Tag Archives: Father’s Day

A Couple of Things…

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  1. So…I started a “A Couple of Things” Facebook page. Please follow!
    https://www.facebook.com/ACoupleofThings

And if you’re on Instagram, I’m there too, but guess what? You can’t add a clickable link on the posts…so that sucks. But follow anyways: @acoupleofthings.us

2. As you may, or may not know, I adopted two senior pups about six months before the pandemic hit. It was perfect timing. I did my best to give them their best lives thinking I’d have one maybe two years with each of them. Barnie lived three years longer and Missy nearly six years, I called her my super senior pup. I won’t lie, while I miss them something terrible, it’s nice to not have to be home to feed and/or walk them a couple times a day. They only thing I have to rush home to feed is my sourdough starter.

That being said, I can’t help but linger over posts about dogs needing adoption. I prefer smaller dogs under 15 pounds for a number of reasons such as easy to carry up and down the stairs if necessary (and it was necessary for both the senior pups at one point), plus they eat less which means less poop to clean up. After Barnie and Missy, I thought I would continue to adopt seniors…but I’m allowed to change my mind as long as they’re scrappy. All four of the dogs below are available for adoption, all under 15 pounds. All are potty trained (Fonzi is working on it), they all are social with other dogs, cats and people, and they all walk well on a leash. I kinda feel like Piper is in the lead.
Thoughts???

photo of dog
Piper – 2 1/2 years old.
Yorkie Poodle mix
photo of dog
Fonzi – 6 months old – Pom Poo Chi
photo of dog
Sherman – 1 year old – Poodle Terrier
photo of dog
Flower – 2 years old l- Poodle Terrier

I did get to spend some time with this little fluffball at a music event last night. She’s just a couple of months old and she would soon fall asleep inside my jacket. #NotMyDog

3. Recently I caught Steven Spielberg’s latest film, Disclosure Day. Emily Blunt was amazing. My friend Steve declared Blunt a national treasure, and when I reminded him that she’s British, we agreed to upgrade her as a global treasure. I read an article that Blunt turned down Spielberg’s offer to use AI for that weird clicky noise she makes while doing a weather broadcast. No spoil alert needed, it’s in all the advertisements and previews for the movie. #Props4Emily

Regarding AI and specifically ChatGPT for writers, Microsoft’s Copilot has this to say, “ChatGPT is not recommended for writing because it lacks true creativity, personal voice, and nuanced understanding, often producing formulaic or robotic content.

So trust me, I will never use ChatGPT for my writing, but I do research a lot using Google and it’s generated answers now called Copilot search. I like to give credit where credit is deserved, and I link to the original source when possible.

4. I’ve always enjoyed watching the camaraderie between the Obamas and George W. Bush and his wife Laura. (See People Magazine article) I never realized Bush had such a great sense of humor until I saw the viral memo below. Conservatives do have a sense of humor! #WhoKnew

5. And on that note…Congratulations to our former president, Barrack Obama on the opening of his new presidential center which opened this week in Chicago. It seems my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail. Regardless, if I ever do visit the windy city, I will not miss visiting this one.

6. To cover or not to cover, that is the question. Do you cover the camera on your computer when you’re not using it? I use to when I worked on a laptop, but I now use my desktop and it’s an attachable camera that remains in the drawer when not in use.
The webcam cyberattack is known as “camfecting” which is a person maliciously gains access to your device. It’s real and it does happen. One article explains why attackers target webcams: “The motivations for these attacks are varied and alarming. They range from corporate espionage, where competitors seek to steal proprietary information discussed in meetings, to blackmail schemes where attackers record compromising footage. In many cases, it is simply invasive voyeurism.” (website)

Hence, my public service announcement: “Cover your camera!”

7. Does everyone have a “The one who got away” story?

8. It’s Father’s Day weekend, 2026, and of course I can’t help but think of my dad. All those hours spent flying homemade kites, playing in the water at Huntington Beach and building sand castles together, Daddy Daughter dances, racing slot cars, vacations, giving me my first car (1967 VW bug), and of course listening to music at home, in the car, at concerts and at jazz clubs. His love for music and his favorite pets were only surpassed by his love for friends and especially family.
I created a blog in his honor leading up to his passing so he could reminisce with me over what a great life he had. Gilbert R Sanchez |
Happy Father’s Day Dad!!! Miss you so much!

9. From my favorite quotes file, “Any fool can have a child. That doesn’t make you a father. It’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.” – Barack Obama

A Couple of Things…

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Jeez it’s been awhile since I last wrote anything. I’ve missed you!

1. Mother’s day this year was nice enough.  I had breakfast with the Mimiagas, shot hoops for an hour, then had dinner with my Dad and Carol down in the Harbor. Of course I had the obligatory phone call from Sydney Rose, but it was short because not much new had happened since she had called earlier in the week on Mexican Mother’s day (I had texted her to alert her to that fact and to remind her that I am in fact half Mexican).

2. Father’s day was short and sweet taking pops to Casa de Soria for dinner. This photo represents me being Daddy’s little “angel” with my favorite doll I took everywhere with me.  If you’re old enough, then you just might remember who Emmet Kelly was.

3. OH!  In between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I took a mini vacation to Portland to visit my Sydney Rose and we had a blast visiting Sydney’s favorite places to hang and I got to meet so many of her friends (who all told me great job on raising my daughter). I rented a VRBO where Sydney stayed with me during my visit. We took in a couple of movies including “Wonder Woman” which we both absolutely loved!!!  I found Portland’s rapid transit to be pretty amazing.  You can take the MAX (light rail service) right outside the Portland airport directly to downtown for only $2.50, or you can get an all day pass for $5.  That includes their buses as well. They also have a huge bike riding community and bikes you can rent all over the city.

4.  It’s time to confront the fact that I no longer wear a size 2 let alone a 0.  It’s sort of a weird strange dream that I use to be that skinny and it was just one year ago! The last time I weighed 114 pounds  was when I wore a training bra. And while I am confronting this fact, and I’m happy I feel healthier and look healthier, I still find it so hard to part ways with these skinny pants. the stupid thing is that I wasn’t trying to lose weight (it was a side effect of my knee surgery), so it wasn’t much of an accomplishment anyway!
Side note:  I gave Sydney a few pairs and they fit her so their staying in the family at least.

5.  Variety is the spice of life I guess when it comes to the new line of Ken dolls from Mattel. You can choose Kens from different ethnic backgrounds to dolls with dad-bods and man buns.

6. So I’m back on the radio! CAPS Media cancelled my Ventura Rocks cable show last summer as it was too costly to produce (it took seven staff to pull off a half hour program); but they told me they had a radio station in the works.  Well they went live on air in February and I’ve been hosting a weekly radio show highlight local musicians.  I’m going to be calling it the Pam Baumgardner Music Hour where I play mostly local music, but a few indie artists are thrown in and every now and then along with a national act who has actually played in Ventura before.  It’s been a blast but it takes four to five hours to produce.  At least it’s only my time and the CAPS Media staff’s time.

7. And speaking of being back on the air, it’s the first time I’ve used my legal name since college.  I’ve always gone by Stephanie Rose as a professional broadcaster. It was weird getting use to saying Pam Baumgardner.

8. The day after I don’t buy a lottery ticket, I always think the winner owes me, because had I bought a ticket, he would not have won.

9. Some people assumed the reason why men cheat on their wives is because they were bored, but according to Superdrug’s Online Doctor, the most common reason why men are unfaithful is because the other person was just really hot.
I say, give me a freakin’ break!  The reason he cheats is because he has no self control.

10.  And speaking of bad men bored of their wives, or worse, can’t stand their wives, do you remember the story of the man who robbed a bank and deliberately got caught so he could get away from his wife?  Well according to the Associated Press (via MSN.com) June 14, 2017, his sentence was home confinement.  Now that’s just brilliant Karma.

11. From my favorite quotes file:  “I think a bad husband is far worse than no husband…” – Margaret Cavendish

Thanks for listening!