NKOTB 7/9

• Hey people how are you? I'm doing fantastic. I had an absolutely great time at the NKOTB concert on Thursday night and a fun weekend as well. I'm going to blog about the concert, and if it gets too longwinded I'll do a separate blog for the rest of the weekend. So on Thursday morning I picked up the Wheelchair Getaways van in Milbrae, then went home to shower and get ready for my really long day. I arrived in Lodi by noon, and we left a little after 1pm. We got to Concord around 2:30, and had to wait until 3pm before they opened the gates for us. We had great VIP parking in lot A, it just took about 20 minutes to find the right lot. We almost ended up in the crew's parking area, and pretty much cut off the New Kids' bus while I was getting directions. Hahaha. Then we had to wait in line for about an hour before we could get in. I came very close to passing out at one point. It was 85 degrees, I was thirsty and had been up for almost 24 hrs straight. Luckily I kept talking to Kimmie and everyone else around me and stayed awake.
  
• Once we got in we went straight to the souvenir booth. I got myself a t-shirt, which is awesome. Kimmie got stuff for various family members. Later on in the evening she bought me a Joe button, although she didn't have to. Next we got our gift bags and went in the VIP area for BBQ and beverages. We got free underwear (gave mine to Cathy), a towel, lip balm, sun lotion, and I can't remember what else. After mingling for a bit, we didn't have to wait long to see the boys. We were in the 4th group. Once we got to the picture area, we were told to wait for the rest of our group to go, since they wanted a separate pic with just us two. It was awesome. We got to chat with them for about 3 minutes and take a nice picture. I got hugs from them all, and Donnie and I had a brief conversation about Smurfette from the Smurfs, and how she used to be evil. Plus he gave me a high-five. That and Joe gave me a brief shoulder massage. It was lovely. I can't wait to get that picture back, you know I'm hanging an 8 X 10 on the wall. They are all really nice guys. Jordan always seems like he doesn't really like being there, but I've heard other reports of him being rude so it's not just us. Oh well.
  
• So after all that excitement we went to the restroom then went downstairs to find our seats. Now the other two times we've sat in the first ten rows, I have to transfer Kimmie out of her chair and stow it somewhere else. This time security physically moved chairs out of the way, so she didn't have to get out of hers. At first we were in the 7th row, but then some security lady told us we had to move 3 rows back so we weren't in the way. So we did. The seats were still awesome. Kimmie had no problems seeing anything, even with everyone standing up. Security came by quite often to see if she was enjoying the show. I'd say Concord Pavillion has the best wheelchair access and nicest security. At least compared to the HP Pavillion in San Jose and Savemart Center in Fresno.
  
• After the show we were one of the last vehicles out of the parking lot. We stopped for gas down the street, for coffee in Livermore, then back to Lodi. By then I was so exhausted that I felt drunk. Once I got her inside I made a McDonald's run which was interesting, because the manager there looked like a young Christian Slater. All in all, fantastic time. Probably the best NKOTB experience yet. Yay!!
  

summer fun

• Hey hey hey! How y'all doin? It's the middle of the week. I'm tired but what else is new? Nothing much going on. Monday I worked both jobs, relaxed in between. Tuesday I did the same, but did the grocery shopping in between. This made me 15 min late for this job, and I took Victoria home. Usually I don't like shopping in the evening, especially with a time crunch. I decided to so that I could get some housework done later this morning, and get an ample amount of rest. Thursday I'm probably not sleeping much at all, maybe a cat nap. It's the NKOTB concert in Concord!!! Yay!! By the time Kimmie and I get back from the concert and post concert festivities, it'll be at least 1am. I'll get Kimmie in bed, then I'm poopin out for a minimum of 8 hrs.
  
• I'm also starting to get excited for Spirit West Coast at the end of the month. Five freakin days of camping, a little bit of security work and lots of adventure!! Sandi and I will both have fun figuring out how to set up tents, blow up air mattresses, and not lighting ourselves on fire with the camping stove. Yay! Once my New Kids fiasco is over this week, I can start making lists and plan for camping. Whooo hooooo!!!
  

• What's up folks? Another awesome weekend has passed us by. It ended way too soon. Friday afternoon I worked at Traffic, then later on that evening I went out partying in San Fran with Davina, Lorie, and Tanya. We ended up at the Cat Club on Folsom, where it was 80s/Goth night. More like Goth night with Depeche Mode/Tears For Fears in the first room. Oh well, we still had drinks and danced for a few hours. It's cool doing early 90s dance moves to New Wave stuff. Afterward we had a tasty meal at Tommys Joint on Van Ness/Geary. Turkey dinner for less than $9, at 1am. Can't beat that with a baseball bat.
• My 4th of July was fun and laid back. Slept in, made oatmeal pancakes/scrambled eggbeaters/turkey bacon for breakfast. Went walking. Then I hung out with a special friend of mine later that evening watching movies. We really couldn't figure out what to do since a lot of places were closed and everything that was open was going to be crowded. Oh well, I had a GREAT time watching Wayne's World 2 and Adventures In Babysitting. Is it me or is that on cable every single weekend? Seems like it.
  
• Sunday I slept in again, got my exercise, then took Dad to Sebastopol. We ate lunch at McDonald's. I had a side salad with no dressing and a honey mustard grilled chicken wrap. I was astounded at how much sodium was in that, sheesh. Oh well, probably the healthiest thing they had there. Then eventually we got back to Dad's house, there was tons of traffic on the way. Later that evening Davina had a karaoke thing planned with a bunch of friends, but it fell through. I was able to take a nap for a few hours before work. I'm glad I did since I had a bit of a stress headache.

happy almost independance day

• Word up folks. How's everyone doing? I'm pretty okay if I say so myself. I'm actually caught up on sleep, which is good. Wednesday morning I went shopping/ran errands, and that took FOREVER. Wednesday night I worked, and Thursday I slept in. Got up, showered, walked a few miles, made a bombass dinner. Oh yeah, Cathy's cat JD snuck into the garage while I was bringing in my basket of clean laundry. I was like "oh well" and minded my own business. When I went out to find him ten minutes later, he was nowhere to be found. I called and called for an hour. He finally showed up on the front porch. How he got there, I don't know. When I told Cathy about it, she was pissed. Stupid cat. Oh yeah, Spencer's leg is feeling better. He's walking on it even more and being himself, so I'm not worrying about taking him to the vet. Yay.
  
• Oh and earlier I met with a guy friend for coffee before work. He wants to be known as Johnny Wishbone.. ROTF. Yeah we had a fun 20 min conversation and stuff. We're hanging out on Saturday. I can't wait. (If you've seen Beverly Hills Cop II, you'll know who Johnny Wishbone is...)
• I'm so glad the weekend is here. Later today I'm working an extra shift at Traffic, for some sweet holiday pay. I was asked to work here too but I'd only get 2 hrs of sleep, and that would suck. Later on tonight I'm going clubbin in San Fran with Davina and friends, it should be hecka fun. Saturday I'm not sure what's in store but I know we'll have fun. Yay!!

Oh wait, Amy uploaded a video from my bday party a few weeks back.


Lisa's 29th B-day

I need another nap

• Hey folks, how you've been? I'm doing okay, just exhausted as usual. Well the usual for an early Wednesday morning anyway. Not much going on. Working a lot, trying to get sleep. Spencer has a sore hind foot. I think he fell down from the table or something and hurt it. It seems to be only a minor sprain. He's still active, loves to eat, walks around the house and doesn't seem lethargic at all. If it were broken he wouldn't be moving, period. If it's still persisting in a week or so, I'll take him to the vet. No use in paying out the wazoo for someone to tell me he has a sprain.
  
• So yeah that's about it. I'm hecka sleepy so I'll probably power snooze in a bit. Oy. I need a nap.
  

RIP Michael Jackson

• Wow.. haven't been this emotional during a blog in a long time. The king of pop, Michael Jackson has passed away at the age of 50. We lost both him and Farrah Fawcett on the same day. She's also a big shock and I will miss her as well. But Michael is well Michael Jackson. My first thought when I heard he died was "He can't die, he's Michael Jackson!" No one is immortal, except Jesus. That's a different convo for a different blog.
• My first experiences of listening to MJ were as a small child, rockin out to Beat It at our next door neighbor's house. Dancing on their dining room table, using a broom to do the Van Halen solo. We idolized him as kids. Michelle had the Thriller era Peechee folder with him in the yellow sweater. I have a t-shirt with the same picture on it in my closet. I found an audio tape a few years ago of my dad's, that he made when we were kids. Michelle was saying her prayers and at the very end she's like "And Michael Jackson, we love you too!"
• I remember trying to learn his dance moves from Smooth Criminal. I also remember our neighbor Leslie taping a Michael Jackson special off MTV in the early 90s with all his videos. We watched that over and over, often when I was babysitting her kids. Can't tell you how many hundred times I've seen the Smooth Criminal and Black Or White videos.
  
• Michael did a lot of good for people everywhere. He wrote "We Are The World" back in like 1985 and was one of the lead vocalists. All he wanted to do was love everyone. He was one of the most dynamic performers this world has ever seen, even as a ten year old kid he had "it". That talent, that drive for entertainment, those dance moves. The world has lost one hell of a performing artist, he will be sorely missed. His music will live on forever. Who doesn't love Michael Jackson's music? C'mon now.
  

Sleepy

• What's up friends? Not much here I'm just REALLY tired. That's all. Monday I worked both jobs, nothing much went on. Tuesday morning we had to take Dad to ER because his g-tube in his tummy fell out. Grossorama. Fortunately I didn't have to look at it or anything, just had to drive them there. Cathy was nice enough to leave work early and relieve me, so I could go home and take a nap before my afternoon job. All I can say is thank God for Starbucks. I am so exhausted right now. Sorry I didn't answer my phone Kimmie, I'm just way tired/cranky.
  
• Oh yes, I started writing this about two hours ago. Then Matt called and yeah I talked to him for a little while, and had to cut it short. Thanks to work related stuff. I swear every time I announce to the world how tired I am, I end up having to do more work. First a station in Georgia calls (of course for no reason), then I get a call from one of our clients in England. Ugh. Equipment resets and emails later, I'm finally finishing this blog. Now off to enjoy a salad and maybe semi-doze for a bit. Gotta be alert for the first newscast in an hour. Oh yay.
  

Loong blog

• Hey hey hey! What's up? I'm like all sorts of tired and I have a ton to blog about. I also need to call Matt, hopefully he'll still be awake when I call. Let's see I'll start with Thursday, my actual birthday. Turned out to totally awesome. Went to dinner with Cathy at Cattlemens in Livermore. On the way there we were stuck in tons of traffic on the freeway and I suggested taking the streets and following a route from Google Maps, on my phone. Bad idea. Turns out the street we were supposed to turn on didn't exist, or at least connect to where we were. It was lovely. The highlight of my evening was meeting up with Matt and forcing him to watch Dennis The Menace at my house. It was the most interesting thing on the On Demand from Comcast and the DVD player in the living room sucks. I hope I didn't bore him to death. It wasn't sports related nor did anything majorly blow up, except Walter Mattheau's temper. Oh well. That did make my night though.
  
• Friday I really didn't sleep much, but I was thinking too much about my bday fun the night before. I did get up and exercise, and my goal was to go shopping with my dad. Then Michelle called and said she wasn't feeling well, and that I had to take her to the doctor in Oakland. So I did, and then decided to let her go shopping with Dad and I, although it was supposed to be a special bday/Father's Day thing. Well about 10 minutes after we left the house, her boyfriend called and wanted to meet her at home. I was pretty angry at this point, but I drove her all the way back. Essentially about 5 hours of my time was wasted that morning/afternoon because of having to chauffeur my sister around. ARRGH. So Dad and I went shopping at Stoneridge Mall by ourselves, and had a blast. Got a cute outfit from Torrid, a few things from Hot Topic, a movie from FYE, and more body wash from Bath And Body Works. (Most of this I got with gift cards. I love birthdays.) I also took Dad to Haagen Dazs for ice cream and had some fat free frozen yogurt. Good stuff. Then later on I went to Target with some gift cards I had gotten. I got a few CDs, a new shirt, eyeliner, lip gloss, and various hair products. Eventually I got home at a decent hour and vegged out in my room. Shopping can be exhausting. (NOTE: I just got off the phone after 2 1/2 hrs with Matt so now I'll continue my blog.)
• So early on Saturday afternoon I left for Lodi to go hang out with Kimmie. I met up with her at Kmart since she, myself and her niece Joyce were having our pictures taken at Olan Mills, their portrait studio. We ended up taking a lot of poses, and the dude working there was talking our ears off about packages we couldn't afford. It sort of made me mad since we told him what we were buying, but he kept on going with his "deals"l and wouldn't shut up. We lost about 30 min of shopping time. Oh well. On the way back to Kimmie's place I picked up Casa Mexicana for dinner. So bad for you, yet so tasty. We first watched the made for TV movie about Three's Company, and how Suzanne Somers got a giant head. It was rather entertaining. Especially since the Don Knotts guy looked absolutely nothing like him. Horrible. After the movie we took a walk down to Walgreens, just to look around. I was great and didn't buy a thing. Oh yeah, we got iced lattes at House Of Coffee on the corner, my sugar/fat free white chocolate latte one was awesome. So after we got back from our excursion I made her watch The Principal starring Jim Belushi and Rae Dawn Chong. So late 80s and cliche. One of the reasons I did like it was because it was filmed in Oakland and Alameda. So close to home. Then we watched Hounddog, a movie with Dakota Fanning which includes sexual abuse. Such a sad movie. Then we fell asleep.
  
• Sunday I slept in until about noon, and Kimmie woke up around 1pm, right after I had gotten out of the shower. I went out and got Jack In The Box for our lunch. I had grilled chicken and a fruit cup. We watched a movie called Just Ask My Children, where two innocent parents were sent to prison for 14 years because of a fabricated molestation story. It was scary, because it's a true story. Soon afterwards we decided to take another field trip, and walked to Woodbridge. It's less than 2 miles away, not bad. Kimmie showed me her childhood apartment complex, and we stopped for dinner at Woodbridge Pizza. Their food is awesome, so are their bathrooms. We got home just in time to watch an episode of Greatest American Hero, then I had to leave for work. I actually ended up about 13 min late, and took Victoria home. So yeah Kimmie, we can blame it on Ralph Hinckley, see if my boss gets that one.
  
• Well, this has been long winded. Started writing, then a nice long convo with my man, then finished writing. Also discovered my knife isn't here so I need to hunt for one down the hall. I have to eat my orange cut into slices. I'm so weird. Okay well I'm off to find a knife, plastic or not. My boss'll be here soon enough, and he'll talk my ear off. Yay.
  

Almost bday time

• What's up homies? Not much here, just the middle of the week. What's been going on? Well Monday I worked both jobs, but in between I had to stop by Dad's house and set up his digital antenna. The poor guy can barely use a remote let alone set up an antenna. Oh well, I got his channels he needed. Monday night at work I kept pretty darn busy too. Lots of technical problems. Tuesday I worked both jobs again, but during my down time Michelle and I went to Coldstone. I got a Like It sized Sinless Cream (or whatever it is) with graham cracker crust as a mix in. Free with my birthday coupon!
  
• So here I am at work, just relaxing. I brought my kittycat Spencer since my boss said I could. Guess that's my bday present from him. Spencer is a BIG boy, 17 lbs. Beats the boredom at work having a giant orange tabby rubbing on your legs, licking your feet and rubbing his head on your trackball/mouse thing. I love my kitty pal.
  
• Well just to let y'all know. My official birthday is on Thursday. I won't be working on Thursday night, since I requested it off and the other fulltimers are covering for me. Least they said they would. I know Brad has car trouble but um yeah that wouldn't be fair if I had to come in at 3am on Friday to cover for him. Oy vey. So yeah, this is probably my last blog of the week. Okie dokie. Gonna call Matt in a few. :-)
  

I had a great time

• What's up folks? How was your weekend? Mine was fantastic. Friday I got A LOT of cleaning done for my party. A little in the morning, and later on in the afternoon too. Heavy lifting, sweeping, dusting and mopping. Fun stuff. Amy came over to spend the night before my party, and she also helped.
• Before I knew it Saturday morning was here. I got up, ate breakfast, went on a 2 mile walk, then went and picked up Kimmie in Lodi with my dad's van. After I got back I had enough time to do last minute cleaning and party prep, then I went and got ice and pizza. Two important party elements. Pretty soon folks started arriving, and I had tons of fun. Davina brought some rum so I had a little bit, but not too much. We did the usual like opening presents and singing happy birthday with the cake. We also did "only at Lisa's party" kinda stuff, like watching Adventures In Babysitting, Howard The Duck, Gumby (Cathy bought it for me on VHS.. LOL), and Gremlins in Espanol (on Telemundo). Oh yes, and we discussed transvestites, the definition of a slag, and how on earth my shirt ended up almost backwards. The festivities didn't end until about 2am, and Kimmie and I didn't get into bed until around 3:30am. We fell asleep watching Fast Times At Ridgemont High in my room.
  
• Sunday was interesting. I woke up, showered, helped Kimmie out of bed, and we both had breakfast. Then I went on my walk, and later on I helped her with bathroom duties and all that stuff. I'm sure most of you are aware that Kim has cerebral palsy. It sucks. It takes forever for her to do stuff that only takes us "walkies" minutes or even seconds. I do NOT take my legs and the use of them for granted. Anyway, it took a long time to get ready and leave my house, but we finally did. Big props to TJ for helping out with Kimmie this weekend, by the way. Eventually I got her back home and safely in her house. Later on at home I made dinner, uploaded pics and sorted out my bday loot. It's not even my real birthday yet and I'm already blessed. Anyway, gonna get going now. Gotta call Matt and chat about my/his weekend.
  

I may be shrinking

• Hey folks, it's Friday!! Whooo! I'm excited because my work week will be over in 6 1/2 hrs, plus I'm having a jammin bday party on Saturday. That means A LOT of housework to do. Ugh. I hope to God that TJ fixes my toilet today, so I can put the bathroom back together and clean it, as well as my bedroom. The living room needs help but the dining room is the absolute worst. Aubri's crap EVERYWHERE. Oh the fun I will have.
  
• Last few days have been cool. I have gotten several comments about me looking skinnier. Like four in the past week alone. Thank you all for recognizing my sexy hotter bod. Haha. No seriously, I've been afraid to weigh myself for months, I just might give it a go today. I think it's the lack of occasional weekend boozing, self control at dinner, and the regular exercise. Yes I'm keeping it up. God only knows what I'll eat this weekend but hey, it's my party time. Okay well there isn't much else to write about. I'll have plenty of stories to share and pics to upload next time. :-)
  

ring a ding ding

• Hey folks. How's your week going? Mine sure is interesting. Let's see.. I talked to Matt for like 4 hours on Monday morning. (Hi!!!!! We keep on playing phone tag. LOL) Then later on when my boss came in we had a very heated discussion on Prop 8. I guess I'm insane but when I vote I don't think about what the Bible says, I think about our population as a whole. I read the Bible, but not everyone in California does, and I respect that. Two gay people getting married doesn't hurt anyone, so I think they have every right to do so. Sheesh. Anyway, that's how my Monday morning went. Later that day I worked my part-time job, went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse with my older sister, and came to work here.
  
• Tuesday I worked both jobs, as usual. I'm still here as a matter of fact. Well duh I always work overnights. Anyway, nothing exciting happened except the toilet deciding to break while I was on it. Not so much fun.
  
• The rest of the week should be busy, yet awesome. Later this morning I have training for some new software at my other job, so I'm telecommuting and doing it from home. It's an hour and a half and I get paid for it while in my jammies, so why not? Thursday we're grocery shopping and I have a fat list so there's plenty of goodies for my party. Friday I'll spend a lot of time cleaning, and Saturday I'll be running errands until the party starts. Whoo hoo! Okay I think I'll let my phone juice up a bit and give someone special a ring a ding ding. Toodles!
  

Ecstatic

• Hey hey hey! What's up my peeps? It is I, the lovely Lisa. Why am I blogging so late and while in such a good mood? 4 hour phone convo with Matt!!! Hi!! Go A's!! (Sorry I had to..) Anyway how is everyone today? Good, good. My weekend was tons of fun. Friday morning I took Dad's kittycat Louie to the vet for his shots. Later on that evening I took a nice long walk, made dinner at home, then went with Michelle to Fenton's in Oakland for ice cream. We got dessert for the whole gang. Swiss milk chocolate = YUM.
  
• Saturday was BFD, the concert put on by Live 105 that signifies the beginning of summer. Davina and I went together, and met other friends there as well. Cathy and Amy did NOT come. BOOO you guys suck. Anyway, we had a blast. We rocked the Subsonic stage, hung at the bar with Leeanne and Mikey, and generally wandered around. I have to admit Steve Aoki's set at Subsonic was awesome, and being in the middle of that pit of sweaty dancers was exhilerating. Then we went up to the lawn area, and found a nice comfy spot to put the blanket down and relax. It was cool and we almost took naps, but there was too much stuff going on around us. Soon it was getting cold and we got bored. We left around 8pm, after the Yeah Yeah Yeahs played and before 311. I love 311 and the Offspring, but I've seen both bands hecka times and was tired/hungry. So we beat it outta there early and took Mikey home in San Jose. Okay almost home, we dropped him off at Wendys. Then we drove back to San Leandro for some La Pinata, a nice late dinner. It hit the spot for sure. What an awesome day.
  
• Sunday I must have been pooped, because I slept in until 10am. I woke up very refreshed. After a quick shower and a bombass breakfast (whole wheat pancakes, scrambled eggbeaters + turkey bacon), I took another nice long 45 min walk. Then I decided to be nice to my dad and take him on an adventure. After getting Starbucks and gassing up the car, I picked him up and we drove to Lagunitas, in rural Marin County. He lived there from age 10 to 17, and hadn't been there for years. Then we ate lunch in Samuel Taylor State Park, where he took us camping as kids. It was lots of fun, I could tell he enjoyed himself. I took him to my place for a while after that, then back home. Later on in the evening, I made myself dinner, and tried to take a nap. Unfortunately my future niece/nephew wouldn't shut up, so that wasn't working. I ended up watching Blue Collar TV on DVD there in my room. All in all I did have fun this past weekend. Next weekend will also be awesome, as my bday party is coming up. WHOO.
  

TGIF

• Word up homies. Thank God it's Friday!! The last few days have been cool. Wednesday morning we ran a ton of errands, and stopped by Grocery Outlet to scope it out. They have some pretty good deals, I must say. I think it may become a regular fixture in our shopping schedule. That afternoon I finally caught up on sleep. Boy I needed it. Not much happened on Thursday. I got my oil changed, new tires and new alignment. Kinda sucked since I didn't want to spend the money on all that, but the stock tires on my Corolla only last like 35-40K and I was on 35. They definitely looked worn. Oh well, had to do what I had to do. That's what I get for driving so much. I did get some sleep on Thursday, but not enough. One of our neighbors was chopping down all the brush in our side and back yards with his chainsaw and weed wacker, so it was hard to get much rest. I slept around 6 hours or so. I'm sure I'll make up for lost sleepytime tomorrow.
  
• This weekend should be fun. Saturday Davina and I are going to BFD. I'm going to try and dress cute, take lots of pictures, and apply lots of SPF 80. Yes, SPF 80. I'm a pasty white girl, and proud of it. Sunday maybe I'll catch up on rest. Okay, talk to ya later.
  

I need a serious nap

• Hey folks, what's goin on? Not a whole lot of excitement here. I'll try to make this blog short and sweet since I'm VERY sleep deprived and need a semi-snooze very badly. Monday I worked both jobs. Cathy got a kitten from our friend Alisha and gave it to Dad as an early Father's Day present. You should have seen my dad's face light up. The new kitty's name is Louie. From what I hear he barely leaves Dad's side.
  
• Tuesday morning I slept a few hours, took Dad to the doctor and ran some errands, then slept a few more hours. Then I got to get up and go to my afternoon job. I was exhausted. About an hour into my shift I noticed a screw was missing from my eyeglass frames, and one of the sides became detached. Now I have to get the screw replaced later this morning. I've spent this afternoon/evening/early morning walking around not being able to see squat. I wear the busted glasses when I drive though, I'd rather see in some jacked up frames than get in an accident. Anyway, in the evening I was busy preparing dinner and unwinding. I could have snoozed for 45 min or so, but I didn't want to oversleep or wake up feeling even more tired. That happens sometimes. So I'm here now barely keeping my eyes open. I had a two hour convo with Matt :-), and now I think it's time to relax.
  
• So yeah that's about it. The usual grocery shopping this morning, getting my glasses fixed, a few housechores, then I am going to bed. I don't want to be disturbed either, so Cathy do your post-jogging stretches somewhere else. Haha. Okay folks talk to ya later.
  

weekends end too fast

• Hey everyone, back from my awesome weekend. Why do weekends always go by so freakin fast? Ugh. I'm already back at work doing a 12 hr shift. Maybe I can get off work at bit early, if my boss lets me. That'll be in like 9 hours or so. Oh well.
  
• Friday I took Dad to get his staples out at Stanford. Everything went smoothly, and he has to go back for a follow up in September. I went home and slept, and went to dinner with Michelle at Chevy's later that evening. Oh yeah, then later on at home I had some awesome hormonal moment and blew up at Cathy, and ended up stripping down to my bra in the process. It was great. We made up the next morning though.
  
• Saturday I got up and did a little shopping with Cathy. We went to Target, and I discovered that I can wear a size smaller, at least in skirts. You don't know how happy this made me feel. Then we went to Stoneridge, and I got my ears repierced. We did a lot of browsing, and eventually went back home. After taking my almost daily walk, I picked up Dad and he spent some time at my place watching Cops. I had leftover mexican food for dinner, so tasty. So Davina called up a little later in the evening, and I jumped at the chance to kick it and do some karaoke. When I dropped Dad at his house, to my dismay the neighbors around the corner were having a party. There was a van blocking my Dad's driveway and another one parked in front of it. I had to double park just to get him out of the car, and ended up parking down the street. I called the cops and complained, and as I was leaving, I saw the police pull up. I hate to be a meanie but blocking my Dad's driveway just isn't cool, especially when he's disabled. So after that adventure I met Davina at her house, and we stopped by Target for some snacks, then picked up Tanya and hit up karaoke. We had a blast, as usual. Later on we went to Dennys, but I wasn't so bad. Had a garden salad and a few pancake puppies.
  
• Sunday I managed to wake myself up on time to make it to church. I met Davina and her parents there, and I'm really glad I went. It's so easy to fall into the bad habit of skipping church, then falling into other bad habits as well. I'm really blessed to have great friends/family who try to keep me on track, especially my newest acquaintance Matt. Hi!!! Anyway, after church we picked up Tanya, and went to lunch at Sweet Tomatoes in Pleasanton. It's like Fresh Choice but way better. I got so full that I had that uncomfortable "overate at Thanksgiving" feeling all afternoon. Freakin blueberry muffins. Later on we drove to Blackhawk for some store Davina wanted to look at. I have a feeling she was under the impression that it was near Pleasanton, but it was 9 miles away. Hahaha. Then we drove back and went to Stoneridge. So I went there twice this weekend, how cool is that? Also how many of you didn't know that Stoneridge has a two story parking structure behind Sears? I sure didn't. You learn something new every day.
  
• So yes my weekend was fun, and went by WAY too quickly. Wish I would have gotten more rest in between the good times. I'm working a LONG shift right now (may end earlier if I can coherse my boss into letting me leave an hour or so early in the morning), and I'm only getting 6 hrs of sleep tomorrow since I'm working the afternoon gig. Tuesday Dad has a doctor appt so I'm not sleeping much. Looks like I won't get my full 8 hrs until Wednesday afternoon. Oh boy.
  

yay the weekend is here

• Word up homies! How's everyone doing? I'm fantastic, for some reason. Last few days haven't been too stressful. Caught up on sleep Wednesday afternoon, and got enough sleep today as well. I came into work a few hours early, that's why I'm blogging right now. Hope you feel better, Victoria!
  
• Tomorrow my weekend begins. First I have to take Dad to Stanford to get his staples removed and for a follow up with the neurosurgeon. The past few days he's had bathroom issues, but they seem to be subsiding. Thought you all should know. The rest of my Friday I'll be sleeping and maybe hanging out with friends. I'm hanging out with Dad on Saturday evening while Michelle goes to play bingo with her boyfriend. How thrilling. Sunday I'm not sure what I'm doing, but I have to be in at work at 7pm, a nice 12 hour shift. Whoo hoo.
  
• Anyway, how are you folks doing? What are you doing for your weekend? Talk to y'all later. :-)
  

I need a nap

• Howdy folks, I am back. Not like I've been anywhere. Did that make sense? Anyway, nothing much new in Lisaville. Monday I actually caught up on sleep, which is a good thing. Tuesday I worked both jobs, and now I'm trying to stay awake. My late night phone calls do help, though. Hi Matt!
  
• This morning besides the usual grocery run I'm taking Dad to the doctor. He's had some fun intestinal troubles the past day or so, and we want to make sure he's doing okay. He's scheduled to get his staples removed on Friday at Stanford. That'll be fun. So yeah, just catching everyone up on my boring life. Toodles!
  

i had fun

• What's up folks? I had a very fun weekend. A lot of you are still enjoying yours, with it being Memorial Day and all. Nope, I'm back to work as we speak. No biggie, I get an extra comp day out of it. Let's see on Friday I got to sleep in, then took Michelle to Target because she cohersed me into it. I was planning on taking a walk for some exercise but I ended up doing that instead. Then I spent most of the remainder of my evening at home watching TV/movies. I fell asleep around 11:30pm, then Davina called a few hours later and iniated a Krispy Kreme/Jollibee run. We picked up Lorie as well, and had a blast. Didn't get home until after 5am. I haven't had a late night like that in years.
  
• So on Saturday morning I eventually got up around 10:30, so I had enough time to get packed and ready, and go on a walk before leaving for Lodi. I did exactly that, and met up with Kimmie at Walmart there in the mid afternoon. I was good and only bought a cute new shirt. After eating some Taco Bell, we went back to her place and watched some scary Lifetime movie where Judith Light is a murderer. It was called Wife, Mother, Murderer. How original. Then I went and got us a late dinner from Wendy's at like 10pm (salad, plain baked potato, chicken nuggets). After that I put on season one of Tim And Eric Awesome Show Great Job. It's a show on Adult Swim that makes absolutely no sense, but it's hilarious. Soon afterwards we were exhausted and went to bed.
  
• Sunday morning we got up early before 9am, since Dial-A-Ride was picking us up a little after 11, and it takes Kimmie a while to get ready. We were going to Mountain Mike's for the pizza/salad buffet for lunch to do a late celebration for Joyce's bday. Before that we sat through 3/4 of another Lifetime movie called A Little Thing Called Murder, about some crazy woman who convinced her son to help her commit all sorts of crimes, mostly killing people. Freaking crazy what people are capable of. Soon the bus was there and we were off to lunch. It was pretty good, and I tried filling up on salad so I wasn't a carb monster. We finished early enough to shop at Kmart for an hour or so, and that's just what we did. I got new socks and yes another new cute shirt. It was a junior 3X. The fact that I can fit into anything with "junior" on the tag is awesome. If I keep up my walking it should help. I've noticed most of my pairs of shorts fall off if I don't wear a belt, that's a good sign. Anyway after Kmart we went back to Kimmie's for the end of that murder movie, then I tortured her with the 90s remake of Car 54 Where Are You? So cheesy and horrible. Anything with Nipsy Russell is horrible. Haha. Then we put on E.T., and we both cried. That's one of my favorite movies, but it's sentimental. Oh yeah, last movie was Hard Promises, with William Petersen, Sissy Spacek and Mare Winningham. That was one heck of a combo. Kimmie made chicken fajitas from scratch, and boy they were great. Yum.
  
• So yeah that was my weekend, what a mouthful. This week shouldn't be so bad. Workload is about the same. I think I'll end this blog so I can go call Matt. :-)
  

Awesomeness

• Hey folks, what's up? Not a whole lot here. I'm just sitting here, kinda crabby. See I just got paid yesterday, and my money is already disappearing. That happens to everyone, I know. Just paid my DMV renewal, the fees went way up this year. Thanks Governator. I also owe Blue Cross some money since I didn't go to the right provider when I had pink eye last month. I went to an urgent care clinic instead of a covered hospital/doctor's office. Insurance paid part of it, but I still have to pay quite a chunk. *sigh* Then I have rent and a credit card payment next week. Hooray. The joys of being a responsible adult.
  
• This weekend I'll be kickin it with Kimmie in Lodi. I'll try not to go crazy with my spending, since this stuff came up. We'll still have fun, I'm sure. I'm extra tired although I've only been up for 10 hours, plus my back hurts. Hormones are fun. Yes they are. Oh and I got Family Force 5's new remix album. It's awesome!
  

Back to normal

• What's up folks? It's the middle of the week, not much to report. Except that I get A LOT of blog views. Seriously I've had like almost 350 entries on my Myspace blog, and I have like over 10,000 views. Say what? Whoa, someone thinks my boring life is interesting.
  
• Well Dad is doing great. He's getting the staples removed a week from Monday. Haven't seen him since Sunday afternoon, but I hear he's a lot less confused now. Praise God. If y'all read my bulletins and Facebook/Twitter updates, I've been arguing with my older sister for a few days. Things are fairly back to normal. I'm not going into specifics about it, but someone had to lay the smack down. That someone was me.
• Not much else to say. Today is grocery day, Thursday I'm watching Dad. Blah blah. My eyeballs hurt. I think I'll call Matt soon. :-)

I'm fine, so is my dad.

• Hey folks. How y'all doing? Yes I'm ok. So is my father. Apparently some of you don't read my status updates or look at my Twitter/Facebook. Anyway, everything is going smoothly. I cut out of here way early on Thursday morning so I could take a nap before taking Dad to Stanford. He was supposed to be there by 9:40am. We left his house by 8am, but we had to stop at the bank and Starbucks first of course. Traffic was a nightmare. We barely got there on time. Michelle literally shoved him in the wheelchair and ran. We were throughly disppointed when his surgery got delayed by three hours. Yes three stinkin hours. It was scheduled to start at 11:30am. It didn't start until 2pm. He wasn't even in recovery until 4pm. Michelle HAD to leave at 4 since she needed to meet her boyfriend to play bingo that night. Cathy took her. So I was stuck there in the waiting area until almost 7pm, when they finally wheeled him out of recovery and upstairs to his room. So I spent about ten hours there. I am so glad I got that night off from work.
• Friday I got caught up with sleep, thank God. I took Michelle with me back to Stanford to visit Dad, and see how he was doing. He was in great shape, and they actually wanted to release him that day. We agreed that less than 24 hrs after surgery is a bit too soon, so we had him stay another night. Later that afternoon I took a nice long walk and relaxed at home, then came to work here from 7-11pm. A nice chunk of overtime. Depending on how pay periods fall I may use it towards time I took off for Dad's thing, we'll see.
• Saturday I slept in, did some housework, made pancakes, and took a nice long walk again. We met up with Cathy at Stanford in the afternoon and picked up Dad. He seemed to be a bit more talkative and coherent then he had been in the past. A good sign. Once he escaped we went back to our side of the bay to Alameda for dinner at Applebee's and shopping at Borders. It was fun, but Dad was tired and so was I.
  
• Sunday I got up early at 8am (don't know why.. LOL). Took a nice long walk before it got hot, then Cathy and I got pedicures and I got my eyebrows waxed. Later on in the afternoon I picked up my dad and Michelle and took them to Stoneridge. This was mostly since it was almost 100 degrees and I didn't want Dad to get heat stroke or something in that house. I got a new shirt, headphones and a few cheap DVDs. Also got some Haagen-Daz ice cream. If you're gonna be bad, might as well go for the best, huh? Honey bee vanilla is the best ever. Eventually I dropped them off at home, went back to my place, got my stuff ready for work and came here. I'm working a 12 hour shift. OVERTIME!!!! I'm also eating leftovers from Applebee's... so yummy.
  
• I think my dad is going to be just fine. It's going to take a while for him to fully feel the effects of his shunt. He should be getting the staples removed out of his head in a few weeks. He may improve a lot, or maybe not so much. At least that fluid's out of his brain. Even if he does have dementia, the shunt is improving his quality of life in the long run.
  

boring

• What's up my folks? Not so much here. I'm just chillin here at work, talking on the phone with friends, trying to stay awake. The past few days have been fairly normal. Monday I worked both jobs, Tuesday I worked both jobs. This morning I'm going grocery shopping and taking Dad's dog to the vet. Fun stuff. Thursday morning is Dad's procedure. Yes I'm nervous but he needs to get this done, and the benefits outweigh any risks. Can't wait till this is over and he's back home. This is a very short blog, but as I mentioned, there isn't much to talk about. Okay toodles for now, folks.
  

Fun times

• What's up homies? I had a fun weekend. Friday evening I watched my dad for a bit, then took him back home. Cathy and I had plans to go out with some other pals, but we kind of had a sad sidetrack. One of our friends Lisa (Jellybean)'s grandpa was in the hospital in Redwood City not doing so great. We went there instead to be with her family and be of some support. We later learned that he passed away early on Saturday morning. I didn't know how well, but I wish the best for their family.
  
• My Saturday was off da hook. In an awesome way. Sandi and I went to Great America to see Spring Celebration, an afternoon/evening of great Christian rock music. We spent 3 or so hours riding rollercoasters and water rides first. I haven't had that much fun in a while. We finally got inside the amphitheater and managed to get first row seats again (we had them last year). All the bands were fantastic. Fireflight sounded a bit off key though. Lincoln Brewster was amazing, his guitar work was out of this world. Mercy Me was out of this world, as always. Switchfoot was great, although the screaming teens who pushed/shoved us out of the way were not. This was the second year in a row that Switchfoot has been a headliner and teens have gone absolutely insane. It was as if the Jonas Brothers were playing or something. I don't know what obsesses kids to act this way in public, but it was totally rude. Sandi was so upset she was in tears. I don't blame her. With the exception of the rudeass children, we had a great time. After we left we stopped at La Pinata in San Leandro for a late dinner. I'm eating leftovers as we speak. Yummy!
• Sunday morning I was able to sleep in, but woke up early at 9am. I did housework, showered, made whole wheat pancakes for breakfast and then went on a nice 45 min walk. After watching movies in my room for a few hours, I picked up Michelle and my dad and we headed out to Sebastopol. With a stop at Starbucks first of course. We went to the cemetary, got more Starbucks, went to A&W for dinner, then finally back home. Later on I uploaded pics to my computer and tried to take a nap in my room. I ended up watching more movies, then eventually got ready for work. Fun times.
  
• I'm a tad nervous because Dad's procedure is this Thursday. I know it's going to be simple, not very invasive, and he'll only be in the hospital 3-4 days max. Still, I worry. I keep telling myself that Stanford is one of the best hospitals in the country so they probably won't screw up. Oh well, I'm sure things will go just fine. Just keep nice thoughts going his way.. mmmkay?
  

I need a life

• Hey folks, what is up? Not much in the last few days for me. Wednesday morning was the grocery day, then I went home and got some much needed rest. That evening I watched the Scrubs series finale. It made me cry. I'm so sad to see the show end, but at least they did it in the right way, and tied up the proper strings. Yeah I know I'm weird, I get emotionally invested in TV shows. I think I need a life, seriously. Sometimes I do contemplate my lack of a social life. I mean yeah I go on vacations with friends, and to all kinds of rock concerts, camping, or just hang out. What I don't do a lot is dating. Not since I broke up with my ex three years ago. I've talked to guys online, done serious text flirting, blah blah. I always find an excuse not to even go on a first date. I know my schedule is grueling between working 50 hrs a week and helping my family out. Maybe I should make time for dudes. Both my sisters are in relationships, even MICHELLE is. So yeah, I think I should stop making excuses and turning boys down.
  
• Okay besides that rant, nothing much else to speak about. Thursday morning I did a little housework and took a 45 min walk, then took Dad to the doctor. I got to sleep in until the evening, and watched TV before work. This weekend should be fun, as always. I'm watching my Dad later this evening. I'll probably drop him off at his place around 8-9pm, and stay up late and watch some TV. Saturday is Spring Celebration at Great America. I'm going with Sandi. A bunch of Christian rock bands are playing at the amphitheater, plus we're going on as many rides as I can squeeze my fat booty on. Sunday is Mother's Day, and to honor my mom's memory we're going to Sebastopol to pay her a visit. I think it'll be nice.
  
• Okie dokie. I'm going to try to amuse myself for 6 more hours. Toodles.
  

i need sleep

• What's up my homies? Not a whole lot. I'm tired. Not as tired as I was yesterday, but still pooped. See on Monday morning Dad was scheduled for a doctor appt at his neurologist. We got there, and discovered that his appointment wasn't in the computer. Basically that receptionist wasted two hours of my sleeping time. Grrrr. I got about three hours of sleep that day, and I was pretty mad.
  
• Tuesday I slept about six hours. Worked my afternoon gig, then went to dinner at Chevy's with Michelle. I thought it would be more crowded due to Cinco De Mayo, but it wasn't too bad. Had A LOT of food. Oh well. I have enough leftovers so I don't even have to cook dinner later tonight. I'll probably make some veggies to add to it, that's about it.
  
• The rest of my week shouldn't be so bad. I'll catch up on sleep later today for sure. Thursday Dad has another doctor appointment, then I get to sleep. I'm babysitting him on Friday night while Michelle goes on a hot date. Okay, now I'm off to do some surveys or something. Toodles.
  

Glad I slept when I could

• Howdy folks. It's early on a lovely Monday morning, and I'm tired. I had a fantastic weekend in Fresno with Cathy and Amy. Friday afternoon we left San Lorenzo around 5pm. I didn't get much sleep that day since I spent three hours at three different shelters. What's funny/ironic is that when Michelle and I got done traversing the east bay for Patti-Sue, she was waiting on their porch. My dad was so happy to see her. Okay so we didn't get to Fresno until about 9pm due to horrendous traffic and rain. Fun times. That and we stopped in rural Modesto to go pee at some gas station and it was the nastiest bathroom I've ever come across. Cathy wants to forget this experience and put it behind her. It's that bad. Once we finally arrived at Amy's place, we ordered pizza for our late dinner, had a few drinks and watched Walk Like A Man (starring Howie Mandel) in her room. We had another drink after that, and then hit the hay since all of us were tired.
  
• On Saturday we got up around 10am, ate breakfast and got ready for our adventurous day. We ended up shopping at two malls, and eating lunch at Sonic in between. It was awesome but I think I wore Cathy/Amy out. I'm so used to running on no sleep, so when I actually get enough I'm wound up like the Energizer Bunny. Oh well, guess that's a good thing. I got new sunglasses, flipflops, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle poster, and two cute girly shirts. See, now that I like cute clothes, it's hard to find stuff in my size that isn't way expensive. Torrid has awesome clothes, but I don't like forking out $60 for jeans and $20 for a shirt. I'm cheap. Anyway, we had a lovely shopping experience, then went back to the house to unwind a bit. After watching Pineapple Express and lounging around, we went to Claimjumper for dinner. Cathy had a giftcard and we were hungry. Our waiter looked like Dwight from The Office. Haha. Later on at Amy's place we had more drinks and watched movies downstairs. I got pretty buzzed/drunk. It was fun. I crawled into bed around 1:3oam I think. Cathy was watching some George Clooney movie, she said I muttered something about him being overrated and then passed out. Haha.
  
• So late Sunday morning we had to leave Fresno and make our way back home. We made great time too, in about 2 hours and 20 min. Plus we stopped in Livingston to pee. I got home, unpacked, did a lot of catching up on housework, then took a nice 40 min walk. Later on I uploaded pics/videos to Myspace, Facebook and Fresno. So yes I had a great weekend.
  
• I'm glad I did have fun because now it's back to the old grind. I'm not getting much sleep at all for the next few days. This morning Dad has an appointment with the neurologist and I have to work the afternoon gig later. I'm working both jobs on Tuesday and I may have to take their dog to the vet that morning. Oy. Oh well. Oh yeah, here's a brief video of my weekend activities. It involves a stripper pole and flatulence. Awesome!!

toodles

• What's up my homies? It's FRIIIDAAAAAY!! I'm just a tad excited. Funny how things change in a week, huh? A week ago I was anticipating my dad's operation, and now that it's been pushed back a few more weeks, I'm having a great weekend getaway. Cathy, Stuart and I are going to be kickin it in Fresno with Amy, her mom and little sister. I can't wait. I know I've been going on about this for days now, but yeah my schedule's been tight lately so this wonderful to get away. (I'm blasting Journey pretty darn loud right now at work, wonder if the folks down the hall notice.. LOL).
  
• I finally caught up on sleep, which is awesome. So I'm awake and aware of my surroundings for once. Dad's kittycat is still MIA. We're going to check yet another shelter later on this morning. Both of my sisters canvassed the neighborhood with fliers. She's got to be somewhere.
  
• Well I'll be talking to y'all later. Gotta keep on giving myself busy work and rocking out to music here at work. Toodles!!
  

I need a nap

• Hey homie G's. I'm back and very tired. A couple things going on. Dad's operation has been pushed back to May 14th. He has an upper respiratory infection and needs to get it cleared up before he can go under the knife. Now that I have this open and free weekend, Cathy and I decided we're going to Fresno to hang with Amy. I think she needs a congratulatory hurrah for passing bartending school. Now she can make me some tasty drinks. :-)
• In other news, my dad's cat Pattie-Sue is missing. She's only been gone a day or so, but we've already put up fliers, called shelters and such. No sign of her just yet. Dad's really bummed, since she sleeps with him every night. I'm sure she'll come back, maybe with a new boyfriend kitty or something.
  
• I'm way exhausted. Got less than 4 hrs sleep today, not counting work/car naps. I'll be half dozing later on I'm sure. It's grocery day later this morning as always, whoop dee doo. Least I can catch up on sleep this afternoon. Yay.
  

I have a headache THIS BIG

• What's up my homies? Not much here, except I have a major sinus headache. It hurts behind my eyeballs. Fun stuff. My weekend was fun, for the most part. Friday I didn't get much sleep at all. Spent all morning at Stanford for Dad's preop stuff. I got about an hour of sleep at home, then had to get up and work at my afternoon job. Boy was I exhausted. I didn't want to waste my Friday night so I went to the Englander with Cathy, TJ, and some of TJ's friends from work. When I did get home, boy did I crash.
  
• Saturday I had to get up early and run errands with Michelle and Dad. Afterward I hung out with Davina for a bit. We had lunch at Fresh Choice then shopped at Stoneridge. I got more underwear, a new shirt, and DVDs. I got home later that afternoon and took a nice long walk, then had some pizza for dinner with Cathy. Then we took a random drive to Santa Cruz, through Big Basin and the back end of San Mateo, then home. I love scenic road trips, they help clear my head. What I didn't enjoy was my older sister trying to talk me into taking her and Dad to dinner, when I really wanted to hang out with Cathy instead. Then she kept calling and calling about a zillion times. I needed to have some ME time.
  
• Sunday I slept in and made pancakes for lunch. Then I showered and took another 40 min walk. In the afternoon I ran errands with Dad and Michelle, and we went to dinner at Applebees. By that time I had a raging headache, a combo of stress and my sinuses. When I got home that evening I took a 4 hour nap, woke up and came to work. I still have a headache, but it's subsided quite a bit.
  
• Least the next few days won't be that bad, stresswise. I'm working both jobs, but I should have at least 6 hrs of sleep a day. Dad's operation is Thursday and I'm trying to possibly get that night off from work so I won't have to worry about sleep deprivation. We'll just have to see what happens. Oh and thank you all for your kind thoughts for my Dad, especially Vanessa. That means a lot.
  

Kinda tired, lack of sleep

• Hey folks. Just wanted to say howdy. Nothing has changed since I blogged a few days ago. I've been working and sleeping, that's about it. I'm hecka tired and won't be getting much sleep today. Gotta take Dad to Stanford, and then I have to work the other job in the afternoon. Kinda made the commitment to that a few weeks before finding out about Dad's. Oh well. Think I'll be forced to invest in caffiene later today. Fortunately I'm off from my fulltime job later tonight, so I can crash at home after dinner. Yeah, that's about it. I'm definitely powersnoozing later here at work. Sorry Jon if you're reading this. I know for a fact my boss reads my blog. Haha. See when I powersnooze, I'm not necessarily 100% asleep. I kick back, close my eyes, and kinda half doze for 15 min intervals. On my kinda schedule, that's sometimes necessary. Oh well. See ya'll next week. :-)
  

A little nervous

• What's up folks? Not much here. Unlike my last entry which was filled to the brim with excitement, this is not. Same old crap the last few days. Working both jobs, eating dinner, loading the dishwasher in between. Whoo hoo. I'm tired. Later this week I'll be even more tired. Later this morning is grocery day, like almost every Wednesday morning. Thursday morning I have some boring errands to run, and I'm watching my dad that evening.
• Friday morning Dad has to go to Stanford for a 3 hour pre-op appointment. His surgery is next Thursday April 30th. Finally. I'm nervous about this procedure, but at the same time I'm glad it's being done. Yes it's risky since he has heart/lung issues, but this is one of the best hospitals in the country. I think he's in good hands. Everyone pray for him and send good thoughts his way. I just can't wait until it's over, so I can see the results. Hopefully he'll be walking instead of shuffling, and not being nearly as confused. So like I just said, everyone send him positive thoughts, he needs them. :-)
  

New Kids 4/16

• Hey folks. Boy did I have fun the last five days or so. Let me break it down for you. Wednesday morning I left work early, and went to Millbrae to pick up the wheelchair rental van for the trip. The San Mateo Bridge was still messed up from an accident the day before, so Cathy took the Dumbarton Bridge to get me there instead. The guy from the van company was a few minutes late, and I really had to pee. Eventually he arrived, I got my vehicle and was on my way. I got to Kimmie's house in Lodi around 10:30am, and took a nap in her room while she was doing some last minute packing. Erlene (Kimmie's sister) and Joyce arrived a little after noon. Soon we packed the van and left around 1pm. We stopped by Kimmie's very close friend Kevin's apartment, but he wasn't home. Then we picked up some Weinerschnitzel, ran by Kimmie's apartment to grab her disabled placard, and hopped on the freeway. By 4pm, we were at the fantastic Holiday Inn Express in Clovis. This place was great. Nice beds, big enough bathroom for a wheelchair, pool, jacuzzi, gym with brand new equipment and free breakfast. After Joyce and I took an afternoon swim, we all went to dinner at Red Robin down the street. I had a Maui burger, it was tasty. Once we got back to the hotel room I pretty much passed out. I had been running for 24 hours on about 2 hours of sleep. Kimmie woke me a few hours later so I could use her lift to help her into bed, then I hopped on the train to sleepytown once again.
  
• Thursday we woke up just in time to get Kimmie in her chair and speed on down to breakfast. They have a great spread there. Hard boiled eggs, 3 different types of milk, 2 different types of yogurt, eggs, sausage, biscuits, gravy, bagels, muffins, white/wheat toast, 4 different types of cereal, oatmeal, coffee, apple/orange juice. It was fantastic. Once we were done chowing down we went back upstairs. I took a shower and got ready for the concert, although we were leaving hours later. It takes Kimmie a LONG time to get ready since she has CP and is a paraplegic, so she needs a lot more bathroom availability. To pass the time waiting to leave for the show, I watched lots of Cops on TV and snacked on chips and other stuff. Before we knew it, it was time to leave.
  
• We were about 5 minutes away from the Savemart Center, and we got there way early. There was already a line of about 20 girls there, just waiting to see the boys get out of their tour buses. We were able to get the first spot in line for the 5 Star VIPs, since everyone else seemed to be enthralled watching Jordan Knight leave his vehicle. Once inside we signed in, got our gift bags and were shuttled downstairs. We drank soda and ate some veggies/cheese, then finally got in line to see them. Being the second group, we didn't have long to wait. When we first walked in, I saw Jonathan dropkick Jordan in the throat, and Jordan fell on the floor in the fetal position. It was so funny. A few other girls asked if he was okay, and I walked up and said "Why are you on the floor? Get up, dude." I'm so mean. So I did hug all the guys, though I can't really remember in what order. Then we took pictures. Unfortunately all the girls grabbed a New Kid but me so I was stuck in the middle. Oh well. Kimmie got to have her picture taken separately with the guys, and that made her entire year. They wanted Joyce and I to stay for her picture too, but security kicked us out. Boo. I'll be back in July, so maybe Kimmie and I can get a solo group pic with the guys. That would be nice. After meeting them, we got our tickets and left to get Kimmie's camera (they don't let cameras into the meet & greet, I kept mine in my purse anyway) and the posters she brought. There was quite a bit of confusion when we arrived upstairs, because the table where we left them had vanished. After bothering many security personnel, I had to stake out the guest services desk and wait for the camera. Forever. Even took everyone to find their seats, transferred Kimmie to her seat, stowed away her chair, went back upstairs and the camera still wasn't there until 10 minutes later. Then I found out that security had "confiscated" the posters, because they weren't allowed. During the show we saw several girls who had snuck theirs in. Grrr.
  
• The show itself was off the hook. About 80% of the songs they performed were from the 80s/90s. So awesome. I took a lot of pics, and a little bit of video. There are no real words to describe just how amazing their live shows are, you need to see it for yourself. I know Sandi has. The ending was the best part, we were rained on by tons of confetti. So great. After the show, we hit up Dennys down the street for some post-New Kids grub and went back to the hotel, which was practically next door.
  
• Friday morning we woke up just in time to grab breakfast downstairs again. We headed on back to the room, I showered, and Erlene helped Kimmie pack her stuff to leave. We got out of there before noon, and decided to have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory down the street past the arena. So yummy, especially the banana cream cheesecake. We cruised the mall for about half an hour, then had to gas up and head back to Lodi. Although there was a little traffic, we made it back a little after 5pm. I left by 6pm and made it back to Millbrae a few minutes after 8 (had to gas up before returning it).
  
• So yeah, the trip was fantastic. I'm sure everyone had a great time. I went back to Kimmie's on Saturday/Sunday and we had fun then too. Watched quite a few movies. I left in the late afternoon a few hours earlier than usual. Both of us were tired and after spending 5 days together you start to want some space.
  
• That's about it folks. Back to the old grind here at work again. Off to take a power nap.
  

Yaaaay

• Hey folks. I'm excited. This time tomorrow I'll be asleep in a hotel in Clovis, down the street from the Savemart Center, where we will be meeting New Kids On The Block on Thursday and see them perform. This is my 2nd meet/greet, and my second time seeing them in concert. I'm so stoked. Everything is packed, and Cathy's taking me to get the van in Millbrae right after work. I'm getting off an hour early, and I'm glad since we may have to take an alternate route to the other side of the bay. There was an overturned big rig on the San Mateo Bridge this afternoon and the WB lanes still aren't open, until the bridge is deemed structually sound. So yeah, may have to drive further south and take the Dumbarton Bridge. Fun times.
  
• Anyway, the next five days will be tiring but awesome. About 2-3 days in Fresno, a night at home, and a few days in Lodi. Yay!! I'm going to be taking tons of pictures and some random video. I'm so juiced. Well, for now I think I'll try to get a power nap, I know I won't be sleeping much today until evening, so I can take all the rest I can get.
  

Happy Day After Easter!!

• Word up homies!!! How y'all doin? I'm fantastic. Had a pretty busy weekend. Friday I worked here until 11am, then came home and crashed. Later that evening I hit up Fresh Choice with Michelle, then came home, watched TV and went to bed. Yeah so eventful. Saturday Cathy and I took Dad to the San Francisco Zoo. It was awesome and he had a great time. I took a ton of pictures. I didn't post them all, but I guess I will if you all want to see cute animal pics. That night I stayed at home, and Cathy made bombass chicken tostadas. They were off the hook. I ended up falling asleep watching Mac & Me in my room, and got more than enough sleep.
  
• Easter Sunday was kinda crazy. I got up, made pancakes, showered, took a nice long walk then picked up Dad to take him to Uncle Jim's house for our little Easter family get together. Cathy and Michelle went too, of course. It was so fun seeing our cousins and their kids hunting for eggs, and getting baskets full of goodies. A little bit of candy, mostly toys. Oh yeah, both Michelle and Cathy gave me Easter baskets on Saturday. Full of candy. I'm still working on M&Ms from Valentine's Day, so yeah it'll last me a while. I'll end up taking most of it to my afternoon job eventually. Around mid afternoon we left my uncle's house and went to Sebastopol to see Mom and put flowers on her grave for Easter. She loved Easter and still gave us baskets, even as adults. It's still kinda rough without her but I know she's watching us all the time. We didn't get back until around 7:30pm, and Dad treated me to Jack In The Box. I got a fruit cup and a chicken teriyaki bowl. Yeah I'm supposed to be watching my sodium, but that's probably one of the healthiest menu choices that place has. Oh well.
  
• Later tonight I'm going to grocery shopping since I'll be heading out of town around the time I usually go. I have a feeling I'll be eating a Kashi frozen entree for dinner. It's got more protein, less sodium and is healthier then Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice, so I guess it's alright. Anyway yeah, the next few days I'm working both jobs, and will be focusing on running errands and packing for later this week. I'm spending 2 nights in Fresno, a night at home (after most of the day on the road), and one more night in Lodi. So yeah, kinda crazy. I tend to thrive on crazy. I'll be twittering most of the time, I'm sure. Except while I'm driving, of course. Okay folks, off to double check my list for my excursion and balance my bank account. Fun times.
  

Fun times ahead

• Word up homies. It's another Friday morning blog here. Not so much that's new. Wednesday morning I grocery shopped, then got my teeth cleaned, then met up with the ex to give him some of his stuff back. Yeah I'm about 3 years late, but whatever. Thursday morning I took Dad to get his echo cardiogram at San Leandro Hospital, my most hated place in the world. I ended up chillin in the lobby watching Rachel Ray since it was cold and raining outside waiting in my car, and I kept having to pee. I picked Dad up later that afternoon and he hung out at my place for the evening. Then I came to work. I'm here for a 12 hour shift since Brad has an eye appointment or something. Four hours of overtime, I'll take it.
  
• I should have a jammin weekend. On Saturday Cathy and I are taking Dad to the San Francisco Zoo. I like it there, it's fun. Dad loves animals so I think he'll enjoy himself. Sunday is Easter, and we're going to Uncle Jim's to watch our little cousins hunt for eggs. I'll be using my camera quite a bit. Oh yes and of course next week is NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK in Fresno!!! We're staying two nights in Clovis, how exciting. I'm just a tad hyper just thinking about it. It's gonna be a blast.
  
• Okay I have about 8 hrs left of my shift, but I'll try to keep myself occupied with surveys, watching TV online, and games on Pogo.com. Fun stuff.
  

Busy and tired

• What's up folks? Not much here. As usual, the middle of the week is pretty boring. Lots of work. Not enough sleep. I'm exhausted, and have too much to do. This includes shopping and getting my teeth cleaned this morning. I'm hoping to get to brush my teeth and put away food before the dentist. I've been up since yesterday afternoon and my teeth are probably kinda gross. Thursday morning Dad has an echocardiogram and I'm babysitting him later that evening. Guess I'll sleep in between. Like I said, my schedule is nuts.
  
• On an awesome note, a week from today I'll be picking up the Wheelchair Getaways van and beginning our journey to Fresno for NKOTB on Thursday the 16th. We're staying 2 nights in Clovis. Haha. Boy it'll be thrilling. I'm a lot less nervous about things this time around since I've done this before. I love me some New Kids, and I love hugging them in person. Oooh wheeee.
  
• Okay I'm going to take a power snooze now. There are actually 2-3 topics I'd love to talk about, but can't for various reasons. Some things you just have to keep to yourself. Okay. toodles.
  

Oh the insanity

• What's up my homies? I'm back. Yeah I didn't blog on Friday morning, but I had good reason. I was sick again. Later on after I got off work I actually went to a doctor (shocking I know), and was diagnosed with pink eye and another sinus infection. I had spent the whole night before with a watery eye that had lots of white/yellow gunk in it. It sucked. Thankfully I do have insurance, plus my work reimburses most of my co-pays. So get this. I'm paying $6 for my doctor visit and $6 total for my eyedrops and pills. Awesome. Guess that $83 a month I pay for Blue Cross pays off.
• Due to my sudden illness, my weekend pretty much sucked. I had planned to spend Friday night with Cathy and Amy in Fresno partying, then driving to Lodi and spending Saturday/Sunday there with Kimmie and her nieces and nephews. My pink eye kinda killed that idea. Instead I did a lot of sleeping and movie watching the whole weekend. Also did plenty of housework to keep myself occupied. Then I got my car detailed, the carpet inside shampooed, and a nice wax. Oh and the nail in my tire finally was removed on Sunday so my air stopped leaking. One weird thing did happen, though. Sunday morning my car stereo decided to stop working completely, and I was bummed. I totally had it planned out in my head that I'd have to call the dealership this morning, and either drop the car off and get a rental (since it's still under warranty), or wait until Friday to fix the problem. Fortunately God is a practical joker, and my stereo started working hours later. Whew, one less thing to stress about.
• This week will be a busy one. This morning Dad has to visit the pulmonologist to get an OK so he can get the operation at Stanford. I'm going to be tired and this guy is kinda rude, so I'm not looking forward to it. I'm also working my second job this afternoon, so I'm going to be kinda tired. Tuesday I'm working both jobs, Wednesday I'm getting off work a bit early so I can get the groceries done then I have a dentist appointment. Gotta get those choppers cleaned. Thursday I'm babysitting Dad, and Friday I may go to the A's game with Sandi. Saturday we might take Dad to the zoo. So yes, this is one crazy week. Next week is the NKOTB concert in Fresno, and we're staying over 2 nights in Clovis. Oh the insanity. Can't wait.
  

i need a nap

• Hey homies. Nothing too thrilling on the home front. Monday I got some sleep, and had to work at Traffic in the afternoon. Took Michelle to Wendys, came home, ate, and could have relaxed had there not been loud children and a loud TV on. Oh well. Worked here later that night. Tuesday morning I had to take Dad to do blood work at his doctor's office, when I should have been asleep. Only got about 3 hours of sleep, and worked at Traffic again in the afternoon. I'm beat.
  
• So yeah I'm tired. I already have plans for this weekend which may include playing laser tag in Sacramento then kicking it at Kimmie's place the rest of the time. We'll see how things go. I've never actually played laser tag, sounds like fun. I'm hoping to get a lot more rest before hand.
  
• I won't be in bed today until 11am at the earliest, because it's grocery day. Hooray. You can sense the excitement, I'm sure. Now let me take a power snooze before I pass out. Oy.
  

nice lazy weekend

• Yay I'm back after a pretty relaxing weekend. Friday morning I went to the gym, then home for some sleep. That night I took Michelle and Dad to dinner at Applebee's, and to Borders to look at books. I picked up some magazines for myself. Saturday I slept in, went for a walk then took Dad to a doctor appointment which ran an hour late. I was not amused. Later that afternoon I took Dad and Michelle shopping with me at Newpark Mall. I got some cute summer outfits from Target and JC Penney, and Dad finally got new blue jeans. Fun times for all. Later that evening I went to dinner at Chevy's with Michelle.
  
• Sunday I slept in again, and went for a nice long walk near the duck pond by my house. Then Cathy and I went for coffee at Starbucks and drive through the Oakland hills. Some crazy old lady almost ran us off the road on Fairmont Drive. Cathy sped up and gave her a piece of her mind. Haha. Later on we did some shopping at Southland and I picked up some fly Cookie Monster New Balance sneakers at Foot Locker. http://tinyurl.com/dcmo7g
• After that we went to Cathy's friend Rose's house for a bit, and watched Food Network. Later I came home and watched TV with Aubri and her kids, then napped and came to work. Oh so exciting. I didn't do much this weekend, and I loved it. I need time to just veg out and do nothing for once. My life is hectic as it is.
• Oh yeah to clear up any confusion, I was listening to a 21 year old aircheck from KYUU last week. Someone taped it off the radio and put it on the internet, commercials and all. So awesome. That station went off air at the end of 88 and became X100. Now it's Movin 99.7, owned by CBS. It was KFRC-FM for years before hand.
  

I'm feeling a lot better

• I'm back. It's Friday, thank God. This week hasn't been that tough, but I welcome weekends. I need time to unwind, catch up on sleep and movies. As we speak I'm listening to a KYUU aircheck from 88.. several hours of hot late 80s jams with Jack In The Box and Mervyns commercials intertwined.. LOL. Summer before 3rd grade, good times. I'm such a radio nerd.
  
• Last few days have been pretty normal. Shopped on Wednesday, worked that night. Babysat Dad earlier, first at my house then his. Watched Three Men And A Little Lady. Haha.
  
• Gee this blog is pretty boring. Oh yes, thank you Sandi and Kimmie for your comments on my last entry. Had a bit of a theological query going on. I'm feeling a lot better now, spiritually. Physically as well. Just a bit of a nagging cough, that's it. Okay I guess that's all I have to talk about. I'm too enthralled in listening to a traffic report including the defunct Embarcadero Freeway. I need a life.
  

kind of theological

• Hey there homies. What's up? Not too much excitement. First, something that's been weighing on me lately. I tried a little meditation while reading Genesis 32, where Jacob is wrestling a man during the night. I'd like to think of that man who blessed Jacob and renamed him Israel as God. Made me think to myself, that I want to know God a lot better. It's like I barely know Him at all. God is all around me but sometimes it feels like no one is there. Does this make sense to anyone? I mean He was there when my mom died, I felt it. Sometimes I just sit there and wish I'd get more of a definite vibe or sign when I need God. I guess I'm kinda talking jibberish. I'm not a seasoned hardcore believer like some people are.
  
• Other than that theological quandry, life is okay. Didn't get much sleep on Monday at all since I had to take Dad to the neurologist. Now he has to get a pulmonary check-up from his primary doctor before he can have the procedure done. We're doing that on Saturday. Oh the joy. Tuesday I worked at Traffic (well Monday I did too). This morning is our errand/grocery day. I hope to be in bed by noon so I can catch up on sleep.
  

Lost my voice

• Hey everyone, I'm back. Yes I'm alive and well. Okay not perfectly well. I caught the flu last week. Had a fever that reached its peak at 102.6 degrees on Friday morning while driving Dad to Stanford for his consult. I got home and eventually took a full dose of Tylenol, passed out for 3 hours and knocked it down. Still had a fever for a day after that, and eventually it went away. Now I just have some major bronchitis/laryngitis. Hacking up green phlegmballs and barely able to converse. It's lovely.
  
• I won't spend too long discussing my weekend. Much of it was a drug induced blur. A lot of relaxing, Beavis and Butthead, good food, rock concert in Modesto on Sunday night, and now I'm at work again. My throat hurts and I may take a brief power snooze for a bit.
  
• This week should be okay for the most part. This morning Dad has a follow up at the neurologist. He probably won't be happy since the procedure hasn't been done, but it's all the red tape, not us. Then I get to work at Traffic in the afternoon. Yay for lack of sleep. Eventually later in the week I'll catch up. Hopefully. Okay now I'm call it quits. Hurts to swallow. Ouchies.
  

Busy week

• Howdy folks. How y'all doing? Not much here to report. Just my midweek "same old crap" blog. Monday I worked both jobs and barely got rest in between. I also didn't get much sleep that morning since I had to run Michelle on an errand. Ugh. I got home that evening and TJ's niece/nephew were there with TJ's mom. Those kids are so freakin loud. No matter how many times you tell them to be quiet, they still have to yell. They also don't go to bed at a decent hour. Oy. Tuesday I kinda got more sleep, still not enough. Worked both jobs, ate dinner and watched TV in between.
  
• Oh other stuff. I bought some fly Nikes from Ross this past weekend, and they're two sizes too small. I had got them off of a rack ziptied together, so I couldn't try them on first. Also I could only base the sizing on a sticker, since there was no way to check the tag inside. I found my receipt, thank God. Gotta return them this weekend. Another fun thing, system crashed at my part time job earlier. We sat around for an hour twiddling our thumbs, it was lovely. Lastly, remember that guy I said yelled at me months ago that works for my network? I met him about an hour ago. He's in town because we're having a special "banquet" tomorrow. Maybe now he'll be nicer to me.
• Okay that's about it. This morning is grocery day. Tomorrow we're getting our taxes done, and I'm watching Dad. More like I'm watching Dad till Cathy gets home then I'm taking a nap. Friday morning Dad has his appointment at Stanford. It's only like 45 minutes away but traffic sucks and he has to be there early. Hooray. Okay, now to eat leftovers and try to stay awake.
  

I got it at Ross!

• Hey there folks. I had a pretty busy weekend. Friday evening I hung out with Fernando and Grace. They treated me to dinner at Black Angus. I tried to pay but they wouldn't let me. I also spent time with Joey and read him bedtime stories. I love that kid.
  
• Saturday morning I got my stuff ready to head to Kimmie's, but before I left I took a nice walk to the duck pond and back. Then I got an oil change at Wheelworks, picked up some coffee, and sped off to Lodi. I met her at Target, and we had fun shopping. I got Scrubs season 7, and a few organic snacks. We were both a little hungry at this point so we had a late lunch at Coco's. The food was great at a fantastic price. Next we went shopping at Marshall's and didn't find much of a selection. We went to some party supply store afterward, and it was kinda lame. We decided to go back into Target for a bit before her bus arrived, and I picked up Mr. Mom on DVD. I love me some Michael Keaton. Once we got home Kimmie subjected me to the original movie production of Romeo And Juliet from 1969. I remember watching it in class as a freshman in high school. Wasn't so bad. Not that exciting either. Haha. Once that was over I ran to California Pizza Kitchen in nearby Stockton to pick up dinner, and Starbucks for coffee. When I got back I put on Breakin 2 : Electric Boogaloo. It was on Comcast On Demand. Cheesiest movie ever, I swear. Kimmie put on Fatal Attraction next, and we watched about half before going to bed.
  
• Both of us awoke around 9am the next morning, since the Dial-A-Crap bus was coming at 11. After I showered and she made coffee, we attempted to watch more of Fatal Attraction, but her DVD player was being stupid. We opted for rockin out to 80s music instead. First stop on our little excursion was the Golden Ox Grill for lunch. Yummy. I was good and had the diet chicken meal with veggies, fruit and cottage cheese. Healthiest thing I ate all weekend. Next we hit up Ross. I found a totally rad pair of retro Nikes, and got em for $24.99. They are so awesome. We then had some time to peruse the 99 Cent Store, although I would have loved to shop there a little longer. I only picked up a few things, like air freshener, snacks, etc. After we got back to her place we finally finished Fatal Attraction. Glenn Close was one scary b**ch. Wow. Then I went to Casa Mexicana to pick up our dinner. I had a chicken burrito, and have one left over for tomorrow. Yum. It was my turn for a movie selection, and I chose Mr. Mom since both of us love that movie. It's so funny. We had about an hour left after that, and Kimmie threw in What's Love Got To Do With It. We watched about half, then I had to leave so I'd get home in time to drop off my stuff and come to work. All in all my weekend was pretty rad. Next weekend should be fun too, maybe just a tad more laid back.
  
• This week I'll be keeping busy, as usual. Tomorrow and Tuesday I'm working both jobs, Wednesday is grocery day, Thursday I'm watching Dad, Friday I'm taking Dad for his consult at Stanford. Fun stuff.
  

Progress

• Word up homie G's. How have you been? You know when I ask that, you CAN leave a response in the comments. Although most of my readers are people I talk to almost everyday, but still. Where was I going with this? As usual, it's the middle of the week and no exciting stuff happening. Tuesday I took Dad to the doctor (well I slept in my car while my sister took him inside), then worked at Traffic later on. Didn't sleep much. Wednesday morning we did the weekly grocery run, and I was in bed before noon. I was so exhausted.
  
• Oh a few things. A few of my Youtube videos had copyrighted music, and now they have no audio. That is until I edit them on Windows Movie Maker and replace the songs, then reupload them. Booo. Johnny, one of my homies from Chabot works for Youtube, maybe he did it. Hahaha. It may be a week or so before I can get that stuff fixed, so sorry bout that. My schedule's crazy. Oh yeah, Dad finally has his consult at Stanford a week from today. We finally got the ball rolling. Now just to get our taxes done. I think H & R Block needs a call, pronto.
• Oh yes, this weekend should be cool. Later today I'm watching Dad then working a 12 hour shift here. Friday I might be going to Fresno with Cathy and Stuart to visit Amy, then going to Lodi early Saturday afternoon to spend the rest of the weekend with Kimmie. So yes I'll be taking my own car, Cathy. Duh. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pics and videos hanging with friends. Yay! I kinda like having the whole weekend off. It's nice. Okay time to go. Gotta pretend to work for 4 more hours.
  
• Oh yeah, I'm on Facebook a little more often now, I just don't add all those stupid applications. Just search for my name. Lisa Sovulewski. I'm also on Twitter like 24-7 now.
  

http://twitter.com/djlisas

Back on the grind

• What's up my homies? Not much here. No important life changing events in the last few days. Technically every action we take every single day affects our lives, but enough philosophical talk. Sunday I slept in until 4pm, then went on a nice walk to the duck pond and back. I watched lots of TV then went to work that night. Monday I worked at Traffic, then came home and made dinner/watched TV. Now I'm here. See? Not much going on.
  
• It's back to the old grind this week. I'm working 54 hours. Right now I'm pretty tired, and I have to interrupt my sleepytime to take Dad to the doctor. Oh well. I can rest on the weekend. Oy.
  
• Sorry this is so short, but I'm sleepy and my creative juices have called it a day. Toodles!
  

I'm baaaack

• Hey there folks! I'm back from my much needed vacation. I wasn't planning on blogging until later tonight, but I'm working an overtime shift and I thought "Oh what the heck?". Okay I'm not going to detail what we did minute by minute, but I'll recall what I can remember without boring you all to death. Cathy and I left our place Sunday morning around 8am. After a few stops to pick up last minute items, we headed out to Fresno and arrived in the late morning. Amy's new place is really nice. We hung out and chatted for an hour or so, and headed on our way. The drive to Anaheim wasn't really bad at all. We got to the hotel before 3pm and got settled in. Cathy and I were both starving so we went to Downtown Disney for some mexican food and shopping. Apparently the sudden climate change did a number on Cathy so we headed back to the hotel. She passed out, and I watched random stuff on TV for hours before falling asleep. Not exactly the way I wanted the first night to pan out, but stuff happens.
  
• Monday morning both of us work up nice and refreshed. My alarm clock was set an hour ahead for some reason, so we were ready to get out the door before 8am. We ate our free breakfast before leaving, of course. It was pretty darn good for being continental. Biscuits/gravy, eggs, oatmeal, orange slices, cereal and toast. No I didn't eat all of that. Opted out on the biscuits/gravy, eggs and cereal. We made it to Universal Studios by 9am and had time to grab coffee and browse a few stores before the park opened. Once we got inside, I took a random survey from a very inquisitive lady, and got a front of the line pass for the studio tour. Awesome. Cathy and I went on the tour first, then did some exploring, rode the Simpsons ride (twice). Second time we rode it some dude next to Cathy kept hecka farting. Hahaha. Oh yeah, we went down to the lower level and rode Jurassic Park. Plus we met Beetlejuice, then Scooby Doo/Shaggy tried to steal our lunch. Professor Klump also took pics with us. Back on the upper level I made Cathy go through the haunted house and she was actually scared. We met Curious George, Shrek and Fiona, Spongebob, Crash Bandicoot, Woody and Winnie Woodpecker, and Fievel from An American Tail. It was so much fun. We browsed Citywalk some more, then headed on back to the hotel and had IHOP for dinner. So nutritional. Oh well. Later on we relaxed our aching legs in the jacuzzi, and watched TV until we fell asleep.
  
• Tuesday was an even better day. Disneyland! We got up early again, ate breakfast and got to the park an hour before it even opened. Eventually we made it inside, and I made a beeline for Goofy. Cathy really had to pee and I forced her to stand in line with me for 10 minutes to get a picture. I'm so mean. Then we got a picture with Goofy's son Max. Throughout the day we covered the whole park. I'm more of a strategical person and used the map as a guide to cover the most ground. I think sometimes I get way too goal oriented and drive some folks insane, like my sister. We did get to see everything. The longest wait for a ride was about 35 minutes, for Indiana Jones. I think we waited about 30 min or so for Splash Mountain. Most of the other rides we practically walked on with no wait. We also got a picture with Mickey Mouse in Toontown. Yes I've met him before, but I love the guy. I did feel bummed about one thing. Early in the day we were going to meet Tinkerbell in Fairy Hollow, but the wait was an hour. We came back at 5pm and realized we had just missed her. I feel guilty for waiting forever for Indiana Jones. If we hadn't, Cathy could have met her. Or if we had read the sign, then we could have made a point to visit earlier, and go on other rides later. Oh well. Later I treated Cathy to Cheesecake Factory because I felt so bad. It was tasty. I was exhausted when we got back to the hotel. I fell asleep before she did, which is rare.
  
• Wednesday morning I woke up kinda sad since it was our last day. I also had quite a bit of packing to do. We checked out and hit the road around 9am. First we drove out to San Bernadino to visit some folks who work with Cathy. They're pretty nice folks. Then we drove an hour back to L.A., and I made an attempt to find Randy's Donuts, home of that giant donut you see in movies, TV shows, etc. After driving through South Central L.A. for 20 minutes or so, we concluded that Randy's is now a Jack In The Box. Either that or Google Maps is very very very wrong. Boo. So we drove to Burbank to take a picture in front of NBC Studios. Yes I'm a nerd like that. This we did accomplish. We drove past Warner Bros Studios next, but there was no access to parking, etc so we moved on to Bob's Big Boy for lunch. The burgers there are to die for. Our tummies were full, and we went further down Riverside Drive to a defunct University Medical Center, known to Scrubs fans as Sacred Heart. Had a nice convo with the security guard, but alas we could not get in. I did see Mike Schwartz AKA Lloyd The Delivery Guy come through the gate in his Range Rover. He's also a producer/writer. How frustrating. Next stop was Paramount Studios on Melrose Ave. No parking anywhere nearby. Cathy was crabby and didn't want to walk 3 blocks, so we just took pics as I was driving by. Last major spot we visited was Hollywood Blvd. It was fun as well. By this time both of us were tired/cranky. We left after an hour or so of browsing up and down the street, and cruised down Sunset. What a fun strip. Took it to Beverly Hills, did a little driving around that neighborhood as well. Then through Bel Air, and eventually to the 405 freeway, where we were stuck in traffic forever.
  
• Well, my trip was totally awesome. I was sad that it was over, but again there's no place like home. Okay I'm just trying to stay awake here at work. Gotta get used to overnights again. Lucky it's daylight savings time and it's nearly 4am already. Whoohooo. I wanna go home and hit the hay. Oh yeah, I already made a 2 part video blog about the trip...
  

Yay!!

• I'm so excited. And I just can't hide it. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it. Woot! Last post before vacation. I won't be blogging again for about a week. I took all five days off from both jobs. Amazing but true. I should have done bible study earlier, reading Numbers 1-7, but thats one of the most boring parts of the Old Testament and I have pre-vacation ADD at the moment. I finished the book of Hebrews in less than 3 days earlier this week so I'd say thats an accomplishment.
  
• The last few days have been okay. Wednesday morning was spent grocery shopping and sitting in a boring meeting with the family attorney. Oh I also had to go to Starbucks twice. First time I went through the drive-thru, I ordered a hot latte, and the one I received was ice cold. I didn't have a chance to call and complain until about 2 hours later. I did receive a new drink and coupons for two free beverages in the future. Like I've said before, when it comes to food/beverages, it never hurts to complain of you've been wronged. Most of the time they'll make it up to you and then some.
• Thursday I woke up in the middle of my sleepy morning to purchase our NKOTB tix, and scan/email some document to one of my bosses. Fun stuff. In the afternoon/evening I hung out with Dad. I was bad and had some Coldstone ice cream, but TJ treated so I couldn't say no. Took forever to get it since I had to order for 4 different people, one of them wanting A LOT of ice cream. Oh well.
  
• I am just so stoked about my vacay, I can't say it enough. Yes there will be a small bit of worry in the back of my head about my dad. I'll try to enjoy myself as much as possible and take tons of pictures and random videos. I can't wait to go on a four day adventure, and spend the next 3-4 days afterward running errands at home, yet still resting in between. Yay!!!
  

Pray for my Dad

• Hey there homie G's. What's crackin? I got a few things going on. Some good. Some bad. Monday morning we took Dad to the neurologist. Dad has spinal fluid pressing his brain against his skull. This could be the cause of his dementia-like behavior, not Alzheimer's. He needs to have surgery pronto, to put in a ventricle shunt. We're waiting on the insurance to approve the procedure, and to find a neurosurgeon who takes Dad's insurance. At the earliest we may get a consult by Friday and maybe can schedule the procedure late next week when I'm back from vacation. Now it's more of a waiting game and I'm spending almost every waking moment worried about Dad. On the plus side, up to 80% of patients show improvement after the shunt, so Dad may get some memory and cognitive function back. Which is awesome.
  
• Other than that scary news, the last few days have been tiring. I got less than 3 hrs of sleep on Monday. Total. Tuesday I slept about 5 hours, give or take. Today I'll be in bed by early afternoon and I'm shooting for 8 hours. We're shopping at both grocery stores and have an appointment with the lawyer in between so lord only knows when I'll be able to hit the hay. I also have to clean the litterbox and start laundry after I put away the groceries. Oh boy.
  
• I'm hecka excited for my vacation next week, yet feel guilty about it. I'm going to be 5-6 hours away having a blast while my dad is at home sick. Kinda selfish. Other people tell me I deserve a vacation, and I have been planning it for almost 4 months. Okay, my boss will be here soon, time to pretend I'm being productive.
  

"Why does Ray look like John Candy?"

• Hey there my buddy old pals. How was your weekend? Mine was pretty fun. Friday morning I went to the gym, and that evening I took Michelle and my dad out for dinner and to Target. I got an awesome Grover puppet. Haha. I worked here later that night, a nice overtime shift. I need the money so I didn't mind.
  
• Saturday I got about 5 hours of sleep, then got up, showered and headed over to Kimmie's house. We had a lot of fun. We watched a few episodes of Forensic Files, then I went to get our dinner from Carls Jr/Green Burrito. When I got back we watched a remake of Sybil. I like the original with Sally Field much better. After that I put on Little Shop Of Horrors, one of my top 5 movies now. Cute little Rick Moranis, I can't help it. Then we watched all of the NKOTB music videos on DVD, including some live tracks. It was pretty fun. Then I made a quick trip to Starbucks for a much needed coffee boost. Later on, then I really totured Kimmie with Sixpack, a movie with Kenny Rogers and a very young Diane Lane. In the middle of the movie we were both hungry again and craving fries/shakes, so I made a 1am random trip to McDonalds. I got a chocolate shake and a snack wrap, she got a vanilla shake and fries. After the Kenny Rogers movie we watched an episode of The Real Ghostbusters (On Demand), and went to bed.
  
• We slept in until about 11am on Sunday. We listened to Howard Jones and other random 80s stuff while getting ready, then took the Dial-A-Crap to Casa Mexicana, a pretty decent restauraunt. They had awesome chips. Only downside is that I still have heartburn almost 12 hours later. I took several sips off of Kimmie's banana margarita, it was yummy. Later on we came back home, and watched the second half of Till Murder Do Us Part, that bad Lifetime movie with Meredith Baxter and Stephen Collins. Then I went for our dinner and coffee. KFC for Kimmmie, Jack In The Crack kids meal for me (applesauce instead of fries), and more Starbucks. After the overdramatized TV movie, there wasn't enough time for me to put on another movie, so we watched Highway To Heaven. Awesomeness. I had a pretty fun weekend I must say.
  
• It's another busy week for me. Today Dad has an appt at the neurologist, then I get to go home for about 3 hours of sleep. Gotta be up at 1:30pm for my afternoon job. I'll probably catch up on sleep by Wednesday, so I'm okay. After all, this time next week I'll be snoozing in our hotel room in Anaheim. I can't wait!
  

I'm awake

• What's up my homies? Yay it's Friday. I'm in a chipper mood because I've actually gotten sleep the past few days. Wednesday morning was pretty busy. Took Dad and Michelle and got half of our grocery shopping done, then Dad had a doctor appointment, then to the bank, then dropped Dad off at home for a bit while Michelle and I finished shopping at Walmart. Dad does okay by himself for small intervals, at least for now. I didn't get in bed until about 1:30pm (up for 24 hrs), and I slept until 9:30 that evening. Those 8 hours felt great.
  
• Thursday I got about 7 hours of sleep, then picked up Dad to hang at my house for the afternoon/evening. We got Starbucks on the way of course. He ended up dozing off during Scrubs, that was okay. I took him home around 8:30, with a stop at McDonald's first to get a milkshake. I'd like to lie and say it was for him, but I was still uber hungry two hours after dinner, and got myself a chocolate one. I'm such a fatass sometimes. I try so hard not to eat bad, but yeah.. anyway. We ended up getting two of them, since they accidentally made an extra one. I left the other one in Dad's fridge for Michelle to have.
  
• This weekend should be pretty darn fun. I'm working here tonight for Yuriy. It's 8 hours of overtime, and believe me I need it. I'm spending most of Saturday/Sunday in Lodi with Kimmie for an 80stastic weekend, I can't wait. We have so much fun together. Oh yeah, going to the gym this morning, and probably on Saturday before heading out to Lodi. Woot!