My little Missy Mia!!

While I was waiting for the oil change in my car, I created another video.  This will be my last for the day.  I'm posting a blog tomorrow.  Happy New Year and everyone have a great 2012!!

Sammy the Dog

I created another Animoto video.  This time it's my little buddy Sammy, the best in the west!

My First Video Revised. It's Tim and Me

Let's Talk Twilight

Let's talk Twilight...I'll talk Twilight. After having the complete collection of books since 2008, I finally finished the last book in the series, Breaking Dawn. This was planned in time for the movie of course!!

Let me start off by saying that I'm not a Twilight hater, I enjoyed the novels and can't compare the last book to the movie just yet because I'm probably the only person in the world who hasn't seen it.  I'm waiting for Breaking Dawn to go to the discount theater.  If I hate it I won't feel so bad if I only had to pay $2!

Let's be honest, Stephanie Meyer is never going to be a Pulitzer Prize award winning novelist (I won't be either).  I don't think she set out to do that anyway.  She wants to entertain the masses, with a hidden agenda. Like the Harry Potter books (I never read those) that came before, Twilight got young America (and some older America) to read and I can give her many kudos for that.

Reading in Central Park

The Twilight Saga started out strong, faltered a bit in New Moon, came back in Eclipse, and lost me in Breaking Dawn.  New Moon, I really couldn't stand Bella's constant moping around.  There are other supernatural fish in the sea chick-a -dee (insert laughter here).  


Eclipse, (and the previous books) I read so long ago.  I do remember the history of the characters and the big battle scene at the end.  Maybe it's because I'm a huge history buff, but I liked learning about the characters' pasts.  

Breaking Dawn part one I liked, the rest, NOT SO MUCH (insert sad face here, please).  I won't give anything away, but as most of the world has already read these books, I do have to say what a complete lackluster ending to a series that had much promise. Really Ms. Meyer you should taken a page out of Eclipse and ended the series on a stronger note. P.S. Renesmee' s name sucked and her carrying on full blown conversations as a two week old, frightened me, just like clowns do! Not to mention the fact that there were so MANY errors in this book, for example, page 678, and I quote, "As long Jacob was with Renesmee, she would be all right." Really, shouldn't the trained editor pick up on this?  I don't blame Stephanie Meyer, that's what trained editors are for people!!  It's hard to edit ourselves.  If I, the average everyday reader, can see the editing mistakes, shouldn't you too?  You want to give me a book editing job? I love to read :-)

Now the hidden agenda.  While I am a modern working OC Housewife, the emphasis on the traditional roles of women were pretty prevalent throughout the series.   I also cannot condone the imprinting of a child; it seems too creepy no matter how they describe it in the book.  I'm not her religion, although I do respect a person’s personal and religious beliefs.

All in all, I'll never truly be a member of team Jacob or of team Edward because I'm a member of team Spike and of team Angel, go team Angel!! (For the Buffyverse peeps).  We all have our generation of vampires to enjoy. For me it was Anne Rice's Louis and Lestat and Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Spike and Angel. (I have the complete collection of Buffy and Angel on DVD)

All of you Twihards, please note, that while I'm not exactly one of you, I do see the entertainment value in the books, I do appreciate the fact that Stephanie Meyer got people reading and I'm looking forward to the Host. :)

The Twilight Saga gets 3 Gerber Daisies out of 5 I liked Twilight and Eclipse, that has to say something, right!!

To quote Muriel Rukeyser, American poet, best known for her poems about equality, feminism, social justice and Judaism, and political activist, "The universe is made up of stories, not of atoms."

  

Birthdays at Cowboy Country in Long Beach

This is an older photo, same place as last night, but from 2005: Cowboy Country

Please excuse the older photo, I didn't take any last night.  I have to say, I hate to complain, but.... here goes my review of Cowboy Country.

Once upon a time, I took free line dancing classes with a bunch of friends, but that didn't last.  Some friends continued, some moved on, just like me, to other things.  I have to say, I hate country music!  I can't get into it, but I can appreciate the fact that others like it and like to line dance.

The cover to get in wasn't bad.  It's free to get in before 7:00 p.m., after that cover charge is $5 a person.  Not bad, but in a place like this, really a cover?  It's worth it to get in before 7, but alas, we missed the seven o'clock cut off and had to pay.

The first issue I had was when I decided to buy myself a glass of wine.  The bartender shorted me $1.  I know it happens sometimes, but there you go that was your tip. Is it wrong of me to think this way?

About an hour later I decided to grab myself another glass, this time my hubs flagged down the waitress, she never brought us our drinks. Oh well, we saved ourselves another $10.  Good deal!!

Right before we left, I decided, it was time for a diet coke.  My lovely hubby went to the bar, asked for a diet coke, but came back with a regular coke. Strike three!!

Lucky 11-11-11 for me, it wasn't.  :-(.  Did I have a good time despite the flaws? Surprisingly yes, I had a great time celebrating my friend's birthday and hanging out in a place that in a way, took me back "home".  This photo, as I mentioned is an older photo taken at Cowboy County, but it represented a really happy time in my life, and to me that means coming home.

I've only been to Cowboy Country a handful of times and would never go there on my own, but overall I'm glad I got out of the house. This  place is pretty crowded and safe. It's an older establishment, but clean.  The food isn't good, pass on that. When I asked for Merlot, the waitress looked at me as if I was an idiot and asked me if I wanted red wine, but the place is still entertaining and if you go enough times you get to know many of the regulars.

*** DISCLAIMER: Oh by the way, I don't line dance, so no animals were injured in the celebration (and yes this is my pathetic attempt at a joke.)

If you're interested, here's a link to Cowboy Country in the city of Long Beach, CA!! http://www.cowboycountry.mu/

Overall Cowboy Country gets 2.5 out of 5 Gerber Daisies. It was still fun and if I had to go back I would for special occasions ONLY.


To quote Country artist, Faith Hill, Country music is the people's music.  It just speaks about real life and about truth and it tells things how they really are. I agree, that's why it's usually depressing

50/50 and More

Last night my husband Tim and I decided on a whim (actually we had nothing else to do), to go see a movie.  With the summer movie season over and very few quality movies set for release, we chose 50/50. I have to say that this was a mighty fine choice.

Originally I thought it was going to be something similar to a Tyler Perry movie, where you're not really sure if it's a comedy, drama or both, a dramedy. With Seth Rogen's dramedy from 2009, Funny People, I wasn't really sure what we were in for. Funny People was a horrible display of nothing remotely interesting with lackluster performances by Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen and a  very similar premise to 50/50, so I was a tad worried.

50/50 is about a guy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the nerdy kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun, who is diagnosed with some type of spinal cancer.  The prognosis isn't pretty, he's dating an "it's all about me" Bryce Dallas Howard and his buddy Seth Rogen is using his friend's cancer to hook up with a new girl every night.  Hello folks it's rated R. No nudity and an occasional F word  is thrown in, but nothing too embarrassing that I couldn't watch it with my mom. That's all I'm giving away about the plot, I know it isn't much, but go see it.  It is very worthwhile!

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The soundtrack is AMAZING. I LOVE Joseph Gordon-Levitt in almost everything that he's in (remember 10 Things I Hate About You, yeah he's in that.) The way that these two guys play off each other is amazing.  I have to say that I would love to see it again!  You do go through the full range of emotions, you laugh and cry and get angry and fell really bad for this guy. I almost started crushing on JGL. The writing was amazing. I heard that it was based loosely on the writer's life, whether or not that is true, I don't know.

My husband loved it too!

Next up Tim and I did a little charity work.  We walked the American Diabetes Association's Walk for a Cure through Knott's Berry Farm. It was great to be in the park before it opened and see all the Halloween decorations. We ate breakfast at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant and just had a spectacular (spook-tacular) Saturday. After our walk we walked some more (we took the pups to Eisenhower Park in Orange). We have 2 more charity walks coming up in the next few months. I'll add photos of our walks later!

Now we're in for a night of relaxation watching True Grit and drinking some wine.

50/50 gets 5 out of 5 Gerber Daises. There's nothing I can say bad about this movie.  I can't wait until it's released on DVD.  Yes I still buy those!

As always I end my posts with a quote, this time about charity from Mother Teresa (1910-1997) Albanian-born missionary, We ourselves feel what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. I do not agree with the big way of doing things.

A Raw Account of Being Unemployed (I can finally share my story).

Sometimes we all need a miracle.

I just recently (tonight) read an article about what the jobless do in their spare time. When I first started reading the article, I thought it was going to make me mad, but I was wrong, I actually liked it. Coming from being unemployed for over a year and a half, let me give you my take on the subject, because it's a subject I know all too well. At the end I'll post a link to the article called, For Jobless, More Sleep and TV, But Also More Unpaid Work, by Zachary Roth (I've heard of him before). This is a true and raw account of what it was like for me to be jobless.

In 2008 I quit my semi secure job as a teacher. I had been there for six years and as much as I loved it, it was time to move on. I was beginning a new chapter in my personal life and wanted to start a semi new adventure in my professional life as well. I say semi new because the career path that I decided to follow was the career path that I had right out of college, in Public Relations. Whether or not I'm good at it, has yet to be determined. Quitting my job at the school was the worst decision I could have made. As much as I was tired of being there, was ready to move on, and as much as I love my job now, I should have waited it out, but who would have known the economy was going to the pisser. I assured my loved ones that I would find a new job very quickly, because "who wouldn't want to hire me?" Let me also mention that I spent six years as a private school teacher and never paid into unemployment (a fact that I didn't know). Private schools don't pay into unemployment in order to keep their tax exemption status. I wouldn't have been able to collect unemployment at that point anyway, because I quit that job.

I got a position with a company in 2009. What company I worked for is irrelevant. It was no fault of theirs that the economy took a downturn into the toilet. On June 28, 2009 (Michael Jackson's death date) I, along with roughly 30 others, were let go from our jobs.

That first day I cried. I remember going to visit a friend, just to stop myself from crying. I had just spent six months applying to every position under the sun and I didn't want to do that again. I had family coming out visit that July so I decided to wait until after they left to really start looking. I received a severance package, so I was OK for a while. I didn't know that a while meant a year and a half.

When I got married in 2008, I started out with enough money in my bank account to buy a house or a condo. Thankfully my husband already owned a condo, so moving at that point was not an option. Due to the reduction in workforce (a fancy way of saying laid off) you would think that I could have collected unemployment, well I tried and learned that I would receive only 15 CENTS every two weeks, the cost of sending me that 15 cents was far more, so I declined. I NEVER COLLECTED UNEMPLOYMENT. The money I saved to put down on a house was what I used to survive.

I remember getting up every morning at 7:00 a.m. and watching the news, I didn't sleep until 9 or 10 in the morning. My job search started at 10, after the news, after taking my two dogs out to do their business, after feeding the dogs and eating breakfast myself. During those morning hours, I would also do one chore a day, in the house. I never watched TV, except for General Hospital at 2:00 and Oprah at 3:00. I did do some volunteer work, which made me feel good, but I couldn't drive anywhere because I didn't have money for gas.

I went on one job interview after another, some were wonderful and I would think "Hey I got this one, I can feel it!" (I even went on a few interviews with strep throat, you see my determination to work?) Some were so bad that I excused myself from the interview all together (MLM schemes and the horrible lady from City of Commerce). I started doing temp jobs and freelancing work on the side. By the way, freelance is just fancy term for, I can't get a job.

Unless someone is in your shoes (this is the same with many things) no one can understand what it feels like to be unemployed. It hurts the ego, it causes strain with loved ones, it makes you feel unworthy, always thinking, "what did I do so wrong in my life to deserve this?" I started going to a meet up group called the Irvine Job Club. I met many great people who I could relate to, because they were going through the same thing as me. Thursday's I would feel better (the group met on Thursday), I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then Monday would come along and I would spend eight hours a day looking for a job, going out on interviews or going to many job fairs (some useless and some very worth while).

I started drinking at night, first one glass, just to relax, then two, sometimes even three or four, because I needed it to get me through the night. Don't judge, I never had a day where I couldn't get out of bed because I had two much. I still like an occasional glass of wine some evenings, but I don't ever feel like I HAVE TO HAVE ONE, like I did when I was jobless.

I never wanted to go anywhere, because that would take time away from my job search. I stayed home and ended up gaining weight, but going to the gym was out of the question, because that was two hours of my day I could have spent looking for a job.

There were times when I became severely depressed and yes there were days that I couldn't even get out of bed. Being unemployed affected my new marriage. What should have been our "honeymoon" period, wasn't. I was frustrated with my husband, I was frustrated with myself, all I wanted was get my old life back, the life I had before I lost my job. Our marriage was fractured but not broken, to this very day we work at it.

Being unemployed hardened me. I look at people who spend money stupidly (some in my own family) and know that I'll never be like that. I will not take money or things for granted. I had to borrow money from my parents and that is the worst feeling ever, being 31/32 and having to rely on my family to take care of me. The very last thing that I wanted was for my husband to think I wasn't self sufficient. I didn't marry him so he could take care of me, I married him so we could take care of each other. At one point, towards the end, I couldn't contribute to the household anymore (I had previously paid the household bills, my personal bills and bought all the food in the house).

There were some days where I couldn't even function. Getting your hopes up after an interview and then being told, "you were one of our top three candidates, but we decided to choose someone else", does not make for a happy holiday season. It was after this that I stayed in bed for two weeks and cried every single day.

There's more to my story I know, I can't describe to you the feelings that I felt during this time. All I can say is that my family, all of my family, did what they could to help me and their generosity will never be forgotten.

I have a job now, even though that doesn't change the time I was without a job, it does give me hope that the future can be brighter. I'm slowly building up my savings again. I appreciate the fact that I'm working and will never take my job for granted, because you just never know.

Here's the link to the story that started it all: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/jobless-more-sleep-tv-more-unpaid-170225258.html

To quote American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher, Elbert Hubbard, We work to become, not to acquire.

My Big Fat OC Wedding Review

Mr. Drama himself, Samwise Gamgee aka Sammy

I have been on a quest to enlighten myself to new adventures these last few months, with some travel, wine tastings, museums, and theater. Last week my husband and I went to see a play put on by the 3-2-1 Children's Theater. All proceeds of the event supported that local theater group, which is run surprisingly by an 18 year-old woman, who has been directing plays for this group since she was 14. The talent that these children have is utterly amazing! The sets and costumes were designed by the young actors, parents and local supporters of this children's theater group.

This weekend Tim and I had the chance to see, in limited release at the Buena Park Community Recreation Center, a play put on by the All American Melodrama Theater in Long Beach called, My Big Fat OC Wedding The Musical. Let me start off by saying, this was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had an a long time! Unfortunately for everyone the curtain closes on the show August 27th. The writing by Kevin Park was ingenious! I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time. No section of Orange County was safe from ridicule. I found myself nudging my husband, who did grow up in the OC, every few minutes. The play was about a rich man, Darren Deed, from South Orange County, Irvine to be exact, who falls for Mia Lott (Me A Lot, get it) from the not so exclusive, Buena Park. For the Long Beach production, I think the characters were from the OC and the IE, but were changed to represent Buena Park.

Audience participation is required to achieve the full experience. Our audience last night was moderately engaged, not, by any means, the fault of the actors. I booed at the villain, cheered for the hero and awed for the Buena Park Princess who worked at Medieval Times Dinner and Show (LOL).

By far, my FAVORITE characters were Leena Lot (Lean A Lot get it), Mia's mom, and Aunt Lottie, Mia's aunt. At one point Aunt Lottie uses "Sassafras Pants" in one of her lines. Anything that ends with the word pants has me rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter. As I myself try use either, fancy pants, honey pants, nah-nee pants, and kristy pants on a regular basis. Is there anyway I can copyright the word pants? I don't think so, just wondering :-)

As I said earlier, the play ends tonight. If My Big Fat OC Wedding, is any indication of what comes out of the All American Melodrama Theater in Long Beach, they can guarantee that I will be a regular attendee. I'm not going to give you all the upcoming shows, but I will include the link to their website so that you can check it out for yourself , and I will tell you that I'll be seeing both their upcoming Halloween and Christmas Shows.

The cost of the shows in Long Beach are $20 and you do have the option of purchasing "dinner" separately. I use quotes because from their menu it looks more like snack type foods, but who cares, everything is reasonably priced. Last night's show lasted roughly two hours, just the perfect amount of time. I'll say one thing for sure, it didn't seem like we were sitting there for two hours. On a side note each act was short (only 2 acts) with one 15 minute intermission in between. After the final act there is one more 15 minute intermission and the a Special Vaudeville Comedy Revue, considered to be Act III. I'm not sure if they do this for all their shows, but we'll see in October.

This show gets 4 out of 5 Gerber Daisies. Only because I wish the actors came out a little further into the crowd. (There was some crowd involvement) and the first two acts were better than the third, the special vaudeville comedy revue.

Link: http://www.allamericanmelodrama.com/

As always I'll leave you with a quote, this time by British actor Kenneth Haigh, You need three things in the theater--the play, the actors and the audience and each must give something.

Love really???

Hey my peeps, (ok I don't have very many, but whatever) it's been a while since I've posted a blog. I love doing it, but to sit here and write is a problem for me. I've decided that my post tonight is gong to be about love. For those who know me, they know that it's very hard for me to show my emotions outside of anger (it's not like I can't control it, but isn't anger and sadness easier to show that happiness and love?).

My husband will tell you that I am a bitter, angry person, but in the same sentence he'll tell me that he loves me. What he doesn't know is that I love lots of things.

I love my family

I love my friends, old and new.

I love my animals, Sammy and Mia

I love my husband (also a part of my family) although he may not know it.

I love being happy (although I feel as if I can't be too happy because anything can happen and the bottom may fall out from under me at any time.)

I love yoga

I love to TALK LOL

I love to text

I love words like FYI, LOL, LMAO, OMG and I try to use them in my daily vocabulary

I loved teaching

I love to read, don't judge, I'm a book nerd, so what

I love day spas

I love Los Angeles, Hollywood, Burbank, Long Beach, the South Bay (Hermosa, Redonodo, etc.)

I love Massachusetts, New York, New Orleans, Hawaii

I love date night

I love my job

I love making MY OWN $$

I love cars

I love presents

I love celebrity gossip, don't judge, I bet you like juicy gossip too

I love history, remember those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it

I love music

I love to sleep

I love salt

I love movies, all of them (LOL ok so I haven't seen all the movies, but I have too many that I love, to list)

I love wine (tasting and in moderation. There is nothing wrong with a glass once and a while. Red is especially good for the blood)

I love shows like, Friends, Buffy, Angel, Charmed, Roswell, Vampire Diaries, Desperate Housewives, This Is Us, Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, DC Legends of Tomorrow, Once Upon a Time and the Real Housewives of the OC.

I love social media

I love comedy

I love sarcasm

I love to travel, but hate to fly??

I love clothes

I love shoes

I love make-up

I love to one day have kids of my own

I love to sleep (didn't I say that earlier).

I think that this is where I'm going to end my post. I'm very tired and I do say that I love to sleep. I think that for many of us, it's hard to express out true feelings and that's very OK. I have a hard time with it, so I write a blog about it, go figure?? I wouldn't say that I'm an optimistic person, but I'm not a pessimist either. I would classify me as more of a realist. I think that, I think logically. I'm not asking you to agree with me 100% of the time, just most of the time.

Love ya lots!!

PS I love that I'm no longer an Unemployed Real OC Housewife, I'm just a Real OC Housewife and that's a lovely feeling!!

25 Things "I Know"

Many of the best stories are written by authors, who write about what they know. (Not really the case of Wally Lamb, a male, who wrote "She's Come Undone", many critics said that he wrote as if he was a woman, but that's besides the point.) I will never write a novel or be an author, but here is a list of things that I "know".

1. I know that being unemployed sucks. When the job dangles in front of your face and then rejection, it's the most disappointing thing. The fact that a part of your life is at a stand still. There's no moving forward. With every interview, you take one step forward and with every rejection, you take two steps back. It's no consolation to be told, "you were one of our top three candidates, but we've decided to go in a different direction." Don't call me in for an interview and then tell me that "I didn't have the qualifications that you were looking for", you should have known that, just by looking at my resume. I know the unemployment game and boy do I have stories to tell.

2. I know that I probably shouldn't eat dinner while or go to bed after watching the TV show Criminal Minds. This makes for some crazy dreams!

3. I know that I love my dogs, Samwise Gamgee (AKA Sam, Sammy, Love Bug) and Mia ( AKA the most perfect dog in the world), but I sometimes wonder, would I enjoy the freedom that comes along with not having them.?.?.?

4. I know that friends come and go, but if you have just one or two to rely on, that's a much bigger gift than being surrounded by just "a bunch of people."

5. I know that its finally time to take down my Christmas decorations. Now I do have a reason for keeping them up for so long. I was sick the first two weeks of December and couldn't enjoy my "Holiday Decor". This was done a few months ago, it's already March. My decorations were down by Valentines Day.

6. I know that just because YOU believe it to be true, doesn't mean that it is.

7. I know that following my own advice to others or advice from others, is easier said that done.

7 1/2. I know you shouldn't offer unsolicited advice, until you've walked in another person's shoes. Really, we're all guilty of this, but just because you may be older, don't think someone else's life is like yours and that your advice is warranted.

8. I know that you can't live off of love alone.

9. I know that money $$$$$$$$ doesn't buy you love or happiness, but it sure does make life easier.

10. I know that it's hard to edit your own work.

11. I know that between my two dogs, I have the perfect dog. Sammy, being the smartest dog I've ever owned and Mia, being the best behaved dog I've ever owned. I just wish there was a way to mesh them both together. One would say that this is more of a "belief", but I would say it was a fact!

12. I know that I am strong and determined, but there are times when I feel blue.

13. I know to never utter the words, "It can't get any worse" because, yes it can!

14. I know that traffic in Los Angeles sucks.

15. I know that although marriage can be difficult at times, and you may want to throw in the towel, it's great to have someone you can count on.

16. I know that life isn't easy, but it sure can be a ton of fun.

17. I know that if you don't take risks, you won't get anywhere. Risk aversion doesn't keep you safe and sound. Sometimes you just have to go with it, even if it may backfire on you!

18. I know that a little red wine and a small piece of dark chocolate a night is good for you! Thank goodness because those are two things I enjoy!

19. I know that sometimes your spouse doesn't want to be "friends" with you on Facebook. That's OK because don't you see them everyday anyway?

20. I know that even if you have someone in your life, Valentine's Day can still suck!

21. I know that reading is fun! I'd rather read or be on my computer than watch TV any day!!

22. I know that I should be so much more active and that I keep telling myself "I will when things start becoming routine". I miss my gym visits! I miss my yoga classes and the cardio machines.

23. I know not to take things for granted. Just recently my dog Sammy became very ill, he's still on 5 different medications a day. Yes, I know he's an animal, but he's also a part of my family. I'm so happy he's better now!

24. I know that I have to modify # 21. I do have some shows I enjoy watching, so I'm not completely devoid of television!

25. I know that there are so many more things "I know" and that I could go on for a while, but I think I should stop now!

26. OK one more..... I know I need to travel somewhere and I would like, very much, for it to be soon!! :)

This was just a fun way for me to express what is going on in that brain of mine! I would love for anyone to add what they "know" in the comment section of my post. As we grow older and live life, we become either enlightened or unenlightened by our experiences.

To quote Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, "Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance."