Birthday Celebrations

I was invited to an ex co-worker son's birthday party today at a neighborhood park. Thank goodness the weather was co-operating as it turned out to be a wonderful day. I picked up my friend's son, Maurice, to come along and enjoy the day plus give his gramma Diane, a break. I saw many of my co-workers who have been wondering about me and didn't know why I left work suddenly. I explained to them that I have rheumatoid arthritis and my doctor stated that I could not lift more than 10 pounds and to rest. My employers require that I be able to lift 70 pounds and because of this requirement, they had to send me on a family leave until my doctor could write me back into my duties. I've been off of work for two months and have been busier than ever. I don't miss work at all, I do miss my co-workers and the money I used to make picking up hours and overtime. Sick time hours just don't cut it! It was good to see everyone and let them see that I was alright. There was lots of food as usual. You know, the good Filipino kind, rice, pancit, lumpia, teriyaki chicken and beef, short ribs, lihimoi pineapple and mac salad. Yummy! All of a sudden, some of the kids came to me and said Maurice was on the tanbark ground crying. I immediately went over to see what happened. He was balled up and holding his head and too upset or embarrassed to talk. I asked the other kids who witnessed what happened and they said that he was running underneath a play structure and hit his head on the wooden walkway just above his head. I made sure that there was no open wound or blood coming from his head. Except for his crying, he seemed OK but definitely embarrassed. All in all, it was a great party, lots of kids, good friends and awesome food. After the party, "D" and I went over to Mama Diane's to drop off Maurice. We sat a spell and visited with mama. "D" ate again since he only nibbled at the party. I packed a "to go" plate for mama and she's always happy when food is brought home. That means she doesn't have to cook. We said our goodbye's and made our way into the beautiful city of San Francisco.

It is D's birthday today and we are going to play tourist. We took my truck "big Betty" into the city and started off with a nice little trip down Lombard's "crookedest street in the world". I took my time and "D" was like a little kid in a candy store admiring all of the beautiful homes and gardens on that street. It was night time and fairly lit but the view of this place is more glorious in the day time. From there we landed at Fisherman's Wharf and the parking goddess was with me in offering a great parking place one block away from the Powell/Hyde street cable car pickup. "D" has never been on a cable car before and this was his first time in all of this 13 years in California. We met Thomas, the brakeman, who let us stay toward the rear of the cable car as he worked the lead in maneuvering the noisy metal horse. We watched the hills get steeper as we climbed towards the fog shrouded peak only to make our way back down through small neighborhoods and hairpin turns. "D" shrieked with glee as his inner child brought forth a smile so bright, we could have been mistaken for a beacon on Nob Hill. The cable car let us out at Union Square and we said our goodbye's to Thomas. We were on a mission in search of libations to quench our thirst. We walked around Union Square and watch them put lights on the 40 maybe 50 foot Christmas tree. Macy's had their story book themed windows aglow as people nuzzled up to the glass to get a closer look. Couples walking, kids running, men in groups, women in groups and the homeless were all looking for a place to be. We wandered into the Hyatt Union Square and found a nice lounge on the 36th floor. Aldo, our host and server, seated us in a nice table but we managed to acquire a table next to the window as another couple left. Because we were on the 36th floor and at night, probably on a good night, we were not able to see the beautiful lights downtown San Francisco. We were shrouded in clouds and fog. It seemed pretty erie being up this high. The drinks were strong, appetizers were tasty and the atmosphere was casual. We had a wonderful pianist that serenaded the lounge goers and he played a variety of tunes. As the night started to fade, we had to catch the last cable car back to Fisherman's wharf lest we take the $50 taxi ride back. This time we sat down and enjoyed our ride back, again, admiring the elegant condos and beautiful Victorian homes along the way. It was an easy walk back to the truck and headed for home.