Before and After

This is an old dog, who still thinks he's young, at the beach.

This is an old dog, who is completely worn out, the next day.

A lot like us I suppose. We never think we're too old for anything until the next day.

My Drive

This is the Malibu Canyon Road. This is my drive everyday. It is so breathtakingly beautiful. It's 9 miles from Calabasas to Pepperdine and about 6 of it is just like this picture. When the road reaches the coast, Pepperdine is directly on the right. Not only is it a piece of heaven on earth, it's a blast to drive. Sort of like playing Mario Kart on Wii. Rick and I had to drive up Piuma Road to get this shot. There are some incredible views from Piuma Road but not many places to pull over and take pictures. Apparently Will Smith lives on Piuma Road. And so do a lot of other very wealthy people, judging from the houses.

I've had a few requests for pictures of the apartment. Not much to see. Take special note of the awesome kitchen. I can't believe this is what I'm cooking in. It's what I call a "one thing at a time" kitchen. And that overhead light? Really? It's as big as the kitchen itself. Sometimes when I'm in there for a long time I feel like I'm going to be sucked up by the alien spacecraft above me! Very claustrophobic.

Calabasas Apartment

Lauren had a good check up at the doctor this week. It appears the calcaneous (heel) bone is growing nicely around the plate and 10 screws holding it together. She will have a CAT scan in three weeks to get a closer look. Dr. Virkus (Rush Hospital) and Dr. Thordarson (USC Hospital) will then confer and maybe, just maybe, she will be able to start putting some weight on the foot. A big maybe but we are all hopeful. That would be about 3 weeks ahead of the original schedule so we are cautiously optimistic. Her physical therapy continues to progress nicely.

Finally got the big man to play hooky with me on Friday. We drove up Piuma Road, then down to PCH and north to the dog beach with Ozzy. We just chilled on the beach all afternoon watching the surfers and wind surfers. We got another great recommendation from Jeanne for dinner. Neptune's Net. I've linked it here on the blog. Great place for seafood and sunsets and beer. Totally local and totally casual. Definitely taking Nancy and Colleen there when they visit at the end of the month.

Today we're off to a festival for Audrey and Henry's school. Well, future school. Maybe Appa can win some obnoxious stuffed animals for the kids. He's pretty good at that stuff.

Another Beach Day

My new routine is drop Lauren off at school and head to the beach. Yesterday it was Leo Carillo State Beach, the only dog friendly beach in Malibu. Simply gorgeous. I wanted to take more pictures but something happened to my camera after I took this one of Ozzy. My camera is completely fried. I think I bought the replacement policy for it but of course that would be back home in Illinois. DOH! Today I will head to Best Buy to see what they can do for me. How do you think that will turn out? I'm not holding out much hope either. Anyway, the beach was gorgeous but then again, I haven't seen a beach that isn't gorgeous. There were exactly 4 people and three dogs including me and Ozzy. So nice not to have to work and be able to go to the beach on a Tuesday afternoon. Ozzy didn't last long. After about 20 minutes he just laid down in the sand next to his water bowl. He did not want anything to do with those big waves. He was a scaredy cat. Every time a wave would come crashing in he would flinch and back away. Very different from the only other beach he has ever been to, the beach at Lake Barkley. No big waves there.

Lauren has started physical therapy for her foot. The first day she was able to move her foot up and down and rotate the ankle in both directions. Not very big moves but certainly a good sign. She said it wasn't really painful, it just felt tight, probably because there is still some swelling. This weekend she heads to San Francisco with the debate team. That means me and the big guy get a whole weekend to ourselves. That has not happened since the dreaded accident in mid July. Totally going to make the most of that. Perhaps a little beach action on Friday, sunset dinner on Malibu beach Friday night, and maybe a drive up to Santa Barbara on Saturday. The drive north on PCH is so breathtaking. I can't wait to show Rick. Hopefully I will have a new camera by then so I can post some pictures.

I Got a Bad Owie!

Yesterday Ozzy's friend Lucky came over and Ozzy got so excited he hurt himself! Nothing that $396 won't fix. Hopefully, anyway. The vet said he didn't break anything but may have torn some ligaments. He has to keep the splint on for a week and then they'll remove it and see if he's any better. He cried and whimpered all night long. Rick and I even slept in the family room with him since he is not too good on the stairs just yet. We are all going to Champaign for the weekend for Lauren's graduation. I hope Ozzy is up for college!

You Can't Make This Shit Up

Demolition on our existing deck began this morning. It is taking no time at all for three men to tear our deck to pieces. I took Ozzy out back to take a look at the process and snap a few pictures. As we are walking back to the house along the 30 year old spruce trees that line our property, Ozzy stops to do his business. I turn and look only to discover that he is peeing on one of the worker's sweatshirt! I'm not one to ever act sheepishly but I called out to the guys and asked whose shirt it was. When the one replied that it was his I told him what just happened. Of course everyone got a huge laugh out of it. Then the other guy said the dog peed on his shirt because he's a Sox fan. I can't argue with that. Said sweatshirt is currently in the washing machine.

In My Next Life

My father has always said that if there is a "life after" he wants to come back as my mother's dog. I want to come back as Lauren. Right now she has arrived safely in Florida for the week with 5 college friends. They are using our time share and staying in a 2 bedroom condo on the beach. Lauren just called to say that the master bedroom is HUGE with a HUGE walk-in closet and a HUGE master bath with separate shower and Jacuzzi tub. Nice. Good for her. We just hope we don't see her on one of those Girl's Gone Wild commercials!

Truth be told, I want to come back as me because my life ROCKS! Rick spoils both Lauren and me. And he does it quite well. I just got a brand new whopping diamond ring for my birthday. And it's not even my birthday for 4 more days. I love that man for so many reasons not just the great "prezzies" he gives me. But it makes the birthdays far more tolerable. In fact, it makes me want to have a birthday a month.

The girls are coming to Chitown this week for my birthday. Look out. Always a crazy time with them.

Then it's off to Cadiz for some good fishing I hope. I love fishing. It is so relaxing. Not to mention I tie a mean knot. Johnson taught me. He is the ultimate fisherman. I could learn lots from him and I have. Johnson and Kyle are heading down with Rick on Friday then Bonnie, Ozzy and I will join them on Monday. Ozzy is crazy for the lake. Really just the beach. He loves the beach. He especially loves to roll in the sand on dead fish that have washed ashore. Nasty. So so nasty. But I have good odor removing dog shampoo, thank God.

Illinoiskating Takes Silver at Nationals!

That's right.........Silver medal at Nationals! That would be 2nd in the country!!!! (I really hate when exclamation points are overused but I can't help myself in this situation!) Nobody expected it. Except, maybe, just maybe, the girls. They work so hard all year long to travel all over the country to prove themselves in a four minute skate. Four minutes. That's it. Not 9 innings, not a half, not 3 periods, not 4 quarters, not 18, 36 or 72 holes. 4 minutes. There is no coming back in the second half. It's now or never. You have to be on and they were in every sense. The Collegiate division is changing. Here comes University of Illinois Illinoiskating! It was such a close competition. Close between second and fourth place. Miami Ohio took first, they always do. Hard to compete with the Redhawks. But this is the first time ever the University of Illinois has medaled at Nationals and the first time they have ever beaten Michigan State and Delaware, both skating powerhouses. The Illini's skating program has only been around since 2001 and is already making the skating community take notice. They certainly did this weekend. Illinoiskating was the talk of Collegiate division. This victory may even help Illinoiskating's argument for Varsity status. Let's cross our fingers. That's Lauren, front row, second from right.

We are so proud of our daughter. Not only this but straight As last semester and on track for more of the same this semester. Lauren works so hard at everything she does and she deserves this so much. What great fun to be a proud parent.



In other news (as if there really is any! Ok, ok, I'll quit with the exclamation points.):

Dad is hanging in there with the chemo, etc. It has been rough recently but I'm hoping we are on a better path now.

Going down to Cadiz soon for a few weeks. Looking forward to spending some time with family and with my honey. We have lots of visitors coming and going so it should be a good time. Rick and I also got a fishing guide for one day. Then we are sure to catch some fishies.

The Girl's are coming in for my bday. Always a crazy ass time with them. On the agenda so far are limos and lobster and champagne, Corona for Col, and Hawthorne. Can't have a Girl's weekend without a little horsey action.

Marc is graduating from Tulane University's School of Law on May 16th. Wow. Three years, gone already. I'm sure Marc would argue the swiftness of those years.

Ozzy survived the lamb chop episode. Darn.

We miss Audrey. Maybe I can sneak over for a visit this week.

I Should Know Better

This morning I took some lamb chops out of the freezer to cook for dinner. Rick loves lamb chops. One could say that I am Queen Shit in Rick's eyes when I cook lamb chops. I hate lamb chops but I love my husband, therefore I cook him all the nasty meat he wants. While I was digging through the freezer I found a package that was unmarked. I unwrapped it and it was a little piece of sirloin. I thought I would take that out as well and make The Man steak and eggs for breakfast tomorrow. Again, Queen Shit. Rick went to visit Poppie this afternoon and I headed out to the grocery store. When I arrived home I discovered that Ozzy ate the lamb chops and the sirloin that had been thawing on the kitchen counter. BAD DOG! Plan B is homemade pizza for dinner.

Ozzy was a year and a half old when we adopted him from the shelter. He weighed 42 pounds. He is now 9 years old and weighs 72 pounds and our vet says that he is the perfect weight. But somewhere along the road of his life he was not fed well. This is why you can never leave lamb chops on the counter. Or any other kind of food. Silly me.

It's Been Waaaaaaaay Too Long

I know, I know. But I am about to make up for it. BIG TIME. Good thing I don't get paid for blogging, I'd starve.

I'll start with Alex's wedding. What a fabulous evening. Perfect weather for an outdoor ceremony. Alex and Will both looked smashing as did their parents. Rick was super hot in his purple shirt. I still can't believe I convinced him to wear it. I found the perfect fat dress (and full body girdle). Thank goodness all the styles are made to look like your pregnant and therefore hide many things. Oh, and just in case a wedding isn't fun enough, Al's (the bride's father) Lexus got smashed by the hotel shuttle bus just before the wedding. Here is Melissa and Alex karaoking (is that a word?) to "You Shook Me All Night Long." Perfect music for a wedding!

I spent a fun filled afternoon at Brookfield Zoo with Sophia, Mom and Deb. Gotta love a kid at the zoo. If life could always be so simple..........

While I love my parents very much a week at the lake may have been a bit too much. Just kidding Mom. Shirley is a lot like a toddler in that she needs constant attention. You have to feed her every few hours or she gets extremely crabby. She also needs frequent naps and constant supervision. I have to admit that I could not have survived if Mikey and Karla didn't show up for a few days. We had the best weather but after a solid week of sunny and 90 degrees we were all ready to come home. I don't think I can get any browner than I am right now. And we even got Big Bob out on the boat one day! And we discovered that beer is good food. That's right, food.

Last year I got salmonella from some hummus at Taste of Chicago but I was not going to let that keep me away this year. I have gone every single year and a little food poisoning will not deter me. Actually, the salmonella incident last year was the first time there was ever any problem at Taste. In my opinion that's a pretty outstanding record for more than 20 years. We had the usual crowd this year. Left to right are Officer Jake, Kristin, Karla, Sammi, Steph, Lauren, Joe and myself in front of Buckingham fountain, one of my favorite Chicago landmarks. (sidebar: Kristin and Sammi are Karla's daughters, Sammi is also Lauren's BFF. Officer Jake is Kristin's BF, Steph is Sammi and Lauren's BFF and Joe is Lauren's BF. Confused yet?)There is always lots going on at Taste on any given day. Concerts, giveaways, demonstrations, appearances, etc. While we did not see any concerts this year we were lucky enough to see the Budweiser Clydesdales in all their magnificent glory.Some of my favorite Taste memories from years gone by:

• Taking Shirl to see Lynyrd Skynyrd and having her ask throughout the concert when they were going to play "that song." Freebird is always, always their 20 minute encore!


• Seeing Dwight Yoakam from about the 20th row and having Rick and Mikey laugh continuously through the concert because you could see Dwight's "thing" hanging down his leg ala Tom Jones!
  
• Having Rick meet us for lunch each and every year. This year was a quick one since he had a big project he was working on and couldn't escape for longer than a sausage sangwich and a brew.


• Lauren and Sammi sharing a Hefty bag "raincoat" when they were about 6 or 7 years old. That didn't work out too well.


• Losing, and then finding, my prescription sunglasses on the water ride. This year was the first time they did not have the water ride. Someone must have gotten hurt last year and sued. End of the water ride.

There were a ton of volunteers passing out stickers, literature, etc. regarding Chicago's bid for the 2016 Olympics. That would be so awesome if we got them. I think Chicago is one of the greatest cities in the world and if ever there was a mayor who could get the Olympics here it's Richard M. Daley. Go Daley!

July 4th. It always starts July 3rd with watching the fireworks along the lakefront from Rick's office on the 63rd floor of Sears Tower. It is so perfect. No crowds (this year they estimated a million people at the lakefront), air conditioning, no mosquitoes, lots of good food and drink and my family. This was the first year that J & J joined us. Just think, next year Wyatt will be here. Very exciting. Here's the gang at Rick's office. Left to right are Justin, Jeanne (with Wyatt) me, Rick, Sammi, Sammi's BF Jeff, Lauren and Joe. Then it's "Party in the Street" for the 4th. We have this crazy neighbor who lives in Hawaii most of the year but comes in for the 4th just to have this huge fireworks display. I swear it is just like downtown. Anyone who has ever come to Party in the Street will vouch for me on this one. About 6pm all the neighbors (along with friends and family) gather in the street. Heavy drinking ensues until Al comes out to invite us all into his yard. This is just a sampling of what we see every year.

While this video is just shy of one minute long the actual display goes on for about an hour, nonstop. This guy may be a bigger pyromaniac than my husband! Shocking, I know.

To end this post I would like to talk a bit about my lazy ass dog. When we were at the lake Ozzy was so tired after a few days on the beach I thought he would collapse. But each morning when we would pack our lunch and boat bag he would be right there waiting to go. And each evening when we would arrive home he would pass out, usually on the couch. This particular couch picture is in my bedroom here in the HG but you get the idea. Once we got back to the HG I think Ozzy slept solid for three days. There were knocks at the door that didn't even rouse him. Life is hard for the Ozman. And so much for my nice leather couch that stays covered with an old comforter so Ozzy doesn't wreck it. There's some money well spent.

Again, my apologies for not posting for a month. I promise to try and be better. Don't give up on me.

Today's Agenda

Since I finally got all of my Christmas decorations taken down and put away yesterday, I had planned on getting to a long list of menial chores today. No chance. I must start building my ark. It has been raining steadily since about 5pm yesterday and much more rain is in the forecast for today. Having the creek run through our woods is quite lovely most of the time, but when the heavy rains come the creek swells quite rapidly. While we have never had water in the house due to a storm, it does put us on edge each time. Thank God for our sloping land. The rains would have to come for 40 days and 40 nights before the flooding would ever make it to the house.

Ozzy is not too fond of the flooding. He almost always does his "business" in the woods. Very thoughtful of him since we don't pick up after him in the woods. On the rare occasion he does go in the yard, we don't pick up after him then either! Each time we walk him when there is flooding, he gets to the edge of the yard and stares longingly into the woods for a few moments. With the saddest face ever he then squats and does his business. Poor dog. Life is hard for him.

Happy Birthday Lauren

While today is Lauren's birthday, we actually had the "birthday dinner" on Tuesday night due to scheduling difficulties. Lauren's birthday dinner is always the same. Barbecued ribs (with Rick's homemade sauce), tomato and fresh mozzarella salad, baked potatoes with sour cream and absolutely no vegetables. And let us not forget the traditional Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. Also always the same. Mint chocolate chip ice cream with chocolate cake. I won't tell you how badly I was ripped off on that cake. You can see how small it is. The damn cake was $28! OK, I had to tell. I couldn't believe it. Next year I think I will try Coldstone Creamery for the cake.

I had to include this picture. Obviously, the Anderson pyromaniac gene has been passed down to Justin and Lauren. And, obviously it has rubbed off on Jeanne (whose arm is in the forefront of the photo) and Joe. No, the smoke alarm did not go off. Look how happy Justin and Lauren are!

So a great big HAPPY 19th BIRHTDAY to our Galooger!

I would also like to extend my sincere wishes for a happy and safe Thanksgiving to all. There are many things I am thankful for this holiday, far more than I could ever list. Here are just a few, not in any particular order, except for the first one.

Bobby's strong will to survive this ordeal (Bob always bragged about being the toughest of the Ubriacos. He wins. I won't ever argue that point with him again.)

My kids and the fine young people they have become

My adoring husband whom I love with all my heart and soul. I couldn't make it without him.

All of the Ubriacos and Andersons, those close and far away

My dog Ozzy and my adopted kitties Jethro and Ringo

The sun and the moon and the stars

Last, but not least, wine

And We're Off!

The big Italy trip is finally here. First stop Rome. Bob and Shirl are holding down the fort here in the HG. Tune back in after the 21st and there will be lots of pictures and stories.

I will miss my dog. ;(

All Set

Tomorrow Lauren is off to U. of I. The U-Haul is loaded down with all the necessaries: computer, bedding, clothes, storage bins, school supplies, etc. I am sure we are forgetting something, but what? Time will tell. We have a long day ahead of us but great rewards for all in the end. Lauren will be free of her nagging parents and we will be free of our hormonal teenager. At least temporarily. Good enough for me. The ship sails at 7am. First to the kennel in Champaign to drop off Ozzy for the day. Then to Hopkins Hall for the unloading/unpacking fiasco. Once that is complete we will drop off the U-Haul in Champaign, pick up Ozzy from the kennel and head straight to Cadiz for a week alone with my hubby. It doesn't even seem real. Lauren going off to college doesn't seem real and a week alone with my hubby doesn't seem real. Say a prayer for us all, we're going to need it.

Just Call Me Shrek

The party preparations are well under way. But not without incident. Last night Rick, Lauren, Karla and myself were busy doing our assigned tasks. Rick mowed the lawn, burned some boxes we had lying around the basement, carried in all the pop and beer, etc. Lauren cleaned all the bathrooms (she is the best bathroom cleaner!), decorated the basement, cleaned her room, etc. I pretty much cleaned all day. Then Karla and I played "Martha Stewart on a Budget," changed the music in the jukebox (a big fucking royal pain in my ass which is why it doesn't get done often), etc. Everything was going too smoothly. Rick came in from burning the boxes and asked me what was in them. I said nothing. He said there were two big "wheels" that were maybe Styrofoam or something burning in the box fire. Whatever. About five minutes later it occurred to me that the "wheels" were actually the crepe paper I had bought for decorating. He inadvertently burned the entire box of graduation decorations I had ordered a month ago. Under no circumstance should you ever give this man a match. Only those who know me well know what happened next. It was not pretty. So I'm flipping out and Rick is just staring at me, Lauren and Karla are SILENT when Rick just starts laughing at me. He is the only one who could ever get away with that! Not too long after that I took a break during which I played with Ozzy a bit. But just a bit. I turned around in a hurry while chasing Ozzy and SLAMMED the shit out of the right side of my head on the open door of the jukebox! Ice packs and Advil ensued along with a huge bump. Rick couldn't hold back. He looked at my face and said, "Nice goin' Shrek."

Other than that, things are going great. See you all tomorrow, black eye and all!

Still Safe

For every wooded acre of land there are supposed to be 3 million cicadas. That would be 9 million in my yard alone. We have yet to see a single cicada in the HG. There have been news reports of the cicadas emerging in suburbs north of us; Northbrook, Waukegan and Elmhurst. People are having cicada parties that include a variety of cicada fare; cicada pie, cicada kabobs, fried cicadas, etc. Who are the crazy bastards that are eating this shit?! Each morning Lauren and I send Rick out to walk Ozzy and give us the "cicada report." Neither Lauren nor I are leaving the house when and if they ever do arrive. (Women in my family have serious issues with bugs. Far too serious, I'm afraid, to analyze on the blog.)

Now that I have blogged about it I'm sure we will be invaded any second.

Lazy Dog

Every weekday morning is the same around here. Rick and I are up early, I make coffee, Rick gets the newspaper from the driveway. We have coffee, read the paper and yell for Lauren to get her butt out of bed. Once Lauren is off to school Rick takes Ozzy for his morning walk. The routine was thrown for a loop today when Rick had to leave early to bring his car in for repairs. As he was walking out the door Ozzy just sort of looked at him longingly since Rick had not taken him out yet. That would be my job today. I finished reading the paper and began to prepare to take Ozzy for his walk. But I couldn't find him. After searching high and low, alas...

I guess he was too tired to watch for "Big Dogs" this morning.

Now I've Seen it All

Rick actually put salt and pepper on Ozzy's plate of leftovers tonight. He just knew that Ozzy thought the chicken needed salt.

A Brief Lesson in Andersonese

When we adopted Ozzy we took a family vote on whether to keep his name or change it. I wanted to change it but lost the vote 2-1. Over time Ozzy has developed into Osbourne, Osborneo, Bjorn dog, Bjornin, Binny, Binbob, Bin Laden, Benjamin, Benjammin, Benjamminanineeno, Benbob and too many more to list. And believe it or not the dog answers to all of these.

This morning Ozzy was a happy dog playing with his new rawhide bone. Chewing it, hiding it, finding it, hiding it again. Rick came into the room and said to Ozzy, "Where's your binbone, Benbob? Binbob, where's your benbone?" And Ozzy knew exactly what he meant and promptly retrieved his binbone.

Other examples of Andersonese:
If something is chicken, it is small. Examples: He sure drives a chicken car. They live in a chicken house. I don't want to eat there, they have chicken steaks!
If something is a Waaaaaaaah, it is extraordinarily large, as in a very long french fry. If you are eating fries with someone and you come accross a very long one you should hold it up for all to see and say Waaaaaaah!
If something is a Haaaaaaaah, it is an extraordinary accomplishment. Example: When Lauren's skating team won the gold medal in Italy I believe Rick's first word to her was Haaaaaaah!

That's all for today. I don't want to overwhelm you. But you will be quizzed next time I see you.

Venison Anyone?

I've always been more of a tomboy than a girl. Not that I don't like girlie things because nothing makes me happier than a nice pair of shoes or a new Coach purse, except champagne of course. But sports and competition is where its at for me. And although I have never been a big fan of hunting, I am contemplating taking up this sport. Why? So I can shoot the deer that terrorize my dog on a daily basis. Or maybe I should shoot the dog......

One of Many Culprits

Remind me to get another big, hairy, slobbering, barking, whining, crying, screeching, jumping dog.