Yum-O!

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Now THIS car's interior is beyond dusty!

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The Magic Kingdom

We're annual passholders and use our passes the most during autumn and winter because I simply love the lights and decorations of Disneyland. We went twice this holiday season enjoying each visit as if it were our first.

It was surprisingly crowded especially since temps hovered around 40 degrees. People merrily walked about bundled like Eskimos and patiently waited up to three hours for the best view of the glorious fireworks display and snow.

Newport Beach Boat Parade

Our boat arrived from Long Beach where Dave, the owner sub-leases a slip. He was gracious in inviting several folks from Boo's job to join him for a spectacular evening.

The water was very calm, temperature a comfortable 62 degrees, wind non-existent and clear as far as the eye could see - no fog. We were a party of thirteen and the lights and decorations were spectacular!

Last Minute Christmas Shopping

In previous years I've been so prepared and productive that I had finished my Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving weekend. I normally have a great sense of what to buy for each recipient and I can honestly say that they're never disappointed with their gifts.

This year I knew I'd be off work for two weeks during the holiday so I purposely did not shop early opting to shop at the last minute. Of course, I was hoping for fantastic discounts, which sadly have not materialized. I am hopeful though that they will during the weekend of the 19th.

There's an excitement in the air that permeates everyone as they frantically search for great buys on gifts. Even in all the stress and harriedness folks seem willing to share where to get a good buy and who has the best coupon deals / exchange policy, etc.

The recession is naturally affecting sales and buying patterns but the folks I've encountered have been jovial and friendly, which speaks volumes about the optimism many Americans feel. As long as hope springs eternal all is good.

2009 Christmas Decorations

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2009 Christmas Decorations Alhambra CA

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Holiday Weekend

This holiday was off to a grand start when work let us out at 1:00 p.m. Boo and I went to Cha for Tea for lunch and played Rummikub. Sadly we also discovered that our local Hollywood Video has changed from a rental store to an outlet store.

I had noticed that their inventory of new DVDs had dwindled and the general feel of the place was cheesy, the displays were unkempt and new releases were no longer announced instead were row upon row of previously viewed DVDs for sale. Another casualty of the recession.

Thanksgiving dinner with the family was truly delicious and lots of fun. We also visited Boo's aunt who would normally celebrate Thanksgiving with her recently deceased sister. As always we had way too much food and dessert and a whole lot of chatter!

We unexpectedly shopped on Black Friday which wasn't bad at all. Like last year we started around 10:00 a.m. and still found buys but without the hassle of finding parking. No one stole our parking space or cut in line either! Parking and checking out were relatively uneventful and merchants were well stocked.

Today we were rudely awakened by a large flock of loud wild parrots there must have been 100  of them. They squawked and encircled my block, which has many palm trees, for about 10 minutes before flying off. Many of the neighbors came outside to see what all the ruckus was about - I was one of them which is regrettable.

As we were "up early" we decided to hit a few stores, which resulted in great savings at empty stores. We also had a surge of energy and decided to decorate outdoors leaving our house the only decorated house for miles - just call us the Griswolds.

How's your holiday weekend?

Poor Organization

I've made a lot of mistakes in my life from the most insignificant to huge bumblings! I was never good at organization so finding things has always been a process of hit and miss. MIL was so organized she had a place for everything and everything clearly labeled. The caregiver quipped that MIL could have given lessons to the professional organizers on the HGTV  or FLN networks.

How I wish I had her knack and discipline for organization at this very moment. You see, MIL never ever enjoyed having her picture taken, a photo request was tantamount to a full blown argument, she just didn't see the purpose for it.

So now we're preparing for her service which will be closed casket and the only photos found are circa 1970. Now I know I have a couple of photos from the mid-nineties but I have to find them among countless back up CDs, CF cards and three hard drives. I'm going nuts.

I have a deadline as I need to get the photos to Costco for printing and resizing and then get them framed and to the funeral home for the service. I recently bought my first 1.5 TB external drive and am considering the best way to set it up. Should I create partitions? If so, what size and how many? Will partitions compromise drive performance as each section is searched?

Help!

She's at peace

MIL passed yesterday afternoon with Boo at her side in a very peaceful surrounding with music softly playing in the background. I prayed that she had found acceptance and peace about what was troubling her so that her transition was free from anxiety and fear.

I truly believe  that no one, regardless the severity of their transgressions on earth, should transition from living to dying in fear. What a horrible way to leave this earth and began the next journey. If we've truly made amends and repented than we should depart joyous, calm and peaceful.

It's done and I am relieved that she is no longer suffering. Services will not occur until the first week in December. Boo's aunt is now hospitalized and unable to attend services this week. Since I believe there is a synchronicity in the Universe and there are no coincidences MIL's service was meant to occur two weeks from now.

Making Lemonade out of Lemons

Throughout my life I've read and been told that my perspective on something, attitude towards a situation, ability to handle stressful circumstances has everything to do with the quality, or lack of, in my life. I've never doubted this to be the truth.

MIL's been blessed with a compassionate and loving caregiver, who herself has suffered the recent loss of her husband of 40 years and within the past 12 months the passing of her mother. She and I spent a lot time talking and sharing and dare I say, laughing.

As cruel as this may sound laughter is the best medicine one person can give to another. The endorphins released help accelerate the healing process, as well as replenish white blood cells. In most challenging circumstances levity is needed so those involved can catch their breath and regain perspective.

The caregiver in her sixties is full of life even as she battles her own challenges and bouts with depression. I was very thankful that God sent her to care for my MIL enabling me to partake of her wisdom and learn. I know I will walk this bridge again someday - hopefully not soon - as my mom steadily ages.

In any sad or tragic circumstance try and find lemons and then make lemonade for your loved ones, as well as yourself!

 

Mother-in-Law Update

I'm sitting in my mother-in-law's home as Boo sits beside her in silence. Today's been a bad day and she is now feeling pain. The on-duty nurse is providing liquid morphine as necessary and MIL is accepting responsibility for some of the things she's said and done. She knows the end is near and wants to set things right. My hope is that she does this for herself so that she can go in peace - this is all that I want.

She's never been a peaceful person. Those that know her have always described her as "high spirited", "feisty", "demanding", "hysterical", "impatient", "angry" - I would like her to leave this world in peace. There is no rhyme or reason for her leaving this world like a fireball. She needs to ask the Lord's forgiveness and blessing and then transition to the next phase.

I believe that Boo has found some closure. MIL and Boo were never very close as Boo was the stepchild. It's good that MIL never had children of her own because she isn't a very compassionate, loving or caring person. I don't believe that she would have been a better person or mother to a child of her own blood. Not all women have the maternal instinct despite what experts think.

End of Suffering

We received terrible news this morning that Boo's step-mother is terminally ill with colon cancer that has spread to her brain. My mother-in-law has always had strained relationships with her blood relatives, Boo and me so it was both shocking and dismaying thinking about navigating the mine field that is their relationship.

When Boo last visited during summer MIL was still onerous and irritated by everything and everyone. I deeply want for Boo to reach some closure with her so that Boo can begin to heal. The prognosis is three to six months and I've been praying that my MIL, realizing that she's reaching her end, will make an effort to release any anger and resentment in hopes of finding peace and love.

It's terrible that she's alone because she's driven everyone away. Her own sister won't visit and her nephew who lives less than three miles from her doesn't visit. She should be surrounded by supportive family members during this time.

She's hospitalized now but will likely be discharged and sent home with 24 hour care either Sunday or Monday. The doctor has recommended hospice care but she prefers to be in her own home.

I pray that this will be a time for healing; for releasing animosity and forgiving. A time to appreciate how precious life is and that God has given everyone an opportunity to make amends and dispense of petty grievances.

Dia De Los Muertos / Day of the Dead

Is celebrated by the Latin community on November 2nd All Souls Day, it's a day for celebrating the lives of our dearly departed. I have never participated by making an altar, I'm just not that creative, however, I love viewing the creativity of others and appreciate a glimpse into the lives of the deceased.



The traditional altar is how most people commemorate loved ones by including their favorite foods, beverages and hobbies. If I created an altar for my sister I would include miniature 45 rpm vinyl records, a phone (she was always on it!), a dancing calavera (skeleton) dressed in pink, yellow and red my sister's favorite colors, a blue car (she loved driving), a can of 7-Up and a steak (she would eat steak to celebrate achieving a goal).



This artist's oil painting tells of  his father being a Pachuco (a pre-cursor to today's gang member) who dressed very well, was a boxer, liked to gamble and restored cars - he successfully conveys this, right?





These individual artists used mosaic and quilt to commemorate their grandmother and mother, respectively.

The mosaic illustrates the grandmother's love of gambling with the use of dominoes, a watch from her era and a favorite doll.

The quilt illustrates that the artist's mother was very ill, the black bird represents that death is imminent and the green trees encircling the bed that her mother was not afraid of dying and has faith she's going to a better place.

Halloween 2009

I spent Halloween at Disneyland and wow, did we have a fantastic time. The park was crowded with children in costume (sadly for some, adults are not allowed to be in costume at Disneyland), which didn't bother me since I think it minimizes the risk of mischief. It seems anyone over age 12 was not allowed to wear wigs or costume.



As always Disneyland was festively decorated and the evening was topped off with a Spooktacular pyrotechnic display to rival the Superbowl intermission. Oogie Boogie MC'd the fireworks and Zero glided overhead across Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

We closed the night by happening upon the Opera House, formerly Guest Services, and discovering the recently opened Disney Gallery, a wonderful retrospective of Walt Disney himself, as well as the beginnings of Disneyland as archived through photos, models, paintings, drawings, artist conceptions, countless books, etc.



It is worth a visit and worthy of an 'E' ticket!

I love brick buildings & the wornness of this one that has sat silent through man

Commute: I love brick buildings & the wornness of this one

As immature as this may sound Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and I do consider it a holiday. I like scaring myself silly by watching scary movies, I enjoy playing pranks on and scaring my friends, I love decorating in ghoulish purple, black, orange, red and blue and I get very happy and excited when I see houses / businesses fabulously decorated for Halloween.

Fewer houses / businesses are decorated this year in deference to the recession and the lousy economy, but there are still plenty of folks who have the halloween spirit. We went to Stats (a decoration emporium) to see the latest in decorations and they had some outlandish decorations that I wished I could afford. If I'd only win the lottery!

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Where there is faith...

Sometime past I tweeted:

Couple expecting / After four miscarriages / First baby for them / Second child for mother / Husband just laid off 1:32 PM Aug 14th from Ping.fm

and I received a very reassuring tweet from @baczo about our Lord providing for those with faith.

Well I thought I should update everyone that the expectant mother is doing just fine on complete bed rest. She's unbelievably cranky but she and her husband are so hopeful that this baby will reach full term.

Her husband begins new employment next Monday in the same industry, working closer to home and the new company understands and is supportive of the pregnancy and how delicate it is.

So with the Lord's blessing, this couples desire to do their part (the footwork) it is very likely everything will turn out favorably and a new life shall enter this world!

Halloween is almost upon us

Of all the seasons autumn is my favorite because this is the time my family spends quality time together.

The cooler weather also makes us want to cook and share meals together, what family doesn't come together for a meal?

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Identity Theft

Being a victim of identity theft has left me in full appreciation of how much havoc in my life this crime has caused. Its tentacles are far reaching, insidious and, I fear, never ending.

I couldn't believe my eyes as I read the article Missing Laptop Contains Data on 800,000 Doctors. No mention is made about the data being encrypted so it likely is not which makes me wonder why hasn't a law been enacted demanding that corporations, data firms, analyst, etc. encrypt their data or face fines? Once the information's out there is too damned late to close the doors!

If the data is encrypted it provides one more level of security that may deter and frustrate the thieves from trying to access the data. The data should be encrypted at the database level even when sitting on servers, how many times has data been stolen after being hacked?

Why are people traveling with laptops loaded with sensitive information that is unencrypted and laptops that do not have strong passwords for logon? Can't the person simply login to the network from home via a VPN and access the necessary information? Do they really need to go around town toting 800,000 records?

Instances like this just give me a migraine and until harsh fines are accessed for loss of information or compromised access these instances will continue and you and I will sustain the consequences.

Mom Indulging Me

What can I say, my mom's always been such a good sport when it comes to playing. I must get my michievous spirit from her and I'm so happy too!

We're enjoying our annual trip to the Oak Glen Apples in Yucaipa, CA. the weather's beautiful and we're happy they burn in the September fire.

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They're coming to get you!

Nothing like enjoying a scare now and then or, as the gals at work like to say, again and again and again! We're in horror flick mode as we average three movies weekly during lunch. It takes  1-1/2 days to view one flick of 90 minutes to tw0 hours and we don't mind that the film must be split.

The purpose of tolerating the interruption is so that we can enjoy viewing the movie together, getting scared together, teasing each other, screaming like geese when we're frightened revealing our vulnerable side and then living with the embarrassment!

I'm listening to Halloween-themed mash ups that help me absorb the spirit even more as I search for more scary flicks to rent. We try to never repeat a viewing and happily there's no shortage of slasher movies. As it is, flicks from the eighties are being remade and for the most part, they're not bad.

Happy Haunting!

Crisp morning at the farmers market

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L.A. County Fair Redux

I went to the fair on Friday and was surprised at how empty it was, I know people were at work and school's in session but still, I've gone to the fair on a Friday in previous years and it is crowded. I patronize certain vendors and inquired how things were shaping in this economy? Bad.

Even when attendance is good sales are bad, vendors have had to slash prices to move product. The fairgrounds is aware of the vendors plight and has decided to do the $1 admission promo this weekend - closing weekend - until 1 p.m. each day.

The fact the fairgrounds is repeating the $1 promotion closing weekend is a telltale sign of how bad this season's been. It used to be the fair would remain in town a full four weeks and open 7 days a week. The past four years has seen the fair in town for three weeks and closed on Mondays. This year they've returned for four weeks and are closed Monday and Tuesday.

So even with two days closure attendance is still low and sales bleak. The vendors I spoke with do not believe the recession is improving, they feel it's continuing a downward spiral and my shopping experience confirms this. The stores have folks in them but they're not buying - they're not carrying shopping bags. My co-workers are shopping less and sticking to their grocery list, what's not on the list remains at the store.

What's your experience?

Fabulous autumn morning as I survey train yard

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Netbook Fever

I often frequent coffeehouses and tea cafes since my community has many independently owned & operated, it's also my way of stimulating and contributing to the local economy.

Until recently I didn't pay attention to which ones offered wifi, whether it was free or not and what amount of purchase, if any, was required. Now that I have the HP Netbook which is uber convenient to carry with me and set up my eyes have opened!

I see plenty of people surfing the web, doing homework, viewing YouTube videos, blogging and researching from their netbooks. Occasionally I glimpse a Macbook or full sized Windows notebook, but lately they're netbooks that line the table tops.

Cha for Tea is a cafe that I truly enjoy frequenting because it not only offers free wifi but also has an open fun atmosphere for folks who like playing card and board games. On any given night you'll see two or more groups engaged in a competitive game seated side by side the screen zombies.

The screen zombies preferred choice of equipment these days is the netbook. They don't seem to mind that they lack an optical drive since all are engaged in activity that requires Net access. I haven't become a screen zombie yet, preferring to use my time engage in healthy, competitive game warfare!

Hospital Essentials

Recently a co-worker's mother spent hours & days at the hospital in support of her husband, I wondered how she was surviving the long days in between treatments. I anticipated what essentials I'd need under similar circumstances and decided my netbook with USB flash drive and games and iPod would be the items.

As of last Wednesday my nephew was hospitalized for four days and did nothing but climb the walls for two of them. I suggested my sister take her son a deck of cards, sketch pad with color pencils (he's artistic) and the current musician magazine.

Again I wondered what I would want if I were hospitalized? I came up with a deck of cards, iPod with latest podcasts, the word game Bananagrams and my netbook with flash drive of games. These things would keep me mentally occupied and out of trouble!

What would you want?

Three Dog Night

I'm listening to a live recording of Three Dog Night Captured Live at the Forum in Los Angeles. I first heard this album as a child, I was going through my sisters' record collection and the cover looked interesting. Between physical attraction to the singers' pictured on the album's cover art and being mesmerized by their rendition of Chest Fever I became a fan.

Over the years their music has stuck with me so much so that when Chuck Negron performed solo at my community's Summer Jubilee I attended, eagerly anticipating hearing Negron perform live. I posted a poorly recorded video captured via digital camera on YouTube and to date it's received over 3,000 views which comparatively speaking is miniscule yet, something I never considered could happen.

I checked wikipedia for all three former lead singers of Three Dog Night: Cory Wells, Danny Hutton and Chuck Negron and sadly it seems they still haven't reconciled. What a joy it would be for fans if the band could settle their egos and differences allowing the music to truly heal.

Los Angeles County Fair

I'm relaxing today after spending all day yesterday at the fair. I know they get a lot of flak for things they do wrong, but they earned kudos in 2009 for:

• Opening Labor Day normally they open the Friday after the holiday when the kids are back in school and parents are running as fast as they can.


• Promoting $1 entrance fee between 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Saturday, Sunday & Monday (the actual holiday) normally only opening day is $1  entrance all day, which meant Friday, when everyone's working or in school.

This year's promotion gave families someplace to spend the holiday other than the park, beach or home BBQing because the fair was in town. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the end of summer and herald the chaos that is back to school.

The $1 entrance promo potentially enticed many new fair goers to attend, as well as past attendees who have turned sour over the fair's escalating admission fee. This promo generated positive associations to the fair and it's needed this for a long time.



The grounds were packed to the gills between 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and thinned considerably by 4:00 p.m., which was great for the rest of us as we were able to see the exhibits and find seating at performances. We spent a fair share of money on food, beverages and assorted items and stayed until closing.



We attend the fair annually with friends who opted out of attending opening weekend fearing crushing crowds. We normally would never attend the fair on the weekend, but were too excited about the change not to try it! We'll return in two weeks on a weekday as we normally do and see the sections we missed this go round.

Don't Do It!

Normally I get the flu vaccine as flu season rolls 'round, this year I am not being vaccinated and am encouraging friends and family to do the same. This song while entertaining is also educational, please give it a view.

Brave New World

I spent part of the morning helping my co-worker navigate her new cell phone the Motorola Rival, she hadn't upgraded since 2000 and the gals at the office teased her constantly about having a monochrome brick.

It takes her a long time to reach a decision about most things and she had threatened to upgrade her cell one year previous when Sprint phoned to say her phone would cease working once they completed their network upgrade to digital. Clearly she was not discouraged from continuing to use her brick and she didn't rush out to upgrade, which we all find amazingly comical!

She was very disappointed with Sprint's plan offers and came away feeling that she needed to be a corporate subscriber to receive good customer service and a competitive plan. It was all good, however, because she's now a Verizon customer and we can utilize the cell to cell option which is unlimited texting / photos / calls - how can anyone beat that?

After an hour she learned to receive and open text and photo messages, as well as send them. She also knows how to populate her contact list with new people as the gals from the office send her stuff. I truly think this will enhance her relationship with them and it's definitely a brave new world for her!

If I sound excited it's because I am. I wholly embrace technology and this particular gal's an introvert with many health challenges. I think a camphone will herald a new and exciting way for her to interact with her peers, family and co-workers. At least I'm hoping so.

Anything I can do to help her use technology to express herself and communicate I will do. So I foresee calls for tech support in my future, which I hope I'll know the answers to.

Music makes the world go 'round

Sometimes I feel like my mind's an encyclopedia of music from the 50s, 60s, 70s and on. My mom loves music and always had it playing while relaxing or house cleaning. My sisters were Motown girls, Beatle crazies and Soul lovers. Every memory I have is recalled to a soundtrack - every memory - happy or sad, good or bad it has its own soundtrack.

So while at work my co-worker (who recently lost her mother) and I were alone and I decided to play music. Naturally she's quiet and contemplative and sometimes the silence is a bit much. After all, I can only initiate conversation and talk so much. We come from similar generations with similar taste in music.

What I observed in her after ten minutes or so of listening was an uplifted spirit and a lilt in her demeanor. She seemed more engaged in her surroundings and participated in conversation even initiating topics. It was good to see her spirit uplifted and catch a glimpse of her smile. I guess what people say is true: Music makes the world go round.

Seems things are breaking...

...nothing major though, they're things that can hopefully be repaired or definitely replaced in time.

So the fabled meeting went on without a hitch except that a whole lot of nothing was said instead of something. It's as if our Big Cheese was admonished not to drop the bomb just yet but had to save face by chairing the meeting anyway.

We left feeling very much deceived and wondering when the Big Cheese would be given the green light to speak his piece and tell us the real deal. Remember when grown ups would speak within range in hushed tones so the children couldn't hear? You knew something was up and felt scared. Worried.

Meantime my DVRs dying and I have recorded programs on it. Grrr! LOL I need to have marathon viewing sessions so I can change out the broken one for one that actually records scheduled programs.

And the TV that the dying DVR is connected to is also on the fritz. The screen is fuzzy and lettering stretched as if italicized. Sometimes the screen straightens in five minutes, others in two hours, lately not at all. Bummer!

So the TV's shorting out and I need to see if there's actually a TV repair guy who can fix it, the last thing I need to do right now is incur an expense for a new TV.

Ah yes, Boo's been notified on the down low, of course, that massive layoffs are approaching.

How's your week going?

Oh woe is me...

I awoke this morning with The Boss's song Cover Me playing in my head perhaps, it's because my cat was dive bombing the bed in search of her toy. As I lay awake I began thinking about yesterday's late afternoon surprise:

My cost center which includes all departments is having an all hands on meeting next Wednesday, a first ever event and this coupled with the earlier announcement of merging with another department is not looking promising.

I wish I could say that I am not concerned but I would be a liar. I do feel that management could have waited to announce the upcoming meeting until Monday of next week - why wouldn't two days notice be sufficient? At least we could have a great weekend devoid of worry, as I'm sure this will occur soon enough.

How I love my Netbook!

Most important and what makes it so darned convenient is its weight, size and portability. It's so light and convenient that I literally take it with me everywhere. I've owned notebooks for several years but their weight is too much for me to lug them around.

The HP mini has a 10.1 inch screen which is more than adequate for me to compose blog posts, edit photos, surf the web, work on a spreadsheet or document and read news articles. If the screen was a mere 7" then I'd be in trouble because that is too small withvery limited real estate.

The built-in wifi means I don't have to carry a wireless card / dongle and I effortlessly connect to open wifi networks. The netbook immediately identifies existing networks and presents a list of available ones and whether or not they're open or secured.

The HP 1033 mini's battery life is great at 5 hours on a six cell Lithium Ion battery. The battery indicator in the task bar makes it easy for me to monitor the battery's status. I can have a morning session, shut down, follow up with an afternoon session and still have enough juice left to compute in the evening.

The minimum cell pack I'd recommend is six, I tried a three cell Acer Aspire One unit and the battery quickly degraded to a mere 2-1/4 hours of battery life which is insufficient.

Most netbooks have three USB ports which is more than enough since they also have built-in media card readers. My only complaint is that the card reader does not read Compact Flash media, which I use in a MicroTrack 24 /96 recorder and digital camera.

The HP mini has a 160 gig drive as did the Acer Aspire One and I strongly recommend this size as being the smallest size I'd consider. You can find netbooks with drives in 60, 80 or 100 gig sizes but 160 is the magic size for me.

Netbooks do not have internal optical drives but the thee USB ports certainly provide for added expandability at my leisure. I normally travel with two 8 gig USB flash drives though I rarely use one, except for game play.

I've installed games on an 8 gig SanDisk drive that acts like a hard drive eliminating the need for me to use a game's compact disc during game play while preserving space on the internal 160 gig drive.

So if I sound jazzed about the netbook it's because I am! I rarely use other computers in the house preferring to surf from the light weight netbook and any room in the house. The netbook's so light and doesn't generate a lot of heat like a standard notebook that I can comfortably surf for hours.

Second Home

I think those of us who work outside of our homes will agree that we spend enough time with co-workers to feel that our workspaces and coworkers become our second homes?

Well my second home has become filled with worry, illness and sorrow, which I finally realized is the reason I return home so wiped out. I've been arriving home too tired to login and check email, peruse tweets or interact with friends. Mentally and emotionally I'm simply drained.

I have one gal with a mom suffering from Alzheimer's and the constant threat of limb amputation due to poor circulation and boils. Another gal's mom has blood clots in her leg and a husband bedridden from a very weak heart. If he should have another heart attack paddles cannot be used because  of the open hole in his chest.

Yet another gal suffers from severe depression and suicidal tendencies and has cut herself at work on occasion, while another gleefully wears her bi-polar disorder like a badge. Finally another gal's convinced that she channels the spirits of the recently departed and her "home is a hub for those who can't find their way to crossover".

Am I serious? You bet I am. I'm not creative enough to come up with this stuff by myself. All of these personalities and their related life challenges drain me of my life force. I need to regain control and preserve what I have.

Enjoying Summer

I'm sitting in my patio writing this entry on my HP 1033 mini book, HP doesn't call their mini-book a netbook despite the fact this is exactly what it is. The keys are smidget smaller than a regular sized keyboard and the Backspace key is more than adequate for a touch typist. Having a smaller sized Backspace key led me to type many strange, unwanted characters.

So I'm enjoying the silence of a Sunday morning before the heat arrives and listening to my chimes sing under a light breeze as households awaken and begin their daily routines.

I love summer. I so enjoy seeing people out and about and my community come alive after what's seemed like a long slumber. I love hearing tribute bands perform at Concerts In The Park series sponsored by other communities and watching the children dance and laugh with careless abandon.

I like driving around So. Cal. with my sunroof open and feel the sun's rays warm my head and the gentle breeze counteract the heat. I don't appreciate the cacophony of loud pulsating bass from other cars that immediately drowns out the music playing in my car, but thankfully it's only as long as the signal light.

I love the abundance and variety of fruits and vegetables and seemingly endless stream of iced tea. I am a bonafide year round tea drinker and I truly enjoy a cup of tea first thing in the morning as if it were my last!

Thank you, Lord for allowing me to see and enjoy another glorious day!

Enjoying sunshine as I search for wifi connectivity!

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What's with so many celebrities dying?

This was the question of the hour when news broke on Twitter of pitchman Billy Mays death. He's best known for the Oxiclean infomercial that propelled the product to astronomical sales.

While I didn't recognize his name I immediately identified him when my spouse said "Oxiclean" as Mays was synonymous with this product. I've been using it since discovering it at the Los Angeles County Fair. Soon Mays was pitching it on TV on the rest is Infomercial King history.

Many people would like the Grim Reaper to simply leave earth's celebrities alone so we can catch our breath and process everything. I doubt this will happen because the old superstition of celebrities dying in threes is ensconced in pop culture.

So we've lost Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson in the same week. Billy Mays started off the new week and we'll see if the superstition holds true, I'm hoping it doesn't because I, for one, have had  enough shockers to last me a good while.

Media Circus

The self proclaimed King of Pop is dead and his body lays at the Los Angeles County Coroner's office, which I drive past daily on my way to work.  Talk about a media frenzy surrounding this location at the intersection of Marengo Street and Mission Road. I was ready to call in to work and tell them that I was going to be late.

As we traveled southbound on Mission Road from Valley Boulevard I could see traffic backed up and what looked like a motorcade of white trucks off to the side. As we neared Mission and Zonal I could distinguish the white trucks as media vehicles equipped with huge satellite dishes.



They lined both sides of Mission Road reducing traffic to one lane each side, which explained why we were jammed like sardines. Everywhere I looked I saw Digital SLRs with behemoth lenses and flanks of video cameras pointed at the gates leading to the Coroner's office, each group prepared to capture a glimpse of anything.

This media circus was a perfect reflection of Jackson's real life. He reveled in the spotlight and courted the attention and adulation of thousands, now they waited around the world for final word of what caused his untimely death.

The throngs of reporters, photographers and fans was simply too much. I wanted my carpool friend to get us the hell out of there. It was stifling to see so many people in one place jockeying for position and for a very brief moment I felt I could understand what celebrities experience daily. It's paralyzing and crushing and something I hope to never experience again.

A Crazy Day

Sometime past I had a conversation with my mother about how certain celebrities or politicians define an era or generation. Certainly for my mom’s generation it was the death of J.F.K. that defined the sixties. In the seventies she said the passing of Elvis Presley left an indelible mark. I shared that John Lennon’s murder was a defining moment and I’ll never forget where I was or what I was doing when I heard the horrible news.

I feel this way today with the shocking news that Michael Jackson died suddenly at age 50. Always slender and seemingly in good health, I never imagined that he would die so young. Yes, I said young. The average life expectancy is 80 years old, which means Jackson died prematurely by 30 years. So yes, it is very shocking to me.

I was at work when my mom phoned to tell me that the media was reporting Michael Jackson may have been rushed to the hospital due to cardiac arrest. I can understand the media being evasive as immediate family members should always be the first to know.

I immediately went outside to surf the web for real time information about what was occurring. I tried for 7 minutes and could not connect to anything - not even Summize.com. It was like the entire Internet and web were down.

When my mom phoned again to tell me there were unconfirmed reports of his death, I felt strangely light headed. Here was someone I identified with as being from my generation and I couldn’t quite process the information. Disbelief enveloped me.

The Jackson Five and later Michael Jackson were the soundtrack of my life. So many rites of passage are recalled when I listen to I'll Be There, Got To Be There, Dancing Machine, Billie Jean, Off The Wall, etc.
It’s been a crazy day with the passing of Farrah Fawcett, even if her demise was expected due to cancer I was greatly saddened by her death. And then several hours later on this same day we lost Michael Jackson.  Immediately Farrah Fawcett was relegated to the sidebar on the front page of the L.A. Times.

I vaguely remember Charlie's Angels probably because I didn't watch much T.V. then. I was always more of a music lover, but nonetheless, after viewing the documentary about Farrah's three year battle I had nothing but admiration for her courage and desire to live.

So we have lost two wonderful people today, two individuals who have brought us a lot of joy and entertained us through the years. May they rest in peace.

Do companies care about providing Customer Service?

Anyone who's had to renew a service (i.e. cable TV, broadband connectivity, cell phone) can relate to speaking with a customer service representative who wields the power of offering and / or approving a promotion. They hold us in their death grip as they contemplate if they're in a good mood or not. Feeling helpful or not.

Such was my experience with Charter Communications Cable. I've been a cable TV customer for as long as they've been in my town. Last year I opted for a one year cable Internet promotion that bundled the cable TV and Internet at a competitive price. The promotion expired yesterday prompting me to phone Charter Communications.

The first CSR, a male, tried to up sell me to a land line, TV and Internet bundle. I presently have land line service with AT&T and am content. I declined and inquired about any TV / Internet offer currently available. His tone became very cold and distant as he stated that the phone / TV / Internet bundle was the only option. I declined his more than generous offer after his assurance that I had been offered the best deal available.

I phoned again and was assisted by a female CSR who explained in great detail what my present TV package included, what my Internet package cost under the expired promotion and what it would cost now. She also explained that for a one year contract I could pay $30 monthly for Internet plus $3.95 for the modem rental. She could not assure me that my TV package would remain unaffected and did not counter with an offer.

Dissatisfied I phoned again and spoke with a female who seemed genuinely confused about my inquiry and offered to discontinue service straight away if I so desired, no attempt at retaining me as a customer. Has Charter Communications, like so many other conglomerates, forgotten the adage "It's less expensive to keep current customers happy than to attract new ones"?

After speaking with Boo we decided to make one final call, surely someone must care enough to use their skill and experience to keep us as a paid subscriber.

The fourth call was the charm a male CSR explained my expired plan versus what I would pay now then countered with a one year contract commitment for Internet at $30 monthly and a guarantee that my cable TV package options and pricing would remain the same. Bingo! We had a deal.

I have been a happy Charter Communications cable TV customer for years. My first year's experience of cable Internet exceeded my expectations. I experienced downtime only once and it was due to weather-related damage. As a customer I can't understand nor excuse why companies allow their customers to be disrespected and maligned with such shoddy customer service.

Customer service representatives should be discouraged from using brass knuckle tactics in customer retention and be encouraged to retain the customer through courtesy, patience and communication. I shouldn't become an adversary simply because my promotion has expired. It should not be incumbent on me to make numerous phone calls in an attempt to retain service at a reasonable price.

It's ridiculous that I had to phone Charter Communications four times before receiving satisfactory assistance resulting in positive resolution. Had the fourth CSR been unwilling / unable to assist me, I was prepared to make DSL Extreme my new broadband provider.

I'm sure that Charter Communications would have contacted me within two months after termination in an attempt to re-establish me as a customer, a tactic which is inherently flawed. By the time they would be willing to make concessions to woo me back, I would already have established rapport with the new provider, have a worsening image of their brand and service, likely be bound to the new service under contractual obligation and not desire to be inconvenienced by waiting for the installer, etc. and wasting more time.

Charter Communications the reason you're losing paying customers isn't because of Hulu.com or Apple TV or the Internet and illegal file sharing, it's because your customer service is atrocious! The sites mentioned were created out of frustration with your industry's lack of service and dearth of flexibility.

Mobile Broadband / Pre-Paid Mobile Offerings

It seems the big three providers: AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have settled on $60 per month for mobile broadband with a 5 gig cap. They vary on the cost per megabyte when exceeding the 5 gig cap. Mobile Broadband was very helpful by providing a comparison chart of a sampling of providers and listing their respective features.

Virgin Mobile announced Broadband 2 Go which is a pre-paid mobile broadband offering starting as low as $10 for 100 megabytes of usage within 10 days. There is no activation fee, contract, early termination fee or overage charge. You must purchase a $149.99 Novatel modem from Best Buy and pre-pay for your usage. The most expensive option being $60 for up to one gigabyte of usage within 30 days. Megabytes can not be rolled over; unused gigs within 30 days are lost.

Verizon offers a Broadband Day Pass at $15 for 24 hours of continuous use. Restrictions for megabytes downloaded / used do apply and you must purchase a Verizon broadband modem or, if your netbook / notebook has mobile broadband built-in, you may purchase an ExpressCard.

In the Swing of Things - Not!

Getting back in the groove at work has been more challenging than I expected. I've been returning home so tired and drained and yet, the pace I'm working is much slower and less challenging. Shouldn't I be more relaxed since I'm not pushing myself?

I've also noticed that I'm less engaged with my co-workers, I have less interest in what they're up to or interested in. I find my mind wandering to being at home and day dreaming about what I'd be doing if I were home. I don't dislike or hate my job, but I do appear to have lost enthusiasm and passion for it.

I need to get back on track and in the swing of things before my circumstance worsens.

Mobile Broadband

I didn't broach the subject this weekend as we were quite busy with birthday celebrations and friends' crises. After evaluating everything that was going on I decided my timing was way off and I'd need to wait at least another month. I'm disappointed of course, but realize that timing is of the essence and I'll only have one clear shot at my making my case.

It seems that of all the wireless services available my co-workers use AT&T because it has the strongest signal and most reliable connection in our work space. I checked with security personnel and they explained that AT&T has an antenna atop our building, they're one of the few cell companies that agreed to do this to improve the signal.

I can find plenty of people with cell phone service but inquiring about mobile broadband elicits blank stares. The personnel that do use mobile broadband are on business accounts paid for by our company and they don't want to divulge which company we use.

I'll continue trying to break through barriers in my quest to have Internet access from the dungeon. What amount of "viewing" lifestream feeds amounts to 5 gigs each month? Does anyone know or can point me in the direction of where to find out?

Microsoft Bing

I've been using Microsoft's Bing search site which is providing different results than Google, especially when doing an image search. It's efficient, fast and its results page is uncluttered and nicely arranged. The news section is less comprehensive than Google's and needs improvement. Nonetheless, I haven't been this excited about a Microsoft product in years. I've been a hardcore Google supporter and never imagined using another search engine. Of course, there hasn't been any real competition for a long time. Yahoo? Yawn. MSN Search? Blech!

As in all things in real life it is important that Google has healthy competition.  Watch out Google Bing has it going on!

Twitter Search Blocked

My days at work are long and dismal with no end in sight .... am I in a dungeon cut off from civilization? No, not literally. However since my employer has blocked summize.com I might as well be! I am unable to access Twitter from work thus making my day long, laborious and so unkind. I used Summize to stay on top of what was happening locally, as well as abroad. I would also monitor tweets addressed to me, as well as those of a select few I wanted to follow as close to real time as possible.

I have searched for summize-like alternatives that WebSense may be unaware of in the "social media" category but have had no luck. Instead the day drolls on with anal banter and childish behavior among my co-workers. I can bring my laptop with wireless capability but there are no wi-fi networks in my building or immediate surrounding area. It's deader than a doorknob in here.

I'm researching AT&T, Verizon and Sprint wireless solutions hoping that I can entice Boo to agree to yet another expense. Of course one road block is that I'm physically located in the basement and surrounded by concrete and rebar. It's quite possible none of the wireless services will work from my cubicle. A wonderful resource for feature and pricing comparison among providers is the Mobile Broadband site. It seems providers have settled on a 5 gig cap per month at $60 per month.

How is it that the major providers arrived at the same price? Where's the competition? Where's the incentive to switch networks? It smacks of price fixing and I wonder why this has been allowed to stand. Well, this weekend I will broach the $60 expense and hope for the best!

Redevelopment

The Garfield Inn has been in Alhambra, CA for over fifty years. In its heyday it was the location to lodge and be seen at. It sits on a prime location not far from downtown Alhambra and is of historical significance.

Like many communities in the San Gabriel Valley, Alhambra is experiencing a lot of redevelopment which is a kind way of saying that prime real estate is being scooped up and converted to either condos or combination residential / commercial housing.

I like my small community. I like its single residence properties with sizeable yards and its low density. The new developments are bringing increased traffic with inadequate parking and traffic jams from non-synchronized signal lights.

Recently while walking through the neighborhood, I encountered two different developers researching the Garfield Inn's property as they photographed and took measurements. I've seen this behavior before and it means one thing:  The city of Alhambra is considering selling the property to the highest bidder for demolishing.

Notice I didn't title this post Gentrification; it's not gentrification when existing buildings are not renovated but completely razed, sometimes the original foundation is uprooted. It makes me very sad to see my community being developed into oblivion and becoming more like West Los Angeles with its multitude of  high rises, apartments and condos with underground parking that regularly floods during a major storm.

The Happiest Place on Earth

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Awkward Moment

Have you ever experienced an awkward moment? The kind that makes you feel unsure about what to do or say? Sometimes you feel you're damned if you do or damned if you don't?

Yesterday I pulled into a parking spot at my local Ralph's grocery store. A few minutes later a car parked next to me and a blond woman exited. She had an employee badge dangling from a lanyard.

I remained in my car checking my grocery list when I noticed how filthy her car was; the car hadn't been washed in months from the layers of dirt that had accumulated. It reminded me of the rings on a tree that tell its history of how many years it's been growing.

I then noticed all the clutter in her car. It was filled with papers, empty containers and plastic  bags. Only the driver's seat was clear of debris.

[caption id="attachment_42" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Material Possessions of Homeless Persons"][/caption]

All at once I felt sad for her because  she may be homeless, but she was obviously working and trying to regain balance in her life. However, if she parked this vehicle at the employee lot then everyone would know she was homeless and what a terrible realism this would be.

I contemplated how I might help her:  Should I offer to pay for a car wash? Offer her the use of my water and drive way and we could wash the car together? Help her find shelter away from the car?

In the end I wasted so much time pondering what to do that she returned, entered her car and drove away. My fear of approaching her and being rebuffed paralyzed me and I'd failed to reach out and possibly help someone.

Twitter Desktop App Alternatives

I'm sitting at my spouse's job site because it's time to do payroll and one thing I learned early on, you never ever mess with peoples money. Normally I come with Boo on Sunday because afterwards we go to dinner in the San Fernando Valley, which is a good 30 miles from home. I usually bide my time by surfing the Net or logging in to Twitter, Brightkite or an alternate desktop application. Today we arrived to realize the I.T. department had blocked these sites and more! I saw my day becoming quite long and arduous as I contemplated having nothing to occupy my time with.

I Googled Twitter apps and reviewed several sites. Clicking on links resulted in the dreaded Web Sense message "This Websense category is filtered: Social Networking and Personal Sites." Not one to easily despair I continued researching different Google results and happened upon two sites that worked:

iTweet was functional and aesthetic enough to work with. It was intuitive and most important gave me access to Twitter so that I could read tweets and replies.

Tweenky's interface was bare bones and boring but I could read tweets and post so it will do in an absolute emergency.

I have an old notebook computer running WXP that used to connect to the home network with no problem. As of yesterday it stopped connecting and I've been troubleshooting ever since. Twitter has been a resource in determining what's causing the connection failure and since I desired to be productive, I thought I would continue exploring solutions from Boo's work. Thanks to iTweet and Tweenky the day was interesting and fun even if I haven't fixed problem yet.

Socialthing Desktop App

If you're like me you use a variety of applications with little thought about their usefulness in your daily routine. My eyes were opened this past weekend when Socialthing was offline.

I've been using Socialthing to read and post to Twitter, Brightkite, Plurk and supposedly Facebook - more on this later - via Ping. It conveniently displays posts of those I follow in a convenient view that allows me to assign a color to users I never want to miss anything on.





Its interface is uncluttered and displays thumbnail images of photos posted on Brightkite, something I have not seen any other desktop application do.  It's web-based which means I can access Socialthing from any computer anywhere - it's just so darned convenient!

I've been using it for about one year and when it was offline I was lost.  Of course, I tried searching Google for replacement desktop apps like Twhirl but it must be downloaded and installed via Adobe Air to use.  Also, Twhirl doesn't access Brightkite's API so this made my decision not to use it easy.

Apparently Socialthing has been bought by AOL and they've been enhancing it to integrate into AOL's network. I don't know if non-AOL users like myself will continue having access or if we'll be shunned. The one thing I do know is that I will be lost without Socialthing. Its absence last weekend left a huge void in my enjoyment of social networking.

As for Facebook, I feel like they're a walled garden. It seems they fuss with their API enough to thwart other apps from accessing their network and allowing users to read / post. I've become increasingly frustrated with Facebook's antics to the extent that I rarely login. My page is getting dusty!