WHERE TO GO?

I found out on last Friday that I have the whole month of August off of work so my mind immediately began to dream of where to get away. As I wrote in the previous post, the weather here has been miserable. Spending all summer in a dark, windowless sound stage didn't seem like such a bad thing if the weather wasn't going to be summer-like. Usually those places heat up like an oven when it's hot out but not only aren't we getting any heat, we have a new air-conditioning unit that was installed over our break that keeps the place positively frigid. I had to dig out a sweater coat from my winter wardrobe so that I wouldn't catch a chill!!


I thought of a few options for a trip and so started to put out feelers for what it would cost:

Back to the BVI: I found a flight from YVR to STT for $945 - not great but better than I have seen in the past. When we were looking at flights in February of '09 for my daughter's wedding on Tortola, flights to EIS were $1,200+.

I got a smoking good deal on Jost Van Dyke at White Bay Villas. Their biggest unit, Plantation Villa, is a shared accommodation with private bedroom but shared kitchen, living room, and sometimes bathroom. The dates I was looking at, basically all of August, I would have the entire house to myself at $135 a night plus 17% tax etc. which is a spectacular deal as the house is gorgeous. And as I really want to go back to Jost for an extended visit the next time I go to the islands, this was my dream option.

White Bay, Jost Van Dyke

I also got a great deal at Chateau Relaxeau Caribe, a lovely place right on the beach of Apple Bay, Tortola; $100 a night including all taxes. As I really want to get to know the owner, Malcolm Boyes and his wife (who live upstairs) along with neighbours Island Jim and his wife, this was a very attractive option.

Chateau Relaxeau Caribe

I checked with Uschi at Sebastians on the Beach (the place where I spent 9 days on my trip in May of this year) to see what her summer rates are and she also gave me a great deal. The restaurant closes August 17th along with some of the rooms so her offer was a Beach-Rear room at $50 a night or a Seaside Villa Suite (with full kitchen so could cook my own meals if I wanted to save money) for $85 a night. The Villa Suites are up the beach a bit from where I stayed before and right by Chateau Relaxeau Caribe so I could still get to know the gang. This was the most economical BVI option.

Sebastians on the Beach

I then thought about sailing and how I have a standing invitation to join a fellow who is a full-time cruiser in the Caribbean. He is currently in Grenada, holed up for hurricane season. Grenada is somewhere I would love to visit, especially after reading An Embarrassment of Mangoes. There would be no cost to me for staying on the boat other than $200 a week or so for food. I checked into flights and the best I found was $1,100 going Toronto to Barbados to Grenada. I emailed the sailor and he was happy to have me come down but warned that the weather was such that we wouldn't be doing much sailing and so I would not get to learn how. Seeing how the point of going on such a trip would partially be to learn how to sail, this doesn't make much sense at this time.

Sailing the Caribbean

I considered a trip to Palm Springs to stay with the friends I stay with at Christmas as they always urge me to come back in the summer when the pool is open and it's lovely and hot. I checked flights and they were cheap at just under $300 return. So I sent a request down via email to see if the 'Red Room' was available and found out that it wasn't a good time for them. Plus the director friend I love to bits who hosts Christmas down there is in Los Angeles making a movie all of August so I wouldn't get to see him.

The Backyard of Where I Stay in Palm Springs

I have felt that my next big trip should be to England to go see family, especially an elderly auntie that has just moved into a retirement community. I talk to her every week or two on the phone and she really wants me to come and see her. The last time I was over there was 2008 and the last time I saw her was a year ago when she visited here. So I looked into flights there and the best I could do was $1,600+. YIKES!! So I emailed my travel agent and he found a flight for just under $700. This would be an economical option as, again, my costs would be limited once I arrived as I would stay with family. But eating out and other spending would be very costly due to the price of everything being so high and the exchange rate of $1.57=£1.00 - albeit much better than my last trip which was $2.20=£1.00. And it's a bit short notice for everyone who I would be staying with. But I'd really like to go so this is moving up to one of my most probable options.

A Bridlington Street, the Town My Aunty Lives In

I also toyed briefly with the idea of flying to Los Angeles to visit the set of Ant Farm, a show by the creator of Mr. Young (the show I work on). I thought it might be beneficial for me to shadow the script supervisor there and see how he does things. I actually had a telephone conversation with him earlier this week about timings as we were having some issues with that on our show. I mentioned to the AD on our show what I was thinking and before I knew it, she had arranged for me to stay with the people who rent the house she owns in Burbank, so accommodation would be free. Flights were cheap and I could rent a car for under $300 a week. But there were mitigating factors that made me decide against this option. I would have liked to do this though as I could also have met up with my director friend in LA for dinner and perhaps visited him on set at the old RKO studio lot, which would have been fantastic.

Hollywood, December 23, 2009

Then this week, summer arrived!!!!!! FINALLY!!!! The sky is blue, the sun is HOT, and British Columbia is showing it's best side. Do I really want to leave in the only good weather we get all year??? Especially to the Caribbean where it's hurricane season so probably leaving sunshine for rain? It rained for over a week on my recent trip there thus I found that there's not much to do but read when it's raining in the Caribbean.

And to be honest, I am a bit travel weary after just getting back from 5 weeks away. And by travel weary I mean airport weary. I used to love being in the airport, people watching, excited at the prospect of flying away, loved ones waiting with you until you went through the boarding gate. No hassles, no line ups, NO SECURITY CHECKS. I loved flying. Now no one can wait with you unless they are traveling too, line ups everywhere, the dreaded TSA minions, no decent food on the flights AND my feet swell to the size of loaves of bread on the long flights.

So what to do, what to do?

I have decided to stay home for most of the month. I need to save my money for a new (to me) vehicle as mine is on it's last legs. I also need to save up for the rest of my dental work. As much as I love being spontaneous and adventurous, sometimes practicality has to prevail. It's a bummer but that is the way it goes.

But I did book a flight today. Just an hour long each way. I am going up to Kelowna, the lake country, to spend 11 days with my daughter. She is working during the week but I am staying two weekends and I have a good friend up there who I miss dearly and love to bits so we will hang out as much as we can (and she has a pool!!!! - which she even lets me use when they're not home). Kelowna is the holiday destination for most Vancouverites and Albertan's so why not me?

Kelowna, Home of the OGOPOGO

I need to take advantage of the sunshine here while it lasts.

SOMEONE, TAKE ME AWAY!!!!

Sunset on Anegada

Tomorrow is the longest day of the year. Tomorrow is the first day of summer.

You could have fooled me.

The weather in and around Vancouver since my return from the BVI has been nothing short of MISERABLE. Cloudy, cold, raining... I think there have been three days where I have actually seen the sunshine. Gladly, one of them was last Thursday on my daughter's birthday. I took her out shopping for some makeup at a fabulous wholesale place (I can shop there because I have a movie union card) and then for a lovely lunch at Havana on 'The Drive'. The day before was the first time she had managed to keep her food down in 13 weeks and so we had high hopes that she would not only enjoy lunch but be able to hang onto it. Alas it was not to be. No sooner had we left the restaurant than she felt the meal was very heavy in her tummy. I took her home so she could have a nap before going out for a birthday dinner with her hubby later that evening and she called a bit later to say she had lost most of her lunch. Poor girl! She's lost 10lbs or more and it has really sapped all of her energy. (You know, writing this I don't think I have written on my blog that I am to be a grandmother come the end of the year [I just updated this post where I sort-of hinted at something when I originally wrote it]. I was told on the day my kids and I went to White Rock for a Mother's Day fish & chips lunch [although I had to pay for my own lunch so not sure if it was for MD - it was supposed to be, because I was away on actual MD]. I had suspected that they were going to tell me that very thing and had said as much to my friend the day before. I have no idea how I know these things but I often do. Anyhow I was very excited at the news and am really looking forward to this new chapter of my life.)

This card was in an envelope and with all the other mail my daughter had collected for me while I was gone. That is how they told me!

Anyway, back to this CRAPPY weather. I feel like I am going to go insane and I am not kidding. I just want to scream at the top of my voice that I HATE HATE HATE it here and I want out. People tell me "oh you would miss the seasons if you moved south." Oh really? What seasons would those be, exactly? The fall, winter and spring which is basically one long season of GREY and RAIN and COLD?

Vancouver in the rain. That sure is no Caribbean beach!

I love the Caribbean and would live there in a heartbeat but I can't work there so that is out. AND the cost of living is stupid high so even if I could get work, which I can't, I couldn't afford to come home to see my kids (and now a grandchild as of the end of this year) as much as I'd want to - if at all. I'd move to California - I love Palm Springs despite there being no beaches - but I can't work there either. I have never been so frustrated in my life as I have these past two years. I am SO DONE with the Pacific North West.

If anyone knows a way out - I am all ears.

Palm Springs

P.S. Sorry for the rant but I am seriously at the end of my rope and very stressed out at the moment. I know I should be just grateful that I had a month in the Caribbean while everyone else was here, toughing it out - I really do. But some people can handle this weather better than I do. I feel like I have put up with it for years and I am DONE with it. I just want to run away from it all. Also, it is hard not to have someone to share life's ups and downs with and I am weary of going it alone. In the rain. And then an invitation to THIS that I can't go to, and the fact that Walker and Nancy are back at Hidden Treasure as of today was sort of the last straw. I want to be there.

THE MOST GLAMOROUS NIGHT OF MY LIFE

I have a couple of dear old Aunties in England who, are not only the funniest women I have ever known (they really are like a comedy duo) but also, have some of the best stories to tell. They both served in the second world war as WAAF's (Women’s Auxiliary Air Force) and my Aunty Mary was assigned to spotting and tracking enemy bomber formations in one of the new radar stations. This was very dangerous work as the radar sites were usually the first target for Stuka dive-bombers. Among her many stories is a favourite of mine where she danced all night in an airplane hanger with the handsome new arrivals, the US Airforce, to the music of the Glenn Miller Band. As a kid I loved the movie of his life, The Glenn Miller Story, and so finding out my aunty actually danced to his live music was a thrill and I have often wished I could dance to such a band. Tonight I did.

The day started out rather slowly. I was all ready to go by 10:30 and sent a message to Ron on FaceBook to let him know. I didn't have my rental car yet as the plan was to go and pick it up today, so I settled in to write on my blog for a bit while I waited to hear back from him. It was noon before I did and 1:00 before he and Nelson arrived to pick me up. Apparently there was a bit of a disaster at Eight-oh-One (as Ron refers to his home) when Eric attempted to put some rose stems down the garburator and it clogged up the sink in the worst way. Two hours later and lots of water on the floor, it was fixed and that's when I got the text that they would be over to get me in an hour, after a quick trip to the gym. I gave them a bit of a hard time about that - I mean, couldn't they skip the gym just one day?!?

We headed straight over to the car rental place and my car was not in. We filled out all the requisite paperwork and left with the promise that there would be a car for me in under two hours. We headed over to Las Casuelas Terraza for lunch, the same restaurant that Ron took me to right after landing in Palm Springs last year. I had been looking forward to a return visit for quite some time. As it was still raining, there was no one sitting under the huge palapa roof but it was lovely and warm with the heaters turned on so we decided to sit outside. I just love the place because every inch of it makes me feel like I am on vacation. Ron ordered up margaritas right away and mine was a blended strawberry - YUM! As we snacked on the chips and salsa they brought to our table, a rather large flock of tiny birds gathered in a tree close by to watch us. They got braver and began to land on the ledge close to our table and longingly eyed our basket of chips so I took one and began tossing crumbled bits of it to them. They loved it and so I took more to the ledge and held some out in my hand. Only one bird was brave enough to take food right out of my hand, the rest flew back to the tree or kept a safe distance.































We had a great time over lunch with lots of laughs, as usual, with Ron. We were finshed eating and it had been well over two hours and we still hadn't heard from the car rental agency so Ron picked up his iPhone, with the comment that there had better be an upgrade coming, when it rang; the car was ready. We headed back over there and they had upgraded without having to say a word because they felt bad that we were kept waiting, which I thought was very nice of them. The car is a shiny red Chevrolet something-or-other and I really love driving it after driving my rattly old jeep for the past few months. I don't know about you but the sort of car I am driving really influences how I feel about myself and also my stress level. And when I say how I feel about myself, it's not an ego thing - more of a confidence thing. It's hard to put into words. But this rental car is wonderful and I am going to really enjoy toodling around in it for the next week.

The boys had some more shopping they needed to do at Target so we headed down the highway, me following them, and pulled into a small plaza with no Target. Ron had talked earlier about going to a place tonight that had a big band playing. I asked if it was a dressy affair and he said 'sort of' and so I was concerned I might not have something to wear as I didn't want to wear my Christmas day dress and it's the only dress I brought. As we got out of our cars, Ron said he brought me here to TJ Max to see if they had a dress I might like to buy for tonight. They went off to a pet store to buy treats for Crawford T. Manchester, and I headed into TJ's. I didn't find any dresses at all but tried on a couple of tops. Nothing suited me and just as I was done the boys arrived and we walked over to a store that Ron said I would just love, called World Market. Did I ever. It's what you would get if Pier One and Army and Navy had a child. They have the most fabulous stuff (no clothing or shoes though) and it's all reasonably priced. I ended up buying some gifts for my kids for next Christmas. It's never too early to shop for Christmas!

After loading up at World Market, we headed down the highway a little farther to Target. I love that place and miss it terribly. When I lived in Seattle for three years - many moons ago - it was my favourite place to shop. And at Christmas it's even better. Right at the entrance to the store they have boxed gifts that they only carry this time of year. They are the perfect stocking stuffers or gifts for someone you don't know all that well. This time there were flasks, shoe shining kits, nail kits, car trunk organizers, car emergency kits, an organizer pouch for small electronics (I bought one for myself as I always have multiple cords lying around and when I pack for a trip like this I just toss them into a pocket of my carry on), a giant computer mouse, a shower head that lights up (great for an outdoor shower), a cup warmer that plugs into the USB port of a computer, - all sorts of great things. I got the car trunk organizer for Ron's mom on his recommendation.

All done shopping, we headed to our respective homes to get ready for the evening. I had decided that a new top I bought just before the trip would be fine to wear. It has some sequins on it and is rather elegant, and paired with my dressy black pants, and a new crystal necklace and earrings, I should look quite presentable I think.

When we arrive at Dink's (Double Income No Kids), I am taken aback by how elegant the place is and how amazing the band sounds. It is the Ted Herman Orchestra and they are pure Big Band Swing! (Ron tells me that Ted Herman is the son of famed Woody Herman, the bandleader from the 30's). On the way over Ron was expressing his frustration that they would only be playing until 9:30. It is now 8:45 so we don't have a lot of time with them but I will take whatever I can get; this is fabulous! We are seated at a table along the edge of the room with a great view of the entire place including the dance floor, which is alarmingly bare of couples - only one is gliding across it's glossy surface. Ron orders Belvedere martinis for Nelson and himself and a Malibu and Coke for me. I express my long held wish that I knew how to dance and Ron says "It's easy. Come on, I will show you." And before I know it, we are on the dance floor and he is gliding me effortlessly around and around. I am grinning like a child and know it but can't stop. This is a dream come true, to be dancing to the sound of a live big band; and to be doing it in Palm Springs in such a glamorous place is far more than I would have ever asked for. No wonder I can't get the stupid grin off of my face. All too soon, the song ends and we settle back down at our table for some nibbles and more drinks.

Once the band packs up, Eric arrives and the decision is made to head over to Melvyn's. We went there last year and I fell in love with the place; it has an amazing history and I have since read the book about it so am even more excited to go back. When we pull up, a valet comes and opens my door and holds an umbrella over me until I am under the cover over the walkway leading to the door. I am so not used to being treated in this manner that I had worried, as we drove up the long tree lined drive from the main gate, how I was to get from the car to the door without my hair getting wet. Hairspray and water just don't go together one bit and the slightest of rain will ruin my 'do'. But I didn't have to worry at all and, once again, as I tip toe around a few puddles between the car and the path, I am feeling very spoiled and somewhat glamorous. The boys have told me several times tonight that I look very glamorous and now, sitting at the bar in this fabulously glamorous old establishment, Ron asserts that - should I spend a few weeks here and sit at this bar every evening looking the way I do tonight - I would be married to a rich old codger within a month. I'd love to test that notion!

(not really thrilled with the photo's of me. I see a chin lift in my future.)

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!! FOR PETE'S SAKE!!

After a fun last week of work, where the story centered around a school fair with giant food, I was very thankful to go home to a weekend of getting ready for Palm Springs - FINALLY! It feels like I have waited for this trip for ever.

Saturday was all about getting the hair and nails looking worthy of the company I would be keeping in that sunny playground. I met a friend after for a drink at the swank new Fairmont Pacific Rim and then a marvelous dinner after at a cozy trendy spot called Burgoo Main Street. I had the French Onion Soup and it was divine; finished of with sharing their Toffee Pudding. Yum!!

Sunday was all about packing and buying trip insurance and a last minute Christmas present for someone at home. It was hard to know what to pack because the weather in Palm Springs is rain until Wednesday. So sad to hear that. And I always stress out about having overweight luggage and having to pay the ridiculous fees that incurs. It doesn't matter where I am going, sunny or cold, winter or summer, I can't seem to pack less than 50+lbs and I don't know why that is. It's frustrating and I have put it down to hair products. A can of hairspray and a can of mousse plus a jar of crude clay and then the blowdryer and two brushes... it all adds up. I don't ever pack clothes I don't need. I am careful to pack only one outfit per day, and sometimes not even that much. So I can't figure it out but it is what it is.

I couldn't sleep Sunday night. I went to bed at 10 because I was setting the alarm for 3:45 to be out of the door by 4:30. I tossed and turned until way after midnight and finally gave up and watched Survivor which I had downloaded earlier to watch on the plane. I lost battery power half way through the after show and so laid back down and dozed until the alarm went off.

On the drive to the border, snow flurries started and that freaked me out a bit because the highway down to Bellingham can get more wind and snow than the rest of the area and I didn't want it to be an issue. But I needn't have worried because it died off by the time I got to the border. The guard was a bit surly and wanted to know why I was going to Palm Springs at Christmas - didn't I like being home with my family at that time of year? How presumptuous of him to assume I even had any family - lots of people don't. I told him my kids were grown and scattered and I'd rather be in the sun than the cold. He handed my passport back and waved me through.

I finally understand why Ron Oliver complains about children on airplanes. The worst I have encountered in my travels is a kid kicking my seat, and don't mistake me - it drives me crazy when that happens - but it's easy to rectify. You just ask the parent to keep the kid from doing it and they usually do. But this time, there was a 19 month old girl with a temper sitting in the seat in front of me, and she had the sort of cry that is preceded by an ear-splitting scream. She cried almost the whole trip. I found myself too tired to read so gave up and tried to sleep and every time I would just nod off, she would start up. It was honestly so painful on the ear drums, I had to plug my ears. I won't ever fly without ear plugs again.

As we descended into PS airport, we flew through a huge bank of clouds and the turbulence was frightening. I don't mind turbulence as a rule, but this was the first time I had experienced it so close to the ground and so violent. I was truly afraid that we might bounce right off the tarmac. But we got through it right before landing. I could see that the rain had been heavy as there was a road blocked off by fire trucks and there was a washed out portion just beyond them. And all the roads were very wet. It's interesting to observe that they really aren't used to this much rain here as none of the houses have gutters and the sidewalks and pathways aren't angled for drainage so there's huge puddles and rivulets of water gathering everywhere.

Ron was busy with a conference call about post on his latest film so Eric picked me up at the airport and drove me to his parents house where Ron pulled up just as we arrived. Eric was worried Ron would berate him for being late for me when, in fact, the flight landed 20 minutes behind schedule due to strong winds on our nose. He ran over to Ron's car saying, "I wasn't late, I wasn't late!" So cute! I unpacked a few things and hung them to get rid of wrinkles and then Ron, Nelson and I piled into the car and drove out to Palm Desert to have lunch at Tommy Bahama's. We had lunch there last year and so I was excited to go there again. This time I had the fish tacos and they were delicious! We walked around a few of the shops there and I got the coolest gift for Shonah, my daughter. She is a Star Wars nut and a kitchen shop had a pancake flipper with Darth Vader's head as the flipper part. I got the last one. She'll love it. We stopped in at Trader Joe's for a few things and I was really looking forward to buying their Wasabi Almonds but it turns out they don't have them any more. I was so disappointed. We then headed to Ron's to hang out for a bit and Nelson had a nap, and then we went to meet Ada and Bob, my hosts, for BINGO at Alibi's. We munched on appetizers and played the cards and twice I came within one number of winning. It was a lot of fun and I basked in the deep pleasure of being back in Palm Springs with some of the best people I have ever known in my life. I feel very blessed.

Now if the rain would just stop and the sun would come out. I am seriously needing the warmth of some sunshine in my life.

Oh my goodness. A frog just started croaking somewhere outside my bedroom window. It really does need to stop raining!!

IT'S NOT EVEN DECEMBER YET...

...and I am finished Christmas shopping!

(this is my tree from 2006, when I had my own home and loved to deck the whole place out for Christmas - I really miss that house this time of year. The kids loved coming home to it.)

It's been a long time since I have been done this early. Back before I was married, I used to pride myself on being all done and all the gifts wrapped by mid November. But in recent years that hasn't been the case. And in the past two years, I was too poor to buy much, thanks to hardly any work in my field.

But all that has changed this year and I am very grateful for it. It's wonderful to be working steady again. And though I am trying to be very careful with my money, I have to say it's been fun to be able to go shopping for the perfect Christmas gifts for those I love.

Two things got me to an early start. In September I was working on a movie called On Strike for Christmas. The house we used was decked out for Christmas as well as a mall which production filled with decorations, happy Christmas shoppers and a tree stand out in the parking lot. Three weeks of being immersed in that really got me not only in the Christmas mood, but feeling like it wasn't long until Christmas got here for real. Then, on my lunch break while shooting that movie, I went to a shop near where we were filming and happened upon the perfect gift for my married daughter. I wasn't going to buy it right then until the shop owner informed me that they only had three in stock and once they were gone, they'd never be found again as the manufacturer was no longer making them because the price point to make a profit would have to be too high. So I bought it. That got the ball rolling.

It's a good thing though because we are celebrating Christmas two weeks early this year. My daughter in Kelowna used all of her holidays this summer coming down here for her friend's wedding events and for the week before the wedding to help the bride out as much as she could. So she can't come for Christmas as that is when everyone wants time off. So she's taken a couple of personal days and will come down the weekend of the 10th. My other daughter and her hubby are leaving on the 15th for England as he is to be best man for his best man, and then they will spend Christmas with his parents. So we are getting together to have our Christmas Day on December 12th.

And me.... I am going back to Palm Springs!!!!!! I can't wait. I had such a great time there last year that just had to go back and do it again. I wrote to Eric back in October and asked him if his parents would be willing to let me stay with them again. He wrote back that the 'red room' was booked for me as long as I wanted it. I was very thankful and happy to hear it as I loved staying with them last year. So I have my flight booked, my room reserved, and a Christmas dress bought. And this time the neckline won't cause a minor scandal.

BIGGEST JACK O' LANTERN....

...I've ever seen!

I didn't know Science World did this! Or maybe it's the first time they've done it... not sure. But it was a surprise to see it tonight as I drove back into the city after being gone all day to go shopping in the States.

I am about 80% of the way through my Christmas shopping! AND I found a gorgeous dress for the Palm Springs Christmas Buffet Dinner to be held at Eight-Oh-One; AND I found three more dresses for super cheap at Ross Dress for Less. I LOVE that place. Two are for work to wear over tights, and one is a cute little dressy shift that will be perfect for dinner out in PS or to take to the Caribbean. All four dresses for just over $100. Can't beat that!

Can't say what else I found, but I am pretty excited about some great gifts I bought!

PS I LOVE YOU

Up at 3:30 am after not being able to sleep because the spare bed was just a mattress on the floor and still covered in the plastic I had on it while stored. I didn't have any sheets or quilts unpacked for it so just used a couple of throw blankets. My daughter and her hubby are tucked into my bed and that is as it should be as they both have to go to work after dropping me at the airport in Bellingham at 5:30am.


















The flight down is uneventful, although cold sitting by the window, and it's great to see Ron and Nelson as I wait for my bags to appear on the carousel. As soon my bags are in the car we zip over to the BEAUTIFUL home I will be staying in for the next 6 nights. As we pull up to the walled property, I see a huge yellow ball hanging from a tree. "What is that?" I ask Ron. "A grapefruit." he replies. "No way!" The thing is as big as a 5 pin bowling ball. He proceeds to tell me that there are orange, lemon and grapefruit trees all over the property. I am delighted and amazed.

The homeowners aren't home so we drop my bags in my lovely 'red room' and I hang a few of my nicer clothes up in the closet before Ron whisks Nelson and me away for Mexican food for lunch.














He pulls up at a restaurant in the heart of town and I love the look of the place... all adobe with palapa-type roofing. We walk up to a grass-roofed bar and each take a stool. Ron orders us each a Margarita. When they come they are enormous! We raise a glass to each other and order our meals. The bartender puts warm tortilla chips with guacamole and salsa in front of each of us and I remember why I love eating Mexican food in the states so much. I could make this my meal, it's that delicious.

As we eat, I ask Ron if there's anything I can do to help him get ready for Christmas, as he just arrived two days ago from shooting a movie in Toronto for the past three months. He tells us that he wants to get the lights up on the outside of the house so I tell him to put us to work. Once lunch is over, we head to his house.

His place is a lovely home on one level, as most Palm Springs houses are, and is a much coveted Alexander home - designed by Robert and George Alexander in the early 60's.

We drag out the stepladder, four boxes of LED lights, and one box containing a big snowflake that lights up. I undo the first string of lights and we get a system going where Nelson holds the ladder, I pass up the clips and feed the string of lights to Ron up on the ladder. We start at the west corner by the garage and I hand little plastic clips up to Ron. The clips have one end that clips onto the flashing and the other end has a clip to slide the string of lights into. After about 20 minutes of work we are close to the peak of the roof and I make the point that we may not have enough lights. It seems to me that the peak is not in the center and that there is more on the side we haven't lit than the side we have, and we are half way through our lights. I suggest we may need another string. Ron disagrees and climbs down off of the ladder, and as Nelson moves it over, steps back to take a look at what we've done so far and lets the end of the string of lights he's holding drop to the ground. As we stand there and look, suddenly the weight of the string hanging down pulls the string overhead out of the first hook and then... with a quiet 'tick, tick, tick' the rest of the clips let go of the lights right across the whole half we just finished. At the end, they hang off of the last clip for a second or so, and then that one lets go and they all hit the ground. We are, all three, frozen for a moment, and then Ron turns to us and says "Well then." And we start to laugh. For me it was the kind of laughter where you can't get a breath and the tears flow. Still laughing, Ron walked back to the beginning and Nelson followed with the ladder while I remained doubled over, I just couldn't get a grip. It was something right out of a movie, although it would take forever to set that up, and the visual was replaying in my head. Even later that night as I was falling asleep in bed, I started to laugh again just thinking about it.


Ron rented me a car at the airport for my Christmas present and so we pile into it with Ron at the wheel and drive over to another car rental place and Ron gets himself a car. He doesn't drive one when home, he rides his bike and just rents a car whenever he needs it. Once we have that, I follow him back to the house I am staying in, his boyfriends parents place, and I get to meet Bob and Ada, my hosts. They are so welcoming and kind to me, and I just love them on sight. Ron and Nelson leave to run some errands and I settle into my room before it's time to leave with Bob and Ada and meet back up with the boys for BINGO!

PS, HERE I COME

Well I am almost all packed for my trip to Palm Springs. And I cooked up 12 batches of Skor Bar for gifts. That's 6lbs of butter, 12 cups of sugar and 12 Swiss chocolate bars. All together in one Tupperware container it weighs about 10lbs. It's going in my carry-on bag.

I went to see a career counselor this week. Seems I have potential to be doing a lot more with my life than a stupid receptionist job - which I know I would loathe the second I sat down behind the desk. I have some homework to do and we will look at my options at the next session. I left there feeling a lot better about myself. She gave me back my hope.

What I am not looking forward to is coming back from paradise to the disaster that is the rest of my life. I have one room and one shed full of boxes and bits. I have to decide what I am going to keep and store, what I am going to store to garage sale in the spring, and what I am going to do with all of the big furniture that I can't store in my friend's crawlspace. What I need is someone with an unfinished basement or space in their garage to let me store it there indefinitely. I don't think people like that exist. Or if they do, they are a rare breed.

I have a couple of options for the end of January, when I must vacate this place. I am talking to my friend about staying with her again, paying-room-mate style, and she is thinking about it. She is planning to renovate her basement and to use the room I would stay in to pile all the stuff that needs moving. So she has to rethink it and will get back to me. If that doesn't work, I have an invitation to join an acquaintance on the road in her Winnebago as she travels across the USA to sell her book to bookstores. And I have an invitation to go sailing with the OTHER guy I was talking to before I left for Florida, the one in Mazatlan on the Sea of Cortez. He really wants me to come down for at least two weeks to see if I would want to travel to South America with him. It's something I am seriously considering.

I prefer the first option so that I can take advantage of the job I got at the 2010 Olympics. I start training January 6th. I will be either a supervisor or manager for the Resident Assistants who will be stationed at each hotel that has transport drivers living there for the duration of the games. I start full time the third week of January and go through to the end of March. That would give me some working capital for travel to either Mexico to sail or California for a long road trip. Also, I plan to call the insurance adjuster for the mall where I took the fall back in June to lay it on the line; I have finally run out of patience with this dragging-their-feet nonsense and if I don't have an offer by the first week of January, I am speaking to a lawyer. I am done being nice about it.

If this counselor comes up with something that works out for me, then I will just stay put and embark on a new career... one that I can work around script supervising when a show presents itself and I actually get hired onto the crew.

OK... back to packing. I have to be up at 3:54 tomorrow morning to leave here by 4:14 to be at the Bellingham airport two hours before my 7:45 flight to the Inland Empire. And it's the Survivor finale tonight. So I won't be getting much sleep. Can't miss seeing what Russel has up his sleeve. I wouldn't put it past the guy to win. I really wouldn't.

Merry Christmas everyone and may you experience the joy, peace, and hope that the season brings.