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!