One Direction - Story of my Life - Opinion

I really, really love this song.  Like so much.  And I confess that although I am as old as dirt, I cried at the video.  

Hockey! Sharks Season Opener - 10/3/13

I've got 54 photos to post here so I'm going to keep the chatter to a minimum...(but I must say I was experimenting with colors in a lot of these pictures.  Subjects are not always as orange as they appear.  Although some are (I'm looking at you Doug).)  

Cliff's Notes:

Canucks (BOOO) at Sharks (YAAAY HAPPY)

No Adrienne (SAAAAADDDD)

Street Fair:

Sacramento Walk to End Alzheimer's - My Walk for my Mom, Beverly Halford 10/5/13

On October 5th, I was privileged to participate in the Sacramento Walk to End Alzheimer's.  I walked on behalf of my mother, Beverly who has had the horrible disease for some 10 odd years now.  She used to love Elvis Presley so I'll include some mood music that she would appreciate.

Fittingly, the day was absolutely gorgeous.  They passed out promise flowers in different colors to signify how Alzheimer's has affected you and to signify a promise to Honor, Care, Remember, and Fight.

There are four colors:

Blue:  I have Alzheimer's 

Purple:  I have lost someone to Alzheimer's

Yellow:  I am supporting or caring for someone with Alzheimer's

Orange:  I support the cause and a vision of a world without Alzheimer's

I have to say...it was such a beautiful and uplifting experience.  Hard for me to believe when it stems from such a truly horrific disease for both the person who has it and their loved ones.

One Direction Mini Post - San Jose Concert

I love my new camera, but there is one problem...it is WAY to easy to take a shit ton of photos and then feel overwhelmed by the prospect of editing them and posting them.  lol  So this is a first installment of photos from the One Direction concerts.  But first, let's set the mood...

 This is Harry.  Our theory is that he is telling the dude under the stage which girls to pull out of the audience.  

Ocean Breathes Salty - Walking Amongst the Sutro Baths 6/1/13

But first, a weird video for your viewing...errrr...pleasure?

Just because weirdness seems to fit here.  I mean, who would take some of the most beautiful coastline, build several amazing swimming pools, and then enclose it in a big ugly building, right?

To see exactly what I'm talking about, VISIT THIS AMAZING WEBPAGE. I mean, I do get it...and it's fascinating, really.  But in my little fantasy world if I had all that money and could do something like this, I would have at least left some of it open to the gorgeous vistas.

But I'm digressing before I even get started!  The point is...there aren't many places in the USA where you can go walk amongst crumbling ruins of a fantasy.  

Ladies and gents, I give you the Sutro Baths.  

That is the view that greets you from the parking lot.  It's hard to picture the place as it once was.  But fun to try.

It's not for the faint of heart...to get down to the actual site, you have to traverse a LOT of steps.

Japantown - 6/1/13

Life's been pretty much crazy lately with trying to get situated for Adrienne to move to USC and all that it entails.  But I'm hanging in there and, despite what some people suggest, we WILL make this dream come true.

On top of all that, I started my new job (which I LOVE) and also have been studying my ass off for another promotional exam that figures heavily on math.  Not my strong suit.  And frankly, I took the test last Thursday and I don't think I passed. But if I didn't, I'll take it as a challenge & retake the test in 6 months.

I've been wanting to get these pictures on here but just haven't had time or energy.  But I'm going to take the time out of my housecleaning.  Win! Right?

I made a completely unplanned stop at Japantown and was glad I did.  They were having the Soy &Tofu Festival (two things of which I heartily approve) and there were some fun things going on.  

But first, I decided to do a little bit of shopping.  
I wanted to buy a lucky cat.  

But I ended up getting a lucky cat mug that sort of resembles an amalgam of my two kitties.

Grace Cathedral 6/1/13

"While I have never been a regular churchgoer, I'm anything but immune to the power and the majesty of the religious experience."  ~~ Joseph Barbera

Picture courtesy of The Examiner

I don't care what religion you are or if you have none at all.  Myself?  I am - as the cliche goes - spiritual, not religious.  I pray often and definitely believe in a Higher Power.  But I definitely DON'T believe that you are going to hell if you are not of the "ONE, TRUE RELIGION".  That one, true bullshit varies by whatever church you happen to be standing in at the moment.  

As Marcus Aurelius once put it:

Adrienne's Birthday - May 15th, 2013 - A's vs. Rangers Game/Union Square

Wow, really behind again.  I need to catch up!  Well, let's start with a few work notes.

1)  I got a promotion!!  Woot woot!  I interviewed a few weeks ago for a PT II position (one step up).  Same division, Unclaimed Property, but on the Claims Evaluation side. 

Just when I was starting to worry that I didn't get it, they not only offered me the position, but told me that I was their top candidate!  Yay!  I don't have a start date yet...hopefully in two weeks.  I'm really excited.

2) This weekend was the end of overtime for at least the month of July.  So Yay! for that too. Although I can always use the money, I need a break.  I've been working 9.5 - 10 hours almost ever weekday plus 8 on Saturdays.

However, I may be put on a special project which will require me to work every Saturday in July.  My new promotion may actually take me off this project, which I would have mixed reactions to.  So whatever happens is fine I suppose.

Now, on to Adrienne's Birthday!

I took the day off so we could go to the A's game.  Unfortunately, it was finals week for Adie so she was in serious study mode.  We got a late start from Sacramento, and consequently got to the game after it had started and the A's were already down several runs.  Boo!

We had good seats. Right behind this dude with the awesome beanie!  It was definitely not beanie weather though. #hot

Supermoon = Superfun! 2013

Yay!  I figured out how to use my camera a little! In spite of a little scare where most of my pictures (including the best ones I must say) were shot in the wrong file format and therefore unable to be saved, I had so much fun trying to shoot the supermoon last weekend. 

Where Did The Party Go? - Sharks/Canucks Game 4 - 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs 5/7/2012

That is my Fall Out Boy inspired (or stolen, depending on your outlook) title.  If you're an FOB fan like me which - let's face it - most people my age are definitely not, you'll know that they used to write extremely loooonnnngggg song titles.  Their new cd is different, so I fixed one of the songs for them.

Just in case you're not a fan, but feel like they sound familiar, this is probably why:

Damn, that video made me really fucking sad. Which is surprising since there is a (not)surprising lack of Sharks in it.   I really thought the Sharks were going to do it this year.  I still think they got robbed.  You will NEVER convince me that the Kings were handed game 2 in L.A. with that incredibly bogus 5-3 in the waning minutes of the game.  The Stuart penalty? Okay, maybe although the Kings are truly the Kings of interference which never gets called.  The Vlasic puck over the glass?  No. Fucking.Way.  That went off of the Kings player.

Yes, you can argue that the Sharks should have killed off the penalty, but that late in a close game...having a bullshit call practically gift a tie to the opposition...

pretty demoralizing, I can imagine.

And don't even get me started on the bullshit suspension of Raffi Torres.  He deserves a lot of things but a 6 game suspension for THAT particular hit was definitely NOT one of them. 

But I digress.

This post is about a HAPPIER time.  A time when the Sharks were ebulliently crushing the Canucks who, ironically, were ardently complaining about the refs themselves.  Oh, good times.

We got there late.  Which wasn't a good time.  We left Sacramento with plenty of time, but traffic was horrible.  So we got there at the tail end of warm ups and couldn't even think about getting close to the glass.  Nevertheless, pictures!

Adrienne was accepted to USC today!!!  

YAY!  

I cannot begin to say how excited and PROUD I am.  She's amazing.  She's been working full time and going to school almost full time for the last few years and pretty much paying her way.

Today she was rewarded for her hard work and dedication.  Not only by being accepted but she was named a Transfer Merit Scholar which is accompanied by a partial scholarship paying a quarter of her tuition.  That's $11,000 per year folks. And she may possibly qualify for more and/or other financial aid.

SO PROUD!  

It's going to be tough but we will find a way to make this happen!  

I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father for his guidance and comfort and blessing.

xoxo

Orioles @ Athletics 4/28/13

My seat was straight above the 330 mark; 2nd row - 2nd deck

As anyone who knows me (or has looked at this blog) knows, my first team that I cheered for in baseball was the Baltimore Orioles.

And I'll say the reason again...when I was a junior in high school, I watched the World Series that year and fell in love with a pair of gorgeous blue eyes.  They belonged to Cal Ripken Jr and I was hooked...not just on Cal and the Orioles, but on baseball in general.

Happy Memorial Day 2013

EVERY NAME HAS A FACE

What Heroes Gave ~~ Roger Robicheau

Each donned their uniform to be    Defenders of our liberty

Their mission sure, their spirits bright   Guard freedom’s home, be brave to fight

One final day each faced their call   Each gave their best enduring all

Deep down inside we should all feel   What heroes gave, their cost so real

We must stay thankful, grateful of   The gift of freedom through their love

Their loved ones bore the gravest pain   What we can’t know, some now sustain

To God I pray their pain will cease   And each will find long-lasting peace

Remember this from year to year   What heroes gave – shan’t disappear

We’ll never let their special day   Their time for honor slip away

These brave fought for a nation free   If not for them, where would we be?

I Like Food! - Sacto MoFo 11/26/13

Anyone ever watch Food Network's Great Food Truck Race?  Then you understand my fascination with food trucks.  In the city of Sacramento, there was an ordinance that prohibited trucks from parking for longer than 20 minutes, which obviously precluded any sort of gourmet fare being served.

So a few years ago, they started having the Sacramento Mobile Food Truck Festival (Sacto MoFo) to bring awareness and hopefully change the ordinance.  Which I think they did.  Or relaxed it.  Or something.  Bottom line is we now have some very delicious food trucks in the area PLUS every year we have trucks come from all over California to give people a chance at the Food Truck Experience.

This year, my sister happened to come to town on the day of the festival, so I took the day off and we hung out all day...first eating &

Fan Appreciation=Mutual Lovefest - Last Home Game Part 3

FAN APPRECIATION (fan uh-pree-shee-ey-shuh n) (NOUN): ________________________________

Thankful recognition, with an increase  or rise in the 

value of property, goods, etc., of the people who love

you with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal.

Sounds about right for Sharks fans.  Except for the "uncritical" part; Sharks fans are extraordinarily hard on their team, players and coaches alike.  I think it comes from being sooooo close for so long and not quite getting the job done.   The job?  This...

With this victory over the Dallas Stars, The San Jose Sharks clinched a playoff spot for the 9th straight year...second only to the Red Wings stretch of 22 consecutive years. 

Last Home Game - Part 2 - Moar Pics!

Holy hell, the Sharks just beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 in game 3.  AMAZEBALLS!!  I am soooooo excited because I am going to game 4!  That's right.  Adrienne's wonderful friend Kyle gave her two tickets for the game for her birthday.  And then he couldn't go.  So Mama benefits!  Happy mother's day to me. :-)

This is Adrienne....

And this is me...

Last Home Game of the Season! Boo-Ya! 4/23/13 Part I

Boo=We played the Dallas Stars

Ya= We Won!!!

Boo-Ya! I got a new camera!  It was my birthday, yo.  So I'm so very happy to have many, many, many decent pictures.  Probably too many. But who the hell cares?  

So without further adieu, here is our trip to San Jose for the last home game of this abbreviated season.  

We got a much later start than intended.  We both were off most of the day and hoped to actually hang around the Bay Area but we did manage to make to our favorite cupcakery before the game, Kara's on Santana Row.

I got my usual, the SUPER delicious Fleur de Sel which is a caramel-filled chocolate cupcake with chocolate ganache frosting with fleur de sel (naturally!). Adrienne got the carrot cake which is what it says it is...with cream cheese frosting.

Love You Like Crazy Part the Second - Blackhawks 2/5/13

As previously promised, here are some pictures taken by my daughter's HTC phone.  We were on the Blackhawks' side for warm ups, so - yep, you guessed it - these are pictures of the Blackhawks.  You even get a glimpse of my Sharpie's pretty face.  ;-)

Love You Like Crazy - Blackhawks at Sharks

Dear NHL,  Your addiction to money and power has affected my life in the following ways...

Seriously, it's been hard for me to get very much into the hockey season this year.  

Don't get me wrong...I've still watched almost every Sharks game on tv this year as well as quite a few Blackhawks and Penguins games.  But I've only been to one game at the beginning of the season.  

And when I left the game, which was quite exciting, I didn't feel an urgent desire to go back. 

So I haven't. I did, however, splurge on some tickets for the last home game of the season with the  hope that I would feel more excited about making the 5 hour round trip to watch some hockey in person.  I am getting more excited...which is exciting!

Another way the damn lockout affected me is that I wasn't very careful with my camera and it somehow it became severely disabled.  In other words, I broke it.  So I took my daughters POS camera.  Which is really not supposed to be a POS. It is a Canon that I advised her not to buy because IMO Canon's have a lot of focus issues.  This Canon is no exception.  

I Miss Me When I'm Gone...

Why am I so tired?  

At least twice a week I have a strong desire to write in this journal.

Evaporation occurs before my hands type the address of the page.

I love my job.

I want to write.

I need to do more...

I'm Okay! (Trust Me...)

Well if you wanted honesty, that's all you have to say.

I never want to let you down or have you go...it's better off this way.

I'm not okay

YOU WEAR ME OUT!

Here's the simple truth.  

I'm a strong woman.  I've been a single mother for 26 years (and I mean that...no ex who really was involved in my daughter's life except sporadically.  He's not a bad person at all, just lives in a different city and has a distant personality as well.)  My own family is jumbled and distant - your normal dysfunction.  My daughter is my family.  I'm closest to my sister but we talk maybe a couple times a month and usually about my mom.

So why am I rambling about this?  Simple.  My family, or lack thereof, has always been a source of great stress and sorrow to me.  Don't get me wrong...I'm mostly happy with my life but I've always wished that I had a family who was close and who cared.