Alligators, snakes and spiders the size of hands. Oh my!
That't right, I am going to Florida! I have vacation coming up! I am going to see my grandparents next month. It will be a refreshing time. Probably wont make it to any of the Disney or Universal theme parks, but its all good.
Mostly I am looking forward to a week with almost no internet, different weather and some good old-fashioned big ass churches.
Well now I need finish getting ready to go to LA for a nice Italian dinner. This should be nice.I will post a pix later!
EDIT: Ok so I kinda forgot to take pictures while at dinner last night. However I did go to La Dolce Vita for dinner. Apparently Frank Sintra and the rat pack used to hang out here.
Never thought to actually look at the website beforehand, if I had I would have known better than to wear dark jeans. I however did not think that we really needed to adhere to a dress code when the bartender was walking around in sneakers, leggings and a sports bra. If you wanna enforce a dress code, make your staff wear appropriate clothing as well.
The food was good. I recommend the lasagna. The drinks were comparable in price to most chain restaurants, I had a Tanqueray and Tonic it was $13 and Kim had a Maitai for $12. However the food was pretty expensive. I had angel hair pasta with tomatoes and basil for $26!! It was ok but not $26 good. However the lasagna was $25 and at first we couldn't figure out why the portion was so small, then we took a bite. It was soooo good. Loaded with cream and butter. Definitely worth the cost.
We had a coupon for $70, and our bill came to $97. Worth the cost indeed. So go and try the place out! It might be the only time I ever eat in Beverly Hills! :)
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Job frustration
I had a phone interview for a position almost 2 weeks ago. It went fairly well. I am not sure what to say about the interview in all honesty. I haven't had a job interview where nepotism took over and automatically got me the job in about 5 years. It was awkward and we shared a laugh over the project still using Microsoft Word 2003, he asked me to go into detail of my last position and what exactly I did. I went to work, I scanned photos, I added metadata, I sometimes did research on the photo, I prepared the photos for archival storage. That is essentially what my job was. It was nice but secluded. No one ever talked to me. I was told that the interviewer had 3 more interviews he wanted to do and received 2 more applicate that morning that he wanted to review but for sure I would hear something by Friday of the following week. GRRR
My issue has been the interview process. I was supposed to find out whether or not I got the job last week. The interviewer said for sure they would tell me by last week. The recruiter said that if I didn't hear anything by Thursday at noon to assume I did not get the job. Well I finally emailed him on Friday and he was told they would make a decision on who to hire either Friday at 5 or hire someone for sure on Monday. Low and behold, they still haven't hired anyone. I just got the email from them stating they are still holding out for more resumes!!!!!! I am extremely frustrated! I just need to know if I am uprooting my life and moving or not. I feel like I am in limbo.
As my friend Ashley says, Limbo sucks! No matter what kind of limbo, it sucks.
My issue has been the interview process. I was supposed to find out whether or not I got the job last week. The interviewer said for sure they would tell me by last week. The recruiter said that if I didn't hear anything by Thursday at noon to assume I did not get the job. Well I finally emailed him on Friday and he was told they would make a decision on who to hire either Friday at 5 or hire someone for sure on Monday. Low and behold, they still haven't hired anyone. I just got the email from them stating they are still holding out for more resumes!!!!!! I am extremely frustrated! I just need to know if I am uprooting my life and moving or not. I feel like I am in limbo.
As my friend Ashley says, Limbo sucks! No matter what kind of limbo, it sucks.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Warning...I am about to rant about something political!!!!
But it’s my money….
Working at Target I see a lot of people who come in and pay a lot of different ways. Check, cash, credit card, gift cards-both Target gift cards and the Visa, MC or AE gift cards; and of course Food Stamps and welfare. However food stamps are no longer the pc term in California, they are now called EBT Food, and welfare is now called EBT cash.
I am not a rich person by any standard. I work hard for my money, I pay my bills on time, I am not trying to take a bailout for the credit cards that I have. I racked up the money on them and therefore I should be the person to pay it off. However I also pay a lot of taxes. My taxes are used to fund programs, just like everyone else’s taxes. I understand this. I understand that it takes tax money to make programs work. Taxes from business, property, and personal, these are the ways our city, county, state and national government provide certain programs to the “deserving” people of our country. But what happens when these programs do not really work.
I see people coming into Target using EBT Food and Cash. I understand some people need some extra assistance, whether it is in the form of food or extra money to pay rent or utilities. But at what point do we need to start regulating what people buy with the money we are giving them?
EBT Food is supposed to help those that need to purchase food. My understanding of the program must be different than the reality of it. I was under the impression it was to help family purchase healthy items such as fruits, veggies, milk products, eggs, meat and bread. However I did not believe it enabled families to purchase items such as chips, cookies, soda and bottled water. On a daily basis I am asked whether or not Target accepts EBT Food/Cash. I have to answer in the yes. But it is seriously disturbing when I see a family pull up to my lane and load up the belt with complete garbage, processed food with MSG and other trans fats, soda and others, especially if the family is already overweight and then pay with EBT Food. I recognize that I do not have a “family” that I am feeding however I feel like yelling at them and asking how they can justify spending “my money” on all this crap. It is not healthy for them, it will not keep them fuller longer, it will make them heavier which then causes many health problems, and then they are probably on state aid in order to cover their health problems. I hate it! It makes the cycle of poverty continues.
According to the state food stamp guidelines:
• In California, all immigrants are eligible for food stamps.
• However, if everyone in the household is getting cash welfare assistance — e.g., general assistance (GA) or CalWORKs (the name of the TANF program in California) — the household is “categorically eligible,” i.e., automatically qualified for food stamps. A few basic food stamp rules still apply to people who are categorically eligible.
All information that I quoted can be found here.
EDIT: I wrote this post about 3 weeks ago. I am still angry with the way our government works, however aside from writing to legislation about this problem I see no solution to fixing it. To go through the many accounts that people have here in California to see if and how they are abusing the system would take money the state does not have. All I can do is write to my legislation to redo certain programs.
What if a person could not qualify for both WIC and foodstamps? Someone I know mentioned that a person can be on both programs, and that is the main reason why the state allows foodstamps to purchase soda and candy.
There are a lot of "What ifs" in this world, but it is not my job to answer them all. I shall put my trust in God and go from there.
Working at Target I see a lot of people who come in and pay a lot of different ways. Check, cash, credit card, gift cards-both Target gift cards and the Visa, MC or AE gift cards; and of course Food Stamps and welfare. However food stamps are no longer the pc term in California, they are now called EBT Food, and welfare is now called EBT cash.
I am not a rich person by any standard. I work hard for my money, I pay my bills on time, I am not trying to take a bailout for the credit cards that I have. I racked up the money on them and therefore I should be the person to pay it off. However I also pay a lot of taxes. My taxes are used to fund programs, just like everyone else’s taxes. I understand this. I understand that it takes tax money to make programs work. Taxes from business, property, and personal, these are the ways our city, county, state and national government provide certain programs to the “deserving” people of our country. But what happens when these programs do not really work.
I see people coming into Target using EBT Food and Cash. I understand some people need some extra assistance, whether it is in the form of food or extra money to pay rent or utilities. But at what point do we need to start regulating what people buy with the money we are giving them?
EBT Food is supposed to help those that need to purchase food. My understanding of the program must be different than the reality of it. I was under the impression it was to help family purchase healthy items such as fruits, veggies, milk products, eggs, meat and bread. However I did not believe it enabled families to purchase items such as chips, cookies, soda and bottled water. On a daily basis I am asked whether or not Target accepts EBT Food/Cash. I have to answer in the yes. But it is seriously disturbing when I see a family pull up to my lane and load up the belt with complete garbage, processed food with MSG and other trans fats, soda and others, especially if the family is already overweight and then pay with EBT Food. I recognize that I do not have a “family” that I am feeding however I feel like yelling at them and asking how they can justify spending “my money” on all this crap. It is not healthy for them, it will not keep them fuller longer, it will make them heavier which then causes many health problems, and then they are probably on state aid in order to cover their health problems. I hate it! It makes the cycle of poverty continues.
According to the state food stamp guidelines:
• In California, all immigrants are eligible for food stamps.
• However, if everyone in the household is getting cash welfare assistance — e.g., general assistance (GA) or CalWORKs (the name of the TANF program in California) — the household is “categorically eligible,” i.e., automatically qualified for food stamps. A few basic food stamp rules still apply to people who are categorically eligible.
All information that I quoted can be found here.
EDIT: I wrote this post about 3 weeks ago. I am still angry with the way our government works, however aside from writing to legislation about this problem I see no solution to fixing it. To go through the many accounts that people have here in California to see if and how they are abusing the system would take money the state does not have. All I can do is write to my legislation to redo certain programs.
What if a person could not qualify for both WIC and foodstamps? Someone I know mentioned that a person can be on both programs, and that is the main reason why the state allows foodstamps to purchase soda and candy.
There are a lot of "What ifs" in this world, but it is not my job to answer them all. I shall put my trust in God and go from there.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Life wont always suck, I hope
My life has not been the way I expected it. I thought that by the time I was 27 everything would have just magically fallen into place. I saw people my age when I was younger and I always admired them. Once a person gets to my age they usually have their shit together. My grandparents for instance had two kids, a mortgage and two careers going on. No student loans, living paycheck to paycheck but knowing that life was not always going to be the way it was.
I know that life today is not like my grandparents life. I really do know that in my heart, however my head keeps screaming, "when is it going to be easier?!!!??" Today's economy is almost as bad as the Great Depression. During the Great Depression unemployment rose to 25% and as high as 33% in some countries; and while this isn't the Great Depression, to some of us who now need to start paying back student loans and do not have a job that supports us, it feels like it. There are some companies that will allow you to take an economic hardship, also known as a financial deferment; however you can only do it for one year straight and only up to three years. The national stats are not good, in fact they are pretty grim. Once a person has been unemployed for longer than six months it is estimated they will be unemployed for another 18 months.
After six months is when one starts to lose their skills as a valuable employee. If you have strong office skills but do not continue to use them at home during your time off, you will lose the skills employers strongly desire. In addition, it is encouraged that if you are laid off and can afford to further your education, one should do so while being laid off.
I am not the poster child for this. I did not get laid off, I choose to give up two jobs that I absolutely loved in order to move back home closer to my mother. She needed me to come home and help with so many things I cannot even begin to describe. However in giving up those jobs it is now what seems to be near impossible to reclaim any decent work. This is by far a "woes is me" post. It is to bring to light that NO ONE is really hiring. Any company can post a job opening, that does not mean they actually intend to fill the position. If a company leaves that position open, it will then bring up the national stats for what companies are hiring.
Since this is not a "woes is me" post, I just need to reiterate, if you are consistently looking for positions, and changing your resume to suit each job along with custom tailoring a cover letter, you are more than likely to get a job. One does have to be persistent. If you half ass your job search, employers are going to half ass, or not even look at your resume. Everyone is a victim of half assing it. There are jobs that you do not really want to apply for but you do because you feel like you have to. I have done it, everyone has, trust me.
However one gets to the point where you have to take a position even if you do not like all the aspects of it. Trust me, I do not want to be working full time for Target, but I do because I have to pay the bills and I REFUSE to go on unemployment. That means, even though I do not make a ton of money I still do not live paycheck to paycheck. One just learns to readjust the way you live. You do not go out to eat as much and you make more conscience decisions on where you shop and when. You spend an hour or two clipping coupons shopping the sales and figuring out how to make the most bang for your buck. It is not an easy task, but one does what is necessary in order to make life work.
Life never promised us it would be easy, in fact that is probably where the great quote comes from "life sucks then you die, get over it." Life wont always suck. It will get better. At least one has to keep that positive attitude in order to make it better. If one doesn't keep a positive attitude then you will turn into Wisa from Steel Magnolias, and wouldn't that suck!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Pics from Camping
Some of the many photos from camping. Check out the rest on facebook, if you are friends with me. If not, email me and I can add you there! :)
Monday, June 7, 2010
Camping doesn't always mean vacation.
I last went camping when I was about 12 or 13. So as I have mentioned before my memories of going camping are kinda vague. I do not know what it was like to pack the tent, all the food, to worry about park fees or camping fees. I was blissfully unaware of how long it actually takes to get to a decent camping site. My dad usually set up the tent alone. Little did I know....
Things I learned this time around:
1. Buy a cot, I do not sleep on the ground!
2. Buy a decent sleeping bag.
3. Take about $100 worth of cash. While state parks will accept check and CC upon arrival they really prefer cash, especially when it comes to getting the camping space.
4. Go with someone you can actually stand for long periods of time. I failed miserably at this one. I went with someone I thought I could stand but as it turns out I thought I might have to kill while out on the trail.
5. Coordinate with everyone to know what everyone is expecting out the trip. Make sure to not leave anyone out!
6. Plan meals a little bit. I am not saying you have to make a meal chart type thing, but make sure you actually like the food you bring.
7. Did anyone else know it is $20 a night to camp! And that doesn't include soap in the bathrooms or showers!!!???!!!!
I went with a friend from New York. I featured him on this blog before. We have been hiking together before. I will call him Bob, just in case he ever decided to read my blog.
Bob and I made out a plan to go to Yosemite, Sequoia and Lone Pine. Bob really wanted to hike Half-Dome. I was trying to be in training for it, but it didn't happen as well as I wanted. I could give a list of excuses but who really wants to read those? I am in GREAT shape, just not for Half-Dome. My asthma has been acting up more and more since I moved back to Cali so there was no way I could climb it this year.
What really happened: we stayed in Sequoia the whole time. Half-Dome turned out to be closed because of the major snowfall we had this year. Global warming people, its real! Plus the road which would take us from Sequoia to Yosemite was also closed, it lead to the mutual decision to stay put. Plus after putting up a tent, we really didn't want to take it down before we had to or put it back up.
I borrowed a tent and sleeping bag. Wow what a mistake! Borrowing the tent was not a bad idea, but borrowing a sleeping bag from my brother turned out to be a bad idea. I had forgotten that he does not get claustrophobic the way I do, so he doesn't mind a close fitting sleeping bag. Must buy a new sleeping bag meant for 2 people so I do NOT get that feeling again.
A friend lent me her tent. She had never used it before however I reassured her that if something went wrong with tent or pieces were missing "I am going with nature boy so he will solve it!" Yeah right!!!!!!!! Nature boy couldn't even get it all the way up and could not figure out why it wasn't working the way it needed to be. I figured it out! YAY for me! Nature boy kept leading me in the wrong directions according to the map, I finally had to look at it to find various things. Wow I'm so smart! Sure boosted my self esteem!!!!
If I never eat a hot dog again I will be a happy person. Between 2 at my birthday party, and the god knows how many I ate while camping, I am on hot dog overload! Ew. I thought it would be cute and quaint to eat a hot dog off a hot dog skewer while camping...It is so much nicer when you are 13.
Plus I am a moron. I checked the ingredient list on everything except for the bread we took along. I cannot eat high fructose corn syrup. I gave it up over lent season and I stopped having stomach problems, and the majority of my headaches were gone. Lo and behold my bread had it in it. Did anyone know that they had high fructose corn syrup in bread? Gross!!! I wound up being sick the last two days of camp. Oh well life gets better.
Next blog post will include pictures from camping. Right now the best ones are on my cell phone and I cannot access them at this point in time. For now I think I will go get dinner ready and take care of rest of the stuff for the day. :)
Things I learned this time around:
1. Buy a cot, I do not sleep on the ground!
2. Buy a decent sleeping bag.
3. Take about $100 worth of cash. While state parks will accept check and CC upon arrival they really prefer cash, especially when it comes to getting the camping space.
4. Go with someone you can actually stand for long periods of time. I failed miserably at this one. I went with someone I thought I could stand but as it turns out I thought I might have to kill while out on the trail.
5. Coordinate with everyone to know what everyone is expecting out the trip. Make sure to not leave anyone out!
6. Plan meals a little bit. I am not saying you have to make a meal chart type thing, but make sure you actually like the food you bring.
7. Did anyone else know it is $20 a night to camp! And that doesn't include soap in the bathrooms or showers!!!???!!!!
I went with a friend from New York. I featured him on this blog before. We have been hiking together before. I will call him Bob, just in case he ever decided to read my blog.
Bob and I made out a plan to go to Yosemite, Sequoia and Lone Pine. Bob really wanted to hike Half-Dome. I was trying to be in training for it, but it didn't happen as well as I wanted. I could give a list of excuses but who really wants to read those? I am in GREAT shape, just not for Half-Dome. My asthma has been acting up more and more since I moved back to Cali so there was no way I could climb it this year.
What really happened: we stayed in Sequoia the whole time. Half-Dome turned out to be closed because of the major snowfall we had this year. Global warming people, its real! Plus the road which would take us from Sequoia to Yosemite was also closed, it lead to the mutual decision to stay put. Plus after putting up a tent, we really didn't want to take it down before we had to or put it back up.
I borrowed a tent and sleeping bag. Wow what a mistake! Borrowing the tent was not a bad idea, but borrowing a sleeping bag from my brother turned out to be a bad idea. I had forgotten that he does not get claustrophobic the way I do, so he doesn't mind a close fitting sleeping bag. Must buy a new sleeping bag meant for 2 people so I do NOT get that feeling again.
A friend lent me her tent. She had never used it before however I reassured her that if something went wrong with tent or pieces were missing "I am going with nature boy so he will solve it!" Yeah right!!!!!!!! Nature boy couldn't even get it all the way up and could not figure out why it wasn't working the way it needed to be. I figured it out! YAY for me! Nature boy kept leading me in the wrong directions according to the map, I finally had to look at it to find various things. Wow I'm so smart! Sure boosted my self esteem!!!!
If I never eat a hot dog again I will be a happy person. Between 2 at my birthday party, and the god knows how many I ate while camping, I am on hot dog overload! Ew. I thought it would be cute and quaint to eat a hot dog off a hot dog skewer while camping...It is so much nicer when you are 13.
Plus I am a moron. I checked the ingredient list on everything except for the bread we took along. I cannot eat high fructose corn syrup. I gave it up over lent season and I stopped having stomach problems, and the majority of my headaches were gone. Lo and behold my bread had it in it. Did anyone know that they had high fructose corn syrup in bread? Gross!!! I wound up being sick the last two days of camp. Oh well life gets better.
Next blog post will include pictures from camping. Right now the best ones are on my cell phone and I cannot access them at this point in time. For now I think I will go get dinner ready and take care of rest of the stuff for the day. :)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Older, Wiser?
Well I got to be another year older and possibly wiser. I haven't updated this thing in a while. I am not sure that this second in time is right for it.
I am going on vacation on Wednesday. That should be fun. Oh and posted below are highlights from my birthday party from this year. :)
The top photo is me and Andrew, my best friend since high school.
The next photo is my brother playing with fire.
The next photos are me with various friends... There are no pictures of my friends singing Happy Birthday to me, because I refused to let them do it.
The irony part is my brother conspired against me and wound up holding me from my middle section while my friends sang. Lets just say it was an interesting night. One in which I went to bed sober and happy! :) Now on to blog and figure out pictures from vacation!
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