RKCP vs the van

Around 2 o'clock this afternoon, I got a call from a panicing, upset RKCP. She needed me to pick the kids up from school because SHE RAN OUT OF GAS.

Please, feel free to ridicule her in the comments...

10th Anniversary Cruise

In early August, RCP and I went on a cruise for our 10th (!) anniversary. It was a 4 night jaunt, from LA, to San Diego and then back up to Catalina, then to Ensenada, Mexico and back to LA. If you look at a map of California, you will see that this routing doesn't make any sense -- the harbor is 20 miles from Catalina.

When booking the cruise, I spent some time finding the cheapest fare, and Orbitz won. It was about $750 for the two of us, which I thought made the whole trip a cheap date. Our room was small, but it had a window and we weren't under water.

We left the kids with Gram and Pop, and they seemed to have a good time.

Our dinner companions were nice people. One of the couples was married on the same day as us, so the night of our anniversary was festive. Another couple was from Brazil, which is fascinating because why would someone come from Brazil for a silly cruise along the California coast? (Answer: they were here for a job thing.)

I bought a bottle of absinthe in Mexico, which is banned here. I appear to retain my sanity, so it isn't everything its cracked up to be.

I discovered that I like playing blackjack. I won about $150 on the first night (which is HUGE stakes for me), and stayed about $100 ahead for the rest of the trip.

This ship doesn't really compare to the Freedom of the Seas, which is the huge boat we took last year. The crew on this one seemed like they were in training, compared to the amazing service we had on previous cruises.

Trader Joe's Mania Hits South Valley

Ripped from the headlines:

Gilroy Dispatch, December 9, 2006

Big crowds show support for specialty grocer

Much to the delight of many, Trader Joe's is finally open. After years of longing by residents and eight months of plans and construction, the specialty food chain opened it's doors to loyal South County shoppers Friday morning.

[...]

"Obviously it's very popular," said [RKCP], a Gilroy nutritionist, who added spinach and curry sauces to her cart. "I was amazed to pull into the (117-space) parking lot after 9am and see it was already packed."

[...]

I expect a letter to the editor asking for a correction: She is a dietitian, not a nutritionist. I'm a little worried that I have spinach to look forward to soon.