THANKS MOM! THANKS RICK! from (us!) sandra & keeshie (original post june 1st, 2012)
well that was sure FUN!!
just back from our first visit ever to cache creek casino
and despite how it appears -my sister and i did not talk in advance about what we would wear
so we laughed write away, when i pulled up at her house -and realized we had done it AGAIN!
same style.. even similar color pattern; different fabrics.
you can easily see a history of fashion trends in our sister picture album.. from long leggings/blouses to your knees days (1980's)
to 2009's, long cotton solid-colored shells layered beneath v-neck sweaters with jeans n' boots.
anyway.. first want to thank rick for getting us there safely.. because cache creek is like an hour and a half away (that's all i know, by the way.. if you ask me where cache creek is.. "an hour and a half from here" -and i know you take 680.. to some other highway.. and two more highways after that.. and it's a pretty drive after you get through the horrendous traffic.. especially this time of year.. oh! the vibrant green rolling hills, tree orchards.. spectacularly open land, blue skies)
and thank rick for a wonderful/delicious mexican dinner, at the gorgeous mexican cantina restaurant...
and thank them both.. mom and rick.. for helping us navigate through the casino.. learn the ropes (how to get the rope with the free $25 casino card into the .50 slot machines; add $20; play.)
and i SWEAR to you.. ask my mom.. i said (i knew!) during dinner.. i looked at my sister, gaver her arm a little rub.. "she's going to win something"
AND SHE DID! $140. wouldn't even had realized if not for her slot machine neighbor giving her a hit on her shoulder which initially scared her "what?!"
"good hit!"
"OH!" my sister says.. "how'd i do that?"
and really, how fun & wonderful is that.. sitting down, getting $140 for pushing a button a few times
actually, she had a special pattern.. because you can push a button OR pull a knob, and so she went: push, push, pull. push, push, pull. -and that's how you win $140.
try it.
or my mom's way.. which is push, push (i don't think she pulls) -and she won over $50 dollars in under 10 mintues
i can see how this becomes addictive.
i, on the other hand, got caught up in the lights, bells, and pretty pictures.. how pretty IT WOULD BE if they all lined up.. how pretty it COULD BE
HOW FRUSTRATING it is when they ALMOST line up, but the pretty diamond on the left is just a fraction too high.. the pretty diamond on the write is just a fraction too low... the one in the middle is perfect
and if they could all just follow along with the perfect guy in the middle, i would not be posting this blog write now, i'd be putting a down payment on 306 neal!
anyway..
the whole reason we were there in the first place, is because my sister probably whispered one day in passing, about 5 or 10 ten years ago, that she liked the band, night ranger
and our mom has this super-power i call, "mom's superpower" -which she uses to hear, to retain, and to make manifest, almost any desire her children and/or grandchildren happen to mention
so when she saw that night ranger was performing at cache creek, i'll bet she stopped everything she was doing, to get online and get tickets
and my sister would need a friend to go with her, write..
and so, since my sister was my friend, when my mom treated me to hawaii, as a college graduation present
i got to be her friend, when my mom wanted to treat her to see one of her favorite rock bands live at cache creek
(you can see there are great benefits to being best friends with your siblings when you have a mom with superpowers like ours...)
and need to triple thank our mom here, because she got us the ABSOLUTE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE! (emphasis on seats... because initially we were in the standing room area, which is closer to the stage, and would have been awesome when we were 23, 26.. but at almost 40, and 43.. seats; we need seats. -and she made a few extra calls to make sure we had seats)
so if you ever go to cache creek for a live concert at intimate club 88.. try and get seats in the 501 area. first.. you are situated higher than the people in front of you, so you have a near perfect, and completely unblocked view of the performers, and second -you have a table area directly in front of you, so a place to kick your feet up and put your drinks down
-heaven!
and they were wonderful -night ranger- i love live music in general.. but to be here with my sister, who is a big fan.. and to witness them be as great as entertainers as they are rock n' roll musicians..
huge treat!
we danced, wiggled and sang along when we knew the words.. and my sister knows all the words to sister christian
and that's the one song she was most excited to hear performed live
sister christian..
and i could see her in anticipation every time one song ended and a new one began..
is this going to be sister christian?
maybe this one will be sister christian..
okay..this one.. this one should be sister christian..
and of course, true to the nature of rock concerts performed throughout the world
they never play THE ONE SONG you came to hear
they play a few favorites from days gone by... they play a few new originals...
they play a few copies from bands you know and love
but never THAT ONE SONG you came to hear
and so i watched my sister's shoulders fall to her waist when they thanked the crowd and the curtains fell
i watched her look at me with disbelief
i watched her stand up, raise her hands in the air, and start shouting "sister christian!" really loud; over and over again...
i watched the entire audience do the same thing..
while i just sat patiently waiting, clapping, waiting some more, for the encore.
sure enough..
one at a time, the band members start returning to the stage.. the crowd goes WILD!
the lead singer says, "i know that you know, that you know, that i know.. there's a few songs we haven't played yet.."
and when they play the first few cords of sister christian -feels like a 4.2 earthquake inside the intimate club 88 at cache creek
the audience sings the whole song, with the band serving only as back-up
awesome audible experience!
FUN... EXCITING.. FABULOUS... FANTASTIC..
and they perform one more.. rocking america.. i think it was..
and then the concert is really, truly, over, and we all leave much more filled up with life, love, hope and happiness than before we came
THANK YOU NIGHT RANGER! MOM! RICK! KEESHIE!
back in the day when we would have stood near the stage for the entire concert, we would have also stayed up the rest of the night gambling
but we are not back in the day.. we are past our midlife/mommy bedtimes
and so we left write after.. making it home by midnight
and OH NO! -late for church...
LOVE, sandra, ~amen~
p.s. -THANK YOU also to you DAD (aka: grandpa pez) for watching the kids so us mommy's could go out and play.. love you! see you soon...
unwrap from the archives.. 2008..
SPEAKING of being POPULAR WITH OLDER MEN.. that reminds (me!), sandra, tvgp
original post titled HE THOUGHT ~ SHE THOUGHT written in 2008. trigger/cerebral hyperlink for re-post this morning, is in the current title.
***
i've so much i want to say and write about the poetry, prose & art festival, but first i must tell you about THE NIGHT BEFORE THE FESTIVAL.. (that would have made a better title, huh.. anyway..),
went down like this: i had just finished hanging signs and putting up displays here n' there for the festival and it was time to go home. i was tired. very tired. but on my way through the parking lot to my car i was approached by one of the elderly men from the senior center
"i have an extra ticket to see the music man tonight, wanna be my date?" he asked (and quite innocently, i might add)
thoughts raced through my mind...
the kids are with their dad tonight...
i'm available..
it's friday night.. i love the theatre.. it's more fun to go places with people than alone... there's no reason not to go really... i can rally for the cause.. i should say"yes!"
and next thing you know i'm on the wheels bus with 25 seniors, sitting next to my new friend ron, on our way to the bankhead theatre (where i just performed a week ago) to see the music man, presented by the pleasanton playhouse
and in retelling this story to my workshop leader, martha alderson and classmates at the poetry, prose n' art festival, this is the part where everyone went like,
"
oh, how sweet.. how nice of you"
"BUT NO! ..." i warned them, 'cuz guess what...
here i was thinkin' i was just good company.. maybe like a surrogate granddaughter or something.. or maybe (at age 42) a surrogate daughter
but ron was seein' things a whole different way.
when he said, "date" -he meant DATE.
and i want you to know i had to bat that man's hands off my shoulder, then my leg!
he was no innocent elderly senior citizen in need of company... he was a four-handed flirty non-stop frisky type disguised in a mr. rogers sweater!
a couple other seniors on the bus were laughing... "how do you do it ron? go out to your car for a sweater and bring back a date?"
"i have my secrets," he smiled back, trying to hold my hand.
~what have i gotten myself into?~
i tried engaging ron in conversation to distract him from the thoughts that came more naturally
i learned he'd worked in the lumber yards for many years; was from canada originally, had seven children,
learned about how he'd prayed to the lord in his early twenties to be freed from alcoholism, and it worked. learned his wife of many years had been sick for some time and was recently moved into a nursing home in livermore.
and while we were en route he pointed out the window to a middle aged man in a plaid shirt walking with a bit of a stumble
"that's my son," he said, "can't stop drinking" -and he went on to share that his son had recently been released from jail
and my thoughts then went to my maternal grandma (my mom-ma) who passed in april a number of years ago -what a conversation with her might be like, if you were sitting next to her on the greyhound bus (she refused to fly and didn't like trains). six children.. two of her boys alcoholics, in and out of jail their whole adult lives..
" i think the advances they're making in neuroscience are gonna help alcoholics one day... within the next ten years," i said. and ron gave me the same look everyone does when i say that..
overwhelming doubt.
every opportunity he could, ron would put his arms around my waist... to help me out of my seat, to help me off the bus, to help me to my seat...
and every opportunity i could, i removed his hands from my body.
the performance was outstanding. the props were magnificent, the lighting fantastic, the cast excellent, the singing, the orchestra... the story...
"i paid a lot of money for that ticket," ron told me, "i'm glad it didn't have to go to waste"
"it's not going to waste with me," i assured him, "i love the theatre. thank you for inviting me"
and then he took that opportunity to invite me on a cruise in florida -for a week!
"i'm not going on any dates until my kids are in college," i told him, as i placed his hands back on his own lap.
and i mixed n' mingled with the other seniors, 80% women, during the intermission and after the show on our way back to pleasanton. -none of them quite sure what to make of me
(and i was acutely aware if i did not get my hair painted every 3 weeks, i would have blended write in.)
"i'm writing my first play write now," i told them, "for the firehouse art center.. when it opens a couple years from now. i hope you'll come"
and i promised ron a free ticket to my first play as a thank you. -got his address/contact info-
threw him my "
and that's all you're gettin'" look. -gave him a quick hug and said good-bye.
but i've got in my head that i'll send ron two free tickets, -just to see who else falls for that mr. roger's sweater trick that worked on me.
historical-non-fiction funny ~topps (me!) charts!
UI, UX: not so; and delightfully surprising! discoveries in my own blog archives
****
so, i was diggin' around in my archives yesterday trying to find my starbucks/surprise me post from 10 years ago or more. -never found it. but i did make a few other discoveries,
hmmm, -could it be exclusively because it's squidmann's crafty, historical~non-fiction funny writing?
-could it be because it captures unique & highly entertaining literary friendships in the blogosphere?
-or, is it just carnal minds using naked as a keyword in search?
*****
now, let's talk UI, UX with my blogger account here
it is painful to me, the current programming issue
and more important than that, it creates an utterly false timeline
the issue is this
see that, as of today, 3/22/2023, i have a total of 5,382 posts.
of those: 4,027 are accessible write now
but! 1,355 are in draft form. fyi: they were published at one time, and unpublished/placed back in draft form [vs. i never finished them.. and they remained in draft form. pretty big difference]
anyway,
when i was poking around in my own archives yesterday, i came across one in draft i wanted to republish. [topics controlling the weather & my optimism]
if i were just to click on publish. it would show up at the top; as if i wrote/posted it TODAY
(way inaccurate);
so, what i do, -my go-around, i call them
is that i open the post back up, type in the date it originally posted, and then republish; so that there is some record of the actual date.
-problem is, -for some, years ago, i republished before i made this discovery
so they have inaccurate dates which can no longer be corrected, except to read in context a time reference of one sort or another.
YOUR FIRST REACTION.. appears now, (march 22, 2023) in the post just prior this one. but only a click ago had a june 2nd, 2012 date.
so, while i am inclined to republish material from my archives,
-this means i would have the tedious job of opening each one first; typing in the date (which may or may not be accurate), and then reposting..
but if i were to 'republish' and it just showed up where it originally was..
well, wouldn't that be wonderful!
but, let's say you have a draft, and it is not finished to your specifications, and you DO want it to post as if, when you finished it, it was that same day
-which is why we need these options:
publish today
publish to original date written
-for these thing i write and pray. amen.
YOUR FIRST REACTION? by (me!) sandra, tvgp
original post June 2nd, 2012
*****
if i suggested to you, future generations might be able to control the weather
what is
your gut reaction? one of horror or hope?
i made such a suggestion recently to a young barista at starbucks and his reaction was dread
"that would be terrible!"
my initial thought was how hopeful it might be.. how we could make air travel, all travel safer, and perhaps supply parts of the world with safe drinking water, help the farmers, that kind of thing
this is my nature
it is pleasing to some; annoying to others. i really can't help myself. i am truly programmed this way
i'm on a hunt write now.. this week.. for a school paper my sister wrote when she was in elementary school, i think it was
and in it, she very kindly writes about me.. and about me she wrote:
"my sister has three good things to say for my every one bad thing" -or something very close to that.
and recently.. when someone told me about how horrible and unjust they'd been treated in the workplace; that they might have to go to the labor board
know what i said?
i said, "isn't it wonderful that we have places like that to turn.. labor boards.."
and so i don't blame people who want to punch me. i sometimes feel like an odie in a world of garfields.
feast of st patrick 2023 "slainte!"
very definition of blessed to have friends like these!
***
and very definition of blessed to have family like this!
"encore! encore!" (nate bargatze!)
and a public "thank you!" to my daughter taryn for introducing us...
laughter filled the house!
***
and now i've just been on a hunt -key words that would bring up a story from my archives, but i can't seem to find it
nate inspired the memory though. i did not write about it with an intention to be funny, i just wanted to share, and make a larger point, but, it was kinda funny
abbreviated version, perhaps reaching back more than a decade to recall, but it went something like this:
i did not want to have to make several decisions. in fact, i didn't want to have to make any decisions..
but i was thirsty.
went into the local starbucks -said to the barista, just surprise me
barista: well, do you want a tall or grande or venti?
(me!): just surprise me
barista: well, do you want a cold or hot drink?
(me!) don't care -just surprise me
barista: do you want something sweetened?
(me!) do. not. care. make whatever you want, any way you want.. surprise me.
barista: do you want me to leave room for cream
(me!) if i answer that, it will no longer be a surprise, now will it..
****
i captured the idea and experience, but not verbatim. in any case, -my God, you can't go anywhere anymore it seems without a barrage of choices/decisions followed by desperate pleas for you to fill out surveys and questionnaires
amen.
any beautiful fish out there? poem from the archives by (me!)
-inspiration for this repost is the result of purchasing new ink pads, new embossing powders, new glitter pens and testing them out on my old stamp.. that, and an understanding that there are so many beautiful fish out there -part of school apparently. don't be a drop out; graduate with honors.
beautiful fish
swimming in the seasuch a beautiful fishswimming next to mebeautiful fish'til the fisherman got herthrew her back inquicker than he caught herbeautiful fishthrown back in the seaswam 'round in circlesfeeling ugly"i'm an ugly fishthrown back in the seai took his baitbut he didn't want me!"hey beautiful fishreturned to the seacan you take out a momentexplain something to mewhy do you feel uglybeing tossed back inbut pretty on the hookof a fisherman?beautiful fishwhat you're sayin' to meis you'd rather be eatenthan swimmin' next to mebeautiful fishif you let his bait flatteryou'll be cut. cleaned and cookedin his wife's homemade batteroh my beautiful fishreturned to the seayou're still a beautiful fish to me.
-sandra harrison kay, fresh art, distant poem
The great paradox of laughter by (me!) ~topps
it is the great paradox of laughter; how it strengthens you spiritually and weakens you physically simultaneously. -you cannot do pushups and crack up at the same time. i think this is why no one works out to comedies. but comedies can really help out your next day workouts.
ephesians 3:16 amen.
Public "Thank You!" to (karl! & valerie!) for fresh flower memories...
it will be a minute before i get to post all our saint patrick delights, so in the meantime..
"thank you!" -LOVE THEM- and i just typed the name of this flower in my own search bar.. and
what fun memories! hallelujah to spring season!
it's like Christmas.. another gift to unwrap and read "Thank You!" ~topps
more memories from my archives:
"Congratulations!! Eva Igo!" -from (me!) Sandra, tvgp
..by the time I heard and noticed her, her face was only a few inches away from mine, and her tone and volume all indicated that this was probably the 4th or 5th time in a row she had said my name to try and get my attention
"SANDRA."
"Oh," I said without a smile, "Thank you for bringing me back to this world"
It is why I never text and drive.. or use my phone while trying to do anything else simultaneously. It has a way of consuming your attention, high jacking your brain.. blinding you to visual and deafening you to auditory peripheral stimulus..
It hyper-focuses you
But I was passing time in a waiting lobby at a rent a car place, by researching online via my cell phone whether Eva Igo won the one million dollars and title of best dancer in the world...
I did not get to watch it live and had not had time to even see the recording.
And really, I was not checking to see IF Eva Igo had won, but rather just verify that she had...
I mean I already knew she would win. My observations of her performances removed any doubt..
And so.. "what?!?"
and some of the first online postings were all saying pretty much the same thing.. there is a large population of people like myself, who believe she should have won..
And as I've had an opportunity now to watch the recording .. I know she deserved to win
But, let me get hokie here, and say the cliche, because it is in fact true:
Most importantly: dance itself has won.
This level of dance, the cultural and stylistic diversity, the choreography, the music, the storytelling, emotional communication, passion, energy, athleticism, risk taking, innovation, creativity, unique individual and collaborative team expressions... -the convenient televised access to something so dynamic, entertaining, fascinating, so evolved.. and continuing to evolve write before our very eyes..
Count it among my greatest blessings.. just to be audience to it!
It is to witness one spectacular performance after another; much like the voice.. everyone at this level is already a star
It's spotting the super among the stars..
And for (me!) the light shines brightest.. and so intensely, undeniably, radiantly, consistently through Eva Igo..
I will follow her career. Way to go Eva!! Xoxo. Dance on!
In Jesus knows the very source of light's name.. amen!
SUPER AMONG THE STARS (eva igo!) as seen 7 times by (me!) sandra, tvgp
part of me just aches, when I think about how awful it would have been... if she would have been on tv when i was child. when the tv programs and performances aired in one time slot, and if you missed it; too bad. -there were no means for recording; no dvr's, no on-demand, no youtube, and no re-runs."thank you!" Jesus that today we have means to watch our favorite shows, performances, moments, again and again and again... /because that's what i've just doneand remember how i early on spotted the super among the stars on the voice, and correctly identified the winnerwell, i've done it again, only this time, for world of dance. they are all stars, yes.. but we are talkin' super starhere she is: "ENCORE! ENCORE! EVA IGO" In Jesus... she has taken the gift you gave her to new heights.. name, -amen.
i get to unwrap another gift, and it's not even my birthday (me!) ~topps
from my archives:
they missed (me!). -they really missed (me!)
..and it felt very, -very!- unusually, almost addictively, -good.
***
so good in fact, i thought briefly about recreating such a moment again on purpose. -I will never do such a thing, I'm only wishing to convey how special...
***
what happen is...that I changed out of my pajamas and into some clothes appropriate for the public. went down stairs and said to my nephew,
"im going out with rick.. be back later..". and i might have even asked him to make sure the porch light stayed on.
and yes, he was quite involved in his.. video game. creating armies to conquer enemy armies and fighting who knows how many elements and aliens along the way...
but he did look up. we did make eye contact. he did nod.
***
but apparently he did not actually hear me.
***
my sister: " where's your auntie sandy?"
nephew: "she went outside and will be back in a sec."
a sec went by. I did not return. more secs went by... and more.
"where's your auntie sandy?.. she was in her pajamas...?!"
and apparently a hunt began. My car was in the driveway.. and I was not in it.
my keys were inside... and my phone was inside. so, my sister could not figure out where I would go 'for a sec' wearing my pajamas.. I was nowhere in sight of the house..
did she go for a long walk? In her pajamas? and then she thought maybe my daughter picked me up.. and so called my daughter but I was not with her...
my daughter arrives to aid my sister in the hunt. -they drill my nephew some more.. "what was she wearing?". " what EXACTLY did she say?". -and write about here is when she includes our neighbors in the hunt.. "have you seen my sister? she's missing..."
and my nephew thought I was wearing jeans.. and said I'd be back in a sec.. and my sister was certain!
and so she started digging through my dirty laundry and dresser drawers to see if she could find my happy giraffe pajamas..
and since she didnt find my happy giraffe pajamas in the dirty laundry, or my dresser drawers.. she was even more certain .. and even more concerned..
but write about now is when my daughter decides to check the phone I left behind...
and pretty quickly sees via text that I'm having a quick beer with my rick. and everyone is relieved and happy..
***
of course, I don't know any of this... I'm just at gay 90's visiting with rick.. swapping jokes and stories.. and return very innocently home.
and it is upon returning innocently home, that I realize immediately everyone is very... -very!- like, unusually glad to see me.
did I win a prize? What happen while I was away... ? -there is an extra happiness in their eyes.. there is an extra squeeze in everyone's hug.. there is an extra something in the tone of everyone's voice..
I thought they were maybe all bursting with some good news that they couldn't wait to tell me.. "What is it?"
and then... and then.. I found out.. I was the good news. (Me!).
I had not disappeared or been kidnapped by aliens in my happy giraffe pajamas. I was not lost or wondering around in the pleasanton woods somewhere -without my phone.
I was in my street clothes. home. Safe n sound after having a quick beer with my rick.
and the unnecessary scare and concern just made it so that they were all extra glad to see me.
but I have to tell you.. its a pretty awesome reception. I would never suggest you scare or concern anyone unnecessarily and/or on purpose...
but.. Then again...
I sure did feel loved. and feeling loved is a pretty awesome thing.
"Thank you!". I love you too!
in Jesus name, amen.
"Encore!" and "Thank You!" from (robert! & sandra!)
and "Encore!" to the night's performers
what a wonderful event! loved every minute of it.. and! yes..
i did cry a few happy tears..
-what moves me sometimes, is just to reflect on my 15 year old self.. wanting at the time to travel the world (that is, waitress my way around the world), so i could experience all the different cultures -their food, drink, music, wardrobes, languages, customs, etc.
and that never happened, but.. to get to experience a culture via an event like this -write here. -most grateful.
but i do laugh to myself also, to watch someone like samantha brown.. i mean, waitressing your way around the world is crazy hard work -and add in the amount of time it would take to save enough to money in tips to travel to the next location...
samantha brown should be your role model if you have a bad case of wanderlust "encore! to your career path!" -really enjoy your show
amen.
Did she just say the P word? laughs (me!) ~topps
some CH's feel like a gift. i get to unwrap a cherished memory from my own archives.
"Thank You!"
**********************
IT WILL ALL EVENTUALLY MAKE SENSE for (me!) sandra, tvgp
k-, so
i realize i must of seemed -odd. mentally challenged in some non-specific way, because the conversation in the ruby hill tasting room went something like this, after a little bit of regular chit-chat
"and my (son?) lives in prague" dad customer says
me: "NO!? PRAGUE?!"
dad, "yes. he lives in prague."
me: "NO!? that can't be, did you say prague?!"
dad, (with a concerned smile), "yes. he lives in prague, he's just visiting"
me: "no way! (looking at son) -you live in prague?! really?! prague?!"
then they both had a concerned smile... justifiable, i must say, and i was left with no alternative but to try and explain the unexplainable.
goes back several years. i was watching a travel channel with vague interest -but as the narrator was describing different people, places to visit
when the name prague came up.. it hit me like
PRAGUEabsolutely no idea why... who knows how many cities, states, countries, places were mentioned... but PRAGUE like, leaped deep into my heart, soul, mind..
completely odd because -i know no one from prague; i've never read anything about prague; didn't quite know where it was on the map (no surprise); i've never written a paper, or traveled to, or been curious about, or even read any books that had any scene set in prague..
seemed entirely random. ignorable.
but ever since.. when i hear it mentioned, or read it.. that same big, pronounced, stand-out internal experience repeats itself
it's like i'm supposed to know something about it -but i have no idea what or why...
it's very vague and mysterious
but, this customer is the first person i've ever met who lives there; literally lives there, write now.
and so,
we agreed to connect on facebook
because i also have an internal mysterious intuitive feeling -that one day -and who knows when, why, where or how
but one day, this whole wierd
PRAGUE thing will all make sense.
tbc.
Nothing Christian about destroying neighborhoods and putting children in danger by (me!) ~topps
Same Issue, new neighborhood under attack
repeating here: my husband and i went personally to the current tiny home sites.. we interviewed people who live and work nearby
-follow-up interviews and pictures at monterey highway and bernal
we know the results include people [HTLC Community and their families] being approached for food and money -adults can handle this to a certain degree, -fend them off, so to speak
but now put those same panhandlers near an elementary school.. you will have strangers wandering on the campus, hitting up kids for food and money.. wandering into the cafeterias.. wandering into the bathroom facilities; loitering in general
It is negligent and dangerous to ignore or deny this risk. -and this only addresses panhandling, but there are also drug addicts, the severally mentally ill..
Read the report from the director of housing -it is in writing, that they place high acuity people in these tiny home sites. we need hospitals, rehabs, -not tiny homes.
-how many times do we have to repeat ourselves?! -how many times, in how many neighborhoods, are the residents forced to fight. say and vote NO -and still be ignored and overridden
***
and i have to comment here, based on reading comments.. there is nothing Christian about destroying otherwise healthy neighborhoods; nothing Christian about putting children at risk; nothing Christian about misappropriate use of tax funds; nothing Christian about placing a person who should be in a hospital inside a densely populated caged tiny home site. Nothing Christian about short-sightedness or greed or inappropriate land grabs. Nothing Christian about ignoring/overridding voters in a democracy.
but as a Christian, i want to share this
i am results oriented. if you provided me -accurate/genuine/true result- audits of services provided by
1. government vs.
2. private entities vs.
3. churches
whichever of the three are currently getting the best results; i support.
helping addicts; helping mentally ill; helping inmates transition into civilian life; helping with PTSD; helping with job skills..
whichever group has the greatest track record for helping people out of their pit, and into a healthy, contributing life
let's do more of that. whoever is not getting results -terminate the service and dedicate those financial and people resources to where they can do the most good.
we do not need to reinvent the wheel -we need to take care of the flats, rotate tires, adjust the air pressure and move forward..
****
that's in regard to hurting people, but let us also talk economics
what city/states/countries -what locations/systems have the most people living in poverty?
and what locations/systems help the most people graduate out of their impoverished circumstances?
who/where are the most people independently thriving?
/i keep saying to myself i don't need to write on this topic AGAIN! help me Jesus! amen.
snocial media -laughs (me!) ~topps
and so, in the past weeks we had snow here -in san jose! all around the bay area.. not just snow capped mountains in the distance, but covering foothills in the neighborhood
of course everyone was taking pictures and sending them to friends and family, sharing them on their social network platforms.. an avalanche of snow pictures
and during a wonderful phone visit with my brother, -who lives in montana, he was making me laugh pretty hard, imitating and sharing his response to the pictures he was receiving from friends/family in the bay area
"STOP. SENDING. ME. PICTURES. OF. THE. SNOW. i know what it looks like..."
****
but, of course, it brings to the forefront memories of.. 1976 (?)
and i do still remember when it snowed in hayward, california. -during my time at southgate elementary school. -how hard the teachers tried to keep our attention, but ultimately surrendering -and an extra long recess it became because we were so excited to get to see and play in the snow.
*****
speaking of hayward: -which i love because my brother's band was in the battles
Big "Thank You!" to my daughter (taryn!)
and speaking of encores... what a wonderful experience!
starting this day with a coffee visit w/my BMF's, following that with some mother/daughter time; window shopping on main street in downtown pleasanton, visiting pairings for the first time; loved it!
and just getting to have a mother/daughter day, all the conversations taking place while we walk, dine, and create.. the best! "thank you! for this extra wonderful birthday gift" xoxo love you!
FAVORITE HAIR, ONE OF MY FAVORITE MEMORIES (me!) ~topps
within a much longer conversation, my sexy was sharin' with me, bein' honest with me, about how he likes some of my hair color, but not the way i just have the big thick blond part in the front 'looks like they forgot to color it.. makes your forehead look big..'
and in fact, i also had my mom shoot me a text recommending a different salon..
and have had more than one friend express..
and, i myself am inspired to share.. i wanted it this way! i mean, i agree the tone/hue could use some improvement,
but the big blond patch in front was my goal!
for those of you still making new years resolutions, -failing to keep them, beating yourself up, and repeating the process annually anyway
let me let you in on some hard earned wisdom -don't make new years resolutions; period. here is what you should do instead:
review the year prior.. write down (or say out loud, or just think about, whichever your communication preference and style might be)
write down everything you did in the prior year that you thoroughly enjoyed! were glad happened! the wonderful experiences, visits, activities, conversations, movies, comedies.. on and on
and then in the coming year; do them all again, best you can..
what movie made you laugh the hardest? -watch it again.. what friend visit did you enjoy the most.. visit them again.. what book did you read? what place did you eat? what meal at home?
anything and everything that fed your mind, your spirit, your soul -encore it all!
and so, the current big patch of blond in my hair... it is because i was personally reviewing what things i'd done with my hair that i loved the most, and there are two
1. i loved the big blond patch up front. -and i do remember her name was sarah, and she worked out of a salon in dublin. i did not show up requesting it; but rather, she said, 'i feel like putting a big thick blond patch here..' and i said, 'go for it'
and i remember i lived with my sister, niece and nephew at the time. when i got home, they were like, 'you look like a golden retriever.. i want to pet this...' which made me laugh. and each one would take a turn running their hands over the big blond patch of hair as if petting a dog, which also made me laugh - but i really ended up enjoying it, -and so i'm encoring that experience
and the other thing i loved! was when just the last couple inches of my hair, had like, white-ish tips..
and so i asked for that too..
anyway..
i wouldnt argue the tone/hue needs adjusting, but otherwise.. love it! -and, when i went hunting for pictures of back then, after beautiful sarah in dublin did my hair, i came across this picture and this sharing of my day, from july 10, 2011, in my external memory storage AKA my blog.
look how i made an effort and God came through for me. i can't even tell you how many times something like that has happened.
Our praiseworthy, trustworthy, all merciful, all grace-filled, all healing, all loving
chain-breaking, pain-taking, way-making God.
amen.
p.s. upon checking just now, i've learned the links to the church, to doug linman no longer work; shame. so many of my blogs include links..
Self Entertaining Imagination (me!) ~topps
i am so grateful
i have the imagination i do"thank you Jesus!" amen
Charlie Rose, Jimmy Carter Interviews CH for (me!) ~topps
march 9th, 2023 interview
CH=
and there are many for both names, but picked this one.
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