v a l e r i e

because it's all about livin', laughin', and lovin'... **

[valerie]

winding down in the middle of June

The school year has ended. Sweet goodness! The 10 month employees' last day was this past Friday. The 11 month employees' last day is this Thursday, I believe. Lucky them! But they don't get what I'll get-- two holidays in the summer! First up is Juneteenth, which is the end of this coming week. Then of course, the 4th of July. I'll be taking some time off during the summer, which is most wonderful. Even though we don't have anything really planned, I do believe I'll get to the movies at some point because Supergirl is coming out on the 26th and MUST GO SEE. :D

https://flic.kr/p/2siEW46 Congrats to the Knicks!

R is a New York Knicks fan so he was SUPER HAPPY that they won the NBA Championship. I was happy too, even though I'm a lowkey San Antonio Spurs fan. ;) But it was great seeing the Knicks win, especially after clawing back from a 29 point deficit in Game 4. (Really, Spurs, you LOST a game in which you had a 29 point LEAD?! Dude.) Game 5 was stressful to watch as well but not in that crazy way. Whew! Happy for their win. I always cheer for them, apparently. :D

The World Cup started and THANK GOODNESS the USA team won their first match. Whew! It took me a long time to appreciate the footy but I do now and I enjoy watching it. The USA team might actually be one worth the cheers this time around, eh? Otherwise, I just like the game and it doesn't really matter who's playing as long as the USA wins their matches...

Baseball has lost a lot of its hold on me, I think. I can't watch the A's without feeling lowkey furious but in actuality, I think I'm just indifferent, which is probably worse. It's as if baseball is in its death throes. Maybe it's not that dramatic but for me, it just might be. There's no crying in baseball but I am hard pressed to find the joy in baseball at the moment...

https://flic.kr/p/2siKmT4 me and Dad long ago

Today would have been Dad's 84th birthday. I brought in some old photo albums from the garage and started going through some of them. I remembered the Google Photo Scan app and started scanning some of those old pictures. I'm so glad to be able to look back.

https://flic.kr/p/2siLrqr love how we don't look ready for this one... https://flic.kr/p/2siMvb6 better with this one! https://flic.kr/p/2siKn9u a holiday shot at the childhood home https://flic.kr/p/2siH7o2 ahhh, the 70s were so cool...

Dad has been gone from this world for seven months now and melancholy still takes hold of me when I think of him. I try to remind myself how lucky I was to have had him in my life for so long and it does bring a bit of comfort. There are regrets, of course, and I have to accept them and I mostly do. I just wish he had had more time. I wish he could have seen our new place. I wish he could have gone to those Stanford women's lacrosse matches in a couple of years. I wish he could have watched Project Hail Mary so that I could have reminded him that hey, I met that guy! I wish I could hear him sing his karaoke live once more, even if I did laugh a little whenever he did. I wish I could bring over some lumpia because family was coming over and he was making some pansit for all of us. I wish he had had just a little more time so that I can give him a kiss on the cheek, smelling whatever cologne he inevitably had on.

https://flic.kr/p/2rpq5C7 the last picture I took with Dad in the shot...

I was so lucky to have such a wonderful dad. I never questioned his love for me and my sister. He worked hard to provide for us, he encouraged us, and he let us go out into the world. He was always there. And now he isn't. Even though the world is not as bright without him, the memory of him still brings me love and joy, though touched with that bit of melancholy.

Happy heavenly Birthday, Dad. I miss you.

https://flic.kr/p/2siKyaV me wearing my new hoodie

The random stuff

- My latest Riley Green merch arrived this week! It was definitely NOT the speed of the shipping (free, remember?) that I chose but I got my stuff nonetheless. The hoodie is loose fit, and since it's probably made unisex, it's pretty long on me. I don't mind, I can tuck it under or whatever. I like it and it'll keep me cozy in the cold months. :) - Even though I know I have more books in storage, I still bought a few when we checked out Half Price Books yesterday. I'm currently reading Fourth Wing, so I picked up the hardcover of it and the next book. They didn't have the third one, so I ordered it from Amazon. I also got The Institute by Stephen King on hardback because I liked it and wouldn't mind reading it again. This time next week, I'll also have three more hardbacks because my June Book of the Month picks are on their way. Yes to more reading! - I'm trying not to spend so much time on my computer playing games (Township is my current addiction), so I've started writing in one of my notebooks, practicing my cursive. I'm writing my story ideas with fountain pens, which makes writing in cursive so much more fun. Sometimes I think of my cursive as secret squirrel writing because how many people can read it? https://flic.kr/p/2shXZAB - Our department went out for a late lunch/early dinner at Zephyr this week. It was nice being out in the office, enjoying some conversation and good food. We took a group shot but I don't think I've seen it yet. It was a nice way to end the school year, even though I work during the summer. At least it's slowing down a bit. ;) - The weather warmed up this past week and now it's going to settle to more slightly acceptable temperatures. Maybe. We'll see. https://flic.kr/p/2siKy5E

I think I'll end this and go do my nails. Cheers!

[valerie]

summer break begins

It's summer break! Well, the kiddos out this way are on summer break. Even though I work for the school district, I work through the summer. The joys of being a 12 monther! ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2sgL8pb

Even though it was a five day work week, it seemed to fly by faster than last week's four day work week. Maybe it felt faster this week because it was finals week and the students were off of school earlier than normal. I'm just so glad that the school year is over but I still have so much work on my desk. I have a lot to go through. It'll get done. It must get done.

https://flic.kr/p/2shwGbH

Unpacking our stuff has led to so much nostalgia for me as I find places for the things that have been packed away for far too long. The picture of the childhood home was taken in the early 80s and comes from a album full of photos from my elementary school years. I think I was the one who took a lot of the pictures, especially the ones later in the album of my classmates. Was I really taking pictures as a 12 or 13 year old? Maybe so, maybe so. I'm glad to have these things. Memories are great but having something to anchor of those memories is a gift.

https://flic.kr/p/2shvzQv 1982, San Diego

I think I need to commit to an app or something that I can use to scan family photos that are in albums. It's easy enough to peel back the clear cover but sometimes not so easy to take the photos out to scan. It would be so much easier to just take pictures of the photos.

https://flic.kr/p/2sgpiFj

Riley Green announced more dates to his Cowboy As It Gets tour and lo, two of them ended up being in driving distance of us! Would it be Wheatland or Mountain View? Hotel accommodations ended up guiding our decision and Mountain View it is! Yes, I used the presale code so that I could buy tickets on Tuesday morning. No, I did not pony up the ridiculous amount for VIP (which did NOT include a meet and greet with Riley, so that's softens the sting a bit). Yes, I managed to get aisle seats in the lower section.

This will probably be our only concert this year, though if Tyler does that show at the Hard Rock Sacramento, I will be quite tempted. ;)

I am excited to see Riley in concert. I wouldn't mind meeting him but I'm not paying stupid money for that. Maybe I need to haunt the radio station socials to try and win a meet and greet. It would be cool if being in his fan club meant getting meet and greets for discount or something. Is it too much to ask?

https://flic.kr/p/2sgAMuP Riley & Jordan

Oh, and Riley Green's merch shop is running a "free shipping for orders over $50" and I just had to buy something. When they said free shipping, they meant it! When I looked at the shipping choices, ALL of them were free. So just for kicks, I chose the most expensive shipping choice. I don't care if I don't get it faster, I just wanted to see what would happen. I ordered two things, one of which I can't wear unless the temperatures drop drastically but maybe I can wear it for the concert.

https://flic.kr/p/2shxFF8

More book shelves delivered this week and we put them together this weekend. My shelves are so chaotic! At some point, the Pop! Funkos are going to have to move because I know I have more books that need to go on the shelves. When we finally get to our storage units, it's going to be a real adventure for sure! So much stuff.

https://flic.kr/p/2sgYYq5

My Book of the Month books arrived this week! (If you'd like to give them a try, click on my referral URL.) I got two books (Rings of Fate and Blood Bound) as well as a cute book tote. I chose Rings of Fate and they added Blood Bound to my order for free. Neat! I need to finish my audio book and Kindle book then I'lll start on one of those new books. I already know which June book I want. Maybe I'll stick around with Book of the Month long enough to fill one shelf. We shall see. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2shvzSp

I should never say things like, "There's nothing to watch," because we have so much stuff we can watch. DVDs, blu-rays, 4K/UHD-- we can never not be entertained. And if we don't want to watch anything, there are all our books and comic. And we don't even have all our books out!

https://flic.kr/p/2shx2YW Mulders

My baseball corner is getting full. I had to take the Cardinals version of Mulder out of his packaging because the packaging got crushed. I was obviously a Mark Mulder fan. I have more things of him than I realized. Ah, when baseball had more of a hold on my heart. Miss those days.

https://flic.kr/p/2sgFCtL old tv shows

Random musings

- During our weekly department meeting on Friday, I spied a black widow and her egg sac. YIKES! She did not survive our meeting. - The childhood home is officially a memory. - The hottest our house has been so far is 74F. Or was it 75F? Either way, not too bad! And it does cool down quick enough once the a/c turns on. - I would like to figure out my desk situation. Oh, and chair. - I just bought some fountain pens since I need to fill my blank books. - I've been feeling out of sorts since yesterday. I took a long nap today that might have helped. - Seriously, how is it summer break already? https://flic.kr/p/2shsnhm

Here's to a good week! May I get through logging those transfers and prepping those expulsions.

:D

[valerie]

warming up

It's early Sunday afternoon and I've already been out and back home. Got a haircut! It was time for it, for sure. She curled my hair after it was cut and dried. Since she used a wand, I'll probably not be able to duplicate the look as I don't have the same kind of tool.

https://flic.kr/p/2sgdrbQ me with a fresh cut

This past week was actually lovely in terms of weather-- cloudy, cool, even a bit of rain a couple of days. I definitely savored it because I know that the temperatures are going to warm up in the coming days. Must enjoy the cool spring days! I say that as it's 85F outside. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

Even though it was a four day work week, it felt like a full week. Someone commented to me that it's probably because we cram in a full week's worth of work in fewer days. There might be something to that perspective, eh?

https://flic.kr/p/2sfCSvi

Friday was the last full day of school. This coming week is finals and graduations. I'm so glad it'll be short days for the students because that means that it'll be calm when it's time to leave work. Well, we can hope. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2sg6XBP DVDs

We did more unpacking this weekend. How can we have so much stuff?! When we started renting, we packed away a lot of stuff and didn't bring them out because our first rental was smaller than the house we owned. Our next rental was even smaller and we put stuff away in storage. When we were in our long term rental, the house was too small for us to empty our storage, so we just lived out of what we had before. We accumulated a lot in those years. Now that we're in our own house again, it's time for everything to get unpacked and into their proper places. I foresee some letting go of things. Hopefully.

https://flic.kr/p/2sg7QRZ movie theatre buttons

I found my movie theatre buttons! My first job was Festival Cinemas in Hayward and we would have to/get to wear buttons promoting the latest movies. I kept a lot of mine, of course, and I do so treasure them. I love that I have these because they harken back to days past. I need to figure out a way to display them because it's a shame they're squirreled away in a heart shaped tin.

https://flic.kr/p/2sgeNcB my yeabooks

My yearbooks were unboxed yesterday and I couldn't help going through them for a bit. I have five because back in the day someone thought it was a good idea to have high school be 5 years (8th grade to 12th grade). Crazy, right? At the time, I didn't see the big deal but now, I can't help thinking, "WHO THE HELL THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA?!" It didn't last too long, thank goodness. I do remember one of my uncles disapproving of the notion, remarking on how it was inappropriate for 13 year olds to be around 18 year olds in school.

It's fun going through the yearbooks and seeing who wrote in them and what they said to me. I wonder if I was as thoughtful in my inscriptions to my friends in their yearbooks. I hope I was. And lo, the senior ads! I just went through some and found the ones from my family and friends. Ah, the hit of nostalgia.

https://flic.kr/p/2sgfcgc senior year

Random things:

- I subscribed to Book of the Month. I got suckered in by the cute little book tote. Like I need more stuff?! I'm committed to three months. We'll see how I feel after that. Maybe I'll keep it enough to fill one book shelf. We shall see. - I should look into getting a new desk. This one I'm using is fine for now but not for the long run. Maybe I'll put this in the room downstairs. Maybe even with this chair. I wouldn't mind a new chair too. - I keep finding Oakland Athletics memorabilia I've bought over the years. Bobblehead, coasters, figurines. I just opened a box that I thought was a Barry Zito bobblehead but no, it's a figurine! Where am I going to put all of this stuff? My baseball corner is going to turn into floating shelves or something. I just want it to be tasteful, you know? - We ordered more bookshelves. It would be nice if we didn't need them but we definitely need them. - A parent brought pastries to the office as a sort of apology/thank you for the back and forth regarding a request. It's nice when people are nice. So be nice, people! https://flic.kr/p/2sg8Xa5

One of these days, I'm going to find the Employee of the Year plaque that has my name on it, along with my fellow Festival Cinemas co-workers. It's around here somewhere! Or in storage. That'll be a fun find. ;)

And that's the end of May! Summer will be here before you know it...

[valerie]

long weekend

It's weird that the long weekend doesn't go right into June. We have another almost full week of May left after today. Such is the calendar, I suppose. As I sit here in my home office, it's cool enough for me to open the window to a pretty early evening breeze. As I look over to the open window, I see a family getting into their vehicle across the street, presumably after spending the day at the park. It's a lucky thing to have the park in walking distance of us. One of these days, we'll take a walk to it...

https://flic.kr/p/2seYwRN our vinyl collection

We stayed in for the long weekend. We're slowly but surely unpacking and it's almost like Christmas discovering items packed long ago. I keep finding Oakland Athletics memorabilia, which is fantastic. We got to a few boxes of books and I'm glad to have some of my hardcover books on the shelves yet I know I have more. I also found my ten year high school reunion program and remembrance booklet, which I'll add to my yearbooks when I get to them.

https://flic.kr/p/2sf9Rue yep, I used my favorite photo for my 10 year reunion booklet

It's so great getting our collections out of boxes and onto their places. LOVE that we have a vinyl collection, which we will slowly grow. Our movie collection is also growing but now we also have laserdiscs out and logged along with our blu-rays and 4k movies. We have always kept our analog collection in good condition, whether movies or music. I'm still going to buy digital music because not all the artists I follow release even CDs. I even have 45s. It's amazing that they still play.

https://flic.kr/p/2sf7YAU the laserdisc collection

The laserdisc collection is not likely to grow by very much since they don't make them anymore. We had a small collection, gave some of the movies to my dad then took them back and more after he passed away. He stuck labels on some of them, with his name and address, and I find it oddly comforting to have. Dad loved watching movies.

https://flic.kr/p/2sfa7XD my current set up

While writing this, I took out my DSLR and shot some photos. I really should take it out into the world again. It's an old camera but it is still quite capable.

https://flic.kr/p/2sf9fAA https://flic.kr/p/2sf3mDN

I am sitting here in my home office and one of the end credits is playing from Thor: The Dark World in the loft. It is night now, about an hour before bedtime. It's already under 60F outside and the breeze whistles by then wanders in with a cool caress. Like now, just a soft, almost imperceptible touch. I can hear the cars pass by on O'Hara Avenue. Sometimes they turn on to Adams Lane. But not at the moment. Right now it's just the wind and my fingers on the keys of my Macbook Air. If I lean forward a bit to look out the window, I can see the street lamp in front of our house. Our house.

https://flic.kr/p/2sfa7XJ - I didn't go out to see The Mandalorian and Grogu this weekend. I think I need to go out next weekend because what kind of Star Wars fan am I if I don't see the movie in the first couple of weekends? Oi! - We did get The Mandalorian seasons on 4k steelbook. It'll fun to re-watch that way! - Ordered a Riley Green vinyl because I want more vinyl. - Super tempted to join Riley Green's fan club. What am I saying? I'm going to end up joining, aren't it? https://flic.kr/p/2sf2ZRL

[valerie]

the wind is blowing

I'm in my home office and behind me the bookcases have been assembled. For the moment, my collectibles outnumber my books, which is an utter travesty. My books are packed away somewhere and hopefully I find them and they can take over the shelves. Of course, that just means that I'll have to find a place for my collectibles. :P I have so many Pop! Funkos. And I don't think I've unearthed them all yet.

https://flic.kr/p/2sdspvX assembled! https://flic.kr/p/2sdBghh how it looks for now

My little baseball corner of the home office is getting a bit out of hand. It's all A's stuff though I do have a couple of SF Giants bobbles, which are currently on the book self. I might open the Lou Seal one because it keeps track of the number of splash hits.

https://flic.kr/p/2sdBgga a very small fraction of my personal library

We didn't unpack everything with every previous move, especially when we went from one place to a smaller place. Now that we are in our very own house, it is time to unpack everything. We need to find a place for all of it and I suppose if we don't, then it's time to say goodbye to some of those things. And then there's the stuff in storage!

https://flic.kr/p/2sdBLwa

Ahhh, the memories that are being unpacked with each box! Do you remember when concerts sold oversized tour programs? Are they even called programs? Apparently I bought at least four back in the day. I think all of the ones pictured were purchased before the turn of the century. They are still in good condition. Why do I keep them? Well, I am sentimental.

The school year is winding down and finals week cannot come soon enough. I'm ready for the quieter days at work, hopefully with little interaction with parents. I sent out the denials this week and lo, I already have at least a dozen appeals in my in-box. Need to log them so that they can be reviewed at the appropriate time. I'm glad I'm not the one who has to make the decisions.

https://flic.kr/p/2sddgbf Friday's look

As I sit here in my home office, I realize that I could do with a proper desk. I'm currently using a computer desk that's meant for just a monitor, a keyboard, and the computer tower. Even though I'm on my MacBook Air, there's not any room to display anything. I could do with drawers at least. My other computer desk was starting to peel, so it's in the garage. Plus it's a corner piece and the way I'm set up, such a desk would not work out as well.

https://flic.kr/p/2sdDe2U the mostly baseball corner, for now

WRITING

I am slowly going through that one story I started back towards the end of 2024. I already wrote a lot of it so there's some copy and pasting going on since not all of what I wrote was terribly horrible. As I get deeper into the story, I know that I'm going to want to change a few things here, which could change how the story progresses. We'll see how it goes. I do want to finish the story but there are some plot points that I'd like to add because I think it'll make the story more interesting.

https://flic.kr/p/2scKseF I couldn't resist

The random stuff...

- Bath and Body Works has a second lunchbox tin collaboration with The Mandalorian and Grogu and OF COURSE I had to get it. How could I not?! - We have discs of the show John Doe and R is watching an episode right now in the loft. - On the book front, I'm reading The King of Scars and listening to Fourth Wing. Both good so far! Which one will I finish first? I read/listen during my lunch break, so it ends up taking longer for me to get to a book. I should probably find more times to read or listen. - We watched the 17-second "fight" between Rhonda Rousey and Gina Carano. Seventeen seconds. Jeez. It ended as it was mean to end. https://flic.kr/p/2sd7m6X

I'm sure that as soon as I click on the "publish" button, I'll remember something I should have added to this post. Ah well.

Have a fantastic week, y'all!

[valerie]

warming up

music: "Worst Way" Riley Green

It's Sunday morning and I'm sitting in the loft while the house fan runs as it's still under 65F outside. I've got the dryer going as well and a load in the washer ready for the dryer. I've already folded a load of laundry. Not bad for before 9 AM, eh?

https://flic.kr/p/2sbSUjV Snack Time!

I ordered the collectible tin from Bath and Body Works on Star Wars Day. It arrived on Friday and is the freakin' cutest thing! It's a nice addition to my home office/fangirl room. When I got that email from Bath and Body Works, I just knew I had to have it. I had a couple of discounts too so it wasn't as much as it could have been. Sweet! ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2sbUkJA because I'm a bit of a nerd

music: "Baby Blue Day" Christina Chong ft. Ethan Peck

https://flic.kr/p/5jRwv9 October 2006

It's Mother's Day. Here's a family shot from October 2006 in Hawaii. Happy Mother's Day to my mom and my sister. :) And a Happy Mother's Day to all the moms I know!

It's the afternoon now. I've brought my computer chair up from the garage and I'm sitting at my little desk in my home office. I'm not sure about my desk set up yet but I'll make it work for now. I've got my MacBook Air on the desk in its place, as opposed to the loft. Eventually I'll have a bookcase in here. I think that's a project for next weekend.

https://flic.kr/p/2scjkAY my baseball corner

I found some of my bobbleheads and have set up one corner of my home office with 1) the photo of me and Mark Mulder, 2002, 2) A's beanie plush on top of 3) my autographed Mulder baseball, 4) Barry Zito bobblehead, 5) Rich Harden bobblehead, 6) Jason Kendall bobblehead, 7) a couple of out of country souvenirs, and 8) personalized baseball notepad holder. Office/desk things!

I plan on (FINALLY) getting my fantasy portrait and Young Hercules poster mounted and framed so that I can hang them in my room. It'll be so cool to have that stuff up. I have other movie posters from my movie theatre working days. If I find a good one, I can get it mounted and framed too...

https://flic.kr/p/2sciP3X

Okay, I just looked and OMG, I have the movie posters for Speed and Star Trek Generations! Not only that, but I have several mini-posters of each. Why do I not remember how I got them? I bet someone gave them to me but I can't remember who. Whoever it was, THANK YOU!

We're in the home stretch of the school year! Even though I'm not jazzed about the warm up in the weather, I am looking forward to the high school across the street being quiet and the days at work slowing down a bit. I'm going to take my usual week off in July, I think. :) I wonder what movie comes out around that time...

https://flic.kr/p/2sc1ZK2 me at work before opening up

After I posted last week, I realized that I didn't mention a work thing that had me irritated. It was probably for the best because I couldn't really go into details but I wish I could write about it because it's a great example of stalker behavior, enabling, and courage to report. I wonder if that will be enough for me to remember this particular incident when I look back on this. We'll see...

https://flic.kr/p/2sc6UZU fan/light installed!

R installed the lights in the three bedrooms and the light/fan combo in our bedroom yesterday. We have a fan in our bedroom! I love sleeping with my window open but even with it open, sometimes I wake up a little warm. (I think it's a getting old thing too.) The fan feels so good! Slept with it on last night and even though I woke up in the middle of the night, it wasn't because I was too warm. Sweet goodness! :)

https://flic.kr/p/2sc9Pbm Saturday afternoon

We went out yesterday afternoon/early evening for a couple of drinks. It was nice to be out and about but I was happy to go home after my two drinks. I'm a bit of a lightweight these days. I don't mind so much. Plus it was warm out and I prefer the cooler temps. We're starting to warm up and I'm trying not to be too annoyed by it. :P

Here's to a good week as we head to the middle of May.

https://flic.kr/p/2sbWp8k

[valerie]

Happy Birthday to me!

music: "The Chair" George Strait

I'm five years away from getting the senior discount at the movies! I'm not sure what kind of discounts I can get now at my new age but I'm sure I'll find out. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2sazH4T

My birthday shenanigans began on Friday with my very sweet co-workers. We had breakfast with our meeting and had cake at its conclusion. Flowers and a movie gift certificate made the day quite lovely indeed. A great way to start May!

https://flic.kr/p/2saBq8B Student Services Squad

We wore our Student Services Squad shirts and just had to take a picture. :)

https://flic.kr/p/2saPwBf

On Saturday, we headed downtown to Rubiano's to hang out a bit on what was supposed to be their last day (they decided to give it one more day, today). I had a couple of drinks and because I was hungry, had my last plate of spaghetti bolognese there. We sat in the "party" room, which was my first and I suppose my last time doing so.

https://flic.kr/p/2saPvvw

It's late morning and I'm sitting in the loft while the U-verse tech does his work to connect us to fiber internet. We were going to go with Sonic but for some reason, Sonic says that we're too far from their service area. I'm sorry, what?! Our Verizon wireless home internet is just not quite cutting it, leading to buffering and such. So U-verse it is.

https://flic.kr/p/2saVXGt bday breakfast from Digger's

music: "We Belong Together" Mariah Carey

I'm not sure how I feel about being this many years old now. I remember when I thought 30 was old and now I'm 25 years older than that? I want to say that I don't feel that old but what is old? I think "old" is as old as you feel. And I don't feel old and decrepit but that could just be a matter of perspective. Someone younger than me might think that I am, I suppose. Is it possible to have a young spirit? ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2sb2H63

My Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi turned up and I took some pictures just for fun. I bought this camera in the mid-00s sometime and took lots of pictures with it. It was my first and only DSLR. It's so old that it doesn't do video. In fact, to take a picture, you must use the opitical viewfinder. Super old school, eh?

https://flic.kr/p/2sb1phn

The photos come out rather nicely. It's "only" 10.1 megapixels but the shots are still very good. The batteries are still in good shape and the 8 GB compact flash card has enough room for over 700 more photos more. Maybe I'll bring it out for the next parade downtown. It'll save me from taking videos that I hardly post. :P

https://flic.kr/p/2sb1RmH

Random stuff:

- The loft is coming together. The TV has been mounted on the wall and the connected cables are successfully hidden by the smurf tube. Fancy! - The new internet seems to be faster than what we had before. I like it! - It's May and that means the end of the school year is coming in fast. It just can't get here soon enough, if you ask me. We'll get through it. - The childhood home is now "pending." I confess, I have been having a lot of thoughts about it all. Maybe someday I'll actually have the proper words to express the deep melancholy. https://flic.kr/p/4R3Hwm my parents in 2008

I can look at an old picture and bring myself back to that moment. I still as I let the memory take over, then the sadness wraps around me. I am always going to be glad that I took so many pictures and video. I am glad to have them for those times I want to look back.

music: "Looking for Love" Old Dominion

https://flic.kr/p/7CVzNj me with my Canon back in 2010

It's evening now and it's not even close to dark outside. It's that time of year. It didn't even get to 70F today, which means we didn't have to turn on the a/c. Good times! I love it when the weather on my birthday is sunny and cool. It's been a lazy day and I don't mind that I spent some of it wearing sweats and my Project Hail Mary t-shirt. I switched to Tyler Rich t-shirt sometime during the day. Maybe after lunch? I've got leftover cake from Friday in the refrigerator, if I want to have bday cake for dessert. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2sb2VEb me today

As I end this post, I must say that I am grateful for all the Happy Birthday messages from family and friends. I appreciate it so much. I hope everyone had as good a day as I did, whether being a lazy bum like me or doing something fun and joyful. Merci beaucoup. Muah!

[valerie]

a little like sweater weather

music: "Slow Dancing in a Parking Lot" Jordan Davis

I do love how the weather cooled down this week. I actually wore long sleeves, a sweater, and my Cowboy Tears hoodie this week. Glorious! As I write this Sunday evening (why do I always wait until Sunday evening to start my weekly posts?), the windows are open and the cool breeze is making its way into the house. I'm sitting at our dining room table while the blinds move randomly when the wind hits.

https://flic.kr/p/2s9nSV5 Friday's look in Cowboy Tears

Oh yes, we have blinds now! It's very nice having real window treatments. They were installed on Monday. It was great coming home and not being able to see into the downstairs bedroom. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2pn3T18

My childhood home is on the market. It looks SO DIFFERENT from the last time we were there. It's bright and welcoming. The floors are new, the big room is interestingly staged. I hope that the family who buys it fills with good times, good food, music, laughter, and joy.

https://flic.kr/p/48tMwc

I keep looking back on the photos I've taken over the years and I am so glad for them. Most of my photos online are from after my time living there. When I lived there, the house looked much different than its last version with just my parents living in it. I didn't spend as much time there as I should have but I have so many memories. Now it's all just memories. The realization of it squeezes my heart a little...

My mother's oldest sister died this week. I don't remember much about Tita Venus. I want to say that I had met her but I'm not sure. She lived in the Philippines and would have been 95 today (April 26th). Tita Norma (Mom's sister) messaged me on Wednesday to let me know.

https://flic.kr/p/2s9bgAA

I called Mom to let her know. I was sitting outside during my lunch break for our call. After we rang off, I sat in the shade, grateful for the sunshine and cool breeze...

https://flic.kr/p/2s94CC2 flowers and me

Wednesday was Administrative Professionals Day. The flowers made a lovely addition to my counter at work.

https://flic.kr/p/2s9dp6M

I ordered fruit spread and tea from As Ever and the package arrived this week. I had the strawberry spread earlier today and it was delicious! Next up will be the raspberry, I think.

https://flic.kr/p/2s9L4bL

And now we're watching our 4K of Moon Knight. GORGEOUS. It's been long enough since we first watched it because I don't remember the story as much as I should. We're on the second episode right now...

https://flic.kr/p/2s9LTyZ my DSLR

Found my DSLR today! I should take it out and make real pictures, eh? The quality is definitely still there. This camera is so old that it does not do video. Wild!

https://flic.kr/p/2s9CM2u our laserdiscs

The tv in the loft is mounted and the laserdisc player is connected. We tried it out with our copy of Star Wars. And yes, our copy is the theatrical version where Han shoots first because HE SHOT FIRST. (Why did they even change that bit?!) Okay, the quality of a laserdisc isn't as nice as modern DVDs like blu-rays or 4K. Honestly, the quality is pure nostalgia. I have While You Were Sleeping on laserdisc. I should watch that next. :)

https://flic.kr/p/2s92gFM mizithra/meat sauce mix

Oh, we went to Old Spaghetti Factory on Tuesday night. I went with the hearty portion and decided on the mizithra/meat sauce mix. SOOO GOOD. I think I'm going to always get the hearty portion so that I can have leftovers. The leftovers were just as good. Yum. :P

https://flic.kr/p/49cidu Dad in 2007

Can't resist posting this photo of Dad in his element. He's singing in the big room during a family get together in November 2007. Looking through the photos in the album, it looks like my sister and brother-in-law were in town for this particular party. I brought Saffy to the party and she was a hit. :) Who doesn't love a little Yorkie?

I can tell that Dad is happy in this shot. He's singing, he's surrounded by family, and everyone is having a good time under his roof. What more could be asked for?

[valerie]

the whims of spring

music: "Find Me Falling" Harry Connick Jr.

The weather was fun this week, sometimes cool, sometimes warm, definitely windy! It did cool down this week, which was nice. And now it's Sunday and the weather is just right, currently in the mid 60s. Perfect!

https://flic.kr/p/2s7VeEC anniversary faces

Thursday was our 32nd wedding anniversary! Time flies but where does it go? After work, we had dinner at Zephyr's then a drink at Crown and Crow.

https://flic.kr/p/2s7Rfik

Thirty-two years seems like a lifetime yet it doesn't feel like such a long time. I just know that it's been more good days than bad and I can't imagine going through this life with anyone else. I feel very lucky indeed...

https://flic.kr/p/2s85EaU

Friday was celebrating the 2026 LUHSD Graduates of Distinction. My first supervisor at the district office, the one who hired me, was one of the grads. The honor is so well deserved, for all of them. They started the day at the temporary location of the front office for a morning reception and ended at Cap's for appetizers and nice words.

https://flic.kr/p/2s83zeW me and Roy https://flic.kr/p/2s837Pg https://flic.kr/p/2s84XcJ https://flic.kr/p/2s8pHwX me, Volta, K

It was nice seeing the former superintendent. He introduced Roy for the reception at Cap's.

https://flic.kr/p/2s882o8 https://flic.kr/p/2s81kZT

This was the third end of day reception for Graduates of Distinction that I've attended and I always walk away feeling glad to have witness the celebration. The grads spend the day touring the high schools and talking to the students in assemblies. It's a good time for them to see the changes that their schools have gone through and it's good for the students to see graduates of their high school achieve success in their lives and careers. It's not just about the success, of course, it's also about what they give back to their communities. It's one of my favorite times being part of the district because it's a positive light shining.

https://flic.kr/p/4wMHKa 1998 - Steven, Danielle, Robert, Kevin

I received an email from a fellow Xena/Kevin Tod Smith fan the other day and it gave me pause, throwing me back a little to those fun convention days and also to Kevin's departure from this world. This fellow fan had come across my website back in the day and had enjoyed its contents back them. After Kevin died, she moved on, as we all did, the memory of him more sorrow than joy.

https://flic.kr/p/4w6vwQ 2000 - Kevin in Pasadena

She started thinking about him again recently and searched on the internet and rediscovered my site. She decided to email me and share some how Kevin impacted her and how the various websites helped her in her search for information in those days. I was gratified by her even remembering my site and I was glad to hear from her. It felt a little old-fashioned, getting such a lovely and random email like that. I am also touched that she felt comfortable enough to email me and share her love for Kevin. I hope my response tells her how much I appreciate her email.

https://flic.kr/p/4wMGPK

I am always happy to talk about those convention days. They were such good times and Kevin Tod Smith was one of the reasons for it. I made such good friends because of our mutual love of him. I only wish that I could have told him. He inspired friendship and love and I will always be grateful for that. As I told her, I still think of him with much love and fondness. I feel so lucky to have met him.

https://flic.kr/p/2s8fU5j - Riley Green's new song "My Way" dropped on Friday and he's set to make his acting debut in tonight's episode of Marshals. Will I end up watching the episode? Why yes, I just might. ;) Oh, and the song is very lovely. - Our blinds are set to be installed tomorrow! FINALLY! Wonder how much they'll change the look of our rooms. - I added more to my re-write of "Worst Way." Yeah, I named the story after Riley Green's song. I might change the second version to a different title. We'll see. - I should make a playlist of slow to mid-tempo tunes. Something for when I'm writing. Hmm...

[valerie]

the weather's turn

music: "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" Olivia Dean

I'm pretty sure I wore shorts when we went out last weekend. Not this weekend! We went out yesterday and I was in jeans and a zip up hoodie because it was rainy with a nice chill. I didn't mind at all. I'd like a few more days of sweater weather, please? It's just a little startling when the weather switches like that.

https://flic.kr/p/2s742nw après mon Old-Fashioned

WRITING

I started a story in late 2024 and have written about 57,000 words on it since. It's not at its end (though I know how it ends) and I've decided to do a bit of a re-write. I don't want to write a new story because I think this one deserves completion but it does need work. It's crazy to think that it's already taken me almost two years to write it.

I want to edit my November 2025 novel as well because I really do like that story. I had added an epilogue to it after November but that's it. I started re-reading it the other day and I liked it. I want to add more to the characters and their inner workings. I've never written a story that had grief figure so prominently but this one does. Maybe it helped writing this story at that particular time.

And then there's the Kiari story I started awhile back where Ares makes a cameo but it's mean to be a Kiari and Thor adventure. I just don't know why I added some kind of demon to the story. What demon, from what story? If I ever figure it out, maybe I can write the whole story...

https://flic.kr/p/2s6PNB5

MUSIC

Dandelion - Ella Langley's sophomore album dropped on Friday and I've listened to it a couple of times already. There are more than a few songs that have already caught my ear - "Be Her," "You & Me Time," "Most Good Things Do," "Bottom of Your Boots," "Somethin' Simple," "Butterfly Season," "I Gotta Quit." And that's not including "Choosin' Texas," which I LOVE. Ella is one of my blindspots, so I'm inclined to love her music, starting from that duet with Riley Green, "You Look Like You Love Me." I'm giving Dandelion a big thumbs up.

The Art of Loving - I happened upon Olivia Dean's song "So Easy (To Fall in Love)" and I just fell for it. I gave her album a listen and I love its vibe, so I clicked on "buy." She has a lovely voice and her music is so good on the ears.

Oh, and while going through my IG feed, a post regarding Ryan Gosling and his music caught my eye. The post featured snippets of different Ryan songs. The usual culprits were there - songs from Dead Man's Bones and La La Land. There was the early '00s (?) song "Put Me in the Car" then two songs I'd never heard before! How have I gone all these years without hearing "Wake" and "You're My Favourite Song"? I've spent decades listening to "Put Me in the Car" and now I have two more Ryan songs to add to my music library. Nice! ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2s75iFE

We went out yesterday (Saturday) afternoon for drinks and eventually dinner. I had a very good Old-Fashioned at Crown and Crow, where one of favorites, Marilyn, just happened to be working. She only works maybe once or twice a month so it was nice to see her on one of her random days. She makes such a great Old-Fashioned. I was made sure to sip slow but I still felt the effects of it, especially since it was my second drink. (First one was a Jameson and ginger.) Our next stop was BCBC, where I had tea to go along with my chips and cheese. I knew better than to have a third drink. :P

https://flic.kr/p/2s7654t

We ended up having dinner at Rubiano's. I usually get pasta there and chose the spaghetti bolognese this time. It was delicious, as always. It was a late dinner but it was very good. Downtown felt a little subdued as we headed back to the car but it had rained throughout the day and maybe folks just didn't want to chance being out on a cold night with the possibility of rain. I thought its was nicely crisp.

https://flic.kr/p/387cBG 2007 - Dad with baby Logan

Yesterday, April 11, marked five months since Dad passed away. I started to listen to one of the songs he recorded of himself but had to stop because it just made me miss him so very much. I feel very lucky to have those recordings. And I'm glad that I've taken so many pictures throughout the years because I can find gems like the ones of Jeremiah's first birthday party, which was a couple of blocks from my parents' house in San Leandro at Bonaire Park. It was probably one of the only times I'd ever gone to there. I don't remember going there when I was growing up which is a shame because it's a decent sized park.

Dad always liked the babies and they always liked him because he'd carry them and talk to them and try to make them laugh. Why is it easier to look through pictures from days long ago than listening to Dad sing? I know it's because hearing him sing is an echo of the moment of when he was still in this world. He is forever accessible in those songs. And it doesn't even have to be him singing. If I remember him singing a song and I hear the original song, I think of him. I can hear him singing in my head.

https://flic.kr/p/38fH6m 2007 - Dad with the birthday boy Jeremiah

TV

NCIS: Sydney - We are almost caught up on this show and I am very much enjoying it. A procedural in an Aussie setting? Heck yes! I'm getting used to Mackey and her dry manner. I love the dynamic between DeShawn and Evie, as well as Rosy and Bluebird. And I like Trigger! He's interesting to me.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - I like this show and we're on our second watch of it. I haven't seen all the episodes but I'll eventually get there as it's now become a sort of comfort show. Put it on and pay attention or just go about your business. I feel like I should pay a bit more attention to the later seasons even though that's how we started watching it.

https://flic.kr/p/2s6RLMU

I came home on Friday and watched as the crew of Artemis II mission came back to Earth. SO COOL! Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! The suspense of the communications six minute blackout was real. I was so relieved when they were back online. WHEW!

https://flic.kr/p/2s6bZFJ

I love that we're living in OUR house and there isn't a day so far where I don't stop a second and think, "Oh, this is our house." We rented for so long but all that time I wanted our own place again. I knew it would happen but I didn't know how. And here we are!

I like being rooted. As much as I like visiting other places, I'm just happy being at home or somewhere around town. I like those little moments, those ordinary times. They bring comfort and calm. It seems so simple and yet it is also peaceful and a kind of perfection.

https://flic.kr/p/2s6PnuR

[valerie]

Happy Easter

music: "Lady Lady" Olivia Dean

It's Easter Sunday as I write. We unpacked a few things today and I found some old photos from Easter Sunday 1986. Our home was the site of many Easters when I was young. What were the chances that I'd happen upon pictures from Easter 1986 today, forty years later? Also, FORTY YEARS?!

https://flic.kr/p/6QSXKt 1986 - me taking a picture of Dad taking a picture https://flic.kr/p/6QX2dw cousin, sister, dad https://flic.kr/p/6QSXLZ mom

Easter Sundays were good times growing up. It was lovely having family over, eating and talking and just having a good time. It looks like from the pictures I have online that my parents last had the family Easter party in 2007. My online album shows that the next year, 2008, I went to my aunt's house for Easter. The last family Easter party I attended or at least took pictures was in 2011.

https://flic.kr/p/9BtWQC Easter Sunday 2011, me with my goddaughter

The fourth quarter began on Monday and the front building at work is going through some issues. Staff in the building have been relocated to various other spots. It's a wild upheaval and I'm glad that our building isn't really affected except that now it's the "public" facing office for now. It wasn't too terrible this week, thank goodness.

https://flic.kr/p/2s5NRcf me in my Project Hail Mary shirt

My Project Hail Mary shirt arrived this past week and I wore it on Friday. I've got another Ryan Gosling shirt on its way and it's a bit of a vanity thing because I'm on the shirt too. ;) Maybe I'll wear it to work someday. But I will take pictures of it when I get it.

https://flic.kr/p/2s5QSkC popcorn at the wine bar

We went out on Saturday but after farmers market. The wine bar has delicious popcorn, so I had some of that with my Pinot Grigio. I also had chips and cheese with my Guinness later at BCBC. We ended at Hop Asylum. Good times.

https://flic.kr/p/2s5QQrm me and my drink

Today we're hanging out at home. We moved and unpacked a few things. I discovered the Easter photos randomly, which amused me. The downstairs looks a bit more presentable though not quite ready for visitors. Not sure when we'll get to that point. Soon-ish? Maybe after we get the blinds installed. Maybe. ;)

TV

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters - Are they going to do some crazy time travel in this show? What the heck?! I accept the time dilation but if they do time travel, it better make sense. All that said, I'm enjoying the show.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - R started watching this show and we ended up liking it enough to buy it digitally while it was on sale. Such a funny show! I'm glad it got as many seasons as it did. I haven't seen all of the episodes yet but I will at some point.

NCIS: Sydney - We started watching this show and I like it! Maybe I like all the Australian accents and locales. ;) We've already seen a couple of actors from other shows we've watched before. I like the mix of characters but sometimes the boss lady can be a bit too harsh.

https://flic.kr/p/2s5xR7C

Sometimes it hits me that we are living in OUR house. This is our home. I can look out the window on my side of the bed and see the moon over Mt. Diablo. We need to unpack so much more but we can take our time because this place is ours. I look around at random moments and I think, "This is home."

This house isn't just where our stuff is currently residing. This is where our stuff will stay. This is where we can relax and enjoy the moment. When the next November rolls around, I won't need to worry about where we will be a bit after the new year because we will be here. It's a thrilling feeling, to be honest. And I am so grateful for it.

https://flic.kr/p/2s5PzbL

How is it already Sunday evening? Here's to a good week!

[valerie]

end of spring break

music: "Take Your Time" Sam Hunt

I'm sitting up here in the loft on this Sunday afternoon listening to one of my playlists on my Macbook Air. The sun is shining outside and from my vantage, I can see the blue skies and the top of the trees by the elementary school. The a/c is on downstairs and the upstairs is cool enough for me not to turn on the a/c up here as well. I had turned on the attic fan earlier this morning to cool down the upstairs and it did a good job. I'm really enjoying this house of ours.

https://flic.kr/p/2s4oc29

Project Hail Mary - Yes, I saw it again, this time at The Delta downtown on Friday afternoon. I bought myself a large buttered popcorn and sat in my comfy recliner chair and watched the movie I had just seen a week earlier. It was just as good as the first time. The song that Stratt sings haunts me and I ended up buying the song later. I felt teary-eyed at certain points during the movie but I'm not sure if they were the same points as the first time I watch it. It is such a good movie. Go watch it!

It's Opening Weekend for major league baseball. I'm not sure how much I care. The A's leaving Oakland has really messed me up and I feel untethered in regards to baseball. The A's released that page to celebrate their 125th anniversary and I realized that I would feel better about their abandonment if they changed their colors. They don't even have to change the logo so much but if they changed their colors, then I would feel better about wearing my old A's gear because it would show me as a fan of the OAKLAND A's and not whatever they're going to be called in Las Vegas. Change your colors, A's. You wanted a fresh start? Prove it.

https://flic.kr/p/4FPkB4

I am also a St. Louis Cardinals fan and even have a player jersey (Mulder 30) that I've worn a few times when we've seen the Cards play the Giants. I never wore it when the Cards played the A's but it might happen, if we happen to go to Sacramento when they visit the A's. Past me would be appalled but present me doesn't care at this point.

I worked three days this past week. I do so love the breaks! I love being able to make long weekends. Like this one! I actually did a fair bit of work as the transfer requests got reviewed. I get to send out the "heads up" emails tomorrow and lo, I'm sure I'll have questions from the folks who don't get that email.

https://flic.kr/p/2s4jJ1b

We headed out early on Saturday morning and I got my first pedicure! It was really nice. And goodness, they easily talked us into add-ons. I ended up getting my toenails painted. They're cute! She kept eyeing my fingernails and asked me if I wasn't sure I wanted a manicure too. I decline this time because I have nail polish on its way and I can do my own fingernails. One of these days, I'm going to go ahead and get a manicure because I like the random times of pampering.

https://flic.kr/p/2s4udd7

Since we were out so early on Saturday, we were able to go to the farmers market. Yes, I had my corn in a cup to go along with my Jameson and ginger. I do enjoy the simple things. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2s4H9HR

The weather has been unseasonably warm, considering it's early spring. If I could have, I would have worn shorts all week. Spring time weather feels a bit hit and miss nowadays.

Two years ago, we were in Ireland. It doesn't seem that long ago and yet, so very long ago. I still check out the Temple Bar live feed and think about our time there. Good times, good times. I do miss the weather. It was nice and chilly and more than sweater weather. Glorious!

https://flic.kr/p/2pGaJ2R

Two years ago today was our last full day in Dublin. We went to the Jameson Distillery and later walked through St. Stephen's Green. I loved that we had quiet times while we were there.

https://flic.kr/p/2pGvmuU https://flic.kr/p/2pGCbnd

I should really make that scrapbook I had intended on making. It'll be nice to go through an album of our photos and souvenirs. I saved a lot of stuff from our trip, even one of my (empty) bags of Taytos! The question is, where did I put all of that stuff? We've moved twice since our trip!

https://flic.kr/p/2pGskgC

I miss the snacks we had while we were in Ireland. I miss the Taytos! I'm glad we got to bring back some of it.

https://flic.kr/p/2s4irUJ

While I was watching Project Hail Mary, I thought of Dad and how he liked going to the movies. He probably would have liked PHM and maybe we would have talked about it. I probably would have reminded him that I met Ryan Gosling back in the day because I love telling/reminding folks that I met Ryan so many years ago. I might have gotten extra teary-eyed because I was thinking of Dad.

https://flic.kr/p/aHW3AT Salida, 2003

When I was looking through my Flickr last week for feature in my blog post, I cam across the photo above. I might have to print it out because it's a nice shot, even we were sitting on the rather unsightly sofa. (What was I thinking choosing that as our first sofa?) Everyone looks happy and healthy in this moment. This was the only time my family had come out to our home in Salida. It was November. It was nice having everyone over.

https://flic.kr/p/aHW4dk https://flic.kr/p/aHW4HT

I'm glad that I've taken so many pictures over the years. It's nice to be able to look back on them and maybe remember something otherwise forgotten...

music: "Rocky Moves In" Project Hail Mary soundtrack

[valerie]

middle of spring break

It's the middle of Spring Break and I made a four day weekend for this weekend. Go me! This means that I might post this on Monday because it's already Sunday evening as I start this. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2s38DN9

Project Hail Mary - Of course I had to see this movie. Biggest reason - RYAN GOSLING. When I found out about it, I decided to read the book before seeing the movie. I ended up reading half of the book then finishing via the audiobook. I liked the book and I liked knowing a bit about the story going into the movie.

The movie was very good. I enjoyed it very much. Ryan was fantastic, of course, and he got me teary eyed at least two times. This is how I know he's amazing and that the movie is so good. When a movie can squeeze your heart one minute and make you chuckle at another, that's a good thing... I read that a lot of the set was practical and I think it made a difference. The movie felt real and tactile. Practical effects are the way to go, IMO. You're not looking for digital artifacts or seeing glitches... I would absolutely recommend PHM. Everyone should see it. And that's not just me saying that as a Ryan fan! :D

https://flic.kr/p/2s3EU9h

How does it fare as an adaptation of the book? I think they did a fine job of it. They chose well in how they trimmed the story and made the science easier to understand. (The book was quite science-y, which I loved but it also had me cross eyed at times.) Ryland Grace was smart but very human and even with the book, I got teary eyed a few times. Ryan did a fantastic job of bringing him to life. Since I went into the book knowing who he was playing, I got to imagine him as the character. The audiobook had different voice than the one I had in my head when I started reading the book but I got over it after awhile. Read the book or listen to it, the story is a treat either way!

https://flic.kr/p/2s3884b

And it's now Monday! I have the house fan on so that I don't have to turn on the a/c until the hopefully late afternoon. We shall see how it goes! Also, how long should I run the house fan? These are things I need to learn. (I got up and turned off the fan but am keeping two windows open for now.)

Earlier this week was St. Patrick's Day! I will use any reason to wear green and this time I busted out my Ireland shirt, which I of course bought in Ireland.

https://flic.kr/p/2s2GzXZ

It was a good day at work. Nothing too exciting happened. I just went through the transfers on my desk and all of that. After work, we went to 311 Oak St Pub, where they had the corned beef dinner. It was very good, especially paired with a Jameson and ginger. After our meal, we headed for Hop Asylum where I had a proper (Imperial) pint of Guinness, as one does.

https://flic.kr/p/2s2Nop3 https://flic.kr/p/2s2NosE https://flic.kr/p/2s2MZRm

It was a lovely way to break up the week. I don't mind working during break because it's not bustling and I can get my work done with minimal distractions. I also like that the dress code is a bit more casual and I can wear jeans. Always a good thing!

Oh, and on St. Patrick's Day, our first house gift arrived!

https://flic.kr/p/2s2Koug our first house plant

Thank you to the McLaughlins for the very lovely plant! It'll the first of plants and flowers we have in the house. Once I find my vases, I plan on buying flowers at the farmers market whenever we go. Because why not, right?

https://flic.kr/p/2s3fjNK

After the movie on Friday, our new sectional was delivered! It's a combination of what we both wanted - a sectional (me) with recliner (him) at each end. NICE! It's very comfy and I've already taken a nap on "my" end recliner. Love it!

https://flic.kr/p/2s3sziV

On Saturday we headed out to our old haunts-- Modesto! Back in the early '00s, we lived out in Salida and our "city" for shopping and restaurants was Modesto. We drove out to Vintage Faire Mall, which looked the same as the last time we were there but different from when we lived there. I ended up buying a Pop! Funko of Superman with heat vision. I just couldn't resist.

https://flic.kr/p/2s3GbpJ my latest Pop! Funko and lo, that old frame photo of me and Mark Mulder...

The Johnny Carino's is still in Modesto! It looks like it shares space (and a kitchen?) with Famous Dave's. I had the baked cheese tortelloni and it was yummy! The bread that came out before the meal was so good. I miss have a Johnny Carino's. We had one here in Brentwood but it has since been turned into a AAA. Alas.

https://flic.kr/p/2s3x9Jd https://flic.kr/p/2s3yrka

Before the mall, we drove by our old house on Stillwater Drive. I didn't take a picture but we did spend a minute or two reminiscing about living there. I really liked that house. It was tiled throughout except the primary bedroom and the middle bedroom. The laundry area was in the hallway, making it rather convenient. There was a living room and a family room and we spent the most time there. We had a nice backyard but didn't really do much with it though I did love the Japanese maples we had. There was an above ground pool that we never used. It was taken out when we decided to sell and was replaced with grass. It looked really nice after that. We didn't take advantage of a lot of that house's amenities but I did love it. It was our first place with a/c and we haven't looked back since! :)

https://flic.kr/p/aHW1Tg I do not remember this set up of our old living room...

Driving back home from Modesto, we followed what was our old commuting path. When we lived in Salida, we worked in Concord and the commute was an hour and a half one way. So at a minimum, we drove three hours a day five days a week for work. YIKES! (My commute from Salida to Dublin was only an hour but I only drove that for a year or so.) The drive from Modesto to Brentwood looked today as it did twenty years ago or so. Time does fly.

https://flic.kr/p/2s3y3wi

It was nice going out to Modesto on Saturday and being in a real mall and it did awaken a bit of nostalgia. Yet as much as I liked the house there, we never made any local friends there. We didn't hang out at any bars there and sure, we took routine trips to the mall for something to do. But we never made personal connections. A lot of it was our work schedule and maybe some of it was also wanting to spend time with our dogs. I don't really miss much from living out there except for the house. I did like that house.

Now I'm sitting in our loft in our new house. I had let go the notion of owning a new house long ago and now here I am, living in a house that no one else has lived in. It still boggles my mind. Sometimes it doesn't feel real yet the things in this house are our things-- our bed, our dresser, our armoire, our bar. I knew that we'd have our own house again someday but I never really imagined it would be new, especially here in Brentwood, much less California. I honestly feel so very lucky. We have our own house again and we'll be getting our steps in because it's two stories. :D

https://flic.kr/p/2s3F3C9

Now it's time to do some unpacking. Or cleaning. Or moving stuff to other rooms. All of it! :D

https://flic.kr/p/2s3ABQW

[valerie]

adjusting to a new place

It is great being in our own house. We are HOME and it's an amazing feeling. Now I have lots of time to go through our stuff. What to keep, what to toss, all of that. There is so much to unpack! But we can take our time and that is pretty cool. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2s1u83s

My routine seems the same but it feels different because our space is new and we're still getting to know it. The timing is the same for me on workdays, which is nice, but I know I'll probably have to adjust myself on certain school days. I'll figure it out when the time comes.

https://flic.kr/p/2s1JyHK

It's now Spring Break, which means I'm taking some days off during the next two weeks. I'll be doing some unpacking, of course, but I do have a movie to watch on the 20th. (Always yes to Ryan Gosling!)

https://flic.kr/p/2s1Lcxh

I'm hoping to clean up my desk at work. I bet I have a lot I could shred or file. Oh, definitely some stuff to file. Fun times. Let's see how much I get done.

https://flic.kr/p/2rZWzvq - Last weekend, we went to the post office to get the keys to our mail box (mail is delivered to a central place in the neighborhood instead of to the house). When we got home, we found that the key opened the wrong slot! (We tried them ALL.) So on Monday, I had to go to the post office to get the right key. Thank goodness, it was the right key! - Our loft is slowly coming together. We got another one of those spineless couches for the loft. Hoping it poofs up in the next day or so. - We went to the furniture store and found a reclining sectional. It'll be nice having new living room furniture. It's time! https://flic.kr/p/2s23Uc4

"If I Don't Leave I'm Gonna Stay" Carly Pearce & Riley Green - This song dropped on Friday and I like it very much already. The video is lovely too. I've been listening to Carly since I saw her in Gilroy that one time and I've enjoyed her music all these years.

https://flic.kr/p/2s2hkV9

I had my corn in a cup and a Guinness on Saturday. Ah, the simple things.

https://flic.kr/p/2s2faCK

Oh, and there's the proper Imperial pint I had later. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2s278gC

The views from our new house have been super gorgeous. I think some of it is that we have two floors as well as having the park across the street, which is the way to looking towards Mt. Diablo. It's so nice. It's only been a bit over a week here but it still feels so new. I have moments where I just stop and think, "Wow, this is home."

https://flic.kr/p/2s1FKBc

[valerie]

homeowners once more

It's Sunday afternoon here in our new home! The house was "delivered" to us on Tuesday afternoon after a few days of wondering if we would fund in time. Even though I knew that it would happen, it was still nerve-wracking. Moving day was Thursday with The Handy Movers, the same exact crew who moved us last year almost to the day. (They are fantastic!) Friday was us moving the rest of our stuff from the rental and then cleaning up. By the end of the day, we had given up our keys to the rental.

Scenes from the rental:

https://flic.kr/p/2rZHXeU https://flic.kr/p/2rZKKY4 https://flic.kr/p/2rZCvz5 https://flic.kr/p/2rZHNoz

The last ten years of renting was through a property management company that was fair and responsive, the rent reasonable for this area. I'd talk them up but I think the business is winding down. Renting always felt temporary to me, even though we did it for so long. Every November/December, I felt like the company would tell us, sorry, the owners want to sell. When it finally happened, we knew that after our next rental, we would be making a change.

https://flic.kr/p/2rGz3GR

We were contacted about the house a week after Dad died so the emotional aspect was interesting to navigate. I don't know how well I went through it. I feel like I compartmentalized much, perhaps focusing on the excitement and anxiety of the whole home buying process more than the very real, very heart-twisting grief. We didn't want to share too much online about the house because there was always that little bit of doubt, that "what if it doesn't happen," and it seemed best to not say anything until we had keys in hand.

https://flic.kr/p/2rJfLNT us in the hard hats

The house was set to be ready for us late February/early March, the timing matching the end of our rental lease. What are the chances? We got to visit the house while it was still in construction. We did not pick any of the touches for the house, so no upgrades and the like. Honestly, it took a lot of the pressure off for us. We are fine with all of it.

https://flic.kr/p/2rKxP67

We drove by the house at random times and I would take pictures whenever I could. It was fun watching it go through its changes. It was exciting when the scaffolding was down. When the driveway was being prepped, it started to look more and more like a real house.

https://flic.kr/p/2rNZs8S

We had a "tile walk" in January. It was like a "pre" walk thru of the house. The tile was installed but not yet the carpet. It gave us a chance to check out the appliances and cabinets and such. It was really coming together and the excitement was steadily ramping up for us.

https://flic.kr/p/2rSP59h

The main walk thru was two weeks before getting our keys, in mid-February. The carpets were in and the house looked ready for us to move in. It was a rainy day, so we couldn't go our to the backyard, which was fine since it was all just mud. The backyard will have to wait.

https://flic.kr/p/2rX3rZV https://flic.kr/p/2rXbftW https://flic.kr/p/2rXaszX https://flic.kr/p/2rX3mR8

Home Delivery day aka Keys in Hand Day finally arrived on Tuesday. We signed the loan docs the day before and were funded in time to get our keys at our appointed meeting. FINALLY!

https://flic.kr/p/2rZoXyc homeowners once more!

Moving day was Thursday. We had the same crew from The Handy Movers that we had last year and they did a great job, as always! The armoire was the piece that they had to take apart to bring upstairs. Otherwise, they moved everything as needed up to the second floor.

https://flic.kr/p/2rZCoG7 ready to move out https://flic.kr/p/2rZM6UA ready to move in

Friday we moved the rest of our stuff then cleaned out the rental. We were finished by the afternoon and ended up getting In-N-Out to bring back to the house. It was our first meal eaten in our new home! (My last meal at the rental was a chef salad from Mr. Pickles.) Moving our stuff from the rental and cleaning the house was EXHAUSTING. But hey, we're done!

https://flic.kr/p/2rZFxw5 https://flic.kr/p/2rZXu55 https://flic.kr/p/2rZRu96

And some random stuff:

- The first movie we watched in our new home was Spider-Man: Homecoming. - First DoorDash - Big Bear Diner today (Sunday). Yum! - We're slowly unpacking but there is so very much to do. But hey, we have LOTS of time to get it done. Can't wait to get the downstairs looking presentable enough for visitors. Soon? We shall see. - We ordered one of those spineless couches for the downstairs bedroom as it can convert into a bed. I'm sitting on it now here in the living room, wondering if it's going to puff up more. - We were able to hit the farmers market on Saturday morning, which was a nice bit of normalcy. I got to have my corn in a cup, washing it down with some Jameson and ginger. As one does. ;) https://flic.kr/p/2s16nBd - I look forward to the day when I don't feel the burn when going up the stairs. Whew! Our first place together was two story but since then we lived in one story homes. I suppose we're going full circle with our last place being two story. - It feels good being a homeowner again. No one can ever tell us, "Sorry, we're selling the place, you have to move." SWEET GOODNESS. - The view from our bedroom is so cool. So I'll end it here with a shot I took the first morning waking up here. https://flic.kr/p/2rZSo3G

[valerie]

should be doing anything but this

I should be packing. We're moving this week and moving sucks but packing must be done. It'll get done. The most productive thing I'm doing right now is laundry. I should fold clothes but I'm here, sitting in the living room while typing away because I'm the best procrastinator. Ha!

TV/MOVIES

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - The first season is done. I really enjoyed this show and I'm looking forward to more. Love the relationship between Dunk and Egg. I haven't read their stories but maybe I will before the second season airs. If there's source material, I want to read it.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy - I am digging this show so much. Yes, it's a bit YA but there's still that something that is so Star Trek. The most recent episode just squeezed my heart in different parts. I love when shows that do that. I'm glad SAM is better. I'm a little bummed that Tarima isn't in the War College anymore but the show is called Starfleet Academy, so I get it.

The Bluff - Just finished watching this. Always love watching Karl Urban work. He's ever the treat to watch. This one was violent and bloody. Decent watch.l I wonder what kind of accent Karl was doing. Priyanka Chopra Jonas was super kickass.

https://flic.kr/p/2rYMg5P me at work

I find that I like taking selfies with my Z Flip 7 before everyone comes in at work. It's weird, right?

- The Samsung 26 series was announced this week. I wish I wasn't so tied to Apple because the Samsung phones are always so pretty. Being a Captain 2 Phones Jr. means I'm always going to have an Apple phone and my second phone is going to be something fun and flippable. As tempting as the folding phones are (the book-like ones), I can't justify having one of those when I have an iPhone. And yes, I don't *need* two phones but I like keeping up with the different mobile operating systems. ;) - I finished the book Project Hail Mary. I had started it by reading the library ebook but I didn't read fast enough and the loan lapsed. When I finished my previous audiobook (John Scalzi's The Shattering Peace), I saw that I had Project Hail Mary in my library. I guess I used one of my Audible credits to get it a bit back. I queued it up and it picked up from where I had been reading it. Neat! I enjoyed the book. So much science! It was cool. - So Carly Pearce and Riley Green have a duet coming out soon? Looks like they've done a video and I cannot wait to watch that one. I've always liked Carly. She's one of the artists I buy without question, most of the time. I might have missed a couple of her newest songs but I won't miss the one with Riley. - Speaking of Riley Green, what is this about him making his acting debut? Ugh, am I going to end up watching the show? (I think we know the answer to that one...) - I have not written anything to any of my stories these past few weeks. I think my mind just likes to hibernate in winter time. Life probably distracted me in general too. I'm trying to at least keep reading/listening to books. https://flic.kr/p/2rYCpqP

We could have done more on the packing front this weekend but maybe we like the stress of an impending deadline. There's always after work and such. As long as the big, heavy pieces get emptied and we pack as much as we can, we'll be fine.

https://flic.kr/p/2rZ7gXT

Managed a bit of time out of the house yesterday with a couple of drinks. I had a triple IPA at one place then a Pinot Grigio at another. It was a nice break. The weather was warm enough for me to wear shorts. I'm not ready for the warm weather. It feels like we never get to enjoy sweater weather. Alas.

https://flic.kr/p/2rYjueU

Since Friday, I keep thinking to myself, "This time next week, I'll be in a different house." When we left downtown yesterday evening, we detoured to our soon-to-be home and it was the first time one of our vehicles slipped up the driveway. It was a nice feeling. It'll be a better feeling when it's finally ours. I'll have no excuses for not unpacking and eventually purging the stuff we don't need. I'm too sentimental, I think. Must strike that balance or learn a new mindset. I like being sentimental but maybe I don't need to have so much stuff, eh? Then again, I do like my collectibles much too much. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2rYZRDC

I'd love to meet Karl again and take a picture with him. Then I can have a "then" and a "now" thing. ;)

Here's to a good week to one and all. Find that bit of joy and beauty, even in the little things...

[valerie]

getting closer

Nope, not going to talk about the header photo in this post. Check the post two weeks from this one. ;)

TV

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy - I am really enjoying this show. I know I'm not its target demographic audience but it's good enough to appeal to me on a human level. This latest one gave us a different perspective on Darem, Jay-Den, and Genesis. I've got a soft spot for the Klingon and I liked how he gave his view on Darem during his "best man's" speech. And lo, Genesis, so perfect but she fiddled with her recommendation letters?! Bad admiral's daughter!

https://flic.kr/p/2rX8TVU it was a rainy day

It was another short week of work but it didn't really feel like it. So many things to do! So many transfers! And so much to get ready for the next board meeting. It's my busy month of my work year and always an interesting time trying to stay even-keeled. It's a fine line, I tell ya!

https://flic.kr/p/2rX91wj

We seriously need to start packing but have I started? Umm, no. So this coming week and next weekend will have to be the time to pack. Hopefully our next move won't be as horrible as last year's but when it's done, it'll be a relief, I tell ya! Until then, packing SUCKS.

https://flic.kr/p/5kmom8 one lovely day in Kauai

My friend's mom passed away. She called me the other evening to tell me and I knew too well her loss. We must all go through these moments and they are not easy. Suddenly reality shifts and what was constant no longer exists except in memory.

Wanda was a lovely woman who, with her husband, raised three children, including the wonderful woman who is my friend. I will remember her as the one who made some of my bridesmaids' dresses. Did she make my bridesmaid dress for her daughter's wedding? I think she might have. She was always so easy to talk with and always so considerate and kind. I don't remember the last time I saw her but such is life, I suppose. Maybe it was her granddaughter's birthday, a very long time ago.

I will remember her with a smile and a heart full of fondness. I am thankful to have known her. May she journey well into the next...

https://flic.kr/p/2rXmT9g I hope he's not awful in his acting debut...

On Friday, I saw that Riley Green posted a song snippet to his IG. I didn't listen to it (but acquired it for later listening) then saw conjecture that the song is in response to Megan Moroney's album drop, in particular to a song on the album. I checked out the song list on her album and decided on "Wish I Didn't." I'm mostly indifferent to Megan Moroney but I have liked a couple of her songs. "Wish I Didn't" is pretty catchy and there are a couple of lines that make me think that maybe she's talking about Riley. It's worth a chuckle, I suppose. I then listened to Riley's IG song, "POS Like Me," and it's definitely talking about someone. Is it Megan Moroney? I dunno. But whoever the girl in his song is, she didn't like his dog and so I think perhaps that's a good indication that she's not the one for him. Just sayin'. ;)

https://flic.kr/p/2rX3QJs ooops, blurry! - The weather this past week started rainy then cold but sunny. The forecast is showing warming temps in the coming days and I just don't know how I feel about that. Why does sweater weather not last as long as it could? - Two weeks from now, I might be sitting on this couch but it will be in a different room. I'm looking forward to that! - Oh, must remember to put in for the time off. I'll do that tomorrow. - I didn't watch much of the Olympics but I did manage to watch the end of hockey game. Yah for USA gold! - Writing is so stalled so I'm trying to read more/listen to more books. I'm currently listening to Project Hail Mary because I'm going to see the movie when it comes out and I want to see how much of the book the movie uses. Plus, Ryan Gosling stars in it. ;) https://flic.kr/p/2rXWMVb

Time to fold some clothes. Or watch A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. We shall see...