About A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

Living the good life in Ventura, CA.

A Couple of Things…

Posted on April 30, 2014 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. The year following my divorce, one of the first things I did was to invest in my teeth. I actually went in to get veneers on my top teeth, but when my dentist learned I wanted my bottom teeth fixed the same way he stopped and refused and said he would not ruin ALL my teeth. So I wore braces for a year, he whiten my teeth, and I couldn’t be happier. Best investment I ever made in myself.

Note: Having crooked teeth never stopped me from smiling, but having a straight smile took my attention off myself and put it on the person I was actually smiling at. Does that make sense?

2. Clearly a mistake.

I took another one of those Facebook questionnaires to estimate what age I actually am, and it determined I was nine years old. So some are not so flawed.

3. Cinco de Mayo is coming up and like most holidays, it’s just a sneaky way to get out with friends and have a great time. Guac, carnitas, shots of Patron? What could possibly go wrong?

4. A musician friend here in town gave me good advice when I bought by new fender stratocaster, he said just pick it up and play it everyday. Doesn’t matter how long. Well I’ve been playing it often (not every single day), and I find the more often I play, the longer I want to play. I’m remembering songs I learned YEARS ago and I’m having fun, so much so, I actually got a mini blister on my pinkie.

Thank you Beatles for the reality, but, “I’ve got blisters on my fingers!” is now stuck in my head.

5. I have a confession. I would have another baby in a heartbeat, but it would take a serious miracle.

6. I am grateful that someone was clever enough to come up with denim material that stretches…just a little bit.

7. Speaking of clothes. The other day I was multi-tasking and while cooking dinner (yeah, I know! Me cook right?!) I was folding clothes at the kitchen table and taking them to my room while stirring and mixing and stuff. After I finished cooking, I took my meal to my room to eat while working on websites. The next morning I got up early for work and there on one of the kitchen chairs was one of my sexiest pairs of panties. I can’t help but wonder what my roommate’s expression was if he saw them! He’s like 75 years old and we rarely even speak!

8. The problem with Molly is that I always compare her to Kitty Sanchez and I know that isn’t fair. I wouldn’t have ever compared child #2 to Sydney Rose if I had ever had one (wink wink Sydney, you know you’re my fav); but Kitty Sanchez was in fact the best cat in the whole wide world; and Molly, is a kitty snob, she treats you like Pepe le Pew when you pick her up.

9. I may have been too quick to smack down “smack talk from people about the Clippers being owned by Sterling. But you know what? More than anything, THEY need to support this team. There is no room for that sort of bigotry in this world let alone in the fuckin’ NBA. Are you kidding me? This smack talk sounds like they’re accusing Clipper fans of supporting racism. Give me a small break!
Or worse, they get joy out of the misery of others??? Either way, inappropriate in my book. Its probably a good thing that I have never wanted to commit to a specific franchise. I just love a good team, and Chris Paul brings it.

10. (Okay, deep breath…) Speaking of sports (and my attempt to lighten the mood), back in radio they’d send me out to host Monday Night Football where quickly my air name Stephanie Rose morphed into Stephster the Refster, with a referee shirt and a whistle to grab fans attention when it was time to give away crap. Never mind I knew very little about the game and never mind I cared even less about it. But I did enjoy shaking hands, shooting pool and getting to know the guys who hung out for it. Tough job working a room full of mostly men, while partaking in libations and bar food. 🙂

Side story: whilst pregnant with Syd Rose (sans libations), I had only one food craving during my entire pregnancy and that was for Tabasco. I craved ANYTHING and EVERYTHING as long as it had Tabasco on it. Popcorn, burritos, eggs, I couldn’t get enough of it. I discovered this while hosting Monday Night Football and being served hot wings, with yes, Tabasco on them.
What could my body possibly be lacking to cause the craving? Vinegar?

11. I went out dancing with Maggie recently and a well-known gentleman about town asked me to dance. I’ve danced with Jerry before so I knew going in I would be taken care of. He basically does the two-step with a little salsa thrown in for fun. When I caught Maggie taking a photo, you should have seen the stink eye I gave her. Too bad she didn’t capture that one!

12. Here’s the deal, I signed up for that LinkedIn JUST to shut them up. I’ve never dealt with a more persistent entity before! All those requests for me to accept an invitation to… blah blah blah. Well I finally did about a year ago and thought well maybe it might be a good networking tool.
I just got an email where the Subject said: “Congrats, you got 1 profile view last week‏” So I guess my efforts on LinkedIn have been really paying off.

13. From my favorite quotes file: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” – Winston Churchill

Thanks for listening.

A Couple of Things…

Posted on April 23, 2014 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. This is what I come home to. I love my puppy dog. We’re thinking she’s about 13 or 14 years old. I’ve had her 12 years and they thought she was a couple years old when I picked her up from the pound. Samantha “Boom Boom” Baumgardner.

This by the way is also what I leave everyday. It’s like she’s saying, “You’re coming back, right?”

2. I understand that the 9-1-1 emergency call system is a public service. I also understand the “rights to public records” but honestly, the media playing 9-1-1 tapes seems like an invasion of privacy. Some of these calls are at the person’s most vulnerable moments and they’ve become entertainment for the masses.

3. Bike to Work Day is coming up! I had to post the news on the City’s official website. It’s a great way to exercise; it’s a fantastic way to start the day; and it helps the environment! (click to enlarge photo)

So ride your freakin’ bike to work on May 15th!!!

4. I wrote a blog a few weeks back called, “Being a Victim Sucks“, and how some people will play the victim. One aspect of being a victim is not wanting to take responsibility, but the other aspect, and I’m warning you this could be harsh, is to just make the other person wrong, Wrong, WRONG.

I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. It’s a completely bullshit thing to do.

5. If you don’t take a stand against bad behavior you are tacitly agreeing it is okay.

Just sayin’.

6. The first song we ever sang together while listening to the radio was “Where it’s At” by Beck. Syd would sing “Where’s it’s At” and I would come in with “I got two turntables and a microphone.” This was around 1997 or 1998 when the song was all over the radio, so Sydney had to be only three or four years old.

True story

Most parents go with “The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round” Not this Mom!

7. Let me just say right off the bat, it must have been horrifying being attacked by a bear. That being said…

I confess that this news story of a woman in Florida being attacked by a bear made me kind of chuckle. She had walked into her garage where she found up to five bears rummaging through her trash. One of them picked her up and removed her and placed her in her driveway.

The bear obviously could have killed and eaten her. But he didn’t. It’s truly unfortunate that he has huge claws and sharp teeth because they did damage to her while removing her from harm’s way so they could continue their business.
(full story)

8. I conceded a few years ago that I do in fact have an hour-glass figure, but for most of my life my own attention just went to the bottom half of my body and I always felt awkward about that. I had “birthin’ hips” and they were what determined every single outfit I’ve ever worn.

9. I like it!

10. I was killing time in Trader Joe’s the other day (a dangerous thing to do), and I found peanut butter that had only peanuts and salt listed on the label. I had read about it before and thought perhaps it was just an urban legend, but it’s true! And though I have to refrigerate the jar after stirring up the PB, I’m digging it!

11. So I was sitting there minding my own business (playing “Shoot Bubble Deluxe” on my phone) during a weekly work meeting one morning, when the subject of Monkey Butt came up. That got my attention because I had never heard the term. One of the guys was complaining he didn’t want to exercise that afternoon (crossfit) because he had developed a rash from the gravel on the ground at the top of his, um….crack. The guys insisted it was a real thing so when I got the chance, I Googled it.

What came up was this: “Relieve the friction of monkey butt and painful butt rash…” http://www.antimonkeybutt.com. They even have a Facebook page.

How funny is that? I guess if you pay enough attention, you never stop learning.
(I thought it nicer to share a photo of Shoot Bubble Deluxe than an actual case of monkey butt. You’re welcome.)

From my favorite quotes file: “A word to the wise ain’t necessary – it’s the stupid ones that need the advice.” – Bill Cosby

Thanks for listening.

A Couple of Things…

Posted on April 15, 2014 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

96-ZTR around 1990

1. I’m not exactly sure when I lost my shyness and decided to just work through the panic and fear of being in front of people, but somewhere along the way I did. See when you work in radio, you just have to overcome nervousness on one level, which is trying not to sound stupid; but live in person, that’s a whole different story and it has it’s own set of fears to overcome.

I remember watching Craig Powers from KEZY in Anaheim do live broadcasts. He was the master and he just ate it up. He was so calm and so “on” when that microphone went live. I learned a lot just watching him.

After I left KEZY and moved on to Ventura and KZTR with my first full-time on air position, and later with KXBS the Bus, I knew I wanted to be like Craig, but I was so introverted and worried about what people thought of me. I really did suck at it; but for some reason the station managers insisted on sending me out to shake hands, kiss babies, bowl in leagues, do remote broadcasts, introduce bands at concerts (I think David Cassidy at the Ventura Theater was one of my first) and host radio events and before long I calmed down and started to have some fun with it. The dumbest yet bravest thing I ever did was to sing Karaoke, I can’t carry a tune to save my life and the audience loved it.

But I do remember the very first time ever I did something live on air was when I was in college taking radio broadcasting classes and doing shifts on KBPK, and one of the assignments was to go out during “A Night in Fullerton” and do some interviews with random people. I don’t think I said a coherent thing (and I even had questions written on index cards) and I certainly didn’t hear a single word the person was saying, which is a critical point when doing an interview, you actually have to listen to them while preparing your next question. I was a frazzled mess by the end of the evening.

My advice: “Practice, practice, practice!!!”

2. The title of an article found on The Onion website, “Poll Finds the Majority of Americans Have Never Met Willem Defoe.”

Classic!

3. Great news! I was telling a co-worker about my one degree of separation from Kevin Bacon and she pointed out that since she knew me, she now only had two degrees. So I thought I’d inform you that since you know me, you too now only have two degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon.

You’re welcome!

(click here for original story)

4. One of the funniest blogs I’ve read in a while was called, “Ode to the Medium-Sized Woman,” by Isabel Foxen Duke. Before I started exercising, I could totally relate to a couple of these:

“I can literally wear S, M or L depending on the brand, and sometimes, I’ll size out of a brand altogether.”
“I would never be called “overweight” or “plus-size” or “heavy” or “the F-word” (you know, Fat).”
“I’ve definitely had sex with guys that weigh less than me, but I don’t think they knew that at the time.”

Too funny!

5. There are some movies that I can watch over and over, others that were a complete waste of my time and I soon forget, but there are just a few which really left a lasting impression, but I could never watch again for their disturbing nature:

Requiem for a Dream
Adaptation
The Butterfly Effect
Ted
Cape Fear

Yeah I know, Ted? Really? REALLY.

6. I have a confession. I will not miss David Letterman.

He use to be clever and funny, but since his open-heart surgery, he just became more pessimistic and mean. I am pleased that Steven Colbert will replace him.

7. Recent MSN article on Healthy Living called, “The 14 Best Things You Can Do For Your Body”.

“You don’t need anyone to tell you to have more sex, but it doesn’t hurt that research is piling up about the benefits of getting busy. Regular time spent behind closed doors can make you look and feel younger, reduce stress, boost immunity, enhance sleep, protect against prostate cancer and improve cardiovascular health. What’s more, a 25-year study from Duke University found that the more sex you have, the longer you’ll live. Guys, I think we’ve discovered the fountain of youth.”

What’s funny to me is that they spent 25 years studying this. LOL!!! “Um yeah Dean, we need more grant money to continue this study, because (wink wink) it’s really important work.

I’m guessing, these people who lived longer were actually mentally and physically healthy and as a result, they enjoyed sex more often.

8. I hope when I die, that my wake is a celebration, especially for my family and close friends. I’m pretty sure I won’t be hanging around, I’ll be ready for my next adventure, so feel free to talk about me behind my back. 😉

9. Typically when my father calls me “Little girl”, I know I’m in trouble. Thankfully after the age of 21, I stopped caring.

(Sydney at the Cross April 2013)

10. I had to call my daughter up in Oregon from my tax accountant’s office to ask whether she had claimed that she was a dependent or not when she filed her taxes earlier this year; then she started to upbraid me because she said it was just a few days before taxes were due. I had to stop her right there and point out, “No baby, they are actually due tomorrow.”

That didn’t help my case.

11. People who are intentional cruel, who seek to bring harm are even more scary because they truly believe they are justified in their actions.

People who are intentional nice, who seek to bring happiness to others rock even more because they truly believe in the brothership of mankind.

Thankfully the truly evil are only 2%.

People who are just typically mean and in a bad mood are not included in the two-percenters, because a lot depends on their environment and so they are constantly at effect…instead of at cause over their life. They just need an attitude adjustment…or a vacation or better still, get rid of the assholes in their lives. 🙂

12. From my favorite quotes file: “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”
― Albert Einstein

A Couple of Things…

Posted on April 11, 2014 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. Did I ever mention I’m listed on Wikipedia? They used my maiden name (Pam Sanchez), but also gave my air name which was Stephanie Rose! My first job was working both the AM, KPZE and the FM sides at KEZY. This article just covers the AM history of AM 1190.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KGBN

2. Elephant Journal posted a blog called How to Say No (in 25 Bad A**Ways).
Number 16 is my favorite:
#16 “Fuck no. That would be stupid.”

3. April 8th was Equal Pay day. It symbolizes how much further women would have to work at the same job to receive the same pay men did in 2013. It illustrates the gap between men’s and women’s wages.
I still hold resentment from being paid less as a woman Program Director (and full-time on-air position) at my radio station than a male office manager. Later, I was told it was because he was the sole breadwinner for his family. I still call “bullshit” on that one.

Here’s more on that: http://www.pay-equity.org/day.html

4. Yusuf wrote an article for Rolling Stone Magazine about how he (Cat Stevens) felt about being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I LOVE Tea for the Tillerman and I still listen to it quite often. This is what he said:

“The announcement of my enrollment into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will certainly bring happiness to a lot of my loyal fans, and fulfillment to all those who have long campaigned for it – not to mention how kinda tickled it makes me feel too.”

I love how it kinda tickled him!

5. I’m loving the new trend – well at least the effort to start a new trend – of converting lawns to gardens. I believe you still would need a green thumb to pull that off though.

6. I read an article titled, “The 3 Best Ways to Beat Sugar Cravings.” Listed as number 3: “The Psychologist says…walk away.”

Do you really need a degree to come up with that one?

7. Tipping Smart Cars? Funny yes, but not cool.
Three Smart Cars were recently found “tipped” in San Francisco. Hot Rod Magazine posted an editorial online in an attempt to nip this activity in the bud, and I support their efforts. To quote John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, “Don’t fuck with another man’s vehicle. It’s against the rules.”

8. Whenever I watch a really good musician play acoustic guitar I like to pay attention to their fret work and try to figure out what they’re do. Usually when I go up to meet them, they ask if I play, and I always reply with a chuckle, “not really.” That always gets the understanding nod.

9. I’ve always enjoyed reading. The most recent novel I read was the fourth novel from Helen Fielding regarding Bridget Jones. It was called “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.” I blushed throughout the novel because parts of it hit too close to home. But honestly, I’m hoping for the same happy ending for me. I’m an eternal optimist!

10. OH!!! Last February I wrote about my one degree of separation from Kevin Bacon and how we ended up with the cardboard cut out they used when Kevin Bacon guest starred on Will and Grace. Well that exact episode was on the other day so I took a picture of my T.V. Can you imagine walking into your office and seeing Kevin Bacon standing there?
https://acoupleofthings.us/2014/02/25/a-couple-of-things-34/

11. Peter Matthiessen passed away Saturday, April 4, 2014, just days before his latest novel, “In Paradise” was to be released. He was quoted as saying that he wanted readers of “In Paradise” to consider the potential for evil in all of us. “The number of people killed in the past century — human beings killing each other is phenomenal, you know?” Matthiessen said. “How has civilization — so called — come this far and people are still designing tools to kill each other? For no other purpose than killing. Why are we doing it? Why are we doing it?”

Okay, the potential is there. But gratefully the majority of us rise above it EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I’ve shared this quote before, but it ubber appropriate here:

“Be the change you wish to see in the World.” Mahatma Gandhi

Thanks for listening.

A Couple of Things…

Posted on April 6, 2014 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. This photo is proof that I can laugh at myself. And my dad too!!!! Matching perms!
HAHAHAHA!
The 80’s really did suck! Bad hair, bad furniture.

2. You will know when I win the lottery by two things.
a. I buy a new home on the hillside overlooking the ocean.
b. I own a car that does not remind me of the motorboats at Disneyland.
Otherwise, everything for awhile should be status quo.

3. I admit I got a little excited and may have started to salivate when I read that In-N-Out added bacon to its menu.
Sadly it was an April Fool’s joke posted by FoodBeast.com.
They even had a name for it, “Piggy style” complete with a photo.

Bastards!

4. I was thinking I should start acting my age, or at the very least dressing it. Then I woke up in a cold sweat. That was a close one! 😉

5. I’m considering adding “I met Trent Reznor in New Orleans in 1997” to my resume. Couldn’t hurt.

6. I remember clear as day the moment I realized I was not five and a half feet tall. It was when my doctor tried to inform me while going over my vital statistics during my annual physical that I was in fact 5′ 4″. See I thought I was 5′ 5″, which also isn’t five and half, but the number five seems like it’s half, but really isn’t. Make sense? So I after questioning my doctor’s methodology, he conceded that I was exactly 5′ 4.5″… so you know… Five-Five.

7. To this day, it still makes me giggle when someone calls me a baller. See logically I know they are referring to the fact that I love to play basketball. But in the 70’s, it meant something COMPLETELY different. Even as I’m writing this, I’m giggling. 😉

8. When I was pregnant with Sydney Rose, I started a journal of sorts for her. I wrote about how I was feeling during the pregnancy and the story about when I felt her kick for the first time, about her family history, about my hopes and dreams for her. I added all kinds of pictures for her including her footprints when she was born. I wrote in it until she was about three or four years old, then I promptly forgot about it!

I Found it and handed it over this past year. God how I wish my mother had done that for me. I hope Syd does that for my future grand kids.

9. LOVING the new Better Than Ezra single called “Crazy Lucky”.

10. Compassion is a sign of strength.” – The Dali Lama

Thanks for listening.

Being a Victim Sucks

Posted on April 5, 2014 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

Being a victim of cancer, being a victim of a crime, being a victim of abuse is one thing. But living your life as a victim is something entirely different. Unfortunately, those sort of victims can’t see the forest for the trees. For them, life is a continuous battle, to which they can do nothing about. Helping them shift over to slight gentle cause is about all you can do for them. You can’t make them be responsible because to be responsible, it has to be a personal choice. You CAN NOT make them. If you think you can, they’ll just be a victim of you making them, and that is not responsibility. You’ll be the cause of their woes at that point.

You see the worst part of trying to be friends with a victim is that they have it all figured out how it’s the other person’s fault, or how circumstances work against them. They rarely rise above this bullshit and have the guts to look at themselves for why things always seem to go wrong for them. And no matter how much you listen or work with them, they slide right back to that safe spot called victim.

I also know from personal experience that it does not serve that person to coddle them and let them continue to do so. Unfortunately they consider that mean, which you know, keeps them at victim.

Harsh? Yes. After so many losses and upsets in one’s life, it’s so much easier to settle in at “victim.” I understand, I dabbled in “victimdom”. It really sucked. And I’ll be honest; I’ve had a lot of counseling to help me work out those issues, and I finally had a blinding cognition, that I am totally and solely responsible for my life. It’s not scary, it’s just the truth. I let that cognition empower me to build the life I want to have. And I chose to not surround myself with cruel people who thrive on keeping others down.

But I thank my friends who don’t coddle me and I do my best to surround myself with those who take responsibility for their lot in life and make it go right to create the life they want to lead.

Again, being a victim of cancer, being a victim of a crime, being a victim of abuse is one thing. Strong responsible people learn to come to terms and handle and either use their experiences to empower others, or they move on if they are physically able to do so.

I take a lot of credit for all the strong brilliant friends I have. I’m here to empower and I’m here to listen, but only if you want true help.

I love you man!

Matt Cooper – In Memoriam

Posted on April 1, 2014 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

This was originally written on April 2, 2013, the day after Matt passed:

Matt passed away last night.

Matt Cooper was a special soul. He lived life by his standards. He was inspirational.

KXBS, The Bus, would not have been the same without him and Brother Rob on the morning show. GOD I LOVED DANO!!! And I didn’t even like sports!

We had so much fun going out in the community “shaking hands and kissing babies” and making the radio station stand out from the rest. We cared. He cared. And he took his position seriously.

I’ll never forget those music meetings where we would all gather up in our office and Matt would introduce the music he would be presenting to “the committee”. You could tell he was excited by certain tunes, but tried to be fair for all of them.

Of course there were those moments that stand out more than others, like when he played the wrong cut of a song’s intro and empathically dropped the “F” bomb live on air. Was it Bloodhound Gang? I knew something was wrong when all of a sudden there was dead air…and EVERYONE was laughing!!

Hanging out at the beach or shooting hoops. You guys were my boys.

I can not help but smile that Matt passed on April Fool’s Day. Now that’s a statement!

Love you Matt Cooper. You made your mark on Ventura.

Pam
aka Stephanie Rose

(I wrote a blog about attending Matt’s funeral:
https://acoupleofthings.us/2013/04/13/i-went-to-a-funeral-today/)

A Couple of Things…

Posted on March 29, 2014 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. Rock Star? HAHAHA!!! Yeah, no. Overnight radio DJ, yes. I loved being on- the-air and spinning tunes, sharing music and stories and being a part of the late night community that was Ventura back in 1987-1991. I learned to be comfortable with my voice and to be focused on the listener and not introverted. Not an easy task for some of us, especially those of us with a bad perm. 😉

So happy to gain that experience because it paved the way for my next gig with KXBS radio.

2.The only thing bad about having a Basketball Jones, is when you can’t get that STUPID song out of your head.

3. Speaking of basketball…sort of.

Congratulations to my co-worker Derek Towers and miscellaneous City Hall workers including one Sergio Albarran (squatting in photo) on making the Ventura Star. They did a really nice story on Derek (not shown in this photo) and his bike accident and how he’s made more than the best of it by inspiring others to do this crazy cross fit training during lunch.

That’s me by the way in the background shooting hoops. 🙂

4. Celebrity Sighting – True Story:
I had called in my lunch order for a burrito at Corrales while riding my bike one day about four years ago. When I got there, I parked my bike and walked up to the window when four guys cut me off and got in line in front of me. Two of them sat down. They looked like they had just come in from surfing. Anyways, these guys proceeded to order over $50 worth of Mexican food going back and forth adding more to their order. Standing there annoyed, I soon realized two of the guys were Flea and Anthony Keidis. I was now embarrassed that I was dissed by Red Hot Chili Pepper members until Flea turned around and asked me if he could get me anything.

I’m still kicking myself that I had called in my order!

NOT Ventura. Photo courtesy of Zimbia.com

5. I got a call the other day from Sydney Rose who informed me she had bought two chinchillas as pets. She posted a photo and I have to say, they are extremely cute.

It got me to thinking that whoever came up with the idea of skinning these adorable creatures for their coats must have be really heartless, or they were freakin’ freezing to death. But to farm them to skin them for fashion, tsk tsk.

6. I heard a couple of people discussing their first kiss on a morning radio show out of LA. I thought back to my first kiss which was from a kid in elementary school. It was really soft and wet and I was left uninspired, probably because I did not have a crush on him.

7. Writing music reviews is one of the hardest things I do. I always encourage and point out the good elements to an artist’s or band’s projects. To belittle those efforts – to me – is just evil. I’ve seen music critics who seem to make a sport of it. So when I come across music I don’t personally like, I don’t write about it; it just may be somebody else’s cup of tea. For instance, I never in a million years would have written reviews for The Grateful Dead. But look how many delusional fans they have. The same could be said for Metallica.

8. You know on some of those forms where you are asked for your ethnicity? Some are for medical reasons, others are for funding for governmental programs or for employment purposes. It seems to me that America is such a melting pot that one person can’t check off one box anymore. I’m half Mexican (actually 1/4 Spanish, and 1/4 Mexican) and the other half Swedish. There’s no box for that! Maybe they should list out all ethnic types and provide percentages?

9. There is actually a book called Does God Ever Speak Through Cats? It’s by David Evans

Of course I immediately start thinking about the current cat taking up residency at my house, Molly. She is very demanding, yet very standoffish. She hates to be held, unless on her terms. She insists on lounging in the middle of floor where she will be step on…in the dark. If God is speaking through her, I’m screwed.

10. I’ve read that “Sugar is as addictive as Crack.” I can’t disagree, not that I’ve tried crack.

11. From my favorite quotes file: “The best revenge is massive success.” Frank Sinatra

Thanks for listening!

A Couple of Things…

Posted on March 22, 2014 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. Family, friends and local musicians who came out to help celebrate VenturaRocks.com’s 5-year anniversary meant the world to me. I know how crazy life can get and how busy we can become, so to stop by and say hello or to hang out for awhile, well, that was just awesome.

Thank you!!!

There is a more complete photo gallery at VenturaRocks.com and I hope to get more photos from others who took pictures soon.

2. In Plano, TX, a police officer pulled over a man whose tags had expired on his car. The man who had been struggling to pay the bills and feed his family explained there was no excuse, but that he just didn’t have the money. The officer gave him a citation anyways and left.

Inside the citation? A $100 bill.

He was not only able to pay his DMV registration fees but his wife’s as well.

3. I saw this post this week and I couldn’t agree more: “You’d think the chances of putting in a USB drive wrongside-up would be 50-50, but nope, it’s easily 90-10.”

4. I am encouraged that I did not see as many hate-filled posts and articles about the passing of the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, Fred Phelps.

I think my favorite post comes from former Star Trek actor and gay rights advocate George Takei who wrote: “Today, Mr. Phelps may have learned that God, in fact, hates no one. Vicious and hate-filled as he was, may his soul find the kind of peace through death that was so plainly elusive during his life.”

5. I recommend less introspection and wondering why you are the way you are and try more serving others.
Get over yourself and get busy.

6. REAL news headlines:

Man with Tail Worshipped as God (But Not by His Wife)
Zoo Feeds Unwanted Giraffe to Lions
Female Libido Pill Scrutinized
You are What your Grandmother ate
New Species of Mammal Kills Itself with Sex

Yeah, Okay, about that last one, the species, a pink-nosed rodentlike marsupial, was discovered in May 2013 and already scientist are seeking endangered species protection for them. Really?

Click here for one of the news stories.

7. Don’t you just love your first glimpse of a really large full moon? I especially love it when it isn’t expected and it’s in the corner of my eye behind some trees or coming up over the hill and I have to take a second look. I literally gasp.

8. When Sydney Rose was born, I always considered the worst case scenario and what to do if it happened. For some reason, we thought it would be a good idea to take her for walk out on the pier. In my mind – and I am not kidding, you can see it on my face in this photo – (I remember like it happened yesterday wondering this to myself), “What if someone pushes the stroller over the edge?” In my mind, “I’ll need to jump in and save her while yelling call 9-1-1”.
Of course they would have to tackle me first, hold me down while lifting up the stroller and pushing her over, not to mention her father fighting tooth and nail for her life.

But I still had a plan.

9. Love this Meme entitled “23 People Were Asked ‘What’s the Best Thing About Being Single?’ These Answers Make A Lot of Sense”

The one that made me laugh the most is #7 and apparently answered by a male. It says, “Don’t have to compromise anything. I had to sit through Cinderella and a thousand bullshit chick flicks just because my ex wanted to watch them. Now, I watch Cinderella because I want to watch it.”

But the one that hits closest to home is #2. “You really don’t appreciate the entire mattress, until you have it to yourself.”

10. Do you think they’ll start calling it a “Jennifer Lawrence” when someone trips or falls (especially in front of a lot of important people and your peers)? I feel so bad for her falling both times she attended the Academy Awards. I feel bad because that would totally be me! How lucky am I my dad caught this precious moment for me? And no, I did not fall. After introducing Rey Fresco, I turned to walk off the stage and luckily I saw my foot had attracted the attention of one of the band’s guitar cords. But yes, I am a klutz.

11. From my favorite quotes files:

“Sometimes doing the right thing does not make everyone happy — just the people who need it the most.” – Tony Posnanski

Tony is a restaurant manager who received complaints from customers about a loud table nearby. When he approached the table where a mother was sitting with her child, he was asked, ““Do you know what it is like to have a child with autism?”

If you have a few moments please read what Tony did.

Thanks for listening.

A Couple of Things…

Posted on March 16, 2014 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

Maggie and me with owners of Squashed Grapes, Adam & Josh.
Trey O’Toole, Andrew Hill, Franklin Murphy & Jacob Scesney playing behind us.

1. This past weekend the City threw their annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and I was invited to join Kat Merrick on her Totally Local VC float. The Dan Grimm band played with Jonny accompanying on air guitar. Maggie and I caught up with the crew from Squashed Grapes (see above) who won the Mayor’s Choice award this year. I have to say, I love a parade!

2. I would like to see the sunrise on the East coast someday. Love our West coast sunsets! It will be a nice bookend.

3. Ventura College has a terrific program for both Men’s and Women’s basketball. I love taking in a game whenever I can find the time. Well this year, the women took State on Sunday. Congratulations ladies, you rock!!!

4. All of a sudden I’m seeing Facebook posts, and blogs from women on how “I don’t owe you a smile” or “Stop telling me to smile” or discussing how asking is a form of harassment. In all honesty, I get it. I have felt passive aggressiveness before with a man requesting I smile. You know what actually works? Do something to make me smile. 🙂 If I felt like smiling, I would be!

5. Are guitars considered women? I saw a popular local artist post a picture of about a dozen guitars and his caption was “Hello ladies!!!” Plus doesn’t B.B. King call his “Lucille?” Jerry Garcia had one he called “Rosebud” which coincidentally was the nickname Craig Powers called me (my radio air name was Stephanie Rose).

A lot of people say cars are girls too, but I have a girlfriend who calls her’s Steve.

I use to have one of those voice activated hands-free devices which had a limited vocabulary in a female sounding voice. I called her “Beverly.” My daughter thought I was ridiculous. I call my breasts “the girls” but they don’t have specific names nor do I have a favorite. I haven’t named my car or my guitars to date, but I think I just might have to give it some thought.

6. Sydney recently sent me a text from Oregon which read, “Hey someone said you looked like an owl.”

To which I replied, “Who? Who?”

I thought it was in response to this photo. But sadly, she was just messing around with me. Yeah, Oregon is super slow paced.

7. I’m not normally one to read about psychiatric crap, but there was a blog entitled 12 Most Mind-Blowing Mental Delusions and Syndromes. Some of them referred to people who suffered from hearing voices, there was one where the person believes they are dead or are missing their internal organs. But my favorite was called the Paris Syndrome and I SWEAR TO GOD this is what it said about it:

Paris syndrome is a transient experience that affects tourists to Paris who find that the City of Light does not live up to their expectations. They may experience hallucinations, delusions of persecution, anxiety and other somatic symptoms. Paris syndrome may sound like a joke, but around twenty Japanese tourists a year are thought to be hospitalized with it.

The usual treatment for Paris syndrome is to go home.

Brilliant!

There’s one for Jerusalem as well where people start wearing togas and giving bad sermons. This is fascinating: “Estimates place the number of people who require hospital admission from this syndrome at around 40 per year.”

Again the treatment is to go home.

8. Here’s a Public Service Message to those who still smoke. Please do not throw your butts on the ground or out the window of a car. Dispose of them properly. Otherwise, they go down the gutter and directly to our ocean. That sucks and it’s not alright.

Of course quitting is always encouraged! 😉

9. I sometimes cut off the crust of my sandwich in the interest of shaving off calories and when I do I am reminded of being told bread crust will make your hair curly. I wondered if that was just my weird family so I Googled it. There are a ton of entries on the subject! In fact, not only does Snopes weigh in – at length – on the subject but this is what WikiAnswers has to say: “No, your hair shape is determined by the shape of the hair strand. The only way to change it is by getting a perm of some sort or sometimes as a person gets older their hair will change – or pregnancy. That can do it too.”

What a buzzkill. But what is interesting is the fact that this old wives tale dates back more than 300 years old.

10. VenturaRocks.com’s 5th anniversary is Monday, March 17 and I’m looking forward to celebrating at Bombay’s with family and friends!

11. From my Favorite quotes file, “He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.” – Thomas Jefferson

Thanks for listening

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