Falls under the category: Sucks to be you

I am a bit behind on posting, as usual.

But I did want to post some pictures from last weekend.

Manfriend and I were driving on Pacific Coast Highway at Hawthorne Boulevard when he did a doubletake.

We had to turn the car around to make sure what we thought we saw was really what we saw.

Yup.

A car had driven up a wire.

How in the heck does this happen?

The tow truck driver said he had seen a lot of weird accidents, but this was a first for him.

We wondered: How did it happen? How did the person get out of the car without it tipping over on its side? How were they going to get that thing off the wire?

There was no sticking around to find out though. We had tacos waiting for us for lunch. So we were left to wonder.

(By the way, we saw no ambulances, so I am hoping this means the person was just shaken up and not seriously hurt.)

Sure, it's a nice rut, but...

The visit to the Pine Wind Garden in Torrance made me realize that I need to get out of my rut.

I tend to do the same routine: work, home, work, store, home, work, food, cleaners, home, work, home... you get the idea.

I gave up my ceramics class at the Palos Verdes Art Center this past session because I wanted to deal with the kitchen and various other things and that three hours on Monday just seemed to tear right into valuable time.

But really, I don't have much to show for it.

OK, one of those Mondays I did grout the kitchen and one of them I was sick as a dog.

But overall, I didn't get as much done as I should have.

So the other night I went from room to room in the house making a list of all the projects and chores I want to tackle.

It soon became a long list. The next step will be to type it up and prioritize it.

Much like chores around the house, I think I need to make a list of the things I can be doing outside the house and get to at least one of those places a month.

Sure, I have been to the various farmers markets. I have been to the beach and driven around the Peninsula. But there are plenty more I haven't. And there are plenty that I saw once years ago and haven't seen again.

So I think it's time to make a list of all the unique local attractions I have yet to seen or want to experience again.

These can be parks, standing local events, galleries, museums... heck, just about anything.

But what is the best way to start?

Maybe I should start in my own city, Torrance, and radiate out from there.

Of course, the best place to start will be each city's Web site.

But I also want input from people who have been there, where ever there is.

Come on, get me out of my rut.

A gem in Torrance

I am a bit ashamed to say that it was not until my uncle and his bride decided to get married that I learned there is a Japanese garden in Torrance.

I have lived in the South Bay for 18-plus years and never knew this.

I really need to get out more. Especially to see all the things in my own back yard.

Anyway...

The wedding was Saturday at the Pine Wind Garden at the Torrance Civic Center. I took a few pictures before the wedding started.

This is by no means the biggest or most elaborate of the Japanese gardens in the L.A. area.

The garden at the Huntington in San Marino is far larger, with a tea house and the red lacquer bridge.

In La Canada-Flintridge, the Descanso Gardens offering has a tea house where you can actually get tea service.

But the small garden here in Torrance was a beautiful place for a small wedding.

The garden is manicured, yet with a natural, rambling feel in its small space.

A series of steps leads down to a small areas in front of a rock waterfall. There are tiered benches around that and space for more chairs. This is where the arbor was set up for the ceremony.

To the side of that area, a stone path winds its way around the small garden passing a fountain on its way to a koi pond.

Even though there were classes, a martial arts event and an arts event taking place in the surrounding rooms and auditoriums, the garden was still a peaceful place.

Since it is November, I think I was lucky to see a lone lily blooming on the pond.

Now that I know it is there, I want to go back in spring to see what flowers might bloom there.

And I really do need to get out of my little rut and get to more of the places the South Bay has to offer.

Playing ketchup, er, catch up.

First of all, no tire problems to note here. Whew!

I know I have not posted for a few days, but I had a busy weekend of chores and errands.

Here is a recap: Sunday we had our monthly stamper group lunch. It was fun as always. And the food was good as always. My contribution was dessert. I made a lowfat trifle with angel food cake, nectarines, strawberries and a sauce of part skim ricotta cheese and honey (instead of a heavy cream or custard). It was quite good and light. And the nectarines were fabulous in it.

After that I went home and did some chores around the house. I still have stuff to do. It never seems to end.

Monday was a good day. I found out I was approved for my refinancing. I was able to lower my interest rate and take out some equity all while keeping my payments the same.

Yay! I am planning on remodeling the kitchen. I also want to pay off a bill. But if I can stretch the moeny far enough, I may do some work on the guest bathroom.

That is going to be a very involved process for me. I have so many ideas of what I want in the kitchen. But the basic space and layout will not change. So I need to do some research and planning.

The notary came over that evening and I signed all the paperwork.

What else did I do Monday?

Oh yeah, I went to pottery. I was bummed to hear that the teacher I like won't be back in the fall and may not even be back for the summer class I have already paid for. I guess they will get someone to take that over if she leaves. I hope they don't cancel.

I decided to skip the Thursday class next session. Two days a week was too much. I like that Thursday time for chores. If I get the chores done Thursday before work, I don't spend so much of my weekend on them.

The rest of Monday I puttered around the house and did some cleaning.

Then I went to the late showing of "Knocked Up." It was a cute movie. Overall I enjoyed it. I could definitely tell it was from the "Anchorman" "40-Year-Old Virgin" people. So many of the actors were the same and the writing style is the same.

I don't buy that a smart, gorgeous successful woman like Katherine Heigl's character would hook up with a schlubby stoner like Seth Rogen's character. But hey, it is entertainment. Sometimes it requires turning off your brain and just enjoying the jokes.

As always, Paul Rudd was great. I think he is underrated as a comic actor.

Today I met a former colleague for lunch at a Japanese place in Torrance. It was washoku style food, which is Japanese comfort food. It was unusual in some ways, familiar in some ways. But very, very good. Even the stuff that was a little funky for me was at least interesting. My only experience with Japanese food is really sushi and the various dishes you might find in a sushi place. It was fun to try something new.

The name of the restaurant is Yuzu. It is in Old Torrance.

I had a lunch special of grilled halibut. It came with salad, miso soup, rice, tofu and a couple little dishes of pickled and stewed vegetables.

That is the art for this post. That was taken in dim light with a camera phone. Trust me, it looked MUCH, much better in person. And it tasted fabulous.

A sense of direction

I have none right now.

Which is why I haven't posted anything since the original entry.

I've worked a couple of six-day weeks in a row and have just been kind of drained.

I do have a full weekend coming up starting tomorrow. I can use the rest.

Sunday will be about chores, some creative projects at home and Easter dinner at my aunt's house.

I bought a copy of "Where the Wild Things Are" to give to my nephew. Since he is only 7 months old, he won't be into it yet. But it is a classic and every kid should have a copy.

Let the wild rumpus start, kid!

My pottery class at the PV Art Center starts again Monday. So far, in my two 10-week sessions, I have made a couple slightly wobbly trays/plates, some small, somewhat lopsided bowls and I have several pieces in progress now.

In the last session I even managed to make some bowls that will be big enough to use for cereal or soup. Finally.

And they are mostly not lopsided.

If I still feel artistic and creative, I may go wandering around the South Bay looking for inspiration for some designs to carve into the pottery before it is fired. I am really liking that effect.

I need to figure out how to post some pictures here. Then I will put up some shots of my bowls and maybe even some of the cards I have been working on lately.

But for now, I am done.