Monthly Archives: August 2014

A Couple of Things…

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With Syd Rose1.  For those who never read about why I started this blog (Read “About Pam”), here it is in a nutshell: “It’s therapeutic as it takes my thoughts out of my head, and frees up that much needed space for handling life.”

The photo I use on my blog is of me and my daughter, Sydney Rose, celebrating my birthday a couple of years ago. THIS is how I take on life!

2. I read a blog called “31 apologies you should make to your bartender.”  I’m sharing my two favorites, the first of which resonates totally with me, the second is just funny:

#6. I’m sorry I ordered Cabernet in a bar and then made an icky face like I expected it to be good.
#12. I’m sorry I told you my drink was too strong. Who does that?

3. I had never been a fan of the marmot, that’s not to say I didn’t like them, but I just didn’t give them much thought until I saw this video from Greenpeace.  They were doing a time lapse video at Glacier National Park when this furry guy came along and ruined it.  They weren’t too mad about it though, how could you be?  Check it out:

4. I saw a story called, “Famous products back from the dead”, one of them was the Astro pop.  I gotta get me one of them!
Astro Pop

5. I rarely have nightmares, in fact I can’t remember the last time a bad dream woke me up, but when I do they are usually one of three recurring scenarios all stemming from real life stressful situations:

  • The DJ nightmare – where there is dead air and I’m running around trying to get the next song on, but the equipment won’t cooperate.
  • The waitress nightmare – where too many people are seated in my section for me to keep up with them.
  • And finally, the smoking nightmare – where I realize I’m smoking after having quit for over twenty years…because IT”S REALLY HARD TO QUIT and who wants to go through that again!?

6. On the other end of the spectrum, there are simple things that ALWAYS make me smile:

  • The feel of the warm sun on my shoulders when I come out of an air-conditioned building or car.
  • Hearing the trolley make its stop around the corner from my house.
  • Hitting a three-pointer.
  • Pictures of most baby animals.
  • Getting a message from my daughter.
  • Seeing my dog, Samantha “Boom Boom” Baumgardner, waiting for me when I return home.
  • Seeing dolphins in the ocean.
  • Hearing the perfect drum fill/solo.
  • Hitting all green lights.
  • Walking into a venue and seeing someone sporting the ever popular VenturaRocks.com t-shirt.
Scanned from my photo album

Scanned from my photo album

7.  Another great memory of being married was when Sydney Rose was born. Because of all the horror stories you read about how hospitals can mix up babies, Syd’s daddy never let her out of his sight while they cleaned her up and he made sure they put the proper i.d. bracelet on her.  It really was sweet.

And though I was dead tired after being in labor since 5 in the morning (I gave birth at 7:10 that evening), I couldn’t sleep.  I got up after midnight and made my way down the hallway to the nursery where they let me hold my baby.  I couldn’t stand to be apart from her.

8. I hate that expression, “Only the Good Die Young.”  In fact, I call BULLSHIT!!! After a certain age, are we all Bad???  And what age is that?

People resort to that expression because they remember Billy Joel singing it, and you may or may not know, it was actually about a young teen trying to deflower a Catholic girl: “You Catholic girls start much too late,but sooner or later it comes down to fate.I might as well be the one.” Suggesting even the good people die, so you might as well be bad.

I say we retire that expression…of course unless you’re a horny teenager. 😉

breeze9. Sometimes I worry about writer’s block; I worry mostly because I have a deadline for my Ventura Breeze column that I write twice a month.  I have to come up with 500 words about Ventura’s music scene.  Luckily there is an abundance of music and I have enough contacts to get the inside scoop. I post them here (along with other editorials when I get a bee in my bonnet):  http://venturarocks.com/blog/category/ventura-rocks/

10. From my favorite quotes file: “People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”  – Isaac Asimov

Thanks for listening!

 

 

 

A Couple of Things…

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Squashed Grapes Harvest1. Latest adventure?  Going out with the Squashed Grapes crew to help harvest grapes in the middle of the night.  Left the Grape at 11 pm and returned the next morning at around 10:30 am.  In return I get a t-shirt that says, “Will Work for Wine”. Totally worth it!!

2. Funny vs. Snarky.  I’d like to think I can be funny without being snarky, which is to say not poking fun at the expense of someone else.

3.  I saw a Depends commercial where they are encouraging people to show off their Depends.  I guess they’re trying to take away the stigma of wearing an adult diaper.  Well good luck with that.  I guess Depends will be cool once we see George Clooney in them.

4.  For my bi-lingual friends:  There is a band here in town that I had never ventured out to see until recently.  They were into their third song when it hit me like a ton of bricks what the English translation for their band name, Sin Chonies, is. Brilliant!*

5. How true is this?

Religious Truths

6. Is it just me or are the people who refer to Ventura as “Ventucky” a little redneck themselves?   Okay, That was a little Snarky.  True, but snarky. 😉

7.  It always makes it that worse when a headline includes a dead dog.  “Three People Including One Dog Found Dead Inside Crashed Car.”

8.  Mob mentality is a real thing; and it’s scary.  Just know this, you have the ability to rise above it.  I entrust you to do so.

9.  I wonder why people post cryptic messages on FB about who is a good person, or how great some of their friends are, or how messed up some people are, or how they only have a few good friends.  The best one I saw recently was, “I got the best compliment ever!”  That’s all she wrote.  REALLY?  I Un-friended her based on principle.

Robin Williams 1951 - 2014

Robin Williams
1951 – 2014

10.  From my favorite quotes file:

“I’m sorry, if you were right, I’d agree with you.” – Robin Williams

May you Rest in Peace Sir.

Thanks for listening.
 
 

*Translation is “without underwear”

A Couple of Things…

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Me and Syd 20111.  I truly believe that laughter is the best medicine, but I also believe that music is the next best thing.

2. I recorded my first song courtesy of Christine Law.  SOOOO much respect to artists who do this for a living.  Grueling!!  It still needs beaucoup work, like lyrics, so don’t even ask.

3.  What does it say about society when you have to offer a reward for someone to come forward and do the right thing?

4. You know that expression, “A body in motion, stays in motion”?  It’s really true, and to be honest, I hate it; because a body lying about watching a movie and eating potato chips…with dip, and a root beer float, sounds so much more fun.

Arlo Guthrie5.  It just occurred to me why people love Weird Al so much (See #1).  Combining wit with music is genius, which also explains why I love Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice Restaurant.” It was tradition for the longest time to play the title cut every Thanksgiving.  I miss that!

6.  The Huffington Post had a blog called “23 Reasons You Should Go Hug Your Mom.”  Just a couple I would share with Sydney Rose:

a.  For every event that you tried to resist photos, because your mom is probably the only person in your life who will take more photos of you than TMZ does celebrities. She wanted to capture every prom, little league game, and academic awards ceremony because to her you are the biggest celebrity.

b. For supporting your decisions and dreams no matter where they took you.

There were 21 other ones, but really, they didn’t so much apply.  I thought about how sad this one was:  “For every time you acted like she was embarrassing you and she had to hide how much that probably hurt her feelings,”  Because I only remember the times she showed me off to her friends thinking I was kind of cool, which is the best feeling EVER!  My daughter rocks!

Here is the blog:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lexi-herrick/23-reasons-you-should-go-hug-your-mom_b_5584982.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000037&ir=Parents
Syd-mom-face

7. When I log on at 4:30 in the morning, I wonder how many people are up late, and how many are up early.  Sometime for me, I’m just taking a break from sleeping.

8. Life is full of interesting phases, obstacles, amazing highs and frustrating lows.   It’s the human experience that makes the ride worthwhile.  How one handles adversity is a character issue.

Father Serra
9. Someone, some time ago, made a statue of Father Serra and it can be found in front of Ventura City Hall.  Then someone thought it would be a good idea to paint a picture of this statue of Father Serra and that life-sized painting is found inside City Hall.  Then I thought, hmmm, how can I make this even more removed from the actual subject?  Hence, this photo of a painting of a statue of Father Serra. I do what I can to forward the arts. 🙂

10. I love silly headlines.  Here are a couple more I’ve come across recently:
a.  What happens if your parachute fails

b.  Super rich pets who live better than you do.

11. This was soooo me when I was growing up:

Even as an adult, my future ex-husband use to say that I run like an upright turtle.  It made me laugh because it was so true.

12. From my favorite quotes file:  “”Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” –Stephen R. Covey

 

Thanks for listening.

 

A Couple of Things…

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1.  I love birthdays.  I love partying with family and friends, there’s nothing like it.  A couple thoughts about celebrating getting older:

a. Birthday dinner Age is a state of mind; however, one’s body isn’t always on board.

b. When people say, “You’re 29 and holding” that just means you look NOTHING like a 29 year old.

c.  I’ve gotten over the embarrassment of people singing “Happy Birthday” to me. I use to cringe, now I embrace it.

d. I rarely remember the gift, but I always remember who I was with and where we were at.  Friendship is the best gift.

e. I can’t believe what a charmed life I live.  Family, friends and this amazing community.  I feel the love. I will never take it for granted.

2.  Okay, I’m just thinking out loud here, but if a younger man flirts with an older woman, she doesn’t qualify as a “Cougar”, right?

That being said, Casey Abrams singing to me at Squashed Grapes recently was too freakin’ cool.  You might recognize him from American Idol.  He is self taught – by ear – on eleven musical instruments, the man is such a talent!  There were a handful of us hanging out after his show and when he sat down at the piano and asked what song we wanted to hear.  I said, “You know what I want to hear” to which he said, ‘I’ll play it only if you sit next to me.”

Here is a video that was taken afterhours when Casey Abrams performed “Cougartown”  July 26 here in Ventura:

3.  For my bi-lingual friends:  I love that somebody poised the question: “What if Soy milk is just regular milk introducing itself in Spanish?

4.  When you see an obviously photoshopped picture, don’t you wonder, “Who do they think they’re kidding?”

5.  As you may or may not know, I am on a quest to spot an owl in the wild.  I understand they are nocturnal, so I look at dusk and dawn and in the evening, but my night vision really sucks.  I spoke to my optometrist about it complaining that the Lasek surgery I had diminished my night vision, but sadly he said, “No, it comes with old age.”
Fucker.

Sydney in the Snow
6.  Funny anecdote from my marriage.  One weekend we decided to take Sydney Rose up to the local mountains for her first encounter with Snow.   As we drove through the winding roads, we finally got high enough to see the fluffy white stuff on our way to Mountain High ski resort.  It was at this point that Sydney started shouting, adamantly I might add, “NO NO NO!!!”  So much so that Chris stopped the car because we were so startled.  Turns out she couldn’t enunciate the “s” yet, so “Snow” became “No”!

7. On the subject of breasts, my daughter said she’s been told that more than a handful is too much. Of course, only small breasted women believe that.  HA!  I am JUST KIDDING!!! But that being said, of course men have their preferences.  I know a man who loves teeny weeny hardly-there breasts.  I never dated him of course because clearly we are not a match..

8.  Another real book title:  Knitting with Dog Hair: Better a Sweater From a Dog You Know And Love Than From a Sheep You’ll Never Meet.

Creepy?
Now I’m re-thinking those sweaters in my closet.  Is sheep hair kind of creepy too?

E.T.9.   Do you remember seeing E.T. The Extraterrestrial for the first time?  Or Jurassic Park or Indiana Jones Temple of Doom? Independence Day?  So thrilling!

10.  From my favorite quotes file:  “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”  – Maya Angelou

Thanks for listening!