Wow - it's been about a month, since my last post!

Ok, time does fly by, but this is what I've been up to. Sam and I dogsat for Louie and Lola, the rat terriers who live next door. Lola, or Tripod, as I like to call her, had recently had hip surgery, so was carried around a lot of the time. Sam was exhausted by all the fun!

I finally finished a baby blanket for a cousin who is due in a month or so. Here's the blanket! I mailed it off today, and now I need to get knittin' quickly to make something for my other's cousin daughter who is about two already. In the mean time, I'm knitting more socks. Glad that summer is over - life at the beach is so much nicer in the fall, winter and spring. With football season here, I've been visiting the local pub to put my picks in the pool. I've come to like the pickled eggs they serve (perfect with a cold beer), so I made some of my own. And they turned out really good!

Was accosted on the street this morning by my former dry cleaner. He came running after me to ask why I hadn't been in for a very long time. At first I hemmed and hawed, but when he asked if he did something wrong, I told him. The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when I took in a hand knit sweater I'd made, that had pretty expensive buttons attached, and it came back with one button missing. He said I should have brought the sweater back and told him what happened, I pointed out that I had done just that, and got only a shrug of his shoulders in response. So now, that he lost my business, he went on and on about how he'd pay for the button.

The thing is that I had problems with these folks before - taking in a jacket with a gold pin still attached, and having it come back without the pin. Again, when I asked about it, they gave me the Sgt. Schultz. Another time I'd taken in pants and immediately after, remembered that there was 20 bucks in a pocket. Rather than go back, I waited to see what they would do. When I went back in, not only was the money not mentioned, but he pulled out some paper work that he wanted me to look at and give him free legal advice.

Given that he is but one of 3 dry cleaners in walking distance from my house, I'm not sure why he thought I'd keep coming back? Because I did, I guess is the answer. But three strikes, and you're out.

Meet the Boys - Calvin and Hobbes! They are green rumped parrotlets that were bred in Florida.

That's Calvin facing the camera and also snacking! C&H arrived on a Delta flight on Friday evening, and we've been getting to know each other. They are about 8 weeks old, and very comical. They are inseparable, but also bicker just a bit like brothers. We're trying out various fruits and vegies and so far, peas and apples are preferred to bananas. If you talk to Hobbes, he bobs and chirps back. Calvin is so far more comfortable with sitting on my finger and taking food from me.

Sam is uninterested in them, which is helpful, especially when they are out of the cage. They love all their toys, and have lovely little chirps. I'm having a blast with them so far.

This is my mom's dog, Matty. Matty is, indisputably, the love of her life. Poor Matty had a rough start - my friend Shana, who works with a bunch of dog rescue groups, found a shivering little animal near a friend's house in Long Beach. The then mostly hairless little thing was Matty. She's about 8 lbs., and has bad back legs, but has a lot of spunk. With much trepidation on my mom's part, she left Matty with Sam and I for a few days while she went to Vegas. Of course, everything was fine, and Sam was a very good natured, co-hostess.

Sam and I weren't walking a whole lot with Matty in tow, so when she went home, we went for a long walk on Sunday. Sam enjoyed the nice weather!

I'm very excited for the start of the NFL season! Love chilly Sundays, knitting on the couch, watching football, and of course, football pools! Yay, Autumn! When it finally gets here . . . we've been experiencing very hot weather, and many parts of Los Angeles are experiencing dangerous and destructive fires. With cooler weather on the way, hopefully, the situation will get under control.

Yesterday I did something that I have always wanted to do - took a day off from work and went to a ball game - the Angels playing the Detroit Tigers! My neighbor Christina was game, and we headed out to Angels stadium. Fortunately, our tickets were in the shade - when we got back to my car about 4 pm, it was still 104 degrees in Anaheim. The hot dog was yummy, and the beer was cold. I even bought a souvenir - a Torii Hunter t-shirt, which will now limit my ability to make fun of grown men wearing jerseys. It was a GREAT way to spend an afternoon, and the Angels won 4-2.

I've been trying to organize and de-clutter my home, one little nook or cranny at a time. One benefit of this is finding books I bought a while ago, and forgot about. One of these is Queen of Babble.

First, let me acknowledge that chick lit (besides Bridget Jones' Diary and Waiting to Exhale), is not generally my genre of choice, but so far, at least, Queen of Babble is well written and entertaining.

To offset this estrogen rush, on my iPod I'm listening to Double Indemnity, classic noir. It's impossible to listen to the book without picturing the film version with Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson. In fact, I recently saw that movie on the Turner Classic Movies station. It's a short and sweet listen, and I'm enjoying it alot.

TCM is currently my favorite TV station. All summer they are devoting each day to a certain actor or actess. Last Sunday was a day devoted to Angela Lansbury. I loved getting to see Gaslight, Death on the Nile and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

How is your week going?

Took advantage of the nice weather yesterday evening by spending some quality time with Samantha. We had a rousing game of squeaky toy fetch.

Then we wrassled. ( I won).

Then had a lovely five mile walk along Bolsa Chica at Sunset.

Oh, and another book I've recently read, that I totally recommend, is When Skateboards Will Be Free - A Memoir of a Political Childhood by Said Sayrafiezadeh.

While images of athletic and Hollywood celebrity decorated the rooms of his classmates, the walls of Said's youth were adorned with fierce glares from heavily-bearded revolutionaries. As the son of an Iranian father and Jewish-American mother--two souls united by a commitment to an impending socialist revolution--young Said spent his childhood working to make the comrades proud. He hawked the movement's rag, embraced a moniker of "the little revolutionary," and even embarked on a confusing trip to Cuba to spark his political awareness. (He was appalled by the lack of sanitary bathrooms).

When Skateboards Will Be Free describes a politically-charged childhood with an innocence that forces smiles in unexpected places and reveals the heartache of a home soaked in idealism. They weren't poor because they had to be poor, they were poor by choice. Said's father deserted the family when he was young, but his mother continued to carry a torch for this man she never divorced. He, of course, enjoyed a string of idealistic young babes, while she awaited his rare communications. She was an educated woman, (her brother, Mark Harris, wrote Bang the Drum Slowly), who chose to live in dilapidated apartments with her son in Pittsburgh and NYC, while they waited for the revolution.

The arrival of a socialist state not only promised to bring skateboards in bubblegum-bright colors to the masses; it also pledged to repair the rifts within Said's own home.

It's a memoir worth reading, even though I found it on an Oprah book list.

Today's lunch? A yummy Caprese sandwich.

I've been very bad about blogging lately. Partly because I've become a bit addicted to twitter and facebook. And even more so since I found out I can play Scrabble on facebook and on my iPhone. I am currently getting my rear end kicked hard by a couple friends.

I also took some time and knit a few hats to be donated to a shelter in NYC that serves homeless teens.

Oh, and I bought a ukelele this past Saturday. I played in the 4th grade. Well, we all did. And then gave a concert that I'm confident was fantastic. So, i bought a ukelele and a song and chord book and I may take some lessons.

The other big news is that with the passing of the late, great, Freddy the parrotlet, I decided to adopt a couple baby boy parrotlets. Thanks to LA, they have been given the names Calvin and Hobbes, and they should be home with me soon.

Reading wise, I just finished listening to all six Harry Potter books on my iPod - thoroughly enjoyed re-reading the series, this time audibly.

How are you doing????

OWIM! (Oh well, it's Monday)

Had a nice weekend. Finished a pair of socks, that I'm wearing today. Went on a nice long walk with Sam, and enjoyed BBQing with the neighbors yesterday.

I've been re-reading the Harry Potter series, this time as an audiobook. I'm up to book four, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The books translate really well into audio. I've also just started reading the last book in Maggie's Southern Reading Challenge, the Help.

Got the AC fixed on my car, last week, which is a welcome relief!

I'm going to be adopting two baby Green Rump parrotlet brothers in about a month. So far, the most likely names are Calvin and Hobbes, or Stanley and Charlie.

Any suggestions?

What are you up to these days?