pentrez’s blog

To my dear newly engaged  little brother,

While the next year of wedding planning will bring you tears of joy and pain, allow me to kick it off with a loud, raucous cheer of G A M E  O N!  Keep your blogging skills sharp.  :-)  And, allow me to remind you that posts on Crushalicious count. 

Love always,

Your dear older, more tech savvy sister

How cool is it that Goodwill is making it  easy to donate!  The forms are online and so easy to use.  They made maps for each donation site.  It's awesome!  I love seeing non-profits step it up to make it so easy for people to give things to others.  http://www.sfgoodwill.org/MaterialDonationsForm.aspx

Glide, another organization I give time to, has also a great online site that makes it so easy for me to sign up for the days I am going to help out.  (Hint hint, come join me)  As does HOBA and volunteermatch.

The Red Cross on the other hand, much more difficult.  It strikes me, and I say this as a healthcare professional, that the majority of healthcare related service companies do a pretty poor job of making it easy for people to donate time, money, or stuff.  Fascinating as they are in the business to help people. 

'Tis the season, go give some of your stuff away.  Other people need it especially this year.  The post office "Dear Santa" letters have been all about basic necessities this year instead of games and toys.  I'm sure there is something in your house you don't use and someone else would love to have.
http://wcbstv.com/local/dear.santa.letters.2.878405.html

Veteran's day .... I always pause and am awed at the people who make the decision to support their country in that way.  I am so thankful for all of you and those folks in my family who were a part of it long ago and hope that in the moments I get to spend with you, you feel my awe of what you do.  I thought I could do what you do, but I can't.  I'm not that brave.  I can help in other ways and try really hard to do that.  So, when you come home, I'm here for you and know that I support you and, will take on any person who gives you lip.  I throw a mean right hook when need be.

For the first time in a many many months, I feel hopeful about where the American people are going.  Funny given that we are at war and the economy is hurting.  However, the amazing dialogue that started during the primaries and continued throughout the election is still growing.

I had perhaps the second best conversation of my life with my dad the other day when he told me the reasons he voted for Obama and why he as a lifelong Republican thought this was such an important choice.  I was humbled hearing how he made his decision because I, as a hardcore Obama supporter, had wanted to cast Republicans of my dad's generation all into the same bag and write them off.  He proved me very wrong.  There is dialogue happening in this country.  Things are changing.

And while I am FURIOUS about Prop 8 passing, I blame myself for not doing more.  It didn't occur to me that people would choose to deny civil rights in this day and age or give more rights to chickens than their fellow human beings.  Am disgusted that Prop 8 passed but am going to fight it tooth and nail.  Again, in talking with my dad, he gave me the inspiration to keep moving forward.  He was thoughtful in this election and had many conversations with his peers,  so not only did he vote for Obama, some of his peers did too.

Let's not forget these dialogues.  We can move the USA forward in a whole other way now.  We are all Americans and need to show the world what our country can do to support people all over the world.  We are all human beings, together we can do all of this.  Then, we'll leave the world better off for my absolutely wonderful nieces and nephew. 

So who is joining me in DC in January?  Let's ring in the start of great changes together because we are all a part of this.

photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/slourie/sets/72157608225925884/

What a whirlwind weekend!  Flew all day Thursday after having done the press for the Roussanne on Wednesday night – which was tons of fun but went later than anticipated, thus, frantic packing and a decision to not sleep before the flight out of fear that I would miss it (6am flight out).  In hindsight, sleep may have made the flight better but I was all ready giddy so I’m not sure I would have been able to sleep well.

Arrived in Nice Friday morning, and the sky was that piercing blue that inspires you to drop everything and come play.  The sun was shining brilliantly causing the top of the water to glisten like diamonds dancing on the waves.  I dropped my bag off at the Hotel Windsor, put on my flip flops and sunglasses and explored Nice.   I walked along the Promenade des Anglais, pausing to kick it on the beach for a while with the beautiful turquoise water lapping at my feet.   Popped into a café for a delicious espresso and a brioche mmmm.  Walked around the port of old Nice up to the lighthouse and had some beautiful views on the quai but, of course, in my haste to be outside I forgot my camera in my bag.  Eventually meandered back to the hotel several hours later feeling renewed and excited to catch up with my Aussie friend John. 

The hotel was super cute and quirky.  The walls are decorated with Tintin book covers, which delighted me as I am a huge Tintin fan.  Each room is designed differently, with a unique quirky modern art take.  My room had fire orange carpets, super shiny silver bubble lamps, old school Lousi XIV style French furniture but the cushions were removed and metal plates put in (not as comfortable but very hip), and inside the closets were faux closets with some beautiful old suits from the 20’s serving as an art installation.  The windows were tall French doors that had these great “statue of liberty green” shutters.  The French doors opened onto a cute balcony that had grapes (Crushpad gods were following me) hanging down and overlooked the gorgeous lush garden below and the fun roofline of old chimneys.
Friday evening after numerous train delays John finally made it in and we went off in search of dinner.  Well, Nice on a Friday is not like it’s counterpart party towns and closes up early.  So we ended up sitting outside at a bar drinking wine, eating miscellanous amuse gueles, and catching up on life.

Saturday was a mad dash of a day and we covered many kilometers by foot.  We kicked off the day by wandering through the infamous Flower Market in Vieux Nice which was beautiful with the amazing colors of the flowers which perfumed the air with a heavenly sweetness. Enamored by the site and smells, we paused for breakfast at one of the cafes bordering the market, sitting at an outdoor table basking in the early morning sun.  I love a fresh baguette, real salted butter, and fabulous coffee to dip it in. With that in hand and the leisurely pace at which we breakfasted and watched the market come to life, we decided that this was the most civilized way one should start the day and were kicking ourselves for not starting every day in our lives like this.

We spent the rest of the day gallivanting across Nice, checking out the amazing produce at the farmers market, inhaling the delicious smells , savored the sweet delicate pate d’amande treats, running through fountains, and being awed by the kaleidescope of colors throughout the streets and buildings.  Eventually we walked across Nice and up what felt like THE LONGEST WINDING HILL IN THE WORLD in search of the Musée Matisse.  
At one point, the weather got angry and threatened us with rain when we were too far up the hill to turn around but having no idea how much farther the musée was.  Luckily, the gods smiled upon us and we arrived at the musée with blisters but not soaked.   The museum was wonderful in that it had some favorite pieces (Nu Bleu IV, Fleurs et Fruits, Nature mort aux livres), a slew of drawings and etudes for his more famous works, sculptures, stained glass, personal effects, etc. 
 
Outside the museum was an archeological site representing the ancient Roman city of Cemenelum.  There were Roman baths from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, a residential district with shops, and a 5th century paleochristian baptistery.  We poked around the ruins trying to imagine what it looked like back in the day with the roman baths, the intricate duct work, etc.  Balancing on an ancient rock we envisioned the old Roman nobles having their baths and contemplating the existence of the world.  In the midst of re-enacting history, the bright idea arose to hop the train and pop over to Monaco for the evening in homage to my grandmother who spent many winters in there.
We hoofed it back across town, which seemed to go remarkably faster, changed attire, and hopped the train to Monaco.  In Monaco there was a go kart race going on  (they are fanatics for vehicle races in Monaco).  It was fascinating to watch the speed with which these vehicles flew around the curves and how pressed into the seats were the drivers with their hands gripping the steering wheels, and their heads weeble wobbling with the speed.   It was, however, equally deafening so off to the “Stars and Strips” for an aperitif.  Had a great time checking out memorabilia and talking about ideas to save the world.  Eventually, hunger set upon us and off we went to a cute little Italian joint, a favorite of John’s.  A tasty thin crust pizza and bottle of wine later, we were satiated and walked along the harbor for a bit before hopping the train back to Nice.
 
Sunday was a cool, grayish day.  Because we were hopeful the weather would change, out we went dressed for a gorgeous sunny day.  As we zig zagged down to the flower market for another fabulous breakfast, the sun started to show. We inhaled the beautiful scents of the market, and decided to hop the train and head to Villefranche-sur-mer.  Villefranche is a tiny fishing town about two stops from Nice.  When we stepped off the train, the sun was shining brightly and off we went to wander through the tiny town and discover it’s magic.  We walked along the port and took in the many boats, the huge piles of fishing rope, and the funny conversations of the old men basking in the sun telling tall tales about the fish they caught.  From the port we wandered up through the fort and delighted in the beautiful views as we climbed higher and higher.  

We ventured up the steep steps of the tiny streets that threaded back from the port towards the top of the mountain.  Each nook and corner surprised us with an adorable restaurant or artist’s shop and even tiny churches embedded into the rock.  We explored the twisting stairwells and the catacombs that ran beneath the town.  There was always an image at every turn that took your breath away or made you laugh.  Incredible doorways the size of pint size people with beautiful old iron knockers.  A random cat lazily nestled on an old chair surrounded by flowers.  A table set with a pristine white tablecloth, wine glasses, and roses begging you to sit down.  All sorts of images that encouraged you to slow down and let the beauty and joy of the town sink into your soul.

Eventually the Caffe dell Arte won our hearts as our lunch spot because it was nestled under an awning if big fat purple grapes which I took as a sign from the universe that this was to be lunch.  We spent the next four hours enjoying delicious plates – bread, cheese, pesto, salad, gnocchi, and bottles of wine while watching the people going on with their lives.  It being a Sunday, there were quite a few marvelous grand-meres with their boxes of Sunday pastries slowly making their way back home pausing to chat with the other ladies on the way.  Or the older men bouncing along with a baguette in one hand and a cigarette in the other trading quips with Yves and Jean as they walked by.  As the sky turned to dusk and the lights came on in the port, flickering orange in the water, we realized it was time to hop back on the train and get John back to  Antibes so that he could get back to the boat at a decent hour.  Of course, the trains were operating on a lazy Sunday schedule and about 40 minutes after waiting for several trains, the train finally showed up and off it was back to Nice.  

John’s trip back to Antibes was smooth given that he was well versed in the consistent lateness of the trains.  My trip back to the US was a whole other story.  Having been woken up by a screeching tomcat at 1:30am, I somehow decided it was 4:30am because when I looked at my laptop it said 4:32pm which in my fuzzy morning mind became morning.  So, I jumped into the shower, threw on my travel attire and ran down the stairs to the reception.  The poor night clerk was suddenly roused from sleep.  He asked me if there were any problems with the room and was curious as to why I was headed out so early.  That should have made me think twice, but the fuzzy logic continued and I completely missed his reason for concern at the hour at which I was checking out.  Out the door and into the taxi I went.  The taxi driver in the midst of our debate about housing prices and strikes, told me he thought the airport “might be open” at this hour.  At that point I paused and asked what time it was.  His answer threw me for a loop as I realized just how many hours I would have to kill at the airport and that I could have been asleep at that moment instead of in a taxi debating politics.  Ugh.  Luckily on this trip I had the sense to bring two laptop batteries because I don’t think I have ever written as many emails nor caught up so much on Facebook as I did that morning as a means of keeping myself awake and engaged.

Eventually the counter finally opened and I made my way through security (with the requisite full scale molestation that I seem to get traveling these days) and parked myself by an outlet charging my laptop and waiting for the café to open up.  Eventually, I had my café and brioche and made my way onto the plane.  Within seconds I fell asleep only to awake suddenly from a nightmare involving having to count mini snickers for a cake decorating contest (awful!). My seat mate laughed at my horror at my dream and then gifted me a real life nightmare as he explained that apparently Frankfurt was socked in fog and we were landing in Stuttgart.  Hmmm…..probably not going to make my connections but they can reroute me somewhere right?

Wrong.  Lufthansa decided we would land in Stuttgart because we didn’t have enough fuel to circle Frankfurt waiting for the fog to break as the other planes were doing.  And, then, we would take a bus to Frankfurt.  My seat mate from the plane was also my seat mate on the bus.  He was a chatty, bright, interesting fellow who regaled me with about working for the Red Cross in Darfur and Isreal and the inadequate social life that exists as part of the International Red Cross. Then he tried to convince me to join his group in Darfur, after all, what a way to serve humanity. 

About three hours after arriving in Stuttgart we make it to Frankfurt.  I, of course, expected that Lufthansa has rebooked everyone and there would be an agent greeting us with our new boarding passes.  WRONG.  We were unceremoniously dumped on the sidewalk and left to our own devices.  The fine folks at Luftansa were arguing with us telling us we had landed in Frankfurt and were on the plane according to the computer.  Right ….. I’m standing in front of you …. Eventually our busload of folks finds the “irregular counter” which is the counter that rebooks people.  The huge billboard that shows the next three hours of flights was right above our heads so I was hopeful when I saw flights to Philadelphia, Washington, Los Angeles and New York that I would shortly be on a plane back home.

Of course, the great trip karma I had was planning something else.  After two hours standing in line in which about 6 of the 40 people were processed and I watched three of my potential flights go away, I decided to call USAir in the states and explained my predicament.  Within 15 minutes the wonderful folks at USAir rebooked me on an evening flight on United that was direct to San Francisco!  

In celebration of the greatness of USAir, I took my Red Cross seat mate to a late lunch as he was very much stuck in Frankfurt for the night as his flights back to Darfur were only every other day.  Upon returning him to the line to collect his hotel voucher, etc, I encouraged the other folks in line to get on the phone while waiting in the line so that they too, could get the hell out of Frankfurt.  Alas, they were all on Lufthansa and Lufthansa continued to insist they had landed in Frankfurt and were currently flying to other places.  Thus, those poor folks had to stay in line.  By the time my flight was open to board there were about 12 people still waiting in line (mind you this is about 4.5 hours after we had arrived) and those folks learned that the hotels were completely booked and the flights for the following day were equally crammed.  

I found myself skipping with relief to my plane even when I realized my fabulous first class upgrade was now a middle seat in a row of five in economy.  However, that I was going to make it home and not trapped in Frankfurt brought me all the joy I needed.  I didn’t even bat an eye when I was actively molested for the second time during my security search.  So, now, I am writing this post from the plane, my elbows glued to my side like chicken wings with the wafting scent of oily humans in too close proximity.  But, I’m headed home and that is a great thing.  Now, had the flight been grounded in Nice, I probably would have been the first one to skip out of the airport and gladly accept another two days in Nice, after all, a great piece of cheese, some baguette and wine with the backdrop of a slow, joyous fishing town ….

You knew that once I joined the Red Cross you were going to get harped on about your emergency supplies.   You all need to be prepared because when something does happen, we need to help the folks who can't help themselves versus you who are all able and smart folks.  And, as a healthcare professional, I'd be totally remiss in not being able to help during an emergency.

Basics -

1. Put together a kit.  It's easy and if you have no time, just order one here: http://www.redcrossstore.org/shopper/ProdList.aspx?LocationId=1
2. Have a plan (where to meet or who to call) and let people know what the plan is.
3. Get CPR training so that when something happens, such as your loved one goes down, you can help versus standing there helpless.
4. This site is great in terms of lost more info: http://72hours.org/index.html

My home emergency kit: (cause I have one for the Mini Cooper and one for the office)

Disaster kit

Disaster supplies:        Food:                                     Miscellaneous:                                 Hygiene stuff:
Lantern                        Datrex food packs (ick)         Map of SF                                         Toothbrush
Radio                           Chocolate bars                      Plastic storage containers                Toothpaste
Flashlight                     Granola bars                         Laptop charger                                  Soap
First aid kit                   Luna & Balance bars            Phone charger                                   Sunscreen
Stethoscope                Jolly Ranchers                       Lacie drive with info                          Moisturizer
Medications                 Water                                     Laptop                                               Deodorant
Poncho                        Crystal Light                          Deck of cards                                     Chapstick
Tarp                             Bottle of wine                         Pass the pigs                                     Tampons
Duct tape                     Plasticware                            Book                                                  Shirt, socks, underwear
Plastic gloves              Corkscrew                             Sharpies, pens, pencils                      Sunglasses   
Work gloves                Can & bottle opener              Copies of documents, licenses, etc    Baseball cap
Boots                           Wine stopper                         Masking tape                                     Coco Chanel
Face masks                                                               Thread & needle                                Condoms (you never know)
Candles                                                                     Cash & coins
Lighter
Matches
Whistle
Reflective emergency blanket
Light sticks
Water container
Extra batteries
Hand sanitizer
CPR mask

As a kid I wrote lists all the time.  Things I want to be when I grow up, places I want to visit, animals I want to see, sports I want to play.  You name it, I made a list for it.  I kept journals of lists.  When my birthday would roll around I'd start that list months in advance and give it to my parents.  These days I find the lists I write are either task lists or packing items (boring!).  Today, I wrote a list prioritizing the first 20 things I need to tackle on my marketing project, after which I sighed and daydreamed about writing a fun list.  Although the project is very fun, the list was daunting.

Given that I have been asked four times this week the dreaded question "what do you want for your birthday?", I'm thinking I should make this into my fun list.  As a kid the list always reflected my current hobbies and things I thought were cool (neon socks made the list back in the 80's, leg warmers, tap dance shoes, and so on).  So, here goes, my list of what I want for my birthday.

Indeed, many similarities to the lists of my youth.

Having twins and possible quintuplets is an amazing time crunch but in a really great way.  Read all about our progress at crushalicious.tumblr.com.

Welcome to the new blog documenting the adventures in wine making - Crushalicious.  (Alternatively known as Le Chateau Mamans du Bebe).

http://crushalicious.tumblr.com/

So, theoretically, I will be working on two blogs now....

Photo