Theater Night

Kathy invited me to join her at our local theatre in the round The Glendale Center Theater to see Oklahoma.

I had to admit to her that I had never see the entire movie all the way through, but was excited to do so.

I really enjoy our local theater. It has been a family run business for many many years. The Dietlin's have owned, run and performed in this theater Each year at Christmas time we go there and enjoy the Christmas Carol.

It is cozy and nice to see familiar faces in the crowd and on the stage. You recognize different performers from previous plays and yet, they blend in to whatever play they are doing at the time.

The perks of being in the Los Angeles, nee, Hollywood area is that sometimes you see faces that you recognize from TV and movies.

All in all a good fun evening.

If you have a local theater group, get out and support them.

Vegas With Megan

had a quick 2 day gig in Vegas last week and since Megan was staying after everyone else went home (I know I haven't actually written that post yet, just roll with me), she asked if she could come with me.


I have not been a "tourist" in Vegas in a long long time, she wore my ass (and all my other body parts) OUT!


We stayed at my favorite casino, Sam's Town, off the strip and discovered a Sonic Drive IN close by. OMG the slushie was divine and we always seemed to get there during Happy Hour when they were half off! WIN!


We went to the Ethel M chocolate factory, but unfortunately were moments too late because they had finished production for the day. We did Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, where Megan took her picture with almost every figure. We even went Downtown every evening to see the light show and eat Deep Fried Oreos. Of course what is Vegas without a stop at the M&M store, or a quick stop at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign? Yep, we did those as well.


It was a great trip and I am so glad to have had the chance to do it with Megan before she branches out to NYC next summer.


btw, I only played $20 the entire time we were there, I couldn't leave Vegas without playing the Great Wall of China. Balls Balls Balls!


ps the links above will take you to Flick'r picture sets of the places that were visited.

Calm Before the Storm

It is a quiet Tuesday evening (quiet now because Matthew stopped screaming and Caitlyn stopped whining), within the next half hour or so Kathy will return home with Stephanie and Arnild in tow. Then in a mere 16 hours later Gretchen, Gordon, Melody, Jon, Lynn, Megan, Robin, Bryan, Shawn, Erika and Jackson will also arrive.

We are gearing up for a rip roaring good time. A simple layout/breakdown of the plans:

Wednesday: Dinner (spaghetti) at Dad's in Canoga Park
Thursday: Seaworld San Diego
Friday: Dockweiler Beach (fire pits!)
Saturday: Lazy day by the Hotel pool, Pizza at a park and then dessert at the Soda Fountain with Dad.
Sunday: Hiking at Placerita Canyon to spread mom's ashes.
Monday: The Gerth/Franks/Mizgala contingent leaves (minus Megan, she figures into my later plans). Los Angeles Zoo.
Tuesday: The Zynda contingent leaves and Me and Megan head to Vegas.
Thursday: The Winters contingent leaves
Friday: Megan and I return to LA.

Busy busy busy!

Any and all are welcomed to join!

Send me an email and I will give you more detailed information

Road Tripping

Image via Wikipedia

BlogHer and Ford are giving away a free trip to the BlogHer conference (where all those buttons to the left for parties are gonna be at!).

If you would like a chance to win, all you have to do is click this link and tell them your favorite car to take a road trip in.




Will it be the Fusion Hybrid, small and sporty (my personal choice)?

Will it be the Escape Hybrid, small but big?

Or will it be the Flex (the car I will one day marry)?

Go tell them all about it and then come back and tell me.

Senility or Stupidity

We all know Caitlyn thinks I am old, now I am just trying to prove her right.

When I got the email about working this next convention, I immediately put the dates on my Yahoo calendar which automatically updates to my phone and then I went into the kitchen and wrote it on the family calendar on the fridge.

Good right?

A few days ago Marisa IM'd me asking if I was working this weekend or next aqnd I said I think I am working both but let me double check. I looked again at the email and realized I had marked the wrong days on the calendar in the kitchen, I started the assignment on Sunday and should have written Saturday. So I replied to her yes, I am working in Los Angeles this weekend and Las Vegas next. Then I went to the kitchen and corrected what I had thought to write wrong.

This morning I got up (I went out late last night, more on that another time) and got ready for work, reopened the email to find where I was to meet my supervisor and who exactly it would be. WHA? HUH? I had it right the first time, SUNDAY is May 31 not SATURDAY. Even writing it on the stupid calendar I didn't realize that the 31st was Sunday and that I had it right the first time.

Ugh

MesothileWHAT?

Almost 20 years ago, our local High School (the one from which both my kids graduated), had a fire. It happened before we moved to California so I wasn’t around when it happened and I don’t know many of the finer details.

So why then am I talking about it if I don’t know what happened? I’ll tell you why. My friend (we’ll call her Lou) worked there during that time and as a result of that fire she was exposed to asbestos and has had multiple breathing problems since then and other medical complications. Asbestos exposure is linked to a very dangerous form of lung cancer called Mesothelioma. It can affect both workers and their families. Mesothelioma is most common in among workers in the shipbuilding industry, construction, auto mechanics, contractors, and demolition but just the exposure she had would be enough.

Lou (not her real name but yes she is a real person), ended up getting transferred to another high school in the city almost 5 years later, which is where we met. She has remained a school district employee and is now contemplating retirement. She has had more and more medical complications throughout the years, some of which have never been explained. Engorged swelling of her legs and hands (gout was ruled out, her salt intake diminished to nothing), a mini stroke or two (they aren’t saying for certain the second one was an actual stroke), insomnia, and so on and so on and so on.

I first saw information about Mesothelioma on the back of a city bus. My initial thought was OMG, I bet that is what is happening with Lou. So I read up on it and checked out the Wikipedia page which explains it as "a form of cancer that is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos". It goes on to explain the symptoms as "shortness of breath due to pleural effusion (fluid between the lung and the chest wall) or chest wall pain, and general symptoms such as weight loss".

Unfortunately (fortunately?) she doesn’t match those symptoms, as a matter of fact, she has put on weight and no matter of exercising and watching her diet seems to make it go away. So, with the further research I realized I didn’t need to rush out and refer her to a Mesothelioma Lawyer.

Lou remains in a state of suspension. Her symptoms are not commiserate with the asbestos exposure and her lungs have not been affected. The poor thing has been prodded and tested and poked and medicated. Perhaps one day, someone somewhere will figure it out. In the meantime, I will continue to be a friend and make her as happy and comfortable as possible.

Proposition 1b

"EDUCATION FUNDING. PAYMENT PLAN"

EDUCATION FUNDING. PAYMENT PLAN.

• Requires supplemental payments to local school districts and community colleges to address recent budget cuts.
  


• Annual payments begin in 2011–12.
  


• Payments are funded from the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund until the total amount has been paid.
  


• Payments to local school districts will be allocated in proportion to average daily attendance and may be used for classroom instruction, textbooks and other local educational programs.
  


• Summary of Legislative Analyst’s Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact:
  


• Fiscal impact would depend on how current constitutional provisions would otherwise be interpreted.
  


• Potential state savings of up to several billion dollars in 2009–10 and 2010–11.
  


• Potential state costs of billions of dollars annually thereafter.
  

Sounds good right? Other than the fact that it doesn't actually happen until 2011? But wait. And this part isn't even on the Secretary of States website, but according to my favorite conservative radio "shock jocks" John Kobalt and Ken Champaeu and their crayola comments (kidding!), Prob 1b can not pass if Prop 1a doesn't pass!

So what the are telling you is, you wanna give money to the schools? You want us to fund education? Then do what we tell you and no body gets hurt. Or as Arnold said in a press conference today, No body burns! As he threatened to fire fireman and put California in danger if Prop 1a didn't pass.

Moving to Las Vegs is looking better and better each day.

Cubist

I consider myself to be a firm believer and executer of the Democratic Way. I not only look at things from both sides (I can't help it even if I don't want to, I HAVE to), but sometimes I end up looking at them from as many sides as a 3 dimensional cube. It is amazing to see that quite a few things that so many things people think are very clear and even "black and white" are really in so many various shades of grey and have multiple sides, versions, outcomes that just get pushed by the wayside when you only think 1 dimensionally.



But right now I am having a hard time trying to understand the reasoning behind why I had to sit for 2.5 hours in a hard metal chair in a room that didn't have air conditioning and listen to something I have heard over and over again.



You see, our lovely Governator has called for a "Special Election". this would be the lovely Governator, who when he ran after Gray Davis was recalled, ran on one major platform (yes this is a direct quote) "I will NEVER raise taxes on Californians, PERIOD." He was supposed to reign in the overspending and get us back on our feet WITHOUT having to raise taxes. Instead what he has done is make more cuts to education and other social issues and AND AND he raised taxes this year! Car tax is one of the Hated things that Gray Davis wanted to raise and was one of the main reasons for the recall election that was his demise. Guess what? The Governator DOUBLED the car tax last month. SMall businesses all over California are hurting even more than they have been because if they have a fleet of trucks or business vehicles, their costs have just doubled for this fiscal year.

So, after the taxes have been raised and the cuts have been made, what is his next brilliant move? (btw he has already stated he is not running again, so he pretty much is a lame duck at this point) This is where we get to why I sat in a metal folding chair for 2.5 hours. Our loverly Governator called a Special Election. there are 6 Propositions on the Ballot and each one is more confusing than the other and some depend on another to pass in order for it to even matter.

This is why it is important to look at things from all sides. Don't say I am a Republican so I vote NO on all taxes! Or I am a Democrat we need more taxes for blah blah and blah. You have to actually read between all the lines. You have to do your research, you have to know that you are not only exercising your right to vote, but that you are making an informed decision and that you are making it to the best of your ability.

And here I am coming at it from another angle. In that same measure there is no wrong or right vote on these measures. You may disagree with someone elses vote but that doesn't make either one of you wrong, or as my sister likes to call me when she and I disagree on a ballot "stupid". It just means that you disagree.

I will try my best over the next week (ish) to post about each of the 6 propositions and give you information and not opinion (well maybe a little opinion at the end, this is afterall MY blog). But (whoo hoo) I am working a temp job this week and next so don't hold your breath. If you live in California, read your sample ballot, go to the Secretary of State's web site and research the propositions for yourself. that way if/when I post you can gice your opinion too.

Are You Worried

Swine Flu or H1N1 or Mexican Flu or Pandemic Flu, whatever you wanna call it, it's here.

I was online with Erika earlier and she got notification of a confirmed case in her area. At the sametime, I saw a confirmed case at the Marine base in San Bernadino. My friend has reservations for a family reunion at a resort in Cancun and her entire family is in limbo over whether they should go or not. The airline will not refund the miles used to purchase the tickets. I told her to just go and stay in the room. She could also use swine flu kits for everyone for the trip to and from on the plane.

For normal everyday care, I would just be sure to keep washing your hands regularly and stay out of places with recycled air as much as possible. If you must use public transportation or travel somewhere then swine flu kits could be a good idea for you as well.

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