Seven of Memes

I was tagged by Tiggerlarue

The rules:

Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog with their 7 things as well as these rules. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. Remember to leave a comment for them letting them know they have been tagged and to read your blog.

I will be doing a 7 countdown


1. 7 Firsts

• My first 45 (vinyl for those that don't recognize ) was "King Tut" by Steve Martin
• My first 78 was "Foreigner 4" by Foreigner 4
• My first cassette tape was "Wish You were Here" by Pink Floyd
• My first CD was "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun" by Dead Can Dance
• My first keyboard was a Korg Poly 800
• My first car was a beige Chevy Chevette
• My first movie I saw in the theatre was Star Wars

2. 6 random facts

• When dressing in the morning, I always put my right sock on, then my right shoe, followed by my left sock, then my left shoe.
• The last time I ate beef was in 1993
• The last time I had a cigarette was October 1995
• I loved fried mush with syrup on top
• I cant stand monkeys, animated or real. They give me the creeps
  
• I got hooked on flavored coffee back in the late 80's when I had my first mocha, which was from Starbucks on Clark and Diversey in Chicago.

3. 5 places I've lived (not in order)

• Chicago, IL
  
• Sacramento, CA
  
• San Jose, CA
  
• Mountain View, CA
  
• Elmhurst, IL
  

4. 4 tid bits

• I own 4 guitars
  
• I live with 4 animals
• I wish I knew 4 people to send this to
• I am playing Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion
  

3. 3 favorite vegetables

• Green Kholarabi
• Brussel Sprouts
• Broccoli

2. 2 habit's that annoy others

• I say "like" too much in casual conversation
• I dont make ice

1. I really like to garden


I don't have 7 people to send this to, heck, I dont even think 7 people read this blog, so feel free to initiate your own and pass it on.

Mini for a month and other milestone's

This month, well, actually for the next 30 days, I get to drive one of the company Mini's as a reward for work well done. They pay the gas for commuting, and at over $3.50 a gallon, it is a treat! I was pretty stoked after being one of 2 people chosen to drive one of the available Mini Cooper's for the month. woo hoo!

These past few days have brought other small milestones into my life. Just yesterday (Friday), we went to an offsite team building exercise. We had decided that paintball would be a great way to have fun while forming good communication, including tactical moves. All said and done, it was a lot of shoot the other team before they shoot you. I ended up with a big bruise on my neck, which when I got shot, really didnt hurt as much as it looked like it hurt. We played 6 games in all, and went through 10,000 rounds of ammo. (it goes a lot faster then you think) The most painful hit was on my thigh, as seen here ..... It smarted for a while after getting hit.
you would be amazed at the work out you get, just squatting and crawling around on the floor hiding behind bunkers. At the end of the 2 hours, my quads were shaking.

Today I was a tad bit sore from all the squatting I did, so I thought riding my bike might work out some of the stiffness and pain. I took my bike to my normal trail and rode down to Lexington reservoir. I finally made it up the dam. For 3 years I have been trying to ride up the paved hill of the dam, and only get part of the way up, before I have to walk my bike up the rest of the way. But today I was feeling masochistic and thought I would make myself ride up that hill. Now granted, I did have to stop and regain my breath a couple of times, but I got back on the bike and rode to the top. I did not walk that bike at all, and I finally did it. I was so elated I could have screamed. (I didn't though, not wanting to alarm the other trail users) When I got home, and sat in the warm sun to rest, I found myself quite sore, and now feeling the lactic acid in my muscles start to kick my ass. I tried to stretch, but it hurt, so maybe tomorrow, I will just go for a small hike, get the muscles warm and really stretch when I am done.

Movie MEME

Piggybacked off Laura

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
Gone With the Wind

2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in the theater.
E.T. (besides, they didn't have DVD's back then)

3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Steve Bucemi

4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Jim Carrey

5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Princess Bride & Full Metal Jacket

6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
Don't think it's possible

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
Again, don't know if it's possible. I try to recite lyrics from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but I always get it wrong.

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
Crash

9. Name a movie that you own.
Trees Lounge

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
J Lo

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
A few. I went through a drive in phase, but cant remember the movies.

12. Ever made out in a movie?
Once when I was 14 or 15. I was a camp counselor, and we took the kids to see "the Muppets". really boring, so we made out in the balcony (back when theaters actually had levels), but then I kicked his ass in dodge ball the next day and he never really spoke to me again.

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t yet gotten around to it.
Deliverance

14. Ever walked out of a movie?
Sort of.. I was bored with the one I was watching, and ducked into the theater right next to me. Does that count?

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
Actually, many, many ones. Finding Nemo got me in the first 5 minutes.

16. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
been to long.

17. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
"avante garde" or true life drama's

18. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
Star Wars.

19. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
The Departed

20. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
Pecker

21. What is the scariest movie you've seen?
Poltergeist

22. What is the funniest movie you've seen?
Elf

we went to disneyland

Destination Disneyland!


On Tuesday morning, bright and early we set out for Disneyland. Now mind you, I had been sick for the past four days, and was afraid my body would not get over it's cold/flu by then. I pretty much slept the Thursday, Fri, Sat and Sunday before, due to a cold/flu that I got from someone at work. I felt like I was never going to be better, the kind of sick where you walk to the bathroom and are out of breath, dizzy and miserable, needing to take a nap after your short trip down the hall. But somehow, I woke up on Tuesday ready to walk again and take on the happiest place on earth.
We arrived in Orange County around 9ish, and caught a shuttle right to the park to be there when it opened. The weather couldnt have been better. While half the country was suffering in sub zero weather, it was in the 70's and very sunny, glad I wore shorts!
The lines were very short and the most time we spent waiting was maybe 15 minutes.
We went on everything we wanted too, some rides even 3 times. I love the Pirates of the Caribbean, and went on that twice on Tuesday, once on Wednesday. Wednesday we hit California Adventure first, right before the park opened. There were only 2 or 3 things there that we wanted to go on, so we managed to clear the park in an hour, and hopped back over to Disneyland to finish out the trip. My second favorite ride might even be Buzz Lightyear, because it is so interactive! very fun, and as you can see, Laura and I were very involved in our game...
We had a great time, went on that ride 3 times.
My top favorite 5:
Pirates of the Caribbean
Buzz Lightyear
PeterPans flight
Mr. Toads wild ride
Alice in Wonderland
Honorable mention.....It's a Bugs Life in 3D.......lots of surprises.

Dont come to work if your sick!

cant stress this one enough. if your sick, stay home, don't infect your co-workers! It's the dead of winter, sunny and 65 degrees outside, wonderful hiking weather, and I had planned on going up to Mt. Tam today, but instead I am home nursing the end of a cold I got from my coworker, who kept coming into work last week, and then leaving 2 hours later to go home sick. I said to her on the third day, stop coming in and going home, just stay home, but it was too late. The germs were already working their magic on me, and Friday I started falling prey to a sore throat.
My weekend has been an indoor one, thanks to office germs.
Not much else has gone on this week. I broke out my guitar yesterday, and found that my fingertips have lost all their wonderful callouses. I need to work them back up again if I'm going to start recording again.

you will submit.........eventually

Today I started the day off knowing that I would be somehow bathing the dogs. Gabby has a little itchy problem, so the vet suggested bathing her in an oatmeal shampoo and a creme rinse. I started drawing the bath, cranked up the heater in the bathroom and the house, stripped down to my boxers and crappy t-shirt, and was prepared for battle.
I went searching for Gabby first, and I swear, as soon as she saw me coming, it was under the bed she went. I spend the first 5 minutes coaxing her out, little by little she would move up about an inch. I eventually got food, which works every time. I took her under my wing, and like dogs so often do, her four paws became outstretched like she was going to fly. Do they really think this is an effective braking system?
Well, it wasn't working with me, so in we both went into the tub and I sealed it off with the shower door to foil any escape plans. Once down in the water, Gabby shook a bit but for the most part, was compliant. She has gone to the groomers many times in the past, and really, she is only 18 pounds, so she is no match for me.
I cleaned her well, and dryed her right up, ( I think she might have even liked the hairdryer.) Now for the bigger one, Kaycee.
Now Kaycee is about 50 pounds of stubborness, and easy to catch, but harder to hold.
Into the water we went, closed off the shower door, and I could tell this was going to be a fight. All the while, telling her she was ok, she tried spinning around in the tub, which I used to my advantage in order to get her completely wet. I let her spin as many times as she wanted to , until I think she realized that wasnt the way out. Next she tried to jump up on me, with her front paws outstretched on my chest, I said...I can work with that, so I started to wash her ribcage and belly first. I dont think that was what she had in mind, but I work with what I have. Next she tried the head between your legs approach, which I think is the same as a Ostrich burying it's head in the sand. that "if I cant see you, your not there" theory. I used this time to put her in a little head lock, which she seemed to feel fine about. maybe it was a comfort thing, but whatever it was, I was winning. After this point, she seemed to stop trying to escape, and just accept her fate. When it came time for the rinse, I actually encouraged the "put your paws on me" stance, because it enabled me to rinse her more throughly and she felt as secure as one dog can in the tub, and I got maximum rinse. Quite a win win situation.
When it came time to dry, I slowly opened the door, told her the "ok" command and let her shake as she pleased. After a bit of the towel dry, I was unsure of how she would react to the dryer. It has been cold the past couple of days here, and towels are shit for drying, so a little hair dry was in order. I asked her to sit, which she reluctantly complied to, and I started the drying process. She sat there quiet and for the most part still. I think she sensed we were getting close to the end, and the quicker it was over, the quicker she was getting out of there. After all was accomplished, both dogs washed and all bedding washed, I decided it was time to treat myself to a new video card. I have been having trouble with my 5 year old video card keeping up with my 2006 games, and it was time to play my christmas gifts with appropriate graphics. I drove to Fry's, spent more money that I should have, but those games are 100% better now. Smooth action, extreme detail, ahhhhh, now when i shoot somebody, I can actually see the enemy, instead of a pixelated figure. I am quite happy! I have F.E.A.R and Splinter Cell 4, both first person shooters. (my favorite)
It's been a good weekend, even if I will be counting quarters for the next 4 days until payday.

day's reflections

just a small post today, as I am eager to start another of my new games that I received for christmas.
:announcement: I love hiking. It is the one excersize that doesnt even feel like exersize. Even if I am stumbling up a steep hill, huffing away, I am having fun. (but at the time, you might doubt me)
I dont think about anything bad, there is no sadness, my mind evades all stress, and I am peaceful. Even if I am just hiking the same old boring trail because Im too lazy to drive an hour for the really nice ones, I still find peace and contentment with the trails. It is an adventure everytime I go, and there is a part of me that secretly wishes I will spot a mountain lion and get the perfect shot, but I know, I know, that would be dangerous:) I have spotted a bobcat before at Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz, it must've just made a kill, because it carried it's prize off away from the trail as we passed by. The other perk I like about hiking is the outdoor etiquette one gets from being out in nature with others doing the same thing. I would say 95% of the people you pass along trails will say hello, good morning or some sort of friendly greeting and they seem to say it with a genuine smile. If you saw them out of context on the street, they probably wouldnt even give you a second glance, but get into nature, and it is as if most everyone is awaken with a sense a peace that allows them to break down their walls and just be nice.

New building

Our company is moving this month, and it has been along time coming. We are going from a 13,000 sq ft to a 36,000 sqft building. Much needed, trust me. Right now there are 3 people in my office (a small 10'x10') and we are about an arms length from eachother. I say "my" office, because when we moved into this building 4 years ago from a 4000 sq ft bulding, I had my own office, with a nice little sign next to the door with my name. Then, after about 1 year the production manager moved in, then an additional purchasing person moved in a year ago. Then the production manager moved out to a table outside the door to make way for another buyer. But.... I still had a view. We have a window, and get to see accidents as they happen on rt 237. We see the trees, and the rain, and it's nice. (would be nicer if I had my office alone) Over the 4 years, the company has grown, and by now, you probably get the clue that I have been there for awhile. Yes, a veteran at a " hi tech" company.....and so with that thinking, I figured when the layout came for the new building, I was excited to see where I would be. Finally I would be flying solo again, no music sharing, no people talking, and no having the lights on. YEY.........well my hopes were squashed like the big corporate foot on my insignificant little body. Oh, I am solo again, but only in my cube, in the middle of the damn building, no where near a window. I was slightly pissed. It's not like they didnt have extra offices. There is like 10 extra offices, but I get stuck with accounting in the middle cube section. Ive never had a cube. I have either ran a warehouse, or had an office. This totally made me feel insignificant, for all the time I have spent with this company, and even because of that, I have been referred to as the "Oracle of knowledge" by my manager and my peers....so where is the fucking love? I am a homeless oracle in a shelter. what the hell treatment is that? sounds like i'm just #6 to me. (reference to the Prisoner for those of you old enough to know that BBC show) Well, I suppose it just makes it all the more sweeter for me when I say asta later this year when Laura and I move......because this oracle is shutting down.

Happy New Year

Well it's 2007 and I am eager to see what the new year has in store for me. I dont really know if I am going to keep up on this thing much, but I am going to try more. I kinda miss it....even though in the ladder part of last year, I was stuck into the myspace hype.
My goal for this year is to play more music and be a little more productive. Yes thats a broad statement, just the way I like. I can say something, but nothing at all, feel like I opened up but not feel exposed or like I just painted myself into a corner.
Cheers to you all!

Ms. Kitty

It was a warm summer day, and Kaycee was barking at inanimate objects as usual. I had noticed that for a few days now, she had been drawn to this certain spot in the corner of our carport and I figured this might be worth investigating. So I opened the door, and at first glance I saw nothing, but I continued to scan the area until a white blob with eyes caught mine. She was huddled in the corner, behind boxes and foam packaging that were awaiting the recycling fate. Faith renewed in our dog, I called over to Laura that Kaycee had indeed found something tangible, and the white cat that Laura had spotted as pregnant, was pregnant no more. Ms. Kitty had decided to have her babies in our carport.
We knew now, that we would have to keep her close, so one day we could thieve her babies in order to give them a shot at a good life. The plotting began, and we starting feeding Ms. Kitty, who was quite hungry. With 2 little kittens to feed and protect, her hunting had been limited, and she had a big appetite. We fed here morning and night, and with each feeding, she growled and hissed, but would still walk up to the food dish as we filled it. She somehow knew not to bite the hand that feeds her, but she always had a little warning to give.
Ok, so now we have her staying, but how to get her kittens. The plan was to grab them when they were around 4 weeks old. We knew that she left the carport on occasion, and we would have to keep checking until she was “out” for the day, and pick the little guys up. 4 weeks came quick, and now it was our turn to hunt. We kept checking at all times of the day, but she wouldn’t leave! It was like she knew….knew, that we were after her babies.
After the 3rd day of checking, it was early in the morning on a Saturday, and I went to check and no sign of momma. SIEZE the DAY! I hurried into the carport and the kittens that were bold when momma was near, ran and hid from me now that mom was away. Crap! I’m going to need help. So I ran into the house, woke Laura up and said, honey, I need help. Ms. Kitty is gone and the kittens are hiding from me behind some drywall. With lightning speed, Laura was down the hall faster than I was and heading into the carport. We knew time was limited and Ms. Kitty could return at any moment.
We grabbed the kittens…..ok, now what.
Laura had prepared for this day, so we had a litterbox, kennel, food and old towels. Since we had been puppy fostering, we had a pen, but it didn’t have a ceiling, so we knew that they would eventually need to go into our bathroom. Oh well, we would deal with that later, the good thing was we have the kittens. So, our cats go back into their room, Kaycee gets to go outside, Gabby remains the queen of the house, (top dog has its privileges) and we are off to a day of puppy adopting with Pound Puppy Rescue.
Now its time for the real challenge….. trapping Ms. Kitty so we can get her fixed. Now that we had taken her kittens, we thought she would bolt, but she stayed. Stayed for the food and lodging, so we now hoped she would be hungry enough to be trapped.
We rented a trap from the humane society, and god some mackerel to bait the trap. BTW, that crap smells something fierce. The trap went out and there she was, weary of the metal structure, but still hungry. I left her be and went to deposit the remaining smelly mackerel in the garbage out front. As I was in front, I decided to take a peek to see if she was approaching the trap. I was surprised at what I saw. It looked like she was in the trap. No that couldn’t be… I just set it out minutes ago. I raced around to the back to peek over the fence and see if it were true, and behold my eyes, she was in the trap. Well that was easy! I thought for sure it would take quite a bit of luck and coaxing to get her to take the bait. So off the the vet we went the next morning.
When it came time to release her, she was reluctant to leave the trap. I actually had to coax her out with food (clearly the motivator for her) and as soon as she was free, she took off.
I figured she wouldn’t come back, but to our surprise, she did that night, and the day after. Laura and I discussed the best way to wean her from the feeding, now that she was back to being normal and single again. But again, nature surprised us, and as if she instinctually knew that her time with us had come to an end, she has disappeared. We see her around the neighborhood, but she hasn’t returned to the carport for food. Laura and I saw her chomping on something meaty in the neighbors yard, and it looks like she is back to being a stray cat, able to be promiscuous without concern, and roaming the streets hunting her meals.
It was like she knew when to come to us, and when to leave. We are fostering her kittens, and they are healthy and growing stronger each day. In about a week, they will be ready to go up for adoption. You can see how cute they are by visiting Laura’s flickr site.

a lesson to you all......INVESTIGATE

Well, last night was a rough night, and the morning was proof that life sometimes fucks you up the ass without permission. So most of us probably have car alarms, yes? And the purpose of the car alarm is to alert you when something/someone disturbs the car. This is the point where one would go out and INVESTIGATE the reason for the alarm. I think most of us are so used to hearing them go off that we have become accustomed to ignoring the sound. THIS IS A MISTAKE. This is the exact time one should go and INVESTIGATE the source. I bet by now you are getting the idea that this is something I did not do, and you are right!
So here is what happened……..after a very restless night of sleep and not well rested, I leave the house to go to work, and as I get into my car I notice this large gaping hole in my dash where the stereo should be…and then the night before comes rushing back to me. There I was…somewhere around 9ish, watching a very good episode of Big Brother, when I hear a car alarm go off that sounds exactly like mine. It sounds like it’s on the other side of the house in the neighbors lot, so I ignore it. It keeps going off……and I think “fucking turn your car alarm off”…..yeah, there was my mistake. Because it wasn’t the neighbors car alarm……it was really MY alarm, and because I did not go investigate when it went off, I instead sat there enjoying Big Brother while my car was being broken into and someone stole my stereo and cd’s. Let this be a lesson to you all…..always investigate!!!!!

another survey... read if your bored

Name: Cori

Single or Taken: Taken

Sex: Female

Birthday: 11-29-67

Siblings: half sister

Eye color: blue

Shoe size: mens 7.5

Height: 5'7"

Innie or Outie: innie

What are you wearing right now: Jeans, t-shirt, brown doc martens

Where do you live: Campbell, California

Righty or lefty: Right, but eat with left

Can you make a dollar in change right now?: nope

Who are your closest friends: Dru, Diana

Do you have a BF or GF?: GF/Partner

Best place to go for a date: depends on the date

Where is your fav place to shop: REI

Favorite:

kind of pants: Baggy skate pants

color: midnight blue

Number: 333

Boys Name: Brendan

Girls Name: Tegan

Animal: Cat

Drink: triple tall white mocha, iced or hot

Sport(s): skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, soccer

To play: hockey, dodgeball, football

Football Team: Green Bay Packers

Basketball Team: not my thing

Hockey Team: olympics only

Baseball Team: A's

Month(s): September

Movie: Gone with the Wind

Juice: Orange

Finger: middle

Breakfast: at present...eggs and turkey sausage

Favorite cartoon character: Pink Panther
----------------------------------------------------------
Have you ever

Given anyone a bath: Yes

smoked: yes

Bungee: no

Made yourself throw-up: no

Gone skinny dipping: once

Eaten a hot dog: yes

Put your tongue on a frozen pole: yeah, but nothing dramatic happened

Loved someone so much it made you cry?: of course

Broken a bone: no

Played truth or dare: yes......dangerous game

Been in a physical fight: only as a kid

Been in a police car: no

Been on a plane: yes

Come close to dying: no

been in a sauna: yes

been in a hot tub: yes

swam in the ocean: Yes

Fallen asleep in school: no

Ran away?: no

Broken someone's heart: yes

Cried when someone died: no

Cried in school: i dont think so

Saved AIM conversations: Yes

Saved e-mails: Yes

Fallen for one of your best friends? yes, and I would advise against it. never get together with your best friend.

Made out with JUST a friend? Yes

Used someone: probably in my youth

Been cheated on? Yes
____________________________________________

What is...

Your good luck charm: dont have one really

Best song you ever heard: Xavier by Dead can Dance

Stupidest thing you have ever done: not beleiving in myself and skipping college

Last thing you said: "Your fine" said to our dog Kaycee who was whining at the sliding glass door

What is beside you: my keyboard and guitar

Last thing u ate: Blackened catfish

What kind of shampoo do you use?: Redken for men

Best thing that has happened to you this year: Because im a dork, I totally fogot about getting engaged back in March!! I had formerly said my motorcycle. OOPS, im a dork!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have you had...

Chick Pox: no... so stay away

Sore Throat: yes

Stitches: only from my wisdom teeth.... does that count?

Broken nose: OUCH.....NO

Believed in love at first sight: not really

Have picnics: yes

Like school: NO, NO, and a big NO

What schools have you gone to: DeWitt Clinton, Stephen Tyng Mather High, DeAnza, Foothill, West Valley, Northeastern

Who was the last person that called you: Jose, my coworker

Who was the last person you slow danced with: cant remember

What makes you laugh the most?: anything really, I can find humor in strange places

What makes you smile? Laura, my animals, life in general and a really beautiful hike.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who is the last person. . .

You Kissed?: Laura

Who broke your heart: a few and not all were GF's

Who told you they loved you: Laura

Is your loudest friend? unfortunately, my name would come up if my friends were answering this. I think Im the loud one :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do you/Are You:

Do you like filling these out: periodically

Do you wear contacts or glasses: Glasses

Do you get along with your family: NO

Stolen anything over $50: probably as a kid.

Obsessive?: No

Compulsive?: no

Anorexic?: HELL NO, love my starch too much for that

Suicidal?: no
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final questions...

How many people are you sending this to: nobody

What did you do yesterday: Worked and cooked dinner, then watched Hell's Kitchen

Hated someone in your family: yes

Gotten any awards: yes

What car do you wish to have: volvo cross country

Where do you want to get married?: Hawaii or Vermont

If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?: be smarter

Good driver: Depends who you ask

Good Singer: ABSOLUTELY NOT

Have a lava lamp: no anymore

How many remote controls are in your house: way to many

Are you double jointed: in my thumbs

What do you dream about?: winning the lottery

Last time you showered: this morning

Last time you took a bath: few months ago

The last movie you saw at the theatres: cant remember, but the theatre was empty, I remember that

Chocolate or white chocolate: Dark chocolate

Root Beer or Dr.Pepper: Root beer

Mud or Jell-O wrestling: Jell-O

Vanilla or chocolate: vanilla

Summer or winter: SUMMER

Silver or Gold: Silver

Diamond or pearl: none

Sunset or Sunrise: sunset

Sprite or 7up: sprite

Orange juice or apple juice: Orange

Cats or dogs: cats

Coffee or tea: coffee!!!!!!!!

Phone or in person: in person


Are you Oldest, middle, youngest or only child: only

end time: 10:15pm.

gratitude

I make no excuses nor do I carry any shame in the fact that I like to hear a little gratitude when I offer up unsolicited extensions of kindness. It doesnt have to be longwinded, but a thank you always will suffice. Where does this come from? well, today was a very hectic day at work. A particularly hectic day for me and my boss. My boss who makes lots more money than I do, and yet probably doesnt receive much more whippings than I, when things go awry. Everyone was so busy and it was clear that he nor I was going to get a lunch because we were both covering for others that were out sick or had the day off. (end of the month, who the heck approved that?) So, I decide I am just going to leave the office and get a sandwich to bring back because I am starting to get weak from hunger and stress. Thinking that he is feeling the same, I decide to seek him out and say "im going to subway, do you want me to pick up up a sandwich?" He looks relieved and immediately says' yeah, how about a Italian BMT?" I say ok and off I go. I get back with sandwich in hand and put it on his desk. I let him know that his sandwich is on his desk and his reply?........ "ok" .........thats it?! "ok" how about "thanks" or "thanks so much" or "how much do I owe you" but "ok"? I understand we are busy, but no one should be too busy for a thank you. The only time one doesnt really need to thank someone is if you perform the random acts of kindness where contact is not available. Such as.....I have on occasion, whimsically paid the toll for the next few cars behind me on a bridge. totally different circumstance. but this lunch thing totally got "me britches in a knot" I was watching Oprah one day ( yes it happens, the diva has touched even I) where she suggested keeping a gratitude journal. I started to do this and found that there were far more things I was grateful for than I had even realized and paying respect to that which I had, was very satisfying.

so, what I want to get out there is pay respect to kindness, with a simple thank you. it seems that we are so quick to judge and point out many imperfections in others, but so slow and hesitant to pay respect for the positive aspects we all have. I dont mean this to sound all fluffy and shit, but really people, dont take things for granted. and all this blogging from a silly interchange involving a sandwich!

666 Bwhaahaahaahaa

I seemed to chuckle at the date today, but not everyone shared my humor. Some people at work were downright bothered by it. anyway, thats not what I wanted to blather on about. This weekend we went to Half Moon Bay.

We went with some of Laura's other graduates from the Dog Trainers Academy. She graduated on Friday!!!!! CONGRATS BABY!!
ok, back to the bay. It was beautiful, for Half Moon. upper 70's , sunny (whats that) and barely a breeze. The perfect day to get FISH TACOS!!!! (course anyday is a great day to go to the flying fish)

There was this really funny sign that Laura pointed out...

which probably led to this array of jellyfish that were washed upon shore.

It was really cool, but got you in the habit of looking where you stepped.
We walked around town for a bit after the beach and then settled down to eat some tacos. Yummy!!!!
Sunday was spent watching movies, finally saw the Davinci Code. I give it a 3. Good, but not great, entertained me.

arrrrgh, this immigration shit is giving me a headache!

I am not sure exactly how this whole hubabaloo revolving immigration came about, but it's now really ticking me off that so much time is being spent on it, and theres this flurry of talk about how we need to deal with the immigration situation. Let's be real, what Bush and "Arnie" are really saying is "how do we keep those mexicans out". They fluff it all up under the guise of "immigration" but you dont hear them talking about the vietnemese or the polish that migrated here and dont have their green card, or any other nationality. It's all focused about protecting our "mexican border". I agree that if you are going to be here, then you need to be legal. But what is wrong with saying ok, ....everyone here, get your ass in gear and lets apply for the green card, and as long as you are in the process, we wont deport you. If you dont get the green card and are caught, well deport you. I dont agree with this load of crap that they want to make it a criminal offense! what the hell is that and how does that fit into our philosophy of "land of the free". I just dont think the whole prosecution thing is necessary. This whole spending time and money and sending national guardsmen to "protect our border" is not a efficient use of our forces or resources.

Dont get me wrong, I am certainly not an avocate of being anywhere illegally, I just take issue with how we decide to deal with it and WHO we are really profiling when this country says "immigration laws"

caffienated thoughts

First off, the title has nothing to do with the content. It's merely what brought on the thought process.

Im different and I have always felt different. It can be exciting and admiral, or it can be lonely and frustrating, it just depends on the circumstance and the day. As far back as I can remember, I always knew I was different. When I was a little kid, I didnt like to play with dolls and dress up. I wanted to play with Lego's and play in the dirt. This made me different then most of the girls. I accepted this and never really thought much of it, other than, "im just different". As a young adult, even though I had found friends that liked to do the same things as me, they became interested in boys, which yeah I liked to play with boys, but they wanted to plaaaaaayyyyyyyy with boys. This held zero interest in me and again I though, ok, I am just different. By my senior year in H.S. I figured this "difference" to be that I was gay, and I felt a weight lifted. Ahh, this is why I feel different then everyone else I know, and found this youth group in Chicago where I met lots of people like me, and hung out for the first time feeling like I belonged. But......again the feeling crept up, that I was still different then these people. This feeling was coming from the fact that I did not "party" like all of my other friends and I was always the sober one, taking care of my fucked up friends. This lasted through most of my 20's, where I was still "odd man out" amongst my group. I ended up with more gay male friends, because I loved to dance and go to the clubs. Even within my lesbian clan, I was still the only one who liked dance music and was not singing kumbya (however you spell it) and fawning over Melissa Etheridge. Nothing wrong with her, but it wasnt the music I was drawn to, and that I was passionate about. So, I was the token lesbian at the boy clubs, dancing to the music, who didnt drink. My other lesbian friends were playing softball or drinking at the savoy playing darts. And so it has been for all of my life, I usually am different then most people I know. I have a few friends that understand me well, but what I have been babbling about is that I am old enough to know that I will always be different. I will always think differently, and it's not something that I can shake. I have embraced it most of my life, and enjoyed my interests but come to find my fate is not ever being in the majority.

I now have a new interest, that AGAIN, is not a popular one. Because I am not an A student, med school is out, and being a medical examiner is out too, but, I am good with my hands, and am fairly mechanically inclined, so I decided to take some auto mechanic classes.

They have some intro courses at DeAnza which can get me started. I figure it's a good way to find out if I want to learn more and pursue this further, without investing a lot of money. I know I am probably going to be the only woman in the class, but I feel up to the challenge. I feel confident I can handle myself if any adversity comes up. Coffee sure gets my mind racing to all kinds of obscure topics.

ticked....

This weekend was an adventure for me. Saturday I went bike riding over at Wilder Ranch, and it was definitely wilder this time. Because of all the rain, this winter/spring the brush had grown crazy, I could not see the path below my feet. The trees and brush were about 6 feet high, so I was hoping that I wasn’t going to just end up in a swamp. Now of course doing this, I wasn’t thinking about the bugs that are in the brush, I am just thinking, “Geez, don’t let me dump into a swamp”, and Diana was probably thinking, “please don’t let a rattlesnake jump out at me”. So we kept going forward, found the trail up the cliff and carried on our merry way.We go to the beach and there was a dead seal that had washed up onto shore. I kept smelling this rancid fish smell, but didn’t know why, until I almost stepped on the thing. On our way back, we saw 2 snakes, and I almost ran over one. Thank god I was able to stop, and it ended up slithering through the rim of my front tire and off into the grass.
After our adventurous ride, I got home about 4:30pm. I am telling you the time because as you read more below, it will become apparent how much time had passed and why I was so mortified.
OK, it’s now about 9:30pm and I need to take a little pee. I drop my drawers, and I spot this black thing moving, and think “oh, a bug” I am not real concerned until I go to flick it off my shorts, and I realize that this is a bug that I have never seen before. The floodlights come on over my head and suddenly, the image of riding though dense foliage in Santa Cruz comes back to me. TICK. This might be a tick! I call for Laura, because I have never seen a tick in real life and still am not sure what it is. I show her and she’s like “yep, that’s a tick alright” I am mortified. Not just because it’s a tick, but because it was big, and I found it in my crotch, and it was there since I have been riding hours earlier! Laura gets concerned because she now is thinking if I had one, I brought a whole crew home and we have dogs/cats. I jump into the shower and scrub down, so she can inspect all the areas I cant see.
I was ok , but definitely traumatized for the evening. I of course start feeling itchy, and think that every time I do, Im going to find tick. The next day I was fine, and to tell you the truth, I am glad it happened, because I now know what they actually look like, and I don’t have such a huge fear of them anymore.

chickens... really

do you ever have one of those "aha" moments where suddenly everything becomes clear and you know you can never go back to before the "aha' moment happened? Well, that happened to me this evening. As I was out getting dog food for our "dainty" eater Kaycee, I stopped off at the local starbucks for a black brew. They had a paper out on one of the tables as i stood waiting for my beverage, so I started to read the headlines. It went something like "Google branching out into eggs" or something to that nature. it peaked my interest, and reading on, it was about how large corporations are doing their part to not purchase caged eggs and how Google was going to start buying only "free range" or cage free eggs for their cafeteria's, not wanting to support cruelty to animals, and what happens to chickens that are in large farms. It went on to say how they can put up to 6 chickens in the same small 24" pen, and they dont let them peck their own food or out of the pen for up to 6 months after aquiring them. I am sure there are many statistics I have left out, but my point is that I had NO idea about this. I try to be a fairly "eco" conscious person if I can, and this is a example of how ignorance is bliss. Before I had this information, I could eat an egg from anywhere, not really think about it. But after reading what I did, there is no way in hell im going to eat an egg that is not marked cage free. I will make that little extra trip to the natural foods market where I can get free range eggs. I just did not know that they treated chickens like that, though after thinking about it, it's not surprising. I just am perplexed that I didnt realize it before and glad that I took a look at the story.

Me? Social?

some thoughts I have been chewing on……
I have long since thought of myself as a typically “mildly social” person. I really enjoy my time alone, and require a fair amount of personal space, and have never been one to have a gaggle of friends around me all at once. I am not a “party” person, nor am I a hermit. I just enjoy 1 on1 time with my select friends, and occasional outings with my “casual friends” (more then an acquaintance, but not quite a good friend.) As of late, I have had a bit more alone time on my hands, and have been finding out that I really am a bit more social then I had thought. I enjoy emailing people much more, and talking to people much more then in the past. Maybe it’s a comfort level that I have reached, or something else. Now, I don’t want to have a extremely social life, I enjoy time with my partner alone and our select friends, however, I have noticed that my feelings get a bit hurt when I don’t hear from my friends in a while or from my close friends. I start to get that out of sight out of mind feeling and don’t feel quite right. This got me to thinking, because I have always thought in my head that it wouldn’t matter if people talked to me or not, if they said we were friends and we got along, then all is good. Admittedly, I am not the best communicator, and a little flakey because I seem to go along thinking that everyone “knows” how I feel anyway, so why the need to say I treasure the friendship? I m getting off track. Ok, back to the thoughts at hand, what I am trying to say is that friends and the people in my life are much more important then I had thought, and though having time to myself is great, I also crave the coffee run, or the email, or the little text messages just to let me know that I came across their mind. Maybe that’s a getting older “needy” thing, but I see nothing wrong with that. We all deserve to be thought about.
Tangent**
Speaking of being though about, what the hell is up with Chris and American Idol? I cant believe they booted that guy off instead of Katherine.
What the hell is wrong with people?

My oh my how high school has changed

Today I went to Mountain View High School to speak on a PFLAG panel. I have been on the speakers bureau for about 2 years, but really only speak to students about 4 times a year because of conflicts with work time. But everyonce in a while, like today, I take an "extended lunch" and speak to youth about awareness and what it's like to be Gay.

First off, this school was immaculate. well kept feild, beautiful views of the hills, and over all very clean. There were flyers up everywhere from issues such as a protest against animal testing to a rally against immigrant discrimation. *wow*. The class was a gender studies elective course and had sophmores through seniors. I couldnt believe that they had such an elective course, let alone all the freedoms you get in class now. They were allowed to have food, beverage, and even chew gum! almost everyone had an ipod.

Now when I was in high school, I went to a 3 story brick building (this was back in Chicago) and we werent allowed anything in class. The only protests we had were race driven. Basically there was a huge riot my freshmen year between a number of black and white students. I stayed away from school during that week, not wanting to involve myself in the crazy melee. I definitely felt old coming out of that class, since everyone that was in it was born in or after 1989. nothing like a dose of reality to bring you to the present. All in all, the questions were great and so were the kids. They asked good questions, and seemed genuinely interested in what we had to say. I think thats why I stay on the bureau, because I always get something out of it when I go and I love hearing what our youth in thinking in present day.