FIRST OPEN HOUSE
Yesterday we went to our first High School open house. So what can I say... It's been a while since I sat in a high school gym!
Teachers all seem good, except for the Spanish teacher who reminded me of my old social studies teacher, a retired old army guy trying to be hip with the young kids. One main exception is that this guy is a condescending (think of an appropriate substitution for jerk).
Really liked the math teacher... UC Berkley graduate, one of those guys that you know will look out for you if you just ask for the help...
I think he'll (that is Tom Jr.) will be ok..
Before the cast came off - note all the "graffitti" from friends!
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PIEROGI
Today Tom Sr. decided to challange his cooking abilities. He decided to make Tom Jr. meat pierogi, his favorite thing to eat when we were in Poland in August.
Pierogi is a Polish type of Ravioli. The type stuffed with meat are not as well known in the US. Young Tom likes his with sauted onions in butter poured over them.
So here is Tom (Dad) with one of the Pierog in hand - poor guy worked very hard at this all day! It's hard work, because you have to make the dough and roll it out as thin as possible. Then you stuff with the meat mixture and boil.
Tom invited a couple of the neighborhood boys over, and they loved them! Who would have thought it - California skaters enjoying Pierogi cooked by our Mexican dad.
SPAS
Last night we went to a friend's wife's SPA opening in Down Town San Diego. Personally, I love the idea of going someplace to get pampered, get a massage and sit in a warm sauna for while and just relax and unwind.
The problem is that you usually have to spend quite a bit of money for that one hour of relaxation, and then you immediately walk out and it's gone! And all of the day's stresses seem almost more intensified than they were before. Even some of the people at the party last night mentioned that to me. You leave the spa, and get in your car and fight traffic going home. By the time you get back, start dealing with kids, husbands/wives, work, bills, all of the relaxation is GONE!
I guess that's a pretty sad statement on our lives over all. We need to go someplace and pay money to "relax" which must mean that we're unable to get to that state on our own anymore and then to maintain it for yourself for any period of time.
Fmily by lord Nelson
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Prince Charles laying the wreath on VJ day - London
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On one of Lord Nelson's lions
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still Portobello
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same
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More in the flea market by the skatepark - that's the Pattern Recognition Portobello area!
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Not much more to say here
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Sign by the skatepark - just our type of place!
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At Sherlock Holmes Hotel - Tom got a cot
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Portobello flea market
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X-box (previously playstation) park in London's Portobello area
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Having dinner at one of the pubs - fish and chips and ale!
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And of course a great on of father and son, with the Westminster Abbey in the background!
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And Tom Sr. in front of his great hero - Oliver Cromwell!!!
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Eating great sandwiches in the street right at the Green Market. I had this great pork sandwich with apples on it in a french bread - hot and fabulous.
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More pics from the Euro Trip - Tom with London Eye in the background - in the palm in his hand. Great Pic.
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Tom's cast
Tomorrow we're supposed to have Tom's broken checked to see if it's fully mended and whether his cast can come off. It's only been 3 weeks, so we'll see.
Of course the cast has not stopped him from skating!!! He's been off to his usual skating tricks.
Well we'll see what happens tomorrow. I also hope to hear back from the math and the spanish teachers. I think the math tests are a bit too much for him, he's not understanding the directions and appears too hurried to do the actual calculations.
Until tomorrow...
Starting to get more of the Sheila story
Yesterday I had a long conversation with the man who ended up taking care of Sheila, the dog, for the last 2 months and learned how they came to have her.
They live out in San Diego's east county, and his wife works at Grossmont Center - this is approximately 18 miles east from our house.
On August 8th, two days after the incident, the wife took Sheila home, because the Grossmont Center security guard was holding onto her, as he found her roaming around the center. She is an animal lover, and thought they would find the owner fairly quickly. They noted that she was well mannered, and obviously well taken care of, and figured they would see fliers posted around their neighborhood within days.
Well, they never realized that poor Sheila was abducted and far from home. He did tell me that she immediately got into their car, and wouldn't come out for the entire first night. I guess she just wanted to go home.
It was only last week that they were contacted by the person who took her. He explained that police were involved and I guess he wanted to get her back, but these people were suspicious and didn't want her to go to just anyone.
So finally, they were contacted by our detective, who explained more of what heppened, and that's when we got her back.
We plan to make a date with them in the next couple of weeks, because they got attached to her, and would like to see her again...
The person who actually took her, apparently got nervous that night, and tried to take her to the pet store at Grossmont and she got away from him. And that's when the security guard found her.
Now, we just still need to get this guy. But at least she's home safe.
Independent Skateboards? In the middle of Warsaw - you'd never know it...
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Old Town, Warsaw, August 2005 - right by the Royal Palace!
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About a 1.5 years ago, when we were in Park City, Utah, they had these artsy mooses all over the city - well in Warsaw, they had cows!!! Here's Tom, his skateboard, and one of the cows!
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More Eruo Trip pics - here is an intersecation I crossed every day on my way to school - see the poster?? Bytom, my home town, 1254 to 2004 - that's 750 years? And here US was celebrating the bicentennial? Hmmm...
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