Three goodbyes in one week

I’m bidding farewell to three things I’ve really enjoyed.

1. Milk Duds. The chewiness that borders on choking hazard, the oddly crispy chocolate coating — oh Milk Duds, there's nothing else like you in the whole candy universe!

Unfortunately I was chomping on a Dud when it pulled the crown right off my bum tooth. The good news: my dentist reattached the crown in just a few minutes. The bad: I can no longer chew Milk Duds on the right side of my mouth.

So I'll try to chew them with the left side. Planning how to safely eat Milk Duds feels like a loss of innocence, though. If you can't be carefree when you're eating candy, when can you be?

2. FlashForward. Sure, I’ll miss 24 and Law & Order (and even Lost, when I could understand it). This has been a week of TV loss. But FlashForward's untimely demise troubles me...

Saturday morning I dreamed that it was April 29th and I was talking to Agents Benford and Noh. (They were FBI agents, not actors, in my dream.) Sitting on my couch, they were relaxed and friendly but couldn’t tell me whether everything turned out okay.

Apparently the finale will not answer all of my questions either. Now I will never know the future. Oh, Noh!

3. Permanent court time. Though there will always be more tennis, it won’t be with this exact group, on Thursdays from 7:30 to 9, with our little quirks: Linda bringing string cheese, Lori using words like "denouement," Tara crumpling over when she hits a ball into the net, Amy showing up even when she’s not scheduled.

As Lori put it, “The band is breaking up.” Sigh.

I'll be playing tennis with a different group next fall — so at least I won't be sitting on my couch on Thursday nights eating soft chocolates and watching bad TV. Because that would be depressing.

Stick pearl earrings in a calendar

Today is the day!

My project for stick pearl earrings is the May 20th entry in the 2010 Beading Bead-a-Day Calendar.

I received my copy of the calendar back in September, but it was an even better feeling this morning to happen upon it on my desk!

If you want to make your own earrings, you can also find instructions for a gold pair (along with a simple stick-pearl necklace and bracelet) in the Pearls special issue.

Goodbye, Yoshi

Yoshi, my sister’s Siamese cat, died today. She had an asthma attack and got some cortisone shots at the vet, but she was 15 and maybe not looking forward to getting more shots.

In her heyday Yoshi loved many things: tuna, ice cream, apples, Twizzlers. She also enjoyed burrowing under blankets, hiding in boxes, and spending time at Camp Best Friend, where she could climb logs and hang out with staffers dressed in Bermuda shorts.

I got to know Yoshi when Yukie and I lived together in L.A. Though I'm more of a dog person, "Yoshinoya Beef Bowl" won me over with her friendliness and lack of pretense.

Of course she could be hard to read at times. After all, “meh” sounds a lot like “yeah.” But she was a good conversationalist and a good friend.

We’ll miss you, Yoshi.

Oh no, Papa. Ginger wouldn't approve!

Michelle gave me a little plastic bone that holds a roll of earth-friendly bags. I keep it on my kitchen table so I don't forget it when I take Papa for walks.

Of course Papa brought it into the living room. She pulled out one of the bags and ripped it in half. Oh no.

At least she looks contrite, right? Maybe because she's looking at Ginger's photo.

A benefit, a birthday bash, and a bratty borador

Forgive my heavy-handed alliteration, but I'm trying to impress Michelle, who is excellent at creating catchy headlines. She knows how to evoke a sense of drama and excitement with her titles.

I'm not sure how we got on the topic, but we were chatting on Friday at the ABCD Date with a Plate event. She and her sister-in-law Michelle and their friend Sharon volunteer every year for the benefit. While they hunted for disposable plates and managed the desserts, Carol and I wandered around sampling all the food. I really loved the panko-crusted tilapia and chocolate cake with chilis. If only I had saved room for the mini brats from Sendik's!

My weekend of revelry continued on Saturday at Pat’s birthday party at O’ Brien's. He's hosted his birthday there for the past few years and there's always a mix of friends from childhood and people he meets while he's out and about.

(If you've ever been to one of his Halloween shindigs, you know it's not an exaggeration to say that everyone goes to his parties. I've even met people in L.A. who know Pat.)

Though I got home at a reasonable hour, I found that Papa had ripped open a Ziploc that had two necklaces in it. She had also moved a Tupperware with a BeadStyle project from the kitchen to the living room. I spared her the shame of shooting a photo of her handiwork. (Though, according to a recent study, her “guilty” look comes from what I’m projecting — not from what she’s feeling.)

I did feel a bit guilty for my flurry of activity this weekend. I might be projecting, but it seems like Papa hates to be excluded.

Puppies!

No, Papa didn't have puppies.

I just wanted to mention a particularly adorable shiba inu named Sushi. She's the featured cutie on The Daily Puppy.

Her bio: “She enjoys chasing bugs, laying in the grass, and taking long naps.” What a life, Sushi!

Don't tell Pops, but there was a time I considered adopting a shiba inu. Shibas are small (but not tiny) and remind me of the wolfish dog that lived across the street from my grandma in Japan. The dog would peek through the hedges and bark. (In retrospect, I'm not sure why I found that charming.)

After doing some research, I found out that many shibas are bolters — as in, they run away when you open the door. Somehow I doubt I could find the humor in "Oh no, Shiba, where are you?"

So I'll just enjoy Pops' shiba inu impression. She's reluctant to do it, though — mostly because I squeal, “Shi-ba-eeee-nu!” while holding her ears straight up.

At least she's not a bolter.

Two milestones for Marilee

We celebrated Marilee's 50th birthday at Highlander with cheese plates, cupcakes, and Miller Lite (her favorite).

Here she is with Colleen. They are doubles partners and co-captains of our summer team. Marilee is the nice one. (Colleen will even tell you this herself.)

Colleen also happens to be the social director and true heart of our group. She organizes surprise parties and contingency plans. She even made phone calls to Patrice, Joe, and Brad to make sure that Marilee would be at the club.

It was a fun gathering — and nice to see the gnome again.

In even bigger news, Marilee got engaged!

It's a great story, so be sure to ask her to share it with you.

Congrats, Marilee, on both of your milestones!

Gone, Bucks, gone

Now that the Hawks have won Game 7, my excitement about the Bucks seems even more like yesterday's news.

But when I took these photos around 6 p.m. Friday, Jean, Carol, Addie, and I still thought the Bucks would win the series. Addie and I even talked about whether we would be buying new playoff t-shirts.

I had cheese sticks to calm my pre-game jitters, but I was too nervous to get a good shot of Jerry Stackhouse singing the national anthem. I don't handle high-pressure moments as well as Stack (or Mike Bibby, for that matter). To see the crowd appreciating his talents was truly a high point in the evening.

Alas, I'll be watching the rest of the playoffs on TV. But it was fun, for a few hours on Friday, to believe in the possibilities.