A Couple of Things…

Posted on December 25, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. Christmas morning I woke up, made coffee and updated VenturaRocks.com. Then it occurred to me that I haven’t woke up alone on Christmas morning since before I was married, over 28 years ago. I either had my husband, or by daughter with me. Times are changing and I can fight the changes or adapt, or make new traditions…like Skyping with my daughter who is in Portland, OR, for over an hour.

2. Look what Sammy got for Christmas!!! She must be the most stylish pup on the street! And yes, she was with me this morning, so I was not totally alone 😉

3. The tradition of going to see a movie on Christmas afternoon continues today. I’ll be meeting up with the Mimiagas to see The Big Short downtown. I have to see the movie early enough so that the popcorn doesn’t interfere with Christmas dinner. 😉

4. In preparation for my knee replacement surgery, I’ve been taking advice on how to keep busy, while being bed ridden for a couple of weeks. One that piqued my interest was “adult coloring books”. It was with some mild trepidation that I searched on the internet with those key words, but alas, it turns out, not porn. 😉

5. I mentioned before that I have never EVER been able to touch my toes without bending my knees, my back just doesn’t allow it. And twice I’ve been told it’s because I have long legs. HAHAHAHA! I have short stumpy legs. But thanks!

6. Most people know that I love to inspire people to support Ventura’s music scene. I started with creating the website VenturaRocks.com, then writing a column for our local newspaper, The Ventura Breeze, and now I’ve been asked to host a local access TV show we’re calling Ventura Rocks for CAPS Media (Community Access Partners for San Buenaventura). It took me years to get use to hearing my own voice when I was a radio broadcaster, and I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever get use to not only hearing myself, but now having to view myself.

7. Every now and then I have to share a mime. This one literally made me laugh out loud!

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8. Remember the first time you saw Rocky Horror Picture Show? Life was never the same again!

9. You gotta see this YouTube video of a cat’s solution to keeping his paws dry. It’s about the goofiest thing I’ve seen in quite some time:

10. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you’ve had a wonderful holiday season and that 2016 will be a special year of love and good will from you, and for you.

11. From my favorite quotes file. “The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.” ― George Carlin

A Couple of Things…

Posted on December 20, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. I’ve been lagging on my blog. It’s the week before Christmas and I’m “keeping it together” as best I can trying to always look at the glass half full. I will not be seeing Syd Rose this year other than a morning Skype appointment, and I don’t expect any surprises as she’s working two jobs and I’ll be flying her home to help me with my knee surgery in mid January. Oh yeah, I’m having knee replacement surgery, so hopefully I’ll get that skip back in my step, and I’ll be back on the court mid 2016.

2. From the “Things that Blow my Mind” file:
No two snowflakes are alike. Really??? That a snowman made up of millions of snowflakes does not have two alike? That up at Big Bear or better yet the Antarctic, you’re telling me that no two snowflakes during one winter’s snowfall are alike? That around the world in one given year, no two snowflakes are alike? That during the course of history, over billions of years around the globe, that no two snowflakes are alike?
I say, “Prove it pretzel boy!!”
I’m now filing it under the category of questions, with “If a tree falls in the forest…”
HOW CAN YOU PROVE IT?

3. When you expect something in return, THAT’S NOT HELP.

4. SPOILER ALERT: BIG BANG THEORY, move along if you did not see ShAmy’s Big Night.
I knew Sheldon and Amy would do the nasty, or as Sheldon puts it, “Have coitus,” this season and it was quite nice how they pulled it off. But if I had written the episode, post coitus, Sheldon’s voice would have dropped several octaves and started sounding like a man. 🙂 #BigBangTheory

5. A friend of mine suggested that if you don’t accept treatment for life threatening illness, then in his opinion, that is a form of suicide. I want to be able to choose how to exit this life; to have it be on my own terms choosing the best quality of life over longevity.

6. Talk about drastic measures, I read a story that a small Italian town had banned death and threatened higher taxes. Because the town’s population was dwindling, the mayor was hoping to encourage healthier living. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/small-italian-town-bans-death-threatens-higher-taxes/ar-BBlDYSW

7. I hope I never lose the ability to find formations in the clouds that look like people, animals, spaceships or phallic shapes.

8. I saw a post on Facebook about terrorists threats recently in LA and she said there was too much bullshit in the world to cope and she was going to crawl into a hole. To that I say, “Congratulations terrorists, you’re winning.”

We (YOU AND I) must imbue our community with hope and love and joy more than the evil that attempts to wear us down. They win, when we give up.

9. The problem with Hammerhead sharks is that it’s hard to take them seriously when they always look like a cartoon character; however that being said, I’m sure if I ran swam into one, I’d take them as serious as a heart attack!

10. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Saturday Night Live cast members from 1 – 141.

Top Ten:
10. Chevy Chase
9. Gilda Radner
8. Amy Poehler
7. Phil Hartman
6. Bill Murray
5. Dan Aykroyd
4. Mike Meyers
3. Tina Fey
2. Eddie Murphy

1. John Belushi

Not making the top ten? Dana Carvey, Will Ferrell, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Chris Farley, Adam Sandler, Jon Lovitz, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, Dennis Miller, not to mention Billy Crystal, Martin Short, or Christopher Guest. 141 Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Some of the skits I’ll admit are real yawners, but others are classically ingrained in my mind.

11. From my favorite quotes file: “We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.” Buddy the Elf

If I don’t get around to it, may the holiday seasons bring you love and joy and 2016 be the best year ever. PEACE!

A Couple of Things…

Posted on October 28, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

At Pittock Mansion overlooking Portland.

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?

7. 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.

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…

Posted on September 29, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. 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 )

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…

Posted on August 7, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

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.

3. 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!

5. 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. 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:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JozAmXo2bDE

Here is Dave’s response – I LOVE HIM:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txEUgZR-luU

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…

Posted on July 20, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. 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:

2. 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!

8. 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…

Posted on June 10, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

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!!

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. It 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.

6. 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.

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…

Posted on May 21, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. 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.

2. 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
Jewelry

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).

4. 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.

7. 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…

Posted on April 27, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. 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.

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.

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…

Posted on April 12, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. 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.

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.

6. 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, “Throw 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!

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