November 2005

- Wednesday November 30, 2005 -
For work (see career), I am in a PHP training class all this week. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. ;-)

- Tuesday November 29, 2005 -
Larry and Robin came into town from Santa Cruz for the Kings game tonight. We let them spend the night here instead of driving back late at night. We went to dinner at 524 and then to the game. The Kings lost. But it was good to see our friends.

- Monday November 28, 2005 -
Petra had an appointment with her radiation oncologist today. Petra is doing well, healing from the radiation and the accompanying burns and fatigue. She is allowed to continue working part-time, up to 24 hours per week, for the time being.

After that, her father came by the house and insulated our garage doors. The big, roll-up doors. This will keep the garage less cold in the winter (like now) and less hot in the summer. It already seems to be working, as we are in a cold snap here but the garage isn't that bad. Thanks!

- Sunday November 27, 2005 -
We went to visit the daughter, the boyfriend, and the grandkids for an hour and a half or so. Those kids really missed us while they were in Florida. Petra is really happy about them moving back here!

- Saturday November 26, 2005 -
It was a peaceful weekend, at least so far. We ran some errands and caught up on a few things around the house. Boring? No, but it did start to feel a little relaxing!

- Thursday November 24, 2005 -
Thanksgiving Day. After all that we have been through this year, we are most thankful for each other. There is nothing like a life-threatening disease to make you think about things. So we are spending the day with each other, thankful that we can. I'm not sure if the rest of the family understands, I hope they do. We made a full thanksgiving dinner (Tofurkey instead of a dead bird, of course), gravy, mashed potatoes (from scratch), stuffing, creamed corn, peach pie, cranberry sauce, you get the idea. That doesn't even include the snacks, like spinach dip with sourdough bread, etc. It was a great meal, supplemented by some nice wines from Villa Toscana and Montevina. We took a walk with the dog, KC, in the afternoon and watched a movie together in the evening (Coach Carter, pretty entertaining). It was a very nice day and we are thankful to have each other, hopefully for many years to come. Happy thanksgiving to you all too.

- Wednesday November 23, 2005 -
Now maybe we are getting somewhere! The Sacramento Kings beat the New Jersey Nets. The Kings looked pretty good.

Petra is still working part-time, up to 24 hours per week. She's feeling pretty good, considering. It's tiring but she's one tough cookie. How did that saying get started anyway? If you know, tell me here.

- Tuesday November 22, 2005 -
Another shameless plug: You can enter to win a free CD by Neil Young and/or Liz Phair. Go to Obsessed With Music to enter.

It was low-key the last few days. We did get some holiday shopping done. Oh, calm down!

On a different note, our daughter Andrea and our grandchildren just moved back to Sacramento from Florida. Her boyfriend too. We hadn't seen the granddaughters in over a year and it was great to see them. Welcome back, J and J.

- Monday November 21, 2005 -
The Sacramento Kings played the San Antonio Spurs. The Kings ended close but still lost by three points. A decent effort at least.

- Friday November 18, 2005 -
Be sure to check this out: It is the diploma that they gave Petra when she finished her radiation!

Tonight we saw the Sacramento Kings beat the Milwaukee Bucks tonight. The Kings had a very good game. And Milwaukee also is the home of Dean.

- Thursday November 17, 2005 -
Petra had a glass class, last one for a while. She also worked parttime four days this week, total 24 hours. Not too bad after nine months off.

- Wednesday November 16, 2005 -
Shameless plug: You can enter to win a free CD by John Fogerty and Creedence and/or Liz Phair. Go to Obsessed With Music to enter.

- Tuesday November 15, 2005 -
Petra is trying to get back into the groove, she worked about 7 hours today and has a glass class tonight. She is happy to be back programming and troubleshooting. And I am happy for her.

As I write this, the Sacramento Kings have a 20+ point lead after three quarters. They better not lose this one!

- Monday November 14, 2005 -
Petra went back to work today, after about nine months off recovering and fighting cancer. She worked about 6 1/2 hours and is authorized to work up to 24 hours per week at this point. She enjoyed being back but it was a little tiring for her. E-mail her or call her if you want to talk to her about it.

- Sunday November 13, 2005 -
Happy anniversary to us
Happy anniversary to us
Happy anniversary Steve and Petra
Happy anniversary to us

Yes, nineteen years and still going. How cool is that?!!! Of course, we went to the Kings game tonight and they lost big time. I didn't even link to their site in the last sentence! Yeah, they got beat badly by a team that had not won a game. It was pitiful. They even got booed a few times, but not by us.

We sold our old car, the Honda Civic. It was a good car and I liked it a lot. We sold it to friends Karl and Betty. It's kind of funny because last time we sold a car, a few years ago, they bought it also. It's kind of what they call trickle-down car owndership.

- Saturday November 12, 2005 -
Petra had a beading class in the morning. In the afternoon we bought a new car! Yep, that's right. We had been talking about it for over a year, and gradually did more research and narrowed down what we wanted. And today we bought it. It's a 2006 Toyota Camry Solara, the SE Sport model in red with a 'dark charcoal' interior. We added a JBL six-CD sound system and a moonroof. Yowzah!!! Are we having fun now!

Do you have an opinion about our new car? Tell me here.

- Friday November 11, 2005 -
Tonight we went to a concert, to see Rob Thomas (web site), former singer for Matchbox Twenty. He did most of the songs from his solo album and EP, and some Matchbox Twenty songs too. He also threw in a couple covers, Bowie's Let's Dance and Cyndi Lauper's Time after Time. And he did a nice slowed-down version of Smooth, his colaboration with Carlos Santana. It was a very entertaining show. Petra loves his album and loved the show.

Do you have an opinion about Rob Thomas? Tell me here.

- Thursday November 10, 2005 -
Petra had a followup appointment with her oncologist today, and of course I went too. He had done a blood test a week ago and we were there to discuss the results. We were both trying to tell ourselves that it would not be bad news. And it wasn't! It was good news. Her tumor markers in the blood were at a low count, which is a good sign, and there was no evidence of disease (NED, as the cancer patients call it). He said she had come through everything well and was doing as well as could be, given the circumstances. That will hold us for three more months at least until the next appointment with him.

Be sure to see Petra's Knock Out Breast Cancer web site.

- Wednesday November 9, 2005 -
Work work work. Seems like far too much of that. But it was a telework day and that is always better than going into the office. For some reason at the office they frown on you working in your pajamas! And talking of work, looks like Petra will try to resume work part-time on Monday next. It's been a long time since the surgery in February, the chemo, the radiation. She's ready. Tired but ready.

And I am still happy about the election results. Not only in California, but the two governorships back east that were open were both won by Democrats. And to make things even better, George Bush's approval ratings are the lowest he has ever had, pretty much in the toilet. Finally, the American people are waking up to his dangerous ways. Getting our kids killed in Iraq, spending money like it will never run out, giving more and more breaks to his rich friends, surrounding himself with ethically-challenged cronies who will do anything, illegal or dirty, to get their way. His mentality is that you are either with him or against him. Luckily, most people are now against him!

- Tuesday November 8, 2005 -
Today was election day. It should not have been, but our California governator (Ahnold) decided to spend $50-80 million of the taxpayers money to try to pass some laws without going through the normal process. It was an expensive attempt at a power grab and it failed miserably. Every single proposition on the ballot was defeated! The people told him in no uncertain terms that they did not want or need this special election that he called, and also that his right-wing agenda is way out of step with most Californians. Time to move back to the center, Ahnold, that's why people elected you. Not me, of course, he is not my cup of tea, not even close. But he got a lesson in political reality today. Time to work with the Democrats, who DO represent the majority of California. BTW, this was one of the first times that EVERYTHING came out the way I personally voted! Hope that luck lasts for next year!

But on a different note, we had a really nice dinner with friends John M and Joanne. Very pleasant. Then it was off to the Sacramento Kings game, where they got badly stomped by Detroit. It was not pretty. The Detroit defense was very strong and the Kings couldn't get much happening on either end. Sigh. John was happy, though, since he is a Detroit fan.

Do you have an opinion about the Kings? Tell me here.

- Sunday November 6, 2005 -
The Sacramento Kings played the Phoenix Suns, in Phoenix. We watched on TV and were rewarded because the Kings won! It was a very hard-fought game and a nice road victory.

- Saturday November 5, 2005 -
We got treated to a free all-you-can-eat buffet dinner at Villa Toscano Winery in Amador County. This was because of a case of 'futures' wine that we bought a while back. The food was good, though of course we skipped any dishes made out of dead animals. A bottle of good wine was included free with the dinner and we did a bit of free wine tasting afterward. It would have been a heck of a deal for free if we hadn't succumbed to temptation and bought a case of on-sale Zinfandel. Oh, well, in case of a terrorist attack, we will have plenty of wine stored away. For a while anyway ;-)

- Thursday November 3, 2005 -
The music database has been updated! These are the new items bought in the last four months. To see the complete music list go here. And write me, tell me what you think about these music items here.

Recent additions (last few months):
XTC - This Is Pop (7" vinyl)
Prince - Let's Work/Soul Jam Session (12" vinyl)
XTC - Apple Box 4CD set
Rolling Stones, The - Forty Licks
INXS - The Greatest Hits
Devo - Greatest Hits
Parker, Graham - Songs of No Consequence (autographed)
Pale Pacific, The - Urgency
Prince - Cinnamon Girl single
Wright, Abdel - Abdel Wright EP
Divorce, The - Redcoats EP
V/A - Music Inspired By Bumbershoot
V/A - Enjoy Every Sandwich-Songs of Warren Zevon
V/A - Tribute to Sublime: Look at All the Love
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Devo - Greatest Misses
Maktub - Khronos
Maktub - Say What You Mean
Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
Ramones, The - Weird Tales of the Ramones (sampler)
Penn, Michael - Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947
Killers, The - Hot Fuss (limited edition, bonus tracks)
Decemberists, The - Picaresque
White Stripes, The - Get Behind Me Satan
Band, The - Stage Fright (w/ bonus tracks)
Cake - Pressure Chief
Youngblood, Mary - Feed The Fire (autographed)
Pedro The Lion - Winners Never Quit
Pedro The Lion - Progress EP
Franti, Michael - Songs From The Front Porch
Spearhead - Home
Spearhead - Chocolate Supa Highway
Browne, Jackson - Solo Acoustic Vol. 1
Merchant, Natalie - Retrospective 1995-2005 2CD version
Band, The - Selections From The box Set (promo)
Dylan, Bob - American Journey 1956-1966
Smith, Earl Chinna - Inna De Yard
Marley, Damian - Welcome to Jamrock
Etheridge, Melissa - Greatest Hits - The Road Less Traveled
Etheridge, Melissa - Greatest Hits - The Road Less Traveled + DVD
Simon & Garfunkel - Columbia Studio Recordings 1964-1970 (5CD)
Juliana Theory, The - Deadbeat Sweetheart + DVD
Phair, Liz - Somebody's Miracle
Young, Neil - Prairie Wind

Also, Petra had another glass class tonight.

- Wednesday November 2, 2005 -
The Kings played much better tonight but the still lost. At least the were in the game this time!

- Tuesday November 1, 2005 -
Tonight was the Sacramento Kings first regular season game. It was a road game and the Kings stunk big-time. Really, they were awful. They were supposed to beat this team without too much problem and instead they lost by about 26 points. Sheesh and double sheesh!! Now they have to travel and play again tomorrow night. This is not the start that anyone here wanted. Aaargh! They need some really intense training on scoring, rebounding, passing, and defending.


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