Serpent Like Creature: The Oarfish

Recently two serpent- like creatures have been found dead, one in Catalina, the other in Oceanside. This creature, the oarfish, is rarely found dead or alive, as the oarfish dives more than 3,000 feet deep and they are solitary animals. They're the longest fish in the world, and feed primarily on zooplankton, selectively straining tiny euphauslids and other crustaceans from the water. Their greatest predators are large open-ocean carnivores. They have been known to grow to a length of 50 feet. Most of what we know about the oarfish has been found from deceased carcasses that have washed ashore, like the ones recently found in Southern California. Why have two of these creatures recently washed ashore? Seeing one would be unusual, so this is very rare. I have not heard any speculation as to why this would happen, but I suspect scientists will come up with something. We've had massive dolphin deaths recently, and the scientists are still trying to figure out the cause. Climate change and ocean change may be effecting species in ways we are not aware of yet. We'll just have to see what happens next and listen to the experts.

The Healing Power of Pets

My mom and I often talk to each other about our dogs. The pleasure they bring to us is immeasureable. When she discusses the joy and companionship Captain (Chichuaua mix) has brought her with her friends, they all say a dog is too much trouble. Yes, they are work, but the pleasure they bring and the scientifically proven benefits that occur from their mere presence, far outweighs any work.

Especially for the elderly, a pet can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, increase social interaction and physical activity and help them learn. Pets provide intangible benefits too. Pets live very much in the moment. They don't worry about tomorrow, and tomorrow can be very scary for an older person. Having an animal with that sense of now tends to rub off on people. Pets can reduce depression and lessen loneliness. Being alone can be incredibly barren and isolating for an older person, and the companionship of a pet can help fill that void.

Having a dog gives an older person a reason to get up every morning. You have to get up and take your dog out, and walk and feed him. This may sound like work, but for an older person with no one else at home, these tasks give that person responsibility, a reason to get up every day. (older people with disabilities might opt for a cat, where they still have the responsibility of feeding and loving him, but don't have to do the physical stuff). There is no greater feeling than walking in the house in the late afternoon and having your four legged friend at the door to greet you with lots of kisses and a little happy dance. Somebody loves you, somebody needs you, and somebody is waiting for you to come home. All the medicine in the world can't replace the love of a pet.

Years ago, before pet therapy was recognized for its great benefits, I had an older dog named Henry that I used to take to a convalescent hospital in Los Angeles, to visit the patients. We would come in, I would put Henry on the bed right next to the patient so they could pet him, and memories would come flooding back in some patients that hadn't talked much, or hadn't remembered much, in quite a while. It gave me such a good feeling to bring Henry there, to give these elderly men and women a chance to touch and cuddle my dog.

Yes, it's a lot of work to be a good pet owner, but for an elderly person who lives alone, the benefits far outweigh the negatives. Let's go get some of the dogs and cats out of the shelters and put at least one dog or cat in every senior living center. What a great life for the animals, and what a great addition for the senior living center. And rescue centers should not be telling perspective people that they can't adopt a dog if they're a certain age. This has happened to several people I know, including my mom. The adoption center doesn't want older people to adopt because they might die. Well anyone might die or be killed. That is ridiculous. Is it better to have an animal euthanized or spend his life in a no kill adoption center, or let him be adopted out by a senior that may live 2 years, 5 years or 10 years? I think we know the answer. Having seniors adopt unwanted dogs and cats is a win/win situation. Bringing a pet into your home, especially for a single senior, is priceless.

Sweet Lady Jane Is Oh So Sweet

In May, 1988, Jane Lockhart opened her bakery in Los Angeles. Years before, she started experimenting at home with desserts, finding the store bought cakes and pies too sweet and too commercial. With lots of support from friends and family, Jane opened Sweet Lady Jane, and has been there for 25 years. In all the years I lived in LA I must have driven by the bakery 100 times, yet I never stopped in. Her cakes are known all over Southern California. Wedding cakes, in particular, are works of art.

Well, I finally stopped in at Sweet Lady Jane in Santa Monica. It's on Montana, around 14th Street, and is great for morning coffee, lunch or dessert. I was in LA with my mom in December and as part of our eatathon afternoon, we went to Sweet Lady Jane for dessert. Why did I wait 25 years to try it? It's somewhere you want to try if you're anywhere in the vicinity.

Sweet Lady Jane offers cakes, pies, cupcakes, bread puddings, cheese cakes, tarts, bars, cookies and many specialty items. Portions are enormous. Each serving feeds about three people generously. Mom ordered a fantastic looking, and tasting blueberry pie. I ordered an individual lemon meringue pie that must have been about six inches high. At the table next to us, the three people ordered the most decadent chocolate layer cake you ever saw and a flan cake. They took most of it home, as did we.

Prices are steep. A 6 inch round cake is $37, and a 1/4 sheet layer cake is $115 and a 10 inch pie is $50. Our desserts were $7.50 each, but they were huge portions.

I would stop there for lunch anytime. Their sandwiches, soups and salads are so fresh and delicious looking, and it's a nice, cozy environment. Next time I will split dessert with mom, but the problem will be deciding what to get. They must have over 100 varieties of pies, cakes and tarts available at any one time. Decisions, decisions, but there's nothing to think about, because if you're in the area (Santa Monica or West Hollywood) you must go to Sweet Lady Jane.

Solterra In Leucadia: Good Wine and Good Food

Ron and I are always looking for someplace new to eat. Several months ago a new winery and restaurant opened on Highway 101 called Solterra. My friend Judith from the Y originally told me about it, but every time we tried to go there it was too busy. We tried it in mid February, and hit the jackpot. The restaurant was only half full and it was still happy hour.

The winery is a separate building, with some tables for eating. (Overflow from the restaurant). The restaurant itself, which is mainly a tapas bar, is great for happy hour. There are maybe a dozen tables plus a large bar where singles can sit and socialize. We had a nice table and a wonderful meal of tapas and wine. Actually Ron wanted to try the paella, one of the several entrees on the menu. He was not disappointed. The rice was perfectly cooked and well seasoned, and the dish contained a variety of wonderful seafood. All this for $22. I ordered two items from the tapas menu. First, a type of Spanish frittata, with potatoes, cheese and chilis, cut into bite size pieces. Then I ordered a charcuterie plate for $12 which consisted of a variety of sliced cured meats, marcona almonds toasted in oil and chilis, and a delicious variety of cured olives. I had a 2.5 ounce glass of their local Malbec for $3, which was just enough.

Happy hour is from 3-6 every day of the week, except Saturday and Sunday, when they offer a reverse happy hour, from 9-11pm. Clever idea. Many items from the regular menu are discounted if you come during happy hour. If you're into wine clubs and wine tasting, Solterra offers a club membership, and they do many wine tasting events there. This is a great restaurant to try when you feel like a good glass of wine and some heavy hors d'oeuvres, but since they don't take reservations, I would suggest calling the restaurant first to see how busy they are. We were lucky to finally hit a slow night, and I'm glad we did. We'll be back.

Are You Mentally Strong?

So many of us see people faced with adversity and say, "I could never do that." You don't know what you can do until you're faced with a difficult situation, and trust me, most of us can do more than we think we can. Executives, and entrepreneurs in particular, have tenacity, grit, optimism and an unfailing ability as Forbes contributor David Williams says, to "fail up."

Mental strength can also be identified by the things these people do NOT do. Below is a list of some of the things mentally strong individuals do not do. This includes executives, entrepreneurs, and anyone who is faced with adversity. Are you mentally strong?

1. Mentally strong people do not waste time feeling sorry for themselves. They have learned to take responsibility for their actions and outcomes, and they have an inherent understanding of the fact that life is not always fair.

2. Mentally strong people do not shy away from change, they embrace change and welcome challenge. Their biggest fear is not of the unknown, but of becoming complacent or stagnant.

3. Mentally strong people do not worry about pleasing others. The mentally strong person strives to be kind and fair, but is unafraid to speak up.

4. Mentally strong people do not dwell in the past. They do not mire their mental energy in past disappointments or fantasies of days gone by.

5. Mentally strong people do not make the same mistakes over and over. He/she accepts full responsibility for past behavior and is willing to learn from mistakes.

6. Mentally strong people do not feel the world owes them anything. They are prepared to work and succeed on their merits, at every stage of the game.

7. Mentally strong people do not give up after failure. Even the greatest entrepreneurs are willing to admit that their early efforts invariably brought many failures. The point is, they don't give up, but learn from their failures.

8. Mentally strong people do not expect immediate results. They're in it for the long haul. They apply their time and energy in measured doses and they celebrate each milestone and increment of success along they way.

Look at the people you know that you consider mentally strong, and my guess is they have many of these characteristics. Sometimes we don't know how strong we are until we are faced with adversity. In this era of "quick fixes" and instant gratification, the mentally strong, who are in it for the long haul, are the successful ones, if it's weight loss, exercise or business. Are you mentally strong?>

Van Cleef and Arpels Through The Years

The Bowers Museum in Santa Ana is one of my favorite little museums. Well, not so little anymore. It's the largest museum in Orange County. It began as a little regional museum. It has interesting exhibits every year, and the Van Cleef and Arpels exhibit I recently saw was wonderful. Our docent Barbara brought the pieces to life, with stories and anecdotes that added so much interest.

Van Cleef and Arpels opened its doors over 100 years ago, following the marriage of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels. They were gem setters and gem dealers, so their marriage created a jewelry business. Van Cleef and Arpels began in Paris, but now has stores all over the world. Through the years, brothers, sisters and cousins participated in the business. In 1999 the business was sold, but the new owners vow to continue the high standards set by their predecessors. High standards they were. The gems used in their jewelry were always of the highest quality, and the craftsmanship was superb. The company was innovative, finding new ways of setting stones to give different looks (one setting called the "mystery setting")and always trying to create jewelry that was versatile. The tiara made for Princess Grace could also be worn as a necklace.

Patrons of Van Cleef and Arpels were the rich and famous. They're the only ones that could afford this beautiful jewelry. Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Grace, Barbara Hutton, Maria Callas and the Duchess of Windsor were among their clients.

I am not often wowed by jewelry, but I was by this exhibit. Some of the pieces were so unique, like an Egyptian themed bracelet of diamonds, rubies and sapphires, where the stones were placed like a mosaic showing a man on a horse and an Egyptian woman. Stunning. Beautiful boxes used for pills or cigarettes or knick knacks were beautiful too. My favorite was a box with a peacock on top with feathers spread, made from hundreds of rubies, emeralds and sapphires.

Most of us can't afford these pieces, but it sure is fun to look. I rationalize that most of the pieces are too heavy, and would be uncomfortable to wear. We all sure enjoyed oohing and ahhing over the exhibit. It's just here for a few more weeks, but see if you can.

We completed the day by having lunch at Tangata, the restaurant adjacent to the museum. The menu is full of salads, soups, sandwiches, and main courses that make it difficult to decide what to eat. I had the Manchego salad, made with arugula, manchego cheese, apricots, dates , apples and walnuts. Barbara had a mixed salad with grilled salmon on top. Karen ordered the ravioli in cream sauce, which looked delicious. Charlene had the tuna melt with sweet potato fries. Best sweet potato fries ever. Get to Santa Ana and see the exhibit and have lunch before it closes. We sure had fun. You will too.

Mozza Comes To San Diego

Ever since my first introduction to Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles about three years ago, I've been hoping they would open a branch in San Diego. Finally, after opening Los Angeles, Singapore, and Newport Beach, they opened in the new center called The Headquarters, right next to Seaport Village. The owners of Pizzeria Mozza are Mario Batali, Nancy Silverton and Joe Bastianich, three names that are well known in foodie circles. On a Tuesday afternoon, six of us went to Mozza for lunch. We all loved it.

The menu is a little different than the Los Angeles location, which has its more expensive full dining restaurant, Osteria Mozza next door. Here in San Diego the owners wanted to give diners a taste of what is available at Osteria Mozza in LA, so they added some interesting appetizer items to the Pizzeria Mozza menu. We tried a variety of items, some good, others great. The great food we had was a mushroom and fontina cheese pizza. Crunch crust with lots of different types of mushrooms on top (and lots of them), in addition to fontina cheese. Simply delicious. Also, the chopped salad, filled with several types of chopped lettuce, salami, garbanzo beans, oregano, and pepperachinis was fantastic. The caprese salad was also outstanding. It was a big piece of mozzarella cheese (although I thought it was more like burrata cheese), with roasted tomatoes and basil and pesto on top. Wonderful. We also loved the fried potatoes and ceci beans, with a garlicy mayonnaise for dippings. Our Margheritta pizza was good, but not great. Service was wonderful. Our waiter Kevin was very accommodating. The music volume is low enough so that you can converse with others. We were full by the time dessert rolled around, but I can vouch for the budini, and the other sweets I saw look amazing. I can't wait to go back and try some other items. The problem is, when you really like one thing you want to order that again instead of trying something new, but there are so many interesting items on the menu, I will try one new thing on each visit.

The Headquarters is a beautiful center, with several other upscale restaurants, including Seasons 52, Eddie V's and Cheesecake Factory. Stores like Madison, Geppettos Toys, and a store next to Mozza, the name of which I can't remember, that sells things that are recycled. Purses made from seat belt straps, and bags made from the felt used in automobiles are just some of the items they carry. Wonderful store. I can't wait to go down to Pizzeria Mozza again. It's my favorite pizza dough ever, bar none.

Are You Teflon Or Velcro?

I was reading a diabetes magazine recently, and stumbled upon an article that I found very interesting. It had to do with stress, and how stress can lead to increase in one's blood glucose levels. In other words, stress is one of the factors in diabetes. I knew that already. Ron first developed diabetes in about 2002, at the time when he was feeling tremendous stress from business. Just prior to his 19 months in Taft, Ron's diabetes was completely out of control, in fact it was so bad that the endocrinologist was ready to put him on insulin injections. Luckily he didn't go this route, for when his life settled down, so did his glucose levels.

Back to the article. Are you a Teflon type or a Velcro type? It makes a huge difference in how you handle stress. I am a Teflon type. I let problems slide off me. I deal with them and then forget about them. I don't stew about a situation, especially one that is out of my control. This is a good thing, as increased stress is bad for you in many ways. Ron is a Velcro type. He can't let things go. If he's looking for a parking spot and someone slips in and takes a spot he was waiting for, he may still be mad about that hours later. The Teflon type would have been angry at the moment, then let it go.

There are many ways experts suggest reducing stress, and maybe some of them help(yoga, meditation, etc.). However, I think you are pretty much one type or another, and it's hard to change. We are what we are. Velcro types need to be aware of situations that will increase their stress levels, and try to moderate the stress. I do believe yoga and meditation have many benefits for everyone, but especially for the Velcro type personality. The problem is that many Velcro types are also Type A's, and have trouble sitting still to meditate or practice yoga. It's worth trying, though. It's a beautiful Sunday morning, and I'm off to yoga right now. I wish I could get Ron to come along.

The Broadway Musical: A Jewish Legacy

At one of my Brandeis study groups I recently saw the documentary, The Broadway Musical: A Jewish Legacy. It was a thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes, listening to Joel Grey narrate, and seeing clips of musicals and interviews with many composers, lyricists and songwriters.

Yiddish theatre was the precursor to the Broadway musical. If you listen to the melodies of the Yiddish theatre, you will find great similarities in Broadway musicals. George Gershwin wrote Swanee in 1919, and also tried to write for the Yiddish theatre, but was rejected as too American. We all recall the song "Let's Call the whole thing off," with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. He used American slang (tomatoe/tomahato, potato/potahto) in this song, but Yiddish theatre thought this was all "too American." George Gershwin was commissioned to write Rhapsody in Blue as an experimental piece. It has a Yiddish, old world sound at the beginning, then he moves to jazz. The composition is a melting pot of the American experience.

Jews and suffering are often thought of together, and many early Broadway musicals use the minor keys to create a bluesy feeling. (It's Ain't Necessarily So). There were a group of Jewish composers and songwriters in the early years of Broadway that wrote almost all of the musicals. (Cole Porter shows were the only exception). Jerome Kern, Harold Harlin, Richard Rodgers, Larry Hart, George and Ira Gershwin were the immigrant composers and songwriters that contributed so much to the birth of the uniquely American musical form, musical theatre. Jews rarely told Jewish stories, but wrote about other outsiders, other immigrant groups or minorities. Porgy and Bess, Funny Girl, Westside Story and South Pacific are just some examples of how Jews used other groups struggles to tell a story. The Broadway musical has made unaccepted groups more accepted.

Summer camps were the training grounds for composers and songwriters. Often composers would meet like minded creative types and establish life long friendships or working relationships from their teen age summer days. Camp Androscoggin was one of the most famous camps where creative types were first discovered. Stephen Sondheim was a camper at Androscoggin, and began his musical career by putting on shows for the campers.

In 1964 the Jews who had created the Broadway musical, finally told a Jewish story. Fiddler on the Roof was a huge success, although at the time of it's opening there was great skepticism on Broadway as to whether the rest of the world would be interested in a Jewish story. They were.

David Hyde Pierce sings a song at the beginning and end of the documentary. What it says is that if you're going to make a Broadway musical, you better have some Jews involved. Otherwise, expect a flop. I don't know how true this is today, but in the early years of musical theatre, it was mandatory to have Jews involved in the story and the songs and lyrics. The Broadway musical is just one of the many creative areas that Jews have made a significant contribution to in America. Who would have thought that a Jewish immigrant would become so assimilated that he could write the most famous Christmas song ever (White Christmas), the most famous Easter song ever (Easter Parade), and the song that came close to replacing the national anthem (God Bless America)?

Gjelina On Abbott Kinney= Fantastic

A day in LA is not complete without my trying a new restaurant. There's so much to choose from, but on the Saturday before Christmas, I went to LA to spend the day with my mom, and actually tried three new restaurants. Gjelina is not to be missed. Mom and I decided to park on Abbott Kinney and browse the wonderful collection of boutiques and specialty shops that abound on this half mile area in Venice. After about an hour of shopping we were getting hungry. Our original plan was to go to the Rockenwagner bistro for lunch, always a favorite of mine, but when we passed Gjelina and peeked inside, we knew we had to try it.

It's a bit dark inside, with lots of long wooden tables, community tables, some high top tables for 4, and some standard size tables along the wall. We sat along the wall where it was easy to look out over the room and see what everyone was eating. They also have a very nice dining patio in the back of the restaurant. It's a little bit noisy, as the place was packed, and a very interesting group of customers. Lots of foreign travelers, families (it was Saturday), many young men and women in their 30's and 40's, actors, writers, businessmen and women.

The menu is extensive. They serve breakfast, lunch, brunch on the weekends, and dinner. The menu is divided into several sections: appetizers, vegetables, small plates, pizza, large plates. All the food is interesting and unusual. Mom ordered the farro and eggs, a brunch item. It was a plate of farro cooked and seasoned with vegetables and spices, then topped with two perfectly poached eggs. Absolutely delicious. I ordered the lamb burger, well seasoned on a wonderful bun, with fries. I loved it, but couldn't finish. I have to go back to try the veggies and salads. Here are a few menu items that intrigued me. In the vegetable section they offer roasted cauliflower, garlic and chili and vinegar, anchovy and burrata toasts, with pepperonata, capers and sherry, and braised sweet corn with fresno chili, cilantro, lime and feta. In the salad section I want to try the spinach, crushed olive, pinenuts, and feta and garlic dressing, smoked trout, grapefruit, avocado, red onion and lemon sounded delicious, and everyone was raving about the kale salad which consisted of Tuscan kale, shaved fennel, radish, lemon, ricotta salata and breadcrumbs.

Pizzas were equally interesting: squash blossoms, zucchini, tomatoes, burrata and parmesan was one interesting pizza offered. Another was 4 types of onion, goat cheese, thyme and black pepper. Many small plates were listed on the menu, like ricotta gnocchi, cherry tomatoes, parmesan and green olive oil. I want to try the mushroom toast, with white wine, crème fraiche, grilled bread and thyme.

Don't go to Gjelina expecting to order a Diet Coke. They don't have them, but they do offer some refreshing carbonated fruit drinks, with sugar. (I think they were Italian). Portions were generous, wait staff was helpful and friendly, and the customers were an eclectic blend of characters. It's definitely a place to try if you're in Venice, California. Shopping on Abbott Kinney is great fun, and with another fine restaurant added to the area, you'll have plenty of restaurant choices. This is a restaurant well worth trying.

I'm A People Watcher

One of my favorite pastimes is to sit in a café on a busy street and people watch. I don't actually learn anything from this, but I do get an idea about whether people are happy, stressed, relaxed, or sad. On my recent Baltic Cruise in August I did some serious people watching in just about every port we visited. Here are some of my observations. Danes, Finns and Swedes are generally happy people. As you watch these people bicycle around the city, possibly with a child on the back, they all have smiles on their faces. The general population (at least in the big cities)in Scandinavian countries are physically fit. Their attitude toward work differs from Americans. Their goal is earn a good living, enough to give them free time to spend with their families. Americans, on the other hand, work to buy a bigger house, a more expensive car and fancier clothes. Everyone in Scandinivia makes a living wage. American waitresses make approximately $20,000 per year whereas a Swedish waitress makes around $48,000. No wonder they're so happy. They work a 37 hour week, have 6 weeks vacation each year, get a free education all the way through college (if they qualify) and have a great medical system. That's a lot to smile about. In contrast, the Russians that we saw were entirely different. For the most part, they looked solemn and unsmiling. They are not interacting with their friends in the same way the Scandinavians were. They have a look on their face that tells me they've had a hard life. We were in St. Petersburg, one of the most affluent cities in Russia, yet we saw few people on the streets, very few cafes and restaurants or bars. Because of their difficult economy, I did not see many Russians stylishly dressed. I know the major cities have expensive retail stores, but we did not see them. Our tour guide (masters degree in some form of biology) had lived in New York for 15 years with his American wife, and felt that Putin has moved the country in the wrong direction. Education, which used to be one of the best in the world, has declined dramatically. Unemployment, although not too high in major cities, is extremely high in rural areas, and there is no help for these people from the government. They don't have a lot to be happy about, and it shows on their faces. One thing I found out about people in all the Scandinavian countries, is that anyone with a good job probably has a summer home on one of the many islands. Except for the weather, they have an excellent quality of life, and live long lives, in part due to their happiness. This is a big factor in longevity. Closer to home, I will often go to Starbucks or another coffee house by myself, possibly with a book, and sit and read and people watch. I find a happy group of men and women in San Diego, many chatting with friends. Others are busy working on their computers or texting. The latter seems to be the major pastime of Americans, young and old, these days. People watching is something that you can do anytime, anywhere. Try it if you don't already do it.

My Personal Journal

It's the beginning of the month, and time to write the blog that I seem to find harder and harder to write. It has now been 31 months since Ron was released from Taft, so long ago. Yet, the effects of a felony conviction are life changing and long lasting. For example, Ron is applying for a new passport, as travel is hopefully in our future. Since he turned in his passport to federal authorities in 2008, it was neither lost or stolen, the two possible boxes on the passport application. There is no box for "destroyed by the federal government." So after several hours on the phone, I found out how to proceed. It's just that there seem to be roadblocks at every turn. I finally have the passport issue resolved.

Several weeks ago new rules were implemented at Costco, which required Ron to stand for his entire 5 hour shift. He simply can't do that, with neuropathy from diabetes. He was forced to quit his air conditioning job at Costco, one that we depended on for additional income. But, out of something negative, some good has come. Ron has gotten several new tax clients, and a potential monthly account. This should make up for what he lost in the air conditioning job. These situations create stress, and we all know about the negative effects of stress on the body, both physically and mentally.

The Superbowl was yesterday, and on Friday night, Ron was thinking about where he was three years ago during the Superbowl. He remembers vividly the excitement and anticipation of the big game from the inmates at Taft. It was the highlight of the first part of any year. Football was what the men lived for. Anyway, Ron was feeling very melancholy about the men he knew that were still in prison. Big Dave, Ron's Bunkie for much of the time he was at Taft, a brute of a man, as gentle as could be, but a meth user and distributor who could not stop, probably has 5 more years. David, an ultra conservative Jew serving a 25 year sentence (2 years to go)for a complicated case involving importing illegal drugs in a load of bricks, being punished by the feds for going to trial and getting an enhanced sentence, will soon be home. His wife and grown daughter from Los Angeles visit him every weekend. Mark, a real estate developer from Beverly Hills who was involved in mortgage fraud of some sort, who, after three weeks at Taft, was served with divorce papers and ignored by his daughter because of what he did. I knew all these people too, and could feel his pain. Although Ron has moved on, and rarely thinks about the men he left behind or the ones that have been released, certain events, like the Superbowl, trigger emotions and memories.

2014 is the year that Ron's probation will be over (October 8, but who's counting?)and he will be finished doing tedious monthly reports for the probation department. He finished January's report last night, and I reminded him he only has 8 more to do! Then no one will tell him whether or not he can go to Los Angeles to visit his children, or go to Orange County for dinner, and no one will tell him how much to spend for rent, and how to spend his money. What a beautiful feeling.