lobster bisque, french onion soup, cheeses, lobster and filet - we went nuts. Then we took the kids when M was in from California - they loved it. We took C when she was home from Baltimore and sat in the bar. Pretty much the same delicious menu (some exceptions) and great service.
A note on our gig yesterday: we played 70 minutes at a fine arts center on the East side, very nice venue with theater seating, big stage and pro lighting. The audience was so appreciative. One woman told me "you made my day" and I said "you just made mine". Another woman ran over to my car as I was exiting the parking lot "why didn't I know about you girls? that was wonderful!" etc. Just makes me feel good to make other people smile, laugh and maybe even dance.
Cheers.

A Bronx Tale and How to make your Estrogen Patch Stick!!

Went to see A Bronx Tale last night - highly recommended. They bill it as a 'cross between Jersey Boys and West Side Story'  which is a good analogy. My sisters and I have been going to the Broadway Series at the Playhouse for about 6 seasons now and it's one of the best shows we've seen. Singing and dancing - which is always so great at these shows - plus a good story, which is true! - some sage wisdom and a tight script so the show didn't run overly long. One of our biggest critiques is that most of the plays go on about 20 minutes too long - they need to be edited better. We think.

Today I have a PopTart gig at 1pm and girl's night with Laurie later. We're finally having a warmer day, up into the 70's but it may rain so no patio dining probably.

So how am I making my little corner of the world more 'french chic, euro, like Paris etc' lately?
uhhh. Not doing so great on that front. We've been eating somewhat haphazardly which is normal for us as J's been umpiring and I've been gigging more.  I have been pondering some wardrobe additions and planning for our upcoming trip, both of which inspire me to be pickier and to contemplate what I'd really like to see and do when there. I have been intermittent fasting and watching the carbs - guess what? It works. Looks like I'll be keeping the soft army green cropped pants.....nice.

Would you like to know who I watch on youtube? Bloggers I enjoy? Movies or programs that inspire me? What a PopTart is? lol.  I get some views, according to the stats section here, but very rarely any comments so I just ramble on.

Incidentally I have a great way to make sure your estrogen patch sticks, really well, for the week you wear it. Wipe body area with alcohol, take a piece of tape and place it over the area, pat down  and then pull it off, this exfoliates even more (I use a roll of packing tape - I swear by the dispenser that you use to tape up packages with - so handy) - then apply the patch. Cover with one sheet of toilet tissue for  30 seconds to blot any adhesive from the edges. Voila. Mine have stayed on thru a week of sunning and swimming in Mexico after learning this method.

Keto

Today I'll talk about keto. I was introduced to the concept by our kitchen contractor, Paul. He lost some weight and told me he had gone "keto". I didn't even know how to spell it, but soon was pretty well informed due to some judicious google-ing. Basically you avoid sugar and carbs which are one and the same. The healthiest keto diet features lots of green veg and a good balance of healthy fats and protein. Dr Eric Berg on youtube has lots of informative videos.   In my situation I realized that I was generally eating toast and drinking coffee, with sugar and milk (my delicious homemade latte) for breakfast. Toast = carbs and sugar is sugar = carbs. I love potato chips. Lay's potato chips btw. They are carbs.
  I also have never been much of a breakfast eater - for 15 years (thru 2005) I was a traffic reporter on radio and TV and was on the air at 5 am. I drank coffee non stop and almost never ate a thing until I got home at 9:30 am.  So when I read about intermittent fasting (which is also recommended on keto) I realized I naturally did that for years while working (almost, the sugar and milk in the coffee broke my fast somewhat) and I have always been slender. My bff is slender and she never eats until dinnertime. She's an intermittent faster and doesn't know it! She just follows her body's signals and eats when she is actually hungry.
The benefits of keto are weight loss and less joint inflammation - which is arthritis.  In my case I lost 10 pounds almost effortlessly and could feel that my aches and pains were definitely lessened.  When I stopped watching carb intake I gained back the weight and felt the joint pain again.   I don't follow the 'diet' religiously but I do my version. I don't eat until about noon, just my apple cider vinegar in a big glass of water and black coffee till then. I don't buy Lays. I read labels and choose my food more thoughtfully. I have my favorite keto friendly foods: egg salad - really anything egg, poached, scrambled etc. Avocado, broccoli, asparagus, cheese/salami (who doesn't love a good cheese plate? - just avoid the crackers!, almonds and other nuts..and again an emphasis on green veg. I have never been a big fruit eater and fruit is very sugary, so I don't miss fruit. I do have keto friendly blueberries on my yogurt sometimes.
xo,
La

Castor oil packs?

Happy Monday.
Today we are meeting a financial planner/lawyer. We have a will, living will etc but the move in 2019 is to shore everything up financially. I'd like to travel more and work less (at some things) and 'work' more at others. She may refer us to someone else ultimately. We need someone who is knowledgeable in rental properties, avoiding medicare charges, when to collect social security. Not glamorous but gotta be done.

In other news, I've been suffering all winter with bronchial issues. Awful breathing issues. Inhalers, antibiotics and breathing treatments. Things finally settled down a few weeks ago and then resurfaced. I have to say I found a treatment on the internet/youtube that works for me.  Yesterday I inhaled steam and nothing expectorated.  So I remembered to do this at bedtime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLqwHJnANUg    It's the Edgar Cayce castor oil pack. The video's fairly simple, I simplified even more last night as I couldn't find the heating pad. I put the caster oil on my chest, an old t shirt over it and a hot water bottle on my chest. This morning I had a very productive coughing session clearing my lungs considerably.  Odd but true.

Taking lunch to Dad before the lawyer's appointment. Tomorrow we see Dear Evan Hanson at the Playhouse and Wednesday I have a girl's night with my friend L.  PopTarts even have a day gig this week and one on Friday night. I have a few appraisals to wrap up as well. Cinqo de Mayo is Mom's birthday and we'll all go to brunch.

Jake just informed me that tickets to the Anne Frank House are sold out! A month in advance?! Bummer, that's one of the main attractions in Amsterdam, obviously I guess.

Lazy Sunday yesterday. Jake painted the inside of the linen closet and I am happy. We have a lovely older home and I don't think that closet interior has ever been painted. Can't wait to get all the (curated) items put back away. BTW I love the word curated. Curated closet, curated everything! Curate your life!!
Curate something today :)

SnoT

I do crack myself up sometimes. Like with the title of this blog. SnoT is my acronym for "Sensations no Thoughts" - snot. It's easy to remember and it's how I help myself fall asleep sometimes.   Often when trying to sleep you experience mind racing thoughts. I've found that my snot mantra is a good reminder whilst I conciously relax every toe etc. -  relaxing all muscles and tendons - all the way up to my face. If I start thinking about anything but relaxing I say snot and go back to feeling sensations of relaxation not thoughts.
I've tried to find a prettier mantra but this is what I've got. And it works for me.  As my blog says 'your thoughts create the world you see'.  True dat.

In other "news" I've been so super 'on' about blogging everyday. Don't think anyone else is reading this but that's not the main thing for me. I just want to write and get into a rhythm. Set the timer for 20 minutes and GO.  I'll share my thoughts, hints, ideas etc and hopefully they resonate with someone else, but the reality is that I'm currently doing this for me.  I used to belong to some french chic groups on the net/facebook but am not currently on facebook so I don't have a (possible) group of readers to reach out to. I also don't know if I have anything interesting to say or if I say it particularly well.  No promises but I'd like to do this everyday until we leave for Europe.

I want to remind the family to get a good book for the trip and a travel dairy. I have some colored pencils that we can use to dress up our entries if we're into that. I love reading my travel dairies from my previous visits to Europe. As an aside, we'd like to do more exploring of the N.A. continent, perhaps starting this  summer with a trip to Montreal. We can borrow my sister's camper van and try out road life. Stop in Boston to see relatives, stay with them or at the yacht club and then up to Montreal  to stay (perhaps) in a campground for a few days and see how we like it. Then we could swing thru Toronto for a few days on the way home. Big Circle Tour I'll call it. I do enjoy Canada.
Home of Alex Trebec - who is married to a playboy bunny btw - I never knew! Go Alex, lol.
love,
La

I'm rambling here.....

So we gigged last night, very nice audience. They stayed all night and gave us many kudos, but I really dislike the owner and her staff. It's always something with them. We're having a meeting soon so we'll see what happens with this. It's a once a month job and I wouldn't mind dropping it. We play over 130 gigs a year so we don't need this aggravation.

I wonder what society is going to be like in 10 years? We are definitely losing our civility and manners as a whole. So much emphasis on self. Kids playing video games are at risk of losing touch with reality. The rich getting richer.  Lots of negatives that I can see playing out poorly.
Got the Amsterdam train - air b&b route down.  We've got the bones down and lots of ideas for each city so we'll flesh it out now. If there's anybody out there please feel free to chime in on 'must do's' for Paris, Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

Today I'm looking to buy a combo mini fridge/microwave for second floor of my parent's condo. Dad sleeps up there and has an office up there and is having some difficulty keeping his balance. He won't move downstairs so we have to find a way to keep him safe. He has trouble sleeping and often gets up for a snack or warm chocolate milk, we're concerned he'll fall.

Mom's birthday is Cinco de Mayo. These days it's such a massive event. My sister had the brilliant idea of going for Mexican food. Uh, that's not gonna work. All my sisters and almost 90 year old parents trying to squeeze into a crowded, noisy restaurant!! Plan B.

La

I quit facebook - now I watch too much youtube!! Jessica Smith TV

I've been going down the rabbit hole with youtuber videos on Europe! I 've also gotten fascinated with people who live, by choice, in a van/camper/truck. They have a huge youtube presence. Since I quit Facebook last year I've probably substituted - a bit too much - with youtube.  I don't miss facebook!! I'm sure I have missed some things, but what's really important will surface elsewhere. I hope.  Anyway less youtube is in my future now that I've called myself out on this issue!!

Been intermittent fasting -my schedule is to basically eat between noon and 8 pm - it's really not difficult for me and I believe that my body is repairing itself when it doesn't have to work at digestion. Also just not thinking about eating frees up a lot of time.

Today I have to look our Amsterdam airb&b up on the map. I guess we are at the last stop on the metro from the train station. This weekend I'm going to wrap up some of our travel planning. The PopTarts only have one gig, tonight, so I'll have some time to do this.

Weather here has been typically of Spring in CLE - awful. Rain and cold, then we'll have a nice, warmer, sunny day and bammm another chillfest the following day... the ups and downs in barometric pressure really make me tired....

Next week I'll weigh myself and take my hip and waist measurements and see if I'm back on track. I need to pack for this trip! I love a youtuber for my exercise : Jessica Smith TV. She's knowledgeable, has a ton of workouts of all levels and lengths and has a sweet personality that keeps you inspired. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-np8waLATtkpcahy0UYWVhEjChLtueFB
That's a link to my favorite workouts of hers, I usually do one video workout of 15 - 20 minutes every morning. Really good.

I have to make potato leek soup today - bought the leeks (expensive!) a few days ago and have the cream and half and half so good to go. This soup, a traditional French soup called vichyssoise, is so easy to make and super delicious. Not keto but this Irish lass needs her spuds sometimes. And I'm not a dramatic keto devotee. Just being aware of carbs makes me make better choices all the time.

We had an issue at one of our rental properties - needed new hot water heater and this one is expensive. They also need extermination (lots of construction in the neighborhood has stirred up the rodents!) and so that's an expense we really don't need with the upcoming trip. ALSO: should be getting our tax information today or tomorrow. (We had an extension). Our accountant is not charging us this year, due to the delay and that's great cause he's expensive/good but I don't know what or if we owe!!!
yikes, La