California – Page 113 – FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER!

Mr. Huggable

February 14, 2018February 14, 2018 Posted in California, dating, firsts, humor, Lafayette, last, online dating, relationships, worstLeave a comment

His name on Plenty of Fish was Mr. Huggable. Her name was Charming Classic. She didn’t know yet that first dates are better as a coffee meet and greet, not a full-blown lunch. They agreed to meet at El Charro, a nice Mexican restaurant in Lafayette. It was set for 1:00 in the restaurant bar… Continue reading Mr. Huggable

Lady Doritos

February 13, 2018February 14, 2018 Posted in California, food cravings, gender roles, humor, losers, memoir, relationships, retail, snack food, worst4 Comments

PepsiCo, have you been paying attention? This is the year of #metoo, #timesup and the second year of the Women’s March. This is the worst time to be introducing girly snacks , when the whole point of the aforementioned movements is to treat women THE SAME as men are treated. Men don’t get raped (well,… Continue reading Lady Doritos

A Good Dog Neighbor

February 12, 2018February 12, 2018 Posted in animal rescue, California, caregiver, dog training, helpful strangers, humor, memoir, neighbors, relationships, sonLeave a comment

Yesterday my son and I had lunch together at the local sandwich shop. He brought his little dog, half Chihuahua, half terrier. I fed Violet scraps of lettuce under the table while we ate. She thinks she’s a vegetarian. Afterward, we followed the usual routine and came back to my house, where Violet could run… Continue reading A Good Dog Neighbor

Escape

February 10, 2018 Posted in California, dating, drugs, firsts, memoir, relationships, restaurant, worstLeave a comment

Scott answered a personal ad in the Contra Costa Times for a woman looking for a date. People used to run personal ads in newspapers to acquire dates, the same way they advertised open houses and garage sales. This was long ago, before the internet and before online dating. An ad was a commercial, a… Continue reading Escape

Prince Not So Charming

February 9, 2018February 9, 2018 Posted in California, dating, firsts, friends, girl friends, Halloween, holidays, house party, humor, last, memoir, narcissist, party, pick-up lines, relationships, worstLeave a comment

He was dressed as Prince Charming. I was dressed as a 1930’s nurse from Samuel Merritt Nursing School in Oakland, admittedly a weird Halloween costume, but the woman at the estate sale had practically given it to me after I bought $200 worth of antiques for my vintage shop. My friend, Nancy, her niece, and… Continue reading Prince Not So Charming

The Tree Whisperer

February 7, 2018February 7, 2018 Posted in California, care giver, clueless, helpful strangers, humor, memoir, neighbors, relationships, treesLeave a comment

I walk my neighborhood once or twice most days. Since I am a tree hugger and have planted more than sixty trees at my various houses over the years, I will free a distressed tree when I see one. I carry scissors in my back pocket, the little ones used in kindergarten. That way, if… Continue reading The Tree Whisperer

His Baby, She Wrote Him a Letter

February 6, 2018February 6, 2018 Posted in best, California, dating, firsts, getting dumped, humor, last, military, relationships, VietnamLeave a comment

Holly moved from San Francisco to the East Bay and missed her old classmates. The smart kids and the popular kids had already established their cliques. She was an outsider. Holly had no close friends to share her excitement and concerns at Bishop O’Dowd High School, even though she was kind of cute, smart, and… Continue reading His Baby, She Wrote Him a Letter

Crazy Daisy

February 4, 2018February 4, 2018 Posted in animal adoption, animal rescue, California, caregiver, dog training, dogs, humor, memoir, neighbors, relationshipsLeave a comment

Now in my second month with the crazy rescue dog (she has lots of issues), I realized that my other dog acts worse when on a walk with the rescue girl. It didn’t dawn on me until one day my right hand wouldn’t grip anything. I had sprained it while walking the two dogs together.… Continue reading Crazy Daisy

How to Relax for Bed

February 3, 2018February 3, 2018 Posted in ASMR, best, California, humor, internet, ironing, laundry, memoir, relationships, thrift storeLeave a comment

I decided to close my online costume shop this past summer. I donated 500 dresses to a charity for 3rd world girls and sorted through my aprons, pulling out all the hostess ones, the sheer ones not for cooking. I had 150 of them. I gave them to my local thrift store, the one that… Continue reading How to Relax for Bed

Chemistry is Everything

February 2, 2018 Posted in Berkeley, best, California, college, dating, firsts, fraternity, marriage proposal, relationshipsLeave a comment

Sharon was a Sigma Kappa at Cal Berkeley, in her junior year. As she stood outside her sorority house, chatting with the house mom, a guy that she knew from Kappa Sigma crossed the street. “Hey Sharon, do you want to go to pinning party with me tonight?” “Okay,” Sharon said, even though she didn’t… Continue reading Chemistry is Everything