This is all you need to know:

I’m buying advil and tampax. No need to ask about my day, CVS cashier.

— One Chicklette (@1chicklette) December 12, 2013

But in case you do want to know more, keep reading.

I had surplus vacation days so I’m in Montecito with my mother, visiting an elderly family friend whose husband died this summer.

We drove up from Los Angeles yesterday, stopping at Duke’s in Malibu for lunch. We took Kanan-Dume Road north from Malibu. Amazing, awe-inspiring views for the passenger. As the driver, I was more focused on not looking down because O-M-G.

 

The surroundings are beautiful. And although I’m not that young, I’m one of the young folks for this community.

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I have been to the Montecito CVS twice in less than 24 hours. The first was for cough syrup so my mother would stop giving me The Look. And not the Sympathetic My-Poor-Baby look, but the Could-You-Cut-That-Out-NOW? Look. The second CVS trip is the one I tweeted about above.

Good times around here. At least the Delsym is awesome. It’s a suspension so it doesn’t even taste bad. My pre-emptive wince was wasted. Mom was unimpressed by the fact that I remembered one thing from high school chemistry. WHAT?

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Mom and I are staying in a guest suite at the retirement community. Yep. Soon after we settled in last night, we discovered a pool of water on the bathroom floor. This morning, the plumber told us “broken pipe.” Of course.

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I don’t usually write posts the day they go live. Drafting in advance allows me to think on a subject, edit, spellcheck and such. Can you feel my disorganization? Sorry.

I have been home only about five days in the last three or four weeks. I’ll get back to normal soon. Whatever that is.