Tag Archives: Sydney Rose

A Couple of Things…

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So it’s been a year now since my last post. I trust you’ve been good. Thanks for checking in and I hope, if necessary, you’ll forgive my absence. As for an explanation, well someday I’ll explain.

Meanwhile…

Sydney Rose was home for the past month arriving a few days before Christmas. Unfortunately she missed out on this all important photo shoot at our local Wharf store, the one that caters to animals. Santa was there patiently taking photos of locals with their animal friends. I’m still not sure how I got roped into this one, but you can’t say I’m a poor sport. I love the dog’s expression. To me she’s saying, “Really?”

Preparing for Sydney’s visit, I managed to drag the Christmas tree upstairs and get it set up. First time in years, and apparently Molly was fine with it.

 

On Thanksgiving, my dad decided we needed to go see The Blue Man Group, so Carol and I arranged a family trip to Las Vegas in January. We flew out of Burbank on one of those private jets, JetSuite X (I highly recommend it); staying two nights at the Luxor. It turns out, The Blue Man Group was a lot of fun! Afterwards in the lobby we enlisted some stranger to take a photo of us and lo and behold, one of the Blue Man members stepped in just in time for the shot! And I can’t stress enough, once again, you can not say I’m a poor sport as I wore that blue shirt provided to me by Carol…and Sydney to wear as a group to the show.

Sydney Rose and I decided to participate in the local March for Justice held here in Ventura. Several thousand residents showed up along with Assembly member, Monique Limon, Congresswoman, Julia Brownley, and Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson. Also in attendance were all four of the women on Ventura’s City Council. Yep, we now have a majority of women two of which are minorities! In any case, we march along with everyone else, and it was a few days later that Sydney spotted the front page of the Ventura Star on her grandpa’s coffee table and exclaimed, “Mom! You made the cover!!” Yes she was right, but just barely.

Sydney is one proud woman stating it like it is.

Jumping around just a bit. This year for Halloween, my group in Transportation at City Hall decided to dress up after taking a hiatus last year. The theme? You guessed it, the Addams Family.

This past fall, the Breeze celebrated their ten-year anniversary, and Sheldon took his staff to lunch. I’ve now been writing my Ventura Music Scene column for five years and I’m proud to report that I’ve never missed a deadline.

Mimiaga took me to a Dodger game last summer. We had great seats too. Little did we know they’d go to the World Series this year!

Just a few friends to help celebrate my birthday.


Sydney Rose sent me this photo…or I stole it from her FB page. In any case, I had it, and I’m sharing it! She’s been a baker on bread detail at St. Honore French Bakery in Portland. This is from last spring or early summer. She’ll be taking some time off soon to return to school moving to smaller town in Oregon. She’ll be going for a Food Science degree. Ain’t she cute?

 

I believe this past year was the first time I didn’t actually ride my bike to work on Bike to Work day. We are a motley crew, no?

Okay. I think I covered, a lot.

Thanks for checking in, I hope to get back into the swing of posting my silly observations and such.

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!

A Couple of Things…

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Winter Wine Walk 20161. One of my favorite events of the year is the Ventura Winter Wine Walk and this year’s event once again did not disappoint.  I love events where you run into people all night long walking up and down Ventura’s downtown area sipping wine, listening to music and have a great time.

Downtown Ventura

Milt, Dad, Carol, me and Sharon2. I was looking forward to just getting through Thanksgiving this year as Sydney Rose would not be around and there would be no home cooked meal; instead, my dad and Carol invited Carol’s sister and her husband (sharp as a tack at 90) to dine with us at Mimi’s Cafe.  Yeah, I know! Mimi’s??  The restaurant only offered Turkey dinners with all the typical side dishes and operated at full capacity like a factory assembly line, very effective getting people in and out and the meal was quite delicious.
It turned out to be a lovely day starting with a video chat with Sydney Rose and ending with the Thanksgiving episode of The West Wing.

3. Speaking of Turkey, Sydney has informed be she back to being a Vegetarian.

4. I’ve always had a problem keeping my cheese mold-free, but I thought it was because I didn’t use it quick enough.  It turns out, that some people report the worst thing you can do is wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.  They say you’re suppose to first wrap in wax or parchment paper, then a layer of plastic wrap.  The best solution for me is to stop buying huge blocks (cheaper) and just buy what I know I’ll eat in a short period of time.

5. Keeping with food for one more tidbit, I read an MSN article about fast food items you’ve been eating wrong your whole life. There were a few tips I found interesting, and some I found condescending, like the description on how to eat Toblerone chocolate, “lightly push your thumb against the top of the triangle to break it off.”  Really?  I did find value in a couple tips like using a fork to dip an Oreo in milk (or coffee), and cutting hot dogs into spirals allowing for extra crevices for condiments.

See article here.
tobleroneSide note on Toblerone, they’re shrinking their bars changing the shape to keep prices down…making it even easier to “lightly push your thumb against the top of the triangle to break it off.” 😉

Florence Henderson6. I was sorry to hear the passing of Florence Henderson, she was such a hip upbeat mom, she broke the mold of TV moms (and real moms for that matter). I’d like to think that my generation of moms all have a little bit of Carol Brady in them.

7. I’ve officially submitted my application to Cal State Channel Islands, I’ll be entering as a junior next fall. Did you know that they now ask questions about whether you are gender conforming, gender non-conforming, or both?

8. I read an interesting article from Redbook Magazine titled, “50 Things Every Woman Needs to Know about Her Body.” I figured I better read just in case there’s some mystery I’m not aware of, for instance, #18 states that not drinking enough water can make your breasts sag?  WTF, right!?? No wonder women always have water bottles about. And of course #41 is hard to face which is cellulite is incurable.  But I love the way they word # 12, “Your Hoo-Ha can change colors.”  That’s just funny. Odd…but funny.

Source article

9. I had a short discussion (private messaging) with a man who was ranting on Facebook about being accosted by police because he was sitting in his van at a local park.  They questioned his reasoning for being near children playing.  He thought it rude and started getting all kinds of sympathy from his friends on Facebook.
See, I thought it appropriate for a police officer to check on him.  That’s exactly what child molesters do. They hang out near children.   He just couldn’t see how that could be a problem, and PD was just doing their job.

10.  We actually have a Burt & Ernie who work in Public Works at City Hall.  An even funnier pair of employees who found themselves working together were Neil and Bob; thankfully these two salesmen had a sense of humor.  They were salesmen when I worked in radio and the morning show guys were relentless with them on the air.

96-ZTR 11.  Speaking of radio, looks like I’ll be hitting the airwaves soon.  The CAPS Media station has a small signal here in Ventura but they will be streaming it on the internet soon. I hope to have a weekly program showcasing local bands of course.
It will be the first time since I was in college that I haven’t used an alias on air.  I was thinking of pulling a Prince, and calling myself, Pam Baumgardner, the DJ formerly known as  Stephster (or Stephanie Rose).

Well it was just a thought 😉

12. From my favorite quotes file:  “Ultimately the bond of all companionship, whether in marriage or in friendship, is conversation.” – Oscar Wilde

Thanks for listening!

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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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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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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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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Dad Syd and meSyd and Robby1. 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.

christmas_2015_005Syd 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!

basketball-mom3.  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.

10342889_10152577651433581_1673275093986553011_n6. 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!

 

A Couple of Things…

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stiches1. My surgery was pretty much a complete success.  I say “pretty much” because I’m a little disappointed on my prognosis.  Okay, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, so on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being thoroughly disappointed, I’m a “1”. The doctor fixed my knee, he repaired a torn cartilage and Mencius tear and cleaned up some arthritis.  I was on crutches and pain meds that day and a little the next.  The out-patient procedure was Friday; I was back to work on Monday.  Stitches removed on Wednesday.  I start physical therapy to strengthen my left knee next week.

The problem?  It’s been recommended that I give up running/jogging due to the arthritis.  I was looking forward to my first 5K in 2015.  Yeah, I know it was just a recommendation, but I’m leaning towards swimming, biking, brisk walking and some hoops from time to time might have to be enough; but I can’t help but think, my knees had never given me trouble before the injury.  I never noticed I had arthritis.

I am completely thankful I’m no longer in pain.  I had just been so proud that I had pushed myself out of my comfort zone and started exercising four years ago.  I turned off that little voice trying to talk me out of pushing my body.  My first time sweating due to exercise was four years ago while running; now I totally consider sweating a badge of honor!  I had never run before; I had never pushed my body. Oh well, I’m healthy, I’m active, I have other exercise options.  Glass half full, right?  And…it was a recommendation.  One 5K couldn’t hurt, right? companyBy the way, the two days I was on the couch, I had lots of comfort from my furry friends.  I knew I could count on Sammy to keep me company, but I was quite surprised that Molly felt the need to keep close. So sweet!  And the two actually did their best to tolerate each other.

2. Sydney Rose will be home for Christmas.  She comes in on Tuesday but has dinner plans in LA so she won’t be around that night.  She’ll be home Christmas Eve and Christmas and back on a plane to Oregon Friday evening.  Short visit, but so worth it! I sent her the picture of the stitches on my knee which grossed her out…but she did say she was going to show her boyfriend the photo.  Confidence is high my knee will look pretty much normal by the time I see her in a week.

Charlie-Brown3. One evening recently “A Charlie Brown Christmas” came on the TV  while I was working on websites.  I had seen it every year growing up, it was a tradition in my family; but now I fear times have changed and this cartoon special doesn’t hold up.  Those kids were just plain mean; they actually bullied Charlie Brown.  That Lucy was a bitch! And even though the kids had a change of heart at the end, I couldn’t imagine that comic strip special would get released nowadays.  Even Snoopy turned on Charlie Brown!  Damn!!

Santa4. Another thing I like about City Hall is the annual chance to visit with Santa Claus where City employees round up their kids who get to visit with St. Nick. One of these days I’m going to take advantage of a photo op and sit on his lap. 😉

Oh!  And yet another thing I like about City Hall…every week us employees receive an email called “Open Line” from the City Manager’s office and it’s an update on what’s happening in the City and some updates from all the different departments.  Each one of these memos start with a “Quote of the Week”.  Last week the quote was: “Who can’t relate to the idea of leaving one chapter behind and moving on to the next?”  – Mike Shinoda

Yeah, that’s Mike Shinoda from Linkin’ Park.  I even double-checked with the City Manager’s office to see if there was another Mike Shinoda, but I was told, “Oh! He’s a member of a band called “Linkin’ Park”.  How cool is that?

5. Did I ever mention I use to do surveillance work?  Yep, my friend had a P.I.’s license (Private Investigator) and he use to hire me to keep an eye on certain people.  Trust me, this was the most boring job I ever had.  Most cases were women trying to see if they were being cheated on.  The stupidest case was a psychiatrist who wanted to see if her boyfriend was seeing other women; the kicker?  She was married.

chia-pet6. Hchia-pet-bas anyone ever received a Chia Pet for Christmas?  Do people still give those away? While searching for a picture of Chia Pet, I came across a real live chia pet.  Love this sense of humor!  Poor pup!!

7.  By the way, not only was my doctor the best, but the team at CMH outpatient facility totally took care of me.  They were cheerful, attentive, caring and professional.  I didn’t even have a mark on my arm where the IV was inserted!  I’d do it again in a heartbeat!!

8.  Now something even harder to confront.  Wish me luck, I’m about to start my Christmas shopping…any day now.

9.  No matter what religion you follow, I wish you a happy and safe holiday season.  I suspect my next post will be after Christmas.

10.  From my favorite quotes file, “”My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” — Bob Hope Thanks for your time!!

A Couple of Things…

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Syd at school 1.  Thanksgiving is the only meal where I’m typically full before dinner is finally served. Throwback Thursday pix of Syd Rose.  Ain’t she cute?? I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving!  I’ll miss Syd Rose and I’m counting the days to when I get to see her at Christmas.

2.  I’m a big huge proponent of buying local and supporting small business owners.  I’m also a fan of receiving gift certificates (not necessarily buying them).  That being said, I had 4-5 gift certificates for Star Bucks I’ve been working my way through the past week or so.  I stick to the Venti Roasted Brew Blonde, nothing fancy.  I typically brew my own coffee at home and if I run out or I’m running late, I’ll grab a cup of Joe at the local doughnut shop (small business owner) around the corner.  I kind of feel guilty going in there!

3. I overhead a germaphobe talking about how disgusting the habit of spreading germs via birthday cake really is.  Think about it, there’s a dozen or so candles and the person is blowing their germs via hot breath and spittle out over a lovely cake which is then sliced up and handed out to unsuspecting friends and family and then we’re suppose to eat that?  Perhaps we need a new tradition while singing “Happy Birthday”. Next time I’m going to look into one of those handheld fans…not that any of my family or friends have any germs or anything. 😉

4. A few weeks ago on a hot Autumn day, I was in the Vons parking lot near my home when two guys were standing next to their car debating what to do with the small dog they had with them.  They agreed they couldn’t take him in the store, so to my surprise, they started to walk away leaving the dog in the car with the windows rolled up.  I told the closest idiot to me, calmly and matter-of-factly, and with no hint of a question, “You’re not going to leave that dog in the car.” He looked at me guiltily and said, “Yeah, I guess not.” I didn’t use any invalidation and I would like to think he realized I was the voice of his conscious.  I sincerely hope that poor pup is still alive.

5. I miss Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Ventura City Hall6.  I love that some of us at City Hall have a sense of humor.  This was found hanging upstairs outside one of the popular conference rooms.  The signage describing the artwork is priceless.

7. I had the MRI.  They take twenty minutes and you’re suppose to remain at rest.  I think I would have been more relaxed if the MRI technician hadn’t said just as he was leaving the room, “Alright.  Don’t move!”  Great! That was all I could think of for twenty minutes…holding perfectly still yet wanting to move, stretch, and just wiggle about! The only thing worse than the torture of actually holding still, was the threat that I would have to start all over.  Yeah, I remained virtually lifeless.

8.I witnessed something that was about the most sexy thing I’ve ever seen a man do.  Ready for it?  I saw a man pick up his friend’s baby and he comfortably held it and spoke to it and just gave the baby love and affection. OMG!!  Crazy or what? To be fair, I feel the same way when I see a man treat animals with love and compassion.

hot sauce9. I’ve always been a fan of Aerosmith.  I saw them a few times in concert in the Seventies so I was looking forward to reading Joe Perry’s autobiography called, “Rocks: My Life In and Out of Aerosmith.”  I was really enjoying it and it came as a surprise to me how much my memory sucks sometimes when I remembered I actually interviewed Perry for Buzzine Magazine when he came out with his own brand of barbecue sauce around 2002.  He was a nice guy! No degrees of separation!

10. I’m on a quest to improve my cooking skills.  I tend to get irritated and give up when I read a recipe which uses some ingredient I’ve never heard of or some equipment that I’ll never use again, or some skill I’ve never mastered.  So I had the bright idea to start with REALLY simple recipes (there’s actually a website for clueless cooks like me), and I mastered my first poached eggs.  Bam!

11. I figured out that “Comfort Food” is code for “fattening”.

12. From my favorite quotes file:  “For I don’t care too much for money, for money can’t buy me love.” The Beatles

Thanks for your time!

Yeah, I’ve decided to end my blogs with a different sign off.  I was signing off with “Thanks for listening”, but are readers actually listening?

Dictionary.com gives these definitions: LISTEN verb (used without object)
1. to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.
2. to pay attention; heed; obey (often followed by to): Children don’t always listen to their parents.
3. to wait attentively for a sound (usually followed by for): to listen for sounds of their return.
4. Informal. to convey a particular impression to the hearer; sound: The new recording doesn’t listen as well as the old one.

I guess definition #2 is close, but I’m going with “Thanks for your time.” 🙂