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
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).

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.

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.

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, “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…

Posted on March 8, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. 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. 😉

4. 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. 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…

Posted on March 3, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. 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?

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/

6. 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!”

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!

A Couple of Things…

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

1. Saw this on Facebook. This is just freakin’ funny!

2. I once saw the Oscar Meyer Wienie mobile broken down along the Conejo Grade. Talk about killing the magic, or as they say in the industry, “There goes the fourth wall.”

3. Speaking of Oscar Meyer, and other crap food you should never put in your body, I saw this headline from the Washington Post: “Your healthy habits are eating into the packaged foods industry”.

The article went on to site sources from the Kellogg Company, Kraft Foods, Chef Boyardee and others whose profits have fallen drastically in the last year, Kraft said by 62 percent! See complete story: http://www.washingtonpost.com

Somehow I don’t feel sorry for those poor bastards. How about selling affordable healthy foods?

4. One of my favorite things about my ex-mother-in-law Cheryle and her significant other Bruce who worked for Disney in the accounting offices was that they use to give us a Disney coffee mug every year for Christmas. It’s been over ten years since I got one, but I still use them every day. My favorite? Either Tinkerbell or Dumbo.

5. Speaking of Disney, I use to receive a family pack of four tickets every year when I worked in the media, first radio, then the magazine. Disney was really smart about PR because they knew they would receive publicity in exchange. You never had to prove you said or wrote anything either.

One of my favorite experiences at Disney was actually work related and it was the grand opening of Toon Town. They invited radio stations from all over Southern California for cover the grand opening with live broadcasts. We had three DJs from the KXBS there. We each had our own rooms at the Disneyland Hotel, food and beverage included, and a free sweatshirt thrown in because it got cold. They picked me up that morning of the broadcast in the lobby and drove me via golf cart through the back lots of Disneyland, something most visitors never get to see. When we arrived, the gates swung open and for the first time I saw Toon Town which was totally deserted as the park hadn’t open yet. What a thrill. I imagine that was how Dorothy felt when she stepped into the land of Oz.

6. I love when a fellow employee brings in goodies for the rest of us to partake in. Goodies are typically due to a Public Works Engineering Bylaws infraction (we get a list of these after we start our jobs in engineering at City Hall). Goodies are suppose to be “Not good for you,” so no one ever brings fruit (which I would love!); typically they’re donuts or bagels, but it’s noteworthy to understand a goodie partaker will also owe goodies if they burn their bagel in the toaster, and it’s ALL FUN AND GAMES until their bagel burns so bad that the City Hall fire alarm is set off and the entire building has to be evacuated; hence, as of this week, we now have a new bylaw for when the fire department is called in. Pizza for everyone!

7. I have a confession. I had never heard of Ash Wednesday until someone had to explain it to me when I was a waitress at Bob’s Big Boy. I couldn’t figure out why certain people had dirt on their foreheads. I even went outside to see if something was hitting them in the head on their way in. Yeah, I wasn’t raised Catholic.

I can still celebrate Fat Tuesday, right?!!

8. Bill Cosby thanked Eddie Murphy for choosing not to spoof him during “Celebrity Jeopardy”. “He will not kick a man when he is down” is the quote from another Saturday Night Live alumni, Norm MacDonald.

How about spoofing a man who is being repeatedly accused of rape is not funny. Bringing him into the mix was just done in bad taste. Tsk tsk. And really? He won’t kick a man when he is down? Like he’s supporting him? I know, innocent until proven guilty, but there is still NOTHING funny about Bill Cosby right now.

Too bad too because that skit had me in stitches; it was extremely well done. “I’ll take Whore Ads for $200” said Sean Connery, when the category in fact was “Who Reads”. TOO funny.

Here’s the skit if you care to spend over 8 minutes with it.

9. I use to hate how those car fobs beep when you lock and unlock your car. They’ve taught society to disregard horn toots. They use to signify that someone was trying to get your attention. I hated them until I realized how useful they are to find your “lost” car in a parking lot.

10. From my favorite quotes file: “Lost time is never found again” – Benjamin Franklin

Thanks for your time!

A Couple of Things…

Posted on February 15, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. Living at the beach in Ventura where the temperature has been around 75-80 degrees the past couple of days, I’m okay with six more weeks of winter. Thanks Punxsutawney Phil. But I’d also be okay with some rain every now and then.

2. The Grammy Awards once again remind me why I don’t like popular music; however, once in a blue moon they get it right. Case in point? BECK!!!

3. I wasn’t going to share my thoughts about Kanye West’s behavior when he tried to undermine Beck’s win…but I will share Shirley Manson’s:

Dear Kanye West

It is YOU who is so busy disrespecting artistry.
You disrespect your own remarkable talents and more importantly you disrespect the talent, hard work and tenacity of all artists when you go so rudely and savagely after such an accomplished and humble artist like BECK.
You make yourself look small and petty and spoilt.
In attempting to reduce the importance of one great talent over another, you make a mockery of all musicians and music from every genre, including your own.
Grow up and stop throwing your toys around.
You are making yourself look like a complete twat.

Ps.I am pretty certain Beyonce doesn’t need you fighting any battles on her account. Seems like she’s got everything covered perfectly well on her own.

Love her and I couldn’t agree more. When I found this on Facebook it already had over 124,000 Likes and 29,000 shares, plus Rolling Stone, People and Variety Magazines were just a few of the media outlets carrying it.

It looks like Kanye as since recanted when he went on the Ryan Seacrest’s show a few days later, “Beck is one of the nicest guys and one of the most respected musicians in the game,” said West. “When I said that thing about respect artistry, I think it came off the wrong way and that was a mis-wording on my part. … Obviously Beck is one of the most respected artists, and respects artistry.”

Well he got that right. I don’t know how sincere he is though.

4. I saw a post called “10 Things to Do When You’re Lonely”. I was wondering if “Slappin’ the salami,” “Cleaning your riffle,” or a little more dignified for a woman, some “Self love” made the list.
The author listed take a bath; take a walk; go to a movie; go to a yoga class; read; get coffee; go the the library; branch out; get a haircut; and the last help tip was “Become Your Own Best Friend.” Which the author says, ” If you’re not already, you should definitely consider becoming your own best friend. For one, life is a lot more fun when you enjoy your own company. Secondly, we tend to meet healthy friends and partners when we like ourselves first; and lastly, it alleviates a lot of feelings of loneliness if you like being with yourself.”

Oh PALEEZE, You know, “Become Your Own Best Friend” is a metaphor for “Tickle the Tulips.”

5. There was the oddest story about a woman who hasn’t smiled in 40 years because she didn’t want wrinkles on her face. This was the quote from her in the article: “Yes, I am vain and want to remain youthful. My strategy is more natural than Botox and more effective than any expensive beauty cream or facial.”

I’d much rather look at a wrinkly face with joy than a smooth face devoid of emotions. But then, that’s just me.

Here’s a link to the story: http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/beauty/woman-avoids-smiling-for-40-years-to-stop-wrinkles/ar-AA9gjgJ

6. I keep hearing the term “hipster” and how certain people are referred to as a hipster. I believe I saw a few walking about Ventura. So I looked it up:

a person who follows the latest trends and fashions, especially those regarded as being outside the cultural mainstream.

So now here’s my question of the day, “How many hipsters would it take to be considered a part of the cultural mainstream, hence negating them from being hipsters?”

Just thinking out loud here.

7. I once had pet frog named Alfred in my aquarium with a bunch fish. He was a little guy and I would race into my bedroom everyday after school to find him swimming through the water. I came home one day to find one of my kissing fish with a frog leg, Alfred’s leg, hanging out its mouth.

I was devastated! I had no idea Kissing Gourami were carnivores. Had someone bothered to read up on them we would have learned that they are actually omnivore and requires both algae-based foods as well as meaty foods…apparently like frogs.

8. Facebook now allows you to designate someone you trust to be executor and manager of your account if something were to happen to you, like death.

This person CAN NOT log into your account, remove or change past posts, photos and other things you shared, Nor can they read messages you’ve sent to other friends or remove any of your friends.

They CAN pin a post on your page, respond to new friend requests and update your profile picture and cover photo.

I’ve done it. You should consider if…if you’re on Facebook.

9. There are some secrets I’d rather not know.

10. From my Favorite Quotes File: “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.” – Fred Rogers
I would just like to add, “Play should be the work of a lifetime.”

Play hard my friends!

Thanks for your time

A Couple of Things…

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

1. Sammy got groomed today! I wake up her up early (7:30 is early for her these days) and I put her in the car where she normally loves a ride on my lap, but some how she has an inner doggie sense telling her she’s going to get a bath, so she shakes the entire ride. It’s very dramatic. When I pick her up it’s a different story, she’s all wiggles in anticipation for the diced up cheeseburger waiting for her in the car. Now, it’s nap time!!

What a dog’s life!

2. What kind of fucked up society do we live in where a judge rules it’s not illegal for someone to take photos up a female’s skirt without her knowledge?

a. The judge was in Portland, OR (sorry Syd Rose).
b. The perpetrator was 61, the victim, a 13-year-old girl.
c. He didn’t deny it.

According to the MSN News story, “The practice of ‘upskirting’ has caused problems for prosecutors in other court cases where there are no laws on the books preventing people from taking unauthorized pictures up the skirts of clothed women in public places.”

Again, what kind of fucked up society do we live in where we actually have to enact laws forbidding bad behavior?

3. I can’t get enough of Hozier. There. I said it.

Up until about a week ago I hadn’t even heard of him, most likely because I don’t listen to “popular radio.” But then an acquaintance on Facebook posted this video of Hozier getting surprised during a gig in France by about 20 choir singers in the front row, and well, that’s all it took. I’m a huge fan now. Bought the album and I love it!

I just found out this tune, “Take me to the Church” is also up for a Grammy for Song of the Year. Typically that’s a bad thing…but in this case, they got it right.
Please take a look if you haven’t seen it yet:

4. Interesting headline: “Scientist Crack the Code on How to UN-Boil a Hard-Boiled Egg”. My first thought was , “Well, there goes more research funds down the drain”, but it turns out scientists believe it could have a huge implication for cancer research. So cool!

5. And even odder headline? “Cat Surviving After Accident and Burial”. Yeah, the owner found his 2-3 year old cat bloodied and stiff after being hit by a car so he buried it. The kitty showed up five days later in his neighbor’s yard after clawing itself out.

Two things:
a. Ewwww!
b. His neighbor’s yard? Yeah, I wouldn’t go back home either after my owner buried me either! I’d be pissed too. Does “Cujo Kitty” come to mind?

Here’s the USA Today story: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/01/28/cat-survives-accident-burial/22454211/?hootPostID=bc74c4d6272bddc1fd2d7683fbf026de

6. Since we have Freedom of Speech, that should also mean I have the Freedom to not hear someone’s speech, right? There are a lot of stupid people out there and I’d rather not deal with them. Hence, the ability to Unfriend, switch the channels, turn off the radio, or just walk away. Use your power of choice, might make your day that much nicer.

7. How about Freedom of choice? There are few companies I hate more than AT&T. I finally got rid of my land line a couple of years ago, but I still had to use them for internet access. They had the audacity to ask for permission to run a credit check to switch my internet plan. THEIR internet plan. I told her that my being with them with a great record of paying my bill on time for over 20 years in the same location should be good enough. She disagreed. I am proud to say I am no longer a customer of this company. Don’t even get me started with the automatic phone tree. They’re the worst.

There’s actually an “I hate AT&T” Facebook page. They have 782 Likes.
There’s also a “hate_att” Twitter account.
There are many blogs with that title as well.

I guess I’m not the only one.

8. Okay, I admit it: the Girl Scout cookie called Lemonades ROCK! But I still didn’t buy a box.

How strong am I?

9. I’m posting this photo I took February 6, 2015 on Main Street, Ventura…just in case you didn’t see it on the VenturaRocks.com Facebook page. I posted, “Moon over Main last night. Not the biggest of moons, but cool car, no?”

10. From my Favorite Quotes File; “The problem with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.” – Lilly Tomlin ·

Thanks for your time!

A Couple of Things…

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

1. It’s always good to get all the facts before weighing in.

2. Oh! By the way, New Year’s Eve was quite the night. My game plan? It was to go out and shoot a couple of bands, stop by Maggie’s and be home by 11. What happened in reality? Two hours at Discovery for Tommy Marsh, then Guy Martin, Grapes and Hops for Shawn Jones, Iron Butterfly Experience at Amigos, then Mandex at Bombay’s. I finally made it to Maggie’s just in time for midnight. Got home by 12:30. Missed my target by one and half hours. Not too bad! Plus I love the photo taken just after midnight.
Thanks to pops for being my DD. Thanks for posting this photo Maggie!

3. I believe on my last post I mentioned that I’m a spicy mama; I love hot foods! But I’m also a cheesy girl. Can’t get enough cheese in my life. It was with surprise that I found out that China doesn’t “do cheese.” I’ve heard that the Chinese don’t have a milk-drinking culture, thus they are lactose intolerant, but a lot of people around the world think the whole process is flat out gross. I have to admit, it kind of is. But then I eat chorizo, and nobody really wants to know what’s in that.

4. Could someone PLEASE for all the love in the world, explain to Sydney Rose the difference between leaving a voice mail message saying it’s “URGENT” and a voice mail message saying it’s “important.”

She drives me crazy!

5. I saw the movie Selma this weekend. I don’t think I’ve been that emotionally impacted by a film in quite some time. I’m hearing how certain businesses have pooled resources together in key cities to sponsor showings for all 7th, 8th and 9th graders. The movie is a solid reminder that we have in fact come a long way. You think cops nowadays are bad? These guys were right down chicken shit motherfuckers. People forget the segregation and the degradation, and bullshit rules imposed. Just shameful.

Yes let’s keep moving forward. We shall not stand for human rights violations. PERIOD.

6. Cute story reported by LA Weekly recently where they show an LA Traffic sign was apparently hacked. How funny would that be if it wasn’t hacked? The sign reflects a Twitter hashtag, #ReadAFuckingBook, that’s been circulating since 2010. It’s often used to punctuate a perceived act of ignorance. Nice message don’t you think!

7. I’ve been creating websites since the 90’s when I was taught by a friend. I never took an official class; he mentored me in website designs. I generate some extra income working at night and on the weekends as much as needed, but the World Wide Web Consortium has changed the rules over the years and so I’ve been teaching myself some of the newer technology via online tutorials. I find the more tutorials I do for “beginners” the faster I get through them and the more the tech “sticks” with me.

8. The Doug Webb Group featuring Danny Carey of the band Tool, have played here in Ventura three times in the last seven months. Each musician is top notch and to see Carey playing jazz is just too cool for school. A friend of mine was going to put a tip in the tip jar until someone showed him on their i-phone that Carey is worth $40 million.

9. Note to self: When recovering from a bad head cold and/or cough, avoid tearjerker movies.

10. Yeah, I had to deal with a bad cough the past week and so I couldn’t go to physical therapy for my knee. After one week of no exercise, tons of bed rest and not really thinking about it…my right knee feels fantastic! 🙂

11. I’m planning a trip to Europe this Fall. Any tips on traveling on a frugal budget?

12. From my favorite quotes file, “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” – Malcom X

Thanks for your time! And always question the media. 😉

A Couple of Things…

Posted on January 4, 2015 by A Couple of Things by Pam Baumgardner

1. Sydney’s visit was short but fun. She got to visit with friends and spend time with family and pets left behind here in Ventura. I hated to see her leave but so grateful for the time we spent together doing last minute shopping, baking and catching up with one another.

Her first night in town, Sydney spent it with a good friend who wined and dined her. They looked so freakin’ cute. They pretended like they were going to prom which she never had the chance to attend since she didn’t attend a public high school. Too cute! Before you get too excited, he’s just a friend. Sydney has a boyfriend waiting for her in Oregon.

As a Christmas tradition started several years ago, we took in a movie together on Christmas afternoon. We saw Into the Woods. I thought it was cute, but then I like musicals.

Syd Rose once again took the opportunity to attempt to bond with Molly. You got to hand it to her for her persistence, but the cat is not only mean and anti-social, she’s so fat! I can’t get my roommate to quit feeding her!

Sydney returned to Oregon on Friday, the day after Christmas and I have to say Friday evening rush hour traffic out of LAX wasn’t so bad! I even got home to text her before her flight took off!

Looking forward to the next time I see her beautiful face which I fear will be after she turns 21 in June this year.

2. Well as far as my knee rehab goes, I’ll be honest, it’s been a tad tough. First there was the pain of the torn meniscus, then the short-term pain from the surgery. I was feeling pretty good, pretty great actually, until I started physical therapy. Now it’s a whole new type of pain! I’m being a good girl and enduring and getting in those special exercises in between appointments, but man on man! The whole surrounding area really hurts and gets stiff overnight!

I’ve been doing some brisk walking and bike riding, so I thought I’d go out to shoot some hoops. Nothing major, just stand close enough to hoop to stretch out my arms. My REALLY old basketball needed to be pumped up after two months of neglect. First the needle broke and then the ball went completely flat, and that was that. The next day I bought a brand new ball and took it up to my favorite court behind City Hall. Damn I miss shooting!

3. Speaking of basketball, I saw this and thought, “Yeah! That’s me!!” Then it occurred to me it’s about moms with kids who play basketball.

4. At what point during a text do you give up and delete and just make a freakin’ phone call?

5. Speaking of which, I heard there might be an app soon for recalling a text. Didn’t there use to be one on Microsoft Outlook for emails? What a great idea. I don’t think I’d use it much for having second thoughts about having written something. I think I would use it once I noticed I made a faux pas.

My funniest faux pas in a text message? I was texting my boss and I asked him to pick me up on our way to a breakfast meeting. Unfortunately I texted, “Will you lick me up?”

True story.

6. I came across a brilliant Facebook page when I saw a friend “like” one of their posts; they’re called Team Growing Bolder.
I love their outlook and look forward to their future posts. I invite you to check them out too: https://www.facebook.com/GrowingBolder

7. I had a dream that Kim Jong-un and the president of Sony Pictures were actually in cahoots over getting tons of free publicity for the movie “The Interview.” Jong-un was given a cut of the profits based on number of tickets sold, the US was given another enemy to hate diverting attention from the Isis and idiot police, and Franco and Rogan gained another ten minutes of fame…

Then I woke up. But I ask you, is it that far-fetched of an idea? All that free publicity?

I guess it is far-fetched as Sony spent so much money (allegedly) on cleaning up their security breach done by the hackers.

8. Have I ever mentioned that I’m a spicy mama? I love hot food and hot sauces!!

9. I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last post. I’ve been busy, but I’ve also been just taking care of the body and resting. I’ve been cooking more and reading recipes and trying them out. I’ve watch a few movies on my Kindle Fire and looking at the possibility of making living quarter changes. I’m certainly looking forward to taking on 2015.

10. I won’t be sharing a favorite quote this time, but rather presenting my own: “May the New Year be an opportunity for you to realize you are responsible, you are good, you can make life great. Begin!” – Pam Baumgardner

Thanks for your time!

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