the latest from topa topa dr 4/11

reading john julian norwich' 'the popes' in anticipation of 'the borgias'. have to wait until it's avail on itunes since i'm too cheap to add showtime to my cable pkg. . . other news: i'm currently addicted to aljazeera live stream. their coverage of everything including california weather is interesting but i really appreciate their reporters on the ground in the mideast. guess i'll never get to see the pyramids. . . bbc radio 7 has become bbc radio 4 extra and i'm still trying to find an easy way to get to it. one of patrick o'brien's novels is being serialized on bbc radio 2, which reminded me that i love those books, so found some on audible.com and am now happily listening to 'master and commander'. . . preparing to start baking some easter goodies for church. i'm ringing bells for both services with the rest of the bell choir. i have never enjoyed performing more than with those bells. our director (julia neufeld) is using music composed and/or arranged by her sister (margaret tucker) and the music is lovely and even more enjoyable since there is a family connection. . . apparently the former rector spread the word that i wasn't interested in becoming a communicant, so people are leaving me alone to pursue my own path. these episcopals are an interesting group. our church has a wonderful homeless outreach, as well as hungry families, both of which are among my concerns. . . the kindergartener i was tutoring was taken into protective custody last week. poor little kid was apparently getting himself off to school every morning. found in the middle of the street crying 'cause he missed the bus by 'police' who took him home and awakened 'mom' and her male friend. 'mom' was asked why she wasn't getting her child off to school and her reply was 'not my kid--mom is on drugs and left him with me'. . . poor little tommy, blonde, blue eyed, adorable, desperate to please and always worried about where 'mom' was. . . she was always late and loaded, that's where she was. . . i called child protective svcs to ask them to let tommy know i'm worried about him and also to volunteer to continue to tutor him. . . msg left on voicemail with no reply as yet. 5 yrs old and abandoned in saticoy. . . easter brunch at watermark in ventura with mom, pete and warren. it's one of the trendy spots these days and i want to try it. i'm hooked on 'gotetsu' where yakuri prepares the most wonderful small dishes of delicious and innovative japanese food. the pari pari salad is extraordinary as is everything else. also loving 'mai's' for pho and vietnamese wonton soup. 'the local cafe' is the latest and local-est on main street. chef/co-owner of sidecar opened it a couple of months ago. fantastic sandwiches, soup, wonderful flavored water, meyer lemonade. all these places are comfortable for an elderly lady alone as well as groups. i have ordered takeout from each of them with excellent results, as well. . . kitchen remodel almost complete. new double lower cabinet has stainless steel tiles for horizontal surface as well as backsplash. matte black quarter-round and 2" x 4" flat tiles for apron. i love the look. found the tiles on the net, tried to source them locally: $1.65 each on the net, $20 each (repeat, $20 each) in ventura. not just no, but hell no. tiles were in my hands in one week after order, they could have arrived faster if i had paid for expedited shipping. not necessary, my wonderful carpenter/tiler/everything guy wasn't ready for them for a couple of weeks anyway. . . time for the cockapoo to hang up her laptop and start winding down. mega-baking tomorrow.