And then I was thinking... 02/16/16

They say the essentials we all need are food, shelter and clothing. [...and then the government taxes us for what they provide while we provide some sort of existence/life for our ourselves and our families. Paid taxes in 2015 for the first time in a while.]

But as I was walking back to my home after driving home from work, it hit me that these things are driven by money, emotions, and comfort.

One's ability to earn enough money could either raise or lower the emotional state resulting in a level of comfort in life. Personality and education back it up. Health, whether it be physical or mental is controllable to a certain extent, but for the most part, your health outcome is in the genes you get from your parents. You get what you get healthwise, from genetics, unless you smoke, drink, or take/abuse drugs and food and don't choose to move your body in vigorus ways to help build muscle and remove the toxins then the results or the lack thereof - you did to yourself and your genes did it to you. [Yes, I have Crohn's disease, but changing jobs has changed my commute and my stress level is down due to less of a commute, up to new surrounding and standards to get re-acquainted with on job tasks I'm already familiar with and working for a manager that actually cares to manage, but change is good.]

And then I was thinking, that,  "Isn't it enough to be a good person?" ...as I drive home on the "freeway" in this car, with this amazing horsepower as I grasp the steering wheel, this conveyance I'm seated in, that others, too, are seated in as we travel to our destinations and in my mind's eye/imagination- the exterior of the cars melted away and all people commuting on the freeway were seated floating in a dimly glowing interior blue light with powertrain and frame assuming the driving position with hands on their steering wheels, no upholstery with tires-this technology that really hasn't changed all that much in over 100 years [but to make it faster, safer, use less gas, or another fuel, but really at what cost to our environment if the power to make that alternate fuel was derived from fossil fuel?] and when we as humans end up using up all of the fossil fuels this world has, would we then need to worry about the need to expand our roadways or instead how they scarred the earth, contributed to global warming and how they'll need to be deconstructed?

No, it's not enough to be a good person if you're not exhibiting that goodness for someone else other than yourself to recognize, witness and benefit from. Hence we reward the leaders in their field - whatever they may be and punish those who don't meet society's expectations of what is good and right and true and sometimes - most of the time - logical.

If people were forced to work and live only within the areas that their feet could carry them, how many could? Could one's life be richer and still not have to worry financially?

And to think the fact that management tools are being rolled out to my team tomorrow. And I'm so excited, I can't sleep.

The Look of Love

So I went to Costco after dropping my son off at work on Saturday afternoon and fueling up at Costco gas. My goal was to buy more of their Kirkland brand lean ham luncheon meat. After retrieving a cart, I entered the store and made my way to the aisle when it's sold in the refrigerator case aisle. I don't know if it was on sale or not, but they were giving out samples which was welcomed.

After retrieving the ham from the refrigerator, I turned my cart around and attempted to travel back past the corner I came from to get back to the main hall and when I did, briefly, (the next sequence of events happened in seconds, mere moments) I couldn't move my cart forward because some kids were in the way blocking me with a cart of their own. I then looked up and off to the left I saw a man - a tall man with light skin, long brown wavy hair with his back to me looking off to the right - could have been a doppelganger for thinner Bradley Cooper. I may have sighed seeing this attractive male specimen, but again barely could move forward. And then another man, a Persian man, off to my right must have seen the look of love in my eyes and introduced himself to me as Joe after saying to me, "You've got beautiful eyes." I didn't feel beautiful, rather a hot sweaty mess. It was almost 100 degrees outside, and I had my hair up in a ponytail, was dressed in a tie-died tank top and 3/4 black pants and black Skechers, no socks. I could only assume he thought I was Persian, too, his mistake. And then, the most unwelcomed event happened after I gave him a cursory look to acknowledge where the conversation came from... an unattractive man in his 50-60's, overweight with severe acne scars all over his face, he asked me to dinner. I couldn't barely hear him over the noise of the group of people I was standing next to listening to a blender demonstration and told him, "I don't understand what you're saying". His reply: I'm not a killer, I'm just a human being. A major creepy feeling swept over me like I was unsafe even in the mass of humanity shopping around me inside Costco on a saturday afternoon. I scurried away into the crowd and didn't look back.

Cable vs. Satellite

Cable vs. Satellite. When the Time Warner Sales Rep finally tracked me down at my front door, he told me he could reduce my monthly bill if I switched my cable away from Directv. For me, it came down to the money in my pocket. I did the math and finally succombed to the fact that cable+internet bundle=savings for me. I wasn't happy about it because I enjoyed my reliable service, but there it was on paper in black and white. If I went with Time Warner Cable (internet+basic cable/locals/Showtime hd receiver/hd dvr), I was going to save about $30 a month over Directv (with locals, basic, and a Showtime package).

Old - Cable Internet 46.95 + Directv 72.98 = 119.93
New - Bundled Cable Internet + TV = 89.00
Monthly Savings = 30.93

So we set a date for the installation and I didn't really think about it much at all until the day came. The time rolled around and the installer contacted me to verify the location and direction. Fine. He got to my home and didn't even come to the front door. I found him at my patio door because the neighbor's damn dog was barking again, so that irratated me. He then examined where the internet cable was located and came into the house, asked me for a ladder and told me he would run the cable around my front door. NO. I live in a condo and I can't have the wiring like that. I said the wire was previously ran in the attic, so thats where it needs to go. Oh, he didn't like that. Then he went out onto my patio and said he would cut my directv line to install the cable, and I said NO, that's my property. The cable company was supposed to do a full install and not damage my directv because if I want to get rid of cable, then I can reconnect my directv. I told him he needed to run the line into the hole I previously made and he said he couldn't? Oh, my god. We ran around arguing for a good 30 minutes and I finally came to the conclusion he wasn't prepared for the installation and didn't want to go into my attic. My son left the house so he didn't have to listen to me tell this guy what he needed to do, but wasn't. He called his supervisor, and he went to the next job.

I was left angry and without cable. So the supervisor shows up at my door and I explain that the first guy came and he was arguementative, unprepared to preform the installation because he came without supplies and equipment and ultimately did not want to go into the attic to make the connection. He looked at everything again, asked where the connections should be and left to get supplies. Again, not prepared to do the installation. The supervisor came back with a ladder and coaxil and ran the lines in my attic like I asked, dropped the line in my closet, but left me with the duty to get it through the wall which was fine, and then the first guy shows up again with the hd receiver/dvr and installs that. He put the sound through my tv instead of the stereo, but I didn't care that this point, I just wanted him out. I was still irratated, hungry, and had other things to still to do.

So my appointment lasted over three hours with four visits from two people installing my cable tv. I finally got what I wanted with a new drop in the bedroom and a drop in the service hole that was already in the wall in the living room.

Date Night #1

The Day: Friday night, August 22nd
The Place: PJ Abbey's in the city of Orange at 8PM

I did not even think I was going to be on time because I had to commute from Simi Valley to Tustin to get home and get ready for my date with Robert. I left the office early and literally drove for a solid 3 hours straight in typically super busy Friday night traffic. It was 7PM when I pulled into my driveway. I showered, drew my face on, and picked out an outfit.

Finding the place was easy once I got the address and looked at the map. It's located one block south-east of the Orange Circle. I was actually on time and Robert was the one who called to say he was running late! haha Usually works the other way around for me. I'm constantally late on my time.

Dinner was seared ahi tuna steak, basmati rice and seasonal mixed vegetables. I drank one peartini that was so large and strong, I was definiately feeling it even after the meal. I tried sipping on water, but only time would allow me to get into my car and drive myself home after drinking that monster martini.

He talks a lot but it's cool because it's authoritative without putting on airs and it's not fluff either. And I can tell he's not talking because he likes to hear the sound of his own voice. It's a good thing I'm a good listener. He recognized I don't look my age and I think he likes that fact.

At about 9:40, we walked over to the District Lounge where my friend Kenny Howes was playing. I said 'Hi', and noted that The Glimmer Stars were there as well as a few other orange county based pop bands. Kenny had a good set and I let the bassist know on Saturday with a comment on his Myspace page. I might even say "Bad Ass".

At about 10:30, after drink #2: a gin and tonic for Robert and a crap ass ginger ale (don't even bother trying to order one there, they don't carry it), Robert needed to get some rest so he called it a night. I imaging he was awake for almost 20 hours or so at that point.

He walked me to my car, said parting words, gave me a hug, asked me on another date mid-embrace, gave me a quick kiss on the lips when I said 'yes' and called me gorgeous. AWHHH. That made me smile.

It was a good night.

Experience

***Experience is a wonderful thing.***
***It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.***

Match.com is supposed to be a way to meet someone special that you may not be able to come across in your daily life. You hope they are nice, productive members of society and are able to function in the general population without too much drama and intervention by paid professionals AKA police, parole officer, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, doctors, lawyers, your local mental health provider, etc, etc. You get the picture. The best case scenario is that you actually find someone with some things in common and can talk to them without having to hang up the phone in utter disgust in the middle of a sentence or break out in laughter at the sheer stupidity coming from there mouth through the phone lines and directly into your brain.

So a man found the nerve to contact me about the ad I posted on Match.com. We've been talking and Friday night is our first date. Wish me luck.

Los Angeles Water Patrol

On November 12th, KABC Channel 7, Los Angeles, had LA Mayor Villaragosa talking about water conservation and how the DWP, which is the major supplier for water and power in Los Angeles county, will be conducting patrols to advise residents about water conservation.

LA does have water usage rules. Did you forget? They are not as severe as other areas like New Mexico or Georgia, but it's important to know that:

1. You cannot water hard surfaces such as side walks, walkways, driveways or parking areas.

2. You cannot water your lawn during these times:
April 1st to September 30th - 10Am to 5PM
October 1st to March 31st - 11Am to 3PM

3. Allow excess water from your sprinklers to flood the gutters.

4. Use water to clean, fill, or maintain fountains unless it has a recirculating system.

5. Serve water in eating establishments until the customer asks for it.

6. Allow water leaks to go unattended.

In addition, LA residents are also encouraged to:

1. Fax leaky faucets and install an airator.

2. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean paved surfaces.

3. Shorten your showers and install a water restrictor.

4. Adjust your sprinklers to water the greenery only, not the sidewalks, street or drive way.

5. Run only full loans in your dishwasher and laundry machines.

The goal is to reduce the city's water usage by atleast 10 percent. If this can't be achieved, you better bet they will whip out the ticket system and fine you... you-you-you water waster.