Time to Wrap It Up

It is the last day of my 30 Day Writing Challenge on the word Time. When I started, I wondered if I would be able to succeed in writing a blog every day. I knew I was going to be really busy at work putting an event together for our volunteers, busy putting together birthday events for my brother, and taking a vacation and spending some time away. I decided I would dedicate some time at the end of the day to write. I found it was easier to keep to a scheduled time, instead of just writing at some point in the day.

There were many days when I would ask myself, “What do I write about”? I would sit back and reflect on the day. What had I experienced? What memories did the day bring? What was I willing to share? It helped me focus on what to write, and it got me through 30 days of blogs.

If you followed my postings you have learned a bit about me, about my life, my interests, my hardships, and my celebrations. To my Facebook friends, I may have bored you with all my posting, but I hope some of the postings were entertaining and that you didn’t swipe past the updates. I won’t be posting my blogs on Facebook anymore, but I am going to try and keep a blog going, just not every day.

So long for now, I’m back to work tomorrow. I know I have a lot of projects waiting for me. Back to the fun, fun, fun!!  Thanks for reading!

Family Time

Vacation is nearing its end, but one more birthday surprise for my brother, still needed to be unwrapped. I planned for my family and friends to come together at The Spaghetti Factory in celebration of him entering The 50 Club. I got him there on the pretense we were going to meet with a couple of friends for lunch. My brother and one of our friends had birthdays this week. I had him drop me off, while he parked the car. This gave me an opportunity to let the guests know he was on his way in.

When he entered the door, he saw and greeted the friends he expected to see, we were walked over to our table and that is when the table of 18 started singing “Happy Birthday” and he realized this lunch was for him.

It was fun to have family and friends from out of town, join us for the festivities. Our dad from Paradise, our uncle and cousin from Chico, and friends from Salinas all made the drive to join us. I have a great supportive family and I enjoy sharing celebrations with them. Not everyone was able to make it, but it was an enjoyable time with those who were able to make it. Pasta, fresh warm bread, spumoni, cake… how can you go wrong? We took plenty of pictures which were shared on Facebook.  The restaurant staff was attentive, friendly, and did a wonderful job of getting orders, refills, and we never felt rushed to leave.

His vacation is now at an end, but he will have a lot to talk about when he gets back tomorrow!

Time To Celebrate

Today is my brother’s 50^th birthday and we have been celebrating all week. We got back from Lake Tahoe yesterday. Our first stop today was at the Black Bear Diner where he got his free Birthday Breakfast. If you sign up with their birthday club, you get a coupon for a free breakfast of a waffle, two eggs, choice of sausage or bacon, and your drink. We both like thrift stores so next it was treasure hunting at Goodwill and the Discovery Shop (American Cancer Society). I love our local Discovery Shop, but I didn’t know they were having a Collectibles sales event today. We should have gone there first. Among the Disney merchandise I found a Mickey Mouse purse and a Star Wars purse. Since it was my brother’s birthday, we got a discount. He didn’t find anything today, but he enjoys looking. Most of the Disney items had already been sold, so it was a lot of slim pickings. I was happy with the purses.

We made a stop at See’s before heading home for a quick break. I got him some of his favorite chocolate. See’s yumm!

We then headed off to Folsom where my brother believed we were picking up my aunt from an Education conference, but in reality I had tickets for a dinner/magic show at Mystique Dining. I had him fooled to when we walked through the door. I finally told what was happening. He was truly surprised. The evening was great. It was the first night of their Halloween themed dinners. Course after course of food arrived and it was all delicious. The magician was fun and entertaining. He included the guests in his magic and I was one of them. It was funny when he asked, “Are you here with your husband?” No. “Are you here with a friend?” No. “Are you here alone?” No. “And you are not here with a friend?” No. I had him stumped, so I said, “I’m here with my brother.” LOL.  The theme of the night was Edgar Allen Poe and as we had our meal, a talking head, much like those in Disneyland’s Haunted House would start reciting Poe’s tales.

It was a fun way to cap off my brother’s birthday!

Take the time to meet someone new

While traveling back from Lake Tahoe, my brother and I stopped by Rainbow Orchards for hot apple cider doughnuts and some fresh pressed apple cider to take home. We left Lake Tahoe later than expected, so it was a quick stop, then off to Placerville to visit the Fountain and Tallman Museum. It’s a very small museum with a variety of artifacts on display in what used to be a soda works factory. It’s a historical building dating back to 1859.

A lovely, elderly woman greeted us and provided an overview of the two story museum. A narrow staircase takes you to the 2^nd floor displays housed in another small room.  The woman, who is a volunteer, also provides a paper for a walking town which gives the historic significance of the various buildings within a three block area.

A gentleman comes in and she goes begins her overview. He takes a look around the first floor, before making his way upstairs. A few minutes later a woman walks through the door. She recently moved to Placerville and wants to learn more information of the area and she wants to do some research on her home. She is advised to visit the County Museum where they would have the papers concerning historical properties.

The gentleman comes back downstairs and we learn he is from Edmonton, Canada who is driving the West and is making his way to Southern California. He is very interested in history, so I ask which direction he was going. He didn’t really have a plan, but I suggested visiting Old Sacramento and going to the Sacramento History Museum, the volunteer suggested touring the capitol and that’s when he realized Sacramento was the capitol of California. He says he kept thinking Los Angeles was the capitol. I explained why it is Sacramento, and how the influx of people moving to California during the Gold Rush is how California became a state. They quickly boosted the population. I suggested if he is driving along the Central Coast to check out Monterey, and if he was a reader of John Steinbeck, then he could visit the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. I think between the volunteer and I the gentleman had plenty of options for his trip to our state.

After leaving the museum, I walked down the street to a bench in the shade and waited for my brother. A woman in her early 70s was sitting at the bench with her right leg stretch out. She had a cane to the left side of her. I learned she and her husband where driving back from Lake Tahoe and heading back home to Lake County. They spent the night in Placerville last Saturday, but it was busy with an Oktoberfest event, so they decided to stop when it was quieter and to have lunch at a Mexican restaurant they enjoyed on their last stop. While in the Tahoe area, they had also visited a hot springs. It was just a relaxing getaway for them.

So take the time to meet new people. They can have some interesting stories.

One Tahoe Time

With no schedule to follow, my brother and I have been on Tahoe time. While walking around Heavenly Village today, I saw the above business sign and thought it would be perfect for my blog.

A downside on being on vacation is your body still wants to wake up at work time. So I first woke up just before 6:30am today, told myself, “no, no, no” and went back to sleep for a couple more hours. My brother was gone, he went to get some Mexican sweet bread at a panderia we saw on the way to the hotel. They weren’t bad, but not a good as the ones back home in Salinas.

We ventured out to the marina area, and then to Heavenly Village. It contained a lot of restaurants and overpriced specialty shops. We visited a few galleries, at one place I found a pair of earrings with leaves, perfect for fall because of the autumn colors.

As we were getting ready to leave, a singer started strumming his guitar at a restaurant across from a Starbucks. He had a good sound, and I enjoy listening and relaxing to live music. We got iced drinks from Starbucks, took a seat on the outdoor patio and listen for a while. On the way to the parking garage, I went across the way, place a tip in his tip jar, he thanked me and then my brother and I were on our way. If you like what you are hearing, leave the musician a tip. Many times they don’t paid very much for a set, so it’s nice to give a tip and let them know you enjoyed their performance.

We decided to stick to the casino we were staying at which is a locals casino. I had good luck yesterday, and it continued today. I more than doubled my money. My brother was able to earn enough points to get his birthday bundle, which included $5 free play, 40% in the gift store, $10 off at the restaurant, and a few more things. Now we have a $10 voucher and a $5 voucher which I got yesterday to use for breakfast tomorrow at the restaurant (a free meal). I’m sure we will play a little before we check out, then it’s a leisurely drive back home.

Time to spin the wheels!

My brother and I made a drive to Lake Tahoe for a little getaway for my brother’s birthday, who’s turning 50 on Friday. Since we are traveling midweek during off season the traffic and number of people have been light. We took our time and stopped for breakfast at Sweetie Pies in Placerville. We went to this restaurant last year during a trip to Apple Hill and had to come back. It was a good as I remembered it, and the staff is friendly.

Once we arrived in Lake Tahoe, we made a few stops before heading to the hotel. We both like to go to thrift stores, so we made a stop at Goodwill. No finds for me this time, but there’s plenty of Halloween finds if anyone is in need of a costume or décor. Then it was off to Dollar Tree for a few necessities such as paper plates, bowls, silverware, paper towels because we like to buy some food to have some meals in the room, and save some money on eating out. Off to Safeway for cereal, milk, fruit, frozen burritos, chips, and we get a sandwich to share for later from the deli.

We get to the hotel, Lakeside Inn. It is on the lake side of the street, but not at the foot of the lake. It is a smaller local hotel, the room is big, and it also has a small casino. We are not big gamblers, so it’s fine with us. Just provide us a few slot machines. Once we get settled in, we rest for a bit, then walk over to the casino to get our player cards. They are having a promotion today and will call a name out every 15 minutes between 3pm – 6pm, the person gets a chance to win $25 - $100 in free play. We got over in the 4 pm hour, but neither of us heard our names called. I was however lucky at the slots and came back to the room with double the amount I took over. Nice start.

We’ll go check out Heavenly Village tomorrow, and a couple of the bigger casinos. Let’s hope my luck stays with me!

Time for Fall TV season

The repeats are over and we can once again see new episodes of our favorite TV shows. Tonight it’s The Big Bang Theory (I’m loving Kathy Bates and Teller as Amy Fowler’s parents, he speaks!), Bull (I like how they get into the minds of the jury), and then there is Dancing with The Stars which I record to fast forward through the backstories. I just want to see the dancing. I will give The Good Doctor another try. It started strong last season, but then I started losing interest. I normally don’t watch all of these on the day they air. I do a lot of recording. One show I do watch when it airs is This Is Us. That will be tomorrow and I will be watching it in my hotel room with my box of tissue.

I always wanted to work on a sitcom, but I ended up working in television production and television news for 20 years. Through TV news I was able to experience living in different cities as I checked out different stations. I spent three years in Las Vegas (KLAS), two years in Portland, OR (KOIN), a few months working on Good Day Sacramento (I didn’t like living in the city and I think it was just too soon after my mom passed away and I needed family around). I kept going back to my hometown of Salinas to work at (KION/KCBA). I enjoyed my job and the crew at KLAS, and the city was fun. There was lots of free entertainment through work. I often received passes for the various shows at the casinos and I made friends with the performers at Starlight Express. I missed my family though and being able to make a quick trip to the ocean. Portland was another fun experience, until the snow came then it wasn’t fun driving to and from work, and navigating the black ice in the middle of the night (I worked on the morning show). My coworkers were great. This California girl couldn’t take the snow, but I did love the drive to the coast in the Fall. The leaves turned those vibrant shades orange, red, yellow.

Time to get back to Bull and the other new episodes of the Fall season. I miss The Middle, but I’m looking forward to the return of Murphy Brown.

Time to Clean Out the Closet

Time to clean out the closet.

I’m on vacation this week, and one thing I hope to do is clean out my closet of items I no longer use. I also have so many recyclable bags, so I’m filling those to transport them to places which can use them for their clothes closets. I could take them to a resale store and get a little money for them, but I always try to help the community when I can.

I have been on the receiving side, and have been grateful for the food banks which help stretch the budget. My brother and I are able to afford getting our groceries now. We still keep on a budget and shop at Grocery Outlet, Dollar Tree, and check on sales, but we can get the basics and will splurge on a meal at a restaurant from time to time.

It doesn’t take much to give back. There are food drives, most of the time you see them during the holidays, but food banks can use the help year round. Grocery stores make it easy during their drives, buy asking for donations for a bag of food.

Some people think those who are waiting in line at food banks are there because they don’t want to work and just go for hand-outs. Perhaps it true of a few, however those who I have met while waiting my turn to visit the food pantry do not fit that description. Like me, when I was going there, they worked but were struggling with paying bills.

The cost of living in California is so outrageous. More often you seen multiple families members getting together to rent a home. I share an apartment with my brother because on our own, we wouldn’t be able to afford a place. I would love to move into a house, where I would no longer hear the child upstairs running around and shaking our dining room light fixture. A place where I wouldn’t have to remember to move my car to secure a spot for my brother, or he having to save our one reserved spot for me.

So it’s back to the closet to see what I can donate. Did you know the SPCA will take towels to use for bathing time?

Time for Autumn

It’s autumn, the best time of the year!

Autumn arrived at 6:54 pm (PST) and I’m so happy about it, I’m taking a week off from work. Well, I didn’t plan it that way, but isn’t it a wonderful reason?

After months of hot temperatures, we finally get to say farewell to the heat, and hello to nights in which my fan is not cooling down the room. Fall also brings all the big holidays and events, a trip to Apple Hill for fruit fresh from the harvest, dressing up for Halloween, celebrating our loved ones who have passed during Dia de los Muertos, gathering together for Thanksgiving, decorating and spreading good cheer during Christmas, then ringing in the New Year.

I always feel once we get into September, the weeks just fly by. We start to get busy with all the events it can be hard to keep up. Work parties, friend’s parties, and family get-togethers, so many things are on the way, so just hold on tight and enjoy the ride.

Welcome autumn, so great to see you again!  

Wasting time going in circles

Wasting time going in circles

Recently I made a monthly payment plan for a medical bill online. The first installment was paid on the 11^th and payments would be automatically taken on the 10^th of each month. This was fine. Now I get a letter saying the next installment will be taken on the 29^th then on the 29^th of each month. What? No! I specifically signed up for the 10^th because it’s when I have some extra money. The end of the month is rent time paycheck. Now I have to call and fix their error.

This actually all started a couple of weeks ago, we I called and left a message that I wanted to set up the payment plan. Did I get a call back? Of course not, so I decide to set it up myself on their website.

Back to today. I make my first call at 2:30 pm, they close for the day at 4:30 pm; no one answers, I have to leave a message. I wait 30 minutes then call back, again no answer. Now they are interrupting my Judge Judy time. About 20 minutes later, I call again, but decide to try a different extension, no one answers, another message is left. Now it’s about an hour before they close. I call the general hospital number and tell them I need to talk to someone in financial service today because I’m going on vacation and I need to get the issue resolved before I go. I don’t want money taken out while I’m on vacation, and I don’t want to have to be dealing with this when I supposed to be time for relaxation.

The operator transfers me to one of the finance counselors, same thing. I call backed, she tries another, same thing. I call back and ask for the manager of the department, same thing. I call back, and ask to be transferred to the next higher up. She transfers me to the Finance Director. She doesn’t answer, but I leave her a message about the time wasted trying to get an actual person on the phone. I let her know I have left multiple messages, only to have no one call me back. It’s ridiculous. It’s now after 4pm and I try again to get in touch with the original person (the one who is assigned my case). Finally, someone picks up the phone, “Hello”, is all that is said. No greeting to let you know who and where you are calling. “Is this Lupe”, I question. It is. Finally, an actual person on the other end of the line, and it only took just over an hour and a half. I explain why I was calling and let her know the terrible time I had to get someone to answer the phone. When she says that it’s been a busy day, I let her know I called her two weeks ago, but never received a call back.

In the end, I was finally able to get the payment date changed to the original day I had chosen. We shouldn’t have to work so hard to talk to an actual person and not just hear recordings and their voice mail prompting to leave your message and we will return the call shortly. There were six people who could have answered a phone, plus the supervisor and director. No one could be bothered.

Yes, I wasted time and energy, but I’m glad I was persistent and got the problem fix before my relaxation time.

Time to prep for vacation

It’s time to work prep for vacation.

I’m on vacation next week, but taking time away from work also means you need to make sure there are no loose ends, emails have been answered, the gift shop is stocked (part of my duties as merchandiser), try to schedule deliveries for after my return, get any new or renewed memberships cards out (part of my duties as membership coordinator), make sure there will be someone to check on ticket/sponsorship sales for an upcoming event, set the “out of office” on the email, and update the message on voice mail. That is just what I can think of right now. 

I’m sure on Saturday, my last day before vacation, I’ll be going through the list in my mind, because once I’m out the door, I’m not turning back until the 1^st.  I just plan to relax with my brother as we celebrate his 50^th birthday. There are some things planned like a couple of nights in Lake Tahoe, but we’ll just see where the day takes us when we don’t have to worry about the time.

Keeping track of time

Keeping track of time

We celebrated volunteers tonight where I work. A program was created, but the event was quickly changed up, when we began 15 minutes after the stated time. As people were gathered to get to their tables, I took the mic, to start a “Let’s Make A Deal” game just to try and get people into the room and direct their attention to the program. I had certificates to use at local restaurants, if they could show me a variety of items such as something with Mickey Mouse, money clip, or a photo of a dog (not on the phone). I did this at various times throughout the evening. They loved it.

When you have to be done by a certain time, things need to get cut or just changed up a bit. I did a Bingo game, in which people had to get a signature of a person who did a certain thing or had a specific experience (rode a hot air balloon, visited 5 or more countries). It started a little slow at first, but when they realized they would have to mingle to find the people, the room was bustling. I had planned to read off the name in the squares to learn more about their experiences, but to get back some time, I eliminated that part. They still had fun.

Sometimes you just need to roll with it. We were a little early to start dinner (5 minutes), so it caught the venue staff by surprise. They were quick though to come out and begin serving. Had we stuck to the schedule then we would have most likely been 10 minutes late, so flexibility is a must.

We had raffles, and other games, then wrapped with a variety of awards. We finished right on time.

Great coworkers helped in getting everything prepared, one of our volunteers organized the donated items, we all set up and cleaned up (done and driving off in 20 minutes).

Things will happen which will change up the evening, we just need to learn not to stress out over it. The goal was to have a fun night with our volunteers and we showed our appreciation for all the time they give to the organization. Goal accomplished!

Time to wrap cookies

Time to wrap cookies for a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner tomorrow night. My brother baked them... nearly 100, now I'm going to help individual wrapped them up with a ribbon. They will make a sweat little treat.

My brother has always like baking, but his focus is on cookies, and they are delicious. Coworkers have enjoyed them and always say he should sell them. A few years ago he got a license to sell in Monterey County and when we moved to Roseville, he did all the paperwork to sell them in Placer County. Although they are great cookies, and disappear quickly when he takes them anywhere, he hasn't been able to find a market for them. He has a Cottage license which allows him to make them at home and sell them in person. To sell in stores, farmers markets, coffee shops he would need different types of permits, which is a big cost.

It's a dream to have a bakery/book shop someday, but for now that just a dream which seems to be a very far reach. It would be wonderful if my brother could just find some regular clients, that would help spread the word of his little business The Cookie Jar - Roseville.

Where does the time go?

Mondays are normally my day off, but I decided to go in today because I have a big work event coming up on Wednesday and I wanted to make sure everything I’m responsible for is ready to go. My coworkers and I stuffed a lot of envelopes, I made sure all the raffle prizes were in order, the elements of the games were all together, designed and printed name tags, and took note of any last minute details we need to complete before the big day. I had planned to be at work for 4 hours, but before I knew it, 6 hours had ticked away. I’m glad I went in though because it should be much less stressful tomorrow, then we just need to pack up the things to take to the venue on Wednesday. Hopefully, we won’t leave anything behind.

Tomorrow, I need to make a swag bag of gift shop goodies, make sure which prize goes to which game and that we have enough. I believe I have enough. Four days after the RSVP deadline, I get an email from two more people. I already gave our head count to the venue. There is a reason behind the deadlines. We need to know, how much food is needed and have an estimate of the cost, so we can stay in budget. I did give a higher count, but now there are only 5 open spots. Also, some people end up not attending. They may not be feeling well, or have a sick child at home, or as one gentleman told me when he RSVPed “yes”, “I said I was going last year, but then I forgot to go. I hope I don’t forget this year.”

Nice part is I’ll just work a couple of hours on Friday, full day Saturday, and then vacation time!

Time for a break

What time is it? It’s time to take a break from the blog. Wait a minute, if I am writing about taking time off from the blog, isn’t that still blogging? I guess, I’m keeping my goal to write every day for 30 days is still going strong.

I have been checking the other blogs of our Meet Up group and I believe I am the only one who has consistently written a blog each day, but the second half of the month will be a bit tough because of a lot of things happening at work (a dinner event this week and getting a newsletter ready) and I go on vacation beginning the 23^rd.  

It’s been a long time since my brother and I have gone on a vacation, and although we are not making a big trip, we will be heading to Lake Tahoe for a few days, with a stop at Apple Hill on the way back. My brother and I have different days off, so it can be tough to schedule activities, but we will be celebrating his 50^th birthday, so I thought this would be a fun time to explore the area.

We would both love to travel to other states and countries, but we just can’t afford it. Instead, we take smaller day trips. I have a childhood friend who now lives in Australia. She has invited us to visit, but I don’t see it happening in the near future. However, if I am lucky enough to win the lotto or hit a jackpot at Thunder Valley then I can start planning that trip. I can’t even remember the last time I bought a Lotto ticket, and my big spending on the slots is usually $20, when I do make it out there. Sometimes it just takes I spin of the slot machine wheel to hit a jackpot. Someone plays $2 and wins $10,000. I’m ready to be that person. 

I will be looking forward to the 23^rd, when it’s time for a break!! I guess I did have something to write about today.

Time for a new book

It’s time to start a book.

Each night before I call it a night, I take a little time to do some reading. I’m finishing up West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express by Jim DeFelice. I work in Old Sacramento, where the last station for the Pony Express was located in the B.F. Hastings building on 2^nd Street. A statue of a rider on his pony stands across the street to memorialize the historic site.

The Pony Express operated for only 19 months in 1860-1861, but the interest of this mail service still lives on. Maybe it’s the romance of the West. Young men faced the dangers of the weather (rain, snow,  heat), dangerous routes, threats from robbers and Indians, and long stretches of riding horseback. Riders would check in at a station, every 10-15 miles to change horses, and could go 75 – 100 miles before he would hand the mail to the next rider.

The book traces the trail from the route’s start at St. Joseph, Missouri to the final station in Sacramento. Along the way, the reader is introduced to a number of historical characters and touches on many events of the time. It’s an interesting read on the short-lived but notable role the Pony Express played in America’s history.

I have only a few more pages to get through tonight, but what will be the next book. I have so many books just waiting to be read, but which to choose is tough. Should I re-read of one of my John Steinbeck’s books (I have his complete collection), or the suspense/thriller of a book by Dean Koontz.

I guess I’ll find out soon.

Time and time again

Time and time again, I will watch a movie I have seen so often, I can recite scenes of the film. This happened tonight. SPOILER ALERT if you have not seen the movie. (What’s wrong with you? Why haven’t you seen it?)

I was channel surfing, and stopped when I saw Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  The original film with Gene Wilder, not the terrible Johnny Depp version.

 It was release in the summer of 1971, which would have made me four years old. So this film was part of my childhood. Poor little Charlie Bucket who had to eat cabbage soup every night, sell newspapers, and share his tiny home with four grandparents who shared one bed. His big birthday gift was a Willy Wonka bar. There is so much anticipation when Charlie gingerly opens the wrapping. There has to be a golden ticket. Charlie deserves a golden ticket! Sadly, no gold shines through.

As the movie progresses Charlie gets his entrance to Willy Wonka’s factory and the adventure with the quirky inventor of the world’s most delicious chocolates. Along the way, we are introduced to the other four ticket holder.

When I was young, I just saw the other four as bratty kids. As I got older, I realized they represented some of the Deadly sins.

Gluttony: Augusta Gloop ate, and ate. He falls into the chocolate river when he is scooping and drinking the chocolate.

Pride: Violet Beauregarde can’t go a minute without chewing on her gum. She breaks records with her gum chewing and makes sure people know about it, she also loves the and to be the center of attention. She steals gum from Mr. Wonka then turns into a giant blueberry.

Greed: Veruca Salt wants all the material things including Wonka’s geese which lay the golden eggs. She wants them to lay 100 eggs a day. We see she is really a bad egg.

Sloth: Mike Teavee sits and watches television all day. He doesn’t eat at the dinner table so he can watch TV. He finally gets his wish of being on television, after being jumbled in a million little pieces.

Envy: Charlie Bucket, the good guy of the bunch envies his friends who visit the candy store after school, have the nice warm clothes, don’t have to work, have food other than cabbage for supper.

To round out the Deadly Sins, Lust can be represented by all the people who searched for the golden tickets. They all wanted it, but couldn’t have it. People bought boxes and boxes of the chocolate for something they lusted after. As far as Anger, there is a scene is which Mr. Wonka tests Charlie on his loyalty and starts yelling at him, and tells him he will get no chocolate because he stole sips of the fizzy drink which made him float, and now the area was going to have to be completely sanitized. He really wasn’t angry with Charlie but instead acting the scene. When seen the first time though, Mr. Wonka can seem scary.

Then comes one of my favorite scenes, Charlie walks to Mr. Wonka and places the Everlasting Gobstopper on his desk. Mr. Wonka says, “So shine a good deed in a weary world”. He did it Charlie passed the test of temptation to give the candy to the competition and he wins the factory!

It’s not just a kid’s movie. Maybe it’s time you watch it again.

Time for sleep

It's 11 p.m. Time for sleep. I should get myself to bed. I always tell myself I need to get to sleep earlier, but it will be midnight (sometimes later) when I'm finally turning off the light. 

Today I just could get myself fully awake. I kept yawning throughout the day. Normally, once I start on the things I need to work on for the day, I'm fine. Today was a struggle. I changed up my tasks, and worked at different locations, but nothing seemed to work. The yawns kept coming. 

My brother takes a nap every day, whether he works or not. Maybe I need to start doing the same. When I've tried though, it just throws me off and I end up not being able to sleep later. 

I made the mistake of lying down on the couch while watching TV today, and you guessed it, I passed out and woke up 20 minutes later, completing missing the end of a movie. I did some channel surfing and decided on WKRP in Cincinnati. I must have passed out in about five minutes, because I just remember the introduction and then the credits.

I hope the two short naps don't have me up too late tonight. If it does, I guess I'll be watching Colbert's monologue tonight instead of the watching the recorded version while I have breakfast.

It's 11:20pm. Time for sleep. Goodnight all!

Time for a cool down

We are having a weather cool down for a couple of days, and boy am I ready to the cooler temperatures. I am wrapping up my third summer in the Sacramento area, and although this year wasn't as bad as last year, it was still much too hot for this girl who grew up near the ocean.

It's 9:30 p.m. and 66 degrees outside. Just a month ago I would still see a low 90 at this time, so today is a much welcomed relief. There are no triple digit in the forecast, and looking out a month ahead with Accuweather, we should be seeing mostly mid and low 80s. 

Growing up in Salinas, a hot day is when we were in the low 70s, but then there was the marine layer to cool it down. The weather is that area is one reason why Salinas is called The Salad Bowl of the World. The Salinas Valley is one of the biggest agricultural communities in the world. There are Farmers Markets most everyday in one of the local communities, and they are held year round. It surprised me to learn the Farmers Markets in current area are only seasonal and usually are going on when I'm at work. 

I'm ready to keep the air conditioning off all day. I'm ready to pull the plug on the fan. I'm even ready to wear some sweaters again. I'm ready for Fall!

A time not forgotten

The time 09/11/01

The sunrise casts rays along the East coast;

People hurry to their destinations.

Some rush to the office, some kiss their kids goodbye

As they drop them off at school.

A plane-shaped shadow passes overhead,

But it’s too low, and the first boom blasts the city.

Panic, disbelief, uncertainty, but where to run?

Another plane, a blast shakes the apple to its core.

Two planes, no accident.

Terror hits the streets, confusion, why is it happening.

The community rallies to help injured, putting their lives in jeopardy.

Plane number three, and further south a five-sided building is struck.

When will it stop?

Another plane heads to the nation’s capital; we know what is happening now.

Brave souls bring the plane down before it makes its destination.

September 11, 2001, a time we won’t forget.

Time to decorate for Christmas! At least it’s what the retail stores want you to believe. It seems the holiday merchandise sneaks onto the shelves earlier every year. Hallmark traditionally introduces their new ornaments in July, but I remember when the other major retail store would at least wait until after the kids had their fill of candy to deck the aisles in red, green, silver, gold.

I was in my local Dollar Tree store today, and after I passed a couple of aisles of Halloween decorations, and candy, I saw Christmas décor had already been stocked. Christmas, I haven’t even put at the pumpkins on my desk yet. There are still a couple more weeks of summer. What happened to Thanksgiving? It got about half an aisle. On the end cap was a sign that read, “Decorate your mini tree”, with a variety of festive knick-knacks to place on the branches.

When I was growing up, I don’t remember seeing Christmas items out so early. I know holiday shopping can make or break a business fiscal budget, but are people actually buying garland, bows, signs, and little trees this early in the season? I can understand the craft stores getting ready for the holidays, because it takes some time to make those homemade gifts, and decorations, but let’s hold off a bit with the other things.

As Lucy Van Pelt told Charlie Brown, “Let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket.” As a merchandiser for a gift store, I’m well aware of the importance of the holiday shopping season, but I’m happy to say, I’ll be waiting until November to change over the store to include Christmas gift items. I’ll have some Halloween and Dia de los Muertos items, before getting set for the holidays.

I love Christmas time, especially when my family can all get together. We play games, do a sing-a-long, enjoy a delicious dinner and Santa makes a visit. I enjoy finding meaningful gifts for my relatives and friends, and sending Christmas cards. I don’t get many back, but I like the tradition of sending them out. I used to decorate the walls with cards I’d receive, but now I can barely decorate a top shelf. That does sadden me, because I used to like seeing Christmas cards among the bills and junk mail. It just puts a smile on your face when you think someone took the time to send a card to wish a Merry Christmas.

Where else have you seen Christmas on the shelves?

Remembering memorable times

The ice breaker question on my lanyard, which we are to wear during this 30 Day Challenge, is for the person to tell me about a time in the life… specifically, their favorite birthday. Only a couple of people have asked about the lanyard, my supervisor said his 50^th was his favorite because he went on a cruise to celebrate. Another coworker said she had no favorite birthday. I thought everyone should have at least one memorable birthday. I love celebrating birthdays and I try hard not to work on mine. I don’t just celebrate the day, but also the whole month! So here are a few memorable ones.

For my 15^th birthday we celebrated with a quinceañera. It’s a Mexican tradition which marks a girl’s passage to womanhood. It’s a religious and social event which emphasizes family and society. It begins with a mass, then a reception and dance. The day was a lot of fun, but what sticks in my mind the most, happened the night before, when my mom was making the beans. It became a scene from the I Love Lucy show. Remember the episode when Ricky is making rice? He decides on a cup of uncooked rice per person. Well, you know what happens when rice cooks, it expands. He had rice pouring out of the pot. My mom’s beans decided to do the same thing. She had never cooked for so many people, so she ended up putting in too many beans and out they started pouring. We started getting other pots and bowls to put move the beans into, but they kept coming out of the pot. It was hilarious and my mom, brother and I were all laughing so hard while trying to save the beans. We did a good job of it. We had enough for the event. I’m crying from laughing so much at the memory of it.

For my 25th, my mom bought tickets to see Michael Crawford. For those who are not familiar with the name, he is a British actor/singer who originated the role of the Phantom in the musical Phantom of the Opera. He was touring with the Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber and would be in San Francisco during my birthday. I had seen him in Los Angeles with Phantom and became a fan. I wrote him a letter to see if I could meet him for my birthday. To my surprise, his assisted called me the day before the concert and invited to go backstage after the show to meet Michael. Wow! Of course, it had to be a stormy day, with rain, thunder, and lightning, when we made the two hour drive to the theater, but the show was great. Afterwards, we made our way to the backstage door, and yes I was on the list. We were escorted to his dressing room door, and waited for him to come out. I was surprised my mom and I were the only ones waiting for him. I thought I would have been part of a group of people to do a meet and greet. Michael was very hospitable, inviting us in to his dressing room where we talked for 20 minutes. We talked about Phantom, the current tour, even the possibility of him in the movie version of Phantom. He said there had been talk of a movie, but nothing was set and he might be too old for the role by the time anything came to fruition. He was right; the role went to Gerard Butler. He was so sweet and funny, very generous with his time.

For my 40^th, I was living in Oregon. I returned to my hometown of Salinas, to have a 50s style birthday party at my aunt’s house. Family and friends gathered in her backyard. We all got dressed up and even the weather cooperated. In another blog, I mentioned my birthday is in March, so you just never know if it will be cold or rainy, but we lucked out and the sun gave us a great day. My brother was at an event about 3 ½ hours from Salinas, but he made the 7 hour round trip drive to come join us for some of the fun.

I always try to take time to celebrate my birthday. They are not always extravagant, but I try to make them memorable.

Giving of your time

I've been volunteering and helping charities since I was in grade school and did my first March of Dimes Walk-A-Thon. I collected pledges from my family and since they thought I wouldn't walk too far, I had pretty good pledges for each mile I walked. I was doing great, but then after checking in at the 10 miles mark, my dad said that was enough and we drove to the last checkpoint. You see, he and many others had pledge a dollar a mile. In 1978, that added up to a decent amount of money. In following years I completed the entire 20 mile route.

The walk started a lifetime of giving back to the community by giving of my time. Some of the activities include, walking dogs at the SPCA, assist with events and auctions for a Boys and Girls Club, helping out at the library by shelving books and assisting with the Summer Reading program, volunteered as a cashier at The Steinbeck House gift shop, and helping with activities at an assisted living facility.

Volunteering also opened a career door when I signed up with AmeriCorps. Technically, you are a volunteer when you participate with AmeriCorps, so you receive a stipend instead of a paycheck. My group was comprised of members who specifically were volunteer coordinators at various non-profits and schools in the Monterey area. We had training sessions, and learned volunteer management skills which we would use to help build the volunteer programs at our sites. My site was the National Steinbeck Center, where I continued to work after I completed my 2 year term with AmeriCorps. I had a fun time working the volunteers at the Center. I left to move to Roseville in 2016, but I still miss my volunteers. I get to visit with them when I'm in town.

In my current job, I've been asked to oversee the Volunteer Appreciation Night event because of my prior experience, and because we are a little short handed right now. I jumped right in and found it easier to put together. I guess I learned a thing or two over the years.

I don't have a lot of extra time on my hands right now, but I still try to help when I can by donating blood and participating at one day events through BloodSource.

There are so many opportunities to volunteer. Many people say they have no time, but there are things people can do from home such as help with a newsletter or making check in phone calls (check on the elderly through some conversation). A person can volunteer once a month or at an annual event. Find something you enjoy doing and help out an organization by giving of your time. Volunteer!