Category Archives: A Couple of Things…

A Couple of Things…

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PacificCity

1. So I got to see my baby girl this past weekend.  I flew up to Portland for four days.  We spent one afternoon driving to the coast down at Pacific City; she took me around a few of the different districts; we took a limited number of photos; we bowled; we went to the movies; we had a few adult beverages and we dined to together.  BREAKING NEWS…. Sydney is no longer a vegetarian.  This is a direct quote from her, “I’m over it, I did my time.” She didn’t eat meat for eleven years!!

As for her hair color, she told me she was going to dress up as Princess Bubblegum, hence the purple/pink hair…but I think she rocks that color Halloween or not!

2. I came across this short video on the horrors of Daylight Saving Time.  It’s funnier than shit.  If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor… This is totally brill:

3. Speaking of movies, my friend Carol thought it prudent to warn me out of the blue, “Just so you know, ‘Cowspiracy’ is not a comedy.”  Yeah, I probably would have made that assumption too.  And while we’re on the subject I’m pretty sure “Raccoon Nation” isn’t either.
Here’s a link to tease it:  http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/raccoon-nation-introduction/7518/

“It’s possible that moving into the urban environments is creating technically smarter raccoons.”

I wholeheartedly concur.

4. I get a little disillusioned when I see posts about how much one loves their spouse or girlfriend, even though I know better. Why do people post lies?  On my better days I think it’s because they wished it were true, or on my crabby-woman days, I think they just like the validation when people comment how cute they look.   I think I will continue to leave my personal relationships personal, and might, just might post that I got married…someday.  But of course, I could always change my mind. 😉

5. If you build it they will come.

It was a fantasy movie people! TOTALLY FICTION!
If you build it, they will come if you promote the shit out of it and provide a service people actually want.

6. I saw a Facebook thread about the recent music awards here in town. Some people like it, and some people don’t.  But someone who likes them commented, “We’re all in this together.”  Well if we’re all in this together, why are we competing against each other?

fire-message7. A friend of mine, John Vance, is a Fire Chief and he took a photo of the bulletin board at his station saying “We don’t tell anyone to write this on the assignment board, they just do!”

I would make a minor change on #3 so it would become a metaphor for everyone in life:
1. Be Nice
2. Be Safe
3. Put out Fires
4. Do your Job

 

8. I always like to be in the middle of reading a book, sometimes I have more than two going at any time depending on my mood.  Fiction/Non-Fiction/Fantasy/Horror,Drama…I just finished an odd book called “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon and another one called “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins.  Sometimes I’m just happy to get through a book, it’s rare that I give up.  My biggest accomplishment?  Getting through “War and Peace” and completely digging it!

9. Popular foods taking on new hues as food makers purge artificial dyes from their products.
I’m all for it though I stopped buying cereal years ago.  I can’t even remember the last time I purchased milk for myself. CM3bU5ZUcAAvHHT

10. Did I see I story that said, “Starbucks to tweak pumpkin spice latte formula to include real pumpkin.”?  Sadly, yes, I did.

11. Is anyone else completely disgusted by the Cottenlle toilet paper campaign? Something about giving you confidence to go commando? Really???

12. From my favorite quotes file, “We’re developing a new citizenry. One that will be very selective about cereals and automobiles, but won’t be able to think.” ― Rod Serling

Thanks for your time!

A Couple of Things…

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dabear1. Don’t poke the bear. I have a confession. I poked; he didn’t mind. 🙂

2. The pope has come and gone and though I’m not Catholic, I enjoyed reading some of the public interest stories on his visit to the U.S.

This is among the best: On sex abuse by Priests and then the cover up the Pope was quoted as saying, “I remain overwhelmed with shame that men entrusted with the tender care of children violated these little ones and caused grievous harm. I am profoundly sorry.”

And among the the worst. USA Today reported, “The Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples met with Pope Francis last Thursday during his U.S. visit, a meeting kept secret from the media, her lawyer says.”

(I rarely do an addendum…but this is newsworthy regrading “the worst”:
How the Outrage Over the Pope’s Kim Davis Meeting May Have Paid Off in a Big Way
blog on the Huffington
Author: Michelangelo Signorile
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/pope-francis-kim-davis-meeting_b_8232866.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063 )

cat
3. If you know me, you know I love animals so I had to read the story with the headline: “Ruthie Rosemary the cat survives wildfire!”
Her family was forced to evacuate as a wildfire was encroaching on their home and as they were loading Ruthie into the car, she jumped out and sadly had to be left behind. Five days later they returned to their severely burned property when they heard a mew from underneath a burned out truck. No one can figure out how Ruthie survived and she only suffered singed whiskers and eyebrows.

4.  Every now and then I pass someone who is reading a recent issue of the Ventura Breeze.  I always nonchalantly check to see if they’re reading my Music Scene column.  One of these days I’m going to stop and say, “Hey! I wrote that!”

Syd's new home

Sydney sharing an apartment here with a friend.

home-Fullerton

My apartment building when I was around Sydney’s age.

5.  Sydney Rose has officially moved to Portland after living near McMinnville for the past two years. She sent me her new address and I Goggle-Mapped it (By the way. “Google-Mapped” DID NOT come up as a misspelling).  It’s a cute brick building which sort of reminds me of the brick building I lived in around her age back in Fullerton. I loved that place with its wood floors and little fireplace.  Plumbing sucked, but who washes dishes anyways? Apparently we both love old brick buildings!

6. Does any business want to be known as their city’s “Best kept secret?”

7.  Let’s discuss Wife Beater Tank Tops. We should be appalled, and not so flippant or cavalier when referring to this type of clothing. Even some women’s clothing are referred to as Wife Beaters.  Why not just call them by their original name, a tank top?

8.  Have you ever wondered if you should brush then floss, or vice versa, floss then brush?  This question just occurred to me recently after I invested in one of those Sonicare toothbrushes.  I did a little online research and it appears that even dentist argue on this point but the argument that makes the most sense to me is to floss first to dislodge “stuff” then brush it away.
In case you’re now wondering, According to the American Dental Association, “It doesn’t matter.” Just do both.

9. .  Everyone loves a parade! I’ve been participating in Ventura parades promoting VenturaRocks.com for the past three or four years; first it’s the St. Patrick’s Day parade, then in August it’s the Ventura County Fair parade. They’re a lot of fun, but I’ll admit, I’m always a little nervous to see the photos of us on social media afterwards.

10.  I went to a local theater production of West Side Story at the Rubicon Theater.   I knew going in there was a 110% chance that I would cry as I’ve seen the movie dozens of times and I’ve never gotten by without bawling my eyes out during the final scene. But sadly I was screwed in the first few minutes when I was overcome with emotion and the tears welled up over the the power of a live orchestra and the cast recreating the opening scene. These kids nailed it, and it was only for one weekend of shows!  I felt privileged to be able to see it. And yes, I was prepared with a stack of tissues.

11. Why don’t cell phones just come with protective housing instead of making people purchase a case so the glass doesn’t break?  Or better yet, develop a non-breakable glass.  Am I the only one baffled by this?

12.  I saw a recent mime on Facebook:
“Bacon Fact #18
Bacon is healthier than crystal meth.”

WORD

13. From my Favorites Quotes File:  “If you’re not in the parade, you watch the parade. That’s life.” – Mike Ditka

Thanks for your time!

A Couple of Things…

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birthday-dinner-2015b

Photo by Maggie McKinney

1.  Every year, another year older and I’m told, another year wiser.  As I attempt to age gracefully I find throwing caution to the wind and embracing what makes me feel alive is the best medicine.  Live music, loud music, good friends, great conversations, an intimate connection, my family especially my daughter Sydney Rose making me proud, my pup Sammy hanging in there at 15 years of age, shooting hoops, giving to my community and feeling like I’m helping in some small degree. These are the things that for me, make an extraordinary life.

2.   I would much prefer to live in a world where trophy hunting does not occur.

That being said, Oxford University is reporting that Cecil’s brother is protecting Cecil’s cubs after a hunter illegally killed him in Africa. Usually the pride will slaughter the dominate male’s offspring after he has died.  So, this is a small victory and a definite miracle of nature.

Elenor Roosevelt3.  I understand Eleanor Roosevelt is very close to being the next person on the twenty dollar bill.  I wholeheartedly support this choice. What an amazing woman.

4.  From time to time I’ll see a Facebook post about when someone’s mom “left them”.  Something like, “It’s was 10 years ago today since Mom passed away…”   Well, it’s been 40 years since my mother died and honestly, I couldn’t tell you the day.  I remember it was winter. Her funeral was about the darkest day of my life. I could research it and find her death certificate, but I would rather remember her birthday which was July 24. She would have been 81 this year, and I fear one of those crazy cat ladies.  I would have loved it!

clown-head5.  I ADORED Emmett Kelly.  I took this doll everywhere with me when I was a toddler. Who couldn’t love this face?  Especially since it’s all I have left of him. I even went out as Emmett Kelly for Halloween one year and my mother put some sort of face cream and then coffee grounds on my face for the beard. That lasted about 10 minutes.

6. So I got bumped off Facebook and I was notified that my computer had a virus.  I tried to log back on and they would not let me without installing their virus program.  I did research and saw that a number of folks believe it’s a ploy for Facebook to download data or collect data from your computer.  I did not download their software; two weeks later I logged in, no problem.  Conspiracy theory?  This one I just might believe.

7.  Successful men are sexy.  Cheap ass successful men, not so much.

8.  Lives matter – PERIOD.  I’m behind the Black Lives Matter campaign, don’t get me wrong, but I recently saw a post putting down an old man of 70 saying he was probably going to die soon anyways. I’m sure the senior citizen was a jerk for eliciting such a response, but please.  I’m a little tired of people putting down race, sex, and yes age.  Babies, kids, teens, adults and seniors all deserve to be treated with dignity…until each individual proves otherwise.  Actually, let’s try to stop lumping people into groups. That’s called stereotyping. Stereotyping police, public sector workers, big business, lawyers, priests, feminists, nerds, toddlers, surfer dudes, musicians, alcoholics, the homeless, well, you get my point. Each individual has their story, all those groups have amazing people who want to make a difference, and a very small minority who are commie-rat bastards.

In the immortal words of The Osmonds, “One Bad Apple Don’t Spoil the Whole Bunch, Girl.”

9. I saw a “human interest” segment on a morning news show where the guest was suggesting women should shave their face daily.  Are you kidding me???  That being said, I know a woman who went into labor, but would not go to the hospital without waxing her upper lip first.  True story.

10.  Give a hand up, not a hand out is the message the City of Ventura is spreading. Local resources help those who want help.  This is true. So when I recently stopped at a signal where a woman was standing with a young boy sitting beside her with her sign asking for a handout, I politely asked her if she knew that there were resources.  She spoke back in a foreign language (not spanish), and I smiled kindly and remarked that she should remove the diamond earring in her son’s ear before asking for a hand out.  She promptly told him to remove it.  Yeah, she understood every word I said.

11.  I have to say that Dave Grohl has to be one of my favorite rock stars of all time.  Nirvana?  Are you kidding me?  And then the Foo Fighters?  Dave is such a great songwriter and artist and all around great person. He broke his leg during a concert, came back and finished it not wanting to let the fans down.  The man has serious integrity.  The latest incident to support this opinion is when this guy in Romagna, Italy, wanted the Foo Fighters to play in their small town, so he gather 1000 musicians to play Learn to Fly .  They did and Dave responded IN ITALIAN that he would in fact get the band there to play a concert. This YouTube Video has had over 20 million views since posted. IT IS AMAZING. I fuckin’ cry every time I watch it:

Here is Dave’s response – I LOVE HIM:

12. From my favorite quotes file: “In this day and age, when you can use a machine or computer to simulate or emulate what people can do together, it still can’t replace the magic of four people in a room playing.” – Dave Grohl

Thanks for your time!

A Couple of Things…

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mean-raccoon1.  After my close encounters with the local wild raccoons over the past few years, I’ve come to loathe these bandit-looking vermin; however, I felt sorry for what I assumed was one of our local furry scavengers last night when it apparently slipped between the two fences (about 5 inches wide) along my back yard dividing the property between me and my neighbor.  I heard a scuffle thinking my cat was defending her property, but then screams, weird animal noises, and yelling ensued with a lot of pounding and banging echoing through the 4:30 am silence.  I thought I’d have to call animal protective services when they opened in the morning (they’re actually closed on the weekend), to rescue the suffering animal, but fifteen minutes later I saw a nose pop up then disappear.  I was rooting for the suffering animal watching from my secure viewpoint out my bedroom window. Several attempts later a huge racoon climbed out, then to my surprise, two more quickly followed suit.  They were at least 40+ pounds each and they high-tailed it across  fences and roofs making additional racket along the way.  They’re usually pretty smart, so with any luck at all they won’t be returning any time soon!

Then of course there’s this:

Raccoon-on-alligator2.  And just in case you missed it, Yep, that’s a raccoon riding an alligator. A man was watching alligators when his son accidentally startled an unseen raccoon who ran out onto the gator’s back, just long enough for the man to get this shot.  Pulitzer Prize winning shot?

I’ll be honest, I’m liking the critters just a smidgen more.

3.  Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.  Fuck I hate that lesson.
I really need to trust my gut more often.

4.  Somewhere along the same subject line, there are certain people out there, when they open their mouths, you expect not-so-bright things to escape from time to time. It’s the ones you thought were bright, smarter than your average bear and tolerant of others that really floor you when they say something bigoted; and the kicker is, they don’t even realize it.

Definition of a bigot: “a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.” (Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2015)

5. I hadn’t followed the story of Tim Donaghy who went to prison for betting on games while working as an NBA referee; however, a recent headline caught my eye when it said he had joined a white power gang in prison.  “Former ref Tim Donaghy joined white power gang in prison.”  The article said he didn’t like his experience there and he was quoted as saying, “Too many criminals.”
Ya think?

6.  I am not the sum total of my experiences.  If I were I would be bat ass crazy.  Wait…

7.  I hope you won’t think less of me, but I was super jazzed to attend my neighbor’s memorial service recently.  I adored my neighbor because he was a lifelong Marine, and he was always there for you; an incredibly decent man with a life well lived.  We’d spend hours talking about basketball and his two grandchildren who played ball through high school, then college, and now the NBA (you know where I’m going with this, right?).  So I got to meet these fine outstanding basketball players, all 6’9″ of them, and even got a hug from one of them.  Aaron plays for Orlando Magic and Drew plays for the Delaware 87ers. I’m still grinning about this, and yes Dave Davis, you will definitely be missed. You rocked sir!

twitter10008.  I hit 1,000 followers on Twitter recently.  Yay!!!

9.  There were many aspects of working in radio that were either embarrassing, or difficult that put me outside my comfort zone.  But the one that always totally introverted me was when someone would ask me for my autograph.

10.  I bought a pair of those biker shorts, you know the kind that have extra padding in strategically placed sections?  I’ve never wanted to wear them because of vanity reasons (like I need extra padding, right?), but OMG, sweet!!

11.  The trick to getting a new set of pots and pans is to actually throw out the old ones.  This is a trick I have heard about, but not yet applied.

12.  From my Favorite Quotes File:  “There is nothing more dangerous than the conscience of a bigot.” – George Bernard Shaw

Thanks for your time!

A Couple of Things…

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Syd Rose showing off her birthday tattoo.

Syd Rose showing off her birthday tattoo.

1.  My daughter Sydney Rose turned 21 on June 11.  She’ll always be my baby.  Nothing melts my heart more than when she calls and says, “Hi Mama!”

Sydney attended a summer camp when she was in elementary school, I think it was in New Mexico.  It was the first time she was away from home for an extended period of time, a whole month!  When she came back, I went from being called Mom to Dude.  Happy to say she eventually settled on “Mama.”

Of course I’ll always have this image of her little baby attitude in my head.  We made a calendar out of this shot.  Too cute!  Love you Sydney Rose!!
Sydney Rose bath time

2.  I never see Chili Beans on the menu at Mexican restaurants.

3.  I always giggle when someone gets indignant about being called middle-aged.  It’s the period of life between youth and old age.  I guess we could stretch the definition of youth, but come on!  By 35, you ain’t no youngster!!  You can further suggest you’ll live to 125, but even then, at 35, you still ain’t no youngster! You just elongated the period of being middle-aged!

4.  8700333_fpxIt may just be me, but I think it’s pure evil of Macy’s to place chocolates next to their cash registers in these beautifully wrapped gold boxes. Milk chocolate with creamy caramel and sea salt, are you kidding?  After one’s ego has been thoroughly deflated trying to find a pair of jeans that fit properly you’re going to tempt me with more calories?  Bastards!

5.  I bought a new bicycle helmet.  Apparently they have a 1-2 year life span.

Pizza Hut6. Okay, maybe I’m not quite done with my hot dog phase.  Tell me this doesn’t look kind of good!

7.  I’ve decided to unclutter by life. I won’t go so far as to say I was overwhelmed, but I will say I was doing more things that I was not enjoying, than I was enjoying. And that’s not to say I was working too much because I actually enjoy working.  So I’m getting rid of the stress and “clutter” inhibiting my happiness. My motto remains, “Work Hard, Play Harder.”

8.   One of my pet peeves is when someone shows up late with an entree to a potluck.

The cat is asking for you.9.  The other day some random cat attempted to enter my house through the doggie door.  All I have to say is Molly is one bad-ass kitty cat.  Don’t fuck with her.  I went downstairs to find the intruder and there was a black and white kitty with its hair on end yeowing.  I don’t think it’ll attempt to trespass again.  I’ve posted this photo of her before, but this completely epitomizes her.
Now I just have to train her to chase off spiders and raccoons.

10.   I was not surprised by the ton of media coverage when Bruce Jenner made the transitions from man to woman and appeared on Vanity Fair as Caitlyn.  I was pleased most were civil, that is until I came across Jon Stewart’s Daily Show commentary on the media coverage.  Not only was it a great, but he demonstrates so eloquently how society is sexist and ageist.

“Congratulations, and welcome to being a woman in America.” – Jon Stewart

Please do me a favor and take the time to view this.

11.  From my favorite quotes file:  “The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.” – Gloria Steinem

A Couple of Things…

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MotleyCrew1.  The Transportation Department tries to take a field trip at least once a year.  This year we opted to ride our bikes from Ventura City Hall to Santa Barbara, a little over 30 miles. We got to check out the new bike path along La Conchita, as well as checking out future bike path plans for Carpinteria.

Our ultimate destination?  Union Ale House on State Street across from the train station. After lunch, we hopped on the Amtrak back to Ventura.  No mishaps.  No accidents.  We kept a steady pace with perfect weather and the promise of beers ahead.

finger-dog2.  Well my love of the hot dog has officially come to an end.  Do you blame me?

A Facebook post claimed they went to Cupids hot dogs by Northridge college and it looked like this.  Who could eat a chili dog that looks like spaghetti sauce?  All kidding aside,  that looks like a freakin’ finger. EWWWWW!

3.  A survey taken recently of what moms don’t want for Mother’s Days:
Gym membership
Perfume
Jewelery

Really?  I’d love to have my gym membership paid for, I’d love a small bottle of Chanel No. 5, but jewelry?  Not so much; I’m low maintenance when it comes to jewelry.  I wear small dangling earrings, and not much else; and I’m not a huge fan of diamonds because I think they’re overrated.  All that being said, Bloomingdales sells an ounce of Chanel for $325.00.  If you know me, I get a tad offended when people overdo it on their cologne; but strategically placed minimal taps of No 5, yes please.

Of course I would never expect my daughter to be so extravagant.  But to everyone else, my birthday is coming up (hint hint).

batman-vs-superman4.  I went to the movies and while watching the upcoming attractions, I saw a preview for the movie “Superman vs Batman”.  Am I the only one confused here?  Aren’t they both superheros?

5.  MSN Medical news headline:  “Frequent Orgasms May Protect Against Certain Cancers.”  Sorry girls, unfortunately this applies only to men.

6.  I may be alone on this, but I already missed David Letterman, that is, the early days of Dave pre-1999.

lunch7.  Sheldon Brown, publisher of the Ventura Breeze held a Writers/Photographer’s luncheon recently.  Coming from an architect background, he decided to launch a newspaper eight years ago.  He said he had no idea what he was doing, and pretty much still doesn’t.  He’s a dear friend and I admire his tenacity. I’m proud to be a contributing writer for him.

8.  I’d been in the thick of HTML5 and writing code for the current website I’ve been working on for the past month when I hit an impasse. I could not for the life of me figure out how to make the page layout the way I wanted it to.  I googled it, I looked to the Worldwide Web Consortium specs, I search different tutorials to no avail.  Then while driving last weekend, the solution hit me like a ton of bricks.  It was like magic and it worked like a charm!

9.  For the first time in seven years I have seriously considered pulling the plug on VenturaRocks.com.  There is much to mull over.

 

10.  From my favorite quotes file, “Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.” – Charles M. Schulz

Thanks for your time.

A Couple of Things…

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Rob, me, Diego, Tammy1.  These people are trouble, and I couldn’t love them more! It’s always a blast getting together with Tammy and Brother Rob as we catch up with each’s lives, and reminisce about our days at KXBS radio, but add to the mix Diego at Bombay’s and ALL BETS ARE OFF!!!  We survived the night including a late night noshing at Denny’s.

2. Girls toot; they don’t fart, that is unless you can hear it from across the room, then yeah, they fart.

3. I’ve been accused of being stoic twice in my life, and I don’t like it. But I don’t think it necessary to show upset, or that you’ve been hurt. I’d rather ride it out knowing better days are ahead.  But then, that’s just me. I could have tizzy fit melt downs, but trust me, they’re not pretty.

blue-t

4. Not that I’m a marketing expert or anything, but on my latest batch of VenturaRocks.com t-shirts I went with new colors hoping to not only sell to new customers, but to resell to existing customers.

Who wants one?  No, really???

5. I’m really going to work on waiting until I’m convinced a person has stopped sneezing before I offer a “God bless you.” I figure setting the example will stop what I consider one of the most annoying habits people have:  interrupting a good sneeze sequence.

6. Do you ever go into a movie deciding you will not end up crying though you know it’s a tearjerker? And while you try to fight it, at some point you reconsider and you just give in?  Yeah, me neither.

7. The other night I saw a commercial for cereal.  I don’t even remember what cereal it was, but I was overcome with the sudden desire, nay, overwhelming urgency for milk and processed grained with lots of sugar involved.  Of course, I did not succumb, but if I did, I think I would have gone for Coco Krispies.  It’s probably been 15 years since I’ve had cereal.  So weird.

8. I’ve said it before, and I probably will again, if you’re going to use a quote, give credit where credit is due.

campfiregirl

9. A little known fact about my childhood.  I was a Bluebird, the precursor to Camp Fire Girls which was sort of like Girl Scouts, but cooler.  I have no photos to back up this claim to fame, so you’ll have to trust me on this one.  Instead of selling Girl Scout cookies, we sold Camp Fire Girls candy.  Yum!

10. As I’m a big fan of the Grilled Cheese, I found this story in the online version of the LA Times fascinating. They suggest that cheese lovers are more generous and have more sex.
The survey claims they surveyed 4,600 people and found that 73% of grilled cheese lovers have sex at least once a month, compared with 63% of those who don’t love grilled cheese. And 32% of grilled cheese lovers have sex at least six times a month, compared with 27% of non-grilled cheese lovers.

Two things:

A. How sad that having sex once a month is considered more often.

B.  “There are people who don’t love cheese?  Crazy!!”  I’m such a cheesy girl!!

Here’s the story:  http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-survey-grilled-cheese-sex-20150408-story.html

11. From my favorite quotes file:  “I’ve enjoyed the opposite sex a lot. Always have. Always will.” – Betty White

A Couple of Things…

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MotorboatRaces1.  If I could leave one piece or advice for you it would be this: “Never ever underestimate having a spirit of play!”

The photo above is when the radio station sent me out to cover the Motorboat Races and to actually drive one…this one!  We took it out on the ocean from the Harbor to the Pier and back where I actually caught air without flipping the boat! Yay me!  I was screaming the whole time, but whatever!!!

2.  To set a good example, should one be tolerant of intolerance?

3.  I’ll be honest, cage-free eggs don’t taste stress-free or tastier for that matter, but I still feel much better. I’m sure if investigated, conditions are most likely still inhumane.

photo credit: Seth Brandes

photo credit: Seth Brandes

4.  The St. Patrick’s Day parade was super fun but most of us suffered from heat exhaustion having spent 3 hours in 90 degree weather dancing up Main Street for the last leg of our journey. Squashed Grapes won two trophies Best in their Category and Best in Show, the granddaddy of them all!

5.  It’s been some time since I nailed a three-pointer, well at least since my knee started giving me serious trouble about six months ago.  I’ve been back on the court easing back into my exercise regime and trying to get my “game” back, and I’m happy to report, Thursday, March 19, I dropped not one, but two three-pointers!

I’ve always said, next lifetime, I want to be tall enough to be able to dunk, but I still think 3-pointers rule, especially when they swish and it’s nothing but net.

Soap6.  One of the side effects of exercising I have had to endure over the years are frequent charlie horses in my feet and calves, sometimes my thighs; there’s not much worse than stretching in the middle of the night resulting in one of my calves cramping up with such severe pain that I have to get up and attempt to walk it off.

I’ve mentioned this a while back at work and Sergio said to try a bar of soap between the sheets. It was probably a year before I succumbed and gave it a go and I’m happy to report that it freakin’ works.  NO KIDDING!

So I thought I would look it up on Snopes, and guess what?  They don’t disagree with this remedy!  At one point they concede, “Yet skepticism aside, for those subject to nocturnal leg cramps, this bit of folk wisdom is clearly worth a try, in that the only potential downside is their having to share their beds with slivers of soap. (Well, that and having their spouses think them a bit loony.)”

Here’s a link to their article:  http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/legcramp.asp

7.  I beg of you, if you are on Facebook, DO NOT post a picture of a spider you recently came across.  Just do me this one solid please.

8.  One of the few TV series I followed religiously (I can count all of them on four fingers) included the X-Files.  I considered it a guilty pleasure, but now I confess, I’m giddy with anticipation for Mulder and Scully’s return to the small screen after a 13-year break.


9.  I saw this video on Facebook, and I thought, I’m going to learn some sign language!  So I went to the master, Youtube, and found some beginner videos and I now know how to sign, “Please,” Thank-you,” “Yes,” “No.” and I started to learn how to sign names and got lost on how to spell my own last name.  Damn you Baumgardners!

10.  There is a reason why I only have female pets and it stems back to when I was about nine years old and called my mother in a panic because my dog LBD’s “stomach” was falling out. After a couple of carefully phrased questions regarding the location of said “body part,”  She laughed and said, “Through him outside and leave him alone.” This became her favorite story to tell her friends for years to come.

Now I concede that female pets may get horny, BUT, their “insides” remain, inside.

Oh! And just so you know…LBD stands for Little Black Dog.  LBD eventually got shortened to just LB. This trend of using initials for pet names started with a pup we all had a say in naming called, Lucky-Becky-Junior-LBJ.  I voted for Lucky.  We also had a dog called GD, for Girl Dog.

As an adult pet owner, I started using full names such as Kitty Sanchez, and now of course Samantha “Boom-Boom” Baumgardner who we affectionately call Sammy.

12.  From my favorite quotes file: “Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.” – Suzanne Weyn, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium

Thanks for your time!

 

A Couple of Things…

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With Ron1. I think I’ve mentioned before that my first love was Ron way back in high school.  We’ve been friends on Facebook for a few years now and when he was in town recently, we met for a couple of beers downtown taking in some live music and catching up on what we’ve been doing: my social life with the music scene, his marriage and job and his brothers and mom whom I always liked.  It was a fun night and he suggested we send a photo to Linda who would be shocked when she got it.  She was!

So here is the REALLY FREAKIN’ WEIRD story about Ron.  We grew up in Whittier where we attended Sierra High School.  He graduated a couple years ahead of me.  After we broke up, we fell out of contact and went our separate ways.  Fast forward to the mid Nineties and my sister informed me that Ron lived in the neighborhood.  It turns out that we both moved to Ventura in the mid Eighties, we both lived at Pierpont Beach.  We both had kids.  We never ran into each other!  He use to live less than a mile away for so many years!

2. If nobody ever mentioned that it was Daylight Savings Time and you’d be losing an hour of sleep over the weekend, and your clocks all changed automatically, would you really notice?

3. I like the way my favorite news morning team positioned Daylight Savings Time.  You gain an hour of daylight.  You lose an hour of sleep.

I love daylight!  So much more energy when the sun’s up!  Although, I don’t mind being a night owl either. 😉

syd-balls4. To this day I still can’t imagine what was going through Sydney’s mind when she was in the midst of these colorful plastic balls at Chuck E Cheese.

1. “Um, will we be here long?
2. “I am the Queen Bee; you are my subjects.”
3. “I’m peeing right now and no one knows it.”
4. “Next time, I pick party location.”
5. “So this is how it’s gonna be.”
6. ” I’m calm, I’m playing along; but someone will pay for this.”
7. “You know your old boyfriend lives around the corner, but I’m not telling.”

5. I’m sorely disappointed to learn that there is a sector of society that does not enjoy kissing. I’m not naming names, and if you fall into this demographic, I honestly feel sorry for you.  There is nothing like deep warm passionate kisses.

6. Before I start getting grief for whining about the pain my knee has continued to give me, I would like it to be known that I gave birth without any drugs whatsoever, and THAT hurt like a mofo.  I think the difference is that I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and knew it would be over soon; I’d either die in childbirth, or the baby would be born soon.  The knee, not so much.

So, I got my first cortisone shot.  Didn’t know it was a steroid. I guess it doesn’t matter, I’m not going to be tested any time soon competing in sports, though I believe it’s the anabolic steroids that would matter.  I’m happy to report, I’m feeling better and I’m easing back into regular exercise.

7. It blows my mind that some people don’t enjoy reading.

8. I don’t appreciate seeing pictures of terrorists, thugs, or evil doers on the news feed on Facebook and Twitter.  I can only imagine people think they are doing a service to others?  Honestly, its a disservice.  When I want my news, I’ll go to a new service.

I will from time to time (maybe once a year) comment on something I feel passionate about hoping to start a dialog about it.

9.idiom I love using the expression, “Don’t get your panties in a bunch,” especially in regards to men.  Of course I could always use, “Don’t get your shorts in a knot.”   In case you’re wondering, they are both idioms which mean to become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter.

The bigger question of course, “Do you know what an idiom is?”
Answer: “An expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own.

You’ll typically find idioms at the end of a definition in the dictionary.

(By the way, I did find photos of panties in a bunch…ewww!)

10.  From my favorite quotes file: “An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour one night in April; we pay it back with golden interest five months later.” – Winston Churchill

Thanks for your time!

A Couple of Things…

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RodStewart1.  Here I am with Rod Stewart in Santa Barbara…no wait, not Rod Stewart. Isn’t it funny looking back at our fashion sense?  We could have been rock stars incognito. This had to be the 90s…probably 93ish. Linda’s big hair, my subtle grunge look.

2.  I detest graffiti.  I’ve been seeing a commercial about some reality show where they’re holding competition for graffiti artists.  Really???  It’s called “Street Art Throwdown” like putting the word “art” makes it acceptable.  Could there be a more lame idea?  I’m sure these competitors are talented, but could we not promote vandalism?  I do however love how Ventura has enlisted artists to beautify phone and electrical boxes about town.

3.  I typically hate it when Academy Award winners use their acceptance speech as a platform to address their personal favorite issues…that is until it’s one I’m all for.  Way to go Patricia Arquette for saying to millions of viewers, “It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America.”

Amen sister.

And not to undermine anything about this, but I saw this on Facebook. Jared Leto did look a little odd no?

Patricia Arquette

4.  Nothing is freakier than opening a microwave and it continues to operate with the dish rotating with the DOOR OPEN!!!

5.  I saw this ABC7 post about the wedding of race car driver Brian Scott.  They posted the lines he read to another woman, his bride’s daughter during their wedding ceremony:

“I promise to always hold your hand and skip with you down the street. …
Bring comfort to your life. I vow to make you say your prayers before you eat.
I promise to read you stories at night, to always tuck you in real tight.
I vow to show you how a man should treat a woman in my relationship with your mother.
And above all else, I vow to protect you, care for you and love you forever.”

He even got her a ring of her own. Could you die?!!

Here is a link to the full story, which is about the most beautiful thing I’ve read in sometime:  http://abc7.com/family/precious-groom-reads-vows-to-brides-daughter/535348/

 

Spock6. RIP Leonard Nimoy.  He was kinda of hot in a George Harrison sort of way don’t ya think?

7.  I love seeing before and current photos of people who have decided to get their bods into shape, especially when it’s done properly.  I once had a roommate who attended the bulimic school of weight loss.  It was heartbreaking.  I truly admire those who make the decision and commit to it.  Like Nike says, “Just do it!”

hooper

8.  OMG!!!  Funniest thing I saw this week.  Let me line it up:  So I saw the above meme and I loved it!  I could relate.  I’m glad they went with “hooper” instead of “baller” because that could be SO misconstrued.  BUT that wasn’t the funny thing.  I thought I would actually look up the meaning of meme which is this:

  • a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc. that is copied (often with slight variations) and spread rapidly by Internet users.

and then I thought I would finally learn how to pronounce the word, “meme” and I found this:


Now we all know.  You’re welcome.

9.   Oh! Speaking of basketball, I received a very nice compliment from a fellow City Hall worker who said he use to see me shooting hoops at lunch and thought I had played in college.  Gotta get my game back!! Miss running around attempting three-pointers.

10.  Remember my post on hipsters a couple of blogs ago?  The definition of a hipster was:  “A person who follows the latest trends and fashions, especially those regarded as being outside the cultural mainstream.”

Well I found this joke!  I think you’ll enjoy it:

How do you drown a Hipster?
In the mainstream.

From my favorite quotes file, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once” – Albert Einstein

Thanks for your time!