Random Stuff

Do you know what this picture is? These are those tissue sheets that cover the public toilets. In California they are literally in every single public bathroom in the state. I was surprised, when in Pennsylvania, that they weren't in the restaurants bathrooms. I'll miss them.

What I won't miss... the sound of sirens. I was sitting at my desk working today and I literally heard sirens at least 10 different times today, if not more. The place I live in is inland quite a bit from the street. That was one of the reasons I moved here. In the apartment I lived in before here the sound of sirens was driving me crazy. I mentioned to a few of my friends that the sounds were too frequent for my comfort level and they all remarked that it might not be occurring as much as I thought it was. So I started documenting how many times I would hear them. I got the idea from a documentary I saw about Henry Darger. Henry documented everyday, for 10 years, how the weather man got the weather wrong. So I started documenting how many times I heard sirens. I had a pen and paper by the bed and would write down the time when I was awaken by them. The daily average was 8-12 times a day. When there was a full moon I heard them 12-18 times a day! That's every single day! To me that's just not right. The sound of sirens affects me on a very deep level. And they wear on my nerves. I won't miss the daily sound of them.

People are funny I tell you... freakin' funny. I know the people who work at my post office on a very personal level. I have been going there almost daily for the last 11 years. One of the girls who works there today asked "When are you moving?" I said, "Soon." She said, "Pennsylvania." I said, "Yes." She said, "It gets so cold there. One of my friends said she went in the store shopping and it started snowing and when she came out of the store she couldn't find her car. It was all white." I said, "That probably only happens once a decade." She said, "My friend told me that it snows 3 feet and you can't open your door." I said, "I bet that only happens once a decade." She said, "My friend said that you have to get out and shovel your sidewalk cause if someone falls they will sue you." I said, "Wow, that's great. We need to exercise more when we get older. I won't need to pay for a gym membership." She said, "What about dying from frost bite." I looked at her and said "For Gods sake! I am not going to be living on the street. People who live in houses don't die of frost bite in the winter! Please be happy for me. I am no longer happy living here." She put her head down and said, "Dottie we are going to miss you." And I thought that was was really sweet and I realized that in throwing all that really insane stuff out about the cold she was probably in hopes she would say something that might make me change my mind. Which was sweet.

I miscalculated how much time I have left here in California. I actually thought I had 3 weeks and today when I turned the calendar to May 1st, I realized I really have only 2 weeks left. Which isn't all that bad. I just need to be on top of my game to make it all happen.

Well, you know what the picture is....

Ciao

Like Wow my Health Insurance will be Cheaper

I have Kaiser health insurance here in California. I LOVE Kaiser. They are a non-profit organization. You don't need to deal with any insurance company. If your doctor says that you need a MRI... bam it is booked. With other insurance companies your doctor can say "you need a MRI" and then your insurance company has to approve it. The thing about this is that the people who are actually making the approval are not doctors. I know this cause I worked for one of these insurance companies and it was really heart breaking to know that you are making $$$ decisions regarding someones health. There was something soooo radically wrong with it.

When I move I won't be able to keep my health insurance. Kaiser is not in Pennsylvania.

I was in Costco cancelling my membership. Costco is not in Pennsylvania either. However, Sam's Club is. While standing in line at Costco I was looking at the wall and saw that they actually had health insurance. I thought "Hummm... if they have health insurance maybe Sam's Club does." So when I got home I looked up Sam's Club and there was a link for Health Insurance Benefits. I didn't even have to become a member of Sam's Club to have access to a variety of insurance companies. I did my research and found a health insurance company whose plan is exactly the same as what I have with Kaiser.

I was shocked to find out my health insurance will be $200 less a month. When the guy on the phone told me how much my health insurance was going to be I thought for sure he had made a mistake. I asked him "Do you have my birthday right. I'm 50 years old!" And he said "Yes, I have your birthday right." I asked him how could it be that my health insurance would be $2,400 cheaper a year! He said that is was because of where I was moving. The chances of me getting lung cancer or a respiratory infection are a lot less than they are now. The chances of me getting into a car accident will be a lot less than they are now. The chances of me getting sick from a terrorist attack are less than they are now. And... the chances of me catching the bird flu will be less than they are now.

The picture is of the Pacific Ocean and it was taken at the Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara last year.

Ciao

Desperate People Do Desperate Things

I guess it is a sign of the times.... desperate people doing desperate things.

I have lived in Los Angeles for 23 years now. It is common to have people outside of the drug store, grocery store or Starbucks asking you for money. Usually they are collecting for a so-called "charity".

20/20 did a show about these people and the money NEVER gets to the charity.

So today I parked my car and was walking in the parking lot to the drug store and this young guy approached me with a notebook in his hand and said "Hey I am trying to get money for college." I kept walking and said "Sorry I can't help you." And I walked into the drug store.

When I exited the drug store he yelled to me from across the parking lot and I kept walking. He kept yelling "Miss, Miss, Miss" and he finally reached me. I looked at him and said "You approached me when I was going into the drug store and I'll tell you the same thing I said before 'I can't help you'." He said "Well, f*@k you dumb bitch." and turned to walk off. I went after him and said "Yo Dude, you must really be new at this. You are suppose to say 'Thank you. God Bless You and Have a Nice Day.'" He shrugged his shoulders and walked off.

In all my time in Los Angeles this is the first time someone has been down right rude when asking for money. It's like all the panhandlers took the same course at the Learning Annex. And were instructed... ask politely and if they say "no" you reply "Thank you. God Bless You and Have a Nice Day." But this Dude... obviously did not take the class...lol...lol..lol...

The picture of me was taken in Las Vegas in August 1999.

Ciao

96 Degrees in PA Today & 65 Degrees in Woodland Hills

The weather is wild I tell you... pretty wild.

Most of my friends here in California have asked "What about the weather?" regarding my upcoming move.

The weather chick said that the weather here in California should be warming up towards the end of the week. Keep in mind that just a week ago it was 100 degrees for 3 days straight.

You know, to me, the weather is pretty much like life... you have no idea what the day will be like until it gets here. I bet the people in Pennsylvania had no idea that it would be almost 100 degrees today. Also, it is obvious that the past.... is in the past. What the weather or the day was last week or last year doesn't matter. It can be totally different tomorrow.

The picture is of a Spring day in Santa Barbara taken last year.

Ciao

3rd Day in a Row It's 100 degrees - It's April!!!!

Man I can't wait to experience Spring time. Right now it is between 50 and 75 degrees in Pennsylvania and that is normal. That is spring time.

It is hot here! I personally start to feel sick to my stomach when it is over 110 degrees. Here in Woodland Hills the temperature can get as high as 113, 115, 117 and in July of 2006 we were on CNN as we reached 119 degrees. It was so hot you could hardly breath.

Last year we had over 100 degree weather in April. People were concerned for two reasons; the really warm weather appears to be "earthquake" weather; and, if it's 100+ in April... what will it be like in August and September?!?!?!

There was a 2.2 magnitude earth quake in Santa Monica, 2 days ago, and everyone seems to be concerned about it.

Before the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, there were lots of earthquakes felt up to 3 weeks before the Northridge earthquake, mostly felt in Santa Monica.

This picture is of the Pacific Ocean, in Santa Monica, taken November 2008.

Ciao

Another Thing I Will Miss About Moving from LA

I will miss my dermatologist, Dr. Eric Lewis. He is the most amazing individual I have ever met. I will make trips back to California just to see him and have him handle my skin issues.

About 6-7 years ago I noticed both of the tops of my ears had, what looked like, tiny light brown scabs. I think that they might have begun to itch and that is what called my attention to them. They looked just like the picture on this post.

I asked all of my friends, "Check this out. What do you think it is?" And I got a variety of answers, "Looks like freckles. Looks like age spots." And then one friend said, "It looks like skin cancer."

I was referred to Dr. Lewis by a friend. I went in and he explained to me that it was squamous cell carcinoma. Dr. Lewis freezes the cell with liquid nitrogen.

My regular doctor would not pay attention to the spots until it would be too late and then surgery would be required.

I think I get this from my Dad's side of the family. Around the age of 70 my Dad had a chunk of his nose and the tops of his ears removed due to skin cancer.

Dr. Lewis also removes questionable moles. A brown mole with a tiny black dot in it (not necessarily in the center) is considered a questionable mole.

Dr. Lewis also does varicose vein stripping. I get the varicose veins from my Mom's side of the family. As a teenager I had them so bad in the backs of my knees that they would hurt and throb. I had my first procedure done in my early 20's. Not much has changed with the procedure. It's very painful. The great part is that it doesn't return. New varicose veins may develop. I remember fighting with my insurance company in my early 20's they didn't want to pay for the procedure because they said I was too young. It didn't matter how much pain I was in. So I paid for the procedure myself. The next time I had the procedure done was 20 years later.

I am getting "tweaked" before I move. So I have been seeing Dr. Lewis twice a week, for the last few weeks, until I leave, in a few weeks. Needless to say, I look and feel like I have been in a war zone. I have burn spots on my face, arms and chest. I have stitches in my thigh, back and shoulder and now the one of my legs is bandaged from the vein stripping I had done this morning.

The picture is just like what I discovered on the tops of my ears.

Ciao

I'll Really Miss this When I Move

This is one of the things that spoils people who live in Los Angeles. The ratings the Public Health Department give to eating establishments.

I will only eat a restaurant that has an A outside. If it has a B, it means they aren't that clean ;and a C, means they may have found something dead in the kitchen.

I have eaten at restaurants all over the world. I have only gotten sick from eating at restaurants in the US. My sister lives in Houston and I have gotten sick a couple of time after eating out there.

The only time I ever prayed to die was when I got sick after eating at a food establishment in a mall in West Virginia. That was about 20 years ago and my sister was living there at the time. I have never ever been so sick in my entire life. I just couldn't take anymore and prayed for it all to end even if it meant my life too. My sister saw how horrible it was and while I know she loves me, I think she was praying that my prayer be answered.

It's funny, it's now a shared memory. Something my sister and I pull out from time to time. "Hey remember when I got so sick I prayed to die?" And my sister says, "Yea, that was really really bad."

I will also miss the ethnic restaurants that we have here in Los Angeles. Had I not moved here I would not have gotten to experience all of the different kinds of food in the world. I eat anything. To me, all food is good. There are different variations of good, but hell if I am really hungry, I bet paper will taste good too.

One of my favorites is Ethiopian Food. There's only one Ethiopian restaurant that I know of in Los Angeles and it is on Fairfax. Quite a drive from where I live so I don't go there often.

There's the Greek, Persian, Italian, Moroccan, Argentinian and Cuban restaurants. I love them all and will miss them... a little bit.. but not a lot.

I am actually looking forward to moving to a place where there aren't that many choices of places to eat. It will make it easier for me to have a healthier diet. I am also going to make some lifestyle changes when I move.

I never drank coffee until I went to Europe a few years back. I LOVE the coffee outside of the US. At first I thought it was only European coffee that I loved, however, in December while in New Zealand and Australia I fell in love with their coffee, in particular the "Flat White". So for the last 6 years I have been going to the Israeli Market and getting my coffee. I have looked online and can have it shipped to me if I really want it. However, I have decided to give it up completely and will look forward to my cup of green tea in the morning.

The picture is of the rating at the PF Changs in Woodland Hills, California.

Ciao

Meet Bella

I had absolutely no intention of getting another cat that looked like Kitty. In facts, I really had no intention of getting another cat until I had moved to Pennsylvania.

However, Mario started acting needy. He had never lived alone as a single cat in his entire life. And I really missed having a cat to talk to during the day. My vet called me, several days after Kitty passed away, and told me that he wasn't aware of what I was good at or not good at in life, but he knew that I was an excellent cat Mommy. He said that he knew that there were cats who would love to come and live with me. And I knew he was right.

So I went to the Animal Shelter and I thought that I would get a yellow kitty, something different. There was one yellow cat and one grey cat. They both didn't want to have anything to do with me. And then their were like, 23 black and white Kitty looking cats. I walked from cage to cage and then I saw this little, what I thought was a kitten, cat. He opened the cage and she walked up to me and rubbed her little head on my face and pressed her nose into my cheek. Kitty did something similar the day I took him home with me. He pressed his nose to my nose very aggressively.

After Bella made her move I was sold. I said "I'll take her!" I was told she was a stray and 2 years old. How do you know that a cat is 2 years old? Especially if it's a stray! I named her Bella. She doesn't know her name yet. I think she'll get it sooner or later. She only weighs 7 lbs. She is really tiny. She has a totally different personality than Kitty. She is a little spit fire when she is upset. She will hiss and growl. The first 3 days I had her I had begun to think I had a demon kitty. I was scared to death of her. All of that has changed and she is sooooo very sweet. When you talk to her she talks back. She has the tinest cat voice I have ever heard. She jumps in my lap. She plays with my hair. She has really made herself at home here.

Mario has been practicing his Taoist ways. He just doesn't have an opinion one way or the other. He isn't happy she is here and he isn't upset by it. He is a cool cat.

About 2 days ago I noticed that Bella has begun to do some Kitty things. The last 2 months of Kitty's life he began to sleep in my dirty clothes hamper in the back of the dark closet. Bella has found that place to sleep. Kitty use to sit on my bathroom counter. I have caught Bella sitting up there. Kitty would sit on my dresser and be watching me in the morning. Bella has begun doing that. Kitty was an alpha cat and liked jumping on top of my desk and the file cabinets. Bella has begun jumping on my desk and file cabinets. Mario's feel have only gotten as far off the ground as needed to get to the bed.

The really cool thing I discovered was "soft claws". It's really cruel to declaw a cat. The vet told me about these little plastic covers that you super glue over their claws. I got them at PetSmart and they even put them on Bella for me. She doesn't even know they are there and it doesn't hurt when she does that mash-potato thing that cats do.

This picture was taken in a chair that both Kitty and Mario love to sit in.

Ciao

Oh, the Sound of Helicopters

It's a beautiful Saturday morning, the sun is shining, it's about 60 degrees, I think the birds are singing. I can't hear them because there is a helicopter circling above where I live. Which means, I should get up from my computer and close the doors and windows. Who know who they are looking for now.

I have lived here for 23 years and I will never get use to the sound of helicopters circling overhead. It will never feel "normal" to me. Why? Cause it isn't normal.

Do I sound bitter? I don't mean to. My blog is being made with the intention of revealing what life is really like here in Los Angeles. And when I get to Pennsylvania I will be blogging about what life is really like there.

I have begun packing and taking pictures of my furniture and what will be posted on my eBay store next week. I will be sure and post a link to the store in my blog for any interested parties.

The video is what it is like when the helicopters arrive.

Ciao

No One Walks In LA

There is a song about how no one walks in LA. I am sure that one of the reasons is because Los Angeles County is so large and spread out.

However, the reason I don't walk that much in LA is because it is very dangerous. Every single day people get hit by cars, either walking or or standing on a street corner.

This morning I turned on the TV and heard 3 people got hit by a car. Yesterday morning 2 people got hit by cars. Both were UCLA students. Sadly the 18 year old girl passed away.

I worked with an attorney here in Woodland Hills and one day another attorney was hit by a car while walking home (just a few blocks from where I live) and it was fatal. She was only 42 years old.

I also know a girl whose 17 year old son was hit by a car while crossing the street just a couple of blocks away from where I live.

This is the stuff that happens here that just does not seem normal to me. I really don't think that it is normal to be turning on the TV every day and hearing that someone has gotten run down by a vehicle. It's not right... something is wrong with this.

The picture was taken in February 2003 in Ojai, California. Right after the picture was taken that Ostrich tried to take a bite of my hair thingy.

Ciao