Terrible Tuesdays... Welcome Wednesdays

It started with the test... it was tough. But then there was the lab afterwords; I was crying angry tears by the time I got to my car in overflow parking. I wrote all about it to vent, ate some snacks, then watched the last library movie that was due the next day: the ridiculous "Charge of the Light Brigade" (1936, E.F. & O.DH.)... which practically claims that cavalry charging cannon was the correct (and good) thing to do. To top it off, my cycle had started that morning. What timing.

But the Lord held me in his hands. I was comforted with His goodness and His promises... and I was able to take an hour's rest in sleep... which did wonders. Had a bowl of Pad Thai at Noodles & Co., then returned Errol & Co. while I stopped by the library to volunteer the last couple hours.

Wednesday was much better, but I was still not feeling my best. I tried out a film I picked up the previous night, 8 Women (2002, French). Let's just say I judged the book by its cover and missed. It was awful. Way too staged, with cardboard characters, ridiculous jarring songs, and nearly ever sin known to man, paraded neatly by. Thankfully, I immediately stuck in Holy Matrimony (1942, Monty Woolley) and was pleasantly entertained! What a hoot! and touching too. But it had a reviewer I trust completely... my Darling gave it to me this last time we were together.

I finally felt much better after this and went out shopping at Vons and Trader Joe's for necessities... then had a marvelous low-cal dinner at Sammy's Wood-fired Pizza... a succulent salmon on top of a bed of frisee, cucumber, endamame beans, and a ponzu sauce. Glad I tried it, even though I didn't know what three of those ingredients were... lol... it was very good!

Dropped off the groceries, then went to the library again. Did a cart of audiobooks and odd-sized video, and found a few more films for tomorrow.

Jw

Sunday & Monday

Sunday I got up for the call-in muster, only to learn (to my astonishment) that we were having our duty section's first ever physical muster on a weekend. Last weekend Chief had to spend 3 hours tracking people down, and he didn't like that. :) But since I called at 7, I had no difficulty getting into my NWUs and arriving at the turnstile outside the schoolhouse by 7:30. Took a half-hour, as Chief had his say and verified our information.

So I was up early again. Wasted time online, had toast for breakfast, and made it to the church on time. :) Service was very good: Andy, my group leader, gave the message. A brief synopsis of the Holy Spirit and how he interacts with us. And then there was a massive Italian feast in the fellowship room afterwords!

For some reason, I got the idea I wanted to look around in a used book store after church. Looked one up on my phone and found one nearby in a neighborhood called "Normal Heights"... ! It was pretty normal too. Had to waste some time (because the book store didn't open for another 40 or so minutes), so I walked around, even snooping around a fabric store with a storefront like an old movie theater. Loved the book store... ended up with a nice copy of Yank, a compilation of the WWII Army newspaper, with cartoons and pictures, a 1951 Landmark children's Story of the U.S. Marines (something I would have loved to have as a teen... I read several of those), and then a couple historical fiction books. One of the store's cats sat in my lap while I gawked at their children's section and got fur all over my sweatshirt.

I came back, watched "It Should Happen to You" (1954, Jack Lemmon) for lots of laughs, and even ended up volunteering a mere half-hour at the library before it closed at 5. Managed to shelve two carts worth of audiobooks though. :) Got some strawberries at Stump's across the street, and sat in my car for a while, finishing the little cup of seafood soup they had on sale, while listening to more of Julie Andrews book. And from there I went directly to small group, where it turned out we only had four people. So we had mac-n-cheese (white cheese with bacon & spinach) and sat and chit-chatted for the rest of the evening.

Today it's been a rainy mess ever since I got back from school. For some weird reason, I've felt like today is a weekend day... keep having to remind myself that it's Monday... never had that problem before! Stayed at home though... watched the terrible/funny "Operation Petticoat" (1959, Cary Grant) from the library, and along the same lines, finished reading Big Red... about the Trident sub. Little bit of submarine overload. :) I've managed to finish my laundry, even with the intermittent downpours... and I think I might go out to eat.

Jw

Another One Down!

Another thing I've wanted to do in San Diego... bike from the ASW base (where I keep my bike) to Imperial Beach and back via the Coronado Ferry and the Silver Strand (thin strip of beach... part of it where the SEAL recruits train).

I made this map this morning:

...and I carried it out! 25 miles round trip. The way down the strand from the ferry dock took me 45 minutes. I stopped at a bench at the National Wildlife Refuge and watched the birds... let me consult my bird guide... lots of black-necked stilts, American coots, a surf scoter, sandpipers, grebes, willet, mallard duck, and others I can't quite remember. I had taken along some water and turkey jerky... good thing! I was parched when I stopped. The return trip took roughly the same time... but I did stop for this pic:

I hadn't checked the clock when I started back. But just as I pulled up to the dock, the ferry came in. And thank the Lord I made that one! It was the 4:30 boat, with the next coming in an hour. The gym back on base where I left some stuff (and where I like to shower) closes at 6pm on weekends, so it worked out perfectly.

I'm pretty wasted right now. I woke up at 5:30 this morning, and stayed awake, reading my book and posting the last post. I figured out where the new Navy SEAL movie "Act of Valor" was playing, and made it to the opening showing at 10am in Mission Valley after a wonderful breakfast of oatmeal and eggs. The movie was fantastic! And made me cry at the end. The dialogue was believable, short and to the point, and the action was fast-paced, but not overdone. I especially loved the scenes with the SWCC boats (special warfare combatant-craft) and the submarine just under the water. Holy cow! So cool! Made me proud to be a Sailor today.

So, yes. I was revved up for a bike ride along that particular beach today.

Jw

Thursday & Friday

I had finally managed to get the wedding thank-yous out to my extended family on Tuesday. Included a copy of the pictures that Michael burned for me, so I guess that's why it had to take so long. And yesterday I finally managed to find my tax stuff to send to Michael, so his sister Connie can figure out how to get our best interests in our returns, filing jointly!

Thursday after class I deposited the check at Liberty Station, then after changing at home, headed out for a bit of shopping. Due to my stepping on the weight scale before PT that morning, I was food-conscious. Only had a cucumber and tomato salad at Noodles & Co., then moved the car and walked the rest of the way to Target. Picked up more salad ingredients and some cleaning supplies for whenever I want to clean the bathroom. But on the way I stopped in at Payless Shoes and found a very nice pair of slip-on, black Champion athletic shoes.

Back at home I watched a film from the library, The Motorcycle Diaries, about the young Che from Argentina, and the 10,000+ mile trip he took with his friend across South America in 1952... all their adventures, and the leprosy hospital they volunteered at in Peru. I was surprised to learn that there is a difference of opinion about his death. At the end, the film claimed he was assassinated, but both articles I read clearly say he was executed. Yes the CIA was involved, but through a Cuban, and by the Bolivian Army. Stupid Robert Redford. :) Anyway, I had known nothing about the guy beforehand, but now I do. Loved the movie itself... like traveling the continent in 2 hours!

Then I decided to return to base for a second workout that day for some more PRT practice. After that I went out to Panera Bread:
...and boy, was that good! Still on a healthy tear, I stopped by Trader Joe's for some more hummus and ended up with lots of veggies... enough for my own tomato & cucumber salads, as well as baby zucchini (my favorite), and more Brussels sprouts (I had just finished my previous bag). Read a bit more in Big Red, as I don't have time to now in class. I was so tired I fell asleep waiting for my phone to charge, and didn't talk to my Darling until he called!

Friday, I watched another Tintin (The Blue Lotus), ate snacks for lunch, went to the base and post office, then returned for a couple-hour nap before having tortilla soup and Florentine ravioli for dinner and going to my church/small group friend's band concert at the Nazarene University again for a fun, little one-hour performance.

Jw

The Unexpected

Last week Rita sent a message on FB, saying she and her mom would be visiting San Diego from Monday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon. While looking things to do up for them, I came across "Guys & Dolls" playing at the Lamb's Players Theater on Coronado at 7:30 on Tuesday. We all decided to go together, and since their morning sightseeing concluded around the time I got off from school, we'd spend a few hours together beforehand.

They picked me up around 2, and we continued down Rosecrans to the Cabrillo National Monument. It was a gorgeous day... not a cloud in the sky. We looked in the gallery exhibition on the Spanish explorers, then walked around outside the visitor's center for a view of the city and surrounding mountains and bay, along with a glimpse of Mexico in the distance. Then we walked up to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, visiting the museum next door and the house itself. Wish they'd let people up top... oh well. We circled around the other side, looking at the expansive ocean to the west, then came back to the parking lot via the little coastal battery museum. It was up on top of an old bunker that we all decided to continue down to the tide-pools (it was a very low tide). Drove down to the water, got out and spent a good bit of time along the trail and on the slippery limestone coast. Saw lots of anemones, limpets, snails, shore crabs and their molts. It was a bit of exercise, but we all enjoyed it.

Came back home to change, then we carpooled to Coronado around 5:30. I was surprised how well the traffic flowed for that time of day. We were sitting down to eat at the Brigantine Seafood restaurant across from the theater (with will-call tickets in hand) at 6. We found a street-side parking space right in front of the theater! Everything went so perfectly... I had the most delicious shrimp and crab louie salad for dinner, and Alice, Rita's mom, generously picked up the whole tab. It was just after 7 when we crossed the street back to the theater and waited to be seated. The show itself was great! Live music and phenomenal singing and dancing! I had never seen the movie before, so the plot and most of the songs were brand new. It was captivating, and funny too. It let out just before 10, and Alice and Rita drove me home on their way back to their hotel in Mission Valley.

So today I was a little tired. After snacks for lunch, I watched some of my Tintin (Cigars of the Pharaoh), then slept for a good two hours, plus. I went to dinner (4:30ish), reading a chapter of Starship Troopers as I enjoyed a chicken enchilada, chile relleno and a big dish of guacamole at my favorite, Tio Carlos. I've launched into another audiobook as well... Julie Andrews's autobiography, "Home". I had no idea she lived in London during the Blitz, or that she had a wandering eye. Very interesting childhood, so far. Speaking of library materials, I drove directly from dinner to the library, where I spent two hours putting away two cart-loads of DVDs. Picked out three for myself as I put them in order before taking them downstairs. Unfortunately, it's too late to watch any tonight. :)

Jw

With My Darling, To Anaheim

I was able to pick up Michael late in the morning, due to the kindheartedness of my instructor. He let me out at 10 so I could. Direct from the airport, we went to MCRD to get Mike a military spouse's ID card. There are so many requirements to getting one, we thought it would be good to do asap. Then it was breakfast at Perry's Breakfast House across from Old Town. We were both rather tuckered out from our early mornings, and both very hungry. Mike had his usual bacon & eggs & toast, and I had sausage & eggs & hashbrowns. Also sipped some of Mike's coffee, and had OJ for a refresher. My poor Darling had a bit of a head cold with a runny nose, but he was a trooper the whole weekend.

We laid down for a good hour's nap, plus some, when we got to my room in the house; which was very nice, indeed: a wonderful way to rejuvenate. By about 4 we left for Hillcrest Cinemas in order to enjoy "The Artist" again together. Never get tired of that one! Mike's seen it in three different cities now, twice with me. When we got back, we moved everything we needed for the weekend with us to the motel a couple blocks down (landlady doesn't like overnight guests, and my bed is small) to Loma Lodge (America's Best Value). Then we had takeout Italian from the greatest little place in Old Town... Pizza Bella. Watched some Spanish crime show on TV, then we were out like lights.

The morning came too early, but we were excited for it. The train left just a few minutes after 8, and we were ready to go when it did. Great seats so we could watch the Pacific (and the many surfers) all the way to north of Camp Pendleton. It didn't take long before we were standing outside the Anaheim train station, overlooking the baseball stadium. A giant red "A" stood nearby with a small gold halo atop it. Caught a bus to Enterprise Rent-a-car, found the Super 8 just a block away, then stopped at Denny's down Harbor Blvd, opposite direction from Disney. More bacon & eggs, except this time I had a big salad and some nachos.

Next on the agenda was a 20-minute ride northeast to the Orange County Zoo in Irvine Park. We listened to Exodus the entire way (and everywhere else too) and were very soon there. Very easy to drive there, surprisingly. My favorite was the two beavers and their antics, but I also thought the bears, eagles, peacocks and coyotes were neat. Awesome zoo, although it was very small. We walked through easily in about an hour and a half. The park outside is nice too... lots of duck ponds and spreading trees. Activities too... a kiddie train and rental boats and bikes. But we took it easy. :)

We returned to the motel, got our key, then rested for just under a couple hours before heading off for Medieval Times. Wasn't too far away, although it seemed like it. A bit surprised and angry that although I had purchased tickets, I also needed to reserve them... didn't realize it, but I had stumbled onto an "Anaheim Attractions" website, instead of the original corporation. They were slightly discounted, but then again, they almost didn't let us in. Thank the Lord, they finally did... and we had wonderful seats. Loved the half chicken, potatoes and soup, all without utensils. And the show was pretty good when they started the jousting and sword fighting. Very colorful... and the horses were amazing! We looked at them in their stalls afterwords. Especially loved the black Friesian gelding. :)

We thought of getting to Disneyland early, but that didn't quite work. Had breakfast first at Tiffy's Restaurant, down Katella a bit... had seen it on the way to Medieval Times and had some joking about how "nice" it looked. So it was the Nice Restaurant for us, and it lived up to its name. I had pancakes and Mike had a waffle, and we were soon just full enough. Drove back to the hotel, then hoofed it to Disneyland:

And then we walked and walked and walked! Just to be fair to the lady from Super 8, it was only a half mile/11 minute walk to the gate on Harbor Blvd. :) How exciting it was to be there! We stopped in the theater on Main Street to watch the cartoons, watched a band perform some songs with a bunch of the characters in front of the castle, walked through, tried to do the Finding Nemo submarine, but it got temporarily closed. Mike did get to shake Donald's hand though, as we were walking around. Also had some Donald Duck caramel corn. :) It's a Small World was a bit too backed up, so we took the Jungle Cruise; met Mickey up in Toontown, and loved the Pirates of the Caribbean. Then took the train around the park (one of my favorites), and had lunch at the Jolly Holiday... even stained glass penguins in the windows... quiche and a sandwich and a cookie... and serenaded by a brass quintet playing favorites from Dumbo, Sleeping Beauty, Pinocchio, etc.; it was practically perfect in every way. :)

Then we walked through Frontierland, shooting rifles, and riding the original 1955 riverboat Colombia around Rivers of America. Loved the moose! Then it was Snow White's Scary Adventure (where my sisters were terrified in 1987 - I wasn't on that trip)... and we finally fit in Finding Nemo, and rode the monorail right after that. The Disneyland Parade was going to come right by the road from Tomorrowland, so we got second-row spots to see the spectacle. Stopped by the Golden Horseshoe Saloon for dinner (fish & chips & coffee/chili breadbowl & hot tea) to warm us up... it was now dark, and very chilly! Next, we walked back down Main Street and saw Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (fitting, as today is President's Day), and looked around at the conjoining museum of Disneyland plans and attractions. But then, as we were finishing with the Casey Jones train room, we heard big "booms" outside... quickly we joined thousands of people packing Main Street and watched the fireworks show. It was terrific! We wondered around a bit afterwords, but didn't have the heart to wait 70 minutes for Space Mountain. Lingered by Sleeping Beauty's castle before we left, and finally found a good bus to take us back to Katella Ave. Definitely would like to go back.

Today we got up in time for breakfast at the hotel, returned the car a bit early, got a ride from Enterprise to the train station, watched a Woody Allen film (Zelig) while waiting for the train, then enjoyed a long, leisurely ride back to Old Town. Realized as we were almost to the base that I had somehow lost my wallet on the train... so we booked it to the downtown station, where, thank the Lord, the train had ended it's run. Parked, ran, found (thank God), ran back and resumed our mission to print out Mike's boarding passes on base. Then it was dinner at the Olive Garden (OB was way too busy) and a brief rest back home before I had to drop him off. :(

Oh, what a wonderful time!
Jw

Dreamland

That was Wednesday... I was so tired from staying up the night before, that I crashed when I got home from school. Talked with Mom for a good half-hour first... and then dreamed soundly for the next four hours. Managed to squeak in a lesson of German before snacking for dinner and heading straight to bed. Because of all this sleep, I was over-confident in my ability to wake up the next morning, and promptly fell asleep after shutting off my alarm at four.

Didn't get to PT until 5:20 (supposed to be 5 sharp), but the instructor gives everyone their first tardy for free. He knows I'm not going to make it a habit. Scored a 100% on the test once in class... and a 98% on the practical. So no trouble. This afternoon I did some clean up, sweeping and doing all my laundry, watching Evita (1996) from the library and doing some shopping for snacks and having a magnificent dinner at Tender Greens in Liberty Station... grilled veggies on butter lettuce in a lemon vinaigrette... and I added my whole avocado to it. :)

Tomorrow, the fun begins!
Jw

A Sweet Valentine's

It ended up being Chipotle again, after I had changed out of my uniform. I simply love their stuff... I then kept driving past the house and went to the library for a couple hours. Refiled a pile of VHS and children's video... and found a couple things that I wanted to see. While there, I received a mysterious phone call... from a singing service that Michael hired to serenade me with "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "It Had to Be You". So very sweet! Chatted with librarian Christine in the break room afterwords, as Ida offered me some of her chocolate-dipped strawberries she had brought. :)

When I got home, a tall vase with daffodils, red roses & carnations, and mostly unopened star tulips, was waiting on the counter. I feel very loved! :)

I spent a little while on my German lessons (from Rosetta Stone), even branching out to play some of the games, before heading off to Old Town for some chicken enchilada dinner. From there I caught the trolley to 5th Avenue, and walked a couple blocks to Symphony Hall for Sergei Radchenko's Moscow Festival Ballet performance of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty (choreography by Petipa). My gosh! It was so beautiful! So many colors, and so much athleticism. It is no secret that Sleeping Beauty was my favorite Disney cartoon as a child... and this delightful adaptation was all new to me. I loved the Lilac Fairy, and her nine accompanying fairies, as well as the evil, prancing Maleficent and her gang of four monsters. And my, could the Prince leap in the air. The lady sitting next to me sighed each time he touched down. lol

It started at 7:30, and with one intermission, ended close to 10:00. Thankfully, I didn't need to stand out in the brisk cold for longer than two minutes, waiting for the Blue Line trolley. It rolled right in and I was soon back home.

Suddenly Active

Coming home from school today I was just a bit frazzled. I was very tired... mostly physically tired, but also tired of the power-points and the people. We've just started our sixth week, and we've got ten more to go after that. Yay.

So after snacking on some lunch, I watched the first DVD of astronomy (creation/evolution debate) about the planets that my parents sent me. Lots of interesting facts about the planets and their moons... and how all evolutionary theories about origins (requiring billions of years) come up hallow when looking at the conditions of the solar system. Biggest problems lie in planet's magnetism, young appearance, presence of certain substances and physical attributes. It went over facts about each planet and all the main moons... and wow, what pictures. One of the things I love most about the solar system is the total solar eclipse. How our moon would be positioned perfectly to block out the sun, just so we could see and study the sun's corona. Think for a moment about the chances of that happening without planning. Talk about a witness in the sky! It felt wonderful to think about something other than myself and my own situation for a while.

Then I took a three-hour nap. Boy, do I feel better... and I hope I can sleep again tonight. When I got up, my brand new German lessons from Rosetta Stone had arrived. So I set it up and did the first lesson. While loading, I read more in Starship Troopers, finishing a chapter (it's right when he makes it "over the hump" in boot camp - a meaningful moment). And I listened to the entire book of Romans while blogging about the weekend (that I'd been too tired to worry about before).

So, gosh... I'm feeling much better. And I opened that sweet Jacquie Lawson valentine from my Darling... Friday can't come fast enough.

Jw

Duty Weekend...

Friday: left some papers on base after duty section muster, so I returned, took care of them, then had a wonderful late afternoon workout: running for 15 (taking two breaks so the knee wouldn't hurt), then core as well. Watched "Libeled Lady (1936, Loy/Powell) again for lots of laughs. It's one of my favorites!

Saturday: woke for muster, fell back asleep, woke and finished Stormy, Misty's Foal; returned a found military ID to base, and rode my bike a while, returned, finishing the audiobook Sounder, made dinner, finishing up old hamburger and salad. Watched the documentary about Jim Braddock's real story that I picked up at Half Price at home for $2. Chatted, and then had watch at 2:30 to 4:30, reading Starship Troopers.

Sunday: slept in, washed all my dishes, saw "The Recommendation" at The Old Globe. Revisited Fashion Valley Mall, had dinner at The Corner Bakery Cafe, then small group study at the Jacobs.

Jw

Lazy Afternoon

I've spent my whole afternoon at my computer. Been just a little tired I guess. After finding out that Season 2 of Agatha Christie's Poirot is not on Netflix, nor at the SD library, I settled for watching a 90 minute episode of Miss Marple (Murder at the Vicarage, 2004)... which was also a lot of fun. Since I had lunch at Noodles & Co, and brought home a bowl from Chipotle for dinner at the same time, there hasn't been anything I've needed to get up for. Isn't that awful? :) So I played a lot more minesweeper (because I got it into my head after I showed someone how to play it in class - on break), and now I've just finished the other film from the library... "Beyond the Sea" (2004, Kevin Spacey) which I loved.

Now what? I'm tired and it's only 6:45.
Jw

Adventures

Tuesday something odd happened... the neighbor came over with some person's military ID card. I found them on Facebook and sent them a message to call, but I still haven't heard from them. Must have already replaced it. That day the audio discs of "Sharpe's Triumph" stopped working... and it was just about to the climatic battle near the end... so after lunch at home, I found out what nearby library had a paper copy. Pacific Beach (just across Mission Bay) was the lucky branch. I was impressed with their collection. A different set-up from Point Loma's, as they only have one floor, but I think the two have about the same amount of material. Found a couple DVDs I was interested in, and sat and read in Sharpe until nearly eight. Stopped by at Target on the way home to replace my cracked ceramic dinner plate. A singular day.

Wednesday I couldn't quite decide what I wanted to do for dinner. When I came home from school, I got a cucumber & tomato salad to go at Noodles & Co. (boy, is that tasty) and had more of my own salad at home. I finished reading Sharpe's Triumph (enjoyed it much) and watched the documentary "The Adventures of Errol Flynn" that I had also got the day before. What a film! Lots of great interviews and perfectly timed clips from his many movies. Loved it! But then, as I said, I was at a loss for what to do.

Decided to drop the library stuff off and continue on to Ocean Beach for another one of those amazing hamburgers at Hodad's. But OB was crammed. Hard to find parking, and I almost gave up, but decided to try anyway when I found a spot on Voltaire. Walked a few blocks back, but didn't have Hodad's because of the line. There was a street market a block up (the reason for the crazy parking) and I decided to walk around that. Ended up having a very tasty lamb gyro for $6, a bottle of water for $1 because of the spicy gyro (it was good though), and a large square of baklava for $2. Contributed to a violinist playing nearby where I ate, and ended up getting a couple interesting prints of Oceanside and the Coronado bridge from a photographer just before I left. Gosh, you should have seen the waves crashing in at the beach! They were so tall, they splashed the underside of the gigantic pier as they rushed ashore. Must have been 20 feet high. Jupiter and Venus were bright over those rolling waves, while the full moon hung low in the east.

Jw

For Old Times Sake

Must be in the air... it'll be a year in San Diego this Thursday. Watched two episodes of Poirot and cleaned up my room... and for dinner, just like I used to do a long time ago... I had a shrimp taco at the Tin Fish, then finished up at Panera Bread with a bowl of soup. And I timed it right too... somebody called out "hot bread" right as I went up to order. My french roll had been out of the oven for maybe a half-minute. Yum!

Jw

With My Church Friends

Saturday morning I went to meet Luke & Christina for archery at Balboa Park. There's a little range pointing down a gentle slope into a deep ravine. They've got compacted bales of hay with cardboard targets pinned on the fronts and wooden backstops behind to catch the wayward arrow.

Christina shoots left-handed, so we took turns shooting a round of six and watching their son Titus. Took me a round or two to get back to my old way of shooting (eye-balling it), and I enjoyed it very much. We were there for two hours, and Christina asked about the next Saturday as well. :)

Went to the library for an hour after that, then returned home for more reading/Netflix & minesweeper. But this time I got creative, doing 20, then 10 push-ups between every game... must have done 70 total. Later I went for a shopping trip (walking) to Target for oatmeal, and of course ended up getting more than I planned... but that was good... fruit & walnut salad was a good investment I think. They had Panera's brand of raspberry vinaigrette, goat cheese crumbles, mixed greens, and very nice, fresh raspberries. Already had walnuts at home. Stopped for a hamburger and some chicken/veggie soup on the way home. Had a lovely chat, but I was pretty tired. Walked 2 miles! Feeling pretty good.

Sunday, today, I was able to sleep in again before getting out and ready for church. Service was good. About why there has to be policies in the church... from Acts. And then the brunch was very tasty! Jalapenos baked with cream cheese and wrapped with a thick slice of bacon... I was wary, but found out they were very mild (from the baking). And veggie lasagna! And banana bread! How nice those ladies at church are! Makes you feel like a part of the family to be able to eat together. :)

We (the small adult group) were supposed to gather at the pastor's house for the Super Bowl at 3. It was just down the street from church, so I spent time shopping at Fashion Valley Mall, (presents) and I finally decided to buy Rosetta Stone's German program. No way I can count on going to a college class, so this is the next best thing. I want to be able to read German (history) and sometime I'd love to visit.

It was still too early, so I stopped by the nearby Mission Trails State Park for a view at the visitor center. Looks very nice... I'll have to go hiking there sometime.

Then it was time. Drove back to the pastor's house, and got there a little early still. I had brought some baby chicken taco snacks and guac from Trader Joes... and the pastor's wife baked them in the oven for a few minutes for me. They were good... along with the chips & dip, tasty chicken wings, pizza from Little Caesars, and various desserts. Did pretty well with my quantities. The game was a nail-biter, so it was enjoyable. Didn't really care who won, but I was pulling for the Giants since the Patriots had won so many times before. And Eli is much cuter than Tom. lol

So there we are... another fine weekend!

Jw

And the Rest ot the Week

from FB... through a friend: It's nice there today too!

Well, I got rather tired from all the excitement early in the week. But of course, I didn't take a nap until this afternoon. Slept for over four hours! And I needed it! :)

Wednesday after school I finally caught up with some things like posting, and calling Mom & Dad to chat. I walked down the street to Chipotle for dinner, and brought back a bowl... only eating half for dinner. Trying to watch my quantities. The rest suited well for a quickie lunch the next day! :) That evening I read "The Tailor of Gloucester" and watched "Last Chance Harvey" (2008, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman) from the library. I enjoyed the first more.

Thursday was duty day... had to go back for the 3:30 muster, and later on (around 6ish) to pick up my brand new Service Uniform (and new dress blue pants) from the Van Lady outside the barracks... so I played a lot of minesweeper, read "The Tale of Two Bad Mice"... I'm loving this complete set of Beatrix Potter!... and later watched the first two episodes of Agatha Christie's Poirot with David Suchet. After returning with the uniforms, I started "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961, Hepburn & Peppard), but that was cut short because STG1 Upchurch called asking why I wasn't on watch. Somehow I had switched "21-23" around in my head to "23-01"... so I was a half-hour late (arriving at 9pm), even with sprinting from overflow parking to the Quarterdeck. And I didn't get back home till 11pm (23) because near the end of the watch (10:30) a friend of mine came to the Quarterdeck needing a ride to Balboa Navy hospital for a suspected broken wrist. I thought "the heck with making her wait for the tardy duty driver" and spent the extra time driving her there myself. So my "watch" ended up being two hours long anyway.

First thing I did when getting back from school was finish up "Breakfast"... it was fantastic! As mentioned up top, I then slept. And slept and slept! :) After waking up I walked down Rosecrans for the second time this week and enjoyed Noodle's & Co's Pad Thai and a very good cucumber & tomato salad. I really hadn't had much to eat today, so I went next door to Chipotle and got a kid's meal to go. It's the perfect small size... little cups of shredded pork, rice & beans, two small soft corn tortillas, a tiny bag of chips, a chocolate milk, and an extra side of guacamole for a total of $3.77! Love it! Now it's time for more Potter: "The Tale of the Pie and the Patty Pan"... what a title! and probably Poirot, episode 3 (1989). :)

Yay, weekend! Can't believe I don't have to get up early!

Jw