LISTENING to Congressman Kevin Kiley speak our truths (the micks!)
i repeat, i did not understand many years ago, why gavin newsom was voted in as a governor of a state; having left the city of san francisco in worse condition than it was; as mayor
why are people voting for more destruction? on a larger scale? one thing to leave an iconic city in worse condition,
but then a state.. THE STATE of California; my state.
and so, doesn't surprise me if he runs for president... track record dictates track records don't seem to dictate. -but they should!
****
so, couple reasons i really appreciate Congressman Kevin Kiley's address to "Mr Speaker.."
regarding the 10 radical failed policies of governor newsom.
1) he articulates what we've been witnessing.. experiencing..
2) even more valuable and wonderful... he does not exclusively point out the failed policies
HE OFFERS/SHARES what's being done about it .. Actions not just words. Solutions not just complaints.
You should get out a paper and pencil and listen too.
Hallelujah & Amen
Entire Fireplace Wall Re-Do from scratch: Earthy, 2025, by (me!) sandra, topps, writeousmom
done.
fireplace wall; earthy 2025
and a great joy! it's been to remove everything, primer the entire wall.. primer bricks..
begin again. -my beautiful MIL, (Mother-In-Law), asked me if i could duplicate it -this very painting in someone else's house
"heavens no.. i might be able to 'approximate it.. "
but the way i paint is very spontaneous, very make-up-my-mind-as-i-go..
i do not keep track of time. i do not keep track of how much paint or which ones i use in combination with what..
i just pour paints i like.. some of this, some of that.. stir; dont stir; paint the wall; make several adjustments! along the way..
but i did watch some youtube videos on mottle painting.. and as a result, i used a lot more water on the top wall to create the orange mottle look.. tuscany.. i added water to the paint itself.. added water to the paintbrush.. and i sprayed water on the wall as i was painting, used a sponge to spread certain colors thinner or thicker..
i must have painted the wall with a dozen colors, a dozen layers, a dozen times.. until, at last! i was pleased with the result.
i knew i wanted an abstracty green hills, earthy look on the bricks themselves, and knew in advance i would be painting some california poppies, /i also watched many youtube videos how to paint poppies..
and when it came to the many-different-greens waving in the background... i also must have painted using a dozen different greens, a dozen different layers, a dozen different times..
until, at last! i was pleased with the result.
already mentioned how much i crazy love my 'floating' and 'invisble' book shelves; those are new, and i could not be more pleased..
i repainted all of my book storage crates brown, to contribute to earth color palette..
and changed the mantles from bright white to sand colors..
i repainted inside the fireplace itself.. earth tones.. many layers/many times; placed some crates for risers, added a couple river rock sheet tiles from home depot (designed for backsplash purposes, but i did not add grout, i used them for our pakistani dishes to sit on; -love the result.
with my books in crates.. enjoyed getting to display the L.O.V.E. collaged letters fancy nancy gifted us for our wedding.. + family photo gift from our daughter for our wedding looks great on the upper wall..
lots of small things i enjoyed rearranging, displaying.. i don't keep track as i go, i just fidget, adjust, readjust.. stand back look.. make decisions.. fidget some more..
love every minute of it. and a great feeling to be officially done! /until the next one.. in 1 or 2 years from now..
****
from memory.. this is the 5th fireplace wall re-do.
all white, when i met my husband..
1) first creation included a crown, cross, stencils, mosaics..
then; 2) bright giant abstract shapes; color blocking
then; 3) paper mosaic each individual brick
then 4) purples; egg plant at farmers market inspired.. with a lot of extra 'funk'
then.. 5) current 'earthy' look.
i do not know now.. and won't even spend anytime thinking about the next creation/design.. when, how, what..
i'll just enjoy this one for a good long time.
****
extra "Thank You!" to my sexy husband.. helps with prep, primer, organization, hanging/placement with leveler, measuring, rulers..
(i really only eye-balled place things, my entire life); amazing results, his way..
funky to earthy.. great fun!
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan's 'Responsibility to Shelter' Initiative PASSES 9-2
60, 59, 58, 57... open mics @ san jose city council chambers june 9, 2025 (the micks!)
Correcting course (if i could cash in on a miracle):
KEEP the SAN JOSE FLEA MARKET at 1590 Berryessa;
invest in it; make it great, safe, family-friendly, fun.
Back it up with promotion for the treasure and historic
landmark it is.
CLOSE/RELOCATE:
the parking site for 85 homeless/RV’s at 1300 Berryessa.
-not the other way
around.
Receipt:
#vellumdays in progress... june 2025
Mag Time Frames 2025 YouTube Video by (Harvey Lee!)
YOUTUBE Video Here. relevant content:
They Got Me Good!Inspired by the WSU marketing piece with wonderful stickers... !!
Spent the afternoon with our -movie producer in the making- grandson, making "Mag Time Frames!"
as fun today as it ever was..
"Thank You Harvey!" you did a fantastic job!!
and as you can see... we were having so much fun, we made several more..
one for his brother/dad.. and "Congrats!" he made the ALL STAR TEAM!
one for his mom.. award winning professional photographer
and one for his teacher..
and we made one for him! movie producer theme..
fun, fun, fun.. they turned out great! archives: magtimeframes.com
love you! xoxo
The very definition of a treasure. -handwritten, hand drawn; paper and pen #loveletters
authenticated. real; from his heart..
direct grand slam hit into ours..
"Thank You!" LOVE YOU! our All-Star...
Catch (the micks!) in lies & arguments
if you want to catch us in a lie; easy.
just listen in on our conversations after every. single. san. jose. city. council. 60 second. open. mic.
-how we vow to never attend another stupid, waste of time & energy city council open mic;
which ends up being a big fat lie...
*****
if you want to catch us in an argument; not so easy. unless, of course, we are driving on a freeway.
my mind has a TOGGLE SWITCH when i am a passenger and my husband is driving.
if i am looking out the window; the switch toggles to: FATALITY RISKS EVERYWHERE; which i cannot seem to override.. so i sound kinda like,
"BRAKES!! MY GOD.. PUMP YOUR BRAKES.. WARN EVERYONE BEHIND YOU!
WATCH OUT OVER THERE!! ARE YOU CONSCIOUSLY CHANGING LANES?
WILL YOU PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!!"
and even though my husband KNOWS, i am only responding to my own stress, (valid & phobic) and not criticizing him personally or his driving; he cannot seem to override that knowledge, and defaults to taking offense..
then our voices will rise; our attitudes take a nose dive.. and that's when i realize, you should never drive when you are angry,
that will only result in: "FATALITY AHEAD! BRAKES!! ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO THE ROAD!?!"
what is SUCCESSFULLY saving our lives, our sanity, our marriage:
if, when my very sexy, remarkable, wonderful, amazing husband is driving,
and i am a passenger,
if I DO NOT LOOK OUT THE WINDOW, and instead, engage my mind in NYT word games, i do not even have to work at overriding valid or phobic concerns.
once my mind is engaged, i am having a great time! i LOVE these games, these puzzles, the challenges..
so, THIS IS WORKING!! i'm okay, for the most part on city streets, back roads.. but, upon entering a freeway, i just whip out my phone,
click on my NYT app,
engage. solve puzzles. play games.
I DO NOT LIFT MY EYES from the activity at hand,
once i can tell, from the motion, we are exiting the freeway.. or i feel us pull into a parking lot and park.
i immediately shut off the phone, and sometimes out loud; sometimes just to myself:
"Thank You Jesus! "Thank You Jesus! Thank You Jesus...."
and then fully engage in whatever we are doing.. where ever we are..
Hallelujah & Amen...
Return to the scene of great times! Japanese Friendship Garden 2025 (the micks!)
#vellumdays in progress...
inspired! -after this friendship coffee date, and our conversations of a variety of topics... [which i intend to work on, personally.. i do repeat the same stories... but, misdemeanor not a felony..]
-but after this visit, based on their testimonies, i researched/watched hillary swank's commencement speech at chapman.. tremendous! and then, i watched a mini documentary of sorts on saint rita... love. and which resulted in watching more documentaries of saints.. and,
oh no! did i hear.. saint agnes of
PRAGUE....
so many occurrences/experiences in life that can't quite be explained.. be repeated... be proven...
#vellumdays in progress; june. tbc.
crazy love my new bookshelves!! (me!) sandra, topps, writeousmom
i've re-done the entire 'fireplace' wall again.. 4th (?) time in 8 years? [pix soon..]
but, in addition to fresh paint.. these super cool new 'floating' and 'invisible' bookshelves. /is bookshelves one word?
in any case,
i don't know who to thank.. like, who came up with these creative, optical illusion book display designs? who ever you are "Thank You!"
i'm like a kid with a shiny new bike.. i want to show everyone..
gratitude prayer. hallelujah & amen..
Where? is my memory!?! (me!) sandra mickanen, topps, writeousmom
robert: what? are you looking for..?
me: im in search of my memory
robert: youre searching for your memory?
me: i know i had it.. i touched it.. it was in my hands?! where....?
and i looked very carefully, very slowly, very conscientiously through my library.. moving books, lifting books.. reading title by title..
and i guess i looked write past it the first thorough check, but then,
"found it! -i KNEW i put it somewhere. i KNEW i didn't give it away.. i would never do that!"
but i very recently rearranged my books. prior, i could have found my memory in the blink of an eye. but when i recently rearranged my books, plus, gave some books away, plus, added some new ones..
and placed them, not so much in subject order, or author order..
really, i didn't put them in any order; the ones i placed in crates. i just filled the crates..
but i did have to laugh.. searching my memory.. to find my in search of memory book..
and i just love eric kandel! and i recently came across a couple articles about him.. and! his beautiful wife..
the CH here is this: recently, the topic of secrets of successful marriages came up.. in came up on Joyce Meyer's program, and it came up in conversation during a coffee friendship visit with my BMF's, Catherine & Carla..
our conclusion.. the secret formula for a successful marriage is unique to each couple; what works magic and miracles for one couple could equal divorce for another, and vice versa.. you figure it out between yourselves..
and i always will add: 2 to make it work; 1 to make it fail.
****
but having just had those conversations, AND our recent 'living long, living happy' Berryessa Blue Zone Driveway Happy Hour, i was extra touched by this NYT article:
Sunday Routine How Dr. Eric Kandel, Neuroscientist, Spends His Sundays -outstanding!! so inspiring!
**
Berryessa Blue Zone Driveway Happy Hour May 2025 #vellumdays
The reason we have such a wonderful, special neighborhood.. friends/family: this willingness each of you have to say yes to our invitation; to share yourselves, and your evening..
cast your cares, relax -fellowship, break bread together, hydrate, visit, connect -it all strengthens the ties of our neighborhood
and may sound funny at first, but.. worth re-realizing: you can only connect; by actually connecting.
these happy hours do our hearts so much good, how blessed you make us feel! "Thank You!" "Cheers!"
love, the micks
Culture IS malleable. Invest in Nuclear. Mixed message award. by (me!) sandra mickanen, topps, writeousmom
i would like to give 2 examples of
what i mean by
culture IS malleable:
1. my remarkable (sexy) husband:
when he initially graduated from the police academy; and during his first couple decades as a deputy for santa clara county
the culture was such that, a) his children were proud to share with others that he was a cop b) he wore his uniform proudly
i can attest that he was consistently a good cop.. a noble, righteous law enforcement officer -this can be easily co-signed and validated by people he worked under, worked with, the students who had him as a training officer, and includes inmates who respected him, along with his best friend Pete.
we can, that is, I can, from my own life experience, validate that the culture changed dramatically, during the Obama administration [during.. not to be confused with because of.. which is a different topic]:
my husband did not change; he remained a noble, caring, conscientious, highly respected law enforcement, training officer and deputy
the culture around him changed, such that, suddenly, a) his children were afraid to share with anyone that their dad was a cop, and b) he did not wear his uniform to and from work, only wore his uniform while working.
culture changes around good people... while good people remain good...
**
2. havent we all witnessed this truth so recently with tesla owners.
we have a number of good friends, good family, good neighbors who own teslas. when they initially purchased their teslas the culture was such that; they drove them proudly; their children were comfortable sharing that their family owned a tesla -this car was associated with the future; a popular and attractive electric vehicle with all kinds of built-in safety features; and associated with success..
the culture changed around these good people.. the good people remained good..
and rather suddenly, which can be directly associated with the Trump administration/Elon Musk @ White House, but suddenly,
children were no longer mentioning... and tesla owners were under perpetual threat..
culture changed around good people.. good people were, are, remain good..
-under what circumstance do any of these good people deserve to be suddenly under attack and threat; THEY have done nothing
this sudden liberation to attack innocent, righteous people should be stopped in its tracks. it is criminal.
you can fight for your cause without causing harm to innocent people; this, to my understanding, is what separates the USA from...
SHOULD BE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SEPARATES the USA from other countries.
upshot: culture IS malleable; it is not 'fixed.' -which means,
it can change again.. it can change back.
***
random brain spill:
A: invest in nuclear.
and if i was asked to 'show my work..' how i arrived at this answer..
snipet here, snipet there, life experience.. dictates the following is true (from my perspective/view):
unlike the billions-of-dollars, multi-decade, infamous california high speed train that receives gross amounts of funding without requiring any results,
AI will receive gross amounts of funding and get results quickly.
Data centers will pop up with great speed and tax our water/energy resources in dangerous ways.
'dangerous' is a key word..
the 'dangers' of using our current energy resources, with current methods, will result in a validated fear.. perhaps phobia of what will happen to humanity if we continue on this outdated dangerous path..
this turns to
"we must employ nuclear!" - the clean, infinite, energy source.. ; it will make so much sense, we'll all wonder "why didn't we do this a long time ago?!"
they'll add on 'safe' safe is also a key word
the 'safest, cleanest, infinite energy source'
all risks will be downplayed; any rewards will be hyped.
**
it is the direction we are all headed.
but unlike the billions-of-dollars, multi-decade, infamous california high speed train that receives gross amounts of funding without ever getting built,
this AI, data center, nuclear energy rocket IS being built, at record speeds, and will not be stopped.
A: invest in nuclear. /SHEsaysWITHaSMILE, and
research: nuclear energy vs nuclear power vs nuclear weapons.
***
i am giving my imaginary mixed message award to the Trump Administration:
my heart skips a happy beat to hear about 'high paying JOBS! investments in America! bringing manufacturing back to the USA!
but all this is happening simultaneous with ubiquitous reports about AI, humanoids, replacing humans in the work force...
-in the news: the AI race.. this is between nations..
but we have *a AI, humans, race taking place also, don't we..
* an AI
****
want to note my
-entirely separate.. i've heard the term 'click bait' and have a clear understanding
i just recently heard the term 'rage bait' and was in the process of trying to understand when i came across these two different ways, two different media outlets, reported American Pope Leo XIV's stance on the hot and controversial topic of abortion
one news media outlet reported the Pope described abortion as evil and demonic.
another media outlet reported the Pope described abortion as a sin, and not in line with Catholic values.
and i confess, that i have an experientially different internal reaction to those two, very different vocabularies..
***
Philippians 3:13-14 leaving all that lies behind, behind... moving pressing forward.
hallelujah! & amen!
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