Merry Sick-Mas

Once again, I am sick for Christmas. How did Santa know I wanted a cold for Christmas?! So while you are all enjoying your turkey or ham and opening presents, think of me. I will be sneezing and coughing and shivering under blankets and eating soup for dinner - lol.

Anyway, I want to wish everyone a very merry (and, hopefully, sick-free) Christmas. Be safe out there! You know the streets are full of crazy drivers!! Don't drink too much egg nog or eat too much (or any) fruitcake.

By the way, A Christmas Story is on tv....if you miss it, don't worry. It will be running for a full 24 hours on TBS. If you haven't seen it yet (and if you haven't, what planet have you been living on????), watch it. It is hilarious!!!!!!



May your days be merry and bright. Keep your tongues off frozen flagpoles, no matter if someone triple-dog dares you to! And for heaven's sake, don't shoot your eye out!!!!


Merry Christmas!!!!

I'm a nerd...and I'm pretty proud of it

'Tis The Season

am very work-stressed right now. They just dumped something like 60 cases on me...90% of which are Spanish-speaking, and the most Spanish I speak is besame culo....kiss my ass. Yeah. 'Tis the season to be stressed!

So I apologize, in advance, if I come across as rude or asshole-ish to anyone.

This advance apology is good until after I am done with these cases , which may be a while .... hehe

Oh...one thing that made me laugh today is hearing that Britney Spears's lil sister, who is 16, is pregnant.

That's what happens when you have this whack-job



for a sister.

Thanks Spears family, for making me feel better about myself.

HO HO HO

Home for the holidaze

I am all done with Christmas shopping. I even went to the post office on Friday to mail Christmas packages to my far away friends. Ugh. The line wasn't too long at the post office, but this one lady was just asking question after question. I was holding packages in my hands and just praying for her to leave before I dropped the presents. Luckily, I was able to hold on to em. Tomorrow, I am mailing out all my Christmas cards. After that is done, I will be all done with Christmas stuff :)

I thought the post office took a long time, but Kinko's was even worse. I went to make color copies and (of course) only 1 color copier was working. Grrrr. So, about 25 minutes later, I left with my 10 copies. Sheesh.

Anyway, not much else has been happening. It is cold. I hate going outside in the morning to go to work. I hate that it is Sunday. I am just so full of hate lately! lol. I got soooo sick on Monday. I ate some eggs from the cafeteria that tasted funny and about an hour later, my tummy was hurting and I got so sick and I went home early. I am not eating cafeteria eggs anymore!!!!!

I have a mess in my apartment. Between the Christmas craft-fest and present wrapping, it looks like Michael's exploded in here. Now, I have to try to find space to put everything away. I think that might take a while

Here are some pics of my messy room...






Punkin and Cuddles are now officially cage-mates. I put them together on Friday in a "neutral" zone to see how they would react to each other. Of course, there was some rumblings and pouting, but there was no fighting, so that was a good sign. There is still some rumbling in their house, but that is just the 2 of them trying to be each other's boss. It really is quite funny to see the 2 of them playing follow the leader. They are so entertaining - lol.

Here is a more recent pic of Cuddles...



She is just so cute!!!

I am so gosh-darned tired tonite. I realy don't wanna work tomorrow.

Your Elf Name Is...

Twinkles Snowballer

What's Your Elf Name?

Of course I was nice...I am always nice - wink

You Were Nice This Year

You Were 40% Naughty, 60% Nice Okay, so you weren't *entirely* nice this year But Santa doesn't expect a modern girl to be perfect You were good enough - and you'll be rewarded for it

Were You a Naughty Girl or Nice Girl this Year?

Yumm!

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

I have a very shiny nose

You Are Rudolph

Sweet and shy, you tend to be happiest when you're making someone else happy. Why You're Naughty: You sometimes stick that nose where it doesn't belong Why You're Nice: Christmas would be a sad affair without you!

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

Stupid Things I Did Today

Just to show everyone how much of a dork I really am, today after I had shut down my computer and was getting ready to leave work, I went to turn off the light above my computer and turned on the computer instead.

And this morning as I was leaving for work, I "found" my sunglasses on the 3rd peg on my key/mail holder, exactly where they had been hanging since Saturday. I went to work on Monday thinking I had lost them, because they are usually hanging on the 1st peg along with my keys. Had I looked a little to the right, I would have seen them. I really need to start seeing the big picture.

Not only am I a dork, I am a blind dork!

Long time, no blog

Ok, so I know it's been a while since I have blogged, but for a while my internet connection sucked! The Bright House guy came out and replaced my modem, so I am back in business

I had a super busy weekend. I went Christmas shopping on Friday...pretty much all day. Went to Target, Borders, the Gold Crown store, PetCo, Barnes and Nobles...everywhere! But I got pretty much all of it done that day. Then I came home and did some online shopping. Then all evening I spent hot gluing ornaments together. Big fun - hehe. By the time I was done, it was near midnight and I was tired! But I stayed up and watched some tv, and by the time I went to bed, it was almost 3 am.

Saturday, oh my lord! I went to Michaels because I had forgotten to buy more glue sticks (DUH!). Big mistake. It was hella busy, and just dealing with the parking lot was enough to raise my blood pressure sky high. By the time I found a place to park, I was fuming mad! lol. People just don't know how to friggin' drive! But I got what I went there for and went to a few more places and then went home.

Then, the guinea pig cage saga began. About 2 weeks ago, I had ordered this plastic bottom to make a cage out of for my lil Punkin, since she needed a bigger house. Well, apparently the seller got the address wrong, because when I called UPS to check on the package status, it said it had been delivered...to someone named Scott. Well, it turns out the seller put the wrong apartment number on the box. The UPS lady told me what apt it went to, so I went to that apartment to see if the dude was home.

Now, there is this dude in my apartment complex, who, like the building, is, well , complex. He can be seen around the building walking and talking to himself. Well, it is more like cussing to himself. I have heard him on several occasions telling himself that he is gonna "kill em all." (who "em all" is, I am not sure. I just hope I am not one of them - hehe). Well I often refer to him as my "scary neighbor." When I was walking to the door of the dude who got my package's apartment, I was just praying it wasn't the scary neighbor. It was. Yikes. But he gave the package to me after I told him who I was and what had happened. Turns out scary neighbor wasn't so scary after all.

Well putting the damned cage together wasn't so hard. It was just labor intensive - lol. I had to move all the furniture and stuff on the right side of the living room to the left side and vice versa. It took a while - lol. The I had to put the cage together, which was a source of pain for me, since I pinched my damned fingers between the wire panels on several occasions. But, all in all, it wasn't so bad, and Punkin is much happier now in her deluxe condo This is how it looks...



It has a loft and a ramp (which I made - hehe) and everything. Pretty nice digs, huh?

Well, after I built the cage and stuff, Alicia, Alana and I went out to Don Perico's and had some dinner. I was starvin' by that time, and my head was pounding. But the food was yummy. I even had some left over for lunch the next day.

Well, sometime during the night, Peanut, one of my hamsters, managed to become an escape artist and got out of his cage. I noticed he was missing on Sunday morning, and I, once again, had to move furniture around in an effort to find the little critter. After ruling out my bedroom, the bathroom and most all of the furniture in the living room, I figured he was either 1) under the fridge, or 2) under my entertainment center...neifher of which I even attempted to move (that would have resulted in another strained back muscle....which I had already managed to do earlier in the week... or perhaps broken bones - lol).

I set out some food in the middle of the living room with a trail of it leading up the cage door, hoping he would follow it into the cage. Well, around 10:30 pm, I walked out to the living room to get some paper and low and behold, there was little Peanut, munching away on some carrots I had left out for him. I put him back in his cage and made sure it was escape proof this time. I don't want to move any more damned furniture!!!!!!!!

Today after work, I went by Petco to get a little bed for the mini monsters, Flip and Truffle (the dwarf hamsters), and I saw the cutest guinea pig. I have been meaning to get a friend for Punkin, since they are social critters and like the company of another piggy, so I bought her and took her home. Her name is Cuddles, and here she is....







She is super sweet and also super shy. But she will be a good playmate for Punkin, who I am sure is lonely. I have to keep her isolated for a few weeks, just to make sure she doesn't get sick or anything. So right now, she is occupying Punkin's old house.

Oh, this is Flip, one of the dwarf hamsters...



(Truffle looks just like him - lol)

And here is Pretzel...



I got him after Lil Oreo died. He is a cutie and is just as sweet as Peanut.

Well, that is all I have to report for now - lol.

My new little buddy

Well, after Lil Oreo died, I had to get another little buddy. I was originally gonna get another hamster, but after a trip to PetCo, I saw the cutest little Guinea Pig ever. She HAD to come home with me. Just take a look at her cute lil face...



Her name is Punkin. The name suits her well. She had the cutest little mohawk "hairdo" when I bought her, and she looked like a punk rocker - lol. She is so shy right now, but I am sure she will warm up to me soon. It took a while for dear old Lil Oreo and Peanut to get over their shyness, and now, Peanut is so friendly and sweet. So was Lil Oreo. But she sure had a feisty side to her - lol.

Well, aside from the pet stuff, not much else is happening. This time change is sure crazy though. It feels so much later than 7:20. And I can't believe it is already November! It is almost Christmas. Damn! I have my supervisor test on Wednesday. We'll see how that goes - lol.

It was a sad day...

My little buddy, Lil Oreo passed on to the great exercise wheel in the sky yesterday. She was nearly 3 years old, which is very old for a hamster. (the average life span of a hamster is 2 years). She led a long, happy hamster life. Rest in peace, little buddy. Rest in peace.







Lil Oreo - October 27, 2007

I seriously have the worst luck!

Today sucked. It just sucked! First of all, it is Monday, and that is bad enough. It is freakin' cold at work, so I was wearing my jacket all day long. Then, the new meds the doctor put me on made me soooo sleepy that I skipped lunch to take a nap at my desk. And now I have cotton mouth on top of it. Damned medicine!

Well, after work, I went outside to my car and it is just nasty looking...and windy as all hell. Driving home was pretty awful with all the leaves and dust kicking up in my windshield. Got to my folks' house ok. But about a half an hour later, my bro walks in and says "What happened to your license plate?" I was like, "huh?" He said it was missing. GRRRR! Some ass munch stole my frickin' license plate...the whole damned thing....holder and all. So I had to call the police and make a report. They said they would contact me within the next 48 hours and then I can go to the DMV and get replacement plates. Of course, I have to PAY for those, plus a new registration card (cuz now I will have new plates) and registration stickers. I am so mad I could spit! I know it happened at work, because the plate was on my car this morning when I left for work. I swear, there are assholes everywhere!

Well, we had quite a thunder-and-lightning show tonite. It was freakin' awesome! My mom, of course, hated it. I don't think the people who are without electricity right now thought it was so awesome though. But I thought it rocked! Plus, we need rain! With all the wildfires down south, some more rain would be more than welcome. I guess my cousin is working down there helping to put out the fires. My aunt said he told her that he had never seen flames that high before. Crazy, I tell you.

Well, I am still pissed about my license plate. I had just recently memorized the damned thing, and now I am gonna have to memorize another one. I just hope I don't get pulled over for not having one.

But knowing my luck (or lack thereof), I will.

Say Cheese !

Peanut's Halloween Picture

Lil Oreo's Halloween Picture

Long time, no blog

I know I haven't blogged in a long time, but there hasn't been much to blog about really. It's been the same old same old for quite some time. And I am afraid the same old same old is just here to stay. Not much happens in Bakersfield. And not much happens to me - lol. But I guess that is a good thing.

I am going to the dermatologist tomorrow to have a mole removed...the one on my forehead that I have had for years and years. No, it's not for cosmetic reasons, and no, it's not cancer. It is just annoying! I always hit it with my comb or brush, which just makes it bleed and hurt, and I have burned it a few times with the curling iron. It has just got to go! And by tomorrow afternoon, it will be gone, gone, gone. Yeah, it will probably hurt, but I don't care. Good riddance, mole.

Fall has finally arrved. No more 100 degree days. It has actually turned quite cold. I am having to actually sleep under the covers - lol. I just hope we get some rain this year. It has been so darned dry. I went to Yosemite a few weeks ago with my folks, and the waterfalls were not falling. They were all dried up. And today I heard on the news that a wildfire is buring in Malibu. All the dry grass and the Santa Ana winds have made it hard to contain. I heard it is even threatening Pepperdine University.

Well, that is all the news I have had to report. Sooooo very interesting, huh.

Fun with Photoshop - hehe

I heard OJ is already working on his next book ...




Ain't Photoshop just the best thing ever? ;)

Does anyone else find this just a TAD odd??

As many people know, I have had an ear infection. Well, now my freakin' left ear is plugged up and I feel like I am constantly in a tunnel. I hate having plugged up ears. So much so that I went to the store today and bought some ear drops. When I got home and read the label, I was slightly disturbed by one of the ingredients....




Did you see that??? FLAVOR?! What the frig is FLAVOR doing as an ingredient on an ear wax removal product? Are the makers of this product concerned with how people think it tastes? Who the hell eats ear wax removal drops? Ummm....nevermind. I don't want to know.

Is it just me or is this weird???

My friend Arlene had a book published!

My friend Arlene has had her book of poetry published. Too cool! It is available online now, and will be out in the bookstores on December 4th. Check it out HERE

I am back!!!

Well, I am back from my trip. I had a great time...aside from the long ass drive. I was so tired when I got home on Saturday nite. Soooo tired. I have posted pics on my blog. Click HERE to see if you wanna. I haven't posted a narrative of the trip yet since I am still tired and it took a long time to post all the pics. Plus I have an ear infection and a freakin' headache right now so it will just have to wait. I am not in the mood to write a long ass story right now - lol. Enjoy the pics :)

Yay, vacation!

Well, I am off for 6 days, and I am off to another adventure. This time, I am going to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and to Redwood National Park in northern California. I am leaving around 4 am and will hopefully get to Crater Lake by mid afternoon. (it's about 643 miles from here - close to a 10-hour drive - yipes!) I got my maps ready, my gas tank is full and I got my camera all ready to take tons of pictures :)

I wasn't really sure til about yesterday whether or not I wanted to go. But I figure since Crater Lake is only accessible for a few months out of the year (late June thru September - the roads are often closed due to snow - they get some 44 feet of snow a year up there), I better go now or I will have to wait til next summer. And while I am up there, why not check out Redwood Ntl Park, too? It is only about 3 hours from there.

So I am outta here for a few days. Happy trails to me!

Happy computer...happy feet...we're all happy here

I have been living with a slow internet connection for quite some time. And it has been bugging the crap outta me. I get soooo impatient with the damned thing! And lord knows, an impatient me is a MEAN me. There were many times I have been tempted to kick this damned computer down the stairs.

But, after reading up some on the internet (though it took a while for the page to load up - hehe), I found a solution. Ditch the lousy Radio Shack cable splitter I have been using forever and upgrade to a better quality splitter. I went to BEst Buy and bought 2 2-way Monster spiltters (at $19.99 a piece mind you). And what do you know?? It worked! Now pages load much faster and that makes me a happier person. And a much happier me equals an unkicked computer.

I am sure it is thanking me right now.

By the way, I have to use a splitter since my apartment has only 1 cable hookup and it is in the living room. Yes, just one. But I can't complain. I don't have a separate cable tv bill since it is included in the rent ;)

Ahhhh happy me. I ordered 2 pairs of shoes online after a fruitless search for cute size 10 shoes here in town. It is too hot outside to be fooling around going store to store trying on shoes. I just don't have the patience. Had I been lucky enough to have a size 7 or 8 foot, I would have come home with some shoes. But alas, I have big tuna boat feet. Luckily for me though, Famous Footwear is having a buy-one-get-one-half off sale and it also applies to their online store - and they have free shipping. I spent only $56 for 2 pairs of shoes.More happiness for me! Happy feet for me too.

Even more happiness is coming up for me too. I have some vacation time coming up next week. I am still not sure whether or not I will make the journey up to Oregon to Crater Lake, but I sure want to. We shall see. If not, I will enjoy the time off anyhow. Maybe go to the beach or Sequoia Ntl Park or something else. In any case, the folks and I are going to Lake Tahoe in October for a few days. So even if I don't make a trip on my vacation, I will still have Tahoe to look forward to.

On a less than happy note, we lost another worker in my unit, so I got his leftover cases. Oh well. More work makes the day go by faster at least.

On a completely unrelated note, but a very funny one (to me at least), I read that Steven Seagal claims that the FBI investigation on him ruined his career. HA! His ACTING ruined his career. I don't know how the hell he got a movie career in the first place. He sucks! He is about as talented as Britney Spears. Maybe the two of them should do a film together. It would be a fabulous train wreck. (hmmm...maybe a movie about a train wreck....but I digress)

Speaking of Britney Spears....the bitch is crazy.

I am going to bed.

Scattergories

This is hard - especially when your name starts with a K!


SCATTERGORIES...it's harder than it looks! Copy and paste into a new blog. *Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following... *they have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up!

Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

What is your name? Kimberly
4 letter word: Kink
Vehicle: Kia
TV Show: Kimba The White Lion
City: Knoxville
Boy Name: Kyle
Girl Name: Kelly
Alcholic Drink: Kamikaze



Occupation: Killer - hehe
Something you wear: Khakis
Celebrity: Kyle McLachlan
Food: Kiwi



Something found in a bathroom: Kinky hairs - hahaha
Reason for Being Late: Killer headache
Cartoon Character: Kim Possible
Something You Shout: Kinky people!!

It is too danged hot here!

For the last 3 weeks, I have been in hell...aka work...up to my neck in cases and Spanish speaking clients who I can't talk to because, hello, I am a gringo. But at last, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I have 2 pending cases left. Yes, I got thru about 80 or so cases in 3 weeks. I totally rock - lol.

But oh lord it sure caused me a headache (or 2). I went home early on Monday with the worst migraine I have had in a long, long time. There is nothing like a nice dark, quiet room when you have a migraine.


I had more good news this week, too. My car insurance went down by about $20 a month. Cha-Ching! It pays to be a good driver - hehe.

I bought "Hot Fuzz" on DVD when it came out on Tuesday. That movie is so hella funny. I loved it! It was deliriously hilarious. I haven't laughed that hard during a movie since I saw "Team America!"

Only a few more weeks til my vacation. Gosh, I so need it right about now. It will be nice to get out of this hot-ass town. It has been over 100 degrees for the last week. I think it is actually supposed to drop below 100 by Saturday (only supposed to be 99 that day - ha ha). It is 9:30 pm and it is still 90 degrees outside. Ugh. Summer sucks!

My new hat

Isn't it just totally me???

Bakersfield sign "art"

Shame on people for defacing perfectly innocent Wal Mart signs ... shame on people!!!



Too freakin' funy!

This is me....

Simpsonized!!!

You can do it yourself, too. Go here.....http://www.simpsonizeme.com

Confessions of a Whiner and Complainer

OK - So I have been doing a whole hell of a lot of complaining about work lately, and I know I sound like a whiner. But this is the deal....it is hot, I am PMS'ing and I am stressed. So I have a right to whine, damnit! lol. Anyway, it is pretty stressful having all of these cases due at once, but I am dealing. And I am working on them as fast as my stubby little fingers can type. Someday I will be able to relax again. Someday.

But I do have one little piece of happiness. At the all staff meeting at work on Friday, I got an award! Yes...me! I guess people do appreciate me after all. It really made me week so much better. I tell you, on Thursday I was ready to just up and quit. But now, I feel better. It is amazing what a piece of paper and a candle will do for a person's ego - lol.

I got a new cell phone this week. I got a Blackberry Pearl, and it rocks! I am having issues with picture messaging, which I will have fixed by tomorrow (when I have access to another phone - lol - I only have the cell phone here in my apt - no need for a land line, too - or so I thought). Anyway, I love my new cell phone. It will come in handy on road trips when I need to get a map or find a hotel - hehe.

The weather has been hot - but that is normal for summer. It has been in the 90's , but I heard the 100's are gonna make a comeback next week :( All I know is that I am tired of being hot. And so is my head. I had such a bad headache yesterday that I took a nap to sleep it out. But when I woke up, it was still there. I ended up falling asleep early and waking up in the middle of the night at 3:30 am and couldn't fall back asleep. Now I am sleepy again - lol. Nap time!

Just call me.....

More Fun Quizzes at QuizPox.com

So hot, hot, hot

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know I haven't blogged in a very long time, but then not much has happened in a very long time. It is damned hot today. It got up to at least 110 degrees today. It is 8:30 pm and it is still 102 outside. Ugh. I am sure I have said this before many times, but it bears repeating ... I hate the summers here.

I was sick last week. Fever, nausea, body aches....I had it all...including some unmentionable things too. It sucked ass. The week before, I had pulled a muscle in my back and it hurt like hell. I left work early and went home and laid down on my bed with pillows and smelling of Icy Hot (which REEKS by the way). I went to work the next day and brought my heating pad and a pillow. I just have had a run of bad luck lately.

Last weekend, Alicia dragged me out to the bar. I was the designated driver . But I had a fun time.You don't need to drink to have fun....especially when Alicia is around. She is hella funny when she is drunk. It was very entertaining. hehehehe

The 100+ degree weather is supposed to last thru next week. That doesn't thrill me one bit. In fact, it makes me rather sad.

I guess I have to look on the bright side. At least I don't live in Death Valley. It is supposed to be 129 degrees there

I was born under the wrong sign

Your True Sign Is Aquarius

Wacky Rebellious Cutting Edge A Total Freak Unconventional Difficult to Predict Breaking All The Rules Independent and Inventive

What Sign Woman Are You, Really?

You Know You're From Bakersfield When....

You will park a mile away from the entrance just to have your car parked under a tree.

Instead of people thinking youre "rich" for having leather seats, they think youre stupid.

You laugh when people complain about 95 degree weather.

You're bored one day, and decide to go to 6 Flags Magic Mountain.

You're not worried about the big "California fires" cause by the time it gets any closer, they close the Grapevine.

You've seen the "Stairway to Heaven of lights" while coming back to Bako at night on the Grapevine.

You know what "White, Ming, Rosedale, Calloway, and Panama" mean

When you go out of town & you see a sign saying "Union Ave" you expect to see a hooker.

Rosedale is a world all its own.

Rosedale ALSO needs to be turned into a sitcom.

You remember the TWO times in the last 25 years that it snowed in Bakersfield, and you remember everything you did that snow day.


Everyone always says they're going to leave, but you know that if you try, you get sucked right back in.

You take the "California Roll" at a stop sign to a whole new level.

You know where all the "haunted houses" are when Halloween comes around

You know what an "08er is", where "the Dale" is, and what a "Dalion" is.

And then people who actually MADE it out of this city sit here & laugh at these because they know they're TRUE.

One of your friends owns a house on a spot where you had field parties in high school.

You know the ingredients in a George's Special, or have ever had a "Black and White" for lunch.

You get mad every time you see "Best of Times" when Taft wins at the end. ...or... you get mad every time you see "Best of Times" because who the heck are the Bakersfield Tigers?

You comment on how expensive Mexican food is in any other city in the country.

You have ever offered someone a Dewar's Chew from a bowl on your coffee table.

You claim to hate LA but go there at least every other month.

You have ever debated the merits of water skiing at Lake Ming versus Buena Vista.

You have to explain to friends from out of town what animal a tri-tip comes from.

You think beans and salsa go with everything.

You think a restaurant is chintzy if it doesn't come with soup, salad, spaghetti, and fries.

You think a red light is just a suggestion.

The best restaurants in town serve pickled tongue.

You think $400 a month for rent is way too high.

You know a swamp cooler is not a happy hour drink.

You know the pool can be warmer than you are.

You realize that Valley Fever isn't a disco dance.

Anywhere that takes longer than a 10 minute drive is way too far.

You think you're better than people from Fresno.

Someone mentions "the fair" and your thoughts turn to Cinnamon Buns, First Christian Church corn on the cob, and Boy Scout potatoes.

You have to "explain" to someone about Beach Park.

You complain about how boring Bakersfield is, but still make fun of people from Delano, Taft and Tehachapi.

Someone from out of town talks about how foggy it is and you tell them, "Just wait."

You swear that just last week there was an orchard where there is now a whole development of houses.

You drive just as fast on a on a foggy day in December as you do sunny day in June.

You no longer associate bridges or rivers with water.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Bakersfield..

Ahhh lazy weekend......ahhh

I haven't done a whole lot of blogging lately. I am lazy. What can I say? This weekend I was REALLY lazy. I didn't do a darned thing. I wasn't feeling so hot today, so I didn't even make it over to my folks' house today.

Last weekend, I traveled up north to Sebastopol for my cousin Mike's wedding. It was a really nice day. It was pretty warm, but not too hot. The wedding was outdoors and it was really nice. I got to see a lot of my relatives who I don't get to see very often. Unfortunately, I could only stay for a little while, as I had to drive back to Bakersfield, which was quite a long drive from Sebastopol. Put it this way. I left Sebastopol a little after 6 pm. I didn't get home til 2:30 am. A long drive indeed. I wish I had been able to take that Monday off so I could have stayed longer. But my boss already had that day off. Shucks. It would have been nice to visit with everybody longer.

I stopped off in San Francisco at the Golden Gate National Rec. Area and walked up a path to a viewpoint of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was an awesome view. I used one of the pics I took as the background pic on my Myspace profile page. I loved it! But it was terribly windy and brrrrrr cold. At times on the short walk, I felt like I was going to get blown over. And my hair was flying in my face so I couldn't see where I was going - lol. But oh well. It was a great view from the top.

I did make it to Bodega Bay and Jenner, which aren't too far from Sebastopol. It is nice because the beach is only about a half hour drive from my aunt's house. I got off the road at Petaluma on the way up because between San Rafael and Petaluma, the traffic was just crawling. I mean crawling! I am talking 10-15 mph. That was on the Friday on the way up. I can only imagine what it would have been like on a Sunday afternoon (which is why I chose to drive home on Saturday night as opposed to Sunday afternoon). I took the back way to Sebastopol by driving from Petaluma to Bodega Bay to Sebastopol. It was much prettier and not much slower (even tho it is a longer drive than going down the 101).

I went to Jenner and the Kruse Rhododendron Reserve on Saturday morning. The drive is twisty and turny but very pretty. The Rhododendron Reserve was nice, but the road there was dirt and a one laner at that. There were some turnouts in case you encountered some traffic coming your way, but luckily I didn't come across any other cars. My car sure got dirty though.

The drive home was long (didn't I mention that already? hehe) I stopped in San Francisco on the way back and went back to the same viewpoint area as I did on Friday. There were a lot of people up there on the road. Luckily, the wind was calm and it wasn't nearly as cold as it was the day before, even though it was getting dark. I stayed up there for a while, just enjoying the view and taking a few pictures, and then after it got dark, I took off for home.

I was so tired the next day. I slept til almost 1 pm (I didn't actually go to bed til almost 5 am that morning so I had an excuse!!! lol). And then later on, I ended up falling back asleep. I guess I am getting old

So this weekend, I did nothing but lounge around in the air conditioning (did I mention it got over 100 degrees last week.....3 times?? ugh - summer!),doing Kakuro puzzles and watching tv, and working on some stuff for our Americana unit decorating project at work. I did watch 2 movies (on dvd - I was too lazy to go to the theatre - hehe). I watched The Messengers and The Return, both scary movies. They were both pretty good. Now I am watching this program on the Galapagos Islands on The National Geographic Channel. I soooo wanna go there now - LOL! I am such a nature nerd.

Maybe this weekend I will be rested up enough to go on another outdoor adventure. Yosemite.....Sequoia....Big Sur....who knows. But it is too hot to go anywhere near the desert. And it is too hot to stay here in town!!

I hate summers in Bakersfield.

Goings on in good ole Bake-O

Alana's 2nd birthday party on Sunday turned out soooo cute. I know poor Alicia was completely stressed out by having to do it so last minute, but she pulled it off without a hitch and gave her little girl a super cute birthday party.The only bad thing was the hot weather, but this IS Bakersfield. And that's what happens when your child's birthday is in June - lol.

Of course, a few days later the weather cools down to a nice 80 degrees (instead of the 95 degrees that it was on Sunday). Ain't Mother Nature a bitch?

This Friday, I am traveling up tp Sebastopol, CA for my cousin Mike's wedding. The wedding is on Saturday (with a rumored 250 people to attend), but I am going up Friday so I can do some sight seeing in San Francisco and around the Bay Area. I am going to stay at my Aunt Helen's house for the night and my folks are coming up on Saturday. I haven't yet decided if I will go home on Saturday or on Sunday. The wedding is at 4 pm on Saturday, so the earliest I can leave Sebastopol would probably be 6:00 and it is about a 5-6 hour drive home from there. I guess I will have to wait and see how tired I am by then.

I would like to maybe go to Bodega Bay and Jenner to see the Salt Point State Park and Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve. They aren't too far from Santa Rosa. At this point, it is all up in the air. I will probably decide what I want to do on the drive over - lol. That is just how I roll.

I am sure that wherever I go, there will be plenty of pictures to take. I am just a picture taking fool

Holy sh*t ! Now you know why I don't do karaoke!

Man shot dead for bad singing in Philippine karaoke bar

MANILA (AFP) - A jobless man was shot dead by a security guard for singing out of tune in a Philippine karaoke bar, police said Thursday.


Romy Baligula, 29, was halfway through his song on Tuesday night in a bar in San Mateo town, east of Manila, when 43-year-old security guard Robilito Ortega yelled that he was out of tune.

As Baligula ignored his comments and continued singing, Ortega pulled out his revolver and shot him in the chest.

Senior Superintendent Felipe Rojas said Baligula died instantly.

The security guard was detained by an off-duty policeman shortly after the shooting.

Deaths and violence are not uncommon in Philippine karaoke bars.

The popular Frank Sinatra song "My Way" has been taken off many karaoke bars in Manila after it was found to be the cause of fights and even deaths when patrons sang out of tune.

F is for Friday

Oh glorious Friday. I was off today and I slept in til 10 am (of course I stayed up til almost 3 am last nite so I had an excuse to sleep in!) I went shopping yesterday after work. I had to find a battery for my car alarm keyless entry remote thingy, and I tell you, that was no easy task! I went to Wal Mart, Targert, Best Buy....no luck. They had every kind of battery BUT the one I needed. So I finally tried Rite Aid and low and behold they had it! Not to mention they also have delicious ice cream. I am eating some Chocolate Malted Crunch right now....the best ice cream in the friggin universe! But I digress.

So, I got my car thingy to work and all is well in the auto world again.

I had to go do my citizenly duty and sit in the jury duty services building for a few hours on Wednesday. Luckily, I didn't have to serve on a panel. I did have to spend about 8 hours of the day down there (they did give us 2 hours for lunch though). I had my Kakuro puzzle books to work on so I did have something to do at least.

It is starting to get hot outside. Ok, well it has been hot for weeks. It is in the 90's everyday now, so I know those 100+ degree summer days are not far off.

Oh joy.

No comprendo espanol (but I am trying)

I didn't do much this weekend. I did do a little shopping (can you say new shoes??? woo hoo). But that was about it. Time to go back to work tomorrow. At least it's a short week. We have this Friday off.

I don't have to go to jury duty tomorrow. I checked and groups 1-25 go tomorrow. I am group 26, so that means Wednesday will be my boring day down at the courts. I so hate jury duty. At least I got my puzzle books and Ipod to take with me. I am so addicted to Kakuro puzzles. They are like Sudoku with a touch of math. Which is ironic, since I suck at math, but then I am weird, so there it is.

Work is kinda kicking my ass lately. I got stuck with about 40 or so cases ... 95% of which was Spanish, by the way ... when a coworker left the unit. I worked my ass off last week and cranked out about 30 cases. But man it left me tired. All I wanted to do after work was come home and lie down. I hope to have the rest of them done this week or by early next week. I just hate having cases looming over me like that.

I want to go camping again soon. But this weekend is Alana's birthday party (she is gonna be 2 yrs old) and then next weekend is my cousin Mike's wedding, so camping won't be for a while. But there will be plenty of pics to take at both of those occasions, so it's all good

I am off to bed. Time to take some sleeping pills and hit the hay. I can never sleep at all on Sunday nights (this is like a Sunday night) so sleeping pills should help some. Otherwise I will spend all night waking up every hour or 2 and never get any actual sleep.

I'm a star! lol

You are The Star

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Star is one of the great cards of faith, dreams realised

The Star is a card that looks to the future. It does not predict any immediate or powerful change, but it does predict hope and healing. This card suggests clarity of vision, spiritual insight. And, most importantly, that unexpected help will be coming, with water to quench your thirst, with a guiding light to the future. They might say you're a dreamer, but you're not the only one.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

For once I was right.

I knew Jordin would win. I just knew it. And I knew it way before the show aired on the west coast, cuz once again, my mom called to tell me who won around 7:15 tonite. She just can't take the suspense.

Congrats Jordin. You go girl!

And was it me or did Bette Midler totally suck tonite (not that I like her on any other night, but tonight she sucked more than usual)

What sign should I be?

You Should Be A Cancer

What's good about you: you're incredibly kind, caring, and generous What's bad about you: you can be too moody and impossible to understand In love: you enjoy wining and dining the object of your affection In friendship, you're: likely to depend on other friends for emotional support Your ideal job: historian, marine biologist, or religious figure Your sense of fashion: you dress to match your mood You like to pig out on: classic home cooked meals, like mac and cheese

What Sign Should You Be?

American Idol finale and other unrelated stuff

Jordin...Jordin....Jordin!

Jordin rules. Pure and simple. Although I thought Blake had the best performance of the night with his first song, "Living On A Prayer," I think Jordin did the best overall. Still, the final song was more suited to Jordin than to Blake, which wasn't entirely fair, since they HAD to sing that song, but oh well.

I hope Jordin wins. But I won't be at all upset if Blake wins. They both are good. They just have different styles.

Oh, and the best part of the night was getting to see Chris Daughtry perform his song, "Home." Is it me or is that guy just smokin' hot??? I just wish he hadn't jumped on the whole Manscara and Manshadow bandwagon. He looks hot enough without the makeup!

Oh, and he can sing too

I am not making any predictions, since I am always wrong and I don't want to jinx anyone. But I do hope Jordin wins it all. The girl deserves it.

On a completely unrelated note, I went to the dentist today and had a filling done on my front tooth, which rendered my entire upper lip and roof of my mouth numb and useless for nearly 3 hours. I wuf tafkin wike thwis for hours. And drooling! Perhaps that was TMI, but oh well. It is my blog. I will write whatever I wanna.

Anyway, now I have this weird spot on the front of my tooth that feels weird. It feels like I have food stuck to my tooth and it is driving me crazy. Hopefully, I will get used to it over time. Hopefully.

Oh and next week I have jury duty. Fun, fun, fun for me. And yes, I was being sarcastic. I am not crazy enough to actually WANT jury duty, unlike Ricardo who has jury duty the same week I do and wants to get selected for a jury, because he doesn't want to do his cases - lol. I would much rather work than serve on a freakin' jury. Yawnnnnnn.

Let's hope they dismiss me or just don't call me.

Separated at Birth??

I was over at my folks' house the other night, and was forced to watch On The Record with Greta Van Susteren, because it is their house and their tv after all. Well there was this odd looking man on the show named Geoffrey Fieger who I think looks a hell of a lot like Mad TV's Stuart. What do you think?

Geoffrey Fieger



Stuart

I didn't see THAT coming

I knew way before it was announced that Melinda was voted off by American Idol tonite. How? My mom. She called me tonite a little after 7 pm to tell me that Melinda was voted off. She had my dad look it up on the internet to see (since we west coasters are 3 hrs behind the east coasters who by then already knew the results).

I didn't see that coming. Not by a mile. I figured it would be Melinda vs one of the other 2 in the finale. But, in true AI fashion, no one is guaranteed to be safe. (remember last year when Chris Daughtry was voted off???)

Still, the finale should be good. All 3 of this year's top 3 are good singers.

It was good to see my favorite from last year's top 3, Elliot Yamin, performing tonight. He was really good.

So who will win next week? I have no idea. And I don't plan on making any predictions.

I am always wrong anyway

I think....

a better punishment for Paris Hilton would be to have her sit at home in a room and make her listen to nothing but her record album for 45 days straight.

Not only would it be excruciatingly painful, but it might teach her to never record another song again.

Someone remind me again why she is famous??

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are quite expressive and thoughtful. You see the world in a way that others are blind to. You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds. You believe that people see you as a bit small and insignificant. People pay more attention to you than you think. Your near future is a lot like the present, and as far as you're concerned, that's a very good thing. For you, love is all about caring and comfort. You couldn't fall in love with someone you didn't trust.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

American Idol - the top 3

Oh lordy. I watched American Idol with my mom tonite, and both of us agreed....they were ALL good tonite. Not one of them had a lousy performance, so I can't pick one to be voted off. For once, I am at a loss for words. It rarely happens, so cherish this moment ;)

I can only make a prediction on who is a shoe-in to stay in the competition...... Melinda. I really don't know who is going to be voted off, and based on tonite's performances, I can't say anyone deserves to be voted off. They all put on a great show tonite.

I just don't know.

I am back!

Actually, I have been back since late Friday, but I have been uploading pictures to my travel blog and stuff. You can read about my vacation and see pictures by clicking
HERE.

2 more days....

til my vacation!! I can't wait. I already booked my campsites and hotel for the trip. I can't go to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon since the road to it won't be open til May 15th. Darn. I will have to save that for another trip. I also can't go to Cedar Breaks National Park since THAT road is closed too! Oh well. This is my planned itinerary:

Saturday - Leave here around 4 or 5 am. Drive from Bakersfield to Valley of Fire State Park (about 50 miles from Las Vegas). See the sights...take pictures. Camp there overnight.

Sunday -Leave Valley of Fire State Park and drive to Zion National Park. Have reservations for Watchman Campground for 3 nights. Check out the scenery. Take in a few hikes.

Monday - leave really early from Zion and drive to Monument Valley (about 253 miles from Zion) - more picture taking....scenic drive tour of the park. After plenty of pictures have been taken and souvenirs bought, drive to 4 Corners Monument. I have always wanted to be in 4 places at one time - hehe. (4 corners is about 1-2 hours from Monument Valley)... drive back to Zion (this will be the longest drive of the trip probably)

Tuesday - Zion National Park - more hiking, picture taking, souvenir shopping at the Visitor Center...and some relaxation!

Wednesday - drive to Bryce Canyon (about 86 miles from Zion) - Have reservations at Bryce View Lodge for Wed and Thurs night - sight seeing, picture taking and finally a shower!!!!!! (no showers at Watchman Campground - I will be smelly by then - lol)

Thursday - all day at Bryce Canyon - hiking, sight seeing, souvenir shopping and more relaxation!!

Friday - packing it up and calling it a trip. Heading back to Bake-O. This might not be as long a drive as it will be on Monday (but long enough! about 549 miles!) , but undoubtedly will be the most exhausting. I might have to overnight it somewhere along the way..... perhaps Mojave National Preserve??? It's all up in the air from this point on.

I will post pictures from my cell phone here from time to time. Will try to do it daily (unless I have no cell service - lol).

I am seriously excited!!!

Decisions, decisions!

I am debating on where I should go first on my vacation. My original plan was to go to Valley of Fire State Park then to Zion National Park, then Bryce Canyon NP then to Monument Valley, then to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (no not all in one day!). But now, I am thinking maybe about hitting the North Rim first, then Monument Valley, Bryce, Zion and then Valley of Fire. Hmmm....I want to hit all of those places (maybe throwing in Canyonlands NP or Grand Staircase NM if I have time and money - lol - I have my National Parks pass so at least I save money on the entrance fees - hehe). I dunno. We'll see which route I take. I have to figure this out by Friday, since I want to leave early Saturday morning. I am not normally a planning-out-my-trip kind of person. I am more of the play-it-by-ear type, but I have a week vacation, not 2 so I have to kind of plan it out. (I SHOULD have asked for 2 weeks!!!) I checked the weather, and it says it will be good, so I am crossing my fingers. I can't wait!

Once a nerd, always a nerd - hehe

You are a Brainy Girl!

Whether you're an official student or a casual learner, you enjoy hitting the books. You know a little bit about everything, and you're always dying to know more. For a guy to win your heart, he's got to share some of your intellectual interests. A awesome book collection of his own doesn't hurt either!

What Kind of Girl Are You?

Eye Doctor Woes

So, I went to the eye doctor on Thursday to get a check up, since I hadn't been to the optometrist since 2004. I had to get a prescription for contact lenses to reorder them since I needed a current presciption to get them refilled. No big deal. I should have done it a long time ago anyway, but I go to the opthomologist every 6 months so I thought everything would be ok.

I was wrong.

Seems my eye doc found a cataract in my right eye. Now, my grandma had cataracts, but she was in her 80's when she had them. My dad has cataracts now, too, but he is in his 60's. I am freakin' 35 years old. I should not be getting cataracts at my age. F*cking A! The doctor even gave me this puzzled look, saying that it is not unheard of but not normal at all for someone my age to get cataracts, and that the opthomologist should have seen something when he examined my eyes last month. But he didn't mention anything to me about it. So what? Did it just pop up in the last few weeks? I hadn't noticed anything different about my eyes. But now that he told me, I do see a little bit of a reduction in sharpness in my right eye vs. my left. But maybe that is just cuz he brought it to my attention and that I am thinking of it all of the time. I don't know. He just told me that he wasn't going to do anything about it right now since my eyes are still 20/20 with contacts. Phew. I am just worried what it will be like down the road.

I know cataracts are common. Most people will eventually get them .... when they are 60 or 70. But it is just frustrating. I don't know if it has anything to do with medication or what not, but it is just one more problem to deal with. Grrrrr.

Anyway, I am still doing the happy dance over Stankaya getting kicked off of American Idol. At least that is one good thing that happened this week.

(have to think on thie brighter side of things, you know)

I love my macro lens

It was a little on the expensive side, but I love my macro lens. I just started playing around with it tonite, so this isn't the best example of what it can do, but oh well. I am just getting started. I focused on the rim on the candle in this picture, leaving the flame as a blur in the background. I love how the macro lens picks up the little details of the texture of the candle. It is just too cool. (By the way, this is one of those fabulous smelling Pier One Ginger Peach candles)

I can't wait to take more pics with it. Unfortunately, I didn't feel very well today and it was gloomy ouside anyway. But tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny ;)

And the results are in....

They finally voted right!!! Stankaya's going home! Stankaya's going home!! Praise the lord. Stankaya's going home!

Evil Dolls and Stankaya Sings Country

I watched a freaky movie tonite called Reincarnation. It was made by those Japanese dudes responsible for The Grudge. Oh good lord. It was definitely freaky. Not so scary, but definitely freaky. There were a few scenes that I will have nightmares over for weeks, and all of those scenes involve this freaky looking doll. Damn, I HATE scary movies with dolls in them. Ugh! Nightmare city!

But even the evil doll in the movie was not as scary as Stankaya singing country music. Yes, the Stank Man was up to his usual horrible singing this week on American Idol. While Haley was worse than him last week, there was no one worse than Stankaya this week. He was, to paraphrase Simon, "utterly horrendous." His rendition of "Something To Talk About" will definitely leave the voters with something to talk about. Just not anything positive to talk about. God he sucks. Please, for the love of all that is right and just, don't vote for him!

It was also a less than stellar night for Chris and Lakeisha. I normally like Lakeshia, but her rendition of "Jesus Take The Wheel" came out as more of a shouting match than a song. She can sing, but tonight she also proved that she can shout (which isn't good).

Jordin and Melinda were awesome (as usual). I didn't hear Phil sing (cuz I was watching the end of that freaky doll movie) but from what I caught at the end when the judges were talking, it must have been pretty good.

Blake was pretty good, but not his usual cool self.

My bottom 3 for this week: Stankaya, Chris and Lakeisha (surprise)

God, I hope Stankaya goes home!

On a unrelated note, damn, it is windy outside!

Just What Are You Implying???

More Fun Quizzes at QuizPox.com

One of the reasons I love a good telephoto lens

You can get up close pictures without actually being up close.

Is this actually a holiday? lol

More Fun Quizzes at QuizPox.com

Let's go somewhere!

Your Travel Personality Is: The Adventurer

For you, travel is how you learn about the world. And you like to learn the stuff that's not in guidebooks. You truly have wanderlust. When you're not traveling, you're dreaming about where you'll go next. And your travels are truly legendary - they leave you with stories you'll be telling for the rest of your life!

What's Your Travel Personality?

American Idol update

Once again, Stankaya stays. He wasn't even in the bottom 3 (again). But at least they sent Haley packing. She was almost as bad as Stankaya.

Hopefully, he will go away soon.

Mmmmm caramel

Caramel Frappuccino

Creative and expressive, you tend to match your Frappuccino flavor to your mood. And a flavored syrup is always a must!

What Flavor Frappuccino Are You?

Busy (but fun) weekend - Very bad Monday

I LOVE my new camera. Holy sh*t. I would marry it if it were legal. Ok, well I wouldn't go THAT far, but I do love it.

Why else would I drive allllll the way up to Willows, CA (which is 372 miles from Bakersfield, by the way) just to take pictures??? Ok, maybe I didn't go up there just to take pictures. Everyone knows I am a nature buff. I love nature, wildlife and birdwatching. And what better excuse can there be to take a road trip than to go see some wildlife and take some pictures? I left the house on Saturday just before 7 am and got back home around 12:20 am on Sunday morning. Am I crazy? Perhaps. But I got some pictures and I saw some animals and birds I had never seen before. I will post some pictures eventually. I already posted a few in the "Things I have seen" album. But since I was sick today and hadn't felt well until now, I didn't get a chance to post very many.

I don't know what made me sick. Maybe it was the orange chicken I had at Panda Express last night. Maybe it was the combination of being exhausted beyond reason from driving over 800 miles in one day all by myself along with the very little food I had to eat over the last few days (I didn't eat anything until like 3 pm yesterday and that was just a bag of chips). I don't know what it was, but holy hell, I was sick today. My stomach was racked by cramps and nausea and I was shaking all over. And then there was the "other" thing which I won't discuss right here. Trust me, it was gross. I feel better now, but I still have a headache and my tummy is still feeling a little icky. No more orange chicken for me for a while!

Now, I must go to bed so I can go to work tomorrow. I don't like waking up early for work, but I would rather go to work than to go thru another day like today! Phooey to being sick. Phooey!!!

Happy Easter!

New camera - woo hoo!!!!!!!!

I bought myself a birthday present today. I got me a new digital SLR camera....





It is a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi - I have been playing around with it for a little while and already LOVE it. I also got a 75-300 mm lens and a 18-55 mm lens and a shutter release remote control. I spent a pretty penny on it, but hell. I am worth it I want a macro lens too, but that is gonna cost me another $400-$500. Maybe in a month or two....but I MUST have it - lol. I am such a nerd.

I smell a road trip coming on..... hehe

American Idol Night

In summary: Melinda rocked. Lakisha and Jordin were awesome. Blake and Chris were good. Gina was not bad. Haley and Phil were so-so. Sanjaya SUCKED.

My bottom 3: Phil, Haley and Sanjaya.

Who's going home: Phil. (Who SHOULD go home and should have gone home a long ass time ago: Stankaya)

I am turning 35 tomorrow, and the only thing that can take the sting out of having another birthday is to see Stankaya take his whiny voice and go the hell home already.

Please, make my birthday wish come true.

Hop hop hoppity

Easter Bunny Name Your Easter Bunny Name is Flopsy Choco-paws Get Your Easter Bunny Name at Quizopolis.com

A Day in the Bay Area

I went on a day trip up to the Bay Area on Friday. You can see more pictures by checking out my other blog (click HERE).

Easter time!

My little guys are all ready for Easter!


Peanut's got his bunny ears on.



Peanut and Lil Oreo have found a lot of Easter eggs.



Peanut's surrounded by eggs.