tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90311642011-04-21T19:01:02.751-07:00stronger in the broken placesMenoreply@blogger.comBlogger351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1117250251187149022005-05-27T20:01:00.000-07:002005-05-30T20:03:39.186-07:00

There are no words in my head eloquent enough to do justice to this. Today I lost my best friend. For almost 15 years I cared for her and loved her, from our early days when it wasn't certain either of us would survive her puppyhood and my inexperienced single motherhood, to the last 9 months since she was diagnosed with a multitude of health problems. Considering the severity of all that was

Menoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1116197154391907232005-05-15T15:31:00.000-07:002005-05-15T15:45:54.396-07:00

So, about the real estate.. So far, I've seen about 25 places and been outbid twice. The first time was a 2bd/2ba condo listed at 545k. I bid 30k over and didn't even come in 3rd. The second time was a 2bd/1ba 65year old house- I overbid by 70k and didn't get that one either. As I type this, I'm waiting to hear if my offer for a 3rd place is accepted, rejected, or countered. Update: as I

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1115438564921896172005-05-06T20:53:00.000-07:002005-05-06T21:06:08.573-07:00

Today an email was received by the every single person working at the courthouse, from a fellow worker. It said, to wit, with no revisions from me: "Dear friends, May I have your empty tuna cans please. Wash first; then deliver to (my room number). I'm trapping earwigs."This is the kind of absurd shit I find very funny. That someone working in the Superior Court would think to write, much less

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1113424692334425282005-04-13T13:35:00.000-07:002005-04-13T13:38:12.336-07:00

When I go to work tomorrow, I get to do research on the juvenile history of one Almond Jamoky ******* (last name withheld for confidentiality). I bet Pops called him Fudge for short.

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1113183750708420452005-04-10T18:25:00.000-07:002005-04-26T18:59:23.656-07:00

So, I've been thinking about moving for about a year. First though, I needed to wait until I'd had my refinanced loan for a full year, to avoid pre-payment penalty. I still perused the multiple listing service, and often felt kicked in the gut at my inability to consider what appeared to be the perfect new home for me. Finally, the end of October came and I was free to divest myself of my condo

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1113077960960047492005-04-09T13:17:00.000-07:002005-04-09T13:21:01.840-07:00

Befitting a resident of the SF Bay Area, I found a loaf of sourdough left at my door just now. Even though my door was open and I heard the rustling coming and going of someone, I assumed it was my next door neighbor and didn't get up to look. That would have solved the mystery of WHO IS LEAVING BREAD AT MY DOORSTEP EVERY FEW WEEKS!!!???!!!

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1112838671709603142005-04-06T18:50:00.000-07:002005-04-06T18:51:11.710-07:00

"Failure's hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you're successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever." -- Po Bronson, What Should I Do With My Life

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1112236562859780482005-03-30T18:34:00.000-08:002005-03-30T18:38:00.170-08:00

Is it possible that there REALLY ARE so many stupid people in the world, or is it just that I've been singled out as She Who Shall Bear Witness to them all?Just wondering.

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1111329258205689602005-03-20T06:09:00.000-08:002005-03-20T11:09:12.646-08:00

This is really only part of the story, a few pieces of the stained glass that make up the mosaic. I find it on my mind and pushing to spill out onto the page. When I kept a diary, years ago, I'm sure I wrote about it- but without the clarity that hindsight has given me. When I was 17, I left home in Seattle to move to Los Angeles to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. I had been

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1110951822458165202005-03-15T21:32:00.000-08:002005-03-15T21:43:42.460-08:00

Someone keeps leaving a loaf of bread at my front door.The first time it happened, a couple years ago, I thought for sure my marginally retarded next-door-neighbor dropped it. I put it in front of her door. But like all the pretty little flowers she allows to die and dry out, it sat there for a few days before I exasperatedly shit-canned it. (The pretty little flowers, and once a tomato plant,

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1110862035007867642005-03-14T20:36:00.000-08:002005-03-14T20:47:15.010-08:00

TRASHELLA.Nope, not kidding. As a variation on Michelle, Rachelle, or Nichelle, one might have thought that Mom could have figured out that Trishella would be, oh, maybe a better spelling with the same pronunciation. Or maybe Treshella/Tryshella. But instead, in an attempt to be unique and different, she gives her daughter the gift that never ends: a name that starts with garbage. This odd

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1110373885345709692005-03-09T04:41:00.000-08:002005-03-09T05:34:58.206-08:00

All her life I have watched over her, cared for her, worried about her, ensured her needs were met, fed her, bathed her, medicated her when necessary, walked her, played with her, hugged her, kissed her. I have loved her with all my heart. I have not been a perfect guardian. I have left her alone too long, pursuing my dreams or my obligations. I have let time slip away all too quickly. I have

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1109002358072435582005-02-21T07:49:00.000-08:002005-02-21T08:12:38.076-08:00

I love holidays. This is my second 3-day weekend in a row, thanks to Feb 11th's Lincoln's Birthday festivities (I still have confetti in my underwear from that one) and today's President's Day. When you work for a municipality, you get lotsa holidays. The next one is not until the end of March, when we take the day off to revere and remember Cesar Chavez. I'm pouting. We're headed toward the

Menoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1108327138121140962005-02-13T12:38:00.000-08:002005-02-13T12:42:30.490-08:00

This stuff freakin' rocks, ok? People will wander toward your home/office to ask you what that fabulous fresh scent is.. Even if you don't have a pet, trust me and try it!

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1108135996734006772005-02-11T07:18:00.000-08:002005-02-11T07:47:30.943-08:00

I have been an early riser for many years- chalk that up to being the sole caretaker of a sweet, goofy dog. During the work week, I take her out by 7am, so it stands to reason that Saturday and Sunday are no different for her. I have her to thank for my adoration of early mornings. Oh, she usually has to prod and whine and poke and woof me from my warm bed, but once I'm up and outside (brrr!),

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1108095280017416832005-02-10T20:10:00.000-08:002005-02-10T20:14:40.020-08:00

The Washington Post's Style Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners.1 - Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1108000792028096312005-02-09T17:40:00.000-08:002005-02-09T17:59:52.026-08:00

I am, admittedly, a neat freak. While I wouldn't recommend you eat off my floors, they look like you could. Mostly. I am a clutterphobe. Maybe it's my theatre background, but I must see tidy stage pictures in every room. I hate imbalance. There is no way I could live amidst piles of papers, anything on the floor that doesn't belong there, unstraightened beds and pillows and throws. I even

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1107822515716633052005-02-07T16:20:00.000-08:002005-02-07T16:28:35.716-08:00

I called in sick today. I woke up late, and it was raining. Rushing around and dealing with a compromised dog in the morning causes me a lot of stress, and consequently makes my shoulder/arm injury flare up. There was nothing on calendar today at work. So I said screw it. I didn't go back to bed, but I took my time and relaxed and made coffee. Then I took a shower and went out to run a few

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1107746302861530742005-02-06T19:02:00.000-08:002005-02-06T19:18:22.860-08:00

When the NFL Championship is on the line, the tough go shopping. As someone who is trying to pay off debt and considering buying a bigger condo, I almost talked myself out of going. I didn't feel great, what with my work-related injury and the side effects of the pain meds I'm taking (hello Vicodin, goodbye regularity). But I was at the Rack a month ago and wished I had more time, so the

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1107566617549140292005-02-04T17:23:00.000-08:002005-02-09T13:09:21.486-08:00

Earlier I posted about a juvenile delinquent we had in court named 'Ashtray'. As his given, legal name. Not a street name. Today I heard about another juvenile, a girl... again, for real: her name was Latrine. What the hell is wrong with people??? Meanwhile, over in the Foster Care part of my work world, I heard about a mom whose kid was taken away from her, so she filed in Small Claims court

Menoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1107485423134094832005-02-03T18:39:00.000-08:002005-02-03T18:50:23.136-08:00

The Superior Court Presiding Judge's secretary sent out her monthly email link to a Supreme Court news release today. Someone in the building (Julie), a girl I don't know (otherwise I would tease her about this incident until the day she died), was obviously talking online or via email with someone else about WHAT I CAN'T IMAGINE when she made a terrible faux pas. She hit "Reply to All" in

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1107140300122597392005-01-30T18:54:00.000-08:002005-01-31T18:33:43.960-08:00

I'm stuck watching one of those CRAPTASTIC local evening 'magazine' shows. You know, they're always about things and places locally you'll never do or see. Borrrring, usually. This one, oddly enough, is about the Wine Country. Everyone here has already done the wine country! Oh wait, it's called "Wine Country". Please God, someone find the remote! And as a completely unrelated aside, what the

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1107058041477917892005-01-29T19:57:00.000-08:002005-01-29T20:15:29.830-08:00

Yes, it was in the 60's today- sorry Nanooks! Nary a cloud in the sky, dawning bright and clear, it was a wonderful day. My best friend Lisa and I celebrated my birthday by meeting in San Mateo's downtown area for lunch, movie, shopping. Parking was a breeze (such a rarity in the Bay Area) even though we did almost have a punch-fest with the stupid parking box thing that stole my money and seemed

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1106782815331414422005-01-26T15:29:00.000-08:002005-01-29T20:10:01.606-08:00

Today is my birthday. Since I am stealthily creeping up on the underbelly of THE BIG birthday, I found it humourous that an ad for making one's 'final arrangements' at Skylawn Memorial Park fell out of my morning paper. Later, after having been reminded by a certain someone (CS) that I am closer to "kicking 40 in the ass" now, constant daytime television ads for funeral insurance and burial

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1106099154087092882005-01-18T17:45:00.000-08:002005-01-29T20:09:21.596-08:00

This quiz made me realize I really should have gone to Science class more often...

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1106008690756330882005-01-17T16:26:00.000-08:002005-01-29T20:10:34.886-08:00

There's a phrase that Lisa and I utter to each other, five syllables that spring us both to life on the rare holiday we both have off: "I'm totally broke." And with that, a bright light appears, our eyes glaze over, and we turn into catatonic robots and are forced to go shopping. (Actually, it works on non-holidays too, as we have found from past experience.) So shopping we went, she for a

Menoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1105755980090592202005-01-14T18:10:00.000-08:002005-01-29T20:11:00.793-08:00

I work in Family Court, which includes Juvenile Delinquency and Dependency. It didn't take me long in this part of my varied work history to realize that society should simply ban MARRIAGE- why stop at gay marriage? And also, one of my personal mantras now is "Be careful who you have kids with" after what I've seen and heard in court. Actually, I'd be a proponent of sterilzation at birth, with a

Menoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1105753497430965102005-01-14T17:32:00.000-08:002005-01-15T13:30:05.820-08:00

1. Good thing I didn't slip and fall on the patch of ice (it was that cold last night!) I slid through this morning while pottying the dog. I would have landed on the hand holding the plastic bag of poo. Stuff like this only happens to me when I decide I'm sick of pants and put on a skirt and pantyhose. And am already late to work. 2. Some terms for the legions of bad drivers we have here. "

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1105675101559357022005-01-13T19:52:00.000-08:002005-01-14T17:32:23.306-08:00

This blogging thing is inexplicably addictive. I'm not saying anything that a fellow blogger reading this doesn't already know, but I feel like I'm making NEW FRIENDS with people who don't even know I exist. Which sort of sounds like I need a conservator and a psych evaluation, but I have several blogs I visit daily to see what new thing each exceptionally witty and entertaining girl has written

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1105214657374382962005-01-08T11:58:00.000-08:002005-01-12T19:18:17.540-08:00

So a few months back I hurt myself at work- sort of a cumulative strain thing going on in my neck, shoulder, arm. I thought it would go away, but lately it has gotten much worse. Finally yesterday I went to the worker's comp doctor to start the process of getting treatment. One of the two medications he gave me has this to say in the warnings section of the pharmacy literature: "Stop taking this

Menoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1103914012585658112004-12-24T10:45:00.000-08:002004-12-24T10:47:44.786-08:00

Was 9:50am too early to start with the Irish Coffees? No, I didn't think so either.

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1103517869295439522004-12-19T20:31:00.000-08:002004-12-19T21:03:33.616-08:00

Went to the Dickens Christmas Fair today with my best friend in the whole world Lisa and her soul-mate husband, the equally irreverent Marty. We looked, we wandered, we gaped, and we mused. There seem to be three types of fair people: big women in corsets squeezing out more of their assets than acceptable in real life, scrawny women in corsets making more of their assets than real life clothes

Menoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1103441114618699882004-12-18T23:25:00.000-08:002004-12-19T20:24:41.590-08:00

This struck me as hilarious. I wish I could hang it in my courtroom. And no, State Bar of California, I am not a judge.

Menoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1103438181781867282004-12-18T22:28:00.000-08:002004-12-19T20:28:43.040-08:00

My dog spent the whole day not eating.. wandering to her bowl, sniffing at the food that was so lovingly prepared for her, and wandering back to lie down somewhere. Finally at 9:30pm I guessed that she no longer wanted this 'old' food.. this from the dog who will stick her nose and tongue into any dark, unidentifiable mung outside, or cheerfully eat random cat poop we find along our walks. I

Menoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9031164.post-1099731049773843372004-11-06T01:49:00.000-08:002004-12-19T20:59:12.256-08:00

Well, except maybe this: http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/docs/Mirror/0007ACB8-ADCE-118B-9E4F80C328EC0000.pdf

Menoreply@blogger.com0