A Meme

 

Good morning..  I haven't done a meme in a very long time.  So here is one from Joann-feel free to visit and play along--cut and paste!

http://journals.aol.com/preciousone25/JoannsWeightLossJourney/entries/2008/06/29/a-silly-survey/1361

1. What was the highlight of your day?   Hmm..  since I just woke up, I guess the highlight of my day yesterday was being able to go grocery shopping and clothes shopping by myself, WITHOUT six teenage boys.  They wore me out.  I also got to clean and wash my car-inside and out.  It really needed it since the last time Nick threw up, (sorry), from Lizzy driving it around leaving her homework, and various lip glosses all over, and there were still ashes clinging on the exterior from all the fires we have been having. 

2. How many meals do you usually eat a day?  Two.

3. What's your favorite movie? I really don't have just one.  When I was younger, my favorite  was Cinderella. 

4. Have you ever thought George Clooney was hot? I try not to look at my friend's boyfriends.  He belongs to Lisa Jo--I don't even go there. 

5. Have you ever doubted your sexual orientation? Nope. Although, I do confess, when I was single, before I met my husband, I met so many losers, my faith in man and love became jaded. There was I even a time I actually considered becoming a nun. 

6. How long has it been since you have seen an ex? Ex-husband--two years.

7. Name 5 of your best friends. Rich, Maria, Adelaide, Delia, Kathi

8. Would you ever consider moving to Zimbabwe? No, I like California way too much.      

                

9. What would you do if someone dyed your pubic hairs bright pink permanently? I would buy matching underwear.

9. Would you ever dye your hair pink (the hair on your head)??? No, my hair is too dark--pink doesn't show up at all.  

10. When was the last time you had Starbucks? It's been so long, I don't even remember. 

11. Are you single? No, I'm very much married with children.  I hated being single. 

12. What is your opinion on global warming.  It's a fact that needs to be delt with seriously. 

13. What about abortion?  I see it used as a form of birth control far too many women, so I have mixed feelings about it.  It's not a situation I would wish upon anyone, but I do believe it should be a choice. 

14. Which would you rather star in: High School Musical or Striptease? I've always wanted to be in a musical, but High School Musical?! 

15. What's the worst movie you've ever seen? Far too many, but I've never walked out of one.   

16. How many times do you sneeze a day?  At work, it's so cold, I usually have at least 3 hearty sneezes.

17. Are you an "adult"?  Yeah, at least the law says I am. 

18. Where do you live? In the words of Dionne Warwick: Do you know the way to San Jose?

19. Have you ever thought Michael Jackson was going to kidnap you? Um...no! 

20. What color hair do you have? Brown.

21. Would you rather have a hybrid vehicle or a Hummer? With the price of gas...a hybrid. 

 

22. Who is prettier: Angelina Jolie or Kate Bosworth?  Angelina..duh. 

23. What do you think about the tabloids?  Way too much time is spent on these celebrities.  I could care less what who is wearing, what they eat or drink, how fat or thin they are, or how many times this person has been preggers.. The more I read about them the more I'm glad I'm not one of them.

24. Have you ever been to Texas? Never.

25. Would you want to go? May be for a short visit.  I like Texan accents.

26. Do you wear a watch? No.

27. Have you ever had the sensation that you were falling while asleep?  Yes..I hate those.

28. Would you rather work at Goodwill or McDonalds? Goodwill, as long as I had plenty of air freshener spray with me. 

29. What do you think about Britney Spears' 16 year old sis getting pregnant? She's going to grow up fast-children will do that.  I had a friend in high school that found herself in the same situation-it's hard, but this girl has money so it won't be as hard. I hope Britney's sister has better luck than she has had raising kids.  Good luck to her.

30. Do you recycle? Yes, I find myself picking up empty plastic water bottles from the floor in the boy's room every day.

              

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Boy is "Upbeat"

 

Yes, my Portuguese sista' Meridith, I want his hat too...

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Good Morning...

By the end of Friday evening...  I was pooped.  I spent the majority of the day driving the mini van with Nicholas and six 14 year old boys. 

You know those people that have multiple births--5 or 6 at a time?  How do these people survive, and stay insane?  That is what I want to know...   

The boys went laser tagging, and I stayed with Nicholas and did errands around town.  I LOVE my Fridays off.  I wish I could keep this schedule all year long.  The weather unfortunately was cold and overcast.  No chance to take that walk--too cold.  After the laser tag, and took them to get ice cream, and off to the movies.  They weren't able to watch the movie they really wanted to see, but they saw Get Smart, and according to their reviews, the movie was:  "sick"  (that means very good).  I took Nicholas next door and we saw Wall E, which was equally, SICK!  Very cute movie!!  See it if you can.

                               

Afterwards, I dropped Andrew and two of his friends at my mom's house for a sleep over.  I'm sure my mother is happily making pancakes for them as I write this.  She LOVES cooking for kids, and likes them all fat and happy.  At least I hope she is happy with the arrangement.  :)  No complaints so far at least. 

I got home around 8:30 last night with a completely exhausted Nicholas.  He still is talking about Wall E.  I got home and discovered my Boy George tickets.  SIGH.  Do you know what I would have done to have these tickets, say 20 years ago?!  I would have died, and screamed all over the house, waving them around with glee.  Well, it was a bitter sweet moment when I held them in my hands last night.  The likelihood of me actually watching him perform next month is unlikely.   Well, even if he doesn't get his Visa, at least I'll have the tickets.  Sad, hey? 

This all reminds me of my passport dilemma woes I was going through last year.  Remember when I actually had to go in person with all the kids to the San Francisco passport office and get them done only a few days before I was scheduled to actually leave for my trip to Portugal?  Perhaps, Boy will get a break and keep his dates here in California...  There is always hope.. 

Okay, I'm in need of coffee..  Have a wonderful day!

 

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War Is Stupid

I also had another shirt.  It was WAR IS STUPID shirt.  I wore it once for Halloween when I was dressed as, you guessed it, Boy George.  I will have to find that picture...I have it somewhere..

This one is for you, Russ :)

Anyway, I'm off with five 14 year old boys, and a 4 year old to do some laser tagging.  Sounds like loads of fun, huh?  I'm bringing my camera.  Have a happy Friday!!  :) 

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Today is Thursday...

I've been checking the net off and on all day---no word how Boy George's Visa is coming along.  They are still selling tickets to all of his venues, so I don't understand really what is going on.  I guess there is always hope he'll get his Visa.  Damn..what is the US afraid he'll do if he comes here?  Sing too much?  Seems a little strange to me.  The above video is very appropriate...sigh..  Poor Boy. 

Okay, here is another flashback...  Remember seeing this video for the first time?  I used to wear a sweatshirt that read:  Choose Life.  I'm sure a few of you remember that, no?

Believe or not, I liked the Andrew guy more than George Michael.  May be because I've always liked the name, "Andrew"..  I liked it so much, I named my son that name.  Speaking of Andrew, here are some birthday pictures.  He wasn't feeling 100% last Saturday, so we had two parties, one on Saturday with just us, and one Sunday with some family and friends.  Tomorrow he is going laser tagging with his "crew". 

Cupcakes...Andrew doesn't like cake..he likes ice cream.  I could only find 12 candles..

My mom is combing my son's hair.  Yeah, she does things like that alot.  We have lots of pictures growing up where she is doing the same thing so we look presentable. 

Now Nicholas is fixing his hair..

Today I'm thankful...

My son is not sick with a fever like he was last week.

We have a new receptionist at work.  Sure, she takes 45 minute breaks..but she is live body sitting at the desk.  As long as it's her and not me..

Tomorrow is my Friday.  I can sleep in. 

Yes, we found a leak in our shower, but it's a small leak--we caught it in time. No better excuse to get that new flooring and shower I've been hoping for... :) 

Next month we're going to Disneyland! 

Gee..it's Wednesday!

Thanks for the comments about the Boy George saga.  Apparently, according to Ticketmaster, the show I have tickets for have yet to be canceled.  I guess that is a good thing.  Hopefully, "someone" will change their mind, and they'll let Georgie come to the states.  I was so looking forward to seeing my ole' teenage idol.  I've told a few people at work in regards to Boy's plight, and they think it's funny.  Well I don't.  :(  How dare them!  Who knows if I will ever get this chance again.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

 (Yes I could make a killing selling him just eye shadow and lipstick...I know..)

I don't know about you, but for the last few weeks I've been getting curious emails with the subject line written in Arabic and Russian.  I don't know Arabic..or Russian.  Are any of you getting these emails besides me?  Just wondering.  Oh, and still no word from Pamela Huntington either.  No big surprise. 

Today is Wednesday, and it's my Thursday.  These 10 hour work shifts really aren't too bad.  I'm looking forward to Friday when I can sleep in.  Since Andrew was sickly last week, we decided that he can do something fun with his friends Friday as a belated birthday party.  They want to go play laser tag.  While they are doing this, I may just take a nice long walk on the beach.  Hopefully the weather will be nice.

Today, near the coast, it's been pretty overcast...or is that just smoke?  The fires around here aren't burning at the moment, but up near Big Sur, and up north there are still fires burning.  You can smell it in the morning, and sometimes you can find a light dust of ash on your car.  This can't be healthy by no means.  Oh, but at night we have been having really beautiful sunsets. 

The clients in our lobby have been a little more stranger than normal.  There was this one guy in the lobby who pressed his face against the glass, and it kind of freaked me out.  He was wearing dark green sunglasses, and he looked like a face of a man you would see on a wanted poster.  He wanted to know if he could use the bathroom.  We aren't supposed to let clients use our bathrooms unless they are testing, so I had to tell him that he could go across the street to the county building.  His probation officer came in and filled me in on his story.  Apparently this guy has an obsession with being clean.  He was cited for stealing Frebreeze towelettes from three different grocery stores, and he carries a baseball bat, who he refers to as "his best friend".   Nutty, huh?  No, he is not on the mental health caseload.  He came back, and when I walked passed him, I did notice a fresh "right after a rain in the pine forest" scent.  Oh well...at least he likes to smell pretty-most clients like him, don't care. 

I forgot to mention we have a new receptionist.  Our old receptionist has yet to pick up her large box of rubber ducks.  Odd, I know.  Our new receptionist doesn't seem happy here.  I asked her if she was planning to decorate her new office, and she told me quite frankly that she wasn't planning to because, "it's just more stuff I have to pack away when I leave."  Not a good sign, huh? 

:( The Crying Game..

This one is for you Bill...  :)  See...Boy George is pretty harmless...hey? 

I'm sure Boy George is crying now.  I'm hoping he gets his Visa.  I feel like crying myself... 

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Do you REALLY want to hurt ME?!

I'm a little pissed at the moment.  I just bought my ticket to see the BOY next month, and this happens!?!  SOMEONE get BOY a VISA, already!!  Why do I have a feeling that Pamela Huntington has something to do with this?!  The following comes from CNN website:

London, England (CNN) -- DJ and pop star Boy George has been denied a visa to enter the United States, his Web site said Tuesday.

In 2007, George spent five days cleaning the streets of New York to fulfill a community service sentence.

U.S. immigration authorities denied the visa because George, 48, faces trial in November in London on charges of false imprisonment relating to an April 2007 incident, according to a statement from Boy George's management, posted on his site.

George is astounded at the decision and is having his lawyers here in the States look at it in the hope that someone will change their mind," the statement read.

Boy George, whose real name is George O'Dowd, was charged in London last November with false imprisonment following a complaint from a 28-year-old man, police said. The incident happened in East London the previous April, police said.

George is free on unconditional bail and is not barred from traveling as he awaits trial, his management said. His upcoming schedule includes a series of U.S. club dates in July and August.

George is best known as the singer of '80s pop group Culture Club, with hits including "Karma Chameleon" and "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" He quit the band in 1987 and embarked on a short solo career before reinventing himself as a club DJ and launching a fashion label, B-Rude.

In August 2007, George spent five days cleaning the streets of Manhattan to fulfill a community service sentence for falsely reporting a break-in at his New York home. George's management said the denial of his U.S. visa had nothing to do with that case.

 

Scamming The Avon Lady Is Not Cool

As mentioned earlier, someone tried to scam me.  I thought I would share the letters..  They are somewhat amusing. 

On my website (feel free to look if you like:  www.youravon.com/julielangley ) there is a section there where you can contact me personally.  I get contacts now and then from people who are looking to buy products within my zip code area.  Well that is how it started from a "Pamela Huntington."  No, I'm not quite sure if that is her name.  She may be a he, and his name might be Harold for all I know.  Anyway, "Pamela's" letters are highlighted in blue, my responses are in red, and my comments are in black.  Enjoy!

On Thu, 6/19/08, Pamela Huntington <pamelahuntington@yahoo.co.uk> wrote

Thanks for your message,I  need you to get me the prices of the following items.

FRAGRANCE
CELINE DION SPRING IN PARIS EAU DE TOILETTE SPRAY...............(2)  28.00
ANEW ULTIMATE Age Repair Elixir..........................(3)  54.00
ANEW ULTIMATE Age Repair Night Cream...................(6)  34.00
MAKEUP
Uplifting Mascara (navy,brown,black,brown black).......2each 4.99
Longest Lashes Ever Mascara (plum,brown,black,brown black)....2each
Do let me know the total cost plus the necessary tax I am to pay on it.
     I hope to hear from you soon.
  Pamela

Okay, look at this order.  Who buys two bottles of Celine Dion perfume?  I have yet to submit an order for that, and dig all those creams this lady is ordering!  6 jars of Anew Ultimate?!?  And take a look at all that mascara!!  The shelf life for a mascara is a good month at least, what is she going to do with all that mascara?!  She wants it in navy.  Honestly--who buys mascara in navy?!  I have yet to order it.  When I first looked at this order, I was pretty amazed.  This order is about $500...  It looks suspicious, doesn't it?  It didn't look right to me, but I gave this Pamela person the benefit of the doubt and wrote her a response.  Look at her email address!  (Feel free to email Ms. Pamela if you wish..  I don't care!  :) 

My response: 

Hi Pamela--

Thank you for your large order request! 

The Uplifting Mascara unfortunately does not come in navy, and brown/black.  I got it in black & brown-2 of each, and it is on sale for $4.25 each, not $4.99.   

I have a subtotal of $462.92, before tax.  I'm unclear where you are located, because I see you have an uk email address.  Please let me know where you are and whether you want it shipped directly to you, or if you live here locally where I can deliver it to you. 

Thank you!  :)

Pamela's response:

--- On Sun, 6/22/08, Pamela Huntington <pamelahuntington@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Thank you for your response,I am from Beverley Hill,CA but i  am presently in  Manchester,UK  on vacation and would be returning home  to  my family to Beverley Hill soon that is why i need you to help  me with the order.I would need to know the total of all the  products i requested and also the name and address you want the payment sent to and also a phone number i can reach you on.After  you send me this information i would instruct my husband to send you the payment  which would be in form of money orders which you can cash instantly at your bank because my hubby is presently in California..I would send you my shipping address as soon as payment has been received by you. Please get back  tome as soon as possible so i  can continue with the purchase,i would be back home very soon and i want the products delivered by the time i get back to Beverley Hill.
     Thank you and enjoy the rest of your day
Pamela.

Okay, this is wrong in so many levels.  She lives in Beverley Hill?  What happened to the hills?  She can't even write the city's name correctly, and I'm supposed to be led to believe she lives there?  And what is the crap about her wanting to know my address and phone number?  Why is her address and phone number such a secret?  Why must her husband be "instructed" to send money orders??  Doesn't she have a checking account or a credit card?  If she lives in freaking Beverly Hills you would think she would own at least ONE credit card, right?  And like Missie says...women from Beverly Hills use Avon?!  I don't think so, perhaps Mary Kay, but not Avon.  What gets me is the last sentence; she needs it before she gets back from England.  WHY?  Is it because she is hoping that I will send it before I get payment?!  Yep, I think so...  Have a good rest of the day?!  Yeah right...

Here is my response:

Hello-

I do not live in Southern California, and it would be impossible for me to deliver your products personally. To get your products as soon as possible I invite you to go to my Avon  website and place it there with a credit card, or you may want to get in contact with an Avon Representative in your area.  I'm sure there is one near your home in Beverly Hills. 

Have a great day!

Well, if you are wondering, no, I haven't heard from Ms. Pamela yet.  Who knows if she will or not.  I haven't gotten emails like these before, but apparently it is very common for Avon representatives to get these scam emails from time to time.  I've submitted a complaint to Avon already to alert them of Ms. Huntington who is on vacation in Manchester, England.  Poor dear can't find a representative anywhere--only me, in San Jose, California can help her get her Anew.  Lucky me.  I'm sure she has emailed at least a dozen other representatives hoping to find someone gullible enough to believe they are the only ones that can supply her with her Celine Dion perfume. 

Hot, Hot....Hot..

Yes, we have been experiencing some very odd, HOT weather over here.  In between the weather, and my son's matching temperature of 102 last Wednesday, it's been a little hectic-hence no entries since last week.  We made the best of it though.  We watched the Euro 2008, and both got bummed out when Germany beat Portugal 3-2.  Lot of unhappy, bifana eaters out there.  Oh well...  After a trip to Emergency and some Motrin, Andrew is feeling a lot better-not well enough to have his friends come over, but well enough to do some serious shopping and candle blowing. 

On Saturday my son, Andrew turned 14.  Unbelievable how time just flys, and boy does he have hairy legs.  "Mom, my legs look like they belong to a wolverine!"  No, they aren't that bad, believe me.  We spent the day spending all this birthday/graduation money.  When Andrew has money, it burns holes in his pockets; he can never spend it soon enough.  His purchases included those fancy Ipods, and a lot of recording equipment.  We ended the shopping spree with an oreo sundae, just he and I, and we watched the rain come down from the window under the 101 degree skies.  (Very weird weather...there was thunder and lightening strikes as well throughout the day, causing even more fires... California is literally on fire, everywhere it seems!).  Later we had a little birthday party at night, and on Sunday my brother and his family and my mom came down for a bigger party celebration.  Now Andrew has even MORE money to spend, and yes, he has already called to ask when he can go back to the mall and spend it. 

Today, the weather is overcast, and I like it!!  This morning you can smell smoke, and the car is full of little dots of ashes...it's soooo dirty.  I need to find a car wash.

I got an interesting email from someone in the UK the other day.  This woman named, Pamela wanted to place a order for over $460 worth of Avon products.  It was pretty suspicious from the get go.  She wanted me to email her back with the total price of her order, but she already knew the prices.  I replied telling her I needed to know where she was located, because of the UK address on Yahoo!.  She replied that she was on vacation in Manchester, England, but she was to return to her home in Beverly Hills soon, and that her husband would send me a money order.  Hmmm..  Yeah, right.  She needed the products before she got back to the states.  Sounds pretty fishy, hey?  I told her to order the stuff from my website with a credit card, or find a representative from Beverly Hills...  Oh brother.  Beverly Hills?  Can't they afford like the top notch stuff?  Weird.  I hate scammers, I really do. 

Last night Rich and I went to see a movie with my brother and his wife.  Get Smart---great movie---very funny!!  It's the best movie I've seen in a long time.  Go see it! 

 

 

Bifanas, anyone?

Well, it's June, and it's not only Portugal Day month, but it's also Euro 2008....soccer, or should I say, Futebol. 

What goes well in the summer, with good Portuguese beer, and a good game of futebol?!  A bifana!

                                          

Okay, it doesn't look like anything special, but it's so good in between a paposeco (a Portuguese roll).  Here is the receipe:

Bifanas( Marinated Pork Medallions)

This recipe was adapted from Portuguese Homestyle Cooking by Ana Patuleia Ortins. To buy her great cookbook click here.

Bifanas de Porco ( sautéed medallions of marinated pork)

Do this the day before:

3 or 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. salt, coarse
1 tsp. hot pepper paste
3 tsp. paprika
2 cups of white wine
12 medallions of pork loin, cut evenly about a 1/4 inch.

+ +

equals  = 

Portugal plays against Germany tomorrow...  Go Portugal! 

Is my Portagee pride showing?

Tags: Euro 2008, Portugal, bifanas

Scenes From Portugal Day

I'm home today with a sickly child.  Andrew is experiencing light headedness, the chills, and a 101 degree fever.  I have made an appointment for him to see a doctor tomorrow if his temperature doesn't go down.  He is saying he is feeling better, but it doesn't look like I'll be going to work tomorrow either. 

Here are some pictures from last weekend, on Portugal Day. 

Andrew is feeling just fine here, copies of these are going to their dad. 

Wow, he is smiling!

Andrew and his buddy, Kerry at the jump house. 

Nicholas in the jump house.

The two drinking the best Portuguese soft drink in the world.. SUMOL.  I love this stuff..  It's passion fruit juice..yummy. 

Me and Rich and Nicholas who refuses to look up.  He is much more interested in his shaved ice.

Our entertainment at the park.  Poor girls in tights in 90 degree temperatures outside.  

We moved across the park, because we found a family of ants.  Lizzy finally got Nicholas to look up. 

Our photographer, Liz. 

We missed the parade, and I was kind of bummed, but we found the Portuguese museum display!  This is what one one would see in a Portuguese parade in the Azores in miniature form.  I love the mosaic sidewalk/plaza in front of the museum.

 

Nick would rather go back to the jump house.

I love this. 

 

Tags: Portugal Day

Viva Las Vegas

Yep.  It's official... Rich and I are going to Vegas at the end of August.  Yep..August.  Sure it's  hotter than hell in Vegas in August, but we are going to have fun anyway.  His whole family is meeting there to see his brother.  He lives in New York, and he hasn't been able to come down to this side of the country in years, so we are going to meet up with him.  I'm looking forward to it.  It will be nice to meet  him (never have), and get this--3 days without our kids.  Yippee!  Rich will be playing blackjack with his mom, and I will be looking for Elvis. 

It's Tuesday, but it's hump day for me.  Piles of work at work, mixed in with getting my youngest into kindergarten-war on the school district-more on that later.  These 10 hour days aren't too bad; I'm looking forward to Friday.  I have a birthday party for Andrew to plan--he is turning the big 14.  Whoohooo!!

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Graduation/Father's Day

This is my 3rd attempt to enter an entry since Friday..  I'm feeling a little ill (bad watermelon was consumed last night) so I'm feeling a little drained.  After writing an entry 3 times, it kind of loses it's "spark" if you know what I mean.. 

Graduation Day went well, and it proved to be exhausting.  Andrew's graduation was almost a few hours long, and my nephew's was another two hours long, so I got four hours worth.

Remember graduation day, in that movie, The Bee Movie?  If you have seen that movie, you will understand why I say, I wished I was a bee on Thursday. 

Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing Andrew and my nephew Brett go across the stage and get their diplomas, but, some of the speeches and speakers at both of the graduations were so tiresome to listen to.  There were a few good speakers, and a few student speeches that I was quite impressed by, but overall, the faculty and teacher speeches were almost torture to listen to while sitting on hard chairs, and under a hot summer sun.  Rich took the kids home after Andrew's graduation, and I took my mom to my nephew's.  Thank God I was able to sit next to my brother for that one.  We were both so tired, and we were able to crack a few jokes, and the people sitting around us welcomed it.  We could tell from their giggles, and smiles-yeah, when we Costa people around, it's never a dull moment.  Even my mother started laughing hysterically, and I sincerely doubt she knew why.  The guy next her, nudged her and asked playfully, to let him on the joke.  This just made my mom laugh more.  No, we didn't cause a disturbance, but then my nephew went on stage and "scooted" down on the stage to get his diploma, which caused a big commotion of laughter.  We were so far back we couldn't see it, but how do I describe it...it's a move you make like a snake on the floor..  I don't know how to describe it sorry...

Andrew on his way to get in line to get his diploma.  Why he won't look at me for the picture, I do not know! 

Andrew (the boy in black) receiving his diploma---his friend, Gabe on the far right is taking a picture with the principal.  I don't know who the red headed kid is on the corner.  He didn't look at me either.

After getting his diploma..  There was a professsional photographer there at the ceremony, and he is actually smiling in those pictures.  I hope to get a few of those, because the brat refused to take a decent picture. 

Andrew and his friend Gabe holding their certificates of completion from the 8th grade.  Immediately after graduation, the kids went out across the street into the city hall building.  Lizzy went looking for him, only to find him surrounded by a crowd of girls.  I only had a few minutes until I had to leave for the next graduation.  This picture came alright at least. 

My brother, the proud papa, and my nephew, Brett.

Me and my nephew.  Yes, I had to wait until the girls left to take this one.  He is one handsome dude. 

Friday, of course there was no school, but Andrew went along for the ride to spend the morning at his grandma's house anyway.  Of course he and Nicholas were fast asleep, and as we approached the street near his middle school, I nudged him and told him, "Hey, Andrew wake up, we are almost at your school.."  Andrew jumped up from his sleep, and for a moment there he found himself looking for his backpack, when he finally realized that I was trying to trick him.  He was not amused. 

It doesn't seem like long ago, when I would take that same road to school.  My father would take me to the same school, every morning, down the famous, Kirby Street.  Each time we passed that street, my father would tease me and say, "Hey, Julie, are you ready to go to school?  Ms. Swindell is waiting for you..."  Ms. Swindell was the attendance clerk.  I hated that woman.  I'm sure she was a nice woman, but if you were late for school as much as I was, anyone would find cause to hate her.  I was not amused when my father would bring up that street or that lady's name, but I would do anything right now to hear him say it again.  I miss him. 

Happy Father's Day to all of you dads out there!

I hope all of you spoil your dads today---the gifts don't really matter; just spend time with them for the ones like me, that can't be with them.  Create good memories, because sometimes, that is all we are left with later. 

Sept. 88-My parents with Lizzy, home from the hospital.

Graduation/Fire Season

Yesterday, late afternoon, another fire has went a blaze in the Santa Cruz Mountains--this time on the other side, closer to my hometown.  My boss lady's husband, (a fireman) has been called to it, and I don't think she will see her husband again for a long time.  This hot weather is not helping either.  It was a good 85 degrees near the coast yesterday, and today is supposedly supposed to get even hotter today.  Not good news.  I don't have any family members effected by this fire, but my good co-worker, whom I have worked with for years and years is.  His house is in the fire path, and no the fire is not contained, and probably won't be for days.  Poor Dennis.  If you have time say a little prayer for him and the hundreds of families, not to mention animals effected by the fire.  It is pretty depressing, because most of these people don't have fire insurance.  I don't even want to think what I would do if I was put in this situation.  It's a risk you take when you make the beautiful redwoods your home, but still..everyone should be able to buy fire insurance no matter where you live. 

On a lighter note, today is graduation day for my son Andrew, and I already got the call of clothing disapproval from my mom.  She isn't very happy with the outfit my son chose to wear today.  He wore the same outfit to a wedding, and I think it's just fine; black slacks, and a black short sleeved dress shirt, but I think she was thinking tie and sports jacket.  OH well, sorry mom.  She isn't too thrilled that he isn't wearing dress shoes either.  I went to the mall with him and bought him $100 Jordan's, they are new, and black, and they will look just fine.  I can't have Andrew looking like a nerd from the 70's, sorry, mom!  Wait until she takes a look at his hair..he didn't get a hair cut yet.  Hopefully I can get it trimmed after his graduation rehearsal this morning.  I brought my camera, and the battery is charging..  I will have pictures to share later. 

Thank you for your comments from my last entry.  I had to go back and correct some of my grammar.  Oh my...didn't you notice? When I wrote that entry the other night, I just couldn't stop typing..my fingers were moving faster than my brain was.  It's kind of scary sometimes, like this morning for example.  I get to my computer, and it's asking for my password.  My fingers immediately go into action, and my brain is like..what's going on here?!  It's weird.  I'm only working a half day today.  I have to make sure Andrew gets his haircut...  Have a wonderful day!

Thankful Thursday!

1.  I'm thankful things are getting back to normal...no more doctor appointments until next month.  (Crossing fingers..)

2.  I'm thankful that TODAY is my son's LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!  Yippee!  I think I'm almost happier than he is.

3.  I'm thankful my son is graduating, and no summer school.  He pulled out a certificate for achievement with the school's initial patch out of his backpack this morning.  I asked him, what the certificate was for-it was very nice and official looking-suitable for framing.  His reply was: "I don't know.  They gave it to me at assembly, but I wasn't listening for what it was for..."  Lovely.  Hmm..  I often wonder how much more successful my son would be in school, if he actually made his studies a bigger priority in his life.  Right now, it's music, friends, and sports.  I hope he makes some changes for high school next year. 

4.  I'm thankful I don't live in the woods right now.

5.  I'm thankful that my son would rather have a new pair of athletic shoes than a video game for a graduation present.  Well...it's practical; kind of sad though, but he is growing up.  I guess he cares now what he looks and smells like--he has been looking and smelling pretty good lately.  Hmm..  Yeah, he is growing up.

6.  I'm thankful for good health, family and friends-which includes YOU. 

 

 

One of those days..

Ever have one of those days, when you can't find a parking place?

Well, this morning I was running a little late, and if you don't get to work at a certain time, the parking lot is packed.  Of course, this morning, it was fully packed.  It doesn't make sense because there are two empty offices in the building, and there should be plenty of parking, but apparently a lot of people park there illegally.  So, of course I was driving the family van today, so I ended up parking it near the women's jail facility which is about 3 blocks away. 

That is okay I thought.  It was a beautiful day, I'll enjoy the walk.  And, yes as a matter of fact, I did enjoy the walk to work.  It actually turned out to be the highlight of my day.  From there on, it all went down hill. 

I come to work, with an incredible pile of work to conquer before the lunch hour.  I worked a half day on Monday, and there was extra work that was still waiting from Friday.  So, I'm trying to organize my work, when suddenly I'm surrounded by the "new people".  These new employees, are nice, but they can turn incredibly annoying very quickly, when I'm trying to play catch up.  The new people seem to think I have answers to everything.  Okay, I do, but..please, one newbie at a time.  I was sitting there with piles of files surrounding me, and with two newbies.  Errr... 

Boss lady needed copies run.  Gee, why can't boss lady learn how to use the copy machine?  All you do lady is put the paper on the tray, and press a button..  Then boss man comes in, with that look on his face.  You know that, "scattered, and I don't have anyone to help me look". 

"Julie..do you have time..."

He looked at me, and I guess he could tell by the look on my face that I had no time to come to his rescue.  I don't know if it was the expression on my face, or the fact that I was holding 10 files.. 

"On, never mind....I can see you are very busy.." 

"Sorry, yeah, I really am, and I have training to go to..."

Training.  Err.  My lunch hour was spent finding the college campus room for this training for interstate supervisions-(complete waste of time).  I didn't have time for breakfast this morning, so I took off early so I could get a bite to eat and buy a sandwich, but of course the parking lot I was driving through did not have parking space big enough for my big fat van.  Then I got blocked by this cement truck, and I had turn around it, and ended up at the Taco Bell.  At that point I was so hungry, I stopped there instead, and ended up regretting it.  I walk in and there is a line of 6 people, and one guy at the cash register.  The guy at the register had a lazy eye, that kept on going to the left.  I tried not to stare, but I I didn't know which eye to look at... 

I sat down through two hours of "training" that did cover really anything of what I do.  I did learn something that I suspected all the time.  The duties in assigning interstate cases shouldn't belong to a clerical position, but to a probation officer.  Duh.  The instructor was amazed that the probation officers in our county did not carry weapons. Yeah, I come from a very liberal town.  I also learned that there are many states (government agencies) that just don't like California, like Texas.  Oh, and here is another tidbit:  back in the 70's the state of Michigan got all of there transient people, loaded them on a bus, and sent them all to San Francisco.  San Francisco of course accepted them all with open arms, the city gave them a free outdoor concert, and threw daisies at them..  Hmm..  Instead of conquering my pile of work, I had to sit through that.  Total waste of time. 

It's like 98 degrees outside, and I am so hot, and so happy I don't have to go back to work, that I decide to drive near the ocean, and have myself an ice cream cone at the Dairy Queen I used to go to near my old condo.  Well, when ordered my chocolate dipped cone, I apparently forgot how BIG a medium sized cone actually was.  When I saw the boy hand over the humongous cone from the window, I almost died.  How in the hell was I going to be able to eat this incredibly large cone while driving?!  The boy must have known, because he kindly handed over at least 20 napkins.  So here I am, with my melting cone in 98 degree weather, driving and trying to eat it at the same time.  I looked in the rear view mirror a few times, to see ice cream on my chin and cheeks..  Que vergonha..how embarrassing.  I hope no one I knew saw me biting in that cone driving on the highway.  There should be a law against it, really--it's much worse than texting I think. 

The next errand was my mother's doctor's appointment.  Ever have those days, where you feel like you are invisible as you are sitting in the waiting room?  You wait there, hoping to hear your name called, but your name never is called?  We checked in on time, and our appointment was at 4:15.  Why did the guy who had a 4:45 pm appointment get seen first?  We were there in the lobby waiting for a hour before my mom was seen.  The receptionist was very apologetic.  Apparently they "forgot" my mom was there.  (She is doing very well, by the way.)

Next stop, was picking up Nicholas from preschool at 5:30 pm.  Poor kid was there alone with one other little girl.  I'm sure he felt a little "forgotten" as well.  Next stop was locating the older son,  Andrew, which led me on a wild goose chase up and down.  Why do teenagers do this to their parents?  Why can't they just tell you where they are instead of "I'm walking towards the school.."  Why can't they just stop, and say, "I am here..."  I drove up and down, back and front of the high school, with no trace of him.  After sitting in the hot van, with my mom, and Nick in front of his friend's house downtown (which was going to be  his final destination, he finally calls again to inform me that he is now in front of the high school.  Well, when I finally found the kid, sure enough there he was surrounded by his friends, with a few girls in tow.  Hmm..  I think Andrew didn't want me to see that he was hanging around girls now. Hmm.. 

By the time I got home, I just wanted to fall into the couch and do nothing, but here I am, and it's 10:34 pm.  I'm looking at what I just wrote, and I think I've totally lost you, or whoever is reading this back at my 3rd paragraph.  For someone who is claiming to be exhausted, I'm sure doing a good time boring someone to death. 

I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow!

I know, it's not even Thursday yet, but I'm looking forward to it already.  I'm so ready, you have no idea. 

 

Futebol! :) Euro 2008/Portugal Month

I just dropped off 40 Avon brochures, and walked 1.45 miles.  I'm happy about that, but tired!  It is pretty warm outside---I walked through sprinklers on purpose, it was fabulous! 

I forgot to mention, June 6th was Portugal Day here in the United States.  Portuguese communities around the country are celebrating the entire month.  Apparently, out in New Jersey, they have actually closed down an entire street to mark the events.  My daughter got a call from her father to let her know about it, and what a better way to start the weekend, than watch FUTEBOL!  Yes, it's Euro 2008-Soccer, and guess who won the other day?  Portugal Vs. Turkey, Portugal 2, Turkey 0  YAY!!!  Next game is on Thursday, June 12th, Portugal Vs. Czech. 

http://en.euro2008.uefa.com/tournament/teams/team%3D110/index.html

There are a few celebrations going on in my city, and next Sunday I'm going to a parade.  Lots of linguica, chamaritas & sangria will be eaten, danced, and drank, and lots of crowded Portuguese clubs will be filled with many beer bellied men (and women) drinking Sagres beer!  I promise to charge my digital camera battery to share it all later. 

Tags: Euro Games 2008, Portugal, Portugal Day

Happy Sunday

  I really do :) 

Unfortunately, I haven't seen my son Andrew since Friday morning, and I'm kind of bummed about that.  I was supposed to pick him up and take him to my mom's on Friday afternoon, but he was too "busy" rehearsing his lyrics at his friend's home..so busy that his friend Gabe had meet me at the car to hand him over his sleeping bag and clothes for the weekend.  I called the school to see if I could possibly watch Andrew perform; they said I could but I would have to commit to chaperoning the dance--I couldn't with Nicholas with me.  So, he spent the night at my mom's and Saturday his was picked up by his friend's Cyrus' father and spent the night at his house for Cyrus's birthday in San Francisco.  (Cyrus is the boy whose mother died last month.)  He'll be dropped off at my mom's tonight, so I won't see my son until Monday morning. 

According to my mother, she saw some pictures for the graduation dance already, and a recording that was taped,  and said they sounded really "good".  Of course she  is convinced that Andrew, like Lizzy, takes after her for their musical talents.  Well, I guess so, because I really can't sing very well.  As a child, my mother sang and did a lot of theatre in the village she grew up in, and she was quite the "looker".  A friend of the family, who was visiting the islands when my mom was a teenager told her that if she had been raised in America, she would have been very famous, possibly like Marilyn Monroe.  My mom never forgot that comment.  She accidentally told Lizzy about it, and now to my mother's dismay, Lizzy has told many people this, which embarrasses my mother quite a bit. 

    Lizzy recently told my aunt, who did inform Lizzy, that her grandmother looked a lot like Jacqueline Kennedy when she was younger.  My mom liked wearing those pill box hats to church, and she would get looks, and comments like, "You look like Jackie O!" 

(She is very proud of this.  My mom always dressed up for church, still does, and she made a point of dressing her children in their Sunday best, every Sunday.)  My mom also had a strong voice and always sang in church.  Sometime causing people to turn around. 

"Mom, my head hurts, this bow is too tight!"  I would complain.

"Leave it, you look pretty!"  My mom would insist.

"Mom, everyone stares at me at church!"  I would complain.

"Because you look so pretty!"  My mom would insist.

Years later, when I worked in retail, a customer came to my register.  After the transaction was completed, she stopped, and looked up at me and said:

"You know, I remember you when you were just a little girl."

"Really?"  I asked.  I was like 35 years old at the time.  I looked at her and wondered if she was a teacher, or an old neighbor of mine.  I did come from a small town, and I saw lots of people coming in and out of the store.

"Yes, I remember seeing you every Sunday morning.  Your mother always had you dressed up at church, and I remember you and your sister sitting together in the pew."

I made sure my mom knew about this.  It was a very proud moment for her. 

I think today I will go to church.  I usually bring Andrew with me, and he isn't here, and I am feeling a little depressed about that.  I miss my Lil' Ace.  The brat forgot to call me yesterday.  I'm afraid fame has gotten to his head all of a sudden. 

 

 

Tags: kids, marilyn monroe, jackie o, sunday, mom