On this day....

....6 years ago, I did the hardest thing ever in my life. I had to put down my first dog.

Yeah, I know. You're probably thinking, "Well, that happens to everyone & it's hard but not the hardest thing. What's your problem???" Well, to me, someone who waited 17 years to have their first dog EVER, it was harder than you could EVER imagine.


So I hope you're comfortable and have a snack and drink cuz this is a LONG one! Sit back, read, and soak in all that is about my baby, Boo Boo....


I still remember the day when I was 2 asking my folks for a dog. They said no. Through out the years, they would warm up to the idea yet they would have mixed opinions on if it should be an inside or outside dog, how big of a dog and all that good shit. Finally, on Christmas of 2000 (When I was 19!), one of my gifts was a letter letting me know I could have any dog I wanted. Well, I went on a search! What I've always wanted (since I was about 9-10 years old) was an English Bulldog, before they became as super popular as they are now! Since I knew my folks didn't want to spend $2000 on a dog, I looked for alternatives routes in possibly getting a rescued bulldog or maybe something else in the bulldog family.

Then one day, my cousin sent me an online classified listings for bulldogs in OC. The first one I saw was for an American Bulldog in the Westminster/Garden Grove area (which is about 15 mins away from my house). I called the people and they said I could go over and see him. Well, it turned out where I went was a lil' part of the area called "Little Saigon". The house was kinda shady looking and the guys were even shadier. I walk in and see this 10 week old dog that was about 20 lbs.! He looked like "Petey" from the "Little Rascals" and man, he was HUGE! They informed me they named the dog "T-Bone" so I started to call him by his name but he didn't budge. Found out that I would be the 3rd owner to this poor animal in his short lil life. Poor thing was scared. I, of course went by myself (dumb ass move), asked about where they got him (from a breeder; they were "waiting on the papers"), got to know the dog, stayed for about an hr. and after seeing the dog and the living conditions he was in, I just said, "I'll take him." I asked if they could send me the papers or if I could even come by to pick them up when they got them and they said, "Sure". <--(We'll get to that soon....) So I called my folks to know that I was bringing home a dog. They were shocked but they were ok with it. When I got home and my mom saw how big his paws were, she was like, "Oh shit. He's going to be a big boy!" Well, she was right! I took him to the vet literally every week for the first few weeks I had him, just to make sure he was ok since where he came from was so dirty & shady. He was fine & every week he was gaining like 10 lbs! Before I knew it, when he was about 3 months, he was 60 lbs but PURE muscle! At first, he was still very nervous and sketchy yet after awhile, he knew we were his family. If anything, the more he & I were around each other, the more him & I were like the same person! I don't know if an animal & a human could be alike but we sure were! People were afraid of him cuz he looked like he could eat them but if they only knew he was just as afraid (maybe even more than them), LBS and I came up with the name "Boo Boo". He taught himself to jump onto my bed, which at that time, was at least 3 & 1/2 feet above the ground! So here was this big ass dog & my manatee ass on a twin size bed! I don't know how we did it but it worked and we slept like that every night! I also taught him how to sit, stay, catch food (Favorite Food- French Fries, especially Jack in the Box fries) in his mouth but my favorite was that he knew how & when to give a kiss when someone would ask. He was just amazing.



I have to say, maybe for the fact that he was basically around me all the time, he didn't act like your "normal" dog. This was some dog! Boo Boo LOVED car rides more than any other dog I have EVER known! He would sit as if he had a seat belt on! He even went as far as going 2 exits away from Mexico with me and being cool the whole way there and back! I was able to take him anywhere and everywhere and I LOVED doing that! Oh and Ladies, if you ever want to get checked out by guys, get an American Bulldog or some kind of good looking BIG dog! I can NOT tell you how many times I would see a guy tell me to roll down my window cuz they wanted to ask about my dog! Every time that ever happened to me, I would always turn around and say, "Thank you baby." and Boo Boo would just look at me confused.





Another thing that made him not a "normal" dog was that he hated going for walks. He, on more than several occasions, would either hide or chew up his leash! Thank God he did know how to walk to and from the car without running away! So instead of going on walks, every night around 11-ish, Boo Boo & I would go pick up "Ho", grab a Slurpee and then sit at an open field by my house and just let him run away until he was ready to go home. The great thing about that was all I had to do was say, "Ok baby, let's go." and he would just go straight back to the car. There were times when he would actually go back by himself and look at me like, "Alright let's go! I'm done." Those times at the park were the best. Me, Boo Boo, Ho, Slurpees, broken sprinklers (Thanks to Boo Boo), great talks with Ho and watching Boo Boo have a blast...... Those are some of the best memories. I keep those memories fresh in my mind because of how good they were and how I smile every time I think about them.......



I truly felt that Boo Boo thought he was human. Call me crazy (it's ok, I know) but I felt like him and I shared the same thoughts and feelings. At times, I felt he would be more patient with me than I would be with him. One day I'll never forget was when 9/11 happened. Like everyone else that day, Boo Boo & I just watched the TV for hours. At one point, he looked at me with this sad look on his face and I, with tears in my eyes, just said, "Yeah, I know". I then told him to watch the TV again and he did.



One thing that people could not deny was how he was with lil kids! For my cousin, who has SEVERE anger & attention issues, him & Boo Boo were the best of friends! He just knew how he was and my cousin knew how to be around him. Also, another cousin of mine was SUPER afraid of dogs, let alone this huge animal that looked like he could tear her apart within seconds and she would take him for walks all the time and just say, "Come on Puppy" and there he went. I think of anything, he did have something against adults though. I'm pretty certain he was abused by one or both of his past owners so he had major issues with most people who came over.



Well, if most of you don't know, Bulldogs have MAJOR health issues! The first thing that was a problem was his allergies. I would have to give him Benadryl about 2-4 times a day, depending on how much he would sneeze or scratch. Our backyard looked like we lived in Chernobyl and I, at the age of 19, had a curfew of midnight that way I would be home to give him his meds.! And let me tell you, if my ass wasn't inside at 12, my phone would ring! One time I was just about to open the door and my phone rang! I opened the door & said, "I'M HERE, CALM DOWN!". The longest I was ever away from him was 4 days, which was when I went on a plane for the first time, to Boston, with a friend. That was 4 months after 9/11 and man, was I freaked out going on a plane!!! All I told my friend on the way home was that I just wanted to get home to my baby.... I'll never forget when I got home, he zoomed down the stairs and just gave me all the kisses he could. I promised I would never leave him for that long again.....



Then, on December 26, 2002, we woke up and did our morning routine of going to the restroom yet when Boo Boo jumped off the bed, he kinda limped and tucked his back leg in. Since I took this dog to the vet every time he sneezed the wrong way, I rushed him to the vet..... They kept him there all day, doing every sort of test and at approx. 5:38 pm, while I was on my way to work, the vet called saying I needed to go over there. Called my work & told them I couldn't make it in and headed to the vet.



Once I got there, they informed me he had Hip Dysplacia in both of his hips. One was completely out and the other was on the verge. I was devastated. All I could do was cry. Then my sadness turned into anger. Of all the times I EVER took that dog in, knowing that Bulldogs have a history of this sort of thing, it NEVER occurred to them to test him, even just examine the area??? Man, I was LIVID and right then and there, I demanded a copy of his file and I was going to get a 2nd opinion. Unfortunately, every place I took him to, he was in so much pain and was also just plain scared that they would have to muzzle him. I just couldn't believe this was happening!



We randomly had a family get together and I was telling a 2nd cousin of mine about what was going on with Boo Boo & she recommended her vet. She couldn't stop talking about how great she was and maybe she could do something in helping the situation. So I called to make an appt. and the only appt. they had was when I was working. By the grace of GOD, LBS saw how depressed I was and offered to take him for me. I was BLOWN away just for the fact that 1- She has NO patience and 2- It's all about her........ I thanked her profusely yet I had to warn her to keep her cool and she had to be the epitome of patient. She needed to know that they may need to muzzle him and to just make him feel comfortable.



Man, you'll never know how nervous I was that day. I called right when I had a chance to see how the appt. went. Assuming that it was just going to be really hard and that they would have to muzzle him for the fact he probably snapped at the vet and that he couldn't get along with the staff, I called LBS really worried. These were LBS's exact words-- "Ummm... He couldn't stop giving her kisses." I started to cry..... From then on, we went to her and to this day we still go to her for the filthy animal we have now. Let's just say that if I were to move across the United States, I would make an effort to take my pets to her about once or twice a year need be! She's amazing and if you need a vet, ask me and I'll give you her info.



LBS really stepped up and I couldn't thank her enough for doing what she did for me! She did inform me that the vet said to really keep an eye on him because yeah, he can live through the pain (which I guess he has been doing since he was born) but if he started to become aggressive, we really needed to be more worried about that. The vet told us to give him aspirin twice a day, plus he also had his allergy meds so this poor thing was just a pill popper! At least he was really good at actually digesting his meds.


Through out the next month or so, we went to check out how much it would be to actually fix the hips. We had 2 options- 1, Taking out the ball from the socket and having him go through physical therapy: that costing a mere 3,000 grand per hip.... or 2, Having him become the "Bionic" dog and replacing the whole ball and socket yet knowing that 9 out of 10 times, it fails: that costing 5,000 PER hip! You would think when spending that much money, that shit would be good & legit! Then, he did become very aggressive towards people coming over. We would have to lock him up and he would be so upset. I felt horrible. I didn't want this for my baby so I would spend as much time as I could with him.


Well, towards the end of March of 2002, his aggressive was getting so bad, he started turning on my mom & I. We were to closest to him and he was turning on us. I then talked about it was my family and some friends and I came to the realization that I really shouldn't be selfish and think of "just me". What about Boo Boo? What about all the pain & suffering he's going through? He's lashing out and becoming a violent dog because of the excruciating pain he was in. I then called the amazing vet and asked her how much of a horrible person I would be if I put him down. She told me that I would be actually a good person because I would be thinking of his well being and that he wouldn't be suffering anymore. I then decided that it was time.

On Wednesday, April 17th, I laid in bed with Boo Boo all day. Watched TV, gave him his favorite fries from Jack in the Box, and just cuddled with him, giving him all the kisses I could. At around 4:15, I left, uncontrollably sobbing, to pick up Ho to go with me to do what was best. By the way, Ho, if you're reading this, you know how I will always have the up most respect and love for you going with me that day. We arrive at the vet around 5-ish and they take us in Room 2. They sedated Boo Boo that way he would be relaxed when they did it. Now, here's the semi-kicker: Both Ho & I were there when they put him down. Now, I know, I have admitted it more times than not, that I am a masochist yet I knew if I just dropped him off that the last image in my head would be him trying to come back to me and damn if I was going to live a life with that in my mind!


When they brought him back into the room, I asked him to give me a kiss.... He did. He then laid across my lap as I just cried and held him. The doctor came in and she gave him the shot. It took about 5-7 mins. She took his pulse after that time and she informed Ho and I that he had passed. I laid there for about 30 mins afterwards and just cried. Even Ho, who's the epitome of trying to be a hard ass, couldn't hold back the tears. Ho then got me off the ground and he drove me home. Ho actually took me to another park (the now infamous, "Brown Bagging" park) and we had a Slurpee. I was ok after a while. The next few days were really tough though.


Then, my sadness and depression turned into anger and rage. I told Ho that we needed to go to the people who I got Boo Boo from and ask about the "papers" I was suppose to get, informing of any problems or history and whatnot about him! So we go over there and they never answered the door. I even tried calling them and never heard back from them. To this day, nothing. There was nothing much I could do from there.


A few months later, I found out about how people were getting dogs from Mexico that were sick and selling them here for like NOTHING. It was a pretty big news report here (SoCal) and I just figured that's what happened to me. I got a dog, who was sick, and was taken advantage. But I can't really say I was totally taken advantage because the time that I did have Boo Boo, I was truly the happiest girl you would ever see. I'm a believer that everything happens for a reason. The reason I had Boo Boo was to give him the best life he could have and he was here to show me how to become a stronger person. After everything that I went through with him, I truly feel that I am a stronger person for having him in my life.


Last year, for the 5th anniversary, I got dog paws tattooed on me. I saw them one thing somewhere and I cut them out and held on to them in my wallet until last year. They're on my back and they look like they're walking. So now, I like to say that he's always with me whatever I go in life.


Now that I have been crying like no other while typing at work, I should end this but I want to end saying this- No matter what happens to me or how many pets I may have in my life, I will always think of Boo Boo, my baby. He was my first and I will always hold a special place for him in my heart.

me. =:::)

Back to work.....

You know, it's not hectic but damn, I'm still busy! Douching off my desk, organizing invoices & payments, still assembling returns (copies to clients), and people STILL calling in! I know, I know. The guys keep saying it's going to slow down so much that I'll need to bring a book in to occupy my time. I know it sounds bad but I'm kinda waiting for that day to arrive, like soon!

Nothing huge happening right now yet I'm going to write a separate blog about the significant of today. It's one of those days I honestly will never forget just for the simple fact that I consider the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, so far at least. I truly feel even when I become old and senile, this will be one of the things I will always remember.

So continue on to the next post....

me =)

Some day off....

You would think that I do more when I'm working than when I have a day off but NO! I did a lot of shit today!

Started the day by going out to a VERY belated breakfast with "Ho". It had been so long since I had seen "Ho", I couldn't even tell you! Well, "Ho" also had to bring "Satan's Spawn" with since Ho's sister was sick and couldn't take care of her. So there I was with this little girl, who is absolutely beautiful yet man, talk about not only NOT wanting to have kids but also wanting to run & get your tubes tied right away! Well, I must say, I thought she was going to be worst but she wasn't. No one was threaten to be killed and she only threw one tantrum. According to Ho, that's a good thing.....

After that, went to get the most expensive mani/pedi of my life but it was pretty good. I don't know if it was exactly $90 good though! It was kinda of hard to relax while they were doing it though so it almost defeated the purpose of going to relax & get pampered. At least my hands and toes look nice. Then went to get the bird shit that had been on my car for about 2 months off at the car wash. Car got the works done & may I just say that it will stay like this for as long as possible!!! Hopefully I won't have "Kamikaze Birds" come and attack my car again. I know I'm the daughter of the Infamous bird killer from the mid 90's but ya don't need to take it out on me! Go find her and attack my mom with all your bombs of stored up & massive bird shit! Damn....

I called my mom to see what she was doing and she said she needed to go to Target and well, you can't pass up a Target run! So went there & I spent about $100 on 3 bags, which as sad as it sounds, was good! I have left Target before with ONE bag that equaled $100!!! It was actually something to be proud of...

Went home and rested for about an hour or so then went to see "Trainspotting" at the movie theater PH and I like to go to. Every Wednesday it's "Cult Classic" movie night and even though I think I have seen quite a few of the movies they play, I actually haven't and getting to see it on the big screen is super cool! This movie theater also plays all the independent movies. There's nothing I like more than an independent, foreign or sub title movie!!! That's how I roll.... So that's how we found out about their cult classic night. BTW- "Trainspotting".... Thwacked out movie but it was great! If you haven't seen it, go!

Got home at about 10:30-ish and I'm about to knock the fuck out! Dude, I seriously NEVER do that much on a regular day at work, much less on a day off!

Well, back to work tomorrow. Let's see if it does calm down tomorrow....

Til then,
me =)

IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!

THANK THE GODS & HEAVENS ABOVE!!!! I swear I was over it about 2 & 1/2 weeks ago!!!

But as ridiculous as it sounds, there's a lil part that I will miss. The days that I go with my dad are truly the greatest. I've been going with him for the past 4 or 5 years now and I not only get more confident each year, learning about the business but I truly feel closer to him and this is something that I will always treasure & hold close to me forever. I do hope that if I ever do have children one day, I can carry this tradition on....

So I was TOTALLY right! Work was a breeze and my dad was rushing like no other when I got home from work! I have NO idea why he didn't think about NOT having appts. today! I even told my mom awhile ago not to make any for the 15th but no one listens to me..... When I told him that I had the idea of no appts. next year on the 15th, he agreed.

Well, it really does seem at times I'm psychic cuz I totally called that he was going to push it by trying to make it to the post office tonight. It is a tradition that my folks have had since the beginning (so 33 years now) that they go to the post office at about 11:30-ish yet this year, they cut it REALLY close. They left at 11:51 and literally got there with 2 mins. to spare!!! My mom said she was actually afraid while my dad was driving and that's a VERY rare thing since he usually drives about 30 miles an hour. He actually has been pulled over for driving too slow!!!

Anyways, I have tomorrow off due to tax season being over! Super excited! There's so many things I want to do/ need to do but the thought of just laying in bed would also be fantastic....

Well, we'll see what I end up doing.....

Hope you got your tax stuff taken care of,

me =)

In about 24 hrs....

.....this will ALL be over, well, until next year of course!

It's late and I need my sleep. I don't think it's going to be too crazy tomorrow at work yet I can only imagine how its going to be for my dad. He has a tendency of procrastinating and rushing to make sure everything is right and having mins to left to finish! I guess I get it from him yet I think I have gotten better as I get older.

Until tomorrow,

me =)

Really odd things......

.....happened this weekend:


1- Friday night, PH & I were bored. So we did what we usually do when we're bored- brown bagging it at the park. Everything was going great & we were about to go back home when we heard a "hey ladies!" We knew it wasn't a cop so we weren't freaked out like that but we had no idea who was trying to talk to us. Well, turns out it was a homeless man. So we talked to him for a few mins but we wanted to get back cuz it was getting late. Thinking that this was going to be our entertainment of the night & something for me to write about in my blog, I enjoyed our 7-10 mins chat with Chuck the homeless man. Little did I know that Chuck wasn't going to be the oddest moment of the night....


Right when we were about to politely thank Chuck for the conversation about him being a marine & was hired and paid to go to Berlin for the wall to fall leave, this chick comes up and randomly asks if one of us has a bad right knee. PH & I just look at each other and ask, "Why?" She informed us that her & her friend were followers of God but not of an organized religion and that they were driving down the street and were told to stop here because someone needed to be helped and bless the bad knee.



Well, now Chuck the homeless man is just in awe that there are 4 girls/women (whatever you want to call us) giving him all this attention! He starts talking to one of the girls while PH & I talk to the other. At the same time, PH & I are looking at each other to try & figure out how to leave! So I tell the girl that I have an old softball injury on my...right knee! She gets all excited and asks if she can bless it that way it will NEVER hurt again. PH & I look at each other and say, "What the hell, why not!" She gets into it.......really into it to the point that PH took out her camera phone & took a picture of the chick blessing my knee! The chick had NO idea she took the pic! Then, while she's blessing my knee, she starts speaking in "tongues"! All PH & I could do was just look at each other and not laugh!



So, once she "healed" my knee, they were trying to explain their beliefs to us again! PH wasn't having it and got into a debate with them. Then, thinking I was trying to get us out of there, I told them about what happens to me (i.e.- ESP, DeJaVu, seeing people after they pass, etc...) At first, they were saying I was a "Prophet" and I was a "chosen one" of God's, that my life has much more meaning and reason to be here than most people alive. Then they changed their tone and said that actually God & the Devil are fighting over me and that if I don't follow God, I will most likely not live for very long and suffer in life.



Right then and there, PH & I informed the girls we had to go and we thanked them for our entertaining night! Yeah, I don't think we'll be going to the park to brown it for a while.....



2- So, I decided to go to LBS's birthday at the club her SO was playing at. Here's why it was a semi-big deal I went:



See, back in the day, I used to go to TJ (Tia Juana, Mexico for you who don't live in California) like EVERY weekend. I used to have a BLAST! The more packed a club was, the better! All you can drink free, dancing my ass off and ending the night by having "3 for .90 cents tacos" at the stand by the border, it was the life! Oh, to be 18/19/even 20 again....



Well, back in 2003, when I was helping out with the "Wade Robson Project" for MTV, I discovered I was claustrophobic and I could NOT handle being in small places with people touching me and me not being able to touch a wall or railing and all that good shit that comes with it! If I had somewhere to sit and/or a wall/railing to hold on to or touch, I was fine..... Turns out, that wasn't happening a lot while helping out with the show so I usually ended up sitting with his mom (who, thanks to sitting with her, we become allies and not "frienemies" like we started out as..... I'll tell that story one day....). I just couldn't understand why this was happening. I actually used to enjoy going to clubs. Hell, my best club experience EVER was meeting up with Wade & his friends at the club once known as IVAR (now, Cinespace)!



Anyways, back to LBS's birthday..... With being claustrophobic AND even getting over the whole "club scene", I was REALLY dreading it..... Well, for some reason, the "club Gods" threw me a bone and I had a BLAST!!! Oh my god, it was SUCH a great time! The hilarious thing was that everyone (especially LBS) were super surprised I showed up!



So the odd thing that happened there was that I got hit on. Now, the way I see it, there were all these cute little girls around and this guy could have had his pick of one of them yet he came to me. Him and I ended up having about a 45 min conversation. I asked him why he decided to come talk to me. His answer, in a sense, shocked me. He said, "I saw you from across the patio and the way you were so expressive when you were talking to your friends, I could tell you were a very confident and nice person." For all I know it was the BS of all BS lines but damnit, a tall, tan and cute fireman was telling me this and my manatee ass ate it up! He even asked for my number yet I know not to hold my breath for a call from him.

Why I guess I would consider that whole situation to be odd would be that I just assume that I wouldn't get hit on or have guys come talk to me, especially a decent looking guy. I think it also has to do with the fact I don't have the greatest track record with guys, let alone, just not ever having that many guys that ever want to talk to me cuz they maybe interested in me and have decent conversation with. Basically, I think it's just the "I'm usually the chunky chick that the guys are always 'just friends' with and want nothing more" mentality. That's been the story my whole life. For once, as it weird & disturbing as it sounds, it was nice to be looked at as a possible "piece of meat" or even for a date.

just cant wait to get on the road again...

10:35- So I finally get up to get ready. For some reason, everyone was either calling or texting this morning! Let me sleep bitches!

11:15- Go downstairs to make something to eat. Find out that today will literally be a nothing day! We may be home at 8!!! If that's the case, I may have to make a cameo at LBS's bday party...

11:58- Alright, our first appt. is in 2 mins. In Corona (which is about 25 mins. away)and we're still at the house!!! Had a lil argument with dad about putting on the shoes we bought him (you know, the ones that we were looked down on when buying them, ala our "Selena" moment). He didn't want to wear them for some reason & I told him he needs to put them on for better support AND to not trip like he did TWICE yesterday!!! We went back and forth for a few mins until he gave in & I got my way! Damn me for caring for my father & his well-being... He's finally coming to the car so I take it we're on our way...

12:38- So we're at the first house and this woman... ugh... She is something else! She's definitely teetering on being on the list of people we let go... Depending on how she is today, we'll see if she ends up on it...

1:20- Well, other than this woman giving a lil bit of attitude, insinuating that she's better than me & of course most, she's actually been decent. It was so out of the norm that my dad said (**fair warning- semi crude** ), without skipping a beat when we got in the car,"well, someone got a new battery for the dildo"... I was rolling! If you only heard how he said it, all nonchalant. It was truly classic... As of right now, it seems like she may not be on the list... On our way to next house...

2:13- As we drove to this house, I totally felt like an ass! While I was looking at the appt. list, I asked my dad who this person was & had I ever been there before. He looked at me as if I just had a stroke & lost my mind!!! We were going to a favorite of mine & I totally forgot his name & where he lived!!! God, if that doesn't show how out of it I have been I don't know what does!?

Anyways, it's a married couple who are both teachers. Nice, great, organized & welcome us with open arms every time we go there. They live in a downtown area that has some great old homes. Other than some upgrades in windows & paint, it looks like it's right out of the early 1900's. My favorite part of their house are the windows! It's just a piece of glass but there's no panels or fancy design. It's a nice & simple piece of glass. It's one of the things I just look at & soak in whenever I'm there. The husband & I talk about baseball & the Cleveland Indians (his favorite team & I went to school with one of the starting players). We take about 30 mins there & then leave. I only wish we could stay a lil longer at houses like this. Oh well...... Til next year.

To to next house.

3:12- Get to the next house & I stayed in the car for a few to try & contact someone to see if we could go by & do her return. See, my dad made the mistake (like he does WAY too often!) of loaning this woman money last year & well, she hasn't paid him back yet. Now she's avoiding him. What a shock. Well, once again, she has made some excuse to not meet up with us & I inform my dad that most likely he will NOT be seeing her or the money he lent to her ever!

Go inside for the last few mins of the return. This is a very nice lady. So is her husband. Unfortunately, they've been getting laid off & their just trying to keep their heads held high. I admire their determination to continue to work hard, even if they are close to SS age & retirement. Done here... On to West Covina....

3:56- OH SHIT. My father has just informed me he wants to go the opposite direction of the way we're suppose to go to see some guy we have been trying to get a hold of for well over a month!!! We tried to reschedule him but we could not get a hold of him so we're taking a chance to see if he still wants to get his taxes done. I'm not getting a good feeling about this.....

4:43- So right before we get to this guys house, my dad & I make a bet to see if the guy is even there!!! See, seriously, for while over a month, we would call, on average, 4-6 times a week, called family of his to check on his numbers, even called 411! Everyone had the same number we did but he NEVER answered or called back! I just said, "Fuck that. If he really wants to get his shit done, he would call us!"

When we get there, I told my dad I would stay in the car since it was about 100 degrees where we were & I was just going to sit in our car, wasting gas & battery that way I could stay cool. As I type this, I see my dad & the guy talking at the door. At one point, I actually thought the guy was going to hit my dad! Don't know why I thought that but I did. Anyways, I roll down the window to hear what they're talking about.

Turns out that the guy was "concerned" about my father. He waited ALL day last Saturday (the 5th) for my dad to arrive. My father informs him that we had been trying to get a hold of him NUMEROUS amount of times & ways. The guy asked what number we called. When my dad showed him the number, he informs him that he changed his number over 3 months ago. He called for an appt. 2 months ago. Doing the math people??? FUCKER GAVE US THE WRONG NUMBER!!! No one has the new one! Not even his own brother AND 411! He then informs my dad that being "so concerned" for my father & thinking something had happened to him, he just went somewhere else to get his return done..... Well, if that isn't a big "FUCK YOU" to my dad, I don't know what is?! If the asshole was so concerned, wouldn't he have called, like everyone else?! Let alone, he lives in butt-fuck Egypt! Doesn't he realize that my dad is doing this guy a HUGE favor is driving all the way out there??? Either way, when my dad got in the car, he was hurt & disappointed and I had to remind my dad that the guy is ignorant & this is way we shouldn't deal with people like this. I'm slowly but surely seeing him really understand why we need to cut idiots like this out of his life during tax season.......

5:36- We arrive about 30 mins early to the next house. Very nice people. This is about the 3rd or 4th time I've met them. The wife is super sweet. The husband is very nice but has a lil bit of an edge on him. We end up sitting there for about an hour & a half just talking! It was really nice.

7:03- Get to the "last house of the night". We actually came by about a month ago but no one was home. This is another house that my dad feels like he needs to loan these people money. I truly don't know when my dad is going to realize that he can't help everyone, especially the ones who don't appreciate it. They may say they do but most of the time, they don't.

Well, I will admit that these people are very nice. They also just had a litter of puppies and they were about 3-4 weeks old!!! I got to hold a few of them. I connected with the only non-black one and the woman noticed. She told me to come back in a few weeks and that I could have her!!! I was SUPER excited! All my dad said was to call my mom. I called her & she said,"I give up. Sure." So Delilah (I already picked her name out!) will be joining the filthy animal within the next few weeks! So excited!

8:02- After we left the "last house of the night", my dad says that we need to stop by 2 people places to get some checks to open IRAs for them. The first one we get to, the woman isn't there. What a shock. Takes us about 20 mins to find out what's going on since her mother knew NOTHING about ANYTHING! I hate going to houses like these. They're so irritating. With the whiny & snotty Hispanic voice to just being plain ignorant, I was done with that place within the first 2 mins. Everything taken care of. We leave!

8:28- We are now OFFICIALLY at the last house. I came by the same night I went out with my mom & LBS to shop for LBS's birthday party. Basically my dad went by to inform the guy how he has screwed himself. I was planning on staying in the car but I had to pee for the past 2 hrs. and I couldn't hold it any longer!!! The highlight (other than peeing) was playing with their dog named "patches". You know, you can tell the dogs that don't get that much attention. When I just said, "Hi" in my high pitch voice that only dogs & some deaf people (No, seriously! I guess it's a talent???) can hear, she goes nuts! She's so happy that all she can do is give me kisses and sit there and stare at me. I pet her the whole time I'm there. The last time I was there, they put her away cuz they thought she was bothering me. I inform them this time though that she can most certainly stay out here that way I can keep her company.

Once my dad has informed the people there how their kid has screwed himself, we go home! I told my dad that if someone who is half Black/half Asian decides going to someone in the Ghetto of Anaheim to get his taxes done, so be it! You know, the guy didn't even know his instruction letter was in SPANISH!!!! Well, to be fair, there were 2 letters that were in English- "Balance Due". Yeah.... I think it's just harded with some people than with others for my dad to let them go.... Oh well.... Home, James!

8:58- Well, we beat our record again! As I lay here typing this, I keep debating with myself on going to LBS's party. I REALLY don't want to go but I feel like I should.

9:45- Alright, I'm starting to get ready. I'll let you know how it is tomorrow yet I'm not getting my hopes too high.....

Night,

me =)

Seriously..........

I was so tired & sore from work yesterday I wanted to cry! I actually wanted to leave my car somewhere & have someone drive me home cuz I didn't think I would make it!!! Instead, I just called people on my cell to keep me up. Wasn't the safest thing but it was the only thing I could think of doing. I'm even drinking hardcore caffeinated soda (Pepsi & shit like that!) when I usually don't!!! =(

Still really busy. It's calming down a bit but not as much as it will after the 15th.

This was short cuz I'm too tired to write anything else! Tomorrow is one of the last Saturdays of "Blogging on the road: Tax Season edition". I'll probably find a way of still doing blogging on the road as a regular thing yet I think it will be a special thing/once in a while thing to do. Maybe I'll do "Blogging on the road: Indian Casino edition"! lol After every Tax Season, my dad becomes OBSESSED with going to the casinos that are semi-around us. We'll usually go about 1-3 times a MONTH! Yeah, it's hardcore.



Tomorrow is also LBS's birthday. Still debating on going. We may be home at a decent hour tomorrow but I also HATE being stuck in a "sardine can" when I go to clubs! Oh well, we'll see....



OH! This week, I am WAY too tired & uncreative to think of someone to admire so I will have a double whammy next Friday, the 18th.



Well, til tomorrow,

me =)

Dude....

Yesterday was a weird & awkward day after work. Went home to meet up with mom & LBS cuz we were going to go shopping for a dress for LBS's birthday. It didn't hit for me (for SOME reason) that LBS was going to have mom pay for everything. I don't know why that bothers me so much but it does..... Anyways, the dress she got was SUPER cute. In a way, she looks like Kim Kardashin in the dress! So she got a dress, shoes, earrings and a crown to wear on Saturday night. She's going to a club that her "SO" (<--meaning "Significant Other", also known as the "Shit head" that he is to her) will be DJing at. I hope she has a good time but in the grand tradition of her Birthdays, we were discussing on how it was going to most likely turn to shit, probably thanks to her SO! But honestly, we're trying to be optimistic at the same time! I guess we won't know til Sunday how everything turns out. ANYWAYS! While we were at the mall yesterday, we also went to Nordstrom to get make up but to mainly get new shoes for my dad.


So, we went to the man's department to look and we found a good pair for my dad. We didn't even bother at looking at the price cuz we knew we wanted to get them no matter what. Also, not trying to sound conceited but in truth, we don't need to worry about money, especially since we save and only spend money on very important items/things (i.e.- good shoes for my dad!). We find a salesperson and ask if we can but these shoes in a 12 & the first thing out of his mouth was, "Um, you sure you want those? Did you see how much they cost?" At that point, my mom & I were startled and thankfully, my mom said, "I know they're not cheap but I buy these shoes all the time. So please sir, I need these in a 12."


We SO had a "Selena" moment! Ok, I don't know how many of you have ever seen the movie "Selena" but if you have, you know what I'm talking about. If not, rent it! It's Jennifer Lopez's breakout & peak performance rolled into one! Anyways, it really pissed me off how that guy just "assumed" we couldn't afford the shoes when we can buy & sell him a few times over!!! I told my mom to write a letter to Nordstrom's yet I don't know if she will......


So today is another date that for SOME ungodly reason I remember so well. I think it was for the simple fact that when it happened, it was SUCH an amazing thing. Too bad it turned out the way it did.....


On April 10th 2006, I was working for GE in Irvine, CA. It was in a beautiful building and had the most breathtaking views! I was a receptionist who literally just answered a phone and would basically have a thumb up my ass for most of the day! Got paid pretty good to do that too! Anyways, on this day 2 years ago, some people from the Chicago office came to teach some of our people how to use a new program & one of those people turned out to be a really, really nice guy. Possibly the nicest guy I have EVER met in my life. So nice, I swore he was gay! During his breaks, he would come to talk to me. When we would leave to go home (or him to the hotel across the street), he would walk me to my car. He asked me to lunch one day yet I couldn't cuz I took a lunch at a different time than everyone else. On April 12th, which is LBS's birthday, him & I talked about hanging out that night. I told him that I had to go out to eat for my sister's birthday but afterwards, we should definitely get together. Well, he had another idea. He said, "Well, if it's no problem, I could go with you." I was shocked! I have friends & family who don't even like going to eat with my family! (I was kidding!) I called my mom & asked her if it would be cool to bring someone (I had already told her about him) and she was thrilled! Since the place we went to eat at was down the street from my work, there was no point in going all the way home so I asked if we could hang out in his hotel room til dinner, which was at 7:30 & we got off at 5 from work! I was actually afraid, thinking if he tried to take advantage of being in a room or whatnot. Seriously, I don't know why I thought that cuz he was SOOOO nice!!! We ended up talking for about 2 hrs. about EVERYTHING!!! It was one of those amazing conversations that you only wish you could have everyday of your life..... We go to dinner & I introduce him to my mom, LBS, Cheech (<-- that's what I call LBS's boyfriend), my crazy aunt & laid back cousin AB (<-- His nickname is actually Asshole Bitch but it's just simpler to call him AB). Everyone loved him. My sister determined right then and there we were met for each other! We had lots in common (even ordering the same thing & not realizing it til it came out!) As the night went on, the more sad I got knowing he was going to leave tomorrow.



So the next day was harder than I expected. I was devastated and was in a way, heartbroken. Here was this amazing guy I had gotten to know in the past few days & now he's going home, which is 2000 miles away!!! He came to give me a hug goodbye & I did everything not to cry in front of him. Once he left though, it was over! I was crying like a bitch!!! Waterworks galore! Thank god I sat by myself in this HUGE hallway and hardly anyone came by. One of my friends did come by to check on me & she flat out said, "Forget lunch! Just go home an hour early!" I did.



When I left work, I was just drained. I knew I also had to go to the gym (This was when I was REALLY good & went to the gym EVERY night after work! I need to do that again...) & go to personal training.... My trainer even felt bad for me and was easy on me that day. Went home & cried with my mom saying how life sucked & all that good shit. After that, I took about a 5 hr. nap that felt like about 5 years!



It was 9:06 pm when I woke up. I went on myspace (cuz I'm addicted like everyone else) and saw I had a friend request and a new message. I sat there thinking, "who the hell sent me anything, let alone, who friend requested me???" Well, as it turned out, he paid attention the night before at dinner when I said that it was hard to find me on myspace. The only ways you could were through the high school I went to or by my display name. He went on, made an account, looked & found me. I screamed and ran downstairs to tell my family! That was a feeling I will never forget!!!



From there, we emailed each other EVERY DAY!!! About a month & a half later, I went there to see him. Met his whole family & all his friends. He took me ALL around Chicago (seriously, lil tip- when someone tells you to put on tennis shoes instead of your $2.50 flip flops from Old Navy, listen to them!), walked about 10 miles seeing Magnificent Mile, the Harbor, Navy Pier, Buckingham Fountain, Millennium Park..... EVERYWHERE!!!! It was such an amazing trip.

We took turns every month going to see each other. Everything was going great. Then I was let go from GE due to seniority in the position I was in. Things were still great.... until October.

One thing we did everyday was either send an email or a text, basically saying, "Hey. I'm alive & breathing. Have a good day." I was ok with that because to think that it would be realistic to be on the phone 3-5 times a day for an hour or so at a time with someone who was in a different time zone than you would be RIDICULOUS!!! We would mainly talk twice a week, usually on Thursday & Sunday nights. When the beginning of October rolled along, there was about 2 weeks that I had absolutely no contact with him. No calls, emails, text, pigeon with a note around its foot, flare in the air.....nothing! It was quite odd since we would at least have some kind of contact once a day! Finally, on October 19th, he called. We had about an hour conversation. It was nice. We even talked about him coming out that month. Everything seemed fine.

The next day, I emailed him. To this day, still waiting for a response to that email. October 19th of 2007 was the last time I ever heard from him. I would talk to his friends & his friends never said what was wrong. They were first confused like me but, like him, then they stopped contact too. It was quite odd and whenever people would ask what happened, I would say, "You tell me & we'll both know!" I make the joke with one of my friends that for all I know, I still have a boyfriend in Chicago! But yeah, that's what happened.

Well, that was basically it. I've been so out of it lately, I just feel like a zombie!

Only 5 days last...
me =)

I don't know why....

....But I'm pretty awake today. Not too tired but functioning pretty well..... I will say though that my mind is pretty much a cluster-fuck of thoughts, words, numbers & ideas! My dyslexia is in FULL swing! I can at least say that I do remember how to write 2's though! <--(inside thing.) It's busy here but not crazy. I like it like that. Just have to do a few more things after lunch and I'll be pretty much caught up with everything.



Last night I hung out with a friend from Kindergarten. We went to the infamous "Corner Park" that I go to brown bag it at. It was such great conversation that we didn't realize the 3 hrs. had passed by as if it was 30 mins! It was crazy!!!


One thing I had to point out to my good friend was how, even if we don't see each other or even hear from each other, we can always meet up & talk as if we just saw each other yesterday. The thing that really blew my mind was the fact that most of my truly great & meaningful friendships are the ones from the people I met in Elementary school. It says alot when I didn't even go to the same school as them after 6th grade! I was still invited to get-togethers, functions & even their High School graduation!


It was really hard going to that though cuz I felt I should have been down there with them & we should have been celebrating together. Instead, my graduation consisted of us dressing in white gowns, wearing a full & half slip, white panty hoses AND heels & then taking about 45 mins JUST TO WALK IN!!!!! My graduating class had about 175 girls (remember, all-girls CATHOLIC school) compared to El Modena's 700! We had to walk as if we were getting married, no joke! AND!!! No one could cheer. At all! They even made the announcement TWICE that if you were caught cheering, you would be asked to leave or be escorted out by security.... It was ridiculous.


Anyways, I truly do treasure my friendships from Prospect Elementary, especially since it seems like most of the people I met afterward were assholes. Ok, let me be fair-- I met my best friend of all time playing softball, one of my best friends in the world I met by taking dance classes in L.A., another one of my friends is from high school & another was met through a mutual friend. Other than that, I have friends/acquaintances that I'll speak to ever so often. But the saying that it's all about "quality over quantity" is SO true!!! Took me about 24 years to realize that!


I know there's so much more to say but I must go! I'll be back, hopefully same time, but definitely same place!


Hasta Manana,
yo =)

One week....

...and it'll ALL be over! Well, until next year around February 1st. You know, I worked at a firm last year and yeah it was busy & I was tired but MAN, I'm wiped out this year! Yet, like I mentioned before, I'm doing a HELL of a lot more than I did last year at the other firm......



So, the part came in at approx. 10:15 am!!! Was SUPER excited cuz I was actually SUPER nervous it wasn't! JSC (my boss) is so laid back it's ridiculous. Yeah, he was semi-cranky yesterday but he informed me he was so it was ok. When I told him I was afraid it wasn't going to come in, he was like, "Well then, we would have just gone to the Post Office." But he was excited as well when it came in. The stamps look SOOOO good! Ok, I know EVERYTHING I just wrote sounds so lame. Why would my boss & I get that excited for how a stamp looks??? Easy. It's the little things in life, people! What can we say.... We're simpletons. =)



Like I mentioned at the end of my post yesterday, today is a date that's important to remember in our family. Today is the 3 year anniversary of my grandmother passing away. She was 84. It's weird to think of her not being here anymore. Only seems like yesterday, I would call her just to say hi. You could say she was a "simpleton" as well yet she was something! She was the one who was in charge of the family. It was basically her way or no way. If it wasn't, oh.....



Her thing in life was always having something to worry about or as we call them, "temas". There was a "tema" for EVERYDAY! My dad would do everything to make sure of one not happening yet it didn't matter. She always came up with something.....


There are so many memories & stories that remind me & think of her. Here's just a few:


- The Sundays at her house and going to Arby's
- Playing on the swing set she bought just for my sister & I
- The time I jumped off a high stool & fell on a hard piece of grass when I was 5. To this day, I still have the scar on my knee.
- When she would go in the little Target pool with us in the backyard. I remember this one time I turned around and she fell back and all the water was flowing out!!! I, at the age of 4, had to help her up!
- The time we had to hide in the backyard cuz her friend (who had the beginnings of Alzheimer's) came to the front door & wouldn't leave for like an hour! My grandma didn't want to deal with her so we just stayed in the back, being as quiet as possible.
- Her black beans and rice....... Anyone who ever had them knows what I'm talking about.
- Knowing I'm the only one out of all her grandchilden who got to have a drink with her. I really treasure that! =)
- How, no matter what, she would always have clothes for me. 9 out of 10 times, they were BAD!!! But she did slip a few great things in there.
- And most importantly, that after God & the Pope, she would tell me that the 2 most important people in her life were my dad & I.


Yeah, I know. The last one sounds kinda messed up, especially since she actually said that in front of LBS too but honestly, that made me feel so special. That's something I will always hold close to me.


Well, I better go.


TTYL,
me =)

Word to the wise.....

When a Cuban woman, who is not feeling well, didn't get a good night's sleep & is dealing with tax season at both work & home, don't piss her off! You're just going to get your ass served right back at you & most of the time, it won't be pretty!

As you can see, I had to write this at home. There was just NO time at work today!!! Even when there was time, RJL's wife came in and she took the computer I usually go on at lunch.

So let me tell what happened today to make this Cuban woman pissed. When I got into work today, there was a note on the postage machine saying that it wasn't really working properly. Even after playing with it for awhile, I finally just called the company that made the postage machine. Ok, let me go on a semi-tangent & ask a simple question- what ever happened to customer service? Why is it so hard to get someone who's whole job is to make sure you are a very satisfied and know how to handle themselves on the phone??? It is insane how bad customer service rep. have gotten in the past years. Whenever I get someone who is relatively competent, I over compliment them and inform them on what they have just done is SO out of the ordinary!!! Anyways, I'm on the phone with the CSR for about 15-20 & the person is talking this low & I can barely hear them. I tell the guy, "You need to speak up cuz I have you on speaker & I'm going to be talking to you from across the room where the machine is located." Well, what do you know??? The guy can speak up! Ugh, so he has me doing all this shit that I have already done & I have told him that it's not working, just send me the part I need. He then informs me that he can send it but it'll take about a few days, unless I want to pay $20 for overnight shipping. I'm irritated at this point but I go to ask my boss what he wants to do. He just wants the part now but like hell if we're paying for OS. So when I get back on the phone, I ask to speak to his supervisor cuz I know if you go higher up, they just want to shut you up & make you happy. The guy gets all nervous. I tell him I just want to speak to him and see what we can do. Well, I guess in "trying" to connect me, he hangs up on me.

Ok, that's it. It's over.

I'm now passed perturbed to venom coming out of me!!! This was SUCH an irritating phone call to make, we need to have our postage machine working since we have a WEEK left of the season and I'm hung up on. Oh no....

I try calling them back but after 10 mins, they call me. At that point, I just flat out said, "This is what needs to be done-- You need to send me the part, overnight and not charge me." It was the supervisor & he was like, "Well, we can send it overnight but we need to charge you."......Ok, I don't know if many of you know how Cubans are but one thing we're known for is being loud. I get VERY loud. <--(ask ANYONE who knows me) To finally get my point across, I say as loud as I can without breaking eardrums in the office, "Listen, I have been in customer service for about 10 years and one thing I know is that you need to do everything & anything to make the customer happy and what you need to do to make me happy is to do what I have just asked for... You're going to send me the part, overnight, no charge....You hear me!?" Well, that worked. =) We'll see if it is here in the morning.....

LBS then called about an hour later to inform me of the comment she left on Myspace <-- (If you don't know about what LBS did, read "April 6th" post). Let me paste it on to show you:

"can we make a deal?

considering this week is my bday week and, i mean well lemme remind you of past horrid birthdays:

14- grandpa has a paralyzing stroke
don't remember 15 or 16 so they must've not been very good...
17- all i remember is im sure my loser ex did something to piss me off
18- Wade Robson "great idea" dance class
19- infamous leap frog table incident
20- again, my loser ex crashed my bday party spun out of his mind in Fullerton
21- grandma dies a slow, painful, inevitable death with the day after my bday followed by her rosary
22...was decent i must admit...
and 23- you and erik totally screw it up like royally (i dont need to remind you what you 2 bastards did, but i love you both anyway)

so....
i know i deserve retribution for pulling a Naomi Campbell on you, but can it wait til next week? pa-leez? thaaaaannnnnxxxxx!"

I was ROLLING!!! I told her to read my blog to let her know what I was planning on doing anyways..... After last night though, I did inform her that she does in to be on her best behavior cuz if she's not, come April 14th, I'm definitely going to get her back!

To kinda go back to what LBS was saying though, she has had some pretty shitty bdays. I don't know how it happens but it does. And it's just not bad, it's horrendous! Hopefully something decent can happen this year....

Mom made another dank ass dinner, Filthy Animal looks really fat but REALLY cute, Dad's leg is kinda looking better but not..... It's also hot around the area and that doesn't make me feel good. He made a Dr.'s appt. to get it checked out but it's not til the 21st. I'm "douching"<--(one of my favorite adjectives!) it out with peroxide and bandaging it up but I'm saying we need to get him in ASAP!!! He's using the reason that it's the end of tax season and he has no time to go to the Dr. yet he totally blew it last night saying how he isn't that busy.....I think I'm going to call my Dr. to see if I can get him in this week instead of 2 weeks from now......

Alright, I'm going to bed. Once again, super tired! I had the weirdest night of sleep. I almost felt as if I was in the movie "Groundhog's Day". I kept waking up and everything seem like DeJaVu! I was also having some weird dreams, like Cameron Diaz was a coke head & Madonna was trying to get her sober..... Shit like that.... Ugh, I think I need to stop eating Little Caesar's.....

Tomorrow is a kinda big date. I'll type it up through out the day.

TT,
me =)

blah.

I did absolutely nothing today.... Other than going to go get food, I laid in bed all day& that was that! LBS came over. She did something very stupid and disrespectful to me. Instead of watching a movie with my mom, she came into my room to see what I was doing. What she ended up doing was picking up my blackberry & thought she was being cute. Then decided to throw it at my head & it hit the wall & then the floor, HARD! Now she's fearing her life! Kinda funny but she did piss me off..... I'll probably let it go for a few more days to let her think I'm going to do something to get her back but I probably won't. Maybe I'll just make that her Birthday gift.....

Talked to a friend since kindergarten late Friday night/early Saturday morning. It was a good hour & a half conversation about life & how people are in it. So many people come in & out of our lives that you never know & what will happen. She was hurt & disappointed by a friend of hers. I told her that the older we get, when it comes to friendships & relationships, it's all about "quality over quantity". I think that's one of the best things someone can hear or learn in life.

Looked up to see if I could purchase tickets for another show that I want to see when I'm in New York. The other play I want to see is "Spring Awakening" but I guess it's too soon to purchase tickets that far in advance. Went on You Tube today & I finally found the 10 year anniversary performances of RENT. It was performed by the original cast & just watching it on my computer, I was tearing it! There's some talk that they may have them perform for the last show but I doubt it. It would be amazing though.

Well, I'm going to end this since I'm not feeling too good.... I hope I'm not getting something cuz when I get sick, I GET SICK! =(

Talk to you at about 12:45-ish.

Me =)

On the road again...

During tax season, I go with my dad to do taxes out of our house. We travel all around! This is me telling of our day (check in about every hour for updates):

9:50am- I wake up from about 6 hrs. of sleep. Still kinda tired (didn't realize my shirt was backwards and inside out when I first put it on!) But got ready in about 20 mins.

10:41am- Been sitting downstairs waiting for my dad for the past 20 mins. that way we can be on our way. I go to the car to input where we're going today.

10:44am- MY GOD! We're going FAR today! Lake Elsinore- 40 miles, Menifee- 60 miles & to top it off, Nuevo- 75 miles... This is all one way from our house! Oh it's going to be a long day... I can feel it...

11:38am- Get to the first house. I guess these people couldn't wait last year & went somewhere else to get their taxes done... Doing that, they went to someone who messed up their return last year. Boy, it's a fiasco here!!! Between having a rental that wasn't claimed last year to a being involved with a business that lost over 50 grand, I can see how depressed my dad is going to be when we get in the car... I know these people are nice but I think they're going to have to go on "the list". My dad has been telling them how going into business by yourself can be scary & risky but they didn't listen. Another refinance... Then the lady (husband isn't here) admits that she wished they would have listened to my dad... Oh well! Their loss...

12:37pm- We're finally leaving this house... It has been a mess! I know my dad is going to vent like all holy hell the MOMENT his closes the door to the car!

12:39pm- OH SHIT! We're not even close to leaving!!! We have 2 more to do at this house! Ugh... We're so not getting home home til 1 in the morning... :(

1:08pm- My dad is now putting everything away! We're finally leaving! On to a sweet lady's home that we've known forever! But I have a feeling it's going to be depressing there too... We're on our way!

2:41pm- So I couldn't write at the last house cuz was no reception! Quick recap- nice lady is related to the people at the first house... AKA- she got taken advantage by her own kids to support them while the business was suffering... At least she got the claim basically everyone as dependants... We left there pretty fast... I'll write about the house we're leaving right now at the next spot...

3:39pm- So last house we were at was a guy that I "went to school with", which means he went to the all-boys school as I went to the all-girls school. They were our "brother" school... Anyways, the thing about this guy is that he lives about 50 miles (one way)from work and that's not even the weirdest thing about this situation! They bought a house that is literally in the middle of nowhere! Actually, you could say that they live on Mars! Seriously, when you think of Mars, what do you imagine??? If you said red rock & dirt, you're exactly right! They paid A LOT for the house too! They're nice but it almost seems like they have no idea what they're doing! I was talking to the guy while my dad did his return that's why I didn't get to type that much... Left there after about 35 mins.

On the way to the next house, the damn navigation screwed up and had us going in a circle! Oh well... We got to the next house in Menifee & my dad informed me that this was someone he used to work with when he was a truck driver. When I walked in, I was in awe! Their backyard is mind-blowing gorgeous!!! They're about 15 feet away from a lake! It's an amazing view! I'll try to take a pic... This man is originally from Scotland. I know he looks like someone but I just can't think of who.<--(UPDATE: Figured it out- Malcolm McDowell) Kinda crass and basically tells his wife to sit there and not say anything. This guy seems to have a decent head on his shoulders yet when he asks my dad something, he thinks he's lying... I think this is the first time my dad has ever done his return. We'll see if he'll call again...

Today has been a little depressing but not as bad as we thought. The day is not over yet though... K, going to take a break cuz my phone is getting hot & I think my fingers are starting to cramp up... I'll write when I get to the next place...

5:06pm- So we're at the next house but I'm staying the car to make some calls to see if there's a chance we can go to the 2 houses in Nuevo before the we go to the other ones in Corona... It would make life worth living if we could do that! I'm just waiting to hear from one...

5:18pm- YES!!! Got the calls from the people in Nuevo and we'll be going over there and then to Corona... If it didn't work out, I truly feel we wouldn't get home til about 12 or 1... Now there's a good chance we could be home at about 10-ish...

At the last house, I got to take a pic of the backyard... I hope I can put it on here cuz it's truly stunning! I was thinking that the backyard was going to be the best thing to talk about from that house until I saw the pics on their refrigerator. I'm all being nosy and looking at the pics & noticed someone that looked really familiar... It was Terry O'Quinn, "John Locke" from "Lost"! He was posing with the grandkids of the people we were at. According to them, "Locke" was super nice & talked to them for about 30 mins. You know, all I have ever heard is how nice the people from "Lost" are! I hope I get to run into one of them someday...

K, on the way to Nuevo!

5:56- Arrived to the 1st house. The great thing about coming here is the 2 people we're going to see, they live RIGHT next to each other.

The first people we were seeing were new yet my dad has been doing the folks taxes for years!!! We're at the folks house for the 2nd time to do the daughter's return. The father of the woman's return we're doing is one of the few clients that passed away this year. His wife (her mother) is just a sweetheart! They have 2 great dogs as well! I told her I was going to take the Rottweiler home! Well, nothing bad here... On to the next door neighbor...

7:06pm- Ok, this guy- He's been a client of my father's for well over 20 years. He's listens & does EVERYTHING my dad tells him to do. Basically, a perfect client! His only flaw? The epitome of a womanizer!!! He's been divorced twice in a matter of 4 years and except for tonight, always seems to have another woman with him. I could also tell he was drinking cuz he was kinda slurring... But, I must say-- he's one of the reasons I got my tax license! The first time I ever met him, he was concerned about the well-being of my father and what going to happen once he were to stop doing taxes. He was  so worried, I ended up saying, "Don't worry, everything will be ok & you'll been taken care of"... It was then that I knew I had to get my license and really start learning & soaking in everything! My dad charged him $70 but he not only gave my dad $80 but gave me a $20!!! Woot.... =) Alright, on to the last 2 houses in Corona!

8:07pm- Right off the bat, I told my dad I was going to go get us something to eat. Other than we had not eaten since we left the house but I already had planned I was NOT going to step into these people's house!!! I'm done with them! These are people who literally look at my dad as the man who comes to input shit & tell them how much of a ridiculous refund they will get! He has been giving them advice for YEARS and they have wiped their asses with it! When they originally bought that house, they got it about 12-14 years at about $150,000 and EVERY year, they would refinance and as of last year, they owed $502,000!!!!! Yeah...... Also,what happened when we came last year was the "cherry on top", "last straw" and the epitome of a "fuck you" all rolled into one! When we walked in, I noticed they were watching "Apocalypto".....I was semi-interested when I heard it yet after 30 seconds, I was done with the movie. WAY too violent yet even when I was pretty damn obvious that it was bothering me without saying "this is bothering me", they kept it on & even put it up, all while my dad was doing their return! THEN the 20 year old daughter, who was about 4-5 months pregnant, comes in thinking her shit don't stink cuz "she did her taxes all by herself".....Too bad she 1- didn't do them right & 2- DIDN'T HAVE ALL HER W-2!!! Ugh, and the mom......She just bothers me.....She honestly tries to find ways of getting money in, to the point of even doing foster care!!! From the movie to the actions of this woman, I wanted to throw up all around! It was just disgusting and I literally went off when we got into the car last year & informed my dad I would NEVER step foot in that house for as long as I live. Let's just say, they're DEFINITELY on the list for being "weeded out"!

So, I'm here waiting in line at In & Out..... If you have NEVER gotten the pleasure of trying In & Out, next time you go to Vegas (this is for the people in the mid west & east coast), hit one up!!! You won't regret it! It's so popular & delicious that there's ALWAYS a line & you usually wait about 10 mins or so but it's worth the wait!!! They even have a secret menu.....

8:43pm- I'm sitting in the car waiting for my dad to come out & eating my dank-ass In & Out when I hear that Charlton Heston has passed away. I immediately start calling my mom. I inform her & then tell her I have to call my CAM..... See, what most people don't know is that when something big, especially when someone passes away, I am usually the first one to find out (usually thanks to my "sites" but tonight it was thanks to 1070 talk radio.... who knew!?) So, I did my duties of calling everyone I'm suppose to inform.....

8:48pm- My dad gets in the car & I inform him about Charlton Heston. He was a lil sad. I will never forget how heartbroken my dad was when Johnny Carson passed away, ESPECIALLY since it was on my dad's birthday! It was quite a bittersweet day for him..... When he gets into the car, he tells me that these people who I can't stand have now filed for chapter 13 bankruptcy. Honestly, not shocked. I'm more shocked they have a home. But they do have flame rims on their raised trucks! I'm sorry but karma's a mother fucking bitch & I hate to say it but they deserve this!!! My dad has given them SO much help & advice! It's their faults for not listening to it & taking advantage of it! So long! On to the last house.....

8:54pm- Seriously, it was a block & a half away....... We lucked out with each city we went to cuz everyone was in a 2-3 mile radius TOPS!!! These people are really nice. Nothing bad to say. Dad wanted me to go call a woman to see if we could stop by her house to get the money to open an IRA for her so called my mom for the woman's #. Both her & LBS were at the house & I ended up talking to them for about 15-20 mins. on the phone. Ended up calling the woman & had a full on conversation with her in Spanish!!! I was starting to get nervous, I could tell. So I thanked her (we couldn't stop by cuz she didn't have the check book) and started to head home.

10:35pm- Well, we left the last house at about 9:30-ish. When I turned the car on, the traffic came on and said there was some heavy duty traffic on the 91. I said, "F that! We're taking the streets to pass that shit!" See, I'm not a fan of traffic, at ALL! That's one of the reasons why I know my way around So. Cal so well. I avoid traffic as much as possible! OC has gotten almost, if not, as bad as LA traffic! So, it took a lil longer to get home but at least we were moving the whole time!

12:46am- When we first walked into the house, I went to my room & the time was 10:35. Pretty good for driving to 11 houses and about 150 miles today! Talked to my mom and cleaned out a wound on my dad's leg for him. I noticed his leg at the "House on Mars"......It was infected, I could tell RIGHT away! I told my dad the moment we got home, I was going to "douche it out" with peroxide & then bandage it up. My mom saw it & right away said that she's taking him to the Dr. on Monday. It's just scary he's not concerned about being diabetic (on insulin shots!) & then getting cuts & not taking care of them. We just don't know what to do......=(

Ok, it's now 12:57am and I'm tired. This was some post! To anyone who read this, thanks & you're woot! =)

Til I wake up in about 8-10 hrs.,

me =)

Alright....

12:52 pm- I have 13 mins. to write this! Yeah.....Not going to happen! This is SO something I'll be writing all day! Thankfully, all I have to do is file about 60-ish tax files, input the deposit & docket info & scan.....So maybe I'll get a chance when I finish everything here at work. If not, there's always home....



Anyways, Last night was a really nice & cool night, literally & figuratively! Got home & was talking to my mom & her friend who comes over to help sort & file stuff for my dad. Then I was tired so I decided to go lay in bed but right when I did that, my mom called me back down to inform me my "2nd family" was there. When I was a little girl, I had TONS of babysitters. Before the age of 2, I had about 7! My mom finally got lucky & worked with this guy who's mom could babysit. She & her family treated my sister & I as if we were one of theirs. To this day, I still love them as if they were a part of my family. So, anyways, they came over to bring their tax stuff over & we were catching up. Mrs. Gutierrez (the woman who took care of me) still looks the same from when I first started going over there when I was 2 yet she's about 80-ish though & is about 4'10"! She's such a great lady & in my opinion, the most amazing steam tress (well, after Mr. Siriano, of course!)! She's made a few dresses for me, the last being my homecoming dress senior year, which fit me like a glove & was amazing!!! My DREAM is to have her make my wedding dress yet she's getting older and they're saying that she'll probably stop sewing soon..... Honestly, I wouldn't want ANYONE else to make it other than her. My mom has even said to have her make it now for me & then just have it taken in or altered once I do get married.....I know it sounds ridiculous but I may end up doing that!


1:05 pm- Alright, 13 mins. is up. Gotta go back to work..... I'll finish this in a little bit.....


11:09 pm- Wow. So, I came home about 6-ish. Talked to my mom for about an hour & then passed out!!! I woke up about an hour ago..... Was very "Continental" by have dinner at 10:15!


2:46 am- Well, I think I have now showed how I am I lager! How am I not asleep?! I need to be out of the house by 10 in the morning!!!! Alright, let me finish this....


So where was I??? Thursday night..... After the Gutierrez's left, I went back to lay in bed. Around 9:30, I was bored so I asked PH if she wanted to go "brown bag" it at the little park by our house. She liked the idea so we were on our way. We went to go get a 24oz. of Mikes Hard cranberry lemonade each & headed to the park. It's a cute little park on a corner near Old Town Orange that Ho & I found about 6 years ago. They have a few chess/checker tables & we'll just sit there & talk for hours. Well, for the first time EVER, PH & I decided to actually play checkers! We used twigs & flower petals as pieces and let me just say, for me having my mind be a cluster-fuck these days with Tax Season, I not only won but kicked PH's ass!!! I had all my pieces on the board at the end of the game!!! It was a good feeling. I hadn't played checkers in FOREVER and forgot how quiet the game is..... All in all, a nice night (about 65 degrees) & very relaxing. Yeah, that's how I roll. I'm a wild child, can't you tell???


Since I've been home from work for about 9 hrs. now, I can tell you about the MAJOR filing job I did! There were about 75-100 files I had to put away & I did it in exactly 58 mins! Hence one of the reason I feel asleep hardcore when I got home! I even took pics on my phone but for some reason, I can't transfer pics from my blackberry to my computer and it's pissing me off! Everything is getting a lil crazier yet it's going to calm down in about a week & a half. Well, at least at work it will. At home, we'll still have about another month or so of weekend traveling to do. OH! I also forgot to mention- for the first time in about 2 & 1/2 years, I'm getting direct deposit!!! May not mean a lot to others yet I hate going to the bank to deposit money! It's out of the way (ok, I'm lazy!) & I just don't like going (cuz I'm lazy!). So I was SUPER excited today to see it in my account!


Ok, I better end this since it's now 3:08 in the morning! Before I do, since it is Friday, I'm picking my someone to admire. This week I pick Mr. Gene "Bean" Baxter. He is a Radio DJ in L.A. on KROQ. He is part of the VERY popular "Kevin & Bean" show. If you don't live in L.A., you can listen to them online. The whole morning show crew is great but I feel I relate to Bean the most with all of his random tidbits & thoughts in life. He is another one of my infamous "sites" I check out EVERYDAY! The best part of his blog though is "Tater Tot Fridays". I LIVE FOR THEM!!!! What it is it's his 8 year old (she'll be 9 on April 15th) English Bulldog & every Friday, he posts how she's doing & puts up a new pic of her. She is the cutest thing EVER and I feel it's the closest I'll get to having a Bulldog anytime soon! I got a chance to talk to him in person a few years ago & I showed him how I put a pic of her on my phone. He was touched & showed me his phone with a pic of her! He, at that time, proclaimed me to be the "#1 Tater Tot fan"! It was an honor & I hope I still hold it to this day! Check out his site when you have a chance.....


Alright, <--(I seriously did not think I was going to say that word so much! I didn't think it would have really been the theme of this post either!!! =)~ ) I'm off! I'll be posting from the road, doing live blogging from each house & from the beginning too! So, expect possible the longest post ever! (Cuz I post such small post... yeah....)


Talk to you in about 7 hrs.!


<3,
me! =)

Crap....

I have approx. 19 mins left of lunch........Am I going to be able to finish this before my lunch is over??? We'll see...

So yesterday, I assembled 17 returns in about 3 hrs. It sucked yet I felt like I really accomplished A LOT! I was feeling pretty good til I got in my car & my upper body was SO sore! It was as if I had been working out for 3 hrs. When I got home, I figured out why I was so sore-while I would assemble, I would tense up/flex my shoulders and yeah, 3 hr workout & hella sore!

Right when I got home, I made dinner for everyone. You know, people think I'm just this lazy ass who knows nothing & doesn't do anything but you know what? F-you if you think that about me! I know how to cook, clean, work my ass off & I can get around anywhere in Southern California without asking for directions or a map! Anyways, my mom went to keep a friend company in the hospital while she was waiting to have surgery so I stayed home & answered the phone. As sad/bad as it sounds, the time where my Spanish is pretty good is during tax season. I can understand EVERYTHING but I can't have very long conversation cuz I'll get nervous or forget how to say something & feel like an idiot. My folks (well, my dad) didn't want my sister & I to learn Spanish when we were young cuz coming from Cuba (or anywhere really) back in the day, they didn't want their kids to learn Spanish! They felt that since they were in the U.S., there was no point. Well, as my father would say, "Wrong, Buffalo breath." So the Spanish I have learned is through listening to other speak and I mainly hear Spanish during tax season (75% of the clientele is Hispanic) So I practiced my Spanish yesterday. didn't end up going to the movie cuz PH had a date......woot! =)

Just watched repeats & stuff I has already watched on my DVR that weren't erased. I actually didn't watch American Idol! Well, I do have it taped so I'll just watch about 7 1/2 mins of it tonight (seriously, thank god for a DVR!). I know what happens anyways just for the fact it's on every news outlet online but I read all about it thanks to Kathy on JunkMag.com! She writes up a live blog while watching it and it is SO much more enjoyable reading her blog than watching AI!!!! Was BRUTALLY exhausted & feel asleep hard last night! I think it was one of the few times I actually slept through the night. It was really nice.

Alright, 3 mins. left. I think I'll end it here. Pretty much caught up with everything at work. I'll just be doing some hardcore filing soon! Well, I better spell check this since I now have 2 mins.

Take care,
me =)

The Pope & my grandma

You know, it's weird. I know what to say. I actually wrote a blog about it when it first happened 3 years ago on Myspace.... Why can't I start this one?! 

I guess I should start with all the coverage when the Pope was dying..... It was sad. Like I've mentioned a few times, I'm not a very religious person yet when it comes to the Pope, I always felt he was a decent guy. It must have been my grandma's influence on me. See, for as long as I can remember, my grandma was all about God & the Pope. She was a VERY religious woman. Went to church quite often and to this day (in honor of her), I have a Jesus clip & Rosary she gave me to keep in my car while I drive. 

Anyways, let's actually go back a little further to about '99-'00..... I was hanging out with friends that introduced me to their friends and it was this big o' group of us. Since I lived in Orange County & these friends of mine lived in San Diego County, whenever I would visit, everyone would make a big deal about it. Well, I guess one of the girls who was a friend of a friend got irked and actually said, "Who does she think she is, the Pope?!" At first, I was a lil' perturbed yet when everything was going on with Pope John Paul II, I was finding out all sorts of things about him & he wasn't all that bad. Actually, after I found out a particular story, he wasn't bad at all.....

It was April 2nd & the Pope has now passed away. All I could think about was how my grandma was going to take it, especially since she had been sick for awhile and the doctors had said she didnt have that much more time left...... There was no way to hide it from her since it was all over the TV...... She was in the hospital at the time of his death so my mom & I went to visit her. We walked in and she seemed fine. The TV was on and she was watching all the coverage. So we were just talking & whatnot and then I remembered that she went to the Vatican like 15 years ago. Then my mom could have sworned that my grandma met the Pope. Well, all we had to do was put our stories together cuz my grandma met the Pope at the Vatican! Here's what she told us that day, 3 years ago:

When she went to the Vatican, the Pope was there and greeting people inside. I'm not sure if someone pushed her, fainted or was overwhelmed but she fell & hit her head. When she got up, she looked and there was the Pope. He then walked up to her & rubbed her head and said, "Aww". Then went on his way. I found that story out 6 days before she passed away. She passed away, appropriately, during the Pope's funeral. 

I just found that to be such a great story and I thought I would share it. It's something I know I'll always remember. 

me =)

Have you ever felt.....

.....like throwing yourself down on the ground & having a temper tantrum as if you were 4 or 5 years old???

Well, that's how I felt this morning when I got to work......... There was so many little things to do and I just didn't want to do them! I just wanted to roll around like a little kid, kick my legs around and just repeat "NO!NO!NO!NO!NO!!!", even adding that HORRENDOUS screeching scream that kids do! But, as of right now, I have caught up on everything except for assembling (there's about 15-20) tax returns...... Boo. =(

Not much happened yesterday........ Went to LBS's work & hung out. Got back home to find that mom had made stuff to have tostadas for dinner (it was DANK!) and watched AI (seriously, Dolly Parton songs???). I decided to take a shower last night instead of the morning to give myself a few more mins to sleep in the morning. What I found out when I was literally ready to step inside the shower was that we had NO conditioner!!! Ok, that's just taboo! So I wrap a towel around my manatee ass & search the house for some. Turns out the only stuff we had was either PH (she wasn't home & I didn't want to use it w/out asking) & the stuff my mom uses. So I opted to use my mom's stuff........ Ok, my head feels ok now but last night, it had this continuous cooling feel to my head, as if I was washing my hair with Vick's Vapor Rub (or as my grandma would say in her thick Cuban accent- "Bicks Bavar Rube") It was an insane feeling but hey, it did it's job! In other words, I need to make a MAJOR Target run!

The other thing that happened yesterday was that I called an old friend to wish him a Happy Birthday. I actually thought that the convo would have turned out a lil better but it was just a quick lil call. He & I lost contact a while ago and I guess there's no hope (as of right now) for us to reconcile. But it was a nice convo.

Both my folks got haircuts yesterday. My poor mom. This woman gives my mom a good hair cut yet the way she styles it, she makes my mom look like an old lady! I guess yesterday the woman did a better job but my mom's hair gets flat super quick & easy so I never really saw it. My dad on the other hand, FINALLY got a hair cut!!! He seriously looked like a guy who could easily walk into a mall during Christmas time & get a job playing Santa! Since he's all white & gray and it had been quite a while since he cut it, he would have been the most legit Santa out there! As it is, at some of the houses we've gone to, there were at least a few kids this year that have asked me if my dad was Santa. I told them yes. Then they would ask why he was there. I said that way he could check up on them and also make a lil money on the side til Christmas. One time, I was totally into it, thinking the little girl was all sweet and then she turns a curve ball and asks me why I'm fat. I thought it was nice so I told her, "cuz God hates me" & if she wasn't a good girl, the same thing would happen to her...... I know, I'm bad & horrible and will go straight to hell (like I wasn't already going....)but before she asked me that, she was hitting me with her 200 page book containing every story ever written! So that was my way of getting her back........

I realized at about 10:30-ish that today is the 3rd anniversary of the Pope passing away. Now, me, who is NOT religious yet did go to Catholic school for about 6 years, why would I really remember that date? Well, other than I remember dates REALLY well (seriously, I can remember most of the dates I meet people & whatnot!), 3 years ago today, my grandma told me an amazing story about her and the Pope.

I'll post it later since I only have a few mins left of lunch but I PROMISE!!!

Be Back Later,
me =)

OH.....MY........GOD.

I can not believe how tired I am!!!! WHY!? Why am I this tired?! Yeah, I know...Tax season and all yet I would imagine that the CPAs I work with would be more exhausted than me......Then, I realized, I'm doing all their work after they input the numbers on the tax forms.....I'm assembling, scanning, docketing, doing Data Entry, billing, packaging, filing & whatever else I tend to forget! I'm not bad mouthing them at all......It just hit me on that's probably why I'm more tired or out of it than them.....

My dad on the other hand, does EVERYTHING himself......I'll probably start helping him this Sunday at home, getting everything in some kind of order yet he's been doing better this year than usual when it comes to having shit done & in order. I finally got the OK from him when it comes to "weeding" down the clientele for next year....

Like I mentioned before, my dad doesn't need the money.....He basically does this for the hell of it & to help out anyone he can.........Here's the problem though- My dad is helping out people who don't want to be helped OR they don't listen to his advice & then fuck themselves AND THEN expect him to help them get out of the mess they got themselves in, all to just get themselves in the mess again! It makes him angry but most of all, it hurts & disappoints him when others do that so why not get rid of them!? He's got PLENTY of clients, most who keep referring him to more people every year! So I told my mother to start putting stars next to people's names who give attitude to her, are rude, don't know their ass from a hole in the ground & whatever feeling we may get that they're not, in a sense, worthy of the treatment my father provides for basically NO cost!!! Ok, I know it sounds bad to say "worthy" yet tell me, when you get you taxes done, do you have someone drive to your house, even if you live 75 miles away, ONE WAY??? And how much do you pay to go get them done somewhere??? $150, $200 at least? So, wouldn't you say getting your taxes done in the comfort of your own home for about $75-$100 would be a deal of a lifetime??? I thought so....

By the way, I'm going to keep reminding you bitches (Oh yeah, for you who don't know me that way, that's a term of endearment.....get used to it...) to watch "How I Met Your Mother"! Seriously! Ok, for all the crap shit Reality shows on TV (Like, starting April 8th-- "Secret Talents of the Stars" on CBS.... Yeah.), you have this witty & intelligent show that NO ONE IS WATCHING!!!!! Thanks to Britney Spears' appearance, it got picked up for another season but it was on the brink of being cancelled!!! COME ON PEOPLE!!! If my LBS, who only watches mindless "unscripted" TV that only kills brain cells at an alarming rate, not only watches it but laughs harder than me at times, you KNOW it's good! Also, Neil Patrick Harris (yes, Doogie) makes the show! He is HILARIOUS and you are truly missing out on some great performances.... Actually, Monday nights on CBS aren't too bad.....It's actually pretty good.....

K, my lunch is almost over......OH! Not only did I get my 2nd comment (Thanks "Anon Mom"!) but Brad Walsh wrote me back on Myspace! It may seem dumb but I just appreciate when people take the time out to respond to others! So THANKS AGAIN!!!!

Maybe if I don't fall asleep either driving on the way home or when I walk inside the house, I'll write a Memory/Story tonight........ Actually, if everything goes ok with a phone call I make tonight, I may have a pretty decent one to tell.......

Til possible later tonight but definitely tomorrow,
me =)