Halloween is Everyday

I really need to not leave this by the wayside...

2011-09-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

So much has happened...but I'll just give a quick summation for this post.

We moved into a house, Jack is now on disability and I'm on unemployment.

But it's a good thing. We have professionals interested in the show, so soon we won't have money issues anymore. Well, Goddess willing, anyway.

I unfortunately have no insurance, so my surgery never happened. ~sigh~

I am going to keep my head up and stay positive though.

I have to.

I will post more soon.

Until next time...

It continues on.

2011-05-19T03:36:00.000-07:00

So after a very interesting doc visit, I am on yet again a new drug regimen.

The gyn I saw is a specialist and his opinion is that I have Interstital Cystisis, also known as IC. He is concerned about the other stuff as well, but he's thinking my
pain is from IC as my bladder is somewhat weak and very tender.

So now I'm on meds for that as well as estrogen since the DEPO shot is causing me to be ultra moody.

I do have another appt on July 6th. They are going to check just what is going on with my bladder and such.

After that, then I get my surgery. Exploratory, as it is. This doc doesn't want to just slice in until he has all the facts and if the meds can help me, great.

Yeah, I know. I didn't have PID, so that trial was useless.

~sighs~

I'm just tired of hurting all the time and not being able to do what I want to do, like relax and not stress about where's the nearest bathroom. Or geez, actually be intimate with my husband without crying afterwards from the pain.

I'm trying to be so patient.

I really am.

Oy.

Until next time...

It's that time of year again!!!!

2011-05-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

Haunt 2011 mazes have been announced! And the 3 new entries are...

Delirium
In the deep recesses of the mind, on the clouded brink of insanity, lies the hellish wasteland of delirium; a place so gruesome that your imagination fails to comprehend the horrors. Illusion and paranoia are your only anchors to reality. Welcome to your worst nightmare!

Invasion Beneath
LIVE FROM KNOTT’S BERRY FARM: Details are sketchy but eyewitnesses report that the Calico Mine Ride has been invaded by creatures of unknown origin through a large fissure in the earth’s core. The creatures posses advanced weaponry and are extremely hostile. The military has just infiltrated the mountain to try and rescue the survivors and combat the violent attacks. Stay tuned.

ENDGAMES: Warriors of the Apocalypse
The world as we know it has ended. The survivors in this barren desert have scavenged to rebuild society. The rich and the powerful have turned all others into slaves for sport. Enter the post apocalyptic arena where gladiators are forced to battle to their deaths for entertainment. Are you game?

RETURNING MAZES

Fallout Shelter (in 3D)
Locked in a cement grave for decades, hidden deep below the depths of the lake, an abandoned fallout shelter is crawling with human /genetic hybrids, toxic mutants, and a host of nuclear freaks all hungry for carnage. Grab your Geiger counters and put on your radiation suits, these residents are ravenous.

Sleepy Hollow
Ghosts and ghouls, witches and goblins, long legged beasts and things that go bump in the night are all at your heels as you travel through Sleepy Hollow. Specters and phantoms and legends of long ago haunt the living. Can you outrun the Headless Horseman? Can you keep your wits, or will you lose your head as well?

Virus Z
Welcome to Pleasanton – Population: Zero. The highly infectious virus Z has turned the entire town into cannibal zombies and you’re this week’s special. Hordes of bloodthirsty corpses roam the small town in search of fresh meat. Help has arrived, but they are not on a rescue mission – they are here to wall off the entire town from civilization.

Lockdown: The Asylum
The inmates really are running the asylum in this nightmare prison, and insanity reigns supreme. The inmates are out of their cells and their minds. And don’t scream for help, this hostile takeover has the authorities running for cover!

Terror of London
Step back in time and into the fog-filled streets of London where a host of infamous characters are on the prowl terrorizing city dwellers. Step lively or you may fall victim to Jack the Ripper’s blade or Dr. Jekyll’s twisted experiments as Big Ben rings out. God save the Queen…..and you!

Dia De Los Muertos
Venture into the forbidden jungle of El Chupacabra where sacrificial blood rains down from the sky. The screams of La Llorona, the Weeping Woman, echo around you and the creatures of the night crawl from their crypts, the “Day of the Dead” has arrived!

Uncle Bobo’s Big Top of the Bizarre (3D)
Step right up! Don’t be shy! Welcome to Uncle Bobo’s Big Top of the Bizarre. Inside you will find a villainous variety of vaudevillian visages to vex even the most valiant voyeurs! It’s the greatest slaughter on earth with clown carnage galore!

The Slaughterhouse
Folk’s from near and far come a-runnin for Farmer Willy’s world famous BBQ! You can smell the sizzling meat from miles away. Farmer Willy will think you are prime
beef as he sets out to auction you off to the highest bidder, tenderize you with his chainsaw, and grind you into a tasty meat treat. Bon Appétit!

The Doll Factory
A trip to the Doll Factory reveals a twisted museum of death and disfigurement as you are pursued by the Marionette Murderer, a psychotic killer who turns his beautiful victims into life-size porcelain dolls.

Corn Stalkers
It’s harvest time and the crop is you in Corn Stalkers. Plunge into rows and rows of rotting corn and try to evade the blood thirsty monstrosities seeking to impale you on their razor sharp scythes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These of course replace Club Blood, Black Widow Cavern and Labyrinth.

Now my personal opinion is well, like usual. First for the departing mazes.

Club Blood for me was never really a vampy maze although this last year it did improve a HELL of a lot. I for one won't miss it, even though it does mean this year will be the first year in a long time there will not be a vampire maze at Haunt.

Black Widow Cavern I did enjoy, of course. But as I said a few years back, there's only so much you can do with spiders. I'll miss it a bit. A moment of silence for that, please.

And Labyrinth. Huh. ~sighs~ Oh, it was pretty and the talent divine. But mazes are supposed to be scary, and sadly this missed the mark. So no real sadness for this one either.

But on to my predictions for this year.

Does anyone but me notice an odd theme here? Apocalypse and such? Hmmm, says I.

Because correct me if I'm wrong and I might be, the 3 new ones seem to be slight variations of each other.

Delirium: This could be a grand throwback to the Asylum theme, which I course loved. But they still have Lockdown AND Fallout Shelter, both of which feed on claustrophobia and darkness. Not that I'm complaining, but it will interesting to see just how they make this work.

Invasion Beneath: (Mine Train) Ah now, this could be rather interesting. Although the mention of weaponry makes me wonder if it'll be a re-imagined version of The Underground. Which was a fantastic maze, but on the Mine Train? Hmmm, that may be a tad reaching. The reason Underground worked was you were trapped in this industrial holocaustic aftermath that you stumbled through. Being in a mine car will definitely need some real good scares.

Endgames: Oh boy. I just...wow. To me, this sounds like a cross between Mad Max and The Running Man. It'll be a fun maze. Yeah. Fun. Not scary. Guys dressed up in scraps of metal and carrying various items of destruction are great for me to laugh at, not scream. But who knows?

So there we are. I am excited for the other returning mazes. My only requests are that Cornstalkers gets back to its former glory of spookiness, that Lockdown has more creeps in it, The Doll Factory gets their dollies in tip top scare mode, and that Slaughterhouse brings back the gore it knew so well in the first year.

Everything else was damn incredible.

I cannot wait for October. How about you?

Until next time....

Well, yeah. That's just fun.

2011-05-15T03:43:00.000-07:00

So...update.

I had my ultrasound.

Turns out I have a veritable amusement park going on. I have several cysts on my ovaries and fallopian tubes, I have a fibrous mass on my uterus and the possible beginnings of endometriosis. Yay.

Not only that, but it does seem I do have PID, so I am on new meds for that. Once I finish the meds, then the doc will let me know when my surgery will be.

~sighs~

Also, I had the misfortune of being suspended for 3 days due to my medical issue. Thankfully, the GM read over my file and reinstated me.

I am kind of on a probation thing now, I guess.

Then I got sick from my lovely husband. I only got a cold, but his became bronchitis. Whoohoo. Not only did he get me sick, but everyone else in the apt got some kind of ickiness.

So my immune system is all screwy.

Oh well.

I do have a dr appt on Wed at 10:30am, so hopefully he will let me know what our next step will be.

Because man, I'm tired of feeling like this.

Until next time....

And here's how it goes. (sensitive subject matter ahead)

2011-04-28T02:59:00.000-07:00

So now that I am on NO meds whatsoever, the pain is back in triplicate. It really is annoying to have this constant pressure and feel like I have to go to the bathroom all the time.

I have been taking ibuprofen, but its relief is limited and I really don't want to boost up the dosage to then become immune.

And for the TMIness of it all, I still have not been able to be intimate with my husband for over a month now. Oh, sure we "relieve his tension", but as far as myself? Oh hell no.

Even though I'm going insane with need. Because EVERYTHING freakin' hurts.

Part of me just wants to say hell with it and have sex. Even though I'll be screaming in pain afterwards.

But I'm afraid that it will worsen whatever is going on.

I truly hope the ultrasound can give us all some clues. And the gyn. I was thinking about asking for a D & C so they can test the tissue. Yeah, it's not typical procedure, but dammit. At this point, I just want some real answers.

I went to go see Keith today and I had to explain in the simplest of terms what was going on with me. He knew I had a dr appt and he was concerned about me. That was difficult as how do you tell someone that believes you to be invincible and immortal that you're in fact not?

I think I succeeded though.

I'm trying my best not to be stressed, but I guess it won't make a damn bit of a difference until after my 2 latest appts.

I do hope it's not serious, but at the same time I do, because then whatever I have will be dealt with and I can finally move on to have NO pain.

At least not in that fashion.

Ergh. I'm way too tired right now. I feel myself getting all morose.

And we can't have that.

So it's off of here and focus on going home to see my husband, my cats, and my bed for some much needed sleep.

Night all.

Always an adventure...

2011-04-26T03:12:00.000-07:00

So as most of my family and friends know, I have been suffering from pelvic pain for a while. I was unable to go into the doctor until recently as I didn't have insurance. But to be honest, I was also freakin' scared to know what was going on.

I finally started to see a doctor at Kaiser at the beginning of April. I got the customary tests, and was told that I possibly had vaginosis, a bacterial infection. I was given meds for that as well as for my overactive bladder issue. Neither one of the meds worked.

I then went back in and the same doctor then said that it was possible I had PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease) even though I had none of the things that usually predict it, such as gonorrhea or chlamydia. So she gave me meds for that.

It promptly made me sick and caused me to call into work. I went back and was given "another set" of meds. Which also made me sick and caused me to call off work again.

Unfortunately, even though I did get dr notes, my work policy is you need to call 2 hours before your shift. I woke up an hour before and became ill. So I got written up for that. I do have a meeting with my GM next week to present my case to her. But more on that in a minute.

I was sick for three days as my body cleansed itself of the meds. I went back to the doc today. On a lucky twist of fate, my regular doc was not available and I went to see someone else. Lo and behold, this doc had a totally different opinion.

She examined me and said that from her reading my chart as well, I had NO infection. She was also concerned that I had received a DEPO shot to control my cycle as it was causing my body more stress. That the meds aggravated my pain.

Her recommendation was to have a gyn and ultrasound appt as soon as possible as she believes I may have something wrong with my uterus and based on findings, may require surgery, i.e. a hysterectomy.

Which made me laugh in my sleeve as I've been joking about that for years as I no longer need my organs of that nature since I'm no longer a breeder.

She also forbid me to take any more antibiotics as it would just make me sick for no reason.

So I have 2 two appts for the first week of May.

With that knowledge in hand, I am going to take ALL of my paperwork to my GM and explain to her what has been going on. That I am also going to file a claim against my doc for negligence, as she was treating me improperly.

Then I find out that both my grandmother and aunt may have had the exact same thing. So I will have to inform my doc of that as well.

Fun times, yeah?

At least my dear husband can breathe again knowing I'm not going to die tomorrow. He's been so worried about me, poor thing. I hate putting him through this. I love him so much for being there to help me.

I will keep this updated as soon as I know more.

Love to all...

And here we are.

2011-03-09T02:40:00.000-08:00

Well, it's Day 2 of the Mighty Migraine.

You know, I am really tired of this. Not to be throwing the TMI card, but it happens once a month. Yeah, I know I need to get myself to see a doc. I really have no excuse now. I do have insurance.

It's just the fact we still have no car that makes a lot of things awkward. It turns something that should possibly take 30 minutes into a 2 hour or longer event.

And having no car is really affecting my sleep. I have to get up 2 hours before my shift so I can be there on time.

Yes, I know that others do it, take the bus to work and all that. But...and I cannot believe I'm going to admit this, I'm not 20 anymore. I work an overnight job 5 nights a week. It's taxing on me.

Don't get me wrong. I love my job. When I'm not dragging ass, that is.

But that's the problem. Like today, I just kept waking up. An hour or so here and there. It's ridiculous.

Oh well. There are things to look forward to so I shouldn't complain too much, yeah?

Like St. Pats and cornbeef, mmm. Even though we'll have to do it on the Sunday before, or the following Sunday. Just because I have Sundays off. I'm sure the family won't care.

That is one thing that has evolved and is pretty nice. Well, usually. Sunday nights have become family night. I cook, we relax and Jack does the radio show.

Except this last Sunday. I had a friend of mine come over and we went to Dave and Buster's. We didn't get back until 11pm. Oops. But he and I had a really good time together. No one was upset, just being smart alecks. "Where's dinner, Mom?" that kind of thing.

But no worries.

I am going to go back to writing my story now. Just wanted to check in.

Until next time...

So...yeah.

2011-03-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

Not that I'm really complaining as the end result is sure to be made of awesome...

But last night at work was weird. Half of our front desk is blocked off by a wall of plastic sheeting.

It gives one the feeling of claustrophobia, having to emerge from behind a corner flap.

We are going through a MAJOR renovation to the hotel to be finished in April. Again, I am excited as the rooms are looking pretty spiffy.

Our three top floors have been set to 6 themes and I must say they do brighten up the place. We're across from Disneyland and it was only natural that we have Disney themes in those rooms. We have Pirates, Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Princesses, Cars, and of course Classic Mickey.

Everything has been replaced...beds, carpets, plumbing, fresh paint, the works. It smells sooooo clean in there!

Our front desk isn't having a total overhaul, but the counters will now be a granite finish and there is supposed to be a fancy wall mural to accentuate it.

I will post pics as soon as everything is done.

I just have to suffer a few more days.

Until next time...

I decided to re-start my journal...

2011-03-01T10:53:00.001-08:00

And get ready. It's gonna be a LONG post.

So let's see, my last post was in what August? So a ton of things have happened since that time.

In September 2010, I finally got off my ass and got out of the HIE and into a hotel that is 100 times better where they have a proper management system and treat their employees like humans. Yeah, I know.

I'm still doing Audit, but I am making a hell of a lot more and have full benes. Whoo! And I'm right across from Disney again. YAY!

In October 2010, 10-10-10 to be exact, Jack and I finally were married. It was a splendid ceremony, not at Knott's like we had been trying for, but another venue that actually worked out so much better. It was at The Empty Grave, a maze located at the Anaheim Gardenwalk owned by some of Jack's friends. That had some of our family and closest friends attending, even most of my family was there.

I will post a different blog with pics for that soon.

Also was of course Haunt, and this year was a group trip, with Jack, Alex, Keith, Alex's boyfriend Paul and myself. And we had a blast as usual. Keith was already chomping at the bit asking for Haunt in 2011. I love that boy.

November went by nicely and I was able to have a small Thanksgiving with my turkey and all the trimmings.

December was busy, busy as all of us were working and possibly trying to move into a house with our friend Kile. I hadn't planned on putting up the tree or really celebrating, but to my surprise I came home Christmas morning to see that the tree and some decor was up as well as some gifts under the tree. That was a very sweet thing to do and a nice day. I also received my 3 month review to which I got a very good result.

January? Well, January was a pretty smooth month. Not too many things, basic life stuff.

But February....ah, now this past month was a lot to deal with. On the 8th, I had my birthday. We of course went to Disneyland and spent the whole day there. It was great fun as always.

But then tragedy happened on the 9th. A friend of mine(James' brother)was over visiting and he got a call from James' girlfriend. It was her saying that James was in the emergency room and that he was going home after being there for 6 hours. No one knew what was wrong, only that he had pain. But since the tests showed nothing, they discharged him. They had not called his brother as James had not wanted to alarm him, but the girlfriend finally gave in and called.

My friend went home and then called me a bit later saying James was on his way back to the hospital and he would let me know as soon as he heard anything.

I was on pins and needles as yes, James had some issues, but there was no real danger as far as we all knew. We were making plans for him to move in with us once Kile got the house so he could get out of his mom's place.

But at 2:40am on Feb. 10th, I got the call that James was gone. I lost it. I couldn't believe it. I had just talked to him the day before, his brother had dinner with him and he seemed okay. It was a shock to all of us. Yes, he had high blood pressure, yes he had problems with has back due to the rods in it from his accident many years before, but nothing prepared us for this.

He was only 27 years old. I didn't know how to react. I tried to go into work that night after crying for hours on end, but I couldn't do it. My manager took one look at me and said to go home, that I should be at home. I said okay and went home to lie in my bed. I called off for the next couple of days to try to recover.

Thing was, James and I got very close and he became a best friend to me. I didn't realize how close until that horrible phone call. I crumbled. And it was hard for me to go back to work, knowing that we wouldn't have our kooky 3am IM conversations or that he and his girl would not come over and hang out like they used to.

Then on the 18th, it was his funeral. That was terrible, seeing all of his family and most of his friends, most of them folks I knew as well having to say goodbye. I got up and said my tribute, Jack by my side, stammering out the words. I just wanted him to sit up, say it was all a gag, that he wasn't dead. Like it was the best Halloween type prank ever. But it didn't happen.

Then we went to the graveside service and that was even more awful as then it was final. The casket was closed. But the worst was yet to come. James' mom sought me out as her and I had not met each other yet. She hugged me for a long time, telling me how James had loved Jack and I. That she was always hearing about us and how glad she was we were his friends. She went on to say that yes, she knew he had been making plans to move in with us, but in a way she was glad we hadn't moved yet as she got more time to be with him.

That made me bawl again. I knew he cared, but not like that. It was such a great thing to know, but it hurt so much at the same time.

Afterwards, I went to his brother's house with a few others and we sat around talking and we had a few drinks. Now add this to the 2 Monsters I had as well as having worked my Audit shift the night before. We were all trying to forget the events of the day and when I got home, I tried to sleep. But my body was overworn. I began shaking uncontrollably. Jack made me go to emergency.

The doctor put me on an IV and I drained that bag dry. I told him about the last few days and he said I was suffering from massive fatigue and dehydration. I was ordered to not go back to work for the next 2 days.

This scared my husband and he watched over me like a hawk, making sure I ate, drank fluids, and got rest before I went back to work.

So now we are all trying to move forward and pick up the pieces. It really sucks as there are SO many things he and I talked about and shared. I get these twinges and it makes me feel miserable.

But I'm getting better. Or at least trying to.

It comes and goes.

His brother of course took it hard and I racked my brain to try to help him. We talked and it helped a little. I am trying to be strong as I know that's what James would want. Finally, this last week, I stumbled upon something that we could do and we went out, just he and I. On the 27th, we went to the shooting range.

I had never been and it was weird how doing that activity really was a release of so much tension. It was therapeutic for him as well. We plan on going again soon.

Of course, it doesn't ease the sadness completely, oh no. But it was nice to be able to lose myself in something for a teensy while.

So that's the gist of the news for right this moment. I am going to go and make myself busy as now my brain is full of memories and I need to not start crying again, because I promised I'd take care of myself.

I'll write again soon.

Until next time...

It's been far too long...

2010-08-14T01:29:00.000-07:00

So I know I kind of left this blog on the wayside. Sorry about that.

I am going to try to get back on track with it. A TON of things have happened. Of course..since I haven't posted since back in DEC!

But to catch everyone up, we got a new apt, Alex got a job, Jack and I are getting married in October (for sure this time) and we have 2 adorable cats named Vash and Boris.

Life has thrown us a few curveballs, but as we always say, "We're a team, and we'll make it work."

I'll do my best to stay on top of this. I at least owe it to my sister so she knows I'm not dead. -laughs-

See you all on the flip side.

Tis the season...

2009-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Ah, it wouldn't be Christmas without drama

2009-12-24T03:11:00.000-08:00

So, my kids went to go visit their dad for Xmas. Now, it was a bit shady from the getgo and I will explain that in just a moment.

I get a text from my son a week ago saying that he is going with his aunts to visit their dad and Alex is going too. I say oh, okay. I want them to go see him as he will leaving to Afghanistan on Feb. 14th, so any time they can spend is good. Alex then tells me about it as well.

But, here's the thing. I never get a call from the aunts about it. Not that I need them to ask permission, but common courtesy, you know? Especially since it's for a week and during Xmas. They left on the 20th and were supposed to come back on the 26th.

Notice I said supposed to? Uh-huh. It's not gonna be that way. First off, I found out that they figured that since Alex is 18, they shouldn't have to say anything to me about anything. Okay then, I let that one slide. Even though Alex does live with me...

Then there was a row about Alex standing up for Keith as the aunts were yelling at him about something. It got misconstrued and the assumption was that they (the aunts) were not welcome. They left the kids with their dad and went to a hotel.

So, all right...apparently other things were said and it was going to be that the aunts would come back on Xmas Day to open presents, but then pick up the kids on Sat. at 6am to drive them back. Well, from the earlier actions and words that had occurred, the kids' dad said that he would take them home himself.

But he would not be able to bring them home until Jan. 3rd. See, his worry was that since they had already played the non communication button with me and judging how they were treating Alex, then what was to stop them from stranding her somewhere with limited phone service. She's 18, find your own way home kind of deal.

Now I said I really don't think that would happen, but then again...

So he texts his sister to let her know he would take them home and to not worry about it. She, in a shocking moment, says, "Then guess we no longer have a brother, niece or nephew. You are all dead to us. Have a nice life and we are going home tomorrow."

Now me of course, said that maybe she's just angry and will get past it, even though that's a horrible thing to say. But he is convinced that they are serious, given their past history with the family anyway.

-sigh- I told him there is one good thing about it and that's thankfully it happened now rather than them sitting there and hearing the nonsense the 13 hour drive back. He did apologize to me about it. I said it was fine, I am just glad they are safe.

So I already asked for the 5th and 6th off, that's when the kids and I will have our Christmas.

-shakes her head- Family, gotta love them.

So it's been a LONG time..

2009-11-24T17:35:00.001-08:00

A lot has happened, but I will go into that in my next post. I am actually trying this out on my Sidekick, so let's see if this works. Bye for now.

It's coming, it's coming!!

2009-07-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

The lineup for Halloween Haunt 2009 has been announced! My predictions to come in the next post.

LOCKDOWN: THE ASYLUM New for 2009 – The GhostRider 1
Insanity reigns supreme in this maniacal nightmare prison. The inmates are out of their cells and their minds! The bars keep the inmates inside…and the authorities out! Every turn takes you deeper into the danger. There is no escape from Lockdown!

TERROR OF LONDON New for 2009 – Mystery Lodge
Step back in time and into the fog filled streets of London. The villains of the night are terrorizing the townsfolk! Step lively or you'll fall victim to Jack the Ripper's blade or Dr. Jekyll's twisted experiments. Will you make it out in one piece...or in pieces?

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS in 3D New for 2009 – Bumper Cars
Sacrificial blood rains down from the skies. The screams of La Llorona, the Weeping Woman, echo all around as the creatures of the night crawl from their decrepit crypts. Venture into the forbidden jungle of El Chupacabra and the blood soaked lair of primordial demons. “Dia de los Muertos”, the Day of the Dead, has arrived.

UNCLE BOBO’S BIG TOP OF THE BIZARRE in 3D New for 2009 – Xcelerator
Step right up! Don’t be shy! Welcome to the Big Top of the Bizarre! Uncle Bob is here to demonstrate his devious delights! Inside you’ll find a villainous variety of vaudevillian visages to vex even the most valiant voyeurs! Welcome to the greatest slaughter on earth!

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE – Main Gate Area
Folks from near and far come a-runnin’ for Farmer Willy’s world famous BBQ! Why you can smell the sizzling meat all the way from the interstate! Just take Exit I-13 and follow your nose! Venture through the Slaughterhouse where Farmer Willy will auction you off to the highest bidder, tenderize you with his chainsaw, and grind you into a tasty meat treat. Bone appetite!

CORN STALKERS – Stage Coach Trail
It’s harvest time and the crop is you! Plunge into the rows of rotting corn and try to evade blood thirsty monstrosities seeking to impale you on their razor sharp scythes. Danger is all around you; the stalks of corn are both your salvation and your doom.

ALIEN ANNIHILATION in 3D – The Lake (3D Laser Tag)
Begin transmission: – last entry log of deep space mining vessel Korova Matushka – ship has crashed – following homing beacon – discovery of alien ship – infestation imminent – send help – send help – end transmission.
Lock and load for a descent into the depths of an alien war. Your only companion is your mega-round-thrust repeater rifle and the hordes of alien invaders that threaten to take over the planet. The air lock is opening – prepare for Alien Annihilation!

THE LABYRINTH – Balloon Race
Take a journey through a forgotten forest, into the dark catacombs that lie beneath a ruined castle. The evil king has long since passed on but his cursed court still haunts the halls of the mysterious labyrinth. Don’t lose your way as you twist and turn through chambers unknown and vainly try to escape the menagerie of mythical monsters that roam the never-ending corridors.

QUARANTINE – Fiesta Plaza
In March 2008, the U.S. Government issued an emergency order sealing off an apartment complex in Los Angeles. A HazMat team was sent to investigate the quarantined building. Authorities have now denied any knowledge of the incident. The residents were never heard from again. There were no explanations; there was no evidence, until now. Experience the truth for yourself when you try to escape Sony Pictures’, Quarantine.

CLUB BLOOD – GhostRider 2
Welcome to Club Blood where the music is hypnotic and the cocktails are bloody. In the dark underbelly of the city, human victims are drained of their life to nourish the children of the night. Join the hypnotic dance macabre and explore the dark side of the undead.

THE DOLL FACTORY – Wilderness Dance Hall
In an old, abandoned toy factory, the Marionette Murderer, a psychotic serial killer turns his beautiful victims into life-size porcelain dolls for his personal collection. Tour his twisted museum of death and disfigurement, and hope to escape his mechanical lair.

PYROMANIAX – Log Ride
A fire bursts out on the mountain due to a tragic accident at the resident Moonshine Factory. It seems the locals have been using toxic waste to make their libation, and now the lethal fumes are turning everyone (including the Fire Fighters) into murderous mutants.

BLACK WIDOW’S CAVERN– Mine Ride
Dare to enter the old, abandoned mine, now overrun by deadly spiders. Get caught in the web of the horrific arachnids as you travel the train of terror on the old miner’s path of doom.

And of course the Scare Zones:

SCARE ZONES:
GHOST TOWN – Ghost Town
With 36 years of the finest thrills and chills, Ghost Town keeps’em screaming. Welcome back to Halloween Haunt’s first and world famous scare zone. The fog-filled streets are lined with ghouls, ghosts, and things that slide in the night.

THE GAUNTLET – Camp Snoopy
Bring out your dead! Through the plague-riddled streets of Camp Snoopy, the king ruthlessly rules his subjects through torture and cruelty. This malicious Medieval Faire features rat-eaten peasants, maniacal monks, and putrid pipers. Flee for your lives!

CARNEVIL – The Boardwalk
The Boardwalk has taken an evil turn as gruesome carnival characters perform their bizarre side-shows and evil clowns show their true colors.

Hi kids! :cough cough:

2009-07-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have been away for a while and I apologize for that. I have come down with a case of the yuckies. Seems the constant torture I have put on my mind and body finally caught up with me.

I started feeling bad on Wed. Thursday I had off, so what do I do instead of spending it with Jack filming the new episode? Stay in bed all day. I go back to work a 10 hour shift on Fri and my boss freaks out, saying you need to go home. Well, that didn't happen as there was no one else available.

So I say I will stick it out but I will take Sat off to get better. Which I do feel quite a bit better, if not 100% yet. I cannot wait to see just what I have in store for me being gone that one day and all. I received 6 work related emails just yesterday and I'm sure there are more floating waiting for me.

As it is, there are talks of my GM stepping down as she feels she is not being treated properly. The other person in the office seems to believe that she is the one in charge. Now she has asked me to report to her, which I do, but then she gets upset when I go to my GM. Now if I understand correctly, the GM is the next in command, then this person. Isn't that breaking the chain if I go to the other person first?

I don't quite get it, but okay. Since most of the issues I take to my GM are hotel related and the other person there has NO hotel experience, who should I go to, hmmm? Now my GM says that she doesn't want the stupid drama and if the other person wants the glory, then fine. But she had better be prepared for the gory stuff as well.

That's the problem. You see, when dealing with guests, it's not always happy moments. Most of it is, but there are those times when it really sucks to be in guest service as I'm sure I have posted here at some occasions. You cannot lose your temper or even jump to conclusions.

Like it or not, 90% of the time, the guest is right. And even that 10% will try to prove they're right also. It's work, and that's what you do. I do it because I love it. Yeah, it may be a pain in my ass sometimes, but if went smoothly all the time, it'd be boring. And who wants that?

I will find out next week what is going to happen. There is also rumors of me getting bumped to manager. I have been wanting that for so long. I won't hold my breath, but I will continue to bust out with the super duper guest servicey attitude that is me. I know they notice. At least I should be getting a raise with all the extra work and hours I put in.

I'll keep you all posted. Love to all.

I'm excited!

2009-07-03T01:46:00.000-07:00

I'm off for 4th of July! It's weird as I won't be able to shoot off fireworks since the kids dad doesn't live in the house where fireworks are legal anymore.

Besides, it will just be Jack, Keith and I as Alex will spending it with her boyfriend and his family. Which I am glad they are together. I don't know what the future will bring for them, but for now they are happy and taking it slow.

So I really have no clue just what I am doing that day. We have been invited to Jack's uncle's. I was kind of thinking of going to Huntington Beach like before with my boys but I haven't heard anything from either one of them.

I have a hankering to make my potato salad regardless as it is summer and Jack loves it. Hmmm, maybe I will make it anyhow.

RIP, Michael Jackson

2009-06-28T21:31:00.000-07:00

Now I have not written in my journal for a while and I'm sorry.

But today I am posting something that I feel I really need to say..

After going onto some of the forums that I post on, I saw so many that are negative. So, this is what I had to say to everyone:

-Ah, I get to be the unpopular one yet again. I am going to use the statement I said on my Facebook after I had posted a picture with "RIP Michael, you will be missed" and then receiving a few snide remarks.

"You are entitled to your opinion, but I know in my case I am sad he is gone. He was an amazing entertainer, regardless of his personal life.

And I am sure I am not alone in thinking that."

I didn't find jokes about him funny when he was alive either. Maybe that makes me the odd duck out, but I was never ashamed to say I was a fan. Ever.

Too many folks forget or choose not to acknowledge just how many musicians and others in the industry owe their careers to his innovations and imagination.

I am not saying he didn't have some eccentricities. But what celebrity doesn't or didn't?

Who out there watched that Thriller video and thought so many different things and grew up to do them? Such as Rick Baker's makeup or John Landis' directing? Or being a band and knowing that they could push that envelope a bit more instead of the same things that were popular at the time?

I'm not saying he's a god, but take out your cd collection today. Look at it and think, "If Michael hadn't done all the things he did in his life, would this even exist?" I'd bet it wouldn't.

That's my soapbox and I'll thank you to put it back when you're done.-

And that is all for now.

It's been one hell of a week again

2009-06-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, grab the popcorn.

So I really feel that my job is out to kill me. I know that it would be a lot more responsibility and I have accepted that. But it just gets a new star added.

Found out that the part time Auditor was up to more stupid nonsense. Now I knew they had been looking for a reason to fire him, so he's gone. Well, I get a phone call that morning asking me if I could work Audit if needed this week.

Geez, what am I going to say, no? Since there are now only the full time Auditor and myself that have any knowledge. Yeah..

So this week I am working my usual 6 days with a twist. I am off today, which I will explain why in a moment. But on Thurs and Fri I am working the glorious Audit shift from 12am-6am. Oh joy.

Look, it's not that I mind it, okay I do a little. But what else can I do until I train someone? Which drives me nuts since I had been saying that another person should be trained a long time ago.

Hopefully, I can fix the schedule to make this all work and me not have to work Audit. But there's another glitch, kids. All of my selfish staff have "issues" for weekend work. I know I have complained about this before, but damn it. It's flippin' nightmarish, really.

Guess what? Either I work Audit and one of you bites the bullet to work my night shift on the weekend or you train to work Audit 2 nights. I will NOT work Saturday mid shift after getting off work at 6am to come back at 2pm that same day. You're all crackers if you think that's going to happen.

As it is, I am now expected to pick up the slack if someone calls in. "You're on salary now." I get it, but that does not mean that these jokers can constantly take advantage. If that's the case, clean house and start over. Hey, it's summer. I'm sure people will be lining up.

And if I am involved in the hiring process, I will tell you exactly who will cut it and who won't. Do I sound cynical enough yet? Good. I love my job, but it is annoying when others don't share that vision. Gah.

Okay, for the second half of my rant.

The reason I am off today is my daughter is graduating high school. Yes, I am proud and excited. But there are a few things that have really bothered me, especially in this last few days. There have been some issues with her attitude that I have not addressed simply for the fact I just want the graduation to happen first. Then it's a bucket of reality dumped onto her head.

There is quite a laundry list, but I will address the one that is burning in me at this present time. I got a phone call yesterday while I was at work. Which of course when it always happens. My daughter says that she will spending the day with her dad today. Okay, that's good. He hasn't seen her for a while and they should hang out and talk.

Then I get it dropped on me. "Dad is taking me to graduation." I'm sorry, what? I didn't let her have it, but I was mad, no I was pissed. Just like that? After Jack has been getting up at 6am for you to take you to school and various things. And then pick you up when your random friends parents couldn't take you home?

Part of that was because of his work schedule, but sheesh. It's not really that far, but our car cannot take it. Is it too much to ask for just once, maybe? No, every time. I understand it's not their responsibility, but it sure was funny that she would get home when she wanted to.

But that graduation comment really hurt. He abandoned his kids. Yeah, I said it. And what am I, a roof over your head? That's all? I don't check on you and see how everything is ? I don't pay attention to you or give you enough love? But he blows back into town for 4 days and oh, whatever, bye Mom.

I am really upset about this. More than I thought I was. So, after he goes back to his little shack up North, I am going to have a long discussion with my dear daughter. Because the me me me is over. She is going to understand EVERYTHING is going to be different. She is an adult now. Time to get off your duff and get a job.

I don't have the luxury, even though I am a Supervisor now and make a little more money to let her just go to college and not contribute to the house. So I'm sure it will be a war and I don't care. If she feels she cannot handle it, I'm sure her Dad will let her move back in. Until she pisses him off, which I would give a week before that happened.

Don't misunderstand, though. I don't want her to leave, not at all. And I would not say that to her. But it's a hard life and we all have to survive. Jack and I are a team. She needs to be a part of that.

Arrgh, this is way too long. I am going to stop now. I will post her pics later this week.

It just gets better

2009-06-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

Sheesh, not only did I totally mis-understand just what "business clothes" meant, but I got handed a whole bunch of stuff to do today.

Go me!

Apparently I am supposed to wear a suit, yep a suit kids. Skirt, blazer all that fun stuffs. I cannot afford that. So we reached a compromise. If I get some nice blouses and pants for now, then they will get me a suit later.

And I am in charge of making the schedule now. Which unless we hire someone,(which isn't bloody likely anytime soon) I will be working 6 days for a while. The people left have all kinds of restrictions for their work. I don't want to be the bad guy, but something's gotta give.

I noticed that only 2 people are working on the weekends. Myself and one other. That is definitely not right and I intend to find out why. I am not going to get burnt out being here EVERY single weekend. It's expected that EVERYONE that works at a hotel should be busy on the weekend and I believe too many shady deals went down at one point, so that excuse after excuse makes it so they cannot work.

There's a new sheriff in town, kids and guess what? I'm taking no prisoners. I will tread lightly at first, of course. Don't worry.

Then I get told oh yeah, you are supposed to email the company that makes our business cards to get some for you. Huh? Okay, so I get the contact information and I'm sure sound like a total dork when I emailed.

It is pretty exciting though. I will have my own business cards. Yay!

I am very tired and I hope that I can organize it all to a good ending soon. Keep your fingers crossed.

The earthquake is over and the ground has settled..hopefully

2009-05-31T18:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's been a while since I posted. I have an excellent reason for that.

Within these past few weeks, my GM was fired, my manager went AWOL, which ended in her termination, and I got promoted to Supervisor. Whew, that's a lot, right? So perhaps I should go back and explain a bit better, shall I?

So, our next to last training meeting, we had..no wait, I need to go back farther than that. There was an accountant brought in by the owners about a month ago to begin looking over some discrepancies. Now she also started to ask questions of staff about other people's work habits.

I was honest when she questioned me without giving too much personal opinion. At least I thought so. She asked me about my GM, what her work schedule was and how often did I actually see her. Now if you work in a place such as mine, it's like a small town. Everyone pretty much knows already, but they want to see if you'll lie.

I said what I knew and left it at that. Fast forward to the next to last training meeting. I walk in and people were acting so weird. We all find out later that the GM is not longer employed and the Sales manager is now acting GM. Wow, talk about strange.

After that happens, my manager starts to get all paranoid and think that she's next. Seeing as her and the GM came from the same hotel before and were friends. I tell her that if she is doing her job, she has nothing to worry about. She still is stressing out and I of course cannot convince her otherwise.

Now the accountant with the owner's permission, begins to make the schedule. This does not sit well with my manager at all. I get some reduced hours, but I take it in stride since we are a hotel and things like that tend to happen. I also know it is a temporary situation. But it becomes an issue for others.

One of the staff members is my manager's friend and he decides that he doesn't want to be patient about his dwindling hours and quits. That wasn't really too big of a shock though. He was not happy here and his lack of guest service reflected that.

Then on May 24th at about 3:15pm, I receive a phone call from my manager. She sounds like she's crying and says she can't make the schedule. I asked her if she was okay. She also said that she had called the Sales manager and that she wasn't able to get ahold of her, but that she believed that yesterday was her last day at the hotel. Then the phone went dead. I called the Sales manager to let her know the situation.

She said she would call my manager and get back to me when she could. The accountant called as well to find out what was happening. I told her what I knew so far and she said that if I heard anything else to let her know. The Sales manager called me back and asked if I could stay until 8pm as it seemed that my manager was not coming in at all.

That my manager had said to her that she was done with the hotel and that she didn't want to explain anything, but that she was just done. I said I would stay and then she asked for Night Audit's number which I gave to her. I then looked in the back and noticed that my manager's picture collage was no longer there and it was hanging there yesterday as it has been for the almost 2 years I've been here.

So I was a bit confused since I saw my manager the day before and she seemed fine. Perhaps it is a temporary situation and she just wants to blow off steam. I am wondering though that it is Memorial Day weekend and she is scheduled to be off tomorrow, so why not call in today to not work your 6pm to 12am shift? Maybe that is mean, but it did cross my mind.

She only worked a 12pm to 6pm shift that day before, so my logic wasn't a unheard of thing. I was just hoping I'm not right. I figured we shall see on Tues. which way it goes. I really don't see her just quitting like that. Unless she got a better deal somewhere else. But still, I don't understand.

Nothing is heard at all until the 26th. I get told that there will be some interviews for manager next week and that I am in the top three candidates. I say wow, thank you and I look forward to that. I ask about my manager and am told that it's not for me to worry over. I say okay.

Then I get asked by the accountant to come speak to her after my shift. I do so and she says she has something to tell me. She says you cannot wear that uniform anymore. I say why? She says because you are no longer a front desk person. I get a little scared. She says you have to wear business clothes from now on. She says that I am being promoted to Supervisor.

Wow! We discuss everything and I sign a 3 month probation contract. Which after that time, it will be decided whether to promote me to manager or not. Now I am sweating bullets as even though I know I can do the job, since I was doing most of it anyway, I really have to step up the guest service and employee morale part of it.

I am also concerned that some staff may think I was after my manager's job that whole time. Which is nonsense, but hey, people are funny when it comes to changes. So I go out and get a few items which I think are more businessy. What do I know? I've been wearing a uniform for almost 6 years. It was very odd buying things that would give me more of a professional look.

A memo gets posted and various staff members congratulate me. But then I am asked yesterday to write a statement about what happened that day when my manager called in. I say I will and I come in a bit early to write it. Now of course, I don't sit in the front as then guests will assume I'm working.

I sit at the manager's desk in the back and set my things down. Of course I just finish and print it when lo and behold, the accountant walks in with my manager. Huh, awkward much? Anyhow of course, I show my manners and step back to show my respect while my manager takes care of taking whatever is left at the desk of her personal property. She takes great pains to not look at or address me unless she has to. And hmm, she seems to be in VERY good spirits unlike the last conversation I had with her.

Which makes me laugh a bit since what did she think would happen? She was the one who deserted the hotel and we all picked up the slack and moved on. Yes, I would have waited just a few days more (for my promotion and all that) until after she had signed the exit papers and was no longer coming to property, but that's me.

Now we are getting back on track and pulling together as a unit. I have re-assured everyone that asked that we are a team and my promotion is to help us all reach the common goal of a successful hotel. That's where my desire lies. Not for power or that stupid stuff. I am not going to be someone that forgets where they come from. I was born in the trenches and I'll die in the trenches, right next to my co-workers. That's what teamwork, real teamwork is all about.

I think one of the things I have in my favor is that everyone I work with sees that it's not a phase, and that I truly do give a damn, that I have from the beginning. That is what I believe will help push us all to greatness.

I will keep everyone posted more, I promise. But now you all know why I have been absent for a while.

I learned a new word today!

2009-05-19T14:15:00.000-07:00

So, I come into work and go to fetch my timecard out of my box to clock in. It is not in its usual place, so I have to pull out a few things to find it. A piece of paper that I have not seen before catches my eye.

I read and start to laugh. The girl I am relieving looks at me. She asks why am I laughing? I say, "Look, someone has left their vocabulary homework in my box. Wasn't that nice of them to share their knowledge?"

She says, "What are you talking about?" I hand her the paper and she looks at it, then looks at me. I am still laughing as she says how mean is that. I just shrug my shoulders and say, "It's great I can further my education even at work. What a helpful individual!"

She says, "Wow. That's messed up. Why would someone do that?" I just laugh again and put the paper back into my box. She leaves as I am still cracking up.

The big joke is that someone placed a paper with the word hypocrite complete with the definition on it for me to read.

Awww, I feel so special. That I was chosen to receive the word of the day. What an honor!

LMAO!!!

It has been a heck of a week

2009-05-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. Where's Ruthie's updates, I'm sure you're asking. Well, here we go. So I come into work on Wed. for a training meeting. We all find out our GM has been let go that day. So of course everyone freaks out about it. Me, I sit back and figure well, if you are doing your job, you have nothing to worry about.

Or if the owners decide to just get rid of everyone, then you deal with it. That's just how it is. The only problem is that there are some shady dealings going down and I am trying so desperately not to get shoved into the middle. I found out that some other staff members were saying that I should be gotten rid of if layoffs are to happen.

Yeah. Well, it's because I am actually a threat. Go figure. I am just doing my job, people. Yes, I do want to move up and expand my knowledge, okay? But wow, it is getting so Spy vs. Spy vs. Spy, it's crazy. Everyone wants tabs on everyone else.

I don't know what to do except I will tell anyone that tries to sway me that I am loyal to the company and anything dealing with upper management should be handled by upper management. I cannot and will not be forced to write any documentation or say anything to the contrary.

If I get fired, so be it. I am looking out for what's best for the hotel, not myself. That's what matters to me. Doing my best to help make it a success, not get involved in drama. So I will take my reduced hours for now in total confidence that it will all straighten out soon.

Keep your fingers crossed.

It turns out I clean up rather well

2009-05-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

So I spent some time with my sister yesterday and she took some really nice photos!

I am only going to post one of my favorites for now. I really would like to have this one framed to hang in my house.

Yesterday was full of good news as I finally got to speak to the PR lady from Knott's. It seems that everything is a go. The biggest issue will be cutting a lot of guests out, but that's what the reception will be for.

It's either only have immediate folks there and do this for free or have EVERYONE and charge a fee at the church door. My extended family and friends should understand. If not, well...too bad. I love you, but who's wedding is it anyway?

Yes, it may sound a bit selfish. But I look at it this way. Not only is this our special day, Jack and I will not be mingling afterwards. We will be filming our Haunt show, so it's also business.

So I have to really trim the guest list. Which I have already done considerably. Besides, everyone just wants to go to the reception anyhow. That's fun and has food and music! Our wedding will be on October 8th, at either 4 or 5pm. That's so the monsters can be there and we can get arranged at the maze.

Oh, speaking of that..turns out that 13 Axe is gone. :tear: But in its place will be a maze featuring old time London Streets. Yep, a Jack The Ripper maze! Well, that's right up our alley, isn't it? It will have a carriage out in front as well. I'm so excited. We were talking (Jack and I) and since it will be more along the lines of that era, no more vampirey stuffs. More on a Mary Kelly kind of look.

Still Victorian, but damn it, I get to wear PURPLE! Yay! Here is the dress I want. Imagine this is purple.

Yes, it's not exactly period, but who cares? It's Grade A awesomeness. And it does fit in with my Autumn theme. I will wear a purple dress, a black veil and have an orange bouquet. I will BE Halloween colors.

Ooh, I am so excited!

What a day we had yesterday!

2009-05-01T14:48:00.001-07:00

Okay, so we first went to Keith's ceremony. That was really amazing. Keith's school is a Special Ed school and wow the staff really knows how to make things happen quick!

Here are some pics of my boy and family that went to support him:

Then we had our night of A Nightmare On Elm St.!! It was amazing. We had a lot of fun and it seems that we succeeded way more than the theater expected. So, Jack is waiting for the official word, but from the response last night, it is a very strong possibility we will be able to continue!

Here are a few pics for you:

By the way, the Fango show will up by this weekend. So keep your eyes peeled for that!

I'm a proud mama!

2009-04-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

I was going to post about Fango, but that can wait for another post.

On Thurs April 30th, I am privileged to announce my son will be receiving a certificate for Student Of The Year.

He has come so far with this school and I for one have nothing but respect for the amazing teacher that has given Keith such motivation.

I promise to post pics showing off my boy and his triumph.

2009-04-18T13:29:00.001-07:00

Fangoria convention: horror freaks and geeks unite. It's wall to wall spooky fun. Clive Barker, Doug Bradley, Bill Moseley, etc. WOW!

Fango and learning about technology

2009-04-17T19:39:00.001-07:00

Whoohoo! I can now blog from my phone. Look forward to updates from FangoCon tomorrow.

Wow, I feel like such a techgeek right now. But yes, we are going to the FangoCon and it looks like it will be a blast. There is also going to be a Zombie Walk in the morning, which means we need to be there before 9am. Ugh.

For more info on these, go to http://www.creationent.com/cal/fangocon/index.asp

Hello out there in Blog world!

2009-04-13T22:25:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the doctor with my poor Keith man. Or as we affectionately call him now "Nubs". His finger looks way better than it did. Well, maybe to some people.

Here's what it looked like at his last appt. about 3 weeks ago.

Still pretty raw there. Keith was hiding under his jacket 'cause he didn't want to see it.

But today he says, "Guess what Mom, I think you'll be really surprised at how much it's healed."

So we take off the gauze and here is what it looks like. Yeah.

A bit gruesome, but a heck of a lot better, yes?. The reason it looks like that is because he has been soaking it and keeping it wrapped up. The doctor said not to soak it anymore and now just place a band-aid on it.

Keith is a just a tad freaked out since he hasn't used it for a while. But that will change. My only question is: Should I trim the nail or leave it be for now?

But I'm happy because he will be spending the next 2 days with us. It's his Spring Break this week. Yay!

I will post again soon. Bye for now!

Today is a day of remembrance in our house

2009-04-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

Now while most jokesters are acting all crazy and playing pranks on each other, we have lit candles and been very solemn today.

It's more Jack than myself, but I support him in all that he does. Today is a special day in Jack's book. It is Rozz Williams' death day.

Now for those who don't know, Rozz is considered the father of Gothic music, deathrock to be exact. He lived a fairly obscure life, but left a mark on Gothic culture. Some say he was Gothic culture.

Unfortunately, his personal turmoil made him so unhappy that he took his own life on April 1st in 1998. His ashes are in the Hollywood Forever cemetery and we have visited every year that we have been together on or as close to that day as possible.

He is what helped to form part of what Jack is today. So I look upon today as not a day of frivolity, but of inspiration and reflection.

This is Rozz' memorial video:

(WARNING: This may not be appropriate for everyone)

If you want to learn more about Rozz and his life, go to www.rozznet.com.

My 100th post is something special!

2009-03-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

So, aside from this being my 100th post, I have some fantastic news to share. A while back, I had written to the wonderful PR lady at Knott's. We had such a great time filming the Darkest Hours special there and were anxious to repeat that again.

I wrote to her with that and a plan about our upcoming nuptials. Sort of a celebration of Haunt and our wedding all rolled into one.

She wrote back and said that it sounded great! We just have to change our date from Sat. to a weekday since they will have other media there to promote it. Uh, duh, of course we have no problem with that! She also asked if we want it at one of the mazes or at the Chapel. LOL

Hmm, what do you think? We want to be immersed in Haunt. That's the reason we want to do it. Then afterwards we will film the rest of our show sort of as Honeymoon At Haunt. I am trying to rework our guest list as I am sure I will not be able to invite the 100 people due to security reasons.

Which is fine, since we are planning on using the upstairs meeting room in my hotel for a reception that weekend. My manager has already given me the go ahead on that one. I figure a semi-potluck is in order and it will be a grand Halloween party. I can probably get reasonably priced rooms for the family if they need them.

More on this as I get more info.

It just gets better

2009-03-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

So while I am out having lunch with Kile on Thursday, I get a phone call from my ex. His VM says that he is done and that I need to get our daughter by this weekend. Seems that she was on restriction for having a bad progress report and when her boyfriend came to take her to church, she was told she couldn't go. Well, she went. Hence my phone call. He proceeds to say that Lisa (stepmom) is already packing Alex's stuff.

Now I got majorly pissed as what the hell am I supposed to do? Especially since this is the day after the robbery and I had just finished telling all about it, then this happens. I call Alex to find out what's going on. She says she can't go back to a place she's not wanted. I say okay, give me a few minutes and I'll call you back. I look at Kile and he says let's go. Of course I am crying again 'cause this is just too much.

We get out to where she's at and I call Daryl. Wow, we talked ahem, yelled at each other for almost an hour. We go back and forth about what's going on. I tell him I am not saying that what Alex did was right, it's not. But what I am angry about is the fact that he told her to leave. I ask him if that is what he truly wants. He says no, but that Alex made her decision. I say, but you are the adult, the parent. Also, you cannot threaten me with this and not expect me to react. I have my friend here with a truck and I am ready to take her stuff now.

He says that's not how he wants this to go. I say I don't either, but you have to make a choice. He says he is not choosing Lisa over his kids. I said I never said that you did. I meant about the living situation. I know what's been going on. I've seen it. I put him on speaker and Alex talks to him too. Turns out that they (Lisa and Daryl) have been trying to get Alex to talk to a shrink about her problems.

I blow up at this, asking him why aren't you talking to her? He says well, I don't want to hear about her friends. I told him it's part and parcel the same thing. If she feels comfortable enough to tell you about her friends, then it will come down to her issues. Don't you get it? Then Alex pops up with that she has been feeling depressed and suicidal. He glosses it over like it's nothing. Uh yeah, that may be teenage angst, but I am taking no chances.

I ask again what he wants to do now. He says that it's Alex's decision and that Lisa has already packed half her stuff. I say and you're okay with that? He says yes. I say okay then, obviously the choice has been made. He is not happy, but has to deal with it. I lost it and I finally say what has been on my mind. And I am not alone. I told him you realize what's happening. She has done everything possible to poison you against your kids. And it worked. Alex says to him again about what it's like in the house, how Lisa ignores her and hides in the bedroom.

He says oh so now Lisa is the whole problem? I say no, but you no longer listen to the kids. And you promised that would never happen. That they are first in your life. He says that is still true. I say not from where I'm standing. He says what do you want from me? I say a home for our daughter that welcomes her and is not a place she has to worry about losing. Where she feels safe.

He says well, maybe that place is with you. I say maybe it is. He calms down and says all right. Then we will figure something out to help take care of her. I say okay, and by the way I will never put the kids against you. It's on you to keep a good relationship with them. He says we will talk soon and I hand the phone to Alex. They talk for a few more minutes and I hear her say I love you Dad.

We get to the house and Jack is waiting. I had asked Kile to call him to meet us at the house. Now I am still in the mindset of maybe we can just take her for a few days and maybe smooth it over. We go in and there are boxes, boxes, boxes in the front room. And Lisa is nowhere to be found. We walk into Alex's room and 95% of her stuff is gone. Oh, so that's what is in the boxes. That pissed me off again. It was only 3 hours! Between the first VM and all the discussion on the phone.

Obviously, someone saw a major opportunity, didn't they? I found out later that a lot of it was stuff Lisa had placed into boxes after the restriction happened. Alex's PS2, her stereo, various items of value. Oh, and her cell was taken away as well. Alex was told she wouldn't get any of these things back until there was proof of bringing up her grades. Okay..I can understand putting it away, but boxing it up and sealing it? Yeah, no forethought there.

Alex had to go out to the backyard where Lisa was to get her phone. Now she didn't say goodbye to Alex or anything when we left. Oh, well. So now Alex is living with us. Yes, 3 months ahead of schedule. Arrgh. She is going finish her year out at her high school. It's going to be tough, but as always we'll make it work.

The only thing that is a mess right now is that I don't really foresee Daryl giving me any money to help me. When I asked, he said that at the moment, he was sending enough to help pay the rent and that Lisa was buying the food. So I would have to talk to her. Oh hell no. What makes you think I am going to discuss anything with that woman? This is your child, not hers. She doesn't care.

He said that once Lisa has moved up to where he's at, it should be easier to send something. But that he wouldn't know until everything was settled. But you know what? I will make it work. Thank goodness I have Jack or I would be insane at this point. And Kile too. I apologized so much that night. Thank you for what you did. I really appreciate it.

I am looking at this as a new adventure!!! Together, we can do it.

How to go from happy to horrified in one day

2009-03-25T00:31:00.000-07:00

March 24th started out as a great day. I went into work and was commended by my GM. Turns out we had a quality inspector check in last night and he went to my GM today and gave his report. Apparently, I was the only person at the front desk in 4 years to get a perfect review. So I was feeling pretty good about myself.

But then at about 8pm after everyone else had left, I had a man come in and ask me for a pen and paper. I hand it to him. He gives it back to me and I read it. It says: "This is a robberry. Give me the mone and no one wil get hert." Yes, spelled just like that. Now I admit this guy looked a little slow and I thought it was a prank.

I said to him, "Are you serious?" waiting for my manager to come out from the corner or something. He has his hand in his pocket and starts saying, "Give me the money, I don't want to hurt you." At this same time, I am on the phone with Jack and there are a few people in my lobby. I say to Jack, "Honey, I have to go. Apparently, I'm being robbed."

He says, "What?" Of course at this time, we are both thinking it's somebody playing a joke. But the guy starts smacking at my phone saying, "Hang up the phone and give me the money." His hand comes over the counter and hits the button that hangs up the phone. I say I don't have
anything here, but that I have money in my purse. I grab my laptop and shove it into the side cubby.

He says, "Get it for me. Give what money you have." I come back out and he says, "I don't want to hurt you. Where's the money?" I say, "Hold on. I'll get it." At this point, there is another guest that comes into my lobby to check in. The man jumps over my counter and grabs me saying, "Give me the money, come on, don't make me hurt you." He has taken his hand out of his pocket and it doesn't look like there's a gun, but I don't know. I was so scared that he would hurt me.

He shoves me against the cash drawer and rifles through another drawer. Then he pushes me away from the cash drawer, saying, "The money, where is it?" He yanks the front off of the cash drawer, knocking the till onto the ground. I begin to scream, and yell that there's a robbery, call 911. The man scooped up whatever cash he could and ran out the side door.

Thankfully there were people having a meeting upstairs and some other guests heard me and tried to chase the guy down. The guest that had walked in was already calling 911 once she saw him jump over and I followed suit. I then called my manager and she said she would be right there.

Now, aside from being scared, the most embarrassing thing happened when he grabbed me. I peed my pants. Ugh, so the cops show up and the lobby is now full of people that came to help me. Not only am I crying, but feeling really uncomfortable. Thank goodness I wear black pants to work. I call Jack and say please bring me some pants.

The cops question me over and over about what happened and what he looked like. One does the fingerprint powder and then they go into the back and watch the video. Yes, the video. You can only see the back of him, but everything that happened is on there. I was dealing with them for about 2 hours.

My GM shows up as well and immediately she asks if I'm okay. I say yeah. After all the questions and whatnot, then my GM finally counts out what is missing. Now, the reason why I was so weird about not letting this idiot get to the drawer was that I has just taken the payment from the upstairs group about 10 minutes before. No one had been in the lobby at that time.

So not only did I have the normal $300 till, I also had $150 extra. I hadn't dropped it in the safe, since there's usually not a reason to until the end of your shift. Turns out he got away with about $197. I was very angry about it. More than scared, I was pissed off that the hotel is in my care and something like this happens. I know that's dumb, but I have been in the hotels for almost 6 years and this has never happened to me.

Unfortunately, the guy got away. The nice people that tried to catch him lost him around a corner. But a copy of the video was made and given to the cops. So maybe it will help.

My GM said that she is going to be rearranging the schedule for the next week, so no one will be alone just in case he comes back. There was a bike hidden in the bushes and there is a belief it might have been his. So he may be the dumbest criminal and come in to ask for his bike. If he does, I'll be ready.

As for me, I am off for the next 3 days. That was actually my schedule, so yay.

But I am okay. So don't worry. Some stupid moron is not going to shake me up.

Love to all.

I went on a small trip down Memory Lane yesterday

2009-03-20T01:31:00.000-07:00

So we were supposed to go to Hemet, (Jack, Kile and I) for a special Disney presentation. But as what usually happens, we got a little off schedule and traffic was not on our side. It did lead to some funny conversations though.

As we are traveling down the 91, it becomes very apparent that we are NOT going to make it to the 7pm beginning. None of us want to be that guy, we all don't like "that guy." You know, the ones that try to slide in during a show and pretend like it's normal.

Anyhow, we are driving and there is Castle Park. Oh yeah, I haven't been there for years. Not since I lived over in that area. It' s the general consensus in the truck that there is no way we will make it on time, so why don't we go and check out Castle Park? (Neither of them had been there before)

I know what you're thinking. Castle Park over Disney? Or for that matter, Super Walmart? Well, it seemed silly to drive all the way out to Hemet just for Super Walmart. At least this trip. But don't worry, my sister. I will go out there and take pics for you.

But anyhow, we get off the freeway and discover there is only one entrance. Oh boy. It looks like a ghost town since the rides are only open on the weekends. Oh, wait there are some people playing golf. Okay.

We check the sign and it says closes at 8pm. What!??! All right then. One round of golf. I pick Course 3. Wow, I think the person that designed this course also was responsible for most of the roads in Riverside County. It was loops and dead ends and holes in strange places.

But we had a lot of fun with Jack winning. Of course, we are finishing up and they make the announcement they are closing. Okay, no worries. But when we drop off our clubs, ALL the doors are closed and we had to walk around the castle to the parking lot. That was interesting and weird.

Kile says he's hungry, so we go to the IHOP down the street. He pulls into what seems to be the logical driveway. Oh no, it's a fire lane that should be open, but has 2 trucks parked in it. He has to do the most creative driving I've seen in a while. I didn't think a truck could be a pretzel like that.

Then we came back home and played a few video games. Jack showed him a Japanese Disney game on the computer, then Fatal Frame on PS2, then they played WDW Racing that is sort of like Mario Cart.

It wasn't what we expected, but it was a good time.

And because I am a freak like that, I did get some pics of the haunted house on another course. It was with my phone, so they are kind of scratchy. But here you go...

Yeah, I could live there.

Happy lazy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

So I was at the store picking up my veggies for my cornbeef when I saw this:

Okay, just how sad is this that we as a society cannot gather and chop our own stew ingredients?

For those of you with bad eyes, the front says IRISH STEW MIX and the back says GREEN CABBAGE, RED POTATOES, CARROT, YELLOW AND RED ONION.

That just made me laugh out loud. Pretty soon, you'll be able to buy entire dinners already made for those holiday get-togethers. Oh, wait....

Let's all go to the movies!

2009-03-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

This is a copy of the flyer we are using to promote our showing of A Nightmare On Elm St. Please share with everyone you can. I'm sorry for those of you that don't live in CA. But depending on how popular this becomes, we may come to your town too.

Watchmen review

2009-03-07T01:38:00.001-08:00

Okay, okay so I am going to be a bit of a slacker on this only because I agree with most of this fantastic review a fellow LJ person wrote.

I take no responsibility for his language but I do warn you that if you haven't seen the film, this does include a LOT of spoilers.

http://bowieelfmanfan.livejournal.com/34012.html

All in all, I am glad I went to see it. But I don't foresee this being anything other than a spectacular nerd film that does awesome its first week and then sort of trickles off.

I have been wrong before, but we'll see.

I personally would have gone for the whole trilogy angle, just so you could include everything.

But in true Jack and I fashion, we give it 4 jack-o-lanterns since it is a overdue classic that needed to be celebrated in celluloid.

Anyone else see it? What are your views?

Tonight is going to be crazy!

2009-03-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

Not only is the hotel sold out, but we are going to see the sneak preview of Watchmen at the Gardenwalk at 12:01am. Yeah, I know. But see, since we have an arrangement with the theater, we get to see it for free and in the 21 and over theater.

So that's awesome!

Oh, also we got a response about the Darkest Hours Undead experience. And the winner is: Nightmare On Elm St!

Turns out it hasn't been shown in a theater for almost 20 years. So that will be a huge buzz. Especially since it will be an actual print, not just a DVD. We are really going to push that for promotion.

We have a date scheduled of April 30th. We will be having an all ages and a 21 and over showing. Woohoo!

Now what will be happening is this: we are not getting a share of the box this time. But we will be able to have a merch booth and any proceeds from that go directly to us.

I will post more about the times soon. Keep your eyes peeled for that.

And I will post my review of Watchmen tomorrow.

UPDATE: The all ages show will be at 7pm and the 21 and over show will be at 9:30pm. Go to darkestjack.com to learn more soon.

Here they are, Sea World pictures!

2009-02-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

I went on a date yesterday!

2009-02-27T11:27:00.000-08:00

Let me explain. Now I will be posting the Sea World pics soon, but this just has to be written about first.

The mail comes and there is a card for Jack. He opens it and it's from his Mom. Inside are some gift cards for Carl's Jr. and two movie vouchers for AMC. So he says to me, "Would you like to go out to lunch and a movie with me?"

Of course I will! I love that he still asks me like we have only been together for a few months, not 7 years. So we go to the Block to have lunch and they have Coraline toys! Wow, that movie was amazing, but I had not seen any toys. So he buys me the set. How sweet!

Then we go to the theater. Now we had decided that since we get to go for free, let's go and see something we normally would just wait to see on DVD. So in the spirit of well, us, we go see Friday the 13th.

Oh boy, now I knew it would be different. We aren't really fans of the slasher genre of horror anyway, but we tried to give it a chance. But this was awful. The acting was terrible, the kills were boring (all 12 of them, 14 if you count the implied ones) and the side plot that was shoved into it didn't work at all.

The only thing that was great was that we were the only ones in the theater. So yes, we made some smart aleck comments. Jack and I were laughing throughout most of it. Jason was no longer this lumbering idiot. He was fast, sort of smart, and wow it only took him 20 years to finally figure out those pesky arts and crafts.

But you didn't care. That was sad. I wanted everyone to die. Even the "heroes" and heck even Jason. So when the big finale happened, it was meh. We did have a lot of fun though. Afterwards, we reviewed it and came to the conclusion of 3 and 1/2 jack-o-lanterns out of 5.

Only because if you are a fan of the series, it is just what you would expect. But don't rush out to see it. I'm just glad I didn't pay to watch.

Wow, does that sound cynical? It's not. I just have to know what someone's motivation is. Pinhead has one, Freddy has one, even Michael Myers has one. But Jason has been living at Camp Crystal Lake for over 20 years. Get over it, dude. Seriously.

That's just my opinion.

I'm going to Sea World!

2009-02-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

So tomorrow is going to be pretty awesome. Even though I have to be awake by 7am.

I am going to Sea World with a few of the hotel employees. It is a special invitation, so unfortunately I could not take anyone else. But it sounds like a lot of fun.

We leave on the tour bus at 8am, have a light breakfast on the bus, then have lunch with Shamu! Afterwards, we get to explore and have fun until 5:30 when the bus takes us back to the hotel.

I just have NO idea what I'm going to wear. At least it won't be raining. ;-)

I will be taking loads of pictures, look forward to that!

But today, I do have to go to work, so bye for now.

Keith is healing nicely

2009-02-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

So I did write about us going over to redress Keith's finger. I thought you might like to see how well it looks after only a few days.

Thanks to Molly for showing the staff how to take care of it.

Hopefully, with this treatment, he won't need any surgery.

I want...if only I had $5,000.

2009-02-21T19:06:00.000-08:00

This is on www.scarefactory.com.

They have some of the most amazing stuff.

It's not as bad as I thought

2009-02-21T12:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to go visit Keith. Aunt Molly went there as well and she was able to take off the old dressing to put on new. It wasn't as bad as before and wow just that few days really made a difference.

His finger is starting to heal already so hopefully by the end of the 2 weeks, he won't have to get the surgery at all.

So that's a very good thing.

I'll keep everyone updated as much as possible.

Unfortunately, I have to go to work but I will be back soon.

PS. Thank you , my sister for getting all that stuff for him. I really do appreciate it.

I am frustrated and tired

2009-02-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

So we go and pick up Keith for his appointment. The doctor is very nice and she talks to Keith calmly. Which of course helps him a lot to relax.

But then she tells the nurse to remove the dressing. Whoa, he got real pale. I told him if it freaked him out not to look, but he did. Oops. As soon as the final piece was removed, it began to bleed. Oh, that wasn't a good thing for Keith. He got a bit scared and I said no, it's okay that's why we are here. The doctor will take care of it.

I, as promised, took pictures. I have posted them at the end of this entry. The doctor said let's start by placing his finger into a tub of peroxide first. Holy Hannah!

That stuff looked like a root beer float by the time he was done. I had never seen peroxide do that. The nurse tapped it dry and the doctor examined his finger saying well, she wants to put Keith on a regimen of peroxide for 3-5 minutes each day with then a application of neosporin and a change of dressing for about 2 weeks.

Then we are to come back and see what to do then. It may heal enough to not need anything else, which would be beneficial to all.

So that's great, right? I thought so, until I got a phone call from another one of Keith's caretakers after I got home. I had explained everything to one of them already. This one was asking about the peroxide and wanted to know if we were going to buy it and bring it over.

That kind of made me upset. Isn't part of the reason my son is in this home is so if something like this happens, they have the first aid available? Also, they are getting paid to make sure he is safe and healthy. If they cannot have a simple bottle of peroxide in the home, perhaps I should find another place for him.

I know it's only about 2 dollars, but right now this week, it's 2 dollars I don't have. I am really worried now that unless I figure out how to buy a bottle, they will not do what they are supposed to. And I cannot go out to Bellflower
every day to make sure it is done properly.

It's probably because I have gotten up too early for me 2 days in a row so I am exhausted, but I am very upset about this. Hopefully, Jack and I can work something out. I hope.

Sorry this one is such a downer, but I don't feel like my cheerful spooky self today.

Edit: I am doing better now, I am at home and thankfully I spoke to my sister and all is well.I do want to warn you this slideshow may be disturbing. It is a bit gruesome if you're not ready for it.

In my morbid weird way, it looks pretty cool, just not the fact it's my baby. That is the part I am having issues with. I see that kind of stuff in a horror movie, I totally love it. But on my son, not so much. Now that I have said that, never let it be said I would stand in the way of artistic expression.

So here you go.

It's a little scary...just a bit.

2009-02-17T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well, Keith's appt. is tomorrow at 10am. I am a tad worried but intrigued as this will be the first that I will get to see Keith's owie without the bandage on it.

Oh yeah, 'cause I'm a sicko like that, I WILL take a few pictures this time.

Hopefully, they will just let it heal on its own. I may have to have Keith see his uncle-in-law, (is that a word?) since he also specializes in that field.

I really don't want Keith to have surgery if he doesn't need it.

I worry lots about my boy, it's not easy knowing he's hurting and I cannot just zip over to help.

But we shall see how this appt. goes. I will update soon, promise.

The Darkest Hours Undead Experience (title pending)

2009-02-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

So I have some incredible news! Jack and I went to this amazing new theater in Anaheim. It's at the Gardenwalk. Now this theater is the first in Orange County to have a special 21 and over section. You can also buy beer and wine to enjoy during your movie.

But that's not why we are excited. No. Personally, I wouldn't purchase alcohol to watch a movie, but hey there's all different kinds of folks out there.

So we watched Coraline, which by the way was an excellent movie! We were so impressed with how nice the theater was, and we both had a brainstorm.

We talked about it for a little bit and then Jack went to go and talk to the manager last night. Jack is now the horror host for the theater!

The theater apparently had wanted to do something of this nature for a while, but couldn't find anyone in their ranks to take the reins. So Jack going in and talking to them was a sheer stroke of luck.

The theater said they will do all promotions inside the theater, we just have to take care of outside. Such as My Space, the website, Twitter, emails, that kind of thing. They asked him, do you think you can sell out a theater?

Well, yes. The people that watch our show are hungry for any horror especially when it's not October. So if we were to show the original Dracula or Monster Squad or Evil Dead or the original Hellraiser, those seats would be filled.

Here's the only issue. There are so many movies to choose from. If you had to pick, what horror/sci-fi movie would you want to see on the big screen? It could be a serious or spoof. We are going to post a poll on Jack's Myspace as well.

We will have the showing in the 21 and over section, so there would be no worries about crying children or them running all over the theater. We would not encourage buying alcohol, but we cannot control what others do. The only thing we would ask the audience is to be polite and respectful of the theater.

We are hoping to start this in March. So help us pick a movie YOU'D like to see!

Oh, and we are going to show Repo! at some point, but that will be a separate event.

The Repo! show is up and screaming!

2009-02-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is here, here for everyone's enjoyment! Go to www.darkestjack.com and see those interviews you've been waiting for.

We've got Ogre from Skinny Puppy, Alexa Vega, Bill Moseley, and many surprises in store.

It's an event you don't want to miss.

I'm very proud of it.

Another idea is brewing

2009-02-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

Ooh, look treasure!

Here's what was really inside. Hehe

I was reading another blog that I follow and I left a message on it. It got me to thinking..what a great idea!

The person stated that they had thought about just taking one of their Halloween props and setting it up on a semi lonely road to leave there. So that way someone would look out the window and wonder who left that ghost floating there?

I was told about geo-caching by a friend of mine. This sounds like it could be a branch of that if nurtured. I haven't really researched it, but basically you bury an object, put in the GPS coordinates and someone goes to find it. Ah, but there's a catch.

If you find and take the object, you have to leave something in return.

So, that would be so fun to take an old Halloween decoration, place it in a box and bury it for others to enjoy. Then you could track where it's been.

Or if someone decided to keep it, they could. Again, as long as they replace it with another treasure.

I don't think geo-caching is that tailored, and I am really thinking that would be really great. Especially if you had to take a pic and post it after you found it.

And it could be for any holiday!

The only 2 downsides I could see would be if someone just took stuff or if someone didn't wrap their offering properly and it got ruined.

But hey, that's treasure hunting. Sometimes you get diamonds, sometimes you get a box full of sand.

The phone call no mother ever wants to get

2009-02-11T17:54:00.001-08:00

So today I am relaxing at home before I have to get ready for work. I turn on my phone and it tells me I have voice mail. The first one is from a hospital saying my son Keith is there and they want to know his information.

The second message is from one of Keith's caretakers. He says Keith had an accident and he's getting x-rays. I call back the caretaker and he tells me this:

Keith was at the laundromat with his class washing his work clothes. It is part of Keith's Life Skills to wash his uniform. So he is sitting in a metal chair, not unlike one you would see at a cafe.

Apparently, Keith had his fingers hooked behind him in this chair. But when his dryer went off, his right index finger got stuck when he went to stand up and he panicked. He yanked and yes, he ripped the tip of his finger. He immediately went to the sink, but the aide that was with him said that he should go to the hospital since it looked pretty deep. He goes in an ambulance and his caretaker shows up. At this point, they are not sure how serious the injury is.

So I speak to the caretaker and I say I will be there, to not make any big decisions without me. He says okay and I get to the hospital. The nurse is wrapping up Keith's finger. There was so much gauze, it looked like a foam finger from a sports event. I told Keith that we would dye the gauze his favorite sports team color and we could go to an event, that he would be covered in team spirit. He laughed. I also joked that you know you don't have to go to so much trouble if you want to see me.

All kidding aside, I asked what was the extent of his injury. The nurse directed me to a small bottle that was on the counter. The entire tip of Keith's finger was in there! Wow. The doctor came in and said here is Keith's x-ray.

Keith had gone down to the bone and right now we have to wait to hear from the orthopedic surgeon. The x-ray showed how unlike most of Keith's fingers that have curved bones, the index is now flat.

Unfortunately, it will take a few days for an appointment. But at that point, we will have 2 options, to either do a skin graft meaning Keith will no feeling at that spot. Or amputate what bone tip is left and then pull the skin over it. That way, he'll still have some feeling in it.

I was told we could keep the piece in the jar if we wanted. I admit, for a split second there...but I didn't. I did take a picture though and of Keith with his giant bandage.

I was tempted to call off work and I was told by my boss it would be fine as I had called as soon I first heard what happened, but we took Keith out to McDonald's and spent some time together instead. I was only a hour and a half late.

He was on Vicodin and already getting kind of zombie-ish. Besides, Jack said the best thing for Keith would be for him to get back to his home routine. So we took him home and soon as we got there he turned on his TV and sat down on his bed. So that was a good choice.

I gave him hugs and kisses saying that once I heard from the doctor I would be there for the surgery. Jack kept calling Keith Nubs which made him laugh.

I hugged Keith tight and then left him to relax. It was very hard and now I am feeling everything that I couldn't express in front of him.

My poor boy..

I have to say the one other issue I am concerned with is an extreme nail fungus on Keith's thumb. He had it when he was still living with his dad and his dad did get some meds, but no follow up really happened. Unfortunately, I was not able to get this looked at since I did not have conservatorship until now. Hopefully, I can now get it taken care of. I don't know if you can tell in the x-ray just how much the nail has raised. It really bothers me.

Here it is, my birthday trip!

2009-02-09T15:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, unlike most of the time that I'm a slacker, I am posting my pics the day after my birthday!

I placed them into a slideshow for you to enjoy. Now, there's a lot. I do apologize, but they were all so fun I had to include them all.

YAY!!!

Just for a laugh

2009-02-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

Pug vs Laser

I love this video 'cause it reminds me of my doggy Jen-e-fur. She's a puggle, (pug and beagle mix) and she does the same thing when playing. She will go crazy for a few minutes and then slurp, slurp her water! It makes me crack up every time.

So now I know where she gets it from, her pug side.

Do you know what today is?

2009-02-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's my birthday! Look, I got myself (a picture of) a cake!

Besides, I am going to the happiest place on Earth today. Disneyland! Yep, and because I have an annual pass, I get a special gift card to spend on merch.

Yay, I'm so excited! Jack and I are taking my daughter Alex too. My friends Nadine and Jesse have annual passes as well and they are joining us to celebrate.

I am going to take a TON of pictures. So look forward to that. If it rains, so much the better.

I feel so happy!!!

Check it out!

2009-02-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

I know this will overinflate my ego (hahaha), but I saw the coolest blog today.

http://mistermacabre.blogspot.com/2009/02/50-things-about-me.html#comment-form

Oh, he mentioned me by name! How sweet is that!

I wish he didn't live so far away, I would love to see his haunted yard.

Maybe Jack and I will have to take a trip.

I will have to check the other blogs I follow to see if anyone else followed the trend.

I just wanted to say....

2009-02-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

to my beautiful sister and her charming husband. May it be the first of many happy anniversaries to come!

Love you!

Oh, by the way....

Happy Groundhog Day!

Oh, you know I'm never going to forget that one. Look forward to a special package in the mail soon!

Love you tons!

October 3rd, 2009 (no turning back now)

2009-02-01T17:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, since we may have to scale back quite a bit, I have thought of a few places to hopefully have our wedding/reception. These are possibles if I can make them work.

The first back-up that I thought of was kind of silly as it has been staring me in the face. Yes, we had the plan of getting married at Forest Lawn in Glendale. Why? It's a cemetery and a very pretty church. But wow, so expensive.

SOOOOOO....c'mon. It's in October, and we have a spectacular place that is already going to be decorated during that time of year. It's our second favorite amusement park.

Knott's Scary Farm!

I know, huh? I discovered it may not be too much either. Here's the link:
http://www.knotts.com/group/wedding/index.shtml

Now since I am a Haunt veteran, I do know that more than likely, we would have to have the reception in the Chicken Dinner restaurant. You know how I know? Well, during Haunt Auntie Pasta's is used for the pre-dinners, The Ballroom has a show in it, and Wilderness Dance Hall usually has a maze inside it.

But oh wow. How fun would that be? We could have our wedding and get pictures with some monsters! Yay!

AND.. on Monday (tomorrow) I am going to call the PR department that we dealt with for the Haunt show last year. She had said we were welcome back anytime. If I can present it as a Haunt/wedding promo, we may get to do it for a lesser price or free!

We were planning on doing another Haunt show anyhow. It's The Darkest Hours Wedding Special at Knott's Scary Farm! Ooh, I like the sound of that.

I will do my best to persuade the powers that be. Then all I would have to worry about is my dress and oh the food. Wish me luck on that.

My second idea was to really try to save money and see if my Mom's friend Judy would be willing to let us use her backyard. It is already decorated so cool. We could just throw a few more Halloweeny type props in there and it would be awesome. It would more than likely be a potluck, but everyone loves to cook and I'm sure we would have plenty for all.

The only issue with that is I would have to cut my guest list so much. But hey, I'm sure I will get a sign soon.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Repo! teaser slideshow

2009-01-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

I have put together a "small" slideshow until we get the entire show posted online. The first pic is some of the amazing guests that came in costume. Second is Alexa Vega who played Shilo. Third is the incredible Bill Moseley who played Luigi. Fourth is the director Darren Bousman. And fifth is one of the creators that also plays the awesome Graverobber, Terrance Zdunich.

Everyone was so wonderful and I am happy that we could be part of something so exciting.

But just because Repo! may not be in theatres anymore doesn't mean that the fight for it should stop. Oh no, we are doing our best to let everyone know all about it. It is still a milestone that I hope others may strive for and bring us in the near future.

Go and check it out now on their website and show your support! Better still, buy the DVD. Every little bit helps.

http://www.repo-opera.com/

Repo! The Genetic Opera in L.A. !!!

2009-01-24T15:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight is a big night for us. The Darkest Hours at the Repo Road Tour in L.A.

Yep, we are filming a very special episode at the theatre. Now some people may not know what this glorious film is all about.

Well, the plain version is it's a horror movie. But in the complex fun way, it is a rock opera that takes horror to new heights. You have to see it to believe it. Really, you do.

Since this is an event, most of the film's stars will be there. Also the film's director and the the creators will be there. You see, it began as a stage play that exploded into the film version.

Tonight some of the people we will get to meet are: Alexa Vega, Ogre (from Skinny Puppy), Paul Sorvino, Darren Bousman (he also directed the Saw franchise), Bill Moseley, Terrance and Darren (the creators) and Paris Hilton.

Yeah, I'm even excited about Paris. She was incredible in this movie. She was.

So that will be the interview you never thought you'd see. Jack asking Paris Hilton questions on The Darkest Hours.

Oh, to find out more about this splendid movie, go to: http://www.repo-opera.com/

I'll be back soon with pics and a full report. Promise!

I'm knitting and I just can't stop

2009-01-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I did take a short break after finishing my Mom's scarf. See how pretty?

But I have another order that I really need to get done. Now, our weather has been very kooky. 81 degrees in the day, 42 degrees at night. Very strange.

So I am not too worried that this one is taking me a bit longer to finish. It's for my manager. She had seen the slippers I made and said if I had any if that gray left to make her a scarf. Oh, but she wants it with black stripes. I am working on it now, and once I looked at it, I started laughing.

My manager came out and asked what was so funny? Here, take a look for yourself:

For anyone who may read my journal and not recognize those colors, those are the colors of a certain football team. And of course what makes it even funnier (to me anyways) is she is a fan of that particular team. But she swears that wasn't her reasoning. It just looked pretty, she said.

Anyhow, the team is:

See what I mean? I joked that I was going to get some patches and sew them on to her Raiders scarf! She got such a funny face. But no, what I am hoping to do is find an A monogram and put one on each end.

That will be unique to her, which is what I try to do with each scarf I make.

So I am excited to get that done. Hey, it's $10 that I didn't have before. And I am going to see if I can get that apron made for my sister. I am off Tues, Wed and Fri this week so anything is possible.

Goodnight for now..

Sorry it took so long..

2009-01-11T13:46:00.001-08:00

My Secret Santa posted his pics! He did post them a week ago, unfortunately I have been really busy and posting pictures on here can be a pain sometimes. I did change some of the language, but not any of the words. Oh, this is a very pic heavy post. Sorry. Enjoy the mayhem!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First and foremost, I'd like to apologize for my delay in posting these secret santa pics. I got caught up in holiday travel and when I returned home I found that my family had been...infected.

After much grieving, I finally sent out for ...

A FXXXXXX ZOMBIE SURVIVAL KIT!!!!!!!

There were many helpful diagrams and instructions on the outside of the kit

An official government document lay inside

Seems it was from someone very high up

Let's see what this kit contains

Hmm...training films

Excellent research material...
apparently you need to remove the head or destroy the brain

In addition to the films there is a marvelous hygiene and energy pack:

Coffee, creamer, toothbrush, toothpaste, handiwipes, soap, plastic bags, shaving cream, safe-razor, and a cup (to use as a makeshift toilet)

Not to mention an energy booster and this little gem

Simply just too wonderful for words
Hygiene is all well and good but I need some serious weaponry

That's what i'm talking about!! Superior Ballistic Fire Power!

So there you have it a complete survival kit.

Oh and there is a flashlight and battries as well...but I don't see why I'd need...

OH SXXX THE LIGHTS WENT OUT!!

i HEAR SOMETHING!

Alright then....GOD MODE!

I think it's coming from in here!

Nope just the sxxxxxx!

Wait....I think it's outside the door.
The back-up generators are warming up

Ready...

Aim...

The lights are back on! It's just the dxxx dog.

Guess I should still kill it though...just to be safe.

Thank you so so much LittleDollClaudia...this present kicked so much axx.
I sincerely apologize for posting my pics late.

thanks,
Harry Lime
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yep, that's it! I am so happy!

Having no car really is a pain

2009-01-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

So we have been dealing with having no car since last Thursday. Wow, it is amazing how much you depend on it.

Now, on the weekends I am used to taking the bus to work. But Jack picks me up, you know? During the week too. And I would ride the bus even though it's not too safe at night, but of course buses don't run that late past my house.

Thankfully, Nadine is mega awesome and she has picked me up on the nights I have worked.

Today we were supposed to get our car back or so I thought. Got the call from the auto place today that we won't have it until Monday. Apparently, the wrong part was ordered. Yay. Nadine to the rescue one more time! I owe her a cake or something.

So now I have one more day to beg someone to pick me up. And as luck would have it, Nadine will be out of town this weekend.

I only have to worry about Sat. as I am off Sun. So that's one plus.

Huh. We have nickeled and dimed this the best we could and it has cost us $220 to get it fixed. Yeah, it may not seem like much but when we're both only working 4 days, it hurts us. A lot.

But we will get through this. We always do.

The further adventures of the Annual Pass epic saga

2009-01-09T21:56:00.000-08:00

So today was insane.

I woke up at 9:30am and called Gabby. Since we have no car, I had asked her if she could take me to the front desk meeting today since she is the full time Auditor but she is off. We are friends too, so that helps. She said no problem. Anyhow, I call today and she doesn't pick up. I don't freak out, but leave her a message.

I start to get ready and then realize it's now 10am. I call her again and she answers very sleepily. Oh boy, turns out I woke her up. She says she's getting up and she'll be to my place soon. Well, it gets to be 10:45am and she's not there. I call her and she says she's at Katella and Beach. I call work and Andrea says don't worry, we'll wait until you two arrive.

Gabby shows up and we haul ourselves to the meeting which turns out to be pretty basic. We are going through some tough months and for Jan-Mar. we will be conserving as much as possible. That means turning off lights we don't need, recycling paper, that kind of thing.

Okay, cool. I had asked Gabby on the way to work if we could go and redeem my pass at Disneyland since the meeting was from 11-12:30, there should still be plenty of time for us to have lunch and hang out until I start work at 3pm. Well...that is so not what happened. Per usual.

Gabby asks the girls at work if they would like to join us for lunch, figuring we would meet them at like Taco Bell or something. They all say sure, turns out it's Andrea's birthday and she wants to go to TGIFriday's. It won't take that long, right?? Yeah. We sit down at about 12:45pm and don't get done until about 2:30pm.

Since it was a non work related lunch, everyone wanted to sit there and get to know each other better. Which was cool, but..I was stressing over this whole "redeem as soon as possible deadline" nonsense. I tell Andrea about going to redeem the pass and she says to go since she doesn't want me to lose out since I am the only reason we won anyway.

Gabby and I zoom over to Disneyland and I get in line at the ticket booths. She parks in the 15 minute parking area to wait for me. I wait for 15 minutes at the ticket booths, so now it's already 3pm. I call Andrea and she says it's fine, just take care of it and get here as soon as you can. All right.

I get to the window and the CM says," Oh this is already activated, you need to go to the Annual Pass center to get your official one." Really now. Grrr.. I say that I already have an annual pass, so what do I do? He says that I have to use the one I was given. Okay.

I call Gabby and tell her. She says it's all right. I go into the park using the pass. I go to the center which I am told has about a 20 minute wait. Wonderful. But I am not moving from this spot. The CM outside says we can go to Plaza Pavilion, but I hear a guest in line say he went down there and there were some issues, so he was sent back. Now normally I would have just gone there, but I am on a serious time crunch.

I wait, lalala, damn it I left my MP3 player in the car. Gah. All right, I'll just enjoy the Disney of it all. The small section I'm in. Finally, I get up to the counter. I hand the CM my ID and the pass. He says to me," Do you already have an annual pass?" I say yes I do. He looks at me over his glasses and shakes his head. "Did you use the new pass?" I said yes, I was instructed to do so. He says that's not right as since I am already I an AP, I could use that new pass to renew my AP. So I should have come in with my active pass. WTH?!?!

Oh, great. I start to get upset thinking that I have wasted all this time for nothing, so now I will be late, get into trouble and lose out on this prize I won. But he says it's okay and that they will put notes into the system, so when I come back in the first week of March for renewal to go to this center and they will approve it.

Yay! So that's awesome, but in all that I came to work an hour late and I still had to change into my uniform. Andrea wasn't mad, thankfully and I won't be getting written up since she told me to go and take care of it. :sigh of relief there:

Oh, and I have two check-ins tonight.

Whoo-hoo. But it gave me a funny story to tell, so there you go.

I won, I won!

2009-01-07T15:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, so remember a few weeks ago I wrote about that scavenger hunt at Disneyland? Well, apparently since we were the only group to get all the answers right, we won the Grand Prize. I found out today when I came into work.

Even the one answer I thought was wrong, I got it right. Wow. So guess what my prize is. Yep, an annual pass! But this one is the Premium one. I had toyed with the idea of taking Alex so she could have it, but I won it. So I am really thinking about it. Mine and Jack's do expire in April, so we would only have to get one for Jack then if I keep it.

I was so happy I about cried. Thank you Mom and Jack! Mom for instilling the love of Disney in the first place and Jack for keeping the magic alive. Turns out no one else even came close to our score. So I am pretty proud of myself right now.

Yeah, it's a good day even though we have no car since it's in the shop until tomorrow or Friday.

But once the brakes are fixed, we can work everything else out.

Today is..

2009-01-07T15:24:00.000-08:00

the day that I will post 2 separate posts. One is kind of sad and the other is happy. I don't feel they should be mixed. First off the sadness:

Today is the day that my dear Nana passed away in 1992. I remember when I got the call. I couldn't cry. I felt like Anne when she had heard that Matthew had died. The ache was so terrible that I didn't cry until a few days later when I saw the family.

I miss her. Sometimes more than others. Even though she could be a crank at times (like all of us have been at one time or another), she still made me laugh and I always felt loved. I was happy that she at least got to hold my daughter once before she was gone.

I am proud to have her name and keep her memory alive in my heart. One of the best memories I have is not of the hospital where she sat up with all the tubes in her to yell at my aunt, although that was funny and just like her.

No, my favorite is when I would stay at her house on the weekend and we would walk to Jack In The Box, then I would ride on the horses. Then we would come back to watch Elvira and Kung Fu Theater on KHJ, channel 9.

It was a strange magic that existed there. I know it now. I wish I could take Jack to that marvelous house. I wonder what ever happened to it afterwards. I have never asked for fear it would be too painful.

But today is her day. I love you so much.

It's the new year but I want it to be October already!

2009-01-04T16:17:00.000-08:00

I am missing the spookiness a lot today.

So to make myself happy, I am going to post some of my pictures from DeviantArt. I went and put them into a slideshow.

The first pictures are from when we got to film The Darkest Hours at Haunt 2008.

The last two are from the Jack The Ripper shoot that we used most of the pictures for the intro. I also did the makeup on the victim, who just happens to be my daughter.

You can see them at www.darkestjack.com.

Enjoy! I know I do.

100 facts about me

2009-01-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is for my sister. In no particular order:

1. My favorite salad is the Cobb salad at Plaza Inn in Disneyland.
2. I love the color purple.
3. I have been knitting for almost 2 years.
4. My favorite book is Alice In Wonderland.
5. My goal is to one day own a horror themed BNB.
6. I am writing 4 stories at once that I want to have published one day.
7. I am afraid of crickets and junebugs.
8. Jello tastes gross to me.
9. I have a spider tattooed on my ankle.
10. Halloween is my favorite holiday.
11. I am afraid of the dark.
12. I believe I can sing well.
13. Has made 5 scarves, 4 baby hats, 2 pairs of slippers and 6 pairs of booties since I started knitting.
14. My first things I ever knitted were 8 six foot long camo colored pieces to look like netting for our haunted maze.
15. I have been to Knott's Scary Farm almost every year since 1990. This last year was my Sweet 16!
16. I shop online all year long for Halloween stuff.
17. Is a Disneyland Annual Passholder.
18. My favorite food is Fettucine Alfredo.
19. My favorite soda is Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi.
20. Contrary to popular belief, I love to cook and bake.
21. Have been working in the hotel business for 5 years.
22. Rick Baker is my idol and I used to want to be a monster maker.
23. Sometimes cries for no reason at all.
24. Have been with Justin (Jack) for 7 years.
25. Would be a pirate if she could. (Anne Bonny style)
26. Was proposed to at Disneyland.
27. Has 2 extraordinary kids, Keith and Alex.
28. Cries at Disney movies and Disneyland firework shows.
29. Is an amateur photographer.
30. Loves to read.
31. Learned to read at 2 1/2 years old.
32. Dyed my hair blonde in high school.
33. Have three holes in each ear.
34. Is of the Wiccan faith.
35. Still says Merry Christmas.
36. Loves to swim.
37. Has a bad habit of biting my nails.
38. Has a pentacle necklace that she hasn't taken off for 6 years.
39. Wears contacts.
40. Met Jack at Disneyland when we both worked there.
41. Left Disneyland 2 months later.
42. The answer to everything.
43. Is bi-polar and has not been on meds for years.
44. Has a fangirl crush on Freddy Krueger.
45. My favorite movie is Nightmare on Elm Street.
46. My favorite TV show is Ab Fab.
47. Has dressed up like a man for fun.
48. Jenefur is my first dog I have owned.
49. Is an 80's Valley girl.
50. 95% of my closet is black clothing.
51. Was married to my first husband for 12 years.
52. Loves to go to the beach at night.
53. I get cold easily.
54. Dresses up for Halloween.
55. Has a secret weakness for chili cheese fries.
56. Is the producer/set designer/everything girl for The Darkest Hours.
57. Has 1 sister and 1 brother, both younger.
58. Doesn't like reality shows.
59. I do really enjoy Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares though.
60. BBC America is one of my favorite channels.
61. Secretly desires to have and learn to play bass guitar.
62. Lives the Gothic lifestyle.
63. Hates Hot Topic.
64. Bites my nails when I'm nervous or stressed.
65. Has a weird affinity for naming inanimate objects.
66. Has owned 4 cats, 3 of which were black.
67. Cried when my first cat Lucky, was put down because of feline leukemia.
68. Often paints my toenails weird colors.
70. My favorite opera singer is Luciano Pavarotti.
71. Breaks out into song in public.
72. Almost shaved my head when my friend Nadine lost her hair from chemo.
73. I still have not knitted anything for myself.
74. Didn't have my first intimate experience until I was 16.
75. Lived in hotel rooms for a year.
76. Is the oldest in my family.
77. Doesn't have a father.
78. Used to cut myself when I was depressed.
79. Is fond of Christmas.
80. Writes in 3 different journals depending on my mood.
81. Has eaten mustard and mayonnaise sandwiches.
82. Puts A-1 sauce on corn.
83. Used to be bisexual.
84. Danced in a gay club.
85. Lived with gay men for a time.
86. Spent the night in a friend's car when she couldn't find the keys to drive home.
87. Almost got hit by a motorcycle while crossing the street at night.
88. Have been in 2 car accidents.
89. Had my appendix taken out.
90. Have my tubes tied.
91. Doesn't like elevators.
92. Gets migraines.
93. Dreams of living in another state than CA.
94. Can touch my tongue to my nose.
95. Celebrates New Year on Samhain.
96. My hair goes down past my waist.
97. Believes in ghosts.
98. Is sometimes called Claudia.
99. Is afraid of being forgotten.
100. Believes in magic.

Hopefully this gives a little insight to me!

I am beyond rational thinking at this point.

2008-12-31T18:20:00.000-08:00

Let me explain...

I am at work until 11pm. Jack said he would pick up the kids after work, which was originally supposed to be after 9pm. Now Keith's group home has a curfew, which is 9pm, so I asked Lisa( the kids' stepmom) yesterday if she would mind picking up Keith around 6pm today and take him to their house.

That way, Jack could make one stop and we wouldn't miss Keith. She said to me no problem and I thought everything was settled.

Oh no, I call a frantic voice mail from Keith at about 5pm. I go in the back office and Keith is almost crying saying that he got a call from Lisa and she told him she wouldn't be there until 9pm. Uh, what? I call him and he tells me that Lisa had called him to tell him this and he's freaking out, thinking that he won't be able to see me or his grandma or anyone and is pretty upset.

Well thankfully, Jack was called in earlier and is supposed to be off at 7pm. I tell him it's okay, that Jack will get him from the group home and not to worry. He keeps asking me "Are you sure, Mom? He'll be here?"

I'm standing there wanting to strangle that woman for causing my baby such stress.But I compose myself and tell him yes, Jack will be there. Don't worry and I will see you soon. He seems to calm down and we say love you as we hang up. I leave a message for Jack on his voice mail as well as a text summarizing the situation.

I then call Alex to see if Lisa is there at the house. She says no, what's wrong Mom? I tell her what happened and she about loses it. I tell her it's okay and we have it taken care of. I tell her to not say anything to Lisa as it's not worth it and I will deal with it at a later time.

She says okay and I hang up with her. I then call Lisa and of course it goes to voice mail. Swallowing my anger, I leave a message simply stating that Jack is off earlier than anticipated and that he will be picking up Keith, so she doesn't have to.

Oh the words that were stuck in my throat. I absolutely loathe that woman. I do. I have tried so hard to make the effort, but she seems hellbent on making sure the kids despise their father. It's horrible, really. I have done everything in my power to NEVER say anything bad against the two of them in their earshot.

But in almost 2 years time, she has effectively destroyed the relationships the kids had with him. Keith tells me he is happy his dad is gone, which makes me sad. And Alex, well, she has finally reached a point that she cannot take the nonsense anymore. It hurts to know that. I'm not saying it's entirely Lisa's fault, but Daryl didn't stand up and protest very hard either.

But....I am NOT going to let that ruin my happy family time. Nope, I won't. When I see my kids smiling faces, all that pain and disgustedness will go away. It will be replaced by love, happiness and hugs. And that's what is really important.

Success!

2008-12-31T11:42:00.000-08:00

I went back to Target for the third time and yay, I now have a camera that works. I said to heck with Kodak. I picked up a Polaroid one instead and that baby, while more simplistic in design, works amazing.

So now I am happy. Turns out when we spoke to the guy in Electronics, he let us in on a secret that he believes the reason why the cameras were on sale is because "someone" knew it was a bad batch. But that's between us and my little blog, right?

I am so excited about tomorrow and so are the kids. I haven't seen my Mom or Molly in such a long time. Oh boy, Jack needs to wrap those presents ASAP! I'll remind him.

Ooh, I cannot wait!!!!

We also went out last night with my friend Amanda to go visit her new "friend". They are just beginning to date and she is concerned since the last person she was dating didn't treat her right and we told her so later than we should. We were trying to be polite and not bust in to other people's business.

This person was crass and rude, but thought that he was the funniest guy in the world. We discovered she values our opinion and said that she was glad we pointed out what we saw, rather than just keeping it in. So last night she asked the both of us to observe and give our true thoughts.

This new one Jason, is very nice, a good guy. Not too cerebral, but someone that will be strong and gentle at the same time. And that is just what she needs right now. I was flattered that she asked us what we thought, because I've never dealt with that before. I mean yes, I have expressed my opinions, but not really.

You get afraid to hurt someone feelings because they are your friend. But she gave us carte blanche and we won't hold back anymore. I know that's a weird segue but I really wanted to write about that since I felt that it was something to be proud of. I helped someone to not make a mistake.

That's all for now. I have to stop writing and get ready for work. Jack is already at work so I am taking the bus. Yay, more exercise for me!

Bye, bye.

I'm going nuts, I tell you!

2008-12-29T17:38:00.000-08:00

So I am feverishly knitting my mama's scarf to give to her on Thurs. Why? 'Cause I can. But wow. I am not happy since I have to go back to Target again to get yet another camera for Alex. The first one stopped working after a few hours. And the one I picked up yesterday wouldn't even turn on today.

Now maybe the batteries it came with were almost dead, so I will try that first. But still..If worse comes to worse I will get my money back and go to Walmart instead. Sheesh, I feel horrible as that was her big present this year.

But she will have a new working camera by Thurs, I guarantee you.

It's pretty mellow here tonight, not too much going on. So on that note, I am going to stop typing and get back to knitting. Bye for now!

Oh, by the way, I posted the Christmas pictures to my Myspace. You don't have to be a member to look at them. Just go to this link:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=10458659

I would have to say that 90% of my pics are family friendly. For those that are not, I apologize in advance. But I do have a lot of albums with different pictures, so have fun and feel free to take as many as you like. To see more in the album, just click on the main picture and it will open up the album for you.

Okay, now I am really am going. Bye!

Wow, I feel good even though I'm a little sick

2008-12-27T20:17:00.000-08:00

Okay, so maybe some of this is due to my feeling icky, but I went and weighed myself today. I am happy to say that since Sept. I have lost 25 pounds and kept it off!

I lost a few more within this past week. I was stuck for awhile at one weight, which made me happy but frustrated me at the same time.

Happy: I'm not gaining more weight.
Frustrated: I'm not losing any more weight.

But I know that slowly it is coming off. I just have to stay positive and vigilant.

On that happy note, I cannot wait to see my sister and give her her present. I hope her and Paul like what we got for them.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-25T02:12:00.000-08:00

Ah, it's Christmas Eve.

2008-12-24T13:06:00.000-08:00

Well, today is a good day. I have my kids and we are just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Jack is at work until 5:30 today, but that just makes it all the nicer as he will come home to his family.

I have been blessed with 2 of the most awesome kids ever. They looked so cute asleep that I had to take a picture. Which I will have to post later, it seems.

Now they are playing Lego Batman and they are getting along so well which is the best Christmas present!

I can't wait until Jack comes home so then the kids can open a present! I will definitely take pictures of that to show off to all.

Love to everybody today! I will post tomorrow too, but today is MY special day with my kids.

Happy Anniversary to me.

2008-12-22T21:48:00.000-08:00

Today Dec.22, 2008 is a special day for me. Today I have been in the hotel business for 5 years. Wow, I remember answering the random OC Register ad thinking it could be a great challenge and fun to be in Guest Service again.

I spent almost 4 years as an Auditor and now I have made it through 1 year as a daytime Front Desk Agent. There are days when I felt as though I went backwards a little when I started here as I was the Night Audit Supervisor at my old hotel. But I wouldn't go back to that drama.

I sometimes wish I had pushed more as I expected to be a manager by now. But that just means I need to knuckle down and really sell it. Show my higher ups I can do this. I do believe that if the economy wasn't so horrible, I would have been promoted.

I do love this, I do. It has made me happier than I thought I could be at a job. I am amazed at myself though. This has been the one other thing that is stable in my life. Of course, the first is Justin and I. Yes, Justin. I know he likes to be called Jack, but he is still my Justin.

Our relationship has been through its ups and downs, but he and I adapted. I don't know of many people that could have dealt with it. Only my friends Nadine and Gabby (2 other Auditors!) know what I talking about. It takes a strong man and woman to be able to make a life when the world runs on daylight and one member doesn't.

I am just thankful that in this messed up world, I have somewhere that I can call home away from home. And that's here, at the HIE. Sappy, I know, but I have earned my spot here and I'm not going to let it go any time soon.

I am going to keep my feet on the ground but still reach for my dreams. Someday, someday, I will have my own bed and breakfast to retire in.

Hmm, big family? What are your thoughts?

2008-12-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

I was reading all about the Duggars today as it is apparently a HUGE story on Yahoo's front page and how they have just welcomed their 18th child.

Here's their Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duggars

Now I did read some of the comments on the Yahoo page. They ranged from very positive to downright nasty.

Look, here's my thing. My Mom's friend Judy had 9 kids and they all turned out great. But she didn't make that her one and only claim to her self worth. Judy is an amazing woman. I wish more mothers were like her and teach their kids independence and responsibility.

But she is an individual separate from her children. That is why I respect her for keeping that ability alive. It is so easy to just lose that if you're not careful.

The mother on this show is not. She is portrayed as a baby machine and she doesn't invest time with her children, the other siblings are each other's babysitters. That's not right.

The issue I have with this is that this family seems to only have one goal in mind and that is to overpopulate their area. I'm glad they can have children, but honestly if they didn't have this TV opportunity, I don't think they would have had kept going.

The father was quoted as saying, "We will have as many as God blesses us with." That's a heated statement. I mean, how fair is that to your wife and your other children? You are free to pursue your beliefs, but there has to come a time when health and common sense have to override that.

But maybe I don't know what I am talking about. Any thoughts on this?

Yes I am and I'm proud of it.

2008-12-21T15:37:00.000-08:00

I normally don't bring up my religion here, but today is a special day and I want to share it with everyone.

Today is Yule, also known as the winter solstice. I am fortunate to have my loved ones in my life and I want to say thank you and wish you many blessings for the coming year.

I don't believe in holding a neon sign, but I won't hide who I am either. I love my Creator and try to show my love and respect every day of my life.

I will still wish all a Merry Christmas as I do feel you should be merry and joyous towards each other. The reason for the season is family, love, and happiness in whichever way you show it.

That's my path and I walk it gladly.

My Christmas List

2008-12-20T21:02:00.000-08:00

I finally figured out what I would like for Christmas this year. Now that I have the most awesome camera in the world, I really think it's time to upgrade and get a tripod.

Nothing too fancy, of course. Just a little something I can put into my purse and get those great nature shots or portraits without that nasty shaky blurriness that tends to happen no matter how still you stand.

I found a couple I liked at Target. See?

http://www.target.com/Portable-Tripod-7/dp/B000FPH3SM/sr=1-9/qid=1229835583/ref=sr_1_9/189-3051233-0343167?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Adigital%20camera%20tripod&page=1

http://www.target.com/Gorillapod-Original-Flexible-Camera-Tripod/dp/B001BFJF8Q/sr=1-4/qid=1229835987/ref=sr_1_4/189-3051233-0343167?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Adigital%20camera%20tripod&page=1

The first one is for a tabletop deal, not too tall, but it would do the trick. The second one is kind of funny, but it would work! It can also stand on its own as well as wrap around stuff. I just don't know which is better. But I definitely want something that is easily packed to take along with me.

I don't want something that I have to use a whole other bag for. I am going to write my letter to Santa tonight and hopefully he can bring me one of those or something close to it.

Shopping on a budget is tough, but I did it!

2008-12-20T17:34:00.000-08:00

So I went to Target today. It wasn't as busy as I thought it was going to be. It was just like any other Sat. I think because I knew exactly what I was getting and where it was, it wasn't a hassle.

I got a little scared when the camera I wanted still had a $89 price on it. I asked the guy and he said that oh yeah, it's on sale for $60, we just don't have a tag on it. Whew! Okay, but what is the point of that? Really?

I did find out that that camera's original price is $140, but I used my gift card at its sale price of $60 so I only paid $20 for it. Go me! I also got her a memory card and I bought Keith the Dark Knight 2 disc. Plus since she was going to open 3 things, (camera, batteries and memory card) I got Keith 3 things as well. (Dark Knight, a 5 pack of cars and a special 2008 Matchbox car)

YES! I wound up spending about $60 total, which was my goal that didn't sacrifice our eating this week. Tonight I am going to Walgreens to spend about $5 or so on a little bit of candies to put into their stockings. Great thing about them is that right close to Christmas, they have incredible sales where candy is four for $1.

The kiddos know that Santa only puts candy in there now, not toys. They like that. Yes, it is still Santa that fills that up, not me. I always deny it. :giggles:

I am just a little sad that I was not able to get anything for Jack right now, but he understands. Maybe I can get some candies to put in his stocking when he's not looking so he at least has that.

He already told me that our being together is all the presents he needs. I am so lucky to have him in my life, I really am.

I cannot wait to take pictures of my happy monkeys with my new camera. Whoohoo!

(By the way Mom, I am so amazed that my tree still is in great working condition. It has been what, 4 years now since you gave it to me? It had one little problem, but we replaced the bulb and it was good as new! Thank you so much for it. I don't know what I'd do without that perfect tree for our home.)

Holy Hannah, this is so cool!

2008-12-19T16:14:00.001-08:00

The funniest thing happened today. Jack and I were on our way to my company Christmas party and we were discussing cameras and how it doesn't matter if you have the best camera in the world. If you take rotten pictures, no fancy camera will fix that. You'll just have fancy rotten pictures. But that I hope I can find a nice camera for Alex for her present that's not too expensive.

Anyhow, we come to work and at first I had been told that it was for employees only so Jack left to come pick me up later. But I found out it was okay for him to be there, so he came back and we all had some yummies.

Tina, our general manager (the big boss) had given us all a bag with candy and a $40 Target card. I thought that was very nice of them and was already planning on what to do with it. Then it was announced that the gifts under the tree were to be given out. They had placed a ticket on our paychecks (today was payday too) and one on each present.

So people were getting stuff like tool kits and certificates to Red Lobster. I took pictures of everyone getting their gifts as they were told to open them at the front of the room so all could see what they got. My number gets called and I go up. Imagine my surprise when I get a digital camera!

I laughed so hard, and so did most of the people I work with. They all know I am an amateur photographer. They also know about the camera I use. It is really Jack's and we call it "The Brick" since it is so large even though it's only a few years old.

Don't get me wrong, "The Brick" takes most excellent pictures. I have plenty of them on Myspace to prove it. But I have been wanting a camera of my own so Jack can have his back. And I got it!

I took this picture with my cell phone to show the difference.

"The Brick" and "Holly"

I named this camera "Holly" because I got it at the Holiday Inn Express Christmas party. I can't wait to take pictures with it. I took a few sample shots and wow, it is amazing!

Well, I do feel a little sad as "The Brick" has been with me for a lot of things. But hey, now we have 2 cameras. I was telling Jack that it works out great because now we really don't have to hire a photographer for our wedding since most of our family and friends own cameras too. Yay!

But I am so happy about this I just may burst! LOL

Oh by the way, this is MY camera. I had decided before receiving my gift that I would use the Target card towards a camera for Alex. HEHE

So a happy holiday to all!

It will be a Merry Christmas after all

2008-12-19T01:30:00.001-08:00

So tonight I called Alex and explained that I wouldn't be able to get her the Annual Pass. I let her know that was going to be about $260 and that there was no way I could do that right now. And my daughter, bless her, said, "Oh Mom, it costs that much? I'm sorry. I thought that it cost like $100 or something like that. I wouldn't have asked you if I knew it was that much."

So yay, she isn't a stingy brat! She does understand and wasn't trying to be a punk. I told her that I had something else in mind that I thought she would really like. She got all excited but said all she really wanted was to spend Christmas with me and Jack.

That made me happy again.

What I want to get her is a digital camera of her own. Nothing too fancy, of course but she has been using her stepmom's and her stepmom is giving her issues about it. I felt it would be a great gift for her as it is creative and fun to take pics. It is for me anyway!

So now I have my kids all set. I knew there would be a path out of this.

I now return you to our scheduled program already in progress.

It's that time!

2008-12-18T15:07:00.000-08:00

To show off my Super Poke Pet Christmas habitat. Yay!

Doesn't he look so happy?

I really want to make it work

2008-12-15T16:38:00.000-08:00

So I talked to both my kids today and oh boy. I found out what they would like for Christmas.

Alex
A Disneyland Annual Pass

Keith
Bloodshot eyes goggles from Willy Wonka
Harry Potter Quidditch goggles
20 Questions-Harry Potter version
Captain Barbossa pendant
The Dark Knight on DVD

I want to get Keith the bloodshot eye goggles and the Dark Knight DVD. But I asked Alex if there was anything else and she said no, she just wants the AP. Man, a deluxe one (which covers the whole year, no blackouts) is about $389! The one just below that with a few blackouts is $269! The ones that Jack and I have that means you cannot go to Disneyland on Saturdays and most of summer is $174.

And you know she'll definitely want to go on weekends with her friends.

I tried to explain that this would be the ONLY gift she would get and she said okay.

But I have no idea how the heck I can make that work. The only one I could try for would be the $269 one, but jeez even I don't have that status. I am stressing out here.

On a plus note, I told her about the shoes from Grandma and she was so excited! So there you go. At least one present will be a hit.

I just wish she had told me sooner. I would saved up for it.

:crosses fingers: Somehow I'll figure it out.

Wow, it's almost here.

2008-12-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

I went to Walmart yesterday and they were nice enough to have this HUGE sign that said 11 days to Christmas. Thanks for reminding me how broke I am to not even be able to get stuff for my kids or my family.

Sorry, I'm a little humbuggy right now. Jack and I are trying so hard to make ends meet and I really want to give my kiddos a Merry Christmas.

Hopefully, I will find a way.

I do have faith, I do. It's just difficult to stay positive all the time.

Gah, what a cynical post.

It will work out, I know it.

As it is today, I am taking the bus to work since Jack had an early shift. It is raining and cold, but hey at least I have a job to go to. Unlike some unfortunate people that don't.

So I do have that.

My balcony does look rather nice with the Christmas stuffs and rain dripping down. That cheered me up.

This is why I love this season. Right here.

2008-12-13T17:43:00.000-08:00

So there is a forum I belong to and they are having a gift exchange. Now it's a goofy one and not one that you buy cutesy stuff for.

I thought it would be funny to send this person a zombie survival kit. (On the cheap side, of course)

Here is a copy of the letter I am including in the box so the recipient will understand just what the heck this box is full of.

IMPORTANT:IMPORTANT:IMPORTANT

Dear citizen ________________, we have been informed that a zombie uprising has been reported in your vicinity.

We are sending these kits to all persons in your area in hopes that you haven't become infected by this epidemic.

If you have received this package too late, we do apologize and the correct officials will be contacting you shortly.

Inside this package you should have these items as follows:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A set of 3 training films to help you recognize what a zombie is and the best methods to destroy it.

A gun with ammo to protect yourself from attacks.

A flashlight with extra batteries so that you can avoid stepping on any zombie carcasses.

A bottle of hand sanitizer to help keep your skin clean from any contaminants.
(Note: we have discovered the picture on the bottle is one of the suspected leaders of this outbreak. Please approach this individual with extreme caution.)

An energy drink to help you stay sharp and awake so that you don't drop your guard for wandering zombies.

We have also included a small personal hygiene kit that was donated by a local hotel.
(Good health should not suffer in chaos.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please be safe and God be with you.

Thank you for your cooperation.

This message and package contents have been inspected and approved by Z.O.M.B.I.E.
-Zamora Official Mobilization Board International Enterprises-

Your local representative,
Little Doll Claudia _________________________

IMPORTANT:IMPORTANT:IMPORTANT

Here's what the stuff looks like:

Yeah, it's cheesy but funny. I even decorated the outside of the box. Hopefully the post office will see the humor and allow me to send it.

Christmas at our house

2008-12-11T00:08:00.000-08:00

So we started decorating our place. Of course, we don't all go out for it like we do Halloween, but here's a few pics to show we celebrate.

More to come soon...

In Remembrance

2008-12-07T12:30:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been a few years now, but I always post a little something in my other journal. So I figured I would do it in this one too.

This is to honor my father in law Antonio Prumatico that left us those years ago. Today is his birthday. He wasn't a very demonstrative man, but I knew he cared. He is still in my heart and I miss him.

Happy Birthday.

Awww, romantic Christmas mushy stuff

2008-12-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

So today at work I have Christmas music playing and I heard the sweetest song ever. It made me think of my sister and her hubby. It is sung by Eva Cassidy, I believe. Here are the lyrics:

It's Not The Presents
Here it is Christmas again this year
Everyone's filled with the season's good cheer
This is my Christmas love song to you
For your holiday spirit all the year through
Snow may not fall but it matters not
The one thing I want I've already got

'Cause it's not the presents under my tree
It's your presence right here next to me

Gifts wrapped with ribbons don't mean a thing
My greatest gift is I'll wear your ring
To see in your eyes and what's in your heart
That's to know we'll never be apart
And to share each day of the year with you
Makes all my Christmas dreams come true

'Cause it's not the presents under my tree
It's your presence right here next to me

Yes that means more than a Christmas of white
Colored lights twinkling ever so bright
And when they sing of that Christmas of blue
I feel so fortunate about you
Each day of the year you brighten my life
And I thank the Lord on this Christmas Eve night'

Cause it's not the presents under my tree
It's your presence right here next to me

I don't look for presents under my tree
Only your presence right here next to me

I shrunk the words so they wouldn't take up the whole page. But yeah, it makes me miss my sister. A lot. I really want to see how beautiful their house is this year. I'm sure it looks so pretty.

They're here!

2008-12-03T10:44:00.000-08:00

So as promised (finally) I have the pics from Disneyland. I put them in a pretty appropriate slideshow. Haha!

Have a great day!

Just because I'm crazy like that

2008-12-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

So I have been expanding my knitting horizons and learning new patterns. This one is one of the things that most people think of when you say you knit.

That's right. I am making slippers! They are so much fun and not that difficult to make. My next adventure will be to try and make those lace up gloves I see everywhere.

Oh, I have opened a new Myspace page showing off all of my knitted stuffs. I am hoping to start selling the things I make. Go and take a look.

http://myspace.com/purplespidercreations

If I get a good response from here, I will open my own online store.

I..Uhh, what?

2008-11-29T22:50:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, just when I think today is going to be just another day..

I have clowns showing up at my hotel!

I should know better, I really should.

I love my family! (and extended family too)

2008-11-29T16:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had Thanksgiving at our house. It was so nice and everyone had a great time. Keith and Alex had spent the night on Thursday and were very excited about the feast that was going to come.

And a feast it was! We had turkey, a small ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, dinner rolls, olives, corn, bacon wrapped breadsticks, deviled eggs, Mom's veggie dip w/vegs, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, pecan pie AND a dessert that Nadine made from Cool Whip, Jello mix and fruit cocktail. Very sweet!

Yes, in addition to my kiddos, my friend Amanda came over as well as Nadine and Jesse. I have to say it was the most relaxing Thanksgiving I have ever had. And since it was the first in our place, it made it even better.

I didn't take any pics because I was too busy enjoying everyone's company. I made sure to keep up with the dishes that I cooked with and everybody ate from plastic, so I didn't have a major mess to clean so that was awesome.

Jenefur of course was baffled and didn't know what to do as this was so much excitement at once. I mean, food in the kitchen and people inside? Wow, I laughed at her a lot. It's a good feeling to know that folks are in your heart and sharing time together is that fulfilling.

Now we are getting ready to film our Christmas show so I can decorate my house. Yeah, we're using that incredible tree Mom got for us on the set. It's going to be famous! But there's no point in putting it up in the house until after Wednesday, so that's what I am doing. Oh boy, this show is the show of shows. Jack has so much planned. I just am crossing my fingers that we can make it work.

On a plus side, I am off Wed, Thurs and Fri this week. I can get the house all pretty for Christmas. YAY! In my own special way, of course. Now that I will definitely take pictures of.

Christmas is already at my work. Gah.

2008-11-28T02:24:00.000-08:00

So I went into work today since I don't have an issue with working on Thanksgiving. I see that our maintenance guy is finishing putting up the tree. Geez, couldn't even wait until the day after?

Ah well. I at least got a pic of my kids in front of it.

Notice anything missing? Yeah, no topper. Maybe I'll be nice and buy one.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T17:17:00.000-08:00

Have a great day. I am thankful that you are in my life.

The one thing that I know grosses out my Mom

2008-11-22T22:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry, Mom. You may want to avert your eyes on this post. Tonight I was informed by a guest that there was a large bug by the elevator. She said it had gone behind the fire door. I look and ew it was a potato bug. I had to keep my cool and just let the guest know that yes it was harmless and we would get rid of it.

Dang thing was huge and ugly. But that didn't stop me from taking some pictures of it.

So Mom, don't look.

Yeah, it makes my skin crawl too. I had to call my maintenance guy to take it outside for me. Otherwise it would have been good friends with the broom as I escorted it to the great outdoors.

Ick.

Edit: I had the maintenance guy come and ask me how it got into the hotel since we have mostly asphalt around us. I told him that these usually live in gardens and don't go off on adventures.

Then I remembered that the group had brought several fresh floral arrangements so the likelyhood was high that that's how it got in here.

But we don't dare say anything to them. It was an accident anyways. Still....YUCK.

I love Disneyland!

2008-11-21T12:56:00.000-08:00

So we took Alex for her birthday yesterday. We had a blast! Alex took a lot more photos than I did, so as soon as she sends them to me, I will post the best of them here. But for now, I have a few for you to enjoy.

Jack and I getting ready to go

Jack and our friend Kile on Autopia

Alex and I sharing a car on Autopia

Just Alex. Isn't she cute?

As I said, she took WAY more pictures than I did. We have an awesome one in front of the Christmas tree on Main Street. I can't wait to get those!

Never a dull moment here at the Holiday Inn Express

2008-11-19T19:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've decided that I am going to share what happened today at work. I wasn't going to as it's a LONG entry, but I just want to show what I go through during a typical day. Not saying I call the cops all the time, but this brand of guest is what I am forced to deal with quite frequently.

So sit back, grab some popcorn and have a laugh.

From my front desk report Nov, 19, 2008:
(Mr. Lipski is the guest supposedly in this room and Christina is the manager on duty, Tina is my general manager)

Guest was due to check out today. I was informed when I came to work at 3pm that a female not registered called from the room stating that the room had been extended for 1 more night. The room had been cleared out by a cash payment, but no other arrangements had been made. When I called the room to speak to Mr. Lipski, the female acted as though she didn't know the guest. I told her we needed to have a form of payment to be able to extend this reservation as well as an ID to change the name responsible if that was the case. That either Mr. Lipski or herself needs to take care of this or they would have to vacate the room.

The guest acted very strangely and then said that she was waiting for her friend to come in to pay. I said that we would need some form of payment now for her to stay in the room, if not it was past check out time, so she would need to leave until the person arrived and then she would be more than welcome to check back in.

She got very agitated and said that the guy was supposed to pay for the room and she didn't understand what was going on. I said that he had not authorized that, and that his CC had declined. She said that she would leave in 10 minutes. I called the GGPD after giving Christina the heads up and she suggested I should call just as a backup.

Mr.Lipski called during this time and asked what was going on as he had received a phone call that we had charged his CC. I told him that since there was still someone in the room and was the person listed as the responsible party, he would be charged for whatever happened. He said he was not authorizing that. I said okay and let the guest in the room know this. She tried to tell me again that she was waiting for someone.

Then another female named Cindy called saying that the person in the room was her sister. That she was at a lawyer's office in Irvine but that she would take care of the room when she arrived. Christina spoke with her telling her that that was fine, but until then the guest would have to leave the room until she came to make the payment.

The police arrived at 4:00pm and the guest had still not left or come down to pay for the room. The officers asked her to pack up her things and leave the room. Then they left. A half hour later, I had not seen the guest come downstairs. Christina went upstairs and then called saying that the guest had taken some items from the room and that I should call 911. I did so and the police came back. The police said for me to go ahead and charge the CC on file for the missing items.

But they did not remove the female in question. Rather, she had a luggage cart packed full that she took out to the parking lot and is at this time still waiting for someone to pick her up. That was at 5:00pm.

At 5:30pm Christina left and saw the guest still seated in the parking lot with the luggage cart. After calling Tina, she said I should call the police and have her removed seeing as she was now considered trespassing. I called the GGPD and they said they would send someone out.

At 5:45pm a blonde girl that I had not seen before came in and said she was here to pick up her sister that had been in Rm.328. Could I let her go upstairs to check over the room? I said no, I'm sorry but only the guest responsible can do that. She said she had left a laptop case inside the room. I told her that Mr.Lipski would have to come in and show us his ID because he was the guest listed on the room. Paulin had gone upstairs and brought it down to me. It is on the counter. Only Mr.Lipski is allowed to pick this and any other items that may have been left in this room. He is to produce a valid ID.

I was instructed by Christina to also charge the guest's CC for 1 night room and tax since the guest did not depart until almost 2 hours after check out time. I was able to do so, but guest's CC did not authorize for the $50 in stolen items charges. I have left this account in the system under house account 9044 for check out tomorrow. Please settle the amount before checking out of system. Thank you.

So that is what I had the pleasure of sorting out during my shift. I had the cops show up three times and many of my guests were watching wondering what the heck was going on. I apologized to a few of them and tried to play it off like it was nothing. As it was, my GM asked me who checked them in and who let them stay over. I told her and she is not happy.

But I doubt anything will happen to the employees. It's frustrating, really.

At least tomorrow Jack and I are taking Alex to Disneyland for her B-day. Thanks to an awesome CM I know. Yay, I will have to take pictures!

Make sure to call her. She will be 17. Wow, time sure goes fast, doesn't it?

Come do the time warp with us!

2008-11-18T00:22:00.000-08:00

So on Nov. 8th, we had the pleasure of going to Rocky Horror live. I finally got the pictures uploaded, so here's what we looked like.

My friends Amanda, Candy and I dancing before Rocky Horror began.

Jack, Fred, Candy, Bill ( who has been this ensemble's Brad forever) and me!

It was so fun and we cannot wait to go again!

So here are pics for you to enjoy. Well, maybe.

2008-11-16T15:48:00.001-08:00

Here's the car accident I saw yesterday

Our "So Cal snow"

The blue trying to stay visible

The sun looking very angry

Are you sure palm trees need a dusting of smoke and ash?

I'm in Silent Hill!

2008-11-15T16:15:00.001-08:00

One good thing about the fire is that no matter what the situation, people can get out of it since it's a natural disaster.

I helped as long as I could, and then I had to go to work. On the way, ash was falling, the smoke was churning, and cars were crashing. Yep, saw a three car pileup on my way to work. All three were women drivers and one of them had her baby on her hip yelling at one of the other ones.

Ooh, her car was smashed up. I could see why she was mad. I got a picture, but not of the damage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shelena's mom was acting like an idiot and at one point our manager, (whose office is right downstairs) asked her to leave the apartment and locked her out. Seems that someone couldn't keep a civil tongue in her head and Shelena kept warning her mom that the manager didn't have to let her in at all.

Thankfully, Shelena is taking her mom somewhere to sleep and that way they can get everything out without her complaining 24/7. Yuck. I am glad I was able to help a little, but thank goodness I am at work now 'cause I was about ready to strangle that woman for being rude to her daughter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I took some great pictures of the sky and our "California snow." I will post those once I get home. I can't wait until tomorrow to see all the cars covered in ash. That will really make for great pictures, don't you think?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh, we finally got Lego Batman for PS2. It is sooooooo fun! We had friends over last night, scary I know, and we just hung out and played video games. After they left, Jack and I played Batman. It's nonstop laughter, especially when the characters act so goofy. I will have to post a pic of what they look like.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But I am off tomorrow, so we shall see what that day holds. Jack has to work, so more than likely I will just relax at home. Yay!

It's been one strange week so far

2008-11-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

Okay, our visit with Keith was good. He was very happy that he could spend time with us. I think that he just needs to know that we are there for him. It seemed to help that we aren't that far away from his school and we can pick him up for a few hours. Until I can ask for a weekend off, I am trying to give both my kiddos equal time.

But all in all, Keith seems happier. For now.

One other thing happened on that same day. We took Jenefur in for her shots. And the doctor gave her 1 oral and 3 shots. She said Jen was due for a couple more, but didn't want to overwhelm her. Well, we get them done and leave to get gas. In that 5 minute drive, I notice something wrong with Jen's face. I say to Jack "I don't think that's normal."

Of course Keith is saying it probably is, and I don't want to alarm him, so I agree, but I give Jack that look of let's go back right now.

Here is what she looked like:

This happened in 5 minutes! Yes, she had an allergic reaction to one or more of the vaccines. So we take her in and thankfully they had something to counter the hives. But now whenever she has to get vaccinated, we have to give her 1 1/2 tablets of Benedryl.

Yeah, that should make Molly laugh!

And now today. :sigh: I agreed to help Shelena move her mom out of her apartment. Now, her mom is/was living at our same apartments. But she didn't pay her rent and got evicted. After Shelena stuck her neck out for her. Sheesh. Anyhow, Shelena had said that's on her mom and blah, blah, blah. But turns out that 90% of the furniture belongs to Shelena's grandparents and she doesn't want it to get seized.

Shelena, I mean. She could care less about her mom at this point, but that's another kettle of fish. I'm not saying that to be mean. Her mom has some rather large issues and it's her own fault. We live in a small complex, okay? Didn't take long to find out she had received her notices and ignored them. Yeah, it was too late to even square it with the office.

She had an official lockout and she was eating dinner at the time the marshal came to lock her out! She knew about it, but didn't bother to pack a small bag with the knowledge of the lockout. Found out later that she was doing nothing but sleeping and not preparing. Soooo, I am doing this for Shelena, not her mom.

Hopefully, there will no more drama about this. At least, I'll only hear about it, not have to deal with it directly.

Whew! I'm tried already and haven't even started this nonsense. At least, I'll have a ride to work today. That's the one good thing about this. And I am off Sun. so I can rest.

My phone's ringing. Must mean it's time to start. I'll update again soon.

(oh yeah, did I mention she hasn't packed a d*mn thing? Fun.)

Funny T-shirt of the day

2008-11-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

"You have your whole life to be a jerk, why don't you take today off?"

And as an added ego boost...

2008-11-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

This notice was posted on the bulletin board at work. Yay!!!

That's right. I am awesome.