Where has time gone?

I'm such a shit for not blogging here lately. One of my buddies mentioned that he hasn't seen me post a new blog so here I go.

a-hem

cough

Since my last blog, much has been happening. From screw-ups in scheduling appointments and then, loosing another Office supervisor who, was here only as a temp (thank god she left). New supervisor has come in and things should start running smoothly now and I'll get to step down and not be the right hand person any longer. I still keep my eye open in hopes, that a position becomes available (more pay) but, now we're told of budget cuts again (nothing new with KCCD and the way they micromanage it).
Spent thanksgiving with 'D' side of the family and had planned on going over and spend xmas with Mom. However, thanks to Adam, I managed to catch his bug and it's settled in my chest. So needless to say, I spent xmas eve and xmas day sleeping off and on. Here it is Friday! Hadn't noticed it til this morning when I logged onto the computer to read the newspaper that, time has flown by fast.

What are YOU doing for New Years Eve? I had hoped to spend it with my family here at home but, in steps his friend and invites him and the boys over to her place and is it extended to me? NO. Here I was looking forward to putting the boys to bed at 12:15am on New Years Day and having a bit of adult fun with 'D'. What ever. Things will change in the new-year. Believe me. Things WILL change.

Happy Thanksgiving/Native American Massacre Day everyone.

Thanksgiving is here. I'm thankful that I have a job, roof over my head and food in the fridge. Thankful that I have Damon in my life and 2 wonderful step-son's that I adore. Thankful for Bob and the fish. Thankful that I've managed to bite my tounge and not go and kick the shit out of a family member(s) ass. I got up at 530am this morning. Had my shower, cup of coffee and managed to kill some noob out in wild before going into the kitchen and put the corn bread on to cook. I decided against making an Italian dish for dinner today and, instead bought a 13 lbs turkey. Cranberries are currently setting out on the counter to cook (which I'll have Carter do).
Much has been going on since I last blogged. Most of it work related so, I won't bore you with the details. All I know is that I come home, cook dinner and vegge out on the couch til 8pm and haul my ass off to bed. Been having allot of stomach problems lately (thanks to work).

Have a wonderful day.

Fall is coming!

Fall is coming and with that, brings out the native in everyone. My friend Rainer in Canada sent me some photos of his lastest outing with his kids that, I had to post it. To be young and not have to worry abt anything and to learn abt the history of our forefathers, bring a smile to my face. Time travel... to have the ability to do so, would be wonderful.

Imagine digging into a piece of wood and finding something yummy to eat. Now we know where the folks at HotLixs get all their bugs from. >:o)

much to do abt nothing....

I'd say that not much has been going on here in the last month but, that would be a fat lie. A lot has been going on. Both in my personal life and with work. I'll leave both topics out of this blog and carry on with other items instead.

Amazon (that's my best friend) has this kat who, I believe in her past life was a ninja warrior that went around killing other cats with her drool. Go ahead... click on the image for an upclose look at the killer drool. It's crazy.

Woman's best friend when she reaches 40.

I admit it.

I'm going through Menopause.

There.

I said it.

Complete with hot-flashes, then cold. Can't get cool so the window is open with the fan in it, blowing in the cool 50 degrees air of downtown Bakersfield @ 3am.
No period in 4 months (thank you god).


I love menopause....

Don't you?

Changes are coming

So many things are going in my life atm that it's crazy! Changes maybe coming soon so I'm prepping myself for that since, I've been seeing it coming for the last few months.
Work is insane. 16,000 students now enrolled with the college district. Shit!
21st class reunion coming soon. I really can't wait to see my old classmates again. Seems that I've put a distance to everyone and everything in the last yr, which is BAD!
Love to all.

the big 4-0

Lordy, lordy, look who's 40!?!?
I didn't think that I would make it to the 40 mark in my life. Honestly I didn't. Not with all the health issues that run; or better yet, wobble in my family (heart disease, diabetes, etc). I am truly amazed that I made it. I feel like shouting from the top of our roof in downtown Bakersfield; HEY YOU FUCKERS!!! I MADE IT!!!!. But, I doubt that I would have the guts to do that. Never mind, I'd most likely will get my ass tossed in jail for speaking my mind.

I had a nice day. Took the my step-sons CB and DJ out to Los Tacos where, we scarfed down burritos. Amazon (that's my best friend), Ray came over to take Damon to pick me up my birthday cake from Costco. Never mind the pamphlet that he had inserted in with the flowers for a casket (hardy-har-har). Then came the drinks! Some kind of fruity drink with peaches and strawberry in it with Gin. Eh; his face (Damon) got numb after consuming 3 glasses (I won't mention that I dumped a quarter of Gin in his drink when I got refills). **NOTE; KIDS HAD NON GIN DRINKS**

After hearing all the horror stories from others here that I work with up at BC, I decided to forgo my tattoo and get....



Eh. I don't think so!!! I've tried piercing my nipple once I couldn't bare the thought of going through that again. Shesh!

I'll stick with the fake tattoos for the time being. :o)

Going to a concert!!!

For those of you out there (family and friends) who think they know me really well; let's just see HOW well you know me...

What is my ALL time FAVORITE music group?




*silence*


give up?



ABBA! And who is coming to Bakersfield?

Adbacadabra!!!!!

I've waited for YEARS to see them perform live and now, it's my chance go see em at the Kern County Fair. And it gets better cause.... the concert is FREE!!!!
I'll be getting out my platform shoes and satin jumpsuit out for the event. I can't wait to be a Dancing Queen for the nite.

Old students

One of my former photo students sent me an email, telling me of her stay down in Panama. I'm envyous to the extreme that she's staying the whole month down there. BIG congrats to her btw; on getting her BFA in Photography from San Jose State. DezdiMona-Fine Art Photography

turning japanesse, I really think so

Soooo in love with the Asian culture that my step-sons and I are trying to learn Chinese. Holy shit. Talk abt one hard language to learn. Best way to describe it is, that you talk with the tip of your tongue touching the back of your bottom teeth when you try to pronounce a word. So while DJ and I learn the language, CB is going to try his hand at making dishes from Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea. This should be an interesting experience all around.

Hams and farting

My old buddy Terry, who is an electroic nerd, recently went to Anacapa Channel Island where, they sat up camp (along with many car batteries) for several days of chatting with others via ham radio. Click on the photo and it "should" take you to his homepage to read all abt last yr's experience. Hopefully, he'll be posting his recent photos from this years trip.
Not much has been going on here the last few days since I last blogged. Still on vacation and have scheduled an appointment for my "annual" exam with the doctor. Complete with getting the tits smashed and a pelvic exam. I hate pelvic exams. My first one as at the age of 15 and I ended up farting. Talk about embarassment. lol. The doctor is still practicing and, I can't bring myself to go back to him. Gawd. lmao.
Got some rather disturbing news and I'm not sure if it's true or not. I hope it isn't. I can't see someone kicking their own child who is 15 yrs old, out of their home. I've been saying prayers for the family in hopes that they'll get some counseling or something. Seems that I recall the same thing happening to his father when he was that age...
Amazon is taking Ray's nephew back to Las Vegas tomorrow to catch his flight. Guess I'll ride along just to get out of town for the day. I'll post from Vegas tomorrow.

figs anyone?

I've NEVER liked figs... until now. I mean; I can't bring myself to eat them fresh from the tree but, I can however, eat them if they have been cooked somehow. Like into a cookie! My step-son has been doing the cooking lately which, has been very nice and with it, he's been learning what a great responsibility it is to cook the evening meals. I'm proud of him.

Flirts on the web

We've all had our shares of flirting on the Internet but, can it go too far to lead one astride?

You answer that.

What happened to family time?

Rebulid that bond with that special someone in your life.

Look for signs.

2 girlfriends of mine know what I'm talking about and, I look forward to meeting with them and talk abt the problem within our relationships.

Nooooooo!!!!!!!

Dear Gawd in Heaven!!!!

I went on my lunch break and forgot my drink. Went to the fridge only to find an empty Dr. Pepper Bottle!!!!

URGH!!!!!!!!

The Cell

Legs twitch.

Heart beats race.

Wet Sheets from body sweat.

Does very many people recall what they dreamt about last night? I do. Or did. This dream was my longest one that I can yet, remember what it was about.

A night in the cell.

What kind of Cell? Not the cell phone but, a cell (or cell's) with doors that would open up like they did on the television series Star Trek. You would just step to the door and they'd magically slid open. And what was in these cell's? A table (or) a chair with straps on it which, held down dead people. Why am I dreaming of dead people being strapped down in a chair or on a table is beyond me. All I know is that Damon (who tried getting us out of the cells) and I, had one hell of a time getting out. And how did I know that we weren't suppose to be in this place? What's with all the electric machines and do-dads? So we managed to get into one of the cells, after removing the body and placed it in the viewing room and, yes, we tried folding the sheets that were used to cover the body with (thanks to Damon just wadding it up). That's not a way to fold it!!!! So once we got the sheets taken care of (didn't want anyone knowing that we were in there), had a quickie on the table (complete with being strapped down) which afterwards started pushing all those buttons on the control panel on the wall (in the cell) hoping that, we'd make contact with someone, who'd come in and save us from the unknown. And the guys that worked in this place, that were removing the bodies; shit! I swear they looked like they could have been on Star Gate Atlantis show.
So now that we're in the cell, punching away on the panel trying to use the outside phone line, there's noise out in the main room. Their back to take another body. So I try to get Damon to talk with a softer voice but, instead he's starting to get pissy and louder "Why should I be quiet, if they want to listen to me yell; I'll yell!" Oy. We managed to get the door cracked open and we can then see the person with pale ass skin, dark circles under their eyes, pull out their cell phone, aim it at the panel on the wall and what happens? A hidden door opens up, that reveals the outside where, we are trying to escape to. Door closes and the person is gone, we rush out and pull out our cell phones and start punching all the numbers on the pad.

Did we make it out?

Don't know. I hope to continue the dream though. :o)

I love ducktape

Bad boys! Bad Boys!

Whatcha gonna do?

Whatcha gonna do when Damon comes for you?

One of our friends home was busted into today (we were informed). Apparently the asswipes only took game stuff and didn't bother with the dvd player or their pc which, seems funny. Wouldn't you get more money by taking a pc??? Hello? What kind of a robber is this person that, only takes game hardware? WTF? Are you stupid? Were you dropped on your head at birth? Maybe it's that pot that you're smoking that, has caused you to loose the last of the good cells left in that empty mellon of yours. And who was that person that was taping on the windows, and knocking on the door today? What's the matter? Found out that someone was home and didn't want to take a chance on breaking in while someone was there?

Dum fucks.

That's ok. We've got a shit load of good ole American Ducktape just for occassions like this.

Beware robbers; we'll ducktape your naked ass to a telephone pole. Try explaining why your up there and why there's a note glued to your ass. Wait. Forget glue.

Ducktape.

The American god given gift to rednecks.

Time traveling

I wish that there was a way to do time travel. Where would you like to go? Who would you like to visit? Places to see?
The place that I would so dearly love to visit is Shangoloo Lousianna. The place where my ancestors came from. My father traveled there once, when he was a youngster when he, and his siblings, piled into the 1932 Model T, and drove all the way back on Route 66 to get there.
John R. "Jack" Caswell would be one of the many ppl that I would like to talk with. Just who was he? He was a 2nd great grandfather of mine (through Dad's side). The family lost the plantation during the Civil war which, is why they up'd and moved further south out of Arkansas to Louisiana. Jack and most of his children (My grandpa James Madison C) being the last of Dad's line to be buried there. I won't mention why James's boys (3 of em) where caught Moon shining, nor will I mention the fact that one of the uncles shot the sheriff in the leg, which was blown off by standing several feet away with a double barrel shotgun.
There wouldn't be our modern day devices (cell phones, computers, tv, fast food) and instead, we'd be using horse and buggies, telegraph and read about Indian raids inplace of gang activity.
It would be really interesting... it really would.

Fleas and Salt

Ever since we moved into this place, we've been fighting the problem with fleas. Sure, we've sprayed, vacuumed and cleaned the carpet throughout the house and yet, we still have FLEAS. Those little blood sucking bastards. How did we get them? The last renter had a cat that would shit and piss all over the place and yea; she had a cleaning lady that did the dusting, vacuum and mop the place. But did she clean up cat shit and piss? Apparently not. The couple that I use to babysit for and clean house on occasion, once told me of a remedy that they used to solve the problem with fleas.

And what was it?




SALT.

So I've placed table salt all throughout the house (with the exception of the boys room) to give it a try. Let's test that theroy on salt killing fleas. You'd think that it'd work since salt is one of the leaders in dehydration.

The Worlds Fastest Indian

Speaking of salt; a co-worker loaned me this movie that I highly recommend to the person who is interested in SPEED and Motorbikes. The Worlds Fastest Indian, starting Sir Anthony Hopkins is a must see. Based on a true story of an elderly man (age 68) that had this life long dream of coming to America JUST to ride his bike; an 1920 Indian, that he modified. From start to finish, it had me on my seat with laughter and awe of seeing someone actually living out their dream. This just showed me that dreams can come true.

MORE SALT

Can you guess where I plan on going in Sept of 2008? And it's not Las Vegas either.

Give up?

Bonneville, Utah
here we come!

Happy Independence Day!

What is the above image? It was drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "self-evident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.
To view it in person, go to DC and stand in the long line with other's and soak up the history. It's worth the trip.

15 yrs ago today, I came up from San Diego to visit the family for the day. Boy; did I came up on the wrong day! 115 degrees. Can we say; Heat Stroke?

Get out and celebrate today and show how proud you are to be an American! Roast those hot dogs (watch out Damon I have the mustard) and eat watermelon. Fly that American Flag on your front porch!

HOT

Holy fucking hell! This heat as GOT to go. We weren't (are we ever) ready for it to come upon us this fast. 105 expected high for the 4th.

HELL.

Oceanside sounds good right now.

We'll miss you Joel

Surrounded by family and friends, ABC's beaming and insightful movie critic Joel Siegel has died in New York, after a long and remarkably courageous struggle with cancer, at the age of 63.
Both colleagues and fans delighted in his unique way of blending cheerful good humor and piercing critical acumen in reviews that made them instantly clear to anyone. You knew exactly what he thought — often with the bonus of a good laugh.

Dance! Dance! Dance!

GIRL POWER!!!!

"YES!" I shouted out loud at my desk at work.

Total silence.

Then my office supervisor cleared her throat and asked: YES for what?

SPICE Girls are reuniting and are going on tour!

YAY!

How strange that, it was just 2 weeks ago that, I went online to Blockbuster.com and requested Spice Girls on dvd and watched it with my step-sons. Damon, of course, thought that was a bit odd but, heck! I loveeeee the Spice Girls.

I'm glad that their coming out and going on tour. Wonder how much tickets are going to be and WHEN will the be in Los Angeles?

got power?

I've noticed that life before the pc came along was rather fun. We played games on the Nintendo, read TONS of books, went places and was more active in the studio. ALL before the net came along. Then WHAM! We surf the web, find ppl to chat with, play on web cam (I don't; I'd charge WAY too much to show my boobies to anyone) and we gained weight! Only exercise one gets is by working that index finger.

Think that finger is going to loose the weight that one needs? Nah.

So anyway; my pc wouldn't turn on for some reason or another. We're under the impression that it's the power supply. No money. It'll have to wait til payday.

Fingers itch.

I need to click that mouse.

Got Stress? I DO!!!!!

Lay offs at work! Grrrrr. And I'm worried BIGTIME abt my job or will I even have one.

Labor, district clash
Porterville: Local college could be affected by layoffs.
By Aaron Burgin
The Porterville Recorder
June 15

BAKERSFIELD — A labor dispute between the Kern Community College District and employees union representatives that has stewed since last year reached a fevered pitch this week.

The California School Employees Association filed a grievance and a lawsuit against the district, accusing it of violating fair labor practices when it sent layoff and reorganization notices to a dozen employees in May.

Union officials from across the Valley, clad in blue shirts and armed with picket signs, staged an informational protest outside of the district office in downtown Bakersfield noontime Thursday.

“This has gotten really ugly and has hurt a lot of people,” said Michael Lynn, a CSEA labor relations representative. The layoffs in question were part of a Board of Trustees-approved reorganization of several district departments, including the business services and corporate-and-community-services departments at all three KCCD campuses.

The reorganization would result in a dozen employees being laid off or getting steep pay cuts, including a Bakersfield College accounting supervisor who is also the union’s Bakersfield chapter president, Lynn said. CSEA representatives said they were done without prior negotiations with the union, which they said is a violation of the union-district collective bargaining agreement. The union filed the grievance with the Public Employees Relations Board last week, and also filed a civil lawsuit in Kern County Superior Court, claiming the district violated the shared governance code, which protects staff and faculty’s right to participate in district governance. Additionally, Lynn said, the CSEA contends that administrators have tried to undermine the union by sending an e-mail to all employees Wednesday night that blamed the union for the impasse. “This place is run like a [darn] plantation,” Lynn said. Other union members believe the district is targeting the union and is trying to weaken the union with the manner of handling the cuts. “If management is able to handle the layoffs like this in this department, it will be a domino effect, and when will it stop?” said Michelle Hart, Porterville College-CSEA chapter president. Officials from the district, which includes Porterville College, fired back that they did not violate any statutes, and did not have to negotiate the reorganization with union officials. Victor Collins, the KCCD vice chancellor of human resources, said the collective bargaining agreement has no statutes that mandate the administration to negotiate any of the cuts. The district, he said, can negotiate the “effect” of the reorganization, meaning negotiating new positions for the displaced workers. Lynn said it is CSEAs position that negotiation regarding these cuts should have been discussed with the union prior to reaching the board’s table. Anything less would be unlawful, Lynn said. Those negotiations, however, halted Wednesday after district officials declared an impasse after six hours of negotiations with CSEA officials. A state-appointed mediator will likely have to bring both parties back to the bargaining table, Collins said. “We believe that we have interpreted the agreement correctly, the union doesn’t,” said Collins, as protesters below shouted, “Shame on you.” “That is really the issue right now,” Collins said. Talks of the reorganizations began in May 2006, district officials said. On May 10, the board voted unanimously in favor of the reorganization, and the human resources department issued layoff notices to the employees affected. After determining how many employees would be affected by the reorganization, district and union officials met Wednesday to negotiate the terms of the layoffs. Collins said the district offered a “Y-rating” for the employees, meaning they would retain the current salary, but would not receive any raises until their current position’s salary range exceeded their pay. The deal, Lynn said, had a number of conditions — another alleged violation of fair labor practices — so the union rejected the offer. Collins immediately declared an impasse. Now, Collins said the district will request a mediator from the state Mediation and Conciliation Services to mediate negotiations between both groups. Employees and union officials said they just want the district to play fair — and legal. “I would like to believe that we are past those sort of tactics,” said Jennifer Marden, the BC chapter president affected by the reorganization. “But there are a lot of employees who feel like the district is targeting the CSEA, and we won’t stand for that.”

Happy Fathers Day!

Dad and me (1968)

(1972)
I miss my dad. Be happy that you (the reader) has one living still. Spend the day with him, tell him a joke, share a secret, lay on the grass and watch the ants. Spend time with him.

Tattoo! Tattoo!

Oceanside @ Ronniesor Tattoo?

Believe it or not, I'm getting myself a tattoo for my 40th birthday which, is just a short time away. It's just the matter of deciding just WHAT to get. I don't want my hubby/boyfriends name tatt'ed on me, nor, do I want a flower of sorts. Something that memorializes the passing of 2 men in my life that I hold dearly (my dad and oldest brother) and my young friend Scott. My love of the arts? hmm But then, I enjoy classic cartoons a BUNCH. Little Audrie, Casper, Scooby Doo.
Thus far, I've spend a lot of time, surfing the web and looking at tattoo artists work. There's one artist that I need to approach, that is in the family and see what he can come up with by using my ideas.

So Oceanside or Tattoo?

Which is it?

Hell; I'll do both. :o)

fish tails

LAYOFFS at work

OK. So at a blink of an eye, you have a job and then you don't. Well; I have a job still but, others that work with me at the college district will find them self's without one on July 1st which, is when the change takes effect. Sure we had some pretty hairy-ass budget cuts 4 yrs ago when my job at the Art Dept was placed on the wood stump and axed. But I did get lucky and get myself bumped into another position on campus. I'm hoping that the same thing doesn't happen this time around.

CSEA Union to hold informational rally discussing BC layoffs

Last Update: Jun 14, 2007 7:50 PM

Posted By: brynn galindo

Watch This Video

Posted 6/14/07
BAKERSFIELD - The California School Employees Association Union will be holding an informational rally at the Kern Community College District Thursday to dispute the layoff of 17 school employees at Bakersfield College.

CSEA said the Kern Community College District’s decision to layoff these employees violates a contract.

Both sides of the issue were represented Thursday by Labor Relations Representative for Bakersfield College Michael Lynn and Vice Chancellor of Human Resources from Kern Community College District Victor Collins.

Click the video link to view the discussion.

and more.....

CSEA Union holds rally to protest union member layoffs

Last Update: Jun 14, 2007 7:50 PM

Posted By: brynn galindo

Watch This Video

Posted 6/14/07
BAKERSFIELD - A rally was held Thursday by members of the California School Employees Association in downtown Bakersfield.

Seventeen classified employees of the CSEA Union were laid off after a reorganization within the Kern Community College District.

The Union alleges the district violated collective bargaining statutes by firing the employees who performed non-instructional duties.

A hearing was held at the KCCD Board meeting late Thursday afternoon. The Union hoped to address the employees’ concerns.

I didn't take part in the protest having a new-temp office supervisor.

Grandparents and cousins

I've got both. Coming out of the woodwork. Well; cousins that is. I've been spending the last 72 hours working on a co-workers family tree, with tracking down just, where the Native American comes in at and, I've hit a gold mine. What kind of gold mine?

We're distant cousins!!!

I couldn't believe it myself. I mean, here I've researched that side of the family tree (MULLIN) for ages and only traced it back to where I have the names and info of my 4th great-grandparents and, actual documentation showing that he never did follow through with signing up for on the Dawes list (Cherokee Nation). He had fell and broke his leg and was unable to travel (it was back before we had cars and you relyed on horse and buggy). Face it; would you had want to travel for MILES in the back of a wagon, just so that you can register yourself as a Native American back then? I doubt that he wanted to do just that. Anyway; long story short, his Aunt was my co-worker's grandmother. Ruth STARR-BEAN. Pretty dam cool I say.

Then there's the other bingo; locating the WWII Registration Card for my mother's step-father; John Pierfelice. THEN!!! I find out that he had been married twice! Christ! You'd think that he wouldn't want to marry SISTERS for gods sakes!?! I'll be sending off for the marriage certs and hopefully it'll give me somemore info on when he had come over from Italy. Those dam Italians are hard to trace.

Visiting Ronnie's love-nest

Oceanside also gave us a short stop to visit with playwriter, director, former actor, pornstar, and dolphin trainer; Ronnie Larsen, who was at one time a former love monkey of mine but, I doubt that he'd recognize that fact. Think he much rather do threesomes now days on the beach. Holy shit! Speaking of beach! Ronnie has got the most wonderful spread down there. Not only is his front door just 20 feet away from the dam beach but, he's in a GREAT spot to watch surfers change!!!
<----ronnie and me <--- Ronnie, Cheryl and my ex
I think that instead of spending the money on my tattoo for my 4(cough cough cough)0th birthday that, I'll use the money and go to his place via Amtrak and spy on the surfers with field glasses as they change and drink diet coke.

Sound like a plan Ronnie?