Day 2 (Thursday, July 15, 2010)
5:30 AM - Woke up with a start to see the light in Lauren’s room still on. Poked my head in to see Audrey lying in Lauren’s bed with her laptop open. Audrey explained she had to be up early to finish her homework before taking the train to L.A. Was glad I didn’t pounce on her like I almost did Andrea, yesterday! Went back to bed before realizing it was no use. Started a load of laundry instead.
6:00 - Checked on Audrey again and found her taking a shower in my master bath. Audrey asked me to make her a breakfast sandwich. At 6:25, she still wasn’t ready to head out. Wrapped sandwich in foil for Audrey to eat on the train and confirmed with her when her train was supposed to leave the Tustin station (6:42 AM!) Realized with some panic we did not have much time to spare.
6:35 - Driving furiously toward the station, which was fortunately just one block from our neighborhood entrance, while preaching the virtue of timeliness to Audrey. Audrey justified that she had to wait “a long time” for the train on her first day of class and expected the same today. Swerved swiftly into the station’s parking lot just as train began to pull in. Audrey scrambled to get on the train platform with her bulging tote full of books and sewing supplies, in her tottering high heels. Other commuters were also hurrying to enter the train from different doors. Lost sight of Audrey for a moment, then train was already on its way. Could not see Audrey anywhere… either she’s on the train, or under the train tracks… it’s impossible to tell from where I was! Decided to go home.
6:45 - Edited my blog, “A Day in the Life…” for yesterday and today, having trouble remembering the succession of chores I’d completed or left unfinished during that period. Concluded that blogging was a time-sucking, self-absorbed, but slightly addictive, activity. Decided to stop writing at 8:30 out of fear that I might fall even further behind with my chores.
8:30 - Watered potted plants on my patio. It was witheringly hot yesterday, and the black-eyed Susan vine in my hanging basket looked like it might join the dead azalea tree in my green recycle bin soon. Only a few days without bleach and algae was already proliferating in my front-yard fountain, adding to the neighborhood blight. Headed to Target to buy bleach tablets and Miracle-Gro.
9:15 - Lauren informed me that Andrea had requested jasmine tea for breakfast, again! Convinced myself that this particular jasmine tea I purchased from a Vietnamese specialty store, "Vua Kho Bo" (Jerky King), must be at least a little more “nutritious” than the garden-variety tea found at Vietnamese supermarkets. Packed a Thick and Creamy French vanilla Yoplait and a peanut butter granola bar for Lauren, and Rainier cherries for Andrea, to take with them to voice and guitar lessons at Diana’s. Each girl was supposed to take on an extra 15 minutes of lessons today to cover for Audrey, who must already be at FIDM by now. Andrea said she didn’t like cherries. Lauren didn’t refuse her snacks, but also wanted tea. What’s the deal? Poured hot tea into disposable cups and reminded the girls to bring their music sheets and guitar picks.
9:30 - Peni arrived to take the kids to Diana’s. Natasha refused to come along, preferring to watch TV at my place. Promised Peni I wouldn’t run any errands and leave Natasha with Kiet while she's gone (these two never got along).
9:40 - Went upstairs to take my shower, telling Kiet I’d be down to feed him soon.
10:00 - Fixed breakfast for Kiet and entered daily patient log information from the office in my Excel worksheets.
10:00 - Fixed breakfast for Kiet and entered daily patient log information from the office in my Excel worksheets.
11:30 - Stole some time on the computer to order an arbor from the Plow and Hearth catalog for my mom. I'm supposed to help her redesign her backyard landscaping after she came back from visiting my brother Doca and his family in Temecula.
Montebello arbor from Plow & Hearth
Wandered online and saw that the Thai Prince fountain I almost bought several months ago was now on sale at neimanmarcus.com with free shipping. Ordered it for Mom as a surprise.
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod81350125&parentId=cat980731
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod81350125&parentId=cat980731
12:15 PM - Washed dishes lying in the sink from last night’s dinner. Natasha offered to clear the clutter on my kitchen island, and ended up cleaning the upstairs bathroom sinks as well. Told her I would let Peni know what a good helper she was, but Natasha made me promise not to brag because Lauren might be jealous. Lauren had warned her cousin not to “hog all the chores” because she'd wanted to get the house ready for Allison's and Amanda’s sleepover herself!
Natasha migrated to the patio to Windex our outdoor dining table glass top. The girls planned to eat al fresco tomorrow morning.
Had to spruce up our bedrooms quickly! Why has my housekeeping devolved to an occasional dust-up only when guests were expected? Used to change sheets on a weekly schedule; now I couldn’t remember the last time it was done! Andrea’s bed was the worst dust-bunny collector, all because I was a wimp and failed to discourage her from buying a laddered bunk. I knew it’d be trouble but Andrea had insisted she could and would take responsibility for making her bed. As with all the other household chores, pretty soon it became MY responsibility. It’s virtually impossible to tuck in the sheets at the corners while you’re crawling on top of the mattress yourself. Aargh!!!
12:45 - The girls have come home. Told them what I had in the fridge to eat and hurried to the market to get mini chocolate chips, strawberries, microwavable bacon, and whip cream at Lauren's dispatch. Also bought ingredients to make steak salad for dinner. Lauren told me that Julie, another cast mate, might decide to join them on the sleepover. Rounded out my menu with watermelon and 4 pints of Häagen-Dazs ice cream (two each of Rum Raisin and Vanilla Swiss Almond).
1:45 - Finished putting groceries away with Peni’s help and took my blood pressure medications, which I forgot to do in the morning. Put bleach tablets in two fountains, plus 4 toilet tanks.
2:10 - Allison and Amanda have arrived, bringing with them a ton of sleepover gear. Lauren and Natasha were so excited they almost jumped out of their skin with anticipation. They proudly led the Sheppard girls on a disjointed tour of our mostly clean home. It was sweet to hear Natasha refer to our home as HER house. She practically lives here anyway!
1:45 - Finished putting groceries away with Peni’s help and took my blood pressure medications, which I forgot to do in the morning. Put bleach tablets in two fountains, plus 4 toilet tanks.
2:10 - Allison and Amanda have arrived, bringing with them a ton of sleepover gear. Lauren and Natasha were so excited they almost jumped out of their skin with anticipation. They proudly led the Sheppard girls on a disjointed tour of our mostly clean home. It was sweet to hear Natasha refer to our home as HER house. She practically lives here anyway!
2:30 - After their chirpy chatter has subsided, the girls brought out their skateboarding gear and roamed the neighborhood, although it was sweltering out. They came back looking a little pink.
3:00 - Completed a rough draft of Lauren’s bio for the musical Hi Ho Robin Hood and an Evite for the event. Left a message at the theater's box office to pre-order tickets.
3:15 - Spent 45 minutes online planning for our family's Las Vegas vacation scheduled immediately after Hi Ho Robin Hood's closing show. The accommodations best suited for our needs seemed to be 2-bedroom suites with fully-equipped kitchens at an extended-stay hotel off the strip. Mom and I decided to be everyone's butler & chef and cook at least one meal a day for the duration of our trip in order to contain costs.
4:00 - Reviewed draft tax returns prepared by our accountant. I expected no unpleasant surprises with the corporation tax return, since corporate income was supposed to filter down to the personal level and only the minimum franchise tax would be due, but was a little worried about my personal return. I've always depended on my Excel worksheet to provide good estimates of my liabilities over the years, but my numbers were way off this time for some reason. Compared my own calculations with the accountant’s and discovered I was hit with the Alternative Minimum Tax. OMG!
4:30 - Have calmed myself down sufficiently and decided to defer the filing of my tax return until the extended deadline months away, even though I knew I would incur interest and penalties on top of my present liability. Vowed to be more proactive with tax planning from now on. Why did I bother to devise a complicated tax worksheet to keep myself abreast of my tax obligations if I never managed to make the required estimated tax payments anyway?
Emailed accountant to initiate minor revisions on my personal tax return and give him the go-ahead to e-file the corporation tax return.
4:45 - Pan-seared New York steaks on both sides with olive oil and stuck them in the oven to get rid of the pink (I still had a thing about bloody steaks). Prepared my homemade Vietnamese salad dressing with lime juice, Maggi, sugar, garlic and pepper. Decided I have to give up my nonproductive habit of re-washing tripled-washed packaged greens out of fear of E. coli poisoning.
5:30 - Steak salad was ready to eat. Not as good and authentic as my cousin’s, who gave me her original recipe which I’ve modified to suit our 30-minute meal plans, but my girls loved it! The Sheppard girls ate more watermelon than salad, but were unitedly effusive in their praise for my cooking prowess. Had a sneaking suspicion their parents had raised them to be exceedingly gracious and polite, and my accolades were actually undeserved.
Andrea wandered downstairs to pick up a plate of food and quickly retreated to her lair. She never liked to hang out with guests and was often openly disdainful of the girly activities that Lauren and Natasha thrived on. Allison and Amanda, however, were totally in sync with their present company.
5:50 - The girls headed back to my master bedroom to gather their stuff for musical practice. Cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher while waiting for them to get ready.
6:30 - Dropped off the girls at Newport Theatre Arts Center right on time for their rehearsal. I have been very good this summer as compared to the last!
7:00 - Talked to my cousin on the phone for a half hour. She told me her husband thought I should not replace the outdoor wall sconces at my rental property with security lights. Sat down to draft email to tenants explaining my decision:
3:15 - Spent 45 minutes online planning for our family's Las Vegas vacation scheduled immediately after Hi Ho Robin Hood's closing show. The accommodations best suited for our needs seemed to be 2-bedroom suites with fully-equipped kitchens at an extended-stay hotel off the strip. Mom and I decided to be everyone's butler & chef and cook at least one meal a day for the duration of our trip in order to contain costs.
4:00 - Reviewed draft tax returns prepared by our accountant. I expected no unpleasant surprises with the corporation tax return, since corporate income was supposed to filter down to the personal level and only the minimum franchise tax would be due, but was a little worried about my personal return. I've always depended on my Excel worksheet to provide good estimates of my liabilities over the years, but my numbers were way off this time for some reason. Compared my own calculations with the accountant’s and discovered I was hit with the Alternative Minimum Tax. OMG!
4:30 - Have calmed myself down sufficiently and decided to defer the filing of my tax return until the extended deadline months away, even though I knew I would incur interest and penalties on top of my present liability. Vowed to be more proactive with tax planning from now on. Why did I bother to devise a complicated tax worksheet to keep myself abreast of my tax obligations if I never managed to make the required estimated tax payments anyway?
Emailed accountant to initiate minor revisions on my personal tax return and give him the go-ahead to e-file the corporation tax return.
4:45 - Pan-seared New York steaks on both sides with olive oil and stuck them in the oven to get rid of the pink (I still had a thing about bloody steaks). Prepared my homemade Vietnamese salad dressing with lime juice, Maggi, sugar, garlic and pepper. Decided I have to give up my nonproductive habit of re-washing tripled-washed packaged greens out of fear of E. coli poisoning.
5:30 - Steak salad was ready to eat. Not as good and authentic as my cousin’s, who gave me her original recipe which I’ve modified to suit our 30-minute meal plans, but my girls loved it! The Sheppard girls ate more watermelon than salad, but were unitedly effusive in their praise for my cooking prowess. Had a sneaking suspicion their parents had raised them to be exceedingly gracious and polite, and my accolades were actually undeserved.
Andrea wandered downstairs to pick up a plate of food and quickly retreated to her lair. She never liked to hang out with guests and was often openly disdainful of the girly activities that Lauren and Natasha thrived on. Allison and Amanda, however, were totally in sync with their present company.
5:50 - The girls headed back to my master bedroom to gather their stuff for musical practice. Cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher while waiting for them to get ready.
6:30 - Dropped off the girls at Newport Theatre Arts Center right on time for their rehearsal. I have been very good this summer as compared to the last!
7:00 - Talked to my cousin on the phone for a half hour. She told me her husband thought I should not replace the outdoor wall sconces at my rental property with security lights. Sat down to draft email to tenants explaining my decision:
"I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
I have discussed the security issue with a few people including my handyman. Basically, the consensus was that motion sensor lights wouldn’t be of much help since they don't do anything for you in the daytime. At dusk, they would come on initially when an intruder goes near the area of installation, but their switching on and off is nothing more than distracting. People seem to think they offer very little in deterrent value, except for the psychological benefit.
My cousin suggested getting door alarms to protect your vulnerable entrances (see Radioshack link below). If you feel they could be of use, I'd be happy to get as many as you see fit. These are simple to install and I could just order them to be sent straight to your address.
I understand your concern as I have kids myself and the same thing happened to me while I was living in L.A years ago. My mom was babysitting my infant daughter when the burglar broke in, saw her and immediately ran out of our apartment. My mom was traumatized and lived in fear for an entire summer, but there were no other incidents and the burglar never showed up again. Most burglaries are crimes of opportunities and not planned well like robberies. In these tough times, I think it's more likely you'd encounter a one-time thief who’s reduced to commit this type of crime out of desperation rather than a career criminal who could hurt someone in the process.
Tifo"
I have discussed the security issue with a few people including my handyman. Basically, the consensus was that motion sensor lights wouldn’t be of much help since they don't do anything for you in the daytime. At dusk, they would come on initially when an intruder goes near the area of installation, but their switching on and off is nothing more than distracting. People seem to think they offer very little in deterrent value, except for the psychological benefit.
My cousin suggested getting door alarms to protect your vulnerable entrances (see Radioshack link below). If you feel they could be of use, I'd be happy to get as many as you see fit. These are simple to install and I could just order them to be sent straight to your address.
I understand your concern as I have kids myself and the same thing happened to me while I was living in L.A years ago. My mom was babysitting my infant daughter when the burglar broke in, saw her and immediately ran out of our apartment. My mom was traumatized and lived in fear for an entire summer, but there were no other incidents and the burglar never showed up again. Most burglaries are crimes of opportunities and not planned well like robberies. In these tough times, I think it's more likely you'd encounter a one-time thief who’s reduced to commit this type of crime out of desperation rather than a career criminal who could hurt someone in the process.
Tifo"
Email sounded way too personal! Not sure how to revise it to strike the right tone, so saved it to Draft to allow it to marinate until I could view it again with fresh eyes.
7:30 - Put away clean dishes from the dishwasher. Dried and folded two loads of laundry. Managed a quick review of the office data input by Peni.
8:15 - Checked on Andrea’s billing progress. She was totally on task and had completed many more claims than I expected. Hurray!
8:30 - Headed out to pick up the girls from the theater. Julie, who played the wicked stepmother to perfection in last year’s production of Big Bad Musical, also decided to go home with us. The car ride was awash with girly chatter, Katy Perry's and Justin Bieber's music, and Twilight commentaries.
8:30 - Headed out to pick up the girls from the theater. Julie, who played the wicked stepmother to perfection in last year’s production of Big Bad Musical, also decided to go home with us. The car ride was awash with girly chatter, Katy Perry's and Justin Bieber's music, and Twilight commentaries.
9:30 - The girls changed into their swimsuits right after they got home and headed for our community club house with me in tow. The night air was perfect, and the pool water warm from the retained heat of the late afternoon sun. I’m lying contentedly on one of the association’s lounge chairs looking up at the fluttering palm fronds and wondering why I hadn't done this more often. Almost drifted off to sleep but remembered I was here to supervise the girls. Right!!
10:45 - Ushered everyone home quickly as I had to pick up Audrey at the Amtrak station by 11:15.
11:15 - Tonight's train was right on schedule and Audrey looked happy to see me waiting by curbside. She asked me what’s for dinner, even though she'd missed the meal by several hours. Some things never change! I suspected Audrey would be asking me the same question even after she moved out to be on her own.
Midnight - Fed Audrey a hearty meal and told her to go to bed early for once. Despite having endured a 12+ hr. school day, Audrey was bubbling over with enthusiasm when reunited with her sister, Andrea, at day's end. On the surface, these two appear to have nothing in common, but they absolutely adore each other and I’ve never detected even a smidge of sibling rivalry between them.
12:30 AM - Julie, Allison, Amanda, Lauren, and Natasha sat around my kitchen nook discussing the merits of a proposed game where each girl would rate their friends’ physical attributes on a scale of 1 through 10 (eyes, lips, hair, overall style… even eyebrows!) The girls were dying to find out where they stood on their peers’ Style-o-Meter, but also fearful they couldn't be both honest and at the same time protective of one another’s feelings. Eventually, curiosity overcame reservations and Lauren began passing out makeshift scorecards. She completed hers quickly, rattling out numbers upwards of 7. Allison was typically tactful and politically correct, showering everyone with perfect 10’s but insisting that that was how she really saw her beautiful friends. She was so sweet and earnest in her proclamations that you almost had to believe her! Amanda followed suit. Julie fired off wildly divergent and off-the-chart scores – 200 for someone’s eyebrows as opposed to 50,000 for Allison’s hair! I continued to eavesdrop while washing the dishes, but eventually lost track of who was ahead. Natasha later confided in me that she ended up with the fewest points overall. It was totally understandable since she was the youngest in the group and lowest in the pecking order, but of course Natasha had to pout a bit about her hurt feelings. Reassured her that someone was bound to be disappointed unless everyone gave out perfect 10’s, and it was just a silly game that should be taken with a grain of salt.
1:30 AM - The sleepover gang ate Häagen-Dazs ice cream right out of the container and chatted into the night. I happily finished off their leftovers. After confirming with the girls that their parents wouldn’t be upset if they stayed up late, gave everyone a final curtain time and went around the house checking doors and appliances to make sure everything was shut and off before collapsing on Kiet's bed. The three older girls were supposed to take over my master and I've reminded Natasha and Lauren to stay in their own room, but I found out in the morning that they had predictably sneaked over and snuggled sardine-like in my King bed.
Natasha, Allison, and Lauren after the closing performance of last summer's Big Bad Musical
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