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?