The view from Crazy

From today's Our Daily Bread

2010-01-27T07:38:00.001-08:00

William Adams (1564–1620) is believed to be the first Englishman to reach Japan. Taking a liking to Adams, the ruling Japanese shogun made him his interpreter and personal advisor concerning the Western powers. Eventually, Adams was presented with two swords with rank of a Samurai. This showed just how much the Japanese revered Adams. Because William Adams served his foreign king well, he was also rewarded with greater opportunity for influence.

Centuries earlier, another man in a foreign country also had great influence over his king. Nehemiah was a cupbearer to Persian King Artaxerxes (Neh. 1:11). In the royal court, the cupbearer would test the wine before it was given to the king to protect him from poisoning. But this position also meant he had the king’s ear as a trusted advisor. Nehemiah’s integrity, administrative gifts, and wisdom made him a confidant to his ruler, which paved the way for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.

Like Nehemiah, each of us has been given a unique sphere of influence. Raising children, church or community work, and employment all provide a platform where we can have a beneficial effect on others. Has the Lord placed someone in your life upon whom you can have an influence? — Dennis Fisher

There Was A Cat

2009-10-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

So I let the dogs out on the front porch as I sometimes do and unbeknownst to me there was a cat on my porch. Well the cat jumped up in surprise as can be expected and the dogs who were probably just as surprised to see a cat on THEIR porch jumped into action. The dogs went after the cat and the cat freaked out. She (I'm calling the cat a she) tried to get out over the gate and didn't jump high enough so then she sprinted across the porch and tried to jump over the railing jumping a little to the left and hitting the house. The whole time the dogs are going after the cat and the cat is totally freaking out. I'm freaking out a little bit and yelling at the dogs to stop and they are not listening. So then the cat makes one more try jumping over the railing and makes it over. Me and Adam are both yelling at the dogs now and they did not jump over the railing after the cat. We put them back inside as that was enough of an adventure for all of us.

FSUSD (part 2)

2009-07-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

After speaking with the district office again I was informed that the only way to get Angela into B. Gale Wilson School is to apply for open enrollment. Adam decided to go down there in person and speak to someone. He went to the office of Secondary Education and ended up talking with the secretary. She informed him that the only way to get Angela to go to B. Gale is to apply for open enrollment. He was not satisfied with this so he asked to speak to William Luna who is the head of Administrative Services. She gave him directions to get to his office. When Adam got up there he found Mr. Luna's secretary. He explained the situation to her and she informed him that if we wanted Angela to go to B. Gale we would have to apply for open enrollment and there was nothing we/they could do. Not being satisfied with this Adam informed the secretary lady that if Angela is not enrolled at B. Gale Wilson school we would have no choice other than to home school. This got her attention and all of a sudden she was very cooperative. She went into another office and when she came back out she told Adam that she would e-mail the principals of both schools and let them know. We just need to get her file from Sullivan and make sure it gets to B. Gale. It's as simple as that.

FSUSD

2009-07-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

So I am very frustrated with the school district right now. They have changed the boundaries for the schools so now my children go to different schools. Now this wouldn't be a problem if I could get a straight answer from them as to which school my incoming 8th grader is going to go to. I first learned of the boundary changes a while ago. An old neighbor of mine informed me that her daughter (who is in the same grade and school as mine) was going to be moved to B. Gale Wilson. I immediately went to the school web site to find out where our attendance area landed us. I was informed by the web site that they were in the process of updating the system and I needed to check back on June 24th.

The morning of the 24th I got online first thing and was greeted with the same message. Later that day, however, I got on and there it was. So I typed in my address and to my surprise the school of residence listed for 7th and 8th grade was B. Gale Wilson. I called the office of secondary education and asked them if my daughter who already attended Sullivan would be moved to B. Gale Wilson or if she would stay at Sullivan. She told me that I would be getting a letter in the mail explaining the situation and there would be a part to fill out if I wanted her to stay at Sullivan otherwise she would be going to B. Gale along with my incoming 7th grader.

By the way, I never got a letter. On July 1st a letter was posted on the web site explaining that if your incoming 8th grader was already at Sullivan she/he would be able to stay at Sullivan and would be automatically enrolled there. This not only confused me, but upset me a little bit. My husband really wants both kids at B. Gale Wilson. So I called the district again and spoke with another lady. I explained the situation to her (that I didn't want them at different schools) and she told me that since I had an incoming 7th grader at B. Gale my 8th grader would be able to go to B. Gale, too.

I explained to her that according to the letter she was going to be automatically enrolled at Sullivan so how do I go about getting her enrolled at B. Gale. She didn't know. She told me that I have to speak with someone in the open enrollment office. Of course there was nobody available to talk to me now so she told me to call back on Monday.

Ugh! I don't even know what I want anymore!

What a great time

2009-06-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

I got a new phone

2009-05-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

It's an LG Xenon. It's pretty cool.

Italian Chicken Pasta Toss

2009-04-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

This one is OK. Kind of bland, but still blog worthy.

3 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch strips
2 teaspoons olive oil
garlic, pressed (to taste)
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

cook pasta according to package directions. drain and keep warm.

heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. add garlic. add chicken. cook 5 - 8 minutes or until no longer pink. add onion, zucchini, bell pepper, seasoning and salt. cook 2 - 3 minutes. Add tomatoes,heat 2 minutes stirring gently. remove from heat.

stir in with pasta. add Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately

2009-04-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Friday @ 7pm: Good Friday Service
Saturday from 12 - 2pm: Picnic In The Park (Woodcreek Park, Fairfield)
Sunday @ 10am: Easter Sunday Service
1307 Oliver Rd, Fairfield, CA

On Sunday morning I am giving my testimony at SVC. I am really nervous about it. I know I'll do fine, but I am still scared. I really hope I impact someone and I really hope I get to hear about it. That will make it all worth while.

Let me just say this...

2009-03-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

AAAaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh.

Ok. Now I feel better.

My Lipid Panel

2009-03-24T20:04:00.001-07:00

CHOLESTEROL 195 <239- mg/dL
TRIGLYCERIDE 144 <199- mg/dL
HDL 53 >45- mg/dL
LDL CALCULATED 113 <129- mg/dL

Won't it be funny

2009-03-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Psalm 147:4 (New International Version)

4 He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.

Won't it be funny when we get to heaven and find out that God has a name for the Sun that's something totally different then what we call it. Maybe I'm just easily amused.

Ephesians 2:1-10

2009-03-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 1:15 - 23

2009-02-25T18:17:00.000-08:00

15For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 1:1-14 (New Living Translation)

2009-02-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Spiritual Blessings
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

Pasta City

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

We just ate some pasta from Pasta City. We had never been there before so it was a little scary, but we went for it. We walked in and it actually reminded me of a little place in Dublin called Rigatoni's. You order at the register and then sit down to enjoy your food. Or you can take it to go like we did. We ordered the spaghetti with meat sauce in family size which came with salad and bread. When we got home we realized that even though we are a family of 4 this was about twice the amount of food we needed. The price was $30, but like I said it was A LOT of food! The food was really good, too. Did I forget to mention that. YUMMY!

Man shot during alleged motel robbery

2009-01-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

Daily Republic - Thursday January 29, 2009

FAIRFIELD

An unidentified man was airlifted to John Muir Hospital with a gunshot wound and three suspects were arrested Wednesday night after an alleged robbery gone awry, said Fairfield Police Det. Cleo Mayoral.

The victim was in his room at Motel 6 when a male, and possibly a female suspect, arrived on foot, Mayoral said. It is unknown at this time why or how the suspect or suspects initially entered the victim's room or the female's exact role in the incident. The victim was allegedly robbed of some personal belongings then shot in the back. His injuries are considered life threatening, Mayoral said.

After a foot chase that began at Raley's on Travis Boulevard and ended near Peet's Coffee & Tea on Holiday Lane, a male suspect was arrested. The female suspect, along with another female who Mayoral said was the driver of a car possibly connected to the incident, was found near Kinder's on Oliver Road a short time later.

The police were still searching Wednesday night for the gun used in the incident.

Sausage and Pepper Penne

2009-01-27T18:08:00.000-08:00

Sausage and Pepper Penne

8 oz uncooked penne pasta

1-pound ht Italian turkey sausage (about 4 links)

1 each green, red and yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

½ cup coarsely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1 can diced tomatoes in sauce

1 can tomato sauce

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1 cook pasta; drain and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in skillet over medium high heat 14 – 16 minutes. Remove sausages from skillet; cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces and set aside.

3. In same skillet cook bell peppers, onion and garlic over medium heat 6 – 8 minutes. Add sausage, tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasoning mix. Cook and stir 1 – 2 minutes or until heated.

Place pasta in a large bowl; pour sauce mixture over pasta, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Winter Camp

2009-01-25T20:52:00.000-08:00

Today I got back from Winter Camp at Silver Spur. We had a great time with 21 of our church's youth. It was a great time. Perhaps I will write more later, but I'm tired.

Psalm 18:1-3

2009-01-20T20:07:00.000-08:00

I love you Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold. I will call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, for he saves me from my enemies.

... and yes, I did go to the gym today!

Round Table is YUMMY (and I went to the gym)

2009-01-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

So my mom is here and she LOVES Round Table. She doesn't have Round Table in Colorado so every time she is here we have to go out to Round Table. That was tonight. I think I undid all of my hard work at the gym this morning. I decided to up my workout and instead of doing 2 miles I am going to do 2.5. So that's what I did. Anyway we ordered an extra large pepperoni and olive and 12 cinnamon twists. A few minutes later the gal came out with 12 regular garlic twists. We were like "Um we ordered the cinnamon twists". They read the tag wrong so they went back to make the cinnamon twists and since the garlic twists were already done they gave them to us for free. Nothing tastes better then free food and let me tell you, they were good. So we ate about half of the garlic twists and 3/4 of the pizza and everyone except me had one cinnamon twists. I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow!

My mom is here! (and I went to the gym)

2009-01-16T15:26:00.000-08:00

So my mom got here today. She flew to California for Dede's memorial. She's staying with me until Tuesday morning. I probably won't go back to the gym until then. I did good today. Luckily I got there right around 9 and Regis and Kelly was in. That guaranteed 2 miles on the elliptical. And I went upstairs.

And Again...

2009-01-15T17:26:00.000-08:00

I went back to the gym this afternoon. I'm lovin it (as they say). I was there and my personal trainer (you get free sessions when you sign up) saw me. She called me when I got home and set me up for an appointment next wednesday. I know she's going to be disappointed that I've gained weight since our last session (she's been on maternity leave), but I hope to explain to her about the medication. Speaking of medication I am taking the first full dose of my Seroquel tonight. We'll see how that goes...

Still Rolling...

2009-01-14T15:18:00.000-08:00

3rd day at the gym. I didn't do as good today. Only one mile and a few of the machines. But I went!

On a roll...

2009-01-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

Went to the gym again today. Woo Whoo...

Went to the gym

2009-01-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

I went to the gym today. All by myself. Without Adam. I did 2 miles on the elliptical and did a couple of the weight machines. Yeah me!

Went to the gym yet again

2009-01-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

So I decided not to take my Seroquel last night because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get up this morning and I had a big day. The second and third graders when on a field trip to the college to see Seussical the Musical. I was a chaperone. Anyway after traipsing around the college campus half the day. I came home and went to the gym. I was tired and my knee hurt, but I went 2 miles on the elliptical.

Seroquel

2009-01-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

My doctor prescribed a new medication for me. It made me out of it today, but the doctor said that should go away after a few days. This is from the P.I. sheet:

"This medication is used with or without other medications to treat certain mental/mood conditions (e.g. bipolar disorder, schizophrenia). Quetiapine is known as an anti-psychotic drug (atypical type). It works by helping to restore the balance of certain natural chemicals (neurotransmitters) in the brain. This medication can decrease hallucinations and improve your concentration. It helps you to think more clearly and positively about yourself, feel less nervous, and take a more active part in everyday life. Quetiapine can help prevent severe mood swings or decrease how often mood swings occur."

Went to the gym

2009-01-08T18:10:00.000-08:00

I went back to the gym today. I'm quite proud of myself. I did a 10 minute warm up on the elliptical and then headed upstairs to hit the weights. I worked out on the weight machines for a while and then wrapped things up with a 30 minute walk on the treadmill.

Dede

2009-01-07T16:52:00.000-08:00

I made a photo collage for my Dede's memorial. You can't really see it good from here, but I think it looks pretty good. I still have to add a few pictures that I need to get from my cousin. I also had a picture of my Nana and Dede blown up to 16 x 20 to have at the memorial.

Went to the gym

2009-01-07T16:50:00.000-08:00

So I went to the gym. I spend 35 minutes on the elliptical and even though it's low impact my knee is killing me. Now I'm going to go choke down 2 horse sized Glucosamine pills and see how I do. Ugh...

Going to the Gym

2009-01-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

So I am going to the gym today. I am trying to lose some weight before my husband and I go on our next cruise. We'll see how it goes.

OUCH!

2009-01-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

I was hand washing my krispy treat dish today (a 13 x 9 inch pyrex) and it slipped out of my hands and SHATTERED in the sink! I mean SHATTERED! It cut me on my arm in a few places. What a mess. A bunch of pieces of glass went down into the garbage disposal. I'm not sure what to do about that. Any ideas???

UPDATE: I scooped out all of the big pieces from the disposal with only minimal damage to my hand. I let the sink dry out for a couple of hours and then I got my Dyson (vacuum) and stuck the handle down the disposal. It worked and I got all the pieces out. It's working fine now. Hooray for Dyson!

Rice Krispy Treats

2009-01-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

Krispy treats are yummy. That's all... go about your business...

Some of my favorite Dede pictures

2009-01-01T17:31:00.001-08:00

Carl Soldano 7/17/1907 - 12/26/2008

2008-12-30T18:21:00.000-08:00

My Dede passed away the day after Christmas. He had been in the hospital for awhile. He was 101. Wow. What a life he lived. He loved to dance. I remember he would go for walks after the big meal at family gatherings. I don't know what else to say...

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

2008-12-30T18:12:00.001-08:00

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

8oz Cream Cheese

1 Cup salsa

2 Cups cooked chicken

1 can pinto beans

6 flour tortillas

2 Cups shredded cheese

for garnish: tomatoes, olives, sour cream

Heat oven to 350. In a small saucepan over medium heat melt cream cheese and add salsa. Stir in chicken and beans. Fill tortillas with mixture and place into a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

Yummy!

2008-12-29T18:42:00.001-08:00

Rice Pudding

1 1/3 cups rice

8 cups milk

1 cup sugar

4 tbsp cornstarch

4 tbsp water to dissolve cornstarch

Put milk and rice in saucepan over low heat. Once it comes to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in sugar. Simmer while stirring the bottom of the pan for about 10 minutes being careful not to let the pudding burn. Stir the cornstarch into the water to dissolve and gradually add it to the rice. Stir briskly. Simmer while stirring the bottom of the pan for 3 minutes or until the mixture thickens, then turn off the heat. Cool the pudding and enjoy.

Christmas Pie

2008-12-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

So my mother in law makes, er, used to make this chocolate pie that all the kids loved. Now my sister in law, Rachel, makes it. We have it at all Francis holiday gatherings. We were hosting Christmas Eve with the Francis family at our house this year. As it turns out Rachel couldn't come. We found out last night that we wouldn't have chocolate pie unless we got the recipe and made it ourselves. No problem. My mother in law gave us the recipe over the phone and I wrote down every word. So we made the pie this morning and it didn't seem to be turning out just right. It was a bit runny and we kept thinking it would set up, but it never did. We talked to Rachel and asked her about the recipe and she gave us different amounts of the ingredients! When my mother in law got here she looked at the pie and went on and on about how beautiful they were. I voiced my concerns about the consistency and she said they were fine. Then my husband brought up the fact that Rachel gave us different amounts of flour and such and it was like a light bulb went on in her head. She realized that some of the amounts she gave us was to double the recipe and some of the amounts were not doubled. What a mess...

DeDe

2008-12-18T21:07:00.001-08:00

Oral History of Carl Soldano

Background

I was born July 17, 1907 and raised in Pueblo, Colorado then came to California in 1942.

My father came to the U.S. in 1896 from the village of Lucca, Sicily. My mother also was born in Lucca, Sicily and came to the United States in 1900. They were married in Publo, Colorado December 17, 1903. I had seven sisters and we lived on a farm. I completed the 8^th grade.

I worked on the farm and at various jobs before working at the Colorado State Hospital in 1937.. My job was driving a team of horses pulling a wagon full of laundry. Patients loaded and unloaded the wagon. I would haul dirty clothes to the laundry in the morning and return to pick up the clean laundry in the afternoon. Pay was $50 per month plus room and board. In 1940 the hospital bought a 1940 Chevy panel truck which I drove.

Angela (Angie) Ouglin and I were married on August 26, 1926 in Walsonburg, Colorado. We eloped. Our son Frank was born on January 25 in Colorado in 1928.

Life During War

My draft classification was 3A which meant I was eligible for the draft as a member of an Occupation Army, not front line troop because of my age. I was 35 at the time. I wanted U.S. to defeat Germany and Japan. I moved to California and went into defense work so I did not have to go into the Army but I could still contribute to the war effort.

We had come to California in 1937 for vacation and we liked it. So that is why we came to Richmond to live when there was the job opportunity.

When I came to California to work at the shipyards I drove to Los Angeles with a Mexican guy in my 1942 Chevy. I had two sisters in L.A. My brother-in-law said to go to the San Francisco area because the pay was higher.

I stayed with Angie’s cousin John and Barbara Ogulin on 25^th Street and Maine Avenue in Richmond, California for six months. When our house was completed in Richmond in February, 1943, Angie came out to California. Our son Frank came out from Colorado when the school year ended.

We didn’t see any difference how we were treated in our community. Even though I am of Italian descent and we were at war with Italy, I did not experience any prejudice or mistreatment. I did not have any problems.

I was working at the Colorado State hospital before the war. A recruiter from Kaiser came to Pueblo. The recruiter said that if people could weld they could get a job in the shipyards at Richmond. So I took a welding course in Pueblo and went to California after completing the course. When I got to Richmond I found out that I could have taken the welding course at the shipyard and gotten paid 90 cents a hour to take the course. I left my wife and son and the rest of my family to take the job in Richmond.

Wartime social activities

We belonged to the Galileo Club in Richmond. It was a social club with dancing, meetings, dinners, bocci ball. I drove two co-workers to work. We went to houses of friends to play cards.

Outside of work I listened to the radio and read the paper. I followed sports. I went to Nichol Park in Richmond to watch local baseball and softball games. I listen to boxing on the radio. My son and I went to see the Oakland Oaks. I enjoyed dancing and went to the dances around town.

Angie, my wife, wrote to her brother, three brothers-in- laws, one nephrew-in-law and our son at the end of the war. My wife’s brother was in the Army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

Health

We were one of the first members of the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan. We did not have insurance before working at the shipyards. Kaiser had an emergency clinic at the shipyard. I had a hip ailment when I left Colorado and I went to the Richmond Kaiser for treatment. I am still a member of Kaiser.

Worthwhile experiences because of the war

I joined the State Guard. We went on bivouac overnights to Tilden Park in Berkeley. We slept on cots. I was an air raid warden. I went to the meetings. I had a uniform and wore a badge. We had drills and marching.

Wartime shortages and rationing of food and gas.

I had a “B” Gas Rationing Stamp because I drove two other defense workers to work. A “B” Gas Rationing Stamp allowed you to buy more gasoline. An “A” ration stamp allowed the purchase of four gallons of gas a week. We had blackout drills. We stayed home after dark.

We were not deprived of anything. I grew carrots, beets, tomatoes, onions, beans, lettuce and in our victory garden. I also planted fig trees and grapes. Corn and melons would not grow in Richmond because it was too cold in the summer. The ground was hard in the summer.

Sugar was rationed. My nephew Anthony Kapana was a merchant marine. He would sail and when he came to Richmond he would bring us sugar.

Wartime work

We lived at 1711 Dunn Avenue in Richmond. I worked in Kaiser Shipyard No. 2.

The Kaiser Recruiter that came to Colorado talked about welder jobs in the Richmond shipyards.

When I first started working at the Shipyard I hired in at 90 cents an hour. I told them I completed welding training course in Colorado. After I took and passed the welding test in Richmond I immediately got a raised to $1.25 an hour and became a certified welder.

My job title was Welder. I stamped my welds with my initials CFS.

Mostly I was the guy who would go along and tack (spot weld plates together). Sometimes I was the guy who would perform the production welding (fully welding the plates together).

I liked the pay and enjoyed welding. I didn’t like the smoke from the welding. I didn’t like the asbestos insulation in the engine room. It was dusty.

We had to wear full leathers, shirt, pants and gloves to protect our bodies from welding burns.

We worked eight hour days six days a week on day shift. We got 15 minute breaks in the morning and afternoon. We got an hour for lunch. What I would do is eat and sometimes take a nap. There were crap games and card games which were against the rules. Someone would act as a look out to warn the players if the boss was coming. Sometimes guys would lose their whole paycheck at lunch playing games. That was a bad thing.

I had work friends but did not socialize with them outside of work. I mostly socialized with neighbors. I did not maintain these friendships after I stopped working in the shipyards.

Wartime work memorable experience

I remember welding in double bottoms. There were manholes for access. We had to weld laying down. We wore leathers and had to crawl. There were exhaust fans to clear the air. A crew of guys would lay out the plate that was to be welded. Then a welder would come along behind them and tack weld the plates together. Another welder would follow behind and fully weld the plates together.

I met a lot of guys. One guy was a real jokester. He wanted to meet as many people as possible. He would go around introducing himself to people. He would start yawning to see how many other guys started yawning and then he would start laughing. He thought it was funny.

Some guys were goosey which means that they were jumpy or startled easily. If the other guys would find out you were goosey they would come along behind you and grab your butt and watch you jump. Then the whole group of guys would laugh.

Unions

We had a union. I was a member. Union membership wasn’t required.

I am strongly in favor of unions. Latter when I worked for Ford Assembly Plant, I became a Committeeman for the U.A.W. (United Auto Workers).

POSTWAR EXPERIENCES

I felt good that the war was over. As the war was coming to an end, I could see that my job was coming to an end and I had to find another job. I thought about going out to Standard Oil Refinery in Richmond but I was tired of being a welder. I got a job as a switchman working for Southern Pacific Railroad in Richmond. I didn’t know shit from Shinola about it. I didn’t like it so after a couple of months I decided I didn’t want to do that. I thought about going back to Colorado. After that I talked to a neighbor that went to the same barber that I went to. The neighbor told me that if I needed a job to let him know because he could get me a job at the Ford Assembly Plant in Richmond. I applied but was turned down. So I told the neighbor and we went down to Ford together and saw the neighbor’s supervisor. I was hired by the neighbor’s supervisor I went to work at the Ford Assembly Plant in Richmond in 1946. I moved to San Jose in 1955 when Ford moved the Assembly Plant to Milpitas. I retired from Ford in 1972.

How the war changed life

I moved to California for work. If it had not been for the war, I would have stayed in Colorado.

Carl Soldano

2008-12-18T21:07:00.000-08:00

Denver

2008-11-28T21:46:00.000-08:00

It's snowing in Denver right now. I wish I were there to experience it first hand. I really wish we could go visit during this holiday season. Unfortunately we don't have the thousands of dollars it would take to go visit. We don't believe in spending money we don't have so credit cards are out of the question. So we're stuck here in California with no snow...

Twilight

2008-11-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

"About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know how dominant that part might be - that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

So some of the girls, sorry Young Women, at youth were talking about this book, like really, really talking about it. And they are making it into a movie (in theaters today) so I decided to get it. I ordered it from Amazon on Monday. It came on Wednesday afternoon (I know, super fast). I started reading the 495 page book immediately. Currently I am on page 390! I am going to see the movie on Sunday with my friend Nikki, her daughter and my daughter (It's PG 13). I have no doubt that I will be done with the book by then. As a matter of fact, there's no work or school tomorrow so I probably won't go to sleep until I'm finished!!!

Is it working?

2008-11-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

So I started taking Alli a while ago in an effort to stop gaining weight from my medication. I am happy to report that it seems to be working. I only weight my self about every 10 days or so, but I seem to have stopped gaining weight and have even lost a couple of pounds! I don't always remember to take the Alli so I think this is pretty good progress. I actually forgot to take some with me to the retreat, but I didn't gain any weight over the weekend! If you've ever been to Silver Spur you know that is an accomplishment. I'm not sure what else to say here...

Out of the box

2008-11-11T16:41:00.000-08:00

This weekend was couples retreat up at Silve Spur. What a great time! 4 couples from our church went up. Here is a group picture of 3 of the couples. Adam and I didn't really like the speaker so we ditched 2 of the sessions to have time to our selves. we went in to town on Saturday night and ate dinner out. Not that the food at Silver Spur is bad, they were just serving really rare prime rib and i'm not a prime rib person to begin with let a lone a rare prime rib kind of person. So we went out. It was really nice. We also went for a hike on Sunday morning. We found the famous waterfall and had a really good time. I aslo got to ride the giant swing! What a blast! I'll post a picture of that, too. Overall it was a really great weekend. I can't wait until next year!

I'm Tired

2008-11-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

All the time. I'm always tired. I sleep enough. I go to bed between 8 and 9. I get up between 7 and 8. And I'm tired. From the moment I get up until I go to bed. I'm tired. This has been going on for a couple of weeks now. I don't know what to do. I'm in a funk. And I'm tired...

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

2008-10-31T19:36:00.000-07:00

Here he is

2008-10-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

So the glasses came in really soon. Here's Matthew with them on. How handsome...

Dear DirecTV,

2008-10-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

To Whom It May Concern:

My account number with your company is 13506414. We canceled our account with your company on October 28, 2008. I spoke to Esther who informed me that we had a 2 year agreement with your company. We never agreed to any term commitment. We’ve been loyal customers for over 5 years. She said that because we moved last April and received free installation, we then had agreed to a 2 year commitment. The first time that we heard or received anything about a 2 year agreement was the day that we canceled with your company.

If it was an oversight on your part, then we should not be held responsible for an early cancellation fee. Esther said we would be billed 350.00 dollars for this cancellation. After speaking to Esther as she hung up on me, I realize that we are at an impasse. I will not be paying this bill because I do not owe this money. Please cancel the cancellation fee. You are responsible for this. If this fee shows up on my account and you still require me to pay it, I will have no other choice then to take this to small claims court to resolve it. This will not be the first time that I’ve had to go to small claims court. I have yet to lose a case. It will cost you more money to go to court and lose the case then it would be to just cancel the fee.

If you look back at my account, you will see that the mistake here is DirecTV’s. I’m not responsible for this fee and it would be unethical of you to bill me this fee. Please do the right thing and cancel the fee.

Thank you,

Yep, Glassesd

2008-10-29T09:13:00.001-07:00

So Matthew needs glasses. We went down to the Wal Mart vision center yesterday to pick some out. He really wanted the SpongeBob one's, but we went with the flexible ones. I think he looks really cute! Right now he only needs them to see the board at school and when watching TV. He doesn't need them to read which is good because he LOVES to read and I wouldn't want him to be hindered. Anyway, that's my story...

DirecTV Sucks!

2008-10-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

More to come...

NEW E-MAIL

2008-10-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have a new e-mail address. I'm not going to put it here for all to see, but if you know me and did not already get an e-mail from me, e-mail me at my comcast address and I will send you my new att.net address.

Pumpkin Fest

2008-10-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well tonight my church had a pumpkin festival. It was a great time. All the stress over the last few weeks to make this thing happen is finally over. It was really hard for me to do all of the prep for this event. I don't do well having to do things with other people. Oh and tonight I had to get on stage and call out raffle ticket numbers. How horrible! I hated it. Ok it wasn't that bad. Anyway I am so tired right now. I didn't even have my camera to take pictures. Luckily Scott was there with his camera to take pictures and I can't wait to see them. Well, I'm out of words because I'm exhausted...

Glasses

2008-10-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

So my baby might need glasses. The school did a vision screening and sent home a letter saying I should have his vision checked. He has an appointment on Monday afternoon. At first he wasn't too thrilled about the idea, but we went to wal mart today and just for fun we paid a visit to the vision department. He tried on a few and I think he's warming up to the idea.

Feeling Better

2008-10-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

So after visiting the doctor I was very disappointed. I found out that I am going to gain weight on this medication no matter what. And my doctor didn't seem to be too concerned about it. I asked about medications and he told me that I could take Alli, but it's not covered and he's not sure how much it would help. Just writing this and remembering his lack of concern is making me sad all over again. Anyway, I also e-mailed my shrink and asked her about it. She said that with my history of meds not working well and negative side effects we should stick with this one since it seems to be working and the weight gain is not that significant. They both seemed to have a let's wait and see attitude. I personally would rather not wait and see the weight increase.

So I decided to go ahead with the Alli. Now I will wait and see what happens. If I am still gaining weight then I'm going to... well we'll cross that bridge when we come to it... if we come to it...

Home made bread

2008-10-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, I wish you could smell the aroma in my house right now. I love my bread machine...

Going to the Doctor

2008-10-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

So I have decided to see the doctor to talk about my weight loss adventure. I have an appointment today at 9:45. I'm hoping he can help with the gaining of weight from my medication. I have gained weight the past few weeks even though I have been eating good and exercising. I really hope there is a solution...

Went back to the gym

2008-10-11T19:19:00.000-07:00

I went back to the gym at my husbands insistence today. I'm glad I did because I feel great and I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to go again before Tuesday. I think I'm doing pretty good. We went to T.G.I. Friday's for dinner for Jason's birthday and I was good there too. I ordered off the "right portion, right price" section of the menu. It was just the right amount of food as to not stuff myself. When everyone wanted to order dessert I ordered off the kids menu!

Spin Class

2008-10-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

So I went to they gym for the third time this week. I decided to take on a spin class. Wow! What a workout! It was great. I thought I was going to die. My knees hurt, my legs hurt, my butt hurt! And in other news my husband told me my waistline is shrinking. Cool!

I went to the gym

2008-10-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been to the gym in a while and I went tonight. I feel great. I forgot how great I feel after a workout. I plan to get back in the game so to speak. I really want to be healthy and I am growing depressed watching my waist line increase. Clothes that used to look cut on my are now a little too tight. One of my new medications makes it hard for me to lose weight and even easier for me to gain weight. I don't want to just use that for an excuse and give up. I'm planning on posting my progress so stay tuned, anything can happen.

Anyway, this is a picture my dad took west of Boulder, CO. Every year they go up to see the fall colors. I didn't have a picture depicting weight loss or going to the gym and I didn't have a blog to talk about the picture, but I wanted to post it because it is so pretty.

Migraine's Suck

2008-10-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

That's all. They suck!

My T.P.S. report won't balance...

2008-10-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

Did I mention that I got a job. I mean another job. Yes 'tis the life of a beeper. Can't stay in one place too long. Anyway, now I am subbing for the Fairfield Suisun Unified School District. I am working as a front office clerical substitute. So far I have worked 4 assignments. This latest one working for a week at the District Office.

One of my assignments this week involves a spreadsheet that is supposed to balance with a budget sheet. Long story short... it doesn't balance. On top of everything else my boss is a little crazy. Not the kind of fun crazy that I am. I'm talking a real nut job. It sucks! I don't even want to go back tomorrow, but the assignment is for one more day and I have to stick it out. I'm just frustrated because half the time I just sit there and stare at the stupid paper or computer and the other half I'm trying to figure out what my crazy boss wants me to do.

Dress Code Violation

2008-09-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

So I was subbing at a local high school this past Friday. At one point they had a girl come into the office because her teacher sent her. She claimed to have no idea why. When the secretary looked at her shirt it had a picture of some pop star who had her belly showing. They made her come and wear a loaner shirt. When the other secretary saw her shorts she declared them "too short" even though she had leggings on under them. I agree that they were too short, but here's my beef.

The rule is that they shorts must come down to the bottom of your finger tips when your hands are at your side. Since it was a friday and there was a game that night all the cheerleaders and football players had their uniforms on. The cheerleaders uniforms were in obvious violation of the dress code! I was dumbfounded. They made one girl change her clothes even though she had no skin exposed yet there were cheerleaders prancing all over campus with their booties practically hanging out. Talk about a double standard!

My silly dog

2008-09-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

So I put a bowl of water down for my dogs and there was a price tag on the bottom of the bowl. My dog, Grover, decided to "get" the price tag. He tried to dig in the water and then just stuck his face in the bowl trying to bite it. Silly dog. I'm trying to post a video we'll see how it goes.

My favorite things... TV

2008-09-14T20:37:00.000-07:00

So I've decided to make a list of some of my favorite things. First of all a few TV shows. Psych. Monk. House. Boston Legal. CSI. Hereos. Law and Order. Law and Order:SVU. Eureka. How I Met Your Mother. NCIS. My Name Is Earl. The Office. Wow, that's a lot of TV...

New York PIzza Kitchen

2008-09-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

www.nypkfairfield.com

This place is great. Great pizza. Great service. Great deals. We order pizza quite often and we have found a diamond in the rough. We get an extra large pepperoni for about 20 bucks and it's more than enough to feed the 5 of us. Sometimes we get the spaghetti which comes with the best salad in the world! If you are looking for a great deal then show up on Monday or Tuesday and they have all you can eat pizza slices, salad and soda for $9.99 a person. They also have other great deals you can check out at the web site. Yummy!

You Are What You Eat

2008-09-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this show? It takes ordinary people and shows them all at once what they have eaten in the past week. It is usually pretty gross. Then they help them to make better food choices and follow up with them to see how much more healthy they are after the show. It comes on about 4 times a day on BBCA. Channel 264 on DirecTv.

BINGO

2008-09-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

I spent my holiday sleeping in until 8am (woo whoo) and then going to El Sobrante to the Boys and Girls club to play a marathon of bingo. My grandmother has been volunteering her Mondays to the boys club for as long as I can remember. Since I turned 18 (we won't mention how many years ago) I've been there to visit and play a few times. It's always fun and sometimes I've even won!

Yesterday I didn't win. Well, I didn't win any money. What I did win was a full 8 hours of nobody asking me if this is ok or is that ok or can i do this or can i do that or can i have this or can i have that mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy...

What I had was people coming up to me saying "Oh, you're Shirley's granddaughter! How nice to meet you." They also asked me if I wanted anything! They brought my BBQ ribs to me at my table. It was nice and refreshing to be taken care of instead of taking care of everyone else.

Rice and Meat and Gravy

2008-08-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up there were a few things my mom made that would make me stuff myself silly. Now understand that when I was younger I didn't eat much. My mom was a great cook, I just didn't like food. Spaghetti was one thing I loved and another was Rice and Meat and Gravy. Sometimes my mom would make mashed potatoes instead of rice. OOOhhhh yummy. That's what I made for dinner tonight. For my favorite meal I don't make it that often. Not because of it's difficulty, but because it's not the family favorite. Tonight it was a hit. Even after taco night last night.

Here's the instructions:

You get some beef. stew meat, fajita meat, whatever. You slice it up into bite size pieces. Throw it into the crock pot with 2 packages of brown gravy mix and about 3 cups of water. Let that cook for about 6 hours on low until the meat is so tender it's falling apart. Then just mash up some potatoes or cook up some rice, thicken the gravy and voila, dinner.

I hate my job

2008-08-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

OK I don't hate my job, really. I love my job, I just hate jobs in general. I forgot how nice it is to not have to work. Working sucks. I love the kids and working with the kids, but it is soooooo tiring. Last night I went to bed at 9pm after falling asleep on the couch. Tonight I will probably do the same. This morning it was awake at 5 up at 6 and let the day begin... I worked from 7:30 to 8:30 doing crossing guard and then had to be at the district office at 9 for training. That went until 11 which gave me just enough time to run home and eat before reporting for noon duty at 11:10. Did that until 1:30 and then came home and fell asleep on the couch until 2:30 when I walked back up to the school to pick up the kids. Then at 4:30 I had to go to the store and get food both for dinner tonight (thank goodness for rotisserie chicken) and also for snacks for school lunches. Got home, cut up the chicken and had dinner and here we are at 6:30. Wow, I'm even more tired just writing it out. Maybe I'll just go to bed right now...

I got a job... er... another job

2008-08-20T17:59:00.000-07:00

So just when I was thinking that the job at the halloween store was the answer to my prayers God decided to switch things up. He gave me another job offer. A few weeks ago I asked at my son's school if they had any open positions for either crossing guard (which I did 2 years ago) or noon duty. They told me no. Well, yesterday they called me and told me that both the crossing guard and noon duty positions were mine if I wanted them. After doing a little math and figuring out that the pay would be the exact difference between our old rent and our new mortgage. Wow! Plus I only have to work 3 hours a day! And it's fun! You know that old saying God works in mysterious ways? well...

I Got A Job!!

2008-08-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

www.spirithalloween.com

So I have been looking for a part time job to help supplement our income since we moved in to the new house. I have been applying all over town. I probably submitted 10 applications or inquiries. I didn't hear anything back. I had noticed the old Benwood Furniture store was becoming a halloween store. I had checked the web site multiple times to see if they were looking for workers. The web site said that they would post openings at the end of July. Not true.

So I was looking for specific hours that I was available. I only wanted to work while the kids are in school. I only wanted to work part time as to not affect my Social Security. So I prayed about it. I didn't pray constantly I just prayed about it and gave it to God.

Anyway, one day I was driving home and noticed a sign outside that said "job fair". I went in and filled out an application. The district manager was there and interviewed me on the spot. Before I left he said "I have to check out your application, but I'm telling you either way I'm hiring you". He told me that he'd be calling me Sunday evening, but if he didn't get around to calling me then I should call him Monday morning.

Well he called me TODAY! He wants me to come in tomorrow at 12:30 to work out the details of my hiring. I am so excited. This job is everything I prayed for! And I found out today that I can work for up to 9 months without any income restrictions.

Bottom line: GOD IS GOOD!

So maybe you're thinking that a "halloween store" isn't the best place for a wholesome christian woman to be working. Well I thought about that at first, but then I really thought about it and what better place to be to show people that "we" are normal fun loving people who just happen to love God. I fully intend on wearing my SVC shirts during the store set up period when we can show up in jeans and t-shirts. I just want to witness to people by being myself. I want to shine for our Lord.

Maybe I'm not so crazy after all. Or maybe I'm crazier than I thought...

Ahhhh The Beach... The Ocean... The Waves...

2008-08-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

I used to go to the beach all the time. I lived 30 minutes away. There were days when I would get off work and head out and let the waves wash the stress of the day away (figuratively). I would just sit there and watch the waves go out and come back in. It was great.

I recently got a chance to go back to the beach. I don't even know how long it's been since I've been to see the ocean. It's one of those things that you take for granted living in California.

My parents moved to Colorado a while back and although my mom has been back to visit a few times my dad has only been back once and just for a weekend. They are both coming to visit next month and one of the things my dad wants to do while they are here is go to the ocean. I wish I could be the one to take them, but they are leaving my house and going to Santa Cruz. Maybe I'll just hide out in their trunk...

AVA The Adventure

2008-08-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

I wanna have the same last dream again
The one where I wake up, and I'm alive
Just as the four walls close me within
My eyes are opened up with pure sunlight
I'm the first to know, my dearest friends
Even if your hope has burned with time
Anything that's dead shall be regrown
And your vicious pain, your warning sign
You will be fine

Hello, here I am
And here we go
Life's waiting to begin

Any type of love it will be shown
Like every single tree reach for the sky
If you're gonna fall, I'll let you know
That I will pick you up like you for I
I felt this thing, life can't replace
Where everyone was working for this goal
Where all the children left without a trace
Only to come back, as pure as gold
To recite this all

Hello, here I am
And here we go
Life's waiting to begin, tonight

Hello, here I am
And here we go
Life's waiting to begin, tonight

Hello, here I am
And here we go
Life's waiting to begin

I cannot live; I can't breathe unless you do this with me
I cannot live; I can't breathe unless you do this with me
I cannot live; I can't breathe unless you do this with me
I cannot live; I can't breathe unless you do this with me

Hello, here I am (You do this with me)
And here we go
Life's waiting to begin (You do this with me)

Hello, here I am (You do this with me)
And here we go
Life's waiting to begin
Life's waiting to begin

Mixed Episodes, Rapid Cycling, and Irritability

2008-07-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Criteria for Mixed Episode as described in the DSM-IV TR:

A. The criteria are met for a Manic Episode and for a Major Depressive Episode nearly every day during at least a 1-week period.

B. The mood disturbance is sufficiently severe to cause marked impairment in occupational functioning or in usual social activities or relationships with others, or to necessitate hospitalization to prevent harm to self or others, or there are psychotic features.

C. The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance or a general medical condition.

Criteria that has been met by me the past week:

Manic Episode symptoms:

a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood

more talkative than usual

flight of ideas, or subjective experience that thoughts are racing

distractibility

Depressive symptoms:

depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report (feeling sad or empty) or observation made by others (my mother in law)

markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day

weight gain or increase in appetite nearly every day.

hypersomnia

fatigue or loss of energy

feelings of inappropriate guilt (delusional)

diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness

Tomaillo Chicken with Black Beans

2008-07-15T21:24:00.001-07:00

OK folks, this was a really good one. So yummy! I of coarse added my own spin to the recipe. The recipe said to serve this dish by putting the bean/salsa mixture on the plate and placing the chicken on top and serving with warm tortillas. I said No Way and made them soft taco style. So I added some sour cream, corn and I put the cilantro right in with the beans and salsa. This one was a hit with the whole family. Matthew didn't eat his tortilla, but he ate all the chicken inside. Oh, I also used regular chili powder instead of ancho chili powder. I didn't reserve any of the salsa either and since I doubled the recipe for the family, I used 2 cans of beans yet I still only used one jar of salsa. It turned out just right, but next time I think I"ll try making the tomatillo salsa from scratch!

Tomatillo Salsa (salsa verde)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

½ teaspoon ancho chile powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Whole fresh cilantro leaves

Warm corn tortillas

1. Season chicken with chile powder and salt. Heat pan over medium high heat until hot; lightly spray with vegetable oil. Add chicken; cook 8 - 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning once. Remove chicken to cutting board; tent with foil and let stand 5 minutes. Slice chicken into strips.

2. For beans, add all but 2 tablespoons of salsa and black beans to same pan; cook about 2 minutes or until heated through. Spoon bean mixture onto serving plates; top with sliced chicken ad reserved salsa. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with warm corn tortillas.

Ruff, ruff, ruff, grrruff, ruff

2008-07-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

So I honestly liked those sandwiches so much that I made them again for dinner tonight. Yummy! In other news... a mystery was solved today. My neighbor has a yappy little Jack Russell Terrier who loves to bark. They leave him outside a lot of the time so he barks a lot of the time. My bedroom windows are about 20 feet from the fence where this dog barks. I was lucky enough to buy a house with new dual pane windows. As long as the windows are closed it's not too bothersome. However, it is summer and the nights have been nice and cool enough to sleep with the windows open. Until 7am and the dog starts barking. He doesn't just bark once or twice or for a minute then stop. He barks constantly.

Back to the mystery part. I have been wondering how the owner can stand to listen to the barking all day long. Tonight we were playing in the backyard with a little net and birdie thing the kids found in the garage and the birdie went over the fence. Adam and the kids went over there to get it back. Apparently it is just one old guy who lives there alone and can hardly hear. So although it doesn't help my situation any at least now I know why the owner lets the dog bark all day.

From Adam's experience talking to him tonight I'm not sure talking to him about the dog would do any good so if anyone has any suggestions feel free to leave a comment. I have tried sleeping with ear plugs, but I don't like the feeling and I won't wear them when Adam's gone because I feel I need to hear the kids. I have also thought of cutting a hole in the fence, reaching through and putting a muzzle on the dog every night. I don't think that will work. I also thought of slipping some of my meds into a treat and throwing it over the fence. The problem there is if it hurts the dog I would feel bad. I don't want to hurt him, I just want him to shut up.

As promised...

2008-07-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

Turkey Panini with Onion-Cranberry Marmalade

4 slices ¾ inch thick bread

vegetable oil

4 slices Havarti cheese

4 ounces thinly sliced deli mesquite turkey (6 slices)

Onion Cranberry Marmalade (see below)

¼ small Granny Smith apple, cut into eight thin slices

1. Lightly spray one side of bread slices with oil; arrange bread, oil side down, on cutting board. Top two bread slices with half of the cheese, turkey, marmalade and apple slices. Top with remaining cheese and bread slices, oil side up.

2. Heat grill pan over medium low heat 5 minutes. Place sandwiches onto pan; top with grill press. Cook 3 – 4 minutes or until grill marks appear and cheese is melted, turning once.

Onion Cranberry Marmalade:

Pour 2 tablespoons hot water over ¼ cup sweetened dried cranberries in prep bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in sauté pan over medium heat; add 1 cup thinly sliced onion. Cook and stir 5 minutes or until onion softens and begins to caramelize. Add 2 tablespoons cider vinegar; stir to loosen browned bits from bottom of pan. Add 2 tablespoons orange marmalade, cranberries and any liquid from soaking. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

Turkey Panini with Onion-Cranberry Marmalade

2008-07-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

What can I say... yummy! I got this recipe out of my new Pampered Chef cookbook called Cooking for Two or More. I have decided to blog about my adventures in the kitchen. This recipe was really easy to make and tasted delicious. Now as my friends who know me can attest to I don't follow recipes very well. In this case I didn't have a Panini press so I used a George Foreman Grill. I also used fresh baked bread out of my bread machine instead of the multigrain bread it called for. I don't like Havarti cheese either so I used Colby Jack since that's what I had. I'll post the original recipe below for everyone.

The recipe is to make 2 sandwiches so I made them for me and Adam and for the kids I just put cheese and turkey. Matthew loved it. Angela is Angela so who knows. Me and Adam both loved it. At first he thought the apples were weird, but then he liked it. I really like the crunchy apple and sweet onion cranberry marmalade. It was really easy to make, too. The marmalade took less then 10 minutes then it's just a matter grilling the sandwiches.

Angela Soldano 4/12/1907 - 3/16/2005

2008-07-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

I was trying to fall asleep last night and thoughts of my Nana consumed me. Me and Adam were discussing the possibility of getting a new toilet for our bathroom. This may not seem like the kind of discussion that would foster warm memories of your great grandmother, but let me explain.

My great grandparents lived in San Jose for as long as I can remember. Since they were the oldest we would all travel to them for holidays. I remember one holiday, I'm not sure if it was Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, whatever. We all arrived at Nana and Dede's house and right away my Nana was telling everyone "go to the bathroom". At first I was baffled, but then she started to explain "I just got a new toilet, go see it". She also kept stating "I paid $100 for that toilet". I'm not sure if she was proud of the great deal she got on the toilet or if she thought $100 was outrageous for a toilet so she wanted to be sure and get as much use out of it as possible.

My Nana was such a character. I remember the first time she met Adam. She took him aside and told him "if you hurt her, I will kill you". And Adam believed her. I would have loved to know her in her "hay day". I can only imagine how spunky she was then considering how spunky she was at 90!

She gave a speech at my wedding. Nobody knew she was going to say anything, but right after my dad gave his she stood up and said "wait a minute I have something to say". "Sarah, you go home to him and don't go running away back home." Or something like that. I remember it wouldn't have made sense to most people there, but I knew exactly what she was talking about. She had told me before that after she married Carl Soldano she didn't want to be married to him anymore. She went back to her parents and told them that she didn't want to be married any more. They told her "too bad" and sent her back. They remained married 'till death do them part. Now my Dede sits at Creekside in San Pablo waiting for the day they will be reunited. He turns 101 this month (17th). Happy Birthday Carl Soldano.

Duffel Bags

2008-07-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

I have happened upon a new obsession. Duffel bags. I have been making duffel bags the past few days. I made this one for my nephew Jax who is turning 1. I also made one for Adam, but he says it looks too much like a purse. Whatever! I have also figured out that I can make 2 bags out of 1 yard of fabric and 1 yard of lining. If I get lucky and find some cool fabric in the dollar bin then I can put one of these together for about $4. That's awesome. Plus I can embroider anything I want on them. I think I know what everyone's getting for Christmas this year...

The Changing Of Ways

2008-06-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

Imagine if you will...

you are a baby learning to walk. Instead of learning that you can start on either foot you are taught that you can only start on your right foot. So you start on your right foot. Always the right foot. Eventually you are so used to starting on your right foot that you forget all about your left foot. You forget that it's even there for anything other than following your right foot. This goes on for about 30 years. Then one day you wake up to realize that all this time you've been doing it wrong. You aren't supposed to start with your right foot. You are supposed to start with your left foot. Always your left foot, never your right. At first, you can't even imagine starting with your left foot, but then you try it. It works! You can start with your left foot. Not only is it possible, but it's better! You wonder why you are just now figuring this out. Why didn't you think of this years ago? So you start starting with your left foot. It's really hard at first and every time you move you have to think about it. It's like a mantra in your head "left foot, left foot, left foot".

So just when you think you've got the hang of this left foot stuff you start to relax a little. You've got it now. The mantra has quieted. Then one day you wake up and start on your right foot. It's not something you do on purpose. Maybe you don't even realize you've started on your right foot. Until you start to trip. And you wonder what's going on. Why is everything so different today?

Then you realize. You started on your right foot. You feel bad. You feel stupid. You feel ashamed. You feel angry. Angry at yourself for not starting on your left foot. You know better. You've been starting on your left foot for over a year. What's wrong with you.

It isn't easy to change your ways. Even when you know what is right and you know what you should do you still go back to your old ways from time to time.

I don't really have a point... just the ramblings of a crazy person...

Falling Apart

2008-05-26T23:24:00.000-07:00

I'm 31 years old. I am too young to have so many health issues. I've got a bum knee from a fall I took about 5 years ago. It still acts up every once in a while. I've got a sore back and arm from who knows what. I've recently been diagnosed with bursitis. The treatment for much of what ails me is a good old fashioned anti-inflammatory. Which of coarse could very well kill me. Ugh! I've been so frustrated with this issue for so long. I've been doing some research on Lamictal. I took Lamictal before and as far as I can remember it worked for me. I remember I didn't like taking it because it is shaped strangely. That made it literally hard to swallow. I just hope it will work for me again. I'm not worried about the swallowing issue any more. I've become accustomed to swallowing pills a handful at a time. We'll just have to wait and see.

In other news... we went to see Narnia today. It was really good. I've been reading the book and finished it today after the movie. I must say I was highly impressed at how close the book and movie were. I truly enjoyed both.

Blog much?

2008-05-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

First of all... here is a picture of my silly dog. You see, my small dog likes to get up on the edge of the couch and hang out. This works for her because she is small. Gonzo, however is not so small. He doesn't know he's not small though so he tries to do all the things that Miss Piggy does. What a silly guy. Then again, what do you expect from someone names Gonzo!

So I have decided to create a blog to express myself. I plan to write about what it's like to be me. I wanted to name my blog something that had to do with me being crazy, but the only thing available that I could find was "deep fried cheese on a stick". After about 100 attempts with names that were not available I took it. I do love me a good deep fried cheese on a stick from Hot Dog On A Stick so why not.

Anyway, tonight I e-mailed my doctor and told her that I think I should change meds again. I'm not 100% sure this is a good idea, but I don't know what else to do. I just don't fell like the Lithium is working for me. I am tired of losing my hair, drinking 12 bottles of water a day (not an exaggeration) and not being able to lose weight (I'm not a fatty, but I could stand to lose about 20 pounds).

For those of you just joining us I have bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed in 2003 (I think) and have been riding the medication roller coaster ever since. Don't get me wrong, the medication roller coaster is way better then the undiagnosed crazy for no apparent reason roller coaster. It's just sometimes you really, really want to leave the theme park, but there is no exit.

In January of 2007 I decided to give Lithium another go. I had been on it before, but stopped taking it due to side effects. This time I realized that it had worked better than anything else so I should just suck it up and take my pills. Since Jan. 07 I have had to increase the dosage twice and each time my thirst increased (I didn't think that was possible). I recently went on a weekend trip and had to bring an entire case of water with me so that I didn't go into a coma! That sucked. I also lay awake many nights just tossing and turning and drinking more water because I feel so dehydrated.

I also have to be careful what pain relievers I take so that my kidneys don't fail. It's not fun, especially when you suffer from headaches and get body aches whenever you do things like spend 20 hours painting a house and then spend 2 days moving and another 2 days cleaning.

Well, I think that's enough for my first blog.