A Day in the Life of Marissa

New Blog

2006-10-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well, most of my blogs lately have been posted at my myspace page. That is why I have not been around here lately. Since I am myspace more often then here at Blogger, I have just started using their blog service there.

So head over to:
Marissa's Current Blogs

Thank you. I may still post here from time to time. But mostly I am at Myspace. Then again...who isn't? LOL

Cheating Husbands

2006-07-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

In LA, where people tend to have a bunch of money just sitting around with nothing better to do...they tend to spend it on things that you or I would never even dream of.

So to get revenge on her cheating husband, a woman took out a billboard add to expose him. I went and took this picture today. It is at the corner of Venice Blvd. & Grand View:

In the Mid West...this is how a woman gets revenge:

Queen Mary Tirip

2006-07-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back to reality. My stay aboard the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach has sadly come to an end. Im in love with that ship, I am. Its always sad for me to leave. Maybe in a past life I was aboard that ship, which knows? LOL But I feel a strange connection to it. I have over 200 photos I took. They are all in seperate links at the bottom. Various Queen Mary pics, the orb pictures, & the Titanic Exhibit.

BUT, you have to read this blog first to know what happend!

We stayed in cabin B452. Come to find out, everyone was taking advantage of the $89 special room rate seeing how the man at the front desk said they were completely booked. The fireworks were lovely. Not on a grand of scale as St. Louis fireworks, but better than no fireworks at all!

I also went to see the Titanic Exhibit that is on the Queen Mary. I have seen the exhibit before in St. Louis and at the LA Science Center. But I must say that seeing it aboard the Queen Mary was a surreal experience. You will understand when you see the pictures. ;-)

As for the ghosts.... Have I kept you in suspense long enough? Is the antici...........pation (as said in Rocky Horror Picture Show) killing you yet? LOL

Okay, okay, I give in...Ill tell you about it. YES, there was paranormal activity. Plenty of it. Nothing actually materialized in front of my eyes, but I DO have plenty of orbs in my pictures. Mostly in the Haunted Encounters Tour I took seeing how you get to go to very haunted areas of the ship on that tour.

So let me list for you all the notes I jotted down when something paranormal would happen.

NOTE: for those of you who do not paranormal investigate, you will need to know some terminology. EMF stands for Electo Magnetic Fields. When a spirit is near, it changes the electos in the air therefore making the EMF detector show a reading for that activity. Orbs are round bubbles that appear in the pictures which is how most ghosts appear on film. And ghosts also pull energy from people and objects. Objects like batteries. It is very common.

Okay...now that is out of the way....on with the show:

Here are the notes I jotted down when something paranormal happened:

1. 5:00pm July 4th, about an hour after we checked into our cabin, freshly charged camera batteries already dead. The room is sucking energy. That goodness I brought along my battery charger.

2. 7:00pm July 4th, cell phone battery I had just charged this morning dead. I barely used it all day, the battery should be fine. Room is sucking energy. I do not have my cell phone charger with me. Will remember to bring it with me next time.

3. 10:38pm July 4th, Area near door to cabin had a spike on the EMF detector. But it left as quickly as it came. I had no time to snap a picture.

4. 10:52pm July 4th, Mom heard faint wind chimes inside room.

5. 11:59pm July 4th, Heard a knocking noise near the rooms heater. The knocking was not from another room, it was something knocking IN the room. Around the same time, I had 2 candles lit. One was on a small shelf and the other was right below it on another shelf. One candles flame was steady and normal. The other candles flame was being pulled to the left continuously. I tried moving it around to see if it was a draft, but it still was pulled to the left. If it was a draft, the other candle would have been doing the same thing. But it was steady. There is a picture in the Queen Mary pictures that will show the difference in the flames.

6. Not sure of timing since it woke me up, July 5th, the sound of Moms small carry on luggage being slid across the table. I had earplugs in because of Moms snoring but still heard it.

7. 8:55am July 5th, Mom and I were over by the bathroom area. We heard noises of someone/something digging through one of our bags. It was a rustling noise. As I was walking over to the area where we heard it, the noise stopped.

8. 9:23am July 5th, the cell phone batteries that were dead last night back up to 3/4 power this morning. I did not have my charger with me on the ship. Ghosts are known to do that though. Your camera or cell phone may not work one minute, but once you leave a particular area, it will be up to full power again.

9. 2:00pm July 5th, Did the self guided ship tour so I could go to all the haunted areas of the ship and take pictures and investigate. Went to the Chart Room at the bridge area. It has been known to have paranormal activity take place. The batteries I had just put in my camera were dead after being in that area.

10. 2:40pm July 5th, was walking down haunted hallway on B-Deck between cabins B312-B330 and I all of a sudden had a sense of someone walking behind me as well as a feeling of heaviness in the air. I thought that there was another guest or housekeeping behind me so I moved out of the way. I turned around and no one was there. The feeling of being followed continued until I grinned and said, Hello. I was very entertained. LOL

11. 3:55pm/July 5th/ Haunted Encounters Tour, a group of us on the tour was watching a presentation video in the boiler room. I was sitting in the back row of chairs on the far left because I was trying to have space to myself to take pictures and look at readings on my EMF detector. While doing this, I had someone tap on the back of my chair. No one was behind me or near me to do that.

12. 3:58pm/July 5th/ Haunted Encounters Tour, I got continuous chills in the boiler room. I am not creeped out by the boiler room seeing how I have been on this tour before and am not scared.

13. 4:05pm/July 5th/ Haunted Encounters Tour, in the boiler room I saw a flash of movement high up along the walls but when I turned to look, nothing was there.

14. 4:10pm/July 5th/ Haunted Encounters Tour, after leaving the boiler room, I feel a little sick.

15. 4:13pm/July 5th/ Haunted Encounters Tour, I heard rainwater falling on the ceiling of a room that did not have a water source above it and it was not raining outside anyway. It was almost as if it was rainwater hitting the ship if it was out to sea. Mind you, it was not raining at all while I was on the ship. In fact, it was hot as hell. LOL

16. 4:25pm/July 5th/ Haunted Encounters Tour, in the First Class Swimming Pools womens changing room, I could feel the spurts of cool air coming from the area where a vortex is known to be.

17. 4:35pm/July 5th/ Haunted Encounters Tour, we went to cabin B-340. A cabin that is so haunted that they had to stop renting the room to guests. They were also going to make it into a payroll office, but were scared out of it as well. This is the room that is featured on the Sci-Fi channels show called Ghost Hunters, which a lot of you are familiar with. Speaking of that show, the tour guide I had was the lady that was featured on that Queen Mary episode as well.

Anyway, on that episode, the ghost hunters had a camera filming the bed in that room where the covers have been known to be removed by themselves. In the show, the covers did indeed get moved, but later the ghost hunters decided that it was someone playing a joke or prank on them and that it was not real. After being in that room today and seeing the closet that they believe someone was hiding in when they staged the covers moving, I have a hard time believing that a human could have pulled off this trick. If you would have seen how small this closet was and how far the camera was placed from the bed, I have no idea how a human could have pulled off this trick. The person to fit in that small closet would have had to be a skinny midget or very small child. They would have had to stop the camera filming so they could run to the side of the bed to hide so they could move the covers, but somehow, start the camera again while also hiding on that side of the bed. How is the possible? And there is NO WAY that 2 people could have fit in that closet. The doors to the room are secured and locked at all times as well. I actually sat down on the bed in that room while the tour guide talked. Very creepy feeling knowing that someone died in that spot. The bed looks way bigger on TV, by the way.

18. July 5th, Titanic Exhibit, fresh batteries that I charged in my cabin stopped working in the exhibit. The tour guide also mentioned that paranormal occurrences happen in the Titanic Exhibit because the old captain of the ship (Captain John) does not like that the exhibit is taking up part of his engine room. He has been seen on several occasions there and does not seem happy. When the workers where building and putting up parts of the Titanic Exhibit, they would come in the next day to work to find nails taken out of the walling, and part of displays taken down. Maybe this explains my camera refusing to work at certain spots & my batteries acting up.

So all together, I think having 18 paranormal occurrences in one trip is very cool. I hope you enjoy all the pictures. Each has a caption to it so you can know what and where things are. Enjoy and thanks for reading![endif]-->

Queen Mary Pictures

Queen Mary Orb Pictures

Titanic Exhibit

If anyone finds and orbs or strange things in my photos that I did not see, please feel free to let me know. Thanks!

Love, Marissa

Chanel Nail polish

2006-06-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

Okay. You know how people say that if something is more expensive, then that means that the quality of the product is better? Well, I have to say that I agree with this statement, TO AN EXTENT. Here is what I know:

1. I know that Victoria Secret bras and panties can last for YEARS if taken care of properly. So in this case, it IS worth the money.

2. I know that certain make up, like the kind I use for example (Bare Minerals from Bare Essentals), tends to be more expensive then the stuff you can buy from Target, but once again, that is another case where it IS worth the money.

However...I decided to perform a little experiment.

I found a bottle of Chanel nail polish in my nail polish bag.

I got it from my mom, who had gotten it from someone else at her work. It had never been used because no one liked the color. Well, I have decided to try it to see if the quality of this $20 nail polish was worth the money.

It started chipping and wearing off from day one! So I tried it with and without the base coat, it still chipped. I tried it with and without top coat, and it still chipped. I tried 2 coats instead of one, and it still chipped. I tried one of those top coats that tell you that it will prevent chipping of the nail polish, it still chipped.

I am certainly glad that I did not have to pay for this bottle of nail poilsh! And anyone who does pay that much needs to let me know how the hell they keep the stuff on and from chipping. Cause all the cheapy brands from Target wear better then the expensive stuff in this case.

Sorry that this blog is kinda girly and goofy, but I just wanted to prove a point. That all these women who spend obcene amounts of money on things like this are just crazy.

The Haunted Whaley House

2006-05-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I am going to be heading off to San Diego tomorrow to visit The Whaley House, California's most haunted house. I have a book about this place that I have been reading all day so I can catch up on my Whaley knowledge.

I will be taking my ghost hunting equipment and my cameras. So I will be sure to get pictures on here ASAP. It will proabably take me a few days, but once I get pictures, I will post a new blog with them in it, so you can all hear about my investigation.

Maybe paranormal activity will happen, maybe it will be a quite day with no activity. But either way, I can check it off my list of haunted places to go to!

American Idol

2006-05-24T21:41:00.000-07:00

Okay. I usually do not watch American Idol. I have not kept up with this season at all. BUT, I ended up watching the last 2 episodes.

Before I get into how I feel about the show or the winner...I must say this:

OH MY GOD! Prince was there! That rules! I screamed outloud when he walked out there. I just soooo did not expect that! Prince is really shy and does not do interviews very often or make performances like that. So I was pretty excited for that surprise...

Bottom line, Katharine CAN sing. BUT. I am tired of this "cookie-cutter-copies-of-young-pop-stars". They all look like for the most part. Perfect teeth, beautiful hair, bodies, etc etc etc...blah blah blah...And I am sick of the cookie-cutter-copies of these girls. I am NOT talking about their personalities. I am talking about their looks, style, and voices. But this girl reminds me of Kelly Clarkson. Ya know? I want someone original and different to win.

But not ALL American Idols have to be young and youthful to have talent. There is no reason to make comments that Taylor is "not current enough" or "old".

You do not have to be young & gorgeous to win. This is not a beauty or youth contest.

So that is why I actually called in and voted (which I have never done before) for Taylor. I like the fact that he is older than most that go on that show. I like the fact that he has gray hair and does not care. He does not dye it to try to look younger and fit in. And he can sing.

So maybe I am a "rebel" in that sense. But I am just sooooo tired of the stereotypical looks of these woman in the industry. We do not need another Kelly Clarkson. We already have one."

So thank God Taylor won. And because of the feelings I have expressed in this entry, it is pretty obvious to see why I am happy for him. Yes, he can be a spaz and overexcited when he performs. But at least I am entertained. He does not rely on his looks to pull him through a performance.

Think about Clay Akien though. He came in second place and did better than Ruben did. So to the Kat fans...do not worry. She WILL be fine and successful too. :-) The part with Clay on the show was great!

But I am glad that Taylor won. It sends a message that you do not need to be young and beautiful to win. After all, this is not a beauty competition. This is a talent show.

Evolution of Dance

2006-05-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Evolution of Dance...sooooo funny!!

Gas Sucks

2006-05-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is a billboard in LA. It is an advertisement for the Metro Bus System. LOL I personally like the handcuffs in the picture...cause after all...that is how we all feel, right?

Hostage Marissa

2006-05-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone...I am lucky to be alive! Just kidding.
But I could have been lucky to be alive!

I was shopping at the market today. As I was leaving, all the employees were freaking out about something. They were talking about a helicopter circling the store. In LA, that is nothing too shocking, so I proceeded to walk out of the store with my cart full of food.

I get outside, walked to the car which was parked near the front door. There were at least 15 cop cars at various places around the store and about 5 of those were at the front door.

I was loading up my food in the backseat when a woman with a child in a cart stopped to ask me if I knew what was going on. I said no. A LA cop shows up and starts yelling at this woman that if she does not want anything bad to happen to her, she needs to get in her car and leave. Then he turns to say this same thing to me. I said, "Well, I have to finish loading my food. I am not going to simply leave it behind dumb ass." (italics where things I was thinking in my head).

I then said that "I am not a mind reader and that no one inside told anyone what was going on. He said, "Well, they need to be telling people because there is an armed suspect in the store and we do not want a hostage type situation." He then proceeded to tell me to leave by the side entrance.

I go to the side entrance only to be blocked by 4 other cops cars. What a dumb ass. The cops could at least all be on the same page! Why tell me to leave that way and it was blocked? ::rolling eyes::

So I parked the car and sat there and waited for about 10 mintues. They got whomever they were looking for and I was able to go about my business.

A lot of people I know would have been a bit afraid. But I have been here so long that I am used to this crap. LOL

I am still without internet at home, but working on getting it back.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Easter 2006

2006-04-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well, since I work at a costume shop, I get free rentals as long as I do not take advantage of it. So for Easter, I decided that I was going to dress my crazy ass up as the Easter bunny all day. I even went to church that way! The pastor of my church, Paster Keith, his son died in a car accident last year. So I knew that this Easter would be hard on him and his family. So I thought that it would give him a big laugh for me to be dressed as the bunny. And sure enough, he loved it!

I then went to the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. The kids were all really excited. But I think I entertained more adults then kids! I was in Barnes & Nobles and a guy my age walked by on his cell phone. He told the person on his phone to hold on a minute. Then he said, "Oh yeah! That is awesome!" And he raised his hand to give me a high 5. Then he got back on the phone and said, "Dude! I soooo just met the Easter bunny!" I even entertained a couple of Jewish women! LOL

Michael came over for Easter dinner, etc. I was still dressed as the bunny. I even cooked as the bunny!

Yes, I know I am crazy, but it was a blast!

I still do not have internet, but I just wanted you all to know of my Easter and that I am still around.

April Fools

2006-04-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

Every year, my mom tries to get me for April Fools Day. This year it passed without anything happening.

But she got me today. A few days late, but still...

The city of Santa Monica has a daily paper that they put out very day. It is called the Santa Monica Daily Press. They also have a weekend edition.

Well, April Fools Day fell on a weekend this year. So the entire weekend edition was full of nothing but fake stories.

My mom came home from work and showed me the paper. I am sick and on cold medicine so I am not "all there" at this point. So I started to fall for all the stories. She started laughing when I read the story about the "Squirell Plauge". And then I knew what was going on.

So here is some of the headlines from the paper:

"Plauge Takes Bite Out of City Park Dwellers"
This was a story about squirells that were sick and was infecting people who hung out in the park. A sub headline for this story was: " Squirell activists tell critters to lay low as plauge fears grow"

"Slide Into the Ocean. Water Quality "F", Family Fun "A+"
This was a story about a water slide that lets you slide down from the Santa Monica Pier into the ocean below. But then it said that they will have to move the slides because participants were getting hooked in the face by the local fisherman on the pier.

"Homeless Man Shoots Friend While Two Are Hunting Pigeons"
This title says it all.

"Red Cross Has Vested Interest In Pico 'Hood"
This is a story about how the Red Cross is going to be giving out bullet proof vests on Saturday because the local police department is going on strike. (There is an area in Santa Monica, Pico Blvd., that is dangerous.

"Trash Pickers Get Zapped By New Wired Garbage Bins"

Various authors of the articles were named things like:
"Sack Ja Mamma", "Money Surf", "The New Guy", and "Mess Makers".

The Daily Lotto numbers were: 1 2 3 4 5 with the Megalotto number being: 6.

The horoscopes were really funny too. They either told you that you were going to die or that you were wonderful. LOL But all the signs had only 1 star days.

So after all, my mom got me. LOL

I am still without internet. I am checking my internet stuff with my friend's computer. So I am still around. Talk to you all later in a few days.

Internet Gone

2006-04-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I am officially without internet. I sent out an email to all my friends but wanted to post it here as well, just in case.

I will be using the library and friend's internet in the meantime. Not sure when I will have service again, but hopefully soon.

I will only be checking email, accounts, etc. a few times a week now. So if you do not hear back from me right away, do not worry. I am still around, just not as much.

Love, Marissa

Night Out With Judith

2006-03-24T23:33:00.000-08:00

Well, my internet is still up & running. Not sure for how long but right now it works & that is what matters!

So here are the updates:

My good friend Ashley (I was Maid of Honor in her wedding) gave birth to a beautiful baby girl she named Ally Elizabeth Wilson. Congrats! I remember when we were young together...we have known each other our whole lives & next thing you know, she is giving birth! LOL

Here is her picture:

Ally Elizabeth

Micah's 14th Birthday was on Tuesday March 21st. We went out to eat at a place he likes and to the LA Zoo. Here are pictures from that day:

Micah's Birthday

Tonight, I hung out with Judith from the costume place. We went to the British Tea Room down by the ocean. We had tea sandwiches & tea, of course! VERY Good.

We shopped in the giftshop where she ended up buying me all sorts of different British candy for me to try.

Judith is German, so she knows of all the different flavors. She bought me Kinder Surprise egg. It is a chocolate egg with a prize inside the egg. I thought that it might be a fake tattoo or something simple but it was an actual toy that I had to assemble. I was so impressed that the toy was really cool. The surprise in my egg ended up being a scary looking tree! LOL

We sat in the tea room for almost 3 hours just talking.

Then we walked 3rd Street promenade and shopped. By the end of the shopping spree, we had matching Old Navy underwear (she never had been in Old Navy so we went in to de-virginize her to it) and matching rings. It was buy 2 rings get one free. I did not have $10.00 to waste on a ring. So I put back the one I liked. Next thing I know, we are leaving the store and Judith says, "Here Marissa." And hands me the ring I wanted. She got my ring as her buy 2 get one free one! How sweet was that?! So our rings match. LOL

Then when we left and she brought me home, we sat outside of my house in the car talking for more than an hour. LOL Guess we had a lot to say. We have tons in common and she wants to go to the Queen Mary with me to ghost hunt. LOL

There is not that many cause we were more preoccupied talking, but here are pictures of our evening:

Evening With Judith

So tonight, I came away with a full tummy of food and candy, a matching ring, matching panties, great conversation. But most of all, I came away with a new friend whom I have tons in common with.

For now

2006-03-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we might be switching our internet service, so I may not have internet for a while. Not a long time, but until we get a new service up and running. Just wanted to let you all know in case you wonder where I am or why I am not replaying to emails or messages. This is not definate yet, but it might happen.

Love to all!

Oscars

2006-03-05T20:43:00.000-08:00

The Oscars this year was hard for me to really get into because I have not even seen any of the movies nominated except for 'Munich'.

I was glad for Phillip Seymore Hoffman, his speech was a very sweet tribute to his mother. I thought that he would win.

I knew that Reese Witherspoon would win for her performance in 'Walk the Line'. With all the hype around her winning, I would have been shocked if she did not win. I thought her speech was sweet as well. I felt bad for Joaquin Phoenix though.

I also knew that Ang Lee would probably win. However, I was shocked that 'Brokeback Mountain' did not win more awards with all the hype around that movie as well.

I was shocked when Rachel Weisz won for 'The Constant Gardener'. Goodness, I did not even know that movie existed. Another movie I have not heard much about was 'Crash'. And I was shocked that 'Crash' won for Best Picture. Something in me said that 'Crash' might win. Maybe that is my slight psychic side coming out. LOL

Oh! And what was up with that 'Pimp' song winning? I think that the Oscar people are trying to get a younger audience. Cause what was so special about that 'Pimp' song anyway? However, I was excited that they were so truly happy that they won.

I about fell off my chair laughing with the image of Jennifer Garner falling all the way over. Even though she did not fall...the image in my head was still funny. LOL With the way she was loosing her footing, not once but twice, it looked like she was coming out on a skateboard. But I thought her "I do my own stunts" line was a nice cover.

The Ben Stiller green screen outfit was funny too. And the make up on Will Farrell & Steve Carell was great. Especially those eyelashes. LOL I also like the 'March of the Peguins' guys with the stuffed animals that they took on stage when they won. That was cute.

So all in all, about 5 of the catagories, I had guessed right.

As for the outfits...I was NOT impressed with many of them.

Charlize's dress with that huge ass bow on her shoulder...what the hell?

I did not like J.Lo's color of the dress. It was like baby poop green.

I did not like Michelle William's bright yellow dress with that bright red lipstick. Yuck.

I DID like Jennifer Aniston's dress. But that is how I am...simple is better. More classy.

By the way...who the hell is THIS woman?

Since it was live here in LA, I did not have to stay up all night watching it. ;-) It is only 8:30 here now. I have rest of the night to rest up. I have to work early and I am helping Michael move tomorrow. So I have a long day ahead of me. Wish me luck...

Oopma Loompas

2006-03-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

I was sitting outside my brother's school today waiting for him to come out to the car. We were parked on the side of the road. I look up and 2 parked cars ahead of us I saw something that made me do a double take.

The actor Deep Roy, known for many films but most recently playing the Oopma Loompas in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, was getting out of his silver Audi. He walked right past our car. If I would have reached out my window, I would have touched his nose! He was that close.

His car had a parking permit hanging from his mirror, so I assume he lives across the street from my brother's school. How cool is that?

Here is his website so you can see all the other work he has done. He was even in The Grinch with Jim Carrey! I had no idea until I looked at his resume! He was also in one of my favorite movies 'The Neverending Story'. When I saw he was cast in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, I thought he looked familiar. Then I remembered him as a character in 'Neverending'.

Deep-Roy.com

Happy Mardi Gras

2006-02-26T01:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

I think that after Hurricane Katrina, it is even more important to remember this celebration. The ones that survived have much to celebrate about! LIFE!

In the part of the world I am in, Los Angeles, there is not much celebration here for this holiday because it is more Spanish heritage here. Not French. So I really miss back home at this time of year.

For those not really familiar with Mardi Gras, here is a link for info:

New Orleans Mardi Gras History

For old times sake...Here's me & Pamela at the Orpheus Ball hosted by Harry Connick Jr. in 2003. We are of the Orpheus Krewe! The beads you see in one picture is only 1/4 of the amount we came home with! Click on the pictures to make them bigger!!

Strange When...

2006-02-18T23:52:00.000-08:00

Its very strange when things that used to be normal & common for me become a novelty.

Living in LA, I have a million & one things to do. So many options & places to visit. However, I must admit that there are certain things that are not here in LA that I miss from back home. Gosh. I never thought I would type those words.

Anyway, my family & I love Sonics fast food place. (If you don't like it there...oh well...we do, so don't give me any crap about how unhealthy it is). We see Sonics commercials on TV all the time but did not know where to find one. So I got online. There was one almost an hour away in Anaheim,CA. (Yes, that is where Disneyland is located)

So since we had nothing else to do, we decided to take a day trip. It was nice to get out of town. I love where I live, but it is always a good thing to have a change of scenery. Otherwise, things can get boring real quick.

So we drove down there. Ate at Sonics and then decided to explore the area. We found a Dollar Tree which are all over back in the Mid-West but I have never seen one here. In LA, we have the 99 Cents Store. But in Anaheim, we found a Dollar Tree along with other places that reminded me of home.

I remember when I first moved here, Michael took me down to Orange County/Anaheim area for something. And I remember how I said I hated it because it reminded me of home and that it was boring. Since I was new to LA at the time, I was wanting to be around all the glamorous things that the city offered. Not Dollar Trees or simpleton stores. And now, here I am almost 4 years later excited that I found these places. So what used to be common for me has become a novelty. I find this quite strange.

It also "rained" here today. What LA considers rain is what the Mid-West considers a sprinkle. But the LA drivers get all stupid and freaked out by this "wet stuff" falling from the sky.

Here is an accident we saw on the way to Anaheim (you cannot see it but the whole front of this car was torn off practically):

Here is what a "rainy day" in Southern California is:

Here's my novelty items of the day:

See how busy Sonics is? We had to wait for a parking spot to open! So I am not the only one who loves this place! ;-)

Dollar Tree (the 99 Cents Stores are better, but it was still nice to go here just the same):

Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

I am one of those people who like to celebrate holidays. It always gives me something to look forward to.

So Valentine's Day is no exception.

I have a lot of friends who tend to be bitter towards this holiday, and I do not see why exactly. Sure, it is a day when flowers and chocolate makers make their money. But is that any different to when my costume shop makes their money on Halloween? No, it is the same thing.

Sure, you should not need a specific day to tell your partner that you love them. But I have come to discover that Valentine's Day is not just for romantic love. There are plenty of Valentine's Day cards at the stores labeled for family members and friends. So if you are single on this day of love...do not worry. Share love for yourself, your family, & your friends. If YOU make it all about romantic love, then OF COURSE you are gonna feel like crap today! But if you look at it differently, you may find yourself going out and buying YOURSELF chocolate and flowers!

You can get with this:

Or you can get with that:

I got with it and look what I got (and this is just from my family alone):

Pirate Cereal

2006-02-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

Was walking through the market today & found this:

Pirates of the Caribbean CEREAL!

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...OF COURSE, I bought it. LOL It cracks me up!

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me...

Back to the ER

2006-01-31T22:03:00.000-08:00

Well, from 2:00 to 9:00PM, I was at the hospital with my mom. She was at work and the left side of her head, from neck to forehead, started to hurt so badly that she could not even speak. This is coming from a woman who normally has a good pain tolerance, unlike yours truly.

They gave her an IV, 2 shots of Morphine, Vicodin, and a CAT Scan. Pretty scary stuff.

After all of that, it comes out that they think that it is just a severe migraine. She has never had migraines before, however, according to my mom, my grandfather used to get them all the time. I, myself, have only had one severe one before. The reason that it was scary for her is because she was literally fine one minute and the next, her had burst into pain. That is some pretty scary stuff. We were worried about a stroke or an annurisum.

So after all that time, they gave her a pain medication perscription for the headaches, and anti-nausea medicine so she will not be sick. They think that the throwing up she has been doing the past few days is contributing to her head hurting so bad. It is adding extra pressure.

So PLEASE pray that this is the end of this situation and that she is fine from here on out, now that we know that it is nothing too serious.

I asked her if she looked at the CAT scan results and she said she did not think to ask. It would be cool to see your brain! When I was in the ER in August, I forgot to ask to look at my chest X-Ray. But I guess when you are that freaked out, it is the last thing on your mind.

Judith & Siobhan's Birthday Party

2006-01-29T00:43:00.000-08:00

Judith is a very sweet woman I work with at the costumes shop. And Siobhan is a friend of Judith's. Well, they decided to have a birthday party for both of them at the same time. So I was invited.

I just got home from this party. It is midnight & I was there for 6 hours.

There was a lot of laughter, fun, drinking, more laughing, singing, and eating.

I drank Chianti wine, Charles Shaw wine, and a margarita. I HAD to have some Chianti wine because of the line from my favorite thriller The Silence of the Lambs. You know...."I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti ". It was pretty good.

The party had a German/British theme because Judith is German & Siobhan is British.
So there were all sorts of British, German food. However, there was also Japanese and Italian food. So by the end of the night, we decided that it would just be considered an "Ethnic Evening of All Types".

I was the first to arrive & one of the last to leave. So I was able to meet everyone who came through the party. Total there were 20 people through out the night.

I won a prize for picking the right number out of a hat! All the prize gifts they gave out where British themed. I won a Big Ben bottle opener.

So it was a good time. I met Siobhan one other time that night that my work had that Halloween party when we all drank and went to see Harry Potter. She is very sweet and is interested in a lot of the same things I am. The Queen Mary ship in Long Beach, ghosts, vampires, etc. She is pretty dark, but not depressing dark. She is just interested in Gothic things like castles, etc. So she is a lot like me.

Judith is just super sweet and we find each other to be hilarious. We laugh at everything.

I had a great time and I am glad I went.

On a more serious note. My mom had to go into Urgent Care at the hospital last night because she was seeing a really bright light in her right eye. She called a nurse hotline that her insurance provides and they told her to get to the hospital. So Michael and I took her. We were there for 3 hours and they told her that since she had vomited earlier that day, it put a lot of pressure on her eye. They at first thought it was a torn retna but also said that it could be an inbalance of fluid in her eye. She woke up this morning and the light was gone. So she did not go back to the hospital today like she was suppose to. She was suppose to see a specific doctor for her eye exam.

I am just glad that it was not a stroke or anything scary like that. Just please keep my mother in your prayers. Thank you.

Oh, by the way...Here is a link to pictures from the party tonight. Read the captions to see what is going on, etc.

Judith & Siobhan's Birthday Party

Angel Emerges

2006-01-24T13:40:00.000-08:00

Well, our adoptive cat, Angel, has been coming out a little bit at a time now. She mainly comes out late at night when the house is quiet.

She is eating, using the litter box, and drinking.

I finally got pictures of her today. My blue-eyed beauty!

Today at lunch, I was eating in the living room while watching TV.

NeeNee was on the arm of the couch, Rollie was on the floor.

I suppose Angel smelt my sandwich because all of a sudden she was up on her hind legs sniffing to see what food I had. I froze because anytime I have made movement in the past, she runs. Next thing I know, she is purring like crazy, rubbing on me and the legs of the table, and kneading as she walked. LOL

I started feeding her some of the meat because at this point, I am trying to bribe her into liking & trusting us. She ate out of my hand and would not eat it if it was on the floor.

Later in the day, she came out and was walking around exploring. She came in my room finally and was sniffing around for a while and then ran out. She has also been sitting in the back door looking outside a lot. Currently she is hiding under the kitchen table. But hey, at least she is exploring and coming out more.

I just now fed her more meat so Mom could see how she acts with it. She started purring again and was very excited. So the meat must remind her of her old home or something because she reacted to it as if it was something that was given to her as a treat in the past or something.

I finally got pictures of her too. Some of them are not very good, but she is still very skittish, so they are the best I could do.

Here are 2 so you can see her closeup.

Here is the link so you can see my album of the other shots I got:

Angel's Pictures

New Cat

2006-01-22T23:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have not updated my blog as of lately. Not much has been going on. Just the usual.

But I do have some very cool pet news.

They recently opened a PetSmart pet store near where I live. I have always like PetSmart because of the good prices and huge selection of stuff. So I was excited when they opened one here.

Well, this past weekend was the grand opening. I was there with bells on. They gave out free stuff and it was great to see all the people there with their dogs, etc.

But what is the best part is that we adopted a cat! They have an adoption area in the store where they have cats. There was a short-haired white one with BLUE eyes! She is so pretty. She also was one of the very few that actually had a personality. The others acted like typical cats...you know the drill...they sleep and ignore you trying to talk to them through the plexiglass. But this white cat was trying to rub on me through the glass, she meowed, and acted interested in people. So those are always the cats to pick because you know that they are interactive.

So we filled out the application and gave it to a man named Michael that was one of the adoption workers. He let us in so we could hold her, etc. While we were in there we also got to meet the woman who was giving her up for adoption and also the woman who had fostered her. Come to find out the cat's name is Angel.

Angel had belonged to an elderly lady who was LITERALLY one of those "crazy cat ladies" you hear about. Come to find out, 3 of the other cats there for adoption also had belonged to this woman! Apparently this woman had TONS of cats and that the 4 there were a very small amount compared to what she really owned.

Anyway, this woman got sick and had to move to Florida where she was near family to help take care of her. The older woman who was giving her up for adoption is the niece of the elderly lady who got sick. Well, this niece woman (I cannot remember her name now), had broken her ankle and was also moving to Florida. So that is why she had to give them up. She talked with us as we held and petted Angel. Angel was needing, rubbing, and purring. She was very sweet. Michael, the adoption worker, went aside to talk to the niece woman. This woman liked us and said we were a perfect match for Angel.

So a few hours later, Michael delivered Angel to our house. She has been hiding under the coutch ever since. LOL She has been moved around 5 different times within a week, not to mention having a physical and shots last Tuesday. So she is stressed.

We pulled her out from under the coutch tonight to hold her and make sure she was okay. Last night around 2:30 AM, I left my room to go to into the kitchen and I saw her run from the kitchen back under the coutch when she heard me, so it is nice to know she was in there eating and drinking.

Tonight, I put some food and water in little bowls and put them near the coutch where she is hiding to make sure she eats. I do not want her to get too scared to come out. She MUST eat, etc. I just now saw her run from the litterbox area back to the living room. So at least she is using the litter too.

So far, NeeNee & Rollie are acting okay. They really have not seen much of her because she has been hiding.

Tonight, the foster mother of Angel called to check to see how things are going. Mom explained to her how Angel was acting and this woman said that Angel did the same thing at her place. She was like a total different cat after a week and within 2 weeks, Angel was purrrrfectly fine with everything. So it will just take time.

Since she has not been out much, I have not been able to get pictures yet. But I will post them when the beast emerges from her cave....You guys HAVE to see this cat's beautiful eyes! Blue like mine! LOL

Cat Abuse?

2006-01-07T22:35:00.000-08:00

Is it considered "animal abuse" that I strapped a Santa beard on my cat, Rollie?
Or is it okay to laugh at this?

Duh Lindsey

2006-01-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

All I can say is "DUH", when it comes to Lindsey Lohan's recent confession of dabbling in drugs and being bulimic. Duh. The public has thought this for a long time and now she is finally admitting it. I remember writing a blog about it about 6 or more months ago!

In a tell-all interview in the latest issue of Vanity Fair, on newsstands Wednesday, the Mean Girls star confesses that she experimented with drugs and struggled with bulimia, the latter to blame for whittling her body down to a skeletal figure that even she found "disgusting."

DUH. DUH. DUH.

Confessions

Christine's a Bitch

2006-01-03T23:05:00.000-08:00

Okay...as most of you know, Phantom of the Opera is my favorite musical. I have loved it since I was around 16 years old. It will probably always be my favorite.

So of course, I got Phantom of the Opera the movie on DVD. Shamefully enough, I never went to see it in the theaters. I just never got around to it. I was worried that they would do a horrible job with the film and ruin Phantom. So I was hesitant to see it.

Well, after watching it on DVD, I must say that I think they did a fabulous job converting it to film. The stage show is more magical and is better, of course. But I think they did a good job with the film. But you also have to consider that one of the writers was Andrew Lloyd Webber which is who also did the stage play. So of course, it was well written.

But I must say that I hate Christine. She is such a bitch. LOL I personally like the Phantom. Sure, he has his bad boy moments, but he only does what he does for love...right? LOL Just a bit of trivia about Christine... The only thing that Emmy Rossum (Christine) was able to eat, due to wearing a corset during the filming, was ice cream because it was able to slip down her esophagus after it melted. I want to know how she sang in that thing! All the principle actors actually sang for this film. Emmy Rossum was only 16 when this movie was filmed, the same age as her character Christine.

I just feel sooooo bad for him when Christine and Raoul are singing "All I Ask of You". She just needs to make up her mind and stop playing heart and mind games with these guys. Besides, Raoul is kinda a boring-trying-to-hard-to-be-the-star/hero of Christine's life. I just find his character annoying.

The movie explains the Phantom's childhood, and why he is like he is. It is heartbreaking. It is sad like Frankestien or King Kong. These characters were just totally mistreated. So Phantom continues to be my favorite character in the film. So of course, I am rooting for him in the show.

So yeah...Christine is a cheating bitch. She gives her heart to Phantom until Raoul shows a bit of interest in her. I find it very aggrivating. So I certainly do not see her as the victim.

Okay, my rant for fictious characters is over now. LOL

See how sad he is when she shows love for Raoul....

Learn to Be Lonely (New Song Written for the Film):

Born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely
Learn to find your way in darkness
Who will be there for you
comfort and care for you
Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion
Ever dreamed out in the world
There are arms to hold you?
You've always known
Your heart was on its own
So laugh in your loneliness
Child of the wilderness
Learn to be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone
Learn to be lonely
life can be lived
life can be loved
Alone.

Happy New Year

2005-12-31T10:39:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone!

I hope you all have a safe, fun, & Happy New Year's Eve!

I have yet to give too much thought to any New Year's resolutions because about a month ago, I already looked into myself to see what I needed to work on. (See a few entries down for that story)

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah

2005-12-24T22:33:00.000-08:00

Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah...Whatever you celebrate...it is in that word somewhere.

I personally celebrate Christmas. So Merry Christmas to all!

Tonight Michael came over and we did the gift thing with him. He got me a new Canon digital camera. Very nice! It has any feature you can imagine including video with audio! It is soooo cool. Now I will be able to take pictures of random things again and put them on my blog to entertain you guys. My other camera broke so I have been having "pointless picture" withdrawl! LOL

So now it makes sense why he wanted to come over tonight to do gifts...that way, I can have the camera to take pictures tomorrow of us opening presents in the morning. He is coming over for dinner tomorrow, so he will have to see what "Santa" left for him tonight...

Speaking of that...I am currently updating this blog at 3:00am. My brother was so looking forward to opening presents etc, that he got up at 1:00am to see if "Santa" had come. Sure enough, he had. So he comes in my room and wakes me up after me only being asleep for an hour! So we opened all the gifts. He and I were super excited about our new PS2 and the games we got with it.

Mom and Micah got very nice stuff as well from me and from "Santa".

I got a new cordless phone, Playstation 2 game system, PS2 game of Harry Potter, Phantom of the Opera movie, The Shining, 4 jeweled watches, necklaces, candles, Harry Potter buttons, bath stuff, keychains, and of course...my new Canon Digital Camera! Also a bunch of little stocking stuffer things.

My gifts (click pic to make it bigger):

We also got a bunch of movies to share:

Gotta go get some sleep now...I hope all my friends, family, and heck...even strangers have a wonderful holiday & a safe and fun New Year!

I will leave you with this:

Christmas Is Coming

2005-12-23T21:47:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas is now 2 days away and I think I am feeling the stress of others. I had to work today, which is really not a big deal. But it seemed like a lot of the customers I encountered were demanding, rude, confused, bossy, and obnoxious.

I actually finished my plans and Christmas shopping early this year...which I usually never do. So I understand what it feels like to be stressed over the holidays. However, it is not MY fault that these customers are stressed. It is not MY fault if they have left everything to the last minute! So I am feeling stressed now. I think I am feeling what they are and that makes me mad. I deliberately finished my shopping early so I would not have those stressed feelings. But alas, because I work with the public, I am having to take in the brunt of their attitude because THEY are stressed.

Why in the world these people need to come into a costume shop for Christmas is beyond me. The only thing that makes sense is so they can rent Santa outfits, etc. But just to randomly shop? That seemed kinda strange to me. I had one guy who was renting an outfit for a S&M Christmas party. I do not want to the person who has to accept his return when he brings the outfit back. Gross. (If you are someone does not know what S&M is, it is basically bondage for sexual pleasure. Whips, chains, leather, that type of deal.)

Maybe I need to see 'Fun With Dick & Jane' again to cheer me up! LOL I wrote my feelings on this film in the post below.

Also...I read this story on Yahoo News. I mean honestly, how much time do these people have on their hands? These scientists need to be working on cures for diseases, not sitting around analyzing why SPOONS go missing! You have to read this story!

Disappearing Teaspoons

Dick & Jane

2005-12-21T16:26:00.000-08:00

Of course I went to see Jim Carrey in Fun With Dick & Jane today.

I loved the movie, but thought that Jim has had better ones. I think the script needed more to it then there was. It seemed as if it was up to Jim to make up for that. But he did a good job at it as well as Tea Leoni. Very good together.

There was a scene in the film where they are at a costume shop called "Robinson's Beautilities" trying on costumes. Damn it! I know exactly where that shop is and it is a rival of my costumes shop! Why couldn't they have picked the one I work at to film at? LOL

Oh well.

I recommend this movie...but then again, it is Jim Carrey...so of course I loved it. I am a Jim Carrey fan...sue me...

The Santa Police

2005-12-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

It is amazing to me that even in a large city like Los Angeles, it can sometimes still have that small town feel to it.

I was at my friend Michael's place wrapping Christmas presents. We heard police sirens and saw the lights outside. We also heard them talking over the loud speaker and strangely enough, playing Christmas music.

We looked outside and the police had just passed the house. Well, me being "Miss Nosey", I go outside and see lights going down the street. But slowly. A woman who lives across the street came over and said that it was the LA police SUV pulling a huge sleigh with Santa in it. Now that she said that, it made sense because I heard a bunch of kids cheering and yelling down the street.

So Michael and I piled into the car to "chase" Santa. I wanted to get it on video on my video phone. It was too dark to take any good pictures, so I at least wanted to get it on video. So we pull up behind the Santa sleigh but are 2 cars behind it. I knew I could not get any good pics from the car so I jumped out and started running after Santa. They were going slow enough for the people to look outside and see what the commotion was about, but fast enough that I could not catch up. I ran a block, turned the corner they turned at. Michael is still driving the car up behind Santa. So after running all I could and finally realizing that I was NOT going to catch up, I yelled at Michael to stop. I said, "I am NOT Rocky! Stop the car!" I felt like I was in training or something. There I was running down the road beside Michael's BMW. LOL

So I got in, we turned a left and circled around so when Santa came to the next street, we would get a good view. I got out of the car, waited on the sidewalk and got some great video of it.

All the neighbor's and their kids were outside. Like Michael said...at least it got the neighbors to talk to each other that way. LOL

My Newest Toy

2005-12-05T23:00:00.000-08:00

My newest toy is "Google Earth". Michael told me about it.

You download a small program off the Google website & its free. I have played around with other products like this before like on other map sites. But the Google one is much more advanced.

Its a 3D view of the Earth from satellites in space. Then you can do searches for addresses, or zoom in on landmarks such as The Grand Canyon, Vegas, The St. Louis Arch, pyramids in Egypt, the Eiffel Tower, The Vatican, Sydney Opera House, & even Area 51. LOL

You can see the cars, planes, and even the street markings. It is all so detailed!

Here is the Santa Monica Pier (Click the pic to see it full size):

St. Louis Arch:

Area 51 (LOL):

I looked at all my old houses I have lived in and places I used to go all the time. Very cool! I played around with it for over an hour! LOL

Here's the link so you can play too: Google Earth

A Serious Post

2005-11-28T22:48:00.000-08:00

Wanna get past the red velvet rope? Then you have to read this...

Usually my blog entries tend to be of the "funny" nature. Rarely do I EVER talk about really personal things or feelings.

I show my emotions and feelings to those closest to me, but rarely do I ever make them really public. Why? Well, it is not anybody's business, first of all. Unless I choose to make it someone's business. Especially when perfect strangers read my blog. Why would they care about what is going on in my life or my emotions anyway?

But tonight, I have decided to speak my mind on a few things.

I have been keeping a journal lately. But not the type that chronicles my day to day activities. That is what I use this blog for. No, my journal is for serious, deep, and thought-provoking topics. Topics that really mean something.

I shared some of my journal with a friend of mine tonight. Not every word written in it, but a general idea of what is going on in my head. I am not too sure how this friend took it, but I felt that if someone wants to see in my mind and really know what my plans are and where I want to be in life, I figure that my journal is the best way of seeing that part of me. It is where I can express myself without judgement or riducule for how I feel.

I have decided that I am very confused about myself. Somedays I really like who I am. Other days I get frustrated because I am not fully who I want to be. In my mind, I have always thought this: "Either you like yourself or you don't." But maybe there is a gray area there that I have never seen before. Maybe I like certain things about myself and not others. I know that may seem pretty obvious and silly to others. But in my mind, I had it seperated out. Either you like yourself or you don't. Maybe it was my way of trying to simplify things in my head. But now there is a gray area there that I do not particularly like. Why? Because once you see it from all sorts of angles, it complicates the matter. It makes it harder to organize and figure out. I am a very organized person, generally. So I tend to like my emotions and thoughts organized as well.

So now I have to sit back, look at myself, and figure out what I like and what I don't like about myself. What I want to change, and what can stay the same. In my journal, I have started the process of putting things in 3 catagories.

1. Things I want in life but know it is unrealistic that it will happen.
2. Things I want & know that I can possibly have someday.
3. Things I want and KNOW I can have someday.

So I am a work in progress. Wish me luck. This is going to be quite a project. But one that once I work and figure it all out, my life will be how I want it and I can feel fully content and happy.

I consider myself "under construction". No worries, I will still be online and still posting blogs. From time to time I will give you all an update as to how things are going with this situation I am in.

People will eventually get past the red velvet rope...but let me fix a few things first...

UGLY DOG

2005-11-24T21:46:00.000-08:00

This dog was named "The World's Ugliest Dog" 3 years in a row. He died recently.

Wow. All I can say is...wow.

Thanksgiving

2005-11-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

I hope you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving!
Be safe, eat a lot, & don't feel bad for doing so! LOL
This year, I am thankful for the following:

1. Great family & friends, as always.
2. A great job with an atmosphere & people I like.
3. All of my belongings.
After Hurricane Katrina, you see how quickly it can all be taken away.
4. My health.

Inner Child Attacks Again

2005-11-21T22:34:00.000-08:00

Well, my inner child attacted again but with a bit of adult beverages to go with it.

See, apparently the owners of the shop where I work at always take everyone out one evening after Halloween to celebrate getting through another Halloween season. It is kinda like a thank you type deal. There was 18 of us there.

So this year, since we are all Harry Potter fans at work, they decided to focus the thank you party around Harry Potter. So we first met at a British pub here in Santa Monica. And Pamela will love this fact, they serve Guinness in all forms, but I know that serving on tap might make you happy. I, personally, had 2 caramel apple martinis. Yum!

Ruth then told us to all order a bunch of stuff off the menu that we could all share. We had Sausage Rolls, baskets of chips, British Quesadillas, Brit Dogs, Chicken Strips, and shrimp poppers. And there is a gift shop next to the place that literally has nothing but British stuff in it. It felt like being there. It was so cool.

We all had a great time there but time went so fast that we had to go get seats for the movie. So we walked up a block to the theater.

Well, we all sat together and watched Harry Potter (my second time now). Afterwards, we sat around the theater while the credits rolled so we could discuss the movie. Bet the ushers loved us for that one. They were probably thinking "get out". We then walked along the 3rd Street Promonade together and Judith & Shavon drove me home.

Judith also suggested that we hang out sometime, so that was nice. All & all a very nice evening.

Read my post below and see a very funny clip from the film. :-)

Harry Potter Box Office

2005-11-20T13:59:00.000-08:00

You know you have good taste in movies when the one you went to see over the weekend is the fourth-largest opening ever!

The new "Harry Potter" movie sold an estimated $101.4 million worth of tickets in its first three days of release across North America, making it the fourth-largest opening ever, the distributor said on Sunday. The tally for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was much better than the first three "Potter" films. The grand total worldwide came to $181 million.

Time Warner said it had hoped the new film would open in the $90 million range. Results were boosted by glowing reviews, as well as a strong turnout from older audiences according to people who work at Time Warner.

The other 3 films that have the record above Harry is:
"Spider-Man," = $115 million.
"Star Wars: Episode III" = $108.4 million
"Shrek 2" = $108 million

Here's a clip from the film. The quality is not that good but you'll get the idea. Press the play button.

Harry Potter

2005-11-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

UPDATE!! UPDATE!!

Marissa's inner child attacts again!

I went to see Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire tonight.

If anyone thinks that these are just kid's movies & books, they might want to do a bit a research first. This movie was soooo intense, I now understand why they decided to rate this one PG-13. The other 3 movies were just PG. But after seeing it, I understand perfectly. It was so intense that I looked around and the ADULTS were in awe and on the edge of their seats!

Speaking of adults, I will have you know that there were adults WITHOUT CHILDREN there to see it themselves. It was so funny to see. Groups of adults, grandparents...there without kids with them! LOL We all cheered when the lights went out, we cheered when the previews were over, and we cheered and laughed through out the film. It is always an experience to see a Harry Potter film on its opening day. You can feel the magic in the air...pun INTENDED!

The sets, acting, costumes, digital affects, & music just made seeing it a dream come true. I just re-read book 4, which the movie is based, a few weeks ago since I knew I would be seeing this film. And they cut out very little compared to what I thought would happen. They kept out the subplots mostly, if you kept them in though, the movie would have been way too long. I think they did a fabulous job getting in all the important bits. The pace was a bit fast at the beginning, but that was because they had to fit a 734 page book into a movie. The film ended up being 2 1/2 hours long. Which is fine because I always feel I get my moneys work if the film is longer. LOL

It had the perfect blend of comedy, action, suspense, and magic. Literally.

I feel it is the best movie out of ALL of them so far, and I am excited that they are already getting ready to do Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoniex movie, based on book 5.

Highly recommend this film. But you must have either read the Harry books or seen the other films to really understand a lot of it. But I know very few people who have not opened their hearts to Harry Potter...shame on them! LOL

See the long lines??

Sunset Blvd

2005-11-16T23:08:00.000-08:00

"All right, Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up."

I saw the movie 'Sunset Blvd.' YEARS ago. So I did not remember it at all. I watched it tonight and was completely taken away! That movie rocks. It is in the drama section of the store, but parts of it were so funny to me!

Everything in that film can still be compared to how things are now-a-days in Hollywood. If you are not 20-something, then you suck, basically. Well, if you are a woman anyway. But I have to admit that things are getting a bit better when it comes to Hollywood and the whole age thing (can you say 'Sex in the City' or 'Desperate Housewives'?). But it is amazing that filmmaking has evolved but NOT the politics behind the scenes. This dark film-noir story about "behind the scenes" Hollywood, self-deceit, spiritual and spatial emptiness, and the price of fame, greed, narcissism, and ambition.

For anyone who does not know about this movie it stars Gloria Swanson as aging Norma Desmonda - deluded, tragic, ambitious silent film actress whose career declined with the coming of the talkies. The cool thing is that Gloria Swanson was actually a silent film star in real life at one point, starring in her first silent film in 1916! Amazing, huh? So when this woman talks about being in silent films in the movie, I guess it is cutting it pretty close to home for her! LOL

William Holden did a fantastic job in the movie as well. His character struggled to produce screenplays to meet the demands of the industry and satisfy the thirsty illusions of immortality of the aging silent film queen in her decaying mansion. After being showered with bribes (clothes, money, flattery and other gifts), he was quickly spoiled and ensnared in her web of delusion - and death trap.

It is no wonder that the film was nominated for 11 & won 3 Academy Awards.

All I can say is "WOW" after watching that film. It was such a nice change from watching all the violence, sex, guns, curse words, and stupid plots of SOME of today's movies. Notice I said "some" and not "all". I still love modern Hollywood movies, but I suppose that it was a nice change of pace to see an older film. I highly recommend 'Sunset Blvd'.

Some of my favorite lines:

Joe: You're Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big.
Norma (bristling): I am big. It's the pictures that got small.
Joe: I knew there was something wrong with them.

Norma: All right, Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my close-up.

Norma: Still wonderful, isn't it? And no dialogue. We didn't need dialogue. We had faces. There just aren't any faces like that anymore. Maybe one. Garbo. Oh, those idiot producers! Those imbeciles! Haven't they got any eyes? Have they forgotten what a star looks like? (She rises to her feet in anger, stepping into the projected spotlight) I'll show them! I'll be up there again! So help me!

The cool thing that prompted my friend and I to watch this film is because on the Dearly Departed Tour we took a few months ago, we saw filming locations of the movie.

Here is a pic that I took on the tour (it is the apartment in the beginning of the movie):

Foreign Films

2005-11-12T00:10:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine posted a blog about an independent film she went to see and her disappointment in it. This made me think of my own feelings towards these types of films.

I have a problem with movies that are "real". The reason I say this is because the movies that are independent or foreign are usually about depressing topics or history. Yes, I love history. But when I watch an independent film about historical stuff, they are usually too slow and they drag on.

The reason I have a problem with this is because I have enough crap in my life as it is. The last thing I want is to go to a movie and feel bad for the characters too.

Give me a horror movie any day. Give me a sappy Hollywood ending any day. The reason I feel this way is because I go to the movies to get OUT of my problems and OUT of my own head. When I walk into a theater, I want to be taken away. Not into someone else's miserable life. It is like reliving my own problems, just with a change of scenery and different characters.

Sure, I like a movie that makes me think. Hell, even for a thriller, a movie like Se7en made me think. But I would take that crap over some independent or foreign movies any day!

Yes, there are plenty of independent films that I have liked, but they are certainly not my all time favorites except for 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.

Give me the Hollywood ending...cause to be honest, I don't think that most of us will ever see it anyway...so we might as well live through someone else's happiness...even if it is fake. LOL

Dan Goodman

2005-11-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

There is an actor that I think, like Jim Carrey, does not get enough recognition for his talent. That other actor is John Goodman. Mostly known for his role as Dan Conner on the TV show Roseanne, he has also done some movie roles.

Every time I watch him, I am facinated. He is sooooo good. Especially when he plays angry. I just love him. Nice to know that St. Louis pops out some talented people from time to time.

Not a very interesting blog, I know. It was just a thought that I wanted to put out there.

LOL

2005-11-07T00:07:00.000-08:00

Saw II

2005-11-05T00:17:00.000-08:00

Oh yes...there will be blood... and oh yes...that there was. I went to see Saw II today.

I know that people often have different thoughts and feelings on movies and/or sequels to movies....so if you hated Saw or hated Saw II...please don't leave me negative comments ranting and raving about how much you hated it or how much you thought it sucked. I liked both movies and this is MY blog and I can like what I please...

I have told a few people that I liked the movie and they look at me like I am nuts. Most people I know, however, thought that both movies were pretty cool.

Well...we all know how sequels can be. But let me tell you that Saw II is actually a good sequel. A lot of things get explained and it brings you full circle back to the first Saw film. And by the way....you MUST see the first Saw movie for things to make more sense. It was pretty cool how they added in the twists. And yes...there were plenty of twists that I certainly did not see coming.

Very good film, highly recommended if you like that horror/thriller suspense type of thing...I know I do.

I am now looking forward to the 4th Harry Potter film that is coming out November 18th. And for anyone who thinks that the Harry Potter books or films are dumb...you obviously have not given them a chance. Pick up a book sometime. They are very well written and they are certainly NOT just for kids...unlike Trix cereal...silly rabbit!

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-31T09:52:00.000-08:00

Well, as you all know...today is the day! My favorite holiday has FINALLY arrived!

I work from 12-4 at the costume rental place and then I am getting ready for my night!

I was Elizabeth Bathory. A 17th century serial killer. She bathed in the blood of her victims because she believed that it would keep her young. Since I get a free rental, I had a Renassiance dress and head piece all picked out! I will post a full length photo of me when I can! But for now....

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

2005-10-30T19:54:00.000-08:00

I love makeup...

My Mom's Birthday

2005-10-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

Today was my mother's 50th birthday!

I decorated/vandalized her car. Which ever you wish to see it as...LOL My accomplice and I used window markers to write "The Big 5-0" and the like all over the windows. Boy, was she surprised when she came out of her work to the parking lot to see her car like that.

I also decorated the house, had cupcakes (instead of a regular cake), bought her a plant she has been wanting for the nearby nursery, and bought her some of those huge black Willy Wonka sunglasses.

After getting Micah from school, we drove up to Malibu to eat at Neptune's Net (AKA "The Net"). She has always wanted to eat there, so I found it highly appropriate that her first time be on her birthday.

Then we went for a short walk along the beach where we saw an actual shark that had been killed, I guess, and it was laying on the rocks. Mind you, it was not a "Jaws" shark, but hey! A shark none-the-less! Pretty odd seeing one upclose knowing that it will not hurt you because it is dead.

We then came back to the house to do the birthday song and to blow out candles on the cupcakes.

She enjoyed her day very much and I am thrilled that I was able to make her day special. It was also nice to finally have a day off from work. I have been working for almost a week & 1/2 straight! With Halloween coming up, it is super busy at the costume shop.

But at least I finally figured out what I plan on being for Halloween. Usually, I have it figured out already, but since I get a free rental that night, I had to wait it out to see what would be avaliable. And yes, my costume will have a sick twist. I found a Renassiance dress at work that is beautiful and it will fit me. So instead of just being a Renassiance lady, I decided to be a specific character from that era. I am going to be ERZSÉBET (ELIZABETH) BÁTHORY. Not sure how many of you have heard of her but she was a...well...I guess you could call her a serial killer. She was a countess that with the help of her staff would get young girls from the village and bring them to her home. She would kill them and bathe in their blood because she thought that it would keep her young. I am not too sure why anyone would think that that would keep you young...but serial killers tend to be mental anyway...so I guess it made sense in HER head. LOL

So that is what I am going to be this year. I will have to post pictures. The only trick now is to get myself "bloody" without ruining the dress. But I have some ideas. I plan on using stage blood for my head and face. As for the dress, I might get some dark red fabric and cut out pieces of it to pin to my dress so it resembles blood coming off me...I don't know...I will have to think about it.

Well, I am off. Gotta get some sleep to save up my energy for tomorrow's LONG day of work...

P.S. Thank you Monkey for all your help today!

2005-10-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

Working in the store today was kinda rough. It is getting more and more crazy since it is getting closer to Halloween.

Today's celebrity sighting was Candance Cameron from Full House. She played DJ Tanner. Remember her?

She was in there today and I barely recognized her! Her hair was really blonde, and she was shorter then I thought. No makeup and her hair was thrown up in a pony tail. She was there with her husband (who is a hockey player) and 2 of their kids. One of her son's who is about 4 or 5 wanted a Robin Hood outfit. I got one down off the wall for her after she walked up to me and asked for help.

Here they are (I got this picture off her website):

Earthquake

2005-10-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Just felt a 3.1 earthquake right under my feet. According to This Website we had a 3.1 earthquake barely south of where I am. Less then 2 miles. Then there was another one right near me, but I did not feel the second one.

2 miles NNE of Marina del Rey, CA
OCT 22 2005 13:18:48 PDT = 3.1

2 miles ESE of Santa Monica, CA
OCT 22 200520:42:16 PDT = 3.0

It was 2 very quick jolts but enough to let you know it was more then just a rumbling truck or slamming door.

Just waiting now to see if it develops into anything more. It could just be a slight tremor, or it could be building up to a regular earthquake. It will officially be my first one if it happens. LOL

Famous People

2005-10-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today I worked, had a good time, people were nice...

They had to close off part of the street by my work because there was a guy trying to attempt suicide by jumping off the roof of a nearby building so they were trying to get him down. Apparently he had been up there since 10am and still was not down by 2pm. Geez...They finally got him to come down and that was that.

Then the actor, Ed Harris, had come into my work to rent an outfit for his daughter. I was busy with other customers, so I was not able to assist him. But I did see him in the front of the store before he left. :-)

Here is Ed Harris for those who do not know him:

Ed Harris in The Truman Show:

He/She

2005-10-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today deserves 2 entries. So be sure to read the post below this one as well.

For those of you who have seen the movie "The Crying Game", you will completely understand how I am feeling right now. "She is a HE?!"

I found out today that the hamster I have had for over a year is actually a MALE. All this time, I thought it was a female. Her/His name is Hammy. Not very original, I know. But the name stuck after I got her/him. The reason I thought that she/he was a girl was because any hamster I have had in the past has been a boy & they have always had big testicles in the back. This hamster does not have that. The reason why is because Hammy is a Russian Dwarf Hamster. Because of how cute she/he was at the pet store, that is why I bought her/him to begin with. I have not had hamsters since I was a kid, but I saw this little girl/guy and just had to buy her/him. Very sweet looking, plus they are sooo tiny compared to regular hamsters...hence the Dwarf thing.

This is similar to what Hammy looks like but she/he is more of a light gray color. I cannot find a good picture of Hammy so I will use this one for now.

The reason I found out that she is a he is because I noticed an area on her/his stomach that is similar to how a male dog has his penis more on his stomach area. Where as a girl dog has her area hidden in the back by her tail, right? Well, then I found this picture....CAUTION: If you are at all offended by hamster genetalia, then please do not look....

Are you SURE you want to see this?

Are you REALLY SURE?

OKAY THEN!

Hammy is DEFINATELY the one on the left. So my sweet girl Hammy is either a transvestite or just a boy with very small testicles......

Remember to read my post below this one to see pictures of my work.

Pictures

2005-10-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

The few pictures I have here do NOT do justice to the size of the store or the amount of rental costumes we have in the back. But I wanted to show you some, just so you could have an idea. Click on the pictures to make them larger.

The order of the pics are:
1. The boxes covering the walls contain pieces of costumes. Remember how I said that the boxes go from the ceiling to the floor?

2. This is a picture of some of the masks we sell. The ones at the top are imported from Venice Italy, are hand crafted, and are very expencive. I sold one of them today, as a matter of fact!

3. The 3rd picture shows some of the costumes we have rented already. They are bagged up and hanging there for pick up.

4. This picture shows one side of the shop that contains all the stuff you can buy. All the rentals are in the back area of the store.

5. The fifth picture just shows 1/4 of all the costumes in the back. There racks go from floor to ceiling on both sides in the back. What you see in this slightly blurry picture is just a very small portion of it all.

A Day Off

2005-10-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at work was wonderful! I was getting compliments left and right from the employees as well as from the customers. The people who were kinda stand-off-ish the other night, ended up talking to me all day and being very nice. So I am feeling a lot better about that.

The girl who was manager last night said she has been hearing wonderful things about me...WOW! I am all the buzz apparently. LMAO! Then at the end of the night another girl asked me if I would consider wanting to work there year round instead of just seasonal. I said "absolultely". She said that she was quitting because she needed more money and she knows that the owner will be looking to find good people to stay on there. She said that as good as I have been doing, that I am definately a canidate. WOW! Exactly what I have been wanting to hear. :-)

Read my post below if you have not yet. It explains other things that have been going on there.

Good Jobby-Job. Now SIT!

2005-10-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Gooood Jobby-job...Now SIT!

That is how I am feeling at this point. It feels soooo good to S-I-T!

After my oriantation to the costume shop on Monday, I worked Wendsday & Thursday. Each day was a 5-6 hour shift at a time where I was on my feet the entire shift. Which is not bad if you have a "normal" jobby job. But after working these past 2 days, I have seen that this job is more work then I thought it would be. Which is fine, because I am enjoying myself. The job deals with rentals, putting costumes together, detangling the costume jewlery, climbing up to the ceiling on huge ladders to file the costumes, more then it is the retail part.

Seeing how I have only worked 2 days now, I have recieved sooooo many compliments from the "old-timers" who have worked there for years. They are all in shock that after only 2 days of working there, I am running around putting costumes together and making sales as if I have been there forever! That made me feel good to know that they are actually noticing my hard work and paying attention to the fact that I am already good at the job. Once I learn where all the costumes and pieces of costumes are, I will fly through this! That is the ONLY problem I have had is that I am still learning where all the costumes are located on the racks.

There are racks and racks of costumes that FILL the back of the store from wall to wall and from the top of the ceiling to the floor! Anything you can imagine, we have it. The walls are also lined with boxes that are labeled on the front telling you what is in that box. Those ALSO go from the top of the ceiling to the floor. Literally.

Yesterday was the first day I did rentals by myself with very little help from the other employees. The rental costumes are NOT like the ones you imagine in those plastic bags that hang on the wall already made and put together. NO! When I say I put a costume together, I mean that I had to go get a shirt from the shirt area, pants from the pants area, vests from the vest area...you get the point. So it is a bunch of running around finding different pieces and putting it together. Once you get the basics, you then get to accessorize with jewlery, scarves, hats, gloves, etc.

I put together 3 different outfits for people, which sounds easy. But when you do not know yet where most of the stuff even is located on the racks, it can be quite a challange. It is also a challange when a few of the customers do not even know what they want to be! I put together a pirate outfit complete with boots, scarves, hat, jewlery, shirt, coat, pants, belt...etc. Then the other girl ended up being "Rose" from Titanic wearing a dress that was like the one when she wanted to jump off the back of the ship. I then added jewlery & gloves to that outfit. THEN I had a girl who wanted to be a character from Oliver Twist. So I had to find things to make her look like a boy. That was my first one by myself, which turned out wonderful. I filled out the forms for all these people and took their payments. It felt good to know that I can do this already without much help.

I have noticed, like at any job, that some people are nicer then others. Some are more eager to help then others. Some act like they are better just because they have worked there longer and do not want to be "bothered" with the new girl. Whatever. So I have already picked out certain employees that are nicer then others. Why do people have to be that way? I smile at them, make sure I introduce myself, etc. But trying to get some of them to be nice is like pulling teeth! So I will just stick with those who are nicer. There is no reason for me to feel like I am "in the way" just because I am new. I am there to help. And if the people realize I am good already, then they will NEED my help later on when it starts to get really busy because of Halloween!

So that is my job in a nutshell which is about the size of a horse since this was a long blog entry...but I had to fit it all in. LOL

First Day at Costume Shop

2005-10-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day at the costume shop. I worked from 9 till noon. There is sooo much detail to tell that it will be hard for me to type it all, so I will just give you the rundown.

I was the first to arrive, so Ruth (the boss & owner) & I talked for about 15 minutes while we waited for the others. I really like her and she seems to really like me too.

2 of the others showed up and one did not. So it was just 3 of us in training. Me, Peter, & Rosa.

Rosa was very sweet and she had just came back from putting her boyfriend on a plane to go to Iraq. She has a daughter.

Peter is involved in theater and knows someone who works there so that is how he got the job.

I met 3 of the regular employees. One girl is from Germany and was very talkative with me and sweet. One girl named Leah did not talk much to us so I am not sure what her personality is like. Then I met Paige who is an older woman who loves Halloween. Man, these are my people. Paige has been working there for years according to Ruth.

Ruth took us through the store to show us how things worked, where everything was, how the store was organized, and then she showed us the costumes she rents out. They are soooo beautiful! Detailed, very realistic, and good quality. She has everything from animals to fairy tale characters, various time periods to movie characters, occupations to scary. This place was fantastic. I may have a hard time figuring out what I shall be this year. I get a free rental. :-)

We also can wear tiaras, hats, boas, or jewlery while we work to advertise to the customers what we have for sale. See, part of the store is retail and the other part is just rentals.

We laughed a lot, talked a lot, and had a great time. I asked a lot of questions and was totally psyched to be there. I really like it there already and now I want to stay on working there AFTER the Halloween season even more. So keep me in your prayers for that one. We get paid every 2 weeks and she gave me a ton of hours. I looked at the hours of the other new people and I got the most hours. Maybe that is because I am avalible more then the others, I am not sure. But at least I will get tons of experience.

Thanks for everyone's prayers thus far. But now the next step is to make sure I can seal the deal and keep this job after the season. It would break my heart to have to stop working there. I have already fallen for the job! ::sigh::

The New Job

2005-10-07T13:04:00.000-07:00

Well, on Monday, I start the job at the costume shop! She called me earlier this week and told me that my oriantation will be Monday at 9:00am. So wish me luck. I am sorta nervous because this is the first time in years that I am going back to the actual work place (if you do not count working at the hotel).

Plus, I need for the boss and the people there to like me so I will be kept on after the Halloween season. That is the only bad thing about seasonal work...you end up loving the job, but then they let you go after the season is over.

So please pray that they keep me on full time after the Halloween season. This would be perfect for me since I will be around theater and actor types, and it is a field that I would love dealing with acting and costuming. So please send out some prayers for Monday and for me to stay on working there. Thanks!

Dearly Departed Tour

2005-09-30T21:07:00.000-07:00

First off, this blog has lots of links & pictures to help YOU see what I saw today on the tour & also so you can know the stories behind what you are seeing. Anywhere you see something underlined, that is a link, okay? I think that most of my friends would really get a kick out of this stuff. There are also some pictures scattered throughout this blog, but at the very bottom will be the link to ALL the pictures in an album. But I think you will be greatly entertained with this entry.

As mentioned in my previous blog, I told you all I was going on the Dearly Departed Tour here in LA. It was a 3 hour tour (yeah, just like Gilligan's Island). This blog is mostly for all my friends NOT in the LA area who cannot go on this tour. If anyone reading this is in the LA area, GO ON THIS TOUR!

It was worth every minute of sitting in traffic, every penny, every breath! This tour was fabulous. You do not need to be "obsessed" with death to enjoy the tour either. Of course, Scott took us to all the locations of various celebrity death
sites, but he also added in so much more!

Trivia about celebrities, locations, & houses that even I did not know...and for those who know me, know that I keep myself informed on all that stuff! So for ME not to know it, tells you something! It tells you how good this tour was. So let me take you there step by step.

Movie Filming Locations:

Scott also took us to locations where movies had been filmed such as Halloween, Sunset Blvd, Beverly Hillbillies, Rush Hour, Willard, The Bodyguard, Death Becomes Her, Witches of Eastwick, Rebel Without a Cause, Pretty Woman, Dead Again, The Osbournes, Whatever Happend To Baby Jane, Grease, & more!

Below is a picture of the house that is behind James Dean in the opening scene of 'Rebel Without a Cause'. The second picture is a little blurry, I apologize. But it its of Dean laying in the driveway of the house, drunk, talking to the toy monkey. You can see the pillars of the house behind him.

"Last Gasp Locations":

We saw, as Scott puts it, the "last gasp" locations of William Frawley, Bela Lugosi, John Belushi, Frank Sinatra, River Phoenix, Robert Kennedy, Peggy Entwistle(Hollywood Sign Girl), Rebecca Schaeffer, Janice Joplin, & so many more that I cannot even remember them all! I may need to take the tour again to fully get all the information memorized! LOL

Bela Lugosi Last Home. He went from THIS:

To THIS Apartment:

Famous Crime Scene Locations:

We saw famous crime locations such as the Manson murders (even saw the telephone pole that one of the killers climbed to cutthe phone lines that night), Bugsy Siegel's murder, & The Menendez murders.

The Menendez House:

We were supposed to see the site of James Dean's crash. We did not see it because today, Sept. 30th, marked the 50th anniversary of Dean's death. Scott knew that the place would be crazy with tourists and Dean fans, so we did not go. But we did get a free copy of James Dean's death certificate! LOL

Humorous Pit Stops:

On a more humorous note, we took a bathroom break at the very park & bathroom that George Michael got into a bit of trouble for conducting a lewd act in public. LOL After the boys were done doing their thing...I went into the boy's room for a look. Howanyone could get turned on or what to do anything sexual in that bathroom is beyond me...We also saw the location of where Hugh Grant got in trouble with that hooker years back.

Me at the Famous Will Rogers Park Bathroom Where Georgie Got Caught:

Famous Houses:

He showed us houses: Marilyn Monroe's house she shared with Joe DiMaggio, Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Bela Lugosi, John Ritter, Madonna's old house, Diana Ross, Peg Entwistle, Nat King Cole, Sean Hayes from 'Will & Grace', David Schwimmer, & oh geez....too many to remember! He also showed us the houses that Howard Hughes crashed his plane into. You know...the scene from 'The Aviator'.

Special Treats:

Scott also threw in a treat now & then that is something that you NEVER would have known if he had not told you. Such as:

~ Marilyn Monroe's favorite florist (which also so happend to make the wreath on the front of the tour bus).
~ The reason that Manson choose the LaBianca's house is because it was next door to a house he had partied in befor.
~ Manson also choose the house of Sharon Tate that fateful night
because a music producer he had been working with had once lived there before Tate moved in.
~There was also a story of a man who was told by Warner Brothers Studios to throw away a bunch of old costumes. While he was gathering costumes, he discovered that
some of the costumes were famous ones! Like Bugart's coat from Casablanca, Wizard of Oz's rubby slippers, etc. So if not for this man, many of the famous costumes we know and love would not be around today! He used to sell them from behind a drugstore out of his trunk!

Audio & Music Fun:

Also during the tour, he played clips of interviews, music, theme music, and a rare clips. One was of Linda McCartney singing back up to "Hey Jude". (To hear it, go to link, then look for this "on this link until the drop-down menu appears". Click on that and you can hear it!

OH MY GOODNESS! That woman is sooo tone deaf, God rest her soul. It was taken from a live performance where Linda 'sang' backup, and it was just her mic. It was isolated so you could hear only her. And I thought that I could not sing...It was so bad and we all laughed all the way through it. Back then a radio station got ahold of a copy
and started playing it on the air. Paul got so upset that he wanted to track down and burn all the copies of his wife singing because he did not want her embarrassed, I suppose. THAT is how bad it was.

The band 'The Ramone's' got their name from Paul from the Beatle's. He used to use that as his last name and gave it up when The Beatles started. So The Ramone's wanted to use it.

WOW! What a huge blog entry! But hey, I am trying to fit 3 hours worth of info and pictures into a short blog! NOT an easy task...

Me & Scott:

Thank you, Scott, for such a great time. I have not had a really good day in a long time. Everything about this day was perfect! There was even a rainbow at the end of the day that I would like to think was just for me. ;-)

Photo Album of All Pictures. Read the titles of the pics to know what they are

Birthday Present

2005-09-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I was sick on my birthday as many of you know already. I had been in the ER the day before so I was unable to do anything interesting for my big day.

My friend Michael had booked me a seat on the 'Dearly Departed Tour' here in LA.

I have been wanting to do this tour for a long time now so Michael bought it for me for my birthday. Since I was unable to go, Michael let the owner of this tour know but they kept the reservation open so I could take the tour when I was better.

Feeling better now, I am going to the tour tomorrow! YAY! Can't wait!

The Dearly Departed Tour is a tour that takes you around the LA area to show you where famous people died, where they are buried, and also shows locations of where various movies have been filmed.

I will be back here tomorrow to tell you how the tour went! My camera is not working for some reason, but I will see if I can get pics with my camera phone.

Here is the URL of the site: Dearly Departed Tour

Funny Things

2005-09-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

Well, not much to tell around here. I am sure once I start the job at the costume shop, I will definately have more to share.

So for now, I have some funny things...

"President Bush , the First Lady and VP Dick Cheney are flying on Air Force One. George looks at Laura chuckles and says, " You know, I could throw a $1000.00 bill out the window right now and make someone very happy."

Laura shrugs her shoulders and says, "Well, I could throw ten $100.00 bills out the window and make a ten people very happy."

Cheney says, "Of course then, I could throw one-hundred $10.00 bills out the window and make one-hundred people very happy."

The pilot rolls his eyes, looks at all of them and says to his co-pilot, "Such big shots back there.... hell, I could throw the 3 of them out the window and make 56 million people very happy."

Funny number 2:

"New study on what kind of face attracts women:

A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.

For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features. However, if she is menstruating, or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with scissors lodged in his temple and a bat jammed up his a$$ while he is on fire. Further studies are expected."

LMAO LMAO LMAO

Have a good day everyone!

New Job

2005-09-21T23:14:00.000-07:00

I must say that lately I have been debating what I should do.

The websites I have been building and the affiliate marketing I have been doing have been bringing in money while I sleep, basically. The only problem is that its a slow time of year so the checks I have been getting are not as steady & big. It should pick up around Christmas again. (Just in case any of you are wondering...NONE of my websites have anything to do with an "adult" nature...if you know what I mean. I just wanted to clear the air about that!)

So I decided that I needed to get a, what I call, "jobby-job" to have a more stable lifestyle with a definate paycheck each month. To me, a jobby-job is a job that you HAVE to have, not one that you WANT to have. Jobby-jobs (in my opinion) include: retail stores, food service like McDonald's, boring office jobs, or any public service job. Jobby-jobs are everyday jobs basically.

I did not want to get one of these. So bad, in fact, that I have been tourturing myself over it and have not been sleeping well at all & my stomach has been all upset again. However, I know that to live more comfortably, to make my life easier and make it easier for those around me, I needed to get a jobby-job. Acting is my passion, so unless the job ended up being acting, I figure that anything else is a jobby-job and I would have to settle.

Now...let me be the first to tell you that PRAYER DOES WORK. Never under-estimate it. I have been praying for days to handle this well, to know where to go for work, and to help me through this since I am NOT happy about having to join the working field again. And so I got my confidence up and went out on the prowl today looking for work.

I did the basic mall run. I walked around the mall to see if there was anything that might interest me so that the thought of having a jobby-job may not be so bad if I found a place that I would actually LIKE to go into everyday. A few places I got applications from were Victoria's Secret, Bare Essencials make up store, The Body Shop cause Bath & Body Works was not hiring, a movie store, & a clothing store.

On the way home, we drove past a costume shop. I have seen this shop quite often and have even gone in there for Halloween to check out the stuff they have. I saw a sign in the window that said they were hiring for the Halloween season. This is not a seasonal store. It is a costume rental shop that has been located there for 30 years apparently. They rent costumes to not only people for parties and Halloween, but also for theater work! So OF COURSE that got my attention and the thought of being around "my people" made me get kinda excited.

I went in and asked for an application. The woman who gave it to me asked if I had time to fill it out and do an interview right then! I said yes and she said she would go get the owner to interview me when I was done with the application.

The woman named Ruth, came out, shook my hand, & looked over the application. She was immediately interested in the fact that I was a theater major. That is because of the store dealing with theater companies all the time. She knew that I knew what I would be doing in that job. We talked for a bit more and she hired me on the spot. I go for oriantation in about 2 weeks. She said that she hires people for the Halloween season but usually ends up keeping some of them on full time even after Halloween. So pray that I am one of those people that she keeps. She said that all the people that work there are into theater, etc.

This place is more like a family run place rather then the corperate crap I would have had to deal with at a retail place at the mall. Ruth was so sweet and she could really tell that I would like it there and the atmosphere is perfect for me.

So all....I am going to keep making my websites and stuff for extra money, which certainly does not hurt, but I am also going to be back in the work field. The ONLY ONLY ONLY reason that I am happy about this is because of where I will be working. I will be around other actors and theater types and that is exactly what I need in this town.

So wish me luck and pray that they decide to keep me on full time after Halloween...

God truly does work in mysterious ways.

P.S. Sorry if this was lengthy or if there were lots of grammer errors or mis-spelled words. It is late and due to my lack of sleep, I am "falling on my nose", to use Michael's expression. Good night everyone!

A Lesson Learned

2005-09-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

A lesson to be learned from one typing the wrong email address!

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a
particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where they
spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.
Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their
travel schedules, so the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on
Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his room,
so he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally
left out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his
error, sent the email.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from
her husband's funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory
following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email expecting
messages from relatives and friends.
After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted.

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor,
and saw the computer screen which read:
To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: October 16, 2004

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now
and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just
arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared
for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your
journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here

Nuff Said

2005-09-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Nuff said...

Here's another funny thing...I do not know how long it will take for google to notice this...I personally think it is a sneaky trick that someone has pulled... ;-) But try it none-the-less.

1.) go to www.google.com

2.) type in the word: failure

3.) press the "I'm feeling lucky" button (instead of
the google search one)

4). Laugh

5.) Pass this on

Oprah Rules

2005-09-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

If anyone ever says anything bad about Oprah, I will tell them where to go!! That woman uses her power and money to help people all the time. And now she has gone a step further by going to New Orleans with a film crew so she can see it all first hand for herself.

She along with many celebrities have gone down there to help with money, food, supplies, and water for these people. Faith Hill, John Travolta, Lisa Marie Presely, Julia Roberts, Chris Rock, & Jamie Fox are just a few.

Oprah said that to see it is to believe it because seeing it on TV does NOT prepare you for what she saw there firsthand. She was told stories by the mayor and the chief of police. The chief of police was almost held hostage by the gangs there. The gangs man power and weapons outnumbered the police.

The mayor thinks that this had a lot to do with poltics, that the goverment is a mess, and that these people were doing what they had to do to survive there. He walked off to emotional to finish that part of the interview.

Next they showed Oprah and the mayor walking to the dome that housed all those people for those 4-5 days. Oprah was crying and mad most of the time. She then insisted on going into the dome which had been locked up. The military would not let her or the mayor in but Oprah has the power and she got them to let her in. She said, if this place could house thousands for 6 days, why can I not go in to show the public what it really is like in here?! The mayor advised her not to go in, and that she had to free him of any liability if she got hurt or anything in there. She said okay and but wanted to go in.

They went in with the mayor and her film crew and she said that what the public does not realize is because there was no electricity in the city, that the dome inside was pretty dark. All that light that came in was through some holes in the roof. The place was a mess, of course. There were dead bodies, dogs that had been left behind, and it was totally trashed.

She then went to Texas at the Astrodome where people are being housed now. They were so happy to see her. Hugging, crying, telling their stories, and it was so sad, but also happy that these people know that people like Oprah are helping and making things happen.

A doctor friend of Oprah's, Dr. Oz, was at the airport which is being used as a hospital. He said there were 2 miles of ambulances trying to get the people out. He walked around and helped those who really needed it. He said that they are taking people who are so far along that they are going to die and they cannot do anything else for them, to the morgue so they can die in peace. The oldest survivor is 103 years old. She is still alive. People in the hospital where writing their names on their arms, so if they die, they will have identification. Then he was out in the streets of New Orleans and everytime he came to a body, he covered it and put things around the bodies so cars would not run over them.

Stories from people inside the dome included, woman having babies in there, people raping children, one child was raped and then killed, gangs were crazy, and gunfire all the time.

Then they showed a grown man of 24 years old hugging his dog and crying because the rescue workers said that he could get on a bus to a shelter but that he could not take his dog. So he was crying because he had this dog since he was 10 years old, so he was very sad. So the people talking to him from Oprah's crew, said that they would take the dog for him until he was somewhere that he could have him again. And the guy automatically hugged him and was so happy. Oprah then reported that the guy was reunited with his dog the next day. :-)

Oprah was quoting what some of the celebrities said and she said it was a blantant disregard to these people how they were treated. They used their cell phones to let them talk to relatives that they had found for them. So that was nice.

Faith Hill was singing Amazing Grace to some of the survivors. She went down there to Mississippi where she is from with supplies, food, water, etc.

There was a woman that had been seperated from her family and Oprah told her that they found her relatives. But that she had an even bigger surprise and told her that she brought the family to her! And the family ran up behind this woman and surprised her. It was wonderful to see that.

Tomorrow is part 2 of her show down there. So I will have to watch that too.

At the end of the show she said that she wants people to stop calling these people refugees. She said they are now survivors. She also said that there is an investigation going on about the rate and efficancy that this was taken care of. I say we all revolt and impeach Bush. LOL She says that these people are owed an apology...and I agree.

Oprah.com

New Orleans

2005-08-31T21:16:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places in the world is New Orleans. I love the history, the buildings, the music, the people, the culture, and the atomosphere. Not to mention the ghost stories...

So it hurts my heart that the people and the city are suffering so badly. I am quite aware that New Orleans was not the only place that has been affected by this disaster. But it is the place that holds a piece of my heart. I love this city. If you have never been there, then it is probably hard to understand my passion behind this. But when you go to New Orleans, you bring a piece back with you. It may sound silly, but it is true. It is just so rich with history. I am not the type to go there just to hang out on Bourbon Street. So I can appreciate the whole city. Not just one street of it.

I have watched Dateline NBC's coverage of Hurricane Katrina. It is so sad and heartbreaking the footage that they have shown.

But it makes me feel a little better to know that at least 12 countries from around the world have offered help to us for this disaster. The same that they did with the tsunami. So that made me smile through the tears.

If I was someone with major money, like the multimillionares that rule Hollywood, I would most definately be helping the people. But alas, I have not yet reached that status, so at this point all I can afford to do is pray. But I do believe there is major power in prayer.

So if you are like me and cannot afford to donate any money to this cause, at least pray for these people. But don't stop there, also pray for the rescue workers and volunteers who are helping. They will need strength for this job.

If you DO have money you can donate, please go to this link and do so:

RedCross.org

Love, Marissa

Housesitting & Sickness

2005-08-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

To understand this post a bit more, you might want to read the post before this one to know what has been going on with my health.

So assuming you have read it, on with this post.

From Friday through Sunday, I only had crackers and water to eat and drink (WOW, what a wonderful birthday, huh?). I was nauseous and could only eat that to keep my stomach settled. Once the Zantac kicked in, the vomiting stopped and I was able to eat a bit more normal again. So for 3 days now, I have been able to eat better, although I am still keeping it light because I am trying to get my system back to 100%.

I felt MUCH better yesterday, but then today, I ended up with a migraine that took over the better part of my day. I am SO tired of having something wrong with me. If its not one thing it ends up being another. I just want to feel healthy again. The thing that really bothers me about it is that I have been eating healthy and working out lately, but I still have health issues all of a sudden. I find it strange that I did not have these health issues until AFTER I started taking better care of myself.

I have also been housesitting for a friend since Sunday night, so I am on edge because I am not used to staying in a big house by myself in an unfamiliar territory & neighborhood. Normally, I would think housesitting is fun but since I have been sick, I am on edge. I mean, what if something happened to me while I was here alone? The neighbors here do not know me, etc. But now that my health is a little bit better, I am not AS worried about that as I was at first.

But I feel like I am sleeping with one eye open and one eye shut. I only sleep with one earplug in because with both in, I would not be able to hear anything if something happend here. Heaven forbid someone breaks in while I am here alone (even though I have tons of weapons stashed around the house for my convience). I think with that thought in the back of my head, it is keeping me from getting a good night's sleep. I feel tense, on edge, and sleepy. That is probably partially what brought my migraine on. I have been going to bed earlier then I am used to ever since I was in the ER. And so I sleep from around 10:00 pm (which is super early for me) and getting up around 7:30 am to pee, then I go back to bed and sleep until around 9:00am. So I am eating right and it SEEMS that I am getting enough sleep, but I do not think it is GOOD sleep and I think that is part of my problem. I think I am just being paranoid and causing some of these issues. I have tried to meditate, relax, and destress. Nothing bad has happened to me here (knock on wood) so I really have no reason to be paranoid. So I feel like I am driving myself crazy.

Sorry for rambling, apparently I need to get this stuff out.

I do not want my friend to feel like my housesitting for him is hurting my health, its just that I was already sick before I started housesitting and I'm already stressed about my health. So I think that no matter what, I would be sensitive to anything right now.

My mom is housesitting as well at her friend's house. She is about 2 mintues from where I am, so that gives me some comfort. You know when you are sick, all you want is your mom? I always thought that was just something that people say in the movies when they are hurt or sick. But after going to the ER, and being scared about what was wrong with me, I now know that when someone says that they "Want their Mommy." they mean it. LOL

Well, just pray for my health to get better, my safety, and my sanity. LOL I am trying to keep a positive attitude and keep myself together. So keep me in your prayers. I would really appreciate it.

The ER

2005-08-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I was in the ER this morning. I started feeling really bad on Tuesday night and I just thought that it was nothing and would go away. But as yesterday and last night went, I started feeling worse.

I was having symptoms of a heart attack. So this morning, I finally went in to make sure I was okay.

They did an EKG on my to test my heart, chest X-Ray, I had to take 2 different medicines, blood pressure test, and I was there for around 2 1/2 hours.

In the end, my blood pressure is wonderful, the EKG came back normal (so I was not having a heart attack), they said the chest X-ray looked fine, and they think my problem is acid reflux. WTF?

I said, "Wouldn"t I know if I had that? Wouldn't I feel it?" The doctor said that people can have it and not feel it. She said that the symptoms that I thought was from a heart attack was not a heart attack because of the EKG and chest X-ray came back fine.

But I still find it strange that I am having heart attack type symptoms. A slight pain in my back, neck, shoulders, left arm, and occassionally I have a sharp pain in my chest.

So I am still worried...I am really scared. So pray that I am okay & that nothing bad happens.

Happy birthday to me, huh? :-(

Just In Case

2005-08-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone.

Just in case something ever happens to me, I want all my friends to know how much I love them & think of them often.

We all may have busy lives & we may not talk as much as we should, but I DO love & miss you all.

It may seem silly that I bring this up out of the blue, but I was thinking about it and wanted to let you all know.

Ghost Stories

2005-08-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is to strangers reading my blog & friends alike...

I'm gathering TRUE ghost stories, experiences, and/or photos you may have. Even if it is a story that happend to a family member or friend of yours, I'm interested.

YOU WILL BE GIVEN CREDIT FOR IT BEING YOURS, unless you choose to be anonymous! Just put the name you want to appear and the city you live in.

Please be respectful of this and do not send me made up stories or pictures. If there is any doubt that they are fake or staged, they will NOT be used.

The website is still being constructed, so I will let you all know when it is up & running.

Please post your stories here in the comment section of my blog. If you have any pictures to share, let me know in a comment, and I will get my email address to you.

Thank you all for your help!

Funerals

2005-08-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

The pastor of my church is Keith Magee. He helped us out A LOT when we were going through our bad times in the past 2 years. So he means a lot to my family and I.

About 2 weeks ago, his 21 year old son, Nick, was killed in a car accident. He was the passenger of the car.

The coroner kept the body of his son for so long because apparnently there were drugs and alchohol involved. It has been unclear if it was the driver of another car or the driver of the car Nick was in that was the cause of the accident.

Today was the funeral. There were over 700 people in attendence. Pastor Keith was at the door hugging everyone who came in. My mom and I signed the guestbook and went in to sit down for an emotional rollercoaster that lasted about an hour and 15 minutes.

The casket was up front, closed. If it is okay to say that caskets are cool, then let me say it now. This was a cool casket. It had a gothic look to it. It was a shiny grayish black with silver decoration on the side. Very nice.

We sat towards the back and the service took us through Nick's life through pictures and songs. The songs, strangely enough, were mostly hip-hop type songs. One was "I'll Be Missing You" by P. Diddy. VERY SAD. Of course, at this point, I am crying.

The family had written a letter that one of the pastors from another church read to us all. It was a very lovely letter but it also said that someone would rather loose a few nights sleep to come and pick you up from somewhere, rather then have to mourn your death. So if you need a ride, call someone. I think it was good for the friends of Nick to hear that. Nick had a lot of friends. About 1/4 of the people there were friends.

HOWEVER, there was one girl who was wearing something that TOTALLY was inappropirate. It was a thin, almost see-through dress, with WHITE underwear that showed through it, a leapord print bra that was hanging out the back, NEON green nail and toe polish, and a brown baseball hat. WTF? And the whole time she was there, she was playing with her split ends in her hair! Geez...why did she even bother going to the funeral if she was not going to pay more respect then that?!

Then at the end, they took the casket downt the aisle and the family followed. I started crying all over again because of their grief. The mother looked at my mother and I and said, "Thank you for coming." Which we found odd because she was balling, did not talk to anyone else as she went up the aisle, but took the time to tell my mother and I that.

Anyway, there was refreshments out front. But Mom and I left. The cememetry he was to be buried in is the same one next to the hotel I used to stay at a year ago. The one I used to take walks through. We drove through so we could see where he was going to be buried and apparently, he is being placed in the mausoleum that is there. So I will have to go and visit sometime.

I did not know his son personally. However, on Christmas Eve last year, 2 of his sons drove me home after I performed in the Chrismas Eve service. Now that I remember back, Nick was in the passenger seat in the front.

So I send out prayers to Pastor Keith and his family who has always been so wonderful. Knowing that they do not deserve this, but then again, no one does.

Point of this post? Don't drink and drive. Or ride with anyone who has been drinking. Cause it may be YOU that does not walk away from the accident.

I am a member of findagrave.com. So I made a page for him. There are pages of pictures, a short bio, and information on Nick.

Nicholas Magee's Memorial Page

Protesters at Funeral

2005-08-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am the first to admit that I am anti-Bush & that this damn war has gone on too long.

But what I just read is going over the top when it comes to having a problem with this war.

There was a news story on Yahoo News tonight that told of a group of protesters outside of a funeral being held for man that was killed in Iraq. And you want to know what they were protesting? Are you ready for this?

They are protesting because he was a soilder. Someone who was willing to fight for the rights that they want to have. Simply because there are some countries that freedom of speech is NOT okay and if you were caught picketing and protesting against something, you'd be killed. Yet these people continue to protest taking advantage of the freedom they have here!

It gets even better!!! These people are convinced that the soilder is in HELL because he choose to serve in the service. They think that by being a soiler, you are turning away from God. Ummmmm...I do not see the connection.

It figures that the people who are doing the picketing and protesting are members of the Rev. Fred Phelps' Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas are the ones picketing military funerals. They are from KANSAS for goodness sakes. ::rolling eyes:: It is THIS kind of crap that give Christians a bad name! It makes us ALL look psycho!

They want to preach of God but yet they are convienently forgetting that God also said, "Thou shall not judge." It is GOD that is the judge of us and I personally believe that He would look in favor on a person who was willing to put down his life for his country, rather then a group of people doing bad things in His name. I mean think about it...don't you think it is a BAD thing that they are protesting outside a funeral, AS the funeral is going on? This is what the article said about the soilders family & the soilder himself:

"They shouldn't protest the funeral for a man who was out there dying to protect the rights that they're demanding they receive," said Marvin Russell.

Russell said he thinks the soldier's family saw the protesters.

"I think it saddened them. They didn't say anything outright, but you could tell by the way they looked down that this was a sad thing to do. They're already in mourning, they don't need people like this to make it worse," Russell said.

Myers was buried with full military honors in Leavenworth National Cemetery. He leaves behind a wife and two children."

So NO, I am NOT for the war. I am personally sick to death of every decision that Bush makes. But I would NEVER NEVER NEVER take it out on the soilders!!!!

Maybe when one of the protesters die, we should stand outside THEIR funeral and make THEIR family feel even worse that day.

But no. I would never sink to that level. I will just diss them here at my blog. :-)

Here is the link to the news story:
Stupid protesters!

Owen Wilson

2005-08-03T23:06:00.000-07:00

Mom is housesitting for someone so I am housesitting for her. LOL I have had the house to myself for 5 days. I have been taking care of the animals, doing all the chores, and it has felt pretty good. I have enjoyed my alone time and relaxing around here.

Mom babysat a boy named Joey today. He is an ex-student of her's. Mom is friends with his mother named Nogo. Nogo called Mom today and asked her if she would like to watch Joey and take him to his soccer practice.

The information about picking him up from his uncle's got screwed up. If it had NOT been screwed up, my mother would have gotten to go inside Owen Wilson's house and she would have gotten to meet him!! Owen is Joey's uncle. Owen lives in Santa Monica not too far from where I live. Pretty cool, huh?

In case any of you have been living under a rock the past few years, Owen Wilson is an actor which has appeared in movies such as "Wedding Crashers", "Meet the Fockers", "Starsky & Hutch", and "The Haunting".

Always a person away from a famous person. Hell, I am even a person away from knowing Jim Carrey!! LOL Amazing how that works, huh?

Not Much Going ON

2005-07-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

I got your comment on my last blog post, Pamela. :-)

No, I am not still reading my book. I finished it in under 24 hours. LOL It was REALLY GOOD! I would highly recommend Harry Potter to children and adults alike.

I have not been posting cause I really have not had much to say lately. Not much has been going on. I have been PMS-ing. LOL but besides that, nothing much has happened lately.

Oh, I did have to go off on a cop the other day. Mom had run into the hospital to get her blood drawn. We were in a parking zone for 15 minute parking. I stayed in the car. We had only been parked there for about 5 minutes and this cop comes over and tells me to move the car. I explained (nicely at first) that we had not been parking there the full 15 mins. and that I could not drive a stick very well, if not at all, so I could not move the car. I said that I could call my mom's cell and have her come out. Well, this bitchy cop said/yelled, "If you don't move this car, you are getting a $40 ticket."

Well, you know that I do not like being yelled at no matter who you are. So I said, "Well, I will attempt to move this car, and let's just hope I don't get into a wreck. So if you want me to move this car, you better move away from my car door so I can do it." The cop moved and went off writing tickets for other people parked there.

I got out and got into the driver's seat. I know the concept for driving a stick shift (thank God) and a said a short prayer hoping that I would actually be able to pull it off. The clutch was was different from the car I learned on so I had a bit of trouble starting the car at first. At this point, the cop had pulled up next to me in her car. I had the window down, so I said, "If you want me to move, you better go so I can get out. I told you I was not very good at this." And I did a hand motion telling her to go. I was so pissed for her being rude and yelling at me when I was trying to be nice that I did not care at that point. So she drove off.

I finally got the car started, and off I went on my first try of getting into first gear (which has always been my problem) and chugged down the street. I had to make a right hand turn, and no cars were coming so I hurried around the corner, I did not want to risk having to get into first gear again, hence risking killing the car, so I just kept going. Went into second gear and found a place to park behind the hospital. It was a parking lot for the car lot next door, but I did not care. I pulled in a hurry so I would not be on the street anymore. LA driving is NOTHING like driving back home, so I was a bit overwhelmed.

I got out of the car and even though I had rushed into the parking spots, I parked perfectly in the lines. LOL I did not even try. It was God the whole time. LOL

I had it planned out that if the cop came back, I was gonna tell her that I was in that car lot parking spot so I could go next door and get a car that is NOT a stick shift. LMAO But the cop never came back. Good thing to, because I had NO intention on being nice.

I HATE when some cops act like they are God because of a badge and a gun. It is ridiculous. Yes, I respect them, but when someone is an ass or bitch to me, I have a problem with being yelled at, and I feel that I should not be walked on, no matter who you are. LOL

So that is about all that has happened lately. Oh and to all you stick shift drivers, DO NOT EVEN TRY to convince me that stick shifts are fun or not that bad. Even at 27 years old, I still have a hard time with them. My thoughts are this: if you can get a car that is an automatic, why get a stick shift that just makes you have to work harder to drive? I love the thought of just putting my foot on the gas and going. LOL My opinion will NEVER change about stick shifts so don't bother telling me the benefits of having one.

Harry Potter Party

2005-07-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Even though I am an adult, I still enjoy Harry Potter. To some this may seem strange, I know. But I feel that it never hurts to stay in touch with your inner child. Besides, anyone who thinks it is ridiculous to celebrate this part of our modern culture, has OBVIOUSLY never read the books.

So I went to the Harry Potter Midnight Party to celebrate the book coming out. We made wands, Wizard Passports, costume contest, and more. It was quite entertaining. I took plenty of pictures of the kids and many many adults that were there, like myself, to have a good time. I saw more adults with Harry Potter classes and braclets on the I did children. There were even a group of 3 lawyers (with no children) there to get the book for THEMSELVES! LOL

I had another one of my mild psychic moments. I knew that if you had pre-ordered the book, they gave you a braclet to make sure that you got your copy of the book at midnight. So ya know the Lance Armstrong "Live Strong" yellow bracelets that came out? Ya know how events and charities have adopted that concept? Well, I told my mom that I thought would be cool if they had green ones for Harry Potter since the cover of the new book was green. Well, guess what they had when I got there? Green braclets!

Here is my photo album of my pics. Each pic has a description of what it is so you can keep track. Enjoy and stay in touch with your inner child!!!

Harry Potter Party Pics 2005

Molly Shannon

2005-07-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

I had a dream last night that Molly Shannon (Saturday Night Live, The Grinch, & Superstar) died. I was so sad for some reason. I like some of her work but I would not consider myself a huge fan. So it was weird.

Feed Lindsay

2005-07-09T00:32:00.000-07:00

I saw a story in Yahoo News about an online petition trying to get Lindsay Lohan to eat since she is close to skin and bones. I even signed the petition and I added this comment: "I am tired of Hollywood actresses doing this whole starvation look. It is sending a message to normal society that ONLY unhealthy bodies is what is sexy. And guess what? They are dead wrong. No wonder rest of the American women look fat! This is what we are being compared to. This skinny, unhealthy crap. Eat girl, eat!"

Now, I understand the whole "even bad publicity is good publicity" thing. But she is already in the spotlight with her movies, music, and her public party appearances. So what is up with this stunt she is pulling with her weight? It is as if she wants the extra attention. And here I am giving it to her with this blog! Grrrr...But I simply HAD to mention this. Maybe it is not a publicity stunt and she is really happy showing off her bones. Who knows?

Someone put it really nicely on the website: "Hollywood has too many skinny blondes! Go back to your natural hair color and healthy weight! Do you have any idea the message you are sending to young girls who look up to you? Please be a positive role model!"

Then I found this picture of Linday's teeth and mouth.
The sore on the side is a sign of bulimic person:

Here is the link to the Yahoo News story where I first learned about the online petition: Website Wants to "Feed Lindsay"

Here is the link to the website protesting Lindsay's weight issue (very entertaining): Feed Lindsay.com

I also found out Victoria's Secret: Victoria's REAL Secret

July 4th Pictures

2005-07-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

I did 2 posts today, this one and the one below it.

There are far too many July 4th pics to post in my blog, so I put them in a Yahoo photo album for easier viewing.

The pictures each have captions so you will know what everything is. Use the slideshow feature for better viewing. Enjoy!

July 4th Photos

London Bombing

2005-07-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

Okay. This is tooo creepy. Yesterday I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about the Olympic choice for where the 2012 Olympics would be held. I was not rooting for a particular city, however, I said that it would be nice if New York would have gotten it cause of 9/11. It would have been symbolic and special to have the world come there. Ya know? Then we talked about how nothing really bad like 9/11 has happened in London in a long time, etc. We had a whole discussion about that.

Then I wake up this morning, get online and see all this coverage about the London bombings that happened. Can I tell you how creeped out I am right now? So the next time someone says that I do not have a psychic bone in my body...well, I beg to differ. It has been happening a lot to me lately. I was thinking of a certain movie the other day that I really wanted to see, next thing I know, it is on TV the next day. My friend and I will pick up the phone at the exact same time to call each other, etc. Little things like that. So I am NOT claiming to actually be psychic! LOL So don't ask me for lotto numbers. I am just saying that it has been happening a lot lately.

Now the London thing...creepy. My theory is that the terroists probably had it planned to bomb whichever city got the Olympic vote. That city would be in the spotlight and therefore that would be the city that got bombed. I mean, think about it. Yesterday they get the news that they won the bid and now this...

As for the weather as I talked about yesterday. I know it does not rain ALL the time. But it does tend to get overcast a lot. That is mainly what I was talking about. I want the sun OUT from behind the clouds at the SUMMER Olympics. LOL

My condolances and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

Summer Olympics in London?

2005-07-06T13:34:00.000-07:00

Okay. First, let me make it known that I do not have a problem with London or Great Britian at all. Okay? That is not what this is about.

But I just found out that the 2012 SUMMER Olympics are being held in London. Now, please explain something to me:

Does it make much sense to host the SUMMER Olympics in a place that the sun rarely shines?

It is a known fact that London tends to be overcast and/or rainy most of the time. So it just does not make sense to me why they would hold the SUMMER Olympics there.

I really do not care where they hold them, honestly. Most would probably think I was rooting for New York. Yes, that would have been nice, but it does not break my heart that USA did not get it. That is NOT what my problem is. I just find it strange that they would pick a place for the SUMMER Olympics that is overcast 3/4 the time.

Whatever. Not that I plan to go anyway. However, I find it sad that most of those runners and outdoor sports people might have to compete in the rain.

Happy July 4th

2005-07-03T00:21:00.000-07:00

Hello there everyone! To my fellow Americans: Happy July 4th! Have fun but be careful!

Last thing we need is any of these crazy ass drunk people hurting my friends on the road! Enjoy BBQ's, fireworks, and our independence!

I must say that with the way our goverment is being run, I am not too proud to be an American sometimes. I certainly did NOT vote for Bush! But I am happy where I live and to live in a country that is free is a blessing.

Hacker?

2005-07-02T01:27:00.000-07:00

A blogger hacker? I am not sure. All I am sure about is that SOMEHOW someone is posting stuff on my blog here that is NOT me! I do not know if this is just my blog that this is happening to or if there is others out there that are suffering as well. One of the things was an MP3 audio clip that sounded like a woman having an orgasm! WTF? And we all know that is certainly not me posting that shit on here!!

So if you see anything here that is out of character for me, please ignore it. I have deleted what was posted here and I changed my passwords. So I hope that it does not happen again.

Love to all!

Tom Cruise M.D.?

2005-06-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

Tom Cruise and Depression Part 2 ( I added things to this post, so please read it again)

My friend Jenni's recent blog entry was about Tom Cruise and his supposed knowledge in psychiatry and depression. I saw his interview with Matt Lauer on the Today Show where Mr. Cruise seems to think that there is a M.D. behind his name. And I cannot stand his claims that Scientology is the only way to live and it is so wonderful and it is against medicating children and/or adults for that matter.

For Mr. Cruise to sit there and act like he knows everything about psychiatry is just ridiculous. If he has never had a child with a behavioral problem or a mental problem, then he has no experience in it. He has nothing to base his opinions on. And if he himself has never actually suffered from depression, then he has no idea!! Depression is VERY different from just feelings sad or down. It is much deeper then that.

In the Times, Brooke Shields, who suffered postpartum depression following the 2003 birth of her daughter, Rowan, painted Cruise as out of his depth.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression," Shields writes.

In the column, as in her recently published memoir, Down Came the Rain, Shields says that the antidepressant Paxil and therapy saved her and her family.

"To suggest that I was wrong to take drugs to deal with my depression, and that I instead should have taken vitamins and exercised shows an utter lack of understanding about postpartum depression and childbirth in general," Shields writes. Sometimes it takes more then regular life activities such as vitamins, to help with depression. Cause when you are depressed, the LAST thing you ever would want to do is jump up and go to the gym. When you are truely depressed, all you want is to sit or lay in bed with the covers over your head. Trust me, I know.

My mother used to "shadow" a little boy named Trevor who had Autism. Trevor was given Ritalin to help him be calm and be able to focus on his schooling and activities. His mother hated to give it to him, but one day, Trevor actually TOLD her that he wanted to take it because it helped him feel more in control of himself and his mind.

So that right there shows that it actually works and that it can make the children live better lives. I am sure that not all of the cases are like that, but Mr. Cruise needs to understand that if someone has a hyper-active or behavioral child that NEEDS Ritalin, we do not have the luxury of tossing off the hyper child onto a nanny like famous people do. We actually have to deal with the hyper or bad behavior, day in and day out. So heck yeah, I can understand why someone would want their child on the medicine if they were prescriped it by a doctor and if they legitimately needed it. Cause it bothered me too that he acted so cocky about his religion and his "knowledge" in psychiatry.

Batman Begins

2005-06-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

I went to see Batman Begins today. I must say that from what I had seen from commercials and previews, I knew that the style of this one was not going to be like Tim Burton's Batman. I must say that I loved the original Batman movie with Michael Keaton & Jack Nicholson.

But, in my opinion, this new Batman movie is so much better. Maybe it is the fact that it is darker and scarier and not so "cartoon-like". Or maybe it is that Christian Bale is the best looking Batman there as been. Or maybe it was the fact that everything you ever wanted to know about Batman/Bruce Wayne is explained.

You know what I am talking about...Haven't you ever wondered where he got his Bat-Mobile, Bat-weapons, or how the Batcave was built, etc. This movie explains it all. The very end of the movie actually ties into Tim Burton's Batman. There is a small Joker reference.

Some people may not like the style because it is not the cartoonish ways of past Batman movies. But I think that it is one main reason I liked it. I, on the other hand, felt that I got my money's worth. Plus the fact that it was close to 3 hours long. It was fast paced, never got boring, and was very intense.

And the all star cast certainly helped to carry the movie along. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes, Tom Wilkinson.

Even if you are not a Batman fan, cause I never have considered myself to be, you WILL be one when you leave this movie.

Check out this link:

Batman Begins Pictures

Body Image

2005-06-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

What message are we sending to the women of our culture? That thin is beautiful. That if you are not thin, you are not perfect, and if you are not perfect, you will not be successful. That if you are not thin, you will not be loved. You will not be attractive. You will be a F-A-I-L-U-R-E. Most of us have been bombarded by these images for our whole lives, and the messages have been sinking into our brains, altering the view we hold of ourselves.

Throughout history, the female form has been portrayed in paintings, sculptures, and carvings. Note the picture above, of the Venus of Willendorf. It is believed that thousands of years ago, in many of the ancient, Goddess-worshipping religions, a woman's body was revered and celebrated within the tribes. Femininity and fertility, in all of their forms, were celebrated, not discouraged. It is also believed that men of that time, when seeking a mate, were more likely (consciously or unconsciously) to choose a woman with larger breasts and hips, ensuring lush fertility and therefore a large family. Feminine features (breasts, hips, buttocks, stomach) were all exaggerated in art forms, which symbolized fertility, as well as being a symbol of Mother Earth/Goddess, She who gave life to all of us. You can see, from the progression of images above, that as time goes on, the portrayal of the female form is shrinking, becoming more slender and less voluptuous. This, of course, can't even compare to the emaciated-looking models in many of today's magazines and other publications.

When exactly did starvation become attractive? When did men and women start believing that the female form should more closely resemble the body of a pre-pubescent boy? Narrow hips, concave tummy, ribs, spines and hip bones poking through the skin -- when did this become the ideal body build?

Please understand that I am NOT picking on women who are naturally slender in body shape and build! I am NOT saying that thin is bad. I AM saying that no one has the right to tell us that our bodies are not "good enough", or that we need to measure up to a sociably accepted ideal of body size and build. ALL body types, shapes and builds are beautiful, in my opinion. If a woman is naturally slender and thin, she should flaunt that, celebrate that, and accentuate her best features. Likewise, if a woman is naturally voluptuous and curvy, she should flaunt THAT. We should all be proud of our bodies, exactly as they are.

Body Image
by Wendy Betterini

Here are some links:
WalMart wants us barefoot, pregnant, and armed?

Adios Barbie.com

Vegas Pictures

2005-06-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

I promised Las Vegas pictures so here you are with a link to my Yahoo photo album.

However, if you have not read the post below this one, you might wanna read that first. It tells you all about my trip. A lot happend.

I must warn you that I have not gotten around to Photoshopping any of the pictures, so the nightime pics came out pretty dark. But you can still make things out. There are plenty of daytime pics to enjoy though! There is 113 pictures total.

Las Vegas Trip 2005

Back From Vegas

2005-06-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

I am back from Las Vegas. The trip was okay, but nothing special because I ended up sick for most of the trip (and NO it had nothing to do with a hangover or drinking).

It must have been something I ate the first night we got there. No more house food from the hotels for me! I will only eat brand name places that I have come to trust. LOL If it is a place I have never heard of, then it is NOT being put in my mouth. I have NEVER gotten sick off a buffet before, ever, anywhere. Heck I have never even had food posioning before!

It certainly did not help that the day I was so nauseous all day was the same time that I had to witness some 8 year old kid puking all over the sidewalk near me. He must have eaten buffet too. LOL

So I woke up around 2 am the first night we were there and I was throwing up. It was only twice, but enough that it was uncomfortable. I could only sleep for around 2 hours at a time through out rest of the night. I was nauseous for rest of the trip to the point that I had to move pretty slow and I could not really eat anything cause I felt worse when I ate something. I drank a tank full of Sprite though, to settle my stomach. When we were on our way back to LA is when I started feeling a little better. Figures.

I did not let my nausea stop me, however. I still went out to various casinos, gambled a bit, saw the Prince impersonator (who was REALLY good), and went sightseeing. I played the Star Wars penny slots, and some others. I only gambled $6, cause that goes along way when you are playing penny slots. Then I put in 2 quarters into an I Love Lucy slot machine and won $2 back. LOL So technically, I only lost $4. LOL Man, am I a big spender or what?!

I am now home, obviously. I got 11 hours of sleep last night because I was so tired from the trip. It felt wonderful.

So what did I learn from this trip?

1. House food is bad, which includes buffets.
2. Sprite soda is a wonderful thing.
3. I still LOVE Vegas regardless of my experience I just had. I will just have to go back & make up for the lost fun on this trip. I have been to Vegas 6 times now and this is the first time that anything bad has happened like this. So overall, Vegas still rocks!

I have to finish unpacking and transferring my pictures to my computer. Once that is done, I will have pictures for you all. So be on the look out.

One more thing, ya know when something major happends in the world and you will always remember where you were when you found out? Like the O.J. verdict, the Pope dying, and things like that? Well, I will always remember that I was on the way to Vegas when I found out about the Michael Jackson not guilty verdict. I was in Baker, Nevada at a place that was alien themed. LOL

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

2005-06-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

I saw Mr. & Mrs. Smith today. Very good movie! I highly recommend it. Funny, entertaining, intriguing...the whole ball of wax. The story line, dialouge, scenes, and filming was wonderful. I cannot think of one negative thing about this movie. LOL

Vegas Countdown

2005-06-10T00:36:00.000-07:00

Countdown to Las Vegas has commenced. I am so very excited! I only have 3 more days to go. I can hardly stand the anticipation of it!

It may seem hard to understand my eagerness of it all. Basically, it boils down to this: I am B-O-R-E-D. And when I get bored (how I hate that word), I need a change of pace & a change of scenery. It refreshes me. My mind, my heart, my soul. It gives me something new to look forward to.

Granted I could stop making websites or stop working on my current websites that bring me in money, and get a jobby-job. Sure, that would give me something to do each day. But I HATE working with the public & all the drama that comes with it. Plus, I would become bored very quickly at a jobby-job. I need something more stimulating then someone telling me every move to make (unless it is a director ;-) ) or some mean-ass customer telling me what to do. Plus, the jobs never pay enough for the crap that I have to deal with.

So here I sit counting down the days till I am in Las Vegas. I plan to have a fabulous time and let my hair down. There is even a Prince impersonator that I would love to go see. LOL By the looks and sound of it, he is really good. :-)

I also plan on visiting any new hotels that have been built since I have been there last. The last time I was there was back in 2002. Geez...has it been that long? I live toooo close to Vegas to take it for granted. I need to start going more often.

I will definately be posting pictures when I get back so be on the look out for those around the middle of next week. I am going to be there Monday June 13th and coming back sometime on June 15th.

Im Back

2005-06-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

I'm now back online everyone. 3 days without the computer were boring & I have things to tell you all!!

The day that my computer was being fixed so happends to be the day that I saw yet another famous person. But could I come and post a blog about it? NO! So of course, that drove me crazy!

A few days ago, my mom was in an appointment so I sat in the car to feed the parking meter. I was reading a book and my window was down to let in the cool breeze.

Suddenly, I heard a voice that I recognized. I looked up and saw a tall blonde woman and she was walking with some man. It was the man's voice that caught my attention. I took a good look at him & it was Steven Speilberg!! Can you believe it? Sure, I see famous people from time to time, but when you see someone that is a legend like he is, it just kinda takes you back a bit.

He was talking on his cell & talking to the woman with him at the same time. He seemed pretty busy. So I felt it would be inappropirate to approach him & interrupt him. He was literally 2 feet away from me walking on the sidewalk. Could you imagine if I jumped out of the car at him? LOL

So I watched them walk off. But it is cool that I saw him, none-the-less. Then I got online last night & saw that it said that he was recently named the greatest director of all time. Ironic that I just saw him in person too.

Ah the fun & excitment of living here. You just never know who you might see when you leave the house. :-)

Computer Down

2005-06-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am using a friend's computer right now because my computer is still screwed up. I will be back online within a day or so. Just wanted to give you all the update so if you do not hear from me, you will know why.

Love to all!

Thank you Michael for helping me thus far. It is most appreciated. BORED OUT OF MY MIND and my money cannot go towards the computer cause you know what I plan on buying! LMAO

My Absense

2005-05-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let you all know that my computer has been acting screwy for a few days so my friend Michael is going to take it & fix it for me. So I may not be around for a while. It all depends on how long it takes for him to fix it. Heck, I feel blessed enough that it allowed me to log on right now. LOL

I will let you know when I am back. Oh & by the way, I am going to be in Las Vegas for around 3 days June 13-15. So I will not be around then either. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

Hope everyone had a safe & good Memorial Day. I had BBQ with Michael & the family at his place. Very yummy.

I want to thank all the men & women of uniform, of past & present wars, for defending our country & giving their lives. I am against the war that is taking place right now & I wish that all the soliders could just come home, but I still repect them for giving their lives & time.

Also, thank you to Michael for saving me around $100 which is what it would take for a computer place to fix my PC. So thank you for all your patience & help.

No fear everyone....I shall return!

Signing off for now.........

Da Vinci Code

2005-05-25T12:28:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown last night. It took me only 2 days to read it because it is such a page turner that I, at times, had to FORCE myself to put it down.

After reading the book, I must say that this is one of the best novels I have EVER read. Maybe even the best. That is how good it was. This novel has been on the NYTimes best sellers list as #1 and between 18 and 25 million copies sold as of April 2005. Plus it is translated into 44 languages.

I know that there is a lot of speculation, negative articles, and things of that sort running around in the media. But the negativity has nothing to do with the way the book was written or done. The negativity comes from the fact that people like to feel sheltered and safe. They like to know the rules and the boundaries. Unlike me, who thinks outside the box a lot and have no problem opening my mind to the book.

I still have my faith in Jesus and that he died for me. That has not changed and will never change. However, this book opens up a world of information that lots like to claim is false. But if you look these things up online, there is history to back up Dan Brown's historical references in the book. This book is just a different way of looking at things.

The book also explains several things:

- The real story behind why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky
- the PHI number (pronounced 'fee') 1.618 & how it is God's Divine Proportion because so many things in the universe (including our bodies) equal that number (it lists the ways to test it)
- why the Olympics occur every 4 years
- talks about how the Catholic church almost went bankrupt so Pope John Paul II allowed the founder of the Opus Dei (Spanish priest Josemaria Escriva) to be on the fast track to sainthood so they would have money put into the Vatican's account. This happened in 1982.
- explains the Holy Grail and the possibility that it may not have actually been a chalice or cup.
- shows the hidden stuff in Da Vinci's paintings
- talks about how modern man is what turned the penagram star into a Satanic symbol. It used to mean something completely different.

I was completely fascinated with all the history that Dan Brown sprinkled into the plot.

The 2 opposing groups that are fighting in the book actually EXIST. The Opus Dei (the Catholics) and the Priory of Sion (the good guys). These 2 groups actually exist in real life. They are secret societies. They even have websites for these groups! REAL ones. They say that Priory of Sion is a hoax, but it really is not. It is a very secret society that does NOT WANT to be in the spotlight. That is explained in the book as well.

I give this book 5 stars. I HIGHLY recommend reading it. Add it to your summer reading list. Nice book to curl up in a chair with. However, I read mine laying in bed. The past 2 nights I have been up till 3AM because I could not put the book down. LOL

Enjoy. Forget what you have read about The Da Vinci Code. Read the book and make your OWN thoughts and make your OWN conclusions. Do not be sheep. Push the limits and see that there is more out there then meets the eye...........

Dynamite!

2005-05-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

Gwen Stefani

2005-05-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

Well, my mom was down at the 3rd St. Promanade waiting for my brother to come out of the Star Wars movie.

She called me to tell me about a celebrity approaching HER. Now, how many celebs approach joe-shmoes like us? It is usually the other way around.

She said that she was sitting there and a pretty blonde woman walked up to her. She told my mom, "Cute purse," referring to my mom's L.A.M.B. purse that I got her for Christmas.

My mom said, "Thank you." The woman walked off. As she walked off, this blonde said, "She didn't even recognize..." and then it trailed off cause my mom could not hear what she said since she was walking away.

Right after the blonde walked off, it FINALLY hit my mom that it was Gwen Stefani, the singer of No Doubt and the DESIGNER of that purse line. LMAO

I have no idea what Miss Gwen expected for my mom to say to her. I mean, did she expect her to say, "Yeah, thanks for designing it"? Would that have been the correct responce? LMAO My mom probably would have said something like that if she had been thinking and recognized her sooner. LOL

So yeah, apparently, we "regular" folk can get approached by celebrities as well. LMAO

Here is a link to tell you more about Gwen's purse and clothing line:

Gwen's L.A.M.B. Products

Unbalanced

2005-05-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

More and more unbalanced crap in our society... When will this be taken care of and when will it ever even come close to balancing out?

Medical insurance is now helping men to pay for their Viagra. Just what the world needs, a bunch of old men running around with hard-ons impregnating young women.

BUT medical insurance is still NOT covering the birth control pill. WTF?

I think our world is over-populated anyway. The people who made the rule against no insurance on The Pill are probably (NO offense) Catholics and they do not believe in birth control. But HEY! Old men impregnating the world is okay.

WTF????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOTE: I am deeply sorry if anyone reading this is Catholic. I am not a racist type person and I do not have a problem with other religions per say...But it is a known fact that Catholics do not believe in birth control. And that is their right. But this issue is about the goverment and medical insurance. And I find it very frustrating that men are "bowed down to" and they get the privilage of their sex life being covered by their insurance. But women's Pill is not covered. This just does not make sense to me. It makes me feel like, we as women, are expected to have kids, so that is why we have no protection from our insurance. But the men have the comfort and protection of having as many erections as they want. Well, I think that we as women should have a say-so in how many kids we have and if being on the Pill helps us with that, then it SHOULD be covered.

Anyone Jealous of Celebrities?

2005-05-17T23:11:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

I came across a few pictures that FOR ONCE AND ALL should hopefully make women stop being jealous of pretty celebrities. If you are not one of the millions of women who can sometimes get jealous of celebrities, then you are definately in the minority. I tend to go back and forth. Sometimes, I look at the celebs and KNOW that they have personal trainers, chefs, gyms in their houses, and stylists. Then other times, I see something they are wearing or a certain way their hair is done and I find myself wishing that I looked like that too. I look good with or without makeup. These women without makeup are just wrong. So think of it this way ladies...we have an advantage over them in the end after all........ ;-)

The thing to realize is that we CAN look that good. Let THEM spend all that money to look a certain way. Let THEM go through all the work of setting trends and fixing their hair a particular way. THIS way, we can mimic them, but we can find a CHEAPER and easier way of doing it. So they can spend all their money, while we sit back and take the easy route. LMAO

Here are some pictures that should once and for all squelch any jealousy.

Sum

2005-05-17T01:33:00.000-07:00

Well here is a brief sum up of what has been going on the past few days (not a lot but a little none-the-less):

On Saturday, my family & I went to my friend Michael's house for a BBQ. It was fabulous. Kudos to Michael and his wonderful BBQ-ing skills. Y-U-M-M-Y.

Have started using self tanner because I am trying to get ready for summer. I figure that it may be a bit more of a hassle to use as opposed to regular tanning, but I have to start somewhere.

Michael & I are planning our trip to Vegas. We plan on going mid-June, it looks like. And it also looks like it will be a goooooood time! Cannot wait to get out of town. I love where I live, but a change of scenery can be nice too. I am not a gambling kind of person. But I have all my pennies gathered from my penny jar to play the Penny Slots. LOL This way, I have a chance (even if it IS slim to none) of winning and I will not feel as though I am spending all my money. This way, I spend my pennies and that is it. If God wants me to win, I will win somehow within those pennies. LOL If not, then I figure that it is not meant to be.

My brother is driving me nuts over the Star Wars movie coming out. No offense to Star Wars fans...But I am just not all that excited. Then again, I am not a sci-fi, space...alien stuff kind of movie goer. I like thrillers, horror, comedy, or dramas.

Let's see...what else?

Ummmmmmm.....

Yeah, well I guess that is it. I told you there was not much to tell right now.

Shanna

2005-05-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

Wow! My point yesterday was about friendships and you will not believe what happened to me today.

I got into my email and saw that an old friend from high school had sent me a message through classmates.com. Her name is Shanna & we were the best of friends for most of our high school years! Boy, did WE have some inside jokes or what?!

She was there when I had my first serious relationship with Jeff. I was there for her first serious relationship with Sean. LOL Geez...it just makes me smile to think back to that time. LOL Were we stupid or what? LMAO

So I sent her a message back and gave her my email address so she would not have to go through classmates.com to send me messages. I never log in to that site. I have very few people from my high school years that I even think about. But Shanna was always one of them.

I recently put together a scrapbook because I was going through all my old photos and realized that I needed to organize them more. So I made them into a scrapbook in my spare time. And there are a few pictures of Shanna there too. WOW! Maybe I sent out psychic vibes to her and she ended up contacting me. LOL

Either way, I am glad she contacted me. Hope I hear from her again. It is always nice to reconnect with someone who was a good friend. She was my best friend all through high school.

WOW! I suppose I am still a bit surprised at the email that she wanted to contact me. I mean, after almost 10 years, it was such a treat to her from her!

Family & Friends

2005-05-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

I had a friend of mine mention something to me about my friendships & how many friends I have, etc.

I decided to write a blog about this under this person's suggestion. This person came and read the blog.

Then this person was worried that I was going to make them look like the "bad guy", so I decided to delete this post.

Bottom line, when it comes to friendships, I would take quality over quantity any day.

I am sorry for hurting this person's feelings and making them think I was trying to make them look bad. Notice I never mentioned any names as to keep it anonyomous but they were still worried about looking bad. That is why this post is now gone. Hope you all understand.

Jealous of a doll

2005-05-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Well, as pathetic as this is going to sound, I am jealous of these "dollies". They are so beautiful, yet they each represent a part of myself. The frustrating part is that I have no idea how in the world to combine & express them all. Getting as built as them may help (don't they have nice bodies? LOL). Yes, this post may seem silly, but this is how I really feel.

The Many Sides of Me:

SEXY--> CHILLIN--> Stay In-->
Victoria Secret Side--> CLASSY--> Beach Bum-->
Dark Side--> Princess-->Girly-->

Pam Blog

2005-04-30T00:32:00.000-07:00

This post is inspired by a post made on another blog written by my friend, Pamela. She has had PORN practically thrown in her face for days now and this blog entry here is inspired by her words. In fact, this is exactly what my reponse comment says on her blog:

"Next thing you know they will be taking away our right to post whatever we feel in blogs at the rate it is all going.

No wait, I take that back. The "porn-watching-pathetic-men-sitting-in-their-basement-smothered-in-someting-creepy-like-peanut-butter" will be allowed to say whatever they want. After all, the rich white man with nothing better to spend his money on then porn is he who rules the world. What-the-fuck-ever.

I understand what you are saying about the unequal situation we find ourselves in. We as women are expected to look a certain way (ie: PERFECT), yet men can let themselves go.

Notice how most women in the movies are beautiful. I could probably count on ONE HAND the ugly or less attractive women in the movies. But as for the MEN! Oh my goodness, I could write out a whole list of unattractive male actors without even blinking.

Has anyone else noticed how the male animal looks good and pretty so it can attract the female animal?

So WHY THE HELL do WE, as women, have to look and act a certain way as HUMANS, who by the way, are supposed to be the smarter of the species. I just cannot understand this.

Damn, if women are expected to look, act, talk, and be a certain way, then damn it the men should TOO! I am tired of being singled out just because I am a woman.

You are absolutely right when it comes to the women's sections of bookstores or magazine racks. Why the hell should we get stuck with the boring/depressing/homey issues? Breast cancer articles. How to get your baby to sleep at night? Or how to be as thin as the skeleton...opps...I mean...model on the cover.

It is all very wrong. However, it probably will not ever change as long as there are men/women in the world who are giving their money to porn, call-girls, & prostitutes. I would love to see the look on their faces when they have to face GOD over what they have done.

These people need to get their OWN sex lives so they do not feel the need to watch others on a computer/TV screen. I would MUCH rather be DOING the stuff then just watching it. But maybe that is just me.......

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is very sad."

So that was my response. Then another person posted a comment after me. This person made me feel much better about what I had to say because she proves that I am NOT the only one who feels the way I do. She said:

"yea!!! girls, this is what it's all about! i love pamela's kitch and her VERBAL cliffhangers and marisa's emotional honesty (honey yr perfect). "

THANK YOU JULIA FOR YOUR KIND WORDS!

To see Pamela's blog entries that inspired this entry here at my blog, check out these 2 links:

Porn Entry #1

Porn Entry #2