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Confessions

- - - I am afraid of heights. This fear has been with me since I was a little girl, but was probably exacerbated by an incident that happened to me on a Ferris Wheel when I was in 5th grade (Cyndi can attest to this - she was there, after all). Cyndi and I were at the Salinas Valley Fair in King City (the biggest even of the year in King City - lol), and I had 2 tickets left for the rides. The Ferris Wheel was 3 tickets, so I was bumming. But, as luck would have it, I found a ticket on the ground, and I thought it was my lucky day! So Cyndi and I were able to ride the Ferris Wheel. WOO HOO! There were some people in line behind us that I knew from school....Jackie and her friend. They were in my brother's class. We got on the Ferris Wheel, and all was going well. It was exhilerating going down, and we were having a fun time...until we heard someone scream, and then I saw this figure falling down to the ground. At first, I thought it was one of those giant teddy bears, then I realized that I was terribly wrong...it was Jackie. All I remember after that, is being extremely scared and thinking that I was going to die. I do remember holding onto that bar as tight as I could. I had never been so scared in my life, and I hope I am never that scared again.

- - - I used to feel ashamed that I was adopted. When I was a kid, being adopted was a subject for jokes and ridicule. I do confess that when I found out that I was adopted, I did not know what it meant. I had no clue. So, when I found out what it meant, I was confused, and I didn't want to tell anyone because I thought it would be just one more thing for kids to make fun of me about. It was something I hoped no one would ever find out. But as I grew older, I realized that I was pretty fortunate to be given such a gift as a great family. I truly love them, and it makes no difference whether or not the blood that runs through my veins shares DNA with theirs. It is the love and the trust that makes a family a family. Not blood. It didn't take me a long time to figure this out. I have no ill will toward my birth parents. If I could tell them anything, it would be "thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance at a better life than you could give me at that time." It was an unselfish act, and I silently thank them all the time for that. I also thank my parents for taking me in and giving me unconditional love and kindness and direction. I truly feel blessed. I have tried locating my birth parents before, but only to find out medical history and maybe to hug them and say "thank you." But it is hard. California has those closed-record laws that make it hard to find that kind of thing out, and I don't have the money to hire a private investigator. Maybe someday...

- - - I am more vulnerable than I let on. I put on this front that I am hard to offend and that I have this thick skin that can take most anything anyone can dish out. But, to tell you the truth, I am more vulnerable than I pretend to be. Sometimes, things people say hurt me. Sure, I usually laugh it off and go about my business, or I get defensive, but sometimes, it hurts. And words can hurt more than anything physical, because the bruises go away eventually, but the words...the words remain. They always say that the pen is mightier than the sword, and I know from experience, that this is true.

Lewis Black on MTV and the Superbowl Halftime Show

"... and then I knew things had taken a turn for the worse, when, 3 years ago, they hired MTV to do the halftime show... And why would you hire MTV to do music? MTV has nothing to do with music, ok. MTV is to music as KFC is to chicken. MTV is video, and video goes where? . . . In your EYE! Music goes in your EAR. Ear...eye...eye...ear. Big fucking difference! Music is like a drug. When you hear it, you have a vision. And that vision can change over time or remain the same. You know, that first time when you're in love and you hear a love song, and you think everytime you think about it ... you have that vision of your special someone. And then, 2 years after you broke up, you're at the bar, and you hear that song, and you go, 'Son of a bitch... I'll have a Yager." But whatever your vision is, I will tell you, if you're watching a music video, and the video is exactly the same as your vision.....kill yourself. MTV had brought to the stage that day, Britney Spears, N'Sync and Aerosmith. And they were playing music together... if that's what you could fuckin' call it. It was staggering to watch. It was so painful, I actually took a spoon and shoved it up my own ass. Because if I'm gonna hurt that bad, I'm gonna do it to myself. So it was absolutely extraordinary when CBS hired MTV to do the Superbowl this year.
Unbelievable! And that CBS would be shocked that MTV couldn't present a 'family' halftime show. Had none of the executives at CBS ever turned on MTV? All you gotta to do is watch it for 5 minutes and know that it should be called 'The Boner Network.' Kids come home from school, 'I'm gonna watch MTV,' and they lock themselves in their room and just put their little peckers right up on the set. And let me tell you, it will continue no matter what has happened, because of the recent events. I will guarantee that it will continue to evolve the way it has evolved. The halftime show in ten years will literally be just planes flying over the stadium and dropping shit on people .... while an orchestra plays classical music."

The Kern County Personnel Office on Truxton Ave - probably the most interesting looking building in all of Bakersfield
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A poem

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The Lamp of Life - by Amy Lowell (1874-1925)

Always we are following a light,

Always the light recedes; with groping hands

We stretch toward this glory, while the lands

We journey through are hidden from our sight

Dim and mysterious, folded deep in night,

We care not, all our utmost need demands

Is but the light, the light! So still it stands

Surely our own if we exert our might.

Fool! Never can'st thou grasp this fleeting gleam,

Its glowing flame would die if it were caught,

Its value is that it doth always seem

But just a little farther on. Distraught,

But lighted ever onward, we are brought

Upon our way unknowing, in a dream

My Japanese name - hehe

Your Japanese Name Is...

Kaede Inoue

What's your Japanese Name?

CALM

I woke up at 9:30 this morning (early for me on a weekend - lol), and being that it was sunny outside, I decided I would give CALM another try. I made it out there around 11:30 and it was already pretty warm. The forecast said "scattered thunderstorms" for later, so I figured, the sooner I went out there, the better. It only cost $4.50 to get in, which isn't bad. It is a lot bigger that I expected. You can walk along the trails around the exhibits with wildflowers and other plants and trees surrounding them. It was something you would never expect to be in Bakersfield. The bears were asleep, and so were some of the foxes. The roadrunners were so cute, but they wouldn't stay still enough to let me take a picture of them - lol. The raccoons were noisy! Apparently, a new raccoon had moved in the cage behind them, and the resident male was busy asserting his authority - lol. There is a place inside where you can have a picnic lunch, too, and a gift shop. It was a cool place to visit. I posted some pics on here for you to see.

you can check out their website at http://www.calmzoo.org/


(it is starting to cloud up as I speak - lol)

trail in CALM
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View of some Bakersfield hills from CALM
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California Living Museum (CALM)
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"quoth the raven, 'nevermore'"
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Desert habitat
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Pretty California Poppies
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Desert Tortoise
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Rattlesnake
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The bears were alseep - lol
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Burrowing Owl
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Mule deer
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Fox
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Raccoon - this little dude was mad because there was a new raccoon in the cage behind him and he was getting all territorial - boy was he mad!
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Bald Eagle
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Golden Eagle
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awww - the fox was asleep - how cute
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obviously, someone has done this before, thus the need for the sign - lol
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Coyote exhibit
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Coyote exhibit
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I hate ants!

Death To The Ants

They march around in a long, windey line,

These pesky, creepy, biting, foes of mine.

The ants invade my space, and even my dreams,

I really hate ants, or so it seems.

Into my home they creep and crawl,

On the floor,the desk and along the walls.

Out comes the Raid to intercept their invasion,

One by one they die...it's utter devastation.

I feel justice has been done, death to the ants!

No more shall they crawl into my food and my pants.

The few that survive crawl wearily away,

Probably to come back to bug me another day.

The ants are no more, I can finally rest,

When it comes to ant killing, Raid is the best!

(yes, I hate ants....anyone who knows me knows this - I wrote this after I had another dream about ants invading my apartment. There is a line of ants outside my apartment downstairs, and everytime I walk by it, I make sure I stomp on a few of those suckers. Oh I hate them! Hate, hate, hate them!)

Modest Mouse - "Float On"

Music Video Codes by FVC

press "play" to watch the video

Breaking Benjamin - "So Cold"

Music Video Codes by FVC

press "play" to watch the video

Bad Anna....BAD BAD !!

(and the question still remains....where did she get the finger???)

Cops Nab Woman, Say Wendy's Finger a Hoax

Top Stories - AP
By KIM CURTIS, Associated Press Writer

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Police investigating how a human finger ended up in a woman's bowl of Wendy's chili declared the claim a hoax Friday and arrested her on charges of attempted grand larceny.

The arrest of Anna Ayala at her home outside Las Vegas was the latest twist in a case that has become a late-night punch line, taken a bite out of Wendy's sales and forced the fast-food chain to check its employees for missing fingers.

Ayala, 39, claimed she bit down on the well-manicured, 1 1/2-inch finger in a mouthful of her steamy chili on March 22 in San Jose. She had hired a lawyer and filed a claim against the Wendy's franchise owner, but dropped the lawsuit threat soon after suspicion fell on her.

When asked whether police considered Ayala's claim a hoax, David Keneller, captain of the San Jose police department's investigations bureau, said yes.

"What we have found is that thus far our evidence suggests the truest victims in this case are indeed the Wendy's owner, operators and employees here in San Jose," Police Chief Rob Davis said.

This is what happened to my Friday off .... rain. I was going to go out to CALM today, but it started sprinkling on my way to the bank, so I came home, and yes, now it is raining. Figures!!
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Funny Stuff From George Carlin

"I think we'd be better off if we could eliminate anyone who has a 'can-do' attitude, or is referred to as 'take-charge,' 'all-business,' or 'no-nonsense.' Have these people sedated."

Does anyone else find this commercial as scary as I do????
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Comic Relief

TGIT!

Thank goodness it's Thursday! Time for a 3-day weekend. Gotta love those. I have been in this mood to go and explore lately. Ever since I got my digital camera, I have wanted to just go places and take pictures....of everything! I love that camera - lol. It is the best investment I have made in a long time. I want to go to Red Rock Canyon really bad. The only issue is money. I don't get paid until Tuesday, and gas is expensive. It is not too far from here....maybe an hour and a half, but gas is like $2.60 a gallon (at the cheapest), and besides, it is supposed to rain this weekend. Maybe I will just go to CALM this weekend instead. It is right in town, and it only costs $4.50 to go. But I definitely want to go to Red Rock Canyon sometime....and to San Francisco, and to San Diego, and to the Sequoia National Forest park, and to Yosemite...and on and on and on. Oh yeah, Death Valley too (before it gets tooooooo hot).

I hope it is a nice weekend. I need to clean my place. I get so lazy about cleaning during the week. I tend to leave clothes in the bathroom and not make up my bed....stuff like that. It is not that I just leave dirt all over the floor or old food in the sink (GROSS!) It is just the little things like an unmade bed and clothes that need to be hung up...that kind of thing. I need to clean the fish tanks too, which is a job and a half (and I have 2 of them - that makes it like 3 jobs - lol). I woke up at 2:45 am this morning (because that is what I do.... go to bed and then wake up like every 2 or 3 hours), and my stupid-ass, louder-than-loud neighbor was up talking on the phone so loudly that I could hear him through the walls, which of course, kept me up til about 3:30 am. I wanna know what the heck he was doing talking on the phone so late/early? Does he never sleep? I just turned on my radio so I could hear something good instead of his yapping mouth. My other neighbors were also being loud last nite. They had some crappy rap music playing really loudly in their apartment til like 10pm, but since I was still up, I didn't mind too much. I decided to run my dishwasher last nite around 9:30 since their music was on loud anyway. Besides, I needed to do dishes - lol.

I had the stupidest dream last night. I dreamt that Jennifer Aniston and I were shopping in Target for boots. Why boots and why Jennifer Aniston? Well, I don't know why the boots, but I can almost be sure that Jennifer Aniston made it into my dream because I was watching some stupid MTV show last nite before I went to bed called, "I Want a Famous Face," where this girl was gonna get plastic surgery to make her look more like, you guessed it, Jennifer Aniston. Damned MTV!!!! Damn them! (by the way, I NEVER want plastic surgery after seeing that - yuck! well I am still debating about the breast reduction - hehe)

Almost time for lunch. I was supposed to go out on 2 interviews this morning with the trainees, but their clients didn't show up. Figures. I am so ready for the weekend!

Stupid News Story of The Day

They Shoot Horsepower, Don't They?

Oddly Enough - Reuters
MIAMI (Reuters) - Fed up with his troublesome car, a Florida man fired five rounds from a semi-automatic pistol into the hood of the 1994 Chrysler LeBaron.

"I'm putting my car out of its misery," 64-year-old John McGivney said after the incident outside an apartment building in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, according to a police report that listed the car as "deceased."

McGivney surrendered to police, was jailed on a firearms charge on Friday and released on bond a day later. He told them the car had been giving him trouble for years.

"I think every guy in the universe has wanted to do it," the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Wednesday quoted McGivney as saying. "It was worth every damn minute in that jail."

(I have no comment, oddly enough - hehe)

I am pissed. Yes, I am pissed. I watched American Idol tonite, and it was Anwar who was voted off. Anwar! And that lame-ass Scott, who always looks like he is half-there, and Anthony, who looks like a watered-down version of Clay Aiken, are still in it! Why? Why are American Idol voters so stupid? I guess we will never know.

As if that wasn't bad enough, I noticed that I am getting a pimple. Ugh. Time to break out the Oxy.

However, I did watch The Simple Life for the first time tonite, and I have to hand it to those girls....they are very good at being stupid. It was hilarious! The girls were interning at a Fire Department, and well, they are not cut out for that (cats in trees everywhere are silently thanking God for that).

my bro's house, today, 4/20/05 - it is beginning to look more and more like a house. (that is my bro in the picture - hehe)
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my bro's house about 2 months ago
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Almost time to go home :)

It is 5 pm, and do you know where my mind is? No? Darn. I had hoped someone would know, cuz I don't. I guess I lost it somewhere between lunchtime and now. We went to Hometown Buffet today for lunch for Tracy's bon voyage luncheon. It was all pretty good, but man, I got stuffed! I am still full - lol. I don't even know why we had a bon voyage for Tracy anyway. The girl will be back in 2 months - lol. Must be nice to work for 9 months and then get 2 months off. Of course, not being paid would suck, but the no working part would be nice ;) Anyway, she will be back, then she will go on maternity leave, which will result in another luncheon for her. Seems we are always going out to eat here at work. I even was so proud of myself that I remembered to bring my lunch (leftover mac-n-cheese), but when I got to work, I remembered, "DUH - we are going out to lunch today!" I am such a dork.

I love Wednesdays. Right, smack-dab in the middle of the week, which is ever closer to Friday (tomorrow is our "Friday" here at work, since we have Friday off). Also, Wednesdays have the best tv ... American Idol results, South Park, and Myth Busters - I love Wednesdays. Thursday tv is good too though.... King of The Hill reruns on FX, and MXC on Spike Tv (like 3 hours of it! woo hoo!). And Fridays they have Joan of Arcadia on and 4 episodes of CSI on Spike TV. I love CSI. I am officially a CSI addict!

Tomorrow should be a busy one at work, since it is Thursday. As I understand, we already were given 2 overflow appointments tomorrow. That sucks. We seem to be getting more and more of those. The trainees are only supposed to get so many applications per week, but with these overflows, it gives them more than they should be having. They all seem to be catching on pretty quick, which is good, since they only allocate so much training time. My supervisor is on vacation starting May 2nd for 2 weeks. Which leaves me "in charge" of the unit. Should be "interesting." (lol).

Almost time to go home. I am counting down the minutes!

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy quotes

"You'd better be prepared for the jump into hyperspace. It's unpleasently like being drunk."
"What's so unpleasent about being drunk?"
"You ask a glass of water."
-- Arthur getting ready for his first jump into hyperspace



"You know," said Arthur, "it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die from asphyxiation in deep space that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was young.'"
"Why, what did she tell you?"
"I don't know, I didn't listen."
- Arthur coping with certain death as best as he could



"Here I am, brain the size of a planet and they ask me to take you down to the bridge. Call that "job satisfaction"? 'Cos I don't. "
--- the eternally depressed robot, Marvin




"If there's anything more important than my ego around, I want it caught and shot now.'"
-- Zaphod




"Hey this is terrific!'" Zaphod said. "Someone down there is trying to kill us!"
"Terrific," said Arthur. "But don't you see what this means?"
"Yes. We are going to die."
"Yes, but apart from that."
"APART from that? It means we must be on to something!"
"How soon can we get off it?"
-- Zaphod and Arthur in a certain death situation over Magrathea



"Right," said Ford, "I'm going to have a look." He glanced round at the others."Is no one going to say, 'No you can't possibly, let me go instead?' They all shook their heads."Oh well."
-- Ford attempting to be heroic whilst being seiged by Shooty and Bangbang



"Now it is such a bizarrely impossible coincidence that anything so mind-bogglingly useful could have evolved purely by chance that some thinkers have chosen to see it as a final and clinching proof of the nonexistence of God. The arguement goes something like this:
"I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing."
"But," say Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED."
"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't though of that" and promply vanishes in a puff of logic.
-- The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy



"Attention, people of Earth. I regret to inform you that in order to make way for the new hyperspace express route, your planet has been scheduled for demolition. Have a nice day. "
--- Vogon Demolition Crew


"Simple. I got very bored and depressed, so I went and plugged myself into its external computer feed. I talked to the computer at great length and explained my view of the Universe to it."
"And what happened?"
"It committed suicide."
--- Marvin

Legs need lovin' too

You need to yawn? You are gonna have to pay for it

Next time you have to go to jury duty, make sure you have some caffeine before you go. I would rather pay 80 cents for a can of soda than $100 for yawning. But I think I might rather pay $100 than to serve on a jury. Hmmmm....maybe the guy knew what he was doing- lol.

Juror Fined For Yawning In Court
Strange News - AP

LOS ANGELES - Call it a rude awakening. A juror was cited for contempt and fined $1,000 by a judge for yawning loudly while awaiting questioning in an attempted murder trial. The fine later was reduced to $100.

The yawn came after the man, identified as Juror No. 2386 in an April 1 court transcript, had been sitting in a courtroom for two days as part of jury selection.

"You yawned rather audibly there. As a matter of fact, it was to the point that it was contemptuous," Superior Court Judge Craig Veals said.

"I'm sorry, but I'm really bored," the juror said.

"I'm sorry?" the judge responded.

When the juror repeated his statement, he was admonished by the judge for having a "lousy" attitude.

"Your boredom just cost you $1,000 I'm finding you in contempt," Veals said. "Are you quite so bored now?"

The judge later called the yawn disruptive.

"I can't run a court when I have someone behaving the way you did," Veals said.

The juror paid the fine after it was reduced to $100. Ultimately, he was questioned but not selected for the trial.

Welcome to the Dog Pound (as Randy says)

I just finished watching American Idol, and I have to hand it to them... all pretty much did a great job tonite. I was a little leary when they said tonite was going to be 70's dance music themed. I thought...oh gosh - lol. But they all came through. Even Anthony, who I am usually down on, actually sang very well. Carrie did a fantastic job. That girl can sing! Overall, I thought she did the best job, vocally. Performance wise, Bo was on. He is a solid performer. The only one I wasn't overly impressed with was Scott. I don't know why he is still in the competition to be honest. He looks mildy retarded almost. Like he is one step away from special ed. And he doesn't have much of a personality. Plus, the beginning of his song was flat. If it were up to me, he would be going home. But, it is not up to me - lol. My bottom 3 would be ... Scott, Anthony, and Anwar (as much as I love Anwar, he wasn't really on the money like the others). I see Scott going home tomorrow night (buh bye, Scott)

What does your last name mean?

I thought this was kind of interesting.

Perkins
English: patronymic from Perkin, also found throughout mid and south Wales.
Dutch: patronymic from a pet form of Peer, a Dutch form of Peter.

check out this page to see what your name means...

http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx?ln=

Lovely weather, isn't it?

It is absolutely beautiful outside, and you know what? I am stuck inside at my desk, in my cubicle, at work, being kept away from the sunlight (no wonder I am so pale!). Sometimes, it seems like I spend most of my day here, which, in fact, I do. I work from 7:30 to 5:30 everyday (except Fridays - I get every other Friday off - hehe - and I only work from 7 - 3:30 on the Fridays that I do work). So, normally, that is 10 hours I spend at work, at my desk, in my cubicle, away from the free world. There are 24 hours in a day, and I spend 10 of them here at work. That is 14 hours left. Take away roughly 7 hours for sleep, and I have 7 hours left to do my thing. That is not much when you come to think about it. At least I have the weekends off. That is my only consolement.

The weather is supposed to stay nice all throughout the week, but Saturday, it says we are supposed to have some rain ... of course it would rain on a Saturday! Guess I won't be washing my car anytime soon - hehe.

Cyndi's baby is due any day now. Her due date is tomorrow. I am so excited. I can't wait to find out if it is a boy or a girl and what his or her name will be. I am dying to know! lol. Alicia is due soon too. Only another month now. Poor her. She has been sick with strep throat. As if being pregnant wasn't tough enough!

I am feeling much better today than I did yesterday. I think just going home and resting yesterday helped a lot. I don't have many "bad pain" days anymore since I started taking Plaquenil, so that is a good thing. I used to pop painkillers nearly everyday, but now I take them maybe once a week at most. That is a big improvement. And, believe me, it makes a world of difference.

My lunch break is almost over. This morning has gone by so slow. I hope things pick up this afternoon.

They elected a new pope, I heard. Not that I pay much attention to that stuff. I may have gone to Catholic school when I was a kid, but I am not a practicing Catholic. I am not a practicing anything, for that matter. It is just interesting to me that they picked someone so old (he is 78). But then I guess a young age is no guarantee that that person will be around any longer than an older person will be. Death can come to anyone, at any time, and at any age.

Now that I have left you with that pleasant thought, it is time for me to get back to work - hehe.

Even more reasons why I HATE Spam:

Paid Surveys
Your opinion could be worth $1000
(I am still waiting for my reward on the last time I expressed my opinion)

ChristianCash Assistance
Need up to 1500 USD today. Christian cash assistance is here
(What exactly is the difference between regular cash assistance and Christian cash assistance? Is the interest rate only 999% instead of 1000%?)

DreamShape
Drop the Weight While You Sleep
(ok - what's the catch ... and just how long do you have to sleep?)

Olen Pierre
Str.ip talents
(What is Str.ip talent??? Try spell check next time, Olen)

Adult Offers
Get connected with girls who want to date!
(no thanks - I am a woman - how many times do I have to explain this?)

BridgetGibbs8454@ yahoo.com
you should check out this cool mating site.
(mating site??ummm.... no thanks - I think I will pass)

BridgetGibbs8454@ yahoo.com
you should check out this cool mating site.
(apparently Bridget doesn't give up very easily)

Rickie Roth
Raw anal seex
(ewww - no thank you!! - and by the way, you spelled "sex" wrong, Rickie)

Dan Sweeney
Hot trannies
(I don't even know what a tranny is - is it like a trainee? or a granny who is a trainee? Ok...I just looked it up online and I really did not need to know that... no thank you!!!!)

Attn Coffee Lovers
Finally experience real coffee pleasure
(I don't know whether to take this one on face value or not, seeing as how many sexual spam messages I get - for all I know "coffee pleasure" might be having sex with coffee - great - now I am thinking like a pervert! thanks alot Spam!)

Adult Offers
Date these online Skanks
(sure .... advertise them as skanks and see everyone jump at once - once again, I will have to decline)

Banana Deals
Get a Bachelor’s degree online!
(somehow the words "Banana Deals" and "Bachelor's degree" just don't go well together)

This week on South Park...

Episode 907 : Jimmy gets a Boner

Jimmy has to figure out a way to pull himself together before the big talent show in an all-new episode of South Park entitled "Erection Day," premiering Wednesday, April 20 at 10:00 p.m. on Comedy Central. All the kids are getting ready for the big South Park Elementary Talent Show and Jimmy can't wait to perform his new comedy routines. But lately, just like generations of little boys before him, Jimmy's noticed that one of his body parts has a mind of its own. Knowing he can't get up in front of the entire school in an excited state, Jimmy must find a way to gain control of his raging hormones in time to perform in the show.

awww - looks like Jimmy is growing up (no pun intended) - hehe

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Just watched some clips from the upcoming Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy movie (in theatres on April 29th). Looks hilarious! I can't wait to see this movie!!! I don't think I have been this psyched over a movie opening since South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.

You can see some clips at
http://movies.yahoo.com/shop?d=hv&cf=trailer&id=1808411970

Funny Stuff From George Carlin

"Someone said to me, 'Make yourself a sandwich.' Well, if I could make myself a sandwich, I wouldn't make myself a sandwich. I'd make myself a horny, eighteen-year-old billionaire."

This is cool

this is so cool - an aerial shot of my cousin's lake - you can see my cousins' house in the plot on the upper right - the lake looks huge from this vantage point! You can check to see what your own place looks like from above at http://maps.google.com/maps (just click on "satellite" in the upper right on the page)

These go to eleven

I rewatched This Is Spinal Tap last night for the first time in almost a year, and as almost as soon as I put the DVD in the player, I remembered just how darned funny it is. For those of you who haven't seen it, it is a sort of "Mockumentary" - like one of those VH-1 Behind the Music things, only fake. It is absolutely hilarious and over-the-top. If you like comedy, watch it! Here are a few of the more memorable scenes from the movie:


Marty DiBergi: David St. Hubbins... I must admit I've never heard anybody with that name. David St. Hubbins: It's an unusual name, well, he was an unusual saint, he's not a very well known saint.
Marty DiBergi: Oh, there actually is, uh... there was a Saint Hubbins?
David St. Hubbins: That's right, yes.
Marty DiBergi: What was he the saint of?
David St. Hubbins: He was the patron saint of quality footwear.



[Nigel is playing a soft piece on the piano]
Marty DiBergi: It's very pretty.
Nigel Tufnel: Yeah, I've been fooling around with it for a few months.
Marty DiBergi: It's a bit of a departure from what you normally play.
Nigel Tufnel: It's part of a trilogy, a musical trilogy I'm working on in D minor which is the saddest of all keys, I find. People weep instantly when they hear it, and I don't know why.
Marty DiBergi: It's very nice.
Nigel Tufnel: You know, just simple lines intertwining, you know, very much like - I'm really influenced by Mozart and Bach, and it's sort of in between those, really. It's like a Mach piece, really. It's sort of...
Marty DiBergi: What do you call this?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, this piece is called"Lick My Love Pump."


[reading a review of Spinal Tap's latest album]
Marty DiBergi: "This pretentious ponderous collection of religious rock psalms is enough to prompt the question, 'What day did the Lord create Spinal Tap, and couldn't he have rested on that day too?'"

Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven.



Derek Smalls: We're very lucky in the band in that we have two visionaries, David and Nigel, they're like poets, like Shelley and Byron. They're two distinct types of visionaries, it's like fire and ice, basically. I feel my role in the band is to be somewhere in the middle of that, kind of like lukewarm water.

Pain, pain go away...

It is official....I hate pain more than I hate Mondays. Even after taking the Tylenol and rubbing excessive amounts of Aspercreme on my hands and elbows, I am still in pain...and downright exhausted...and for no reason! It would be one thing if I had run a marathon yesterday and was in pain today, but all I did this weekend was drive, sleep and walk around. No biggie. So why the pain? It is an easy thing to answer....fibromyalgia...the dreaded "f" word. I hate it! I don't know what I did in a past life to deserve this, but I must have done something really bad - lol. For those of you who don't know what the hell fibromyalgia is, this is what it basically is . . .

You hurt all over, and you frequently feel exhausted. Even after numerous tests, your doctor can't seem to find anything specifically wrong with you. If this sounds familiar, you may have fibromyalgia, a condition that affects an estimated 3 million to 6 million people in the United States. Approximately 80 percent to 90 percent of affected people are women.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by fatigue, widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, and multiple tender points — places on your body where slight pressure causes pain. Previously, the condition was known by other names such as fibrositis, chronic muscle pain syndrome, psychogenic rheumatism and tension myalgias.

Although the intensity of your symptoms may vary, they'll probably never disappear completely. It may be reassuring to know, however, that fibromyalgia isn't progressive, crippling or life-threatening. Treatments and self-care steps can improve symptoms and your general health.

from:
http:///www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=96E57CAC-F3E9-468B-8824304CCE012FD1&dsection=1

Yes, folks, it sucks. I don't wish it on anyone. And the worst part is that there is no cure for it. Basically all you can do is manage your pain, rest, and try to exercise. Sometimes, I feel like crying. But right now, all I wanna do is go home, take some painkillers, take a hot bath, and lie down. 5:30, hurry the heck up and get here so I can go home! lol

Mondays... I hate Mondays

I hate Mondays! I really do. If there is something I hate more than Mondays, I haven't found it yet. I wish there was some kind of device I could use to teleport myself to at least Wednesday, but alas, there is no such thing, or if there is such a thing, the person who invented it is obviously not sharing! Today started out as usual...me hearing my clock radio turn on at 6:30 am, and me silently cursing its reliability. I got out of bed, slowly, and trudged my way over to the bathroom, got dressed, put on my face and brushed my hair and teeth (but not with the same brush - ewww). Then I walked out to my car and sighed as I opened the door and got in, then I drove off to work, eyes still half opened and my brain still half asleep. The weather is slightly cold today and breezy, and there were a few clouds in the sky, and I caught myself wondering if it was going to rain (checked the weather online and it said no rain, but that means nothing - lol). I got to work, and of course, the front door was locked (even though it was 7:30) .... grumble. Had to walk around to the other door to get into work. My body is a mess of pain today. I even took 2 Tylenol Arthritis pills this morning, and I am still in pain! This sucks! (more grumbling). I went to Sonic for lunch and ordered a cherry Dr Pepper. I went to Sonic specifically to get this drink. When I was driving back to work, I took a taste of it, and it was a diet coke! (More grumbling). Ugh! At least my grilled cheese sandwich was very tasty (I love grilled cheese sandwiches). Now I am gonna have to go upstairs to get some ice and a drink, since I HATE Diet Coke. I can drink Diet Pepsi, but Diet Coke is just nasty! And I really don't feel like walking upstairs since I am feeling so tired and achey. I don't want anyone to touch me, or even bother me right now. I am so grumpy! lol. I hate pain. I just thought of something. I hate pain more than I hate Mondays. But pain and Mondays....that is just grumpiness waiting to happen. I can't wait to get home to take some Ultracet. They work much better than Tylenol. Freakin' arthritis! UGH!

What a week

This week was crazy! I was sick on Monday, April 11th, and stayed home from work. My grandma turned 88 on Tuesday, and Alicia and Orlando got married that same day. Alicia got strep throat on Tuesday, and is still sick. Had a day from hell at work on Thursday. Britney Spears announced she is pregant....another little girl was murdered. Arlene got engaged on Friday. I went to Tehachapi on Saturday and then to Lake Isabella today, and then today we had a get-together with my friends from my Marshalls days to celebrate Arlene's engagement - Whew! Wonder what will happen this week! lol
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Arlene is engaged!

Yes, Arlene is engaged. Mary, Karla, Terri, Barbara, Betz, Arlene and I all went to Jacalito's mexican restaurant to eat, drink and be merry (I had one strawberry daquiri - just one!). We all had a great time. I still can't believe she is gonna get married!! I am sooooo happy for her. Everyone deserves to be happy. It is even better when it happens to good people. And Arlene is one of the good ones. Congratulations, Arlene and Art !

yes, it's true - Arlene is engaged! Here is proof! lol
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Group shot (left to right...Terri, Karla, Mary, Barbara, Betz, and Arlene)
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Arlene is such a goofball! (that is my hand making the bunny ears behind her)
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Smile purty, Barbara
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smile pretty Arlene ! and flash that rock!
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Arlene's ring - awwww - how pretty!
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Mary looking like she has something up her sleeve - hehe
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Mountain Trip

I took a trip up to Lake Isabella today, just for the fun of it. The weather was beautiful, and of course I took pictures - hehe. I also decided to go up to Wofford Heights, since I had worked at a summer camp up there when I was 17. Then I decided to go further up...up to Greenhorn Summit, some 6100 odd feet up in the mountains. It was gorgeous.. all the trees and wildflowers, and there were still a few patches aof snow left, too. The only problem was that the road was steep on the way down, and my brakes got too hot and boy did they stink! I had to pull over for a while to let them cool off, which, of course, gave me some more picture opportunities and a little chance to explore. When I finally left, I drove down the mountain road in 2nd gear so I went slower. That road is as windey as the 178 thru Kern Canyon! I was so relieved to get back down to Lake Isabella! I drove back home, taking side roads here and there, just to see where they went. I had a blast, but I know it probably would have bored anyone else, so I went alone - lol. When I got back into Bakersfield, I drove past Lake Ming and Hart Park. It is amazing that as long as I have lived in this town, there were still places I hadn't seen. I want to go out to CALM (California Living Museum) this upcoming weekend. They have a zoo! lol. It was a nice day. I think I need to get out and drive somewhere every weekend - lol.

Lupine - there are thousands of these pretty purple flowers all over the mountainsides
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Highway 178 thru Kern Canyon - boy this road is windey!
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