Saturday, December 31, 2011

Auld Lang Syne

Okay, so I missed. I didn't do every day in December. Sorry. I made it through most of it. And now it's over. Tomorrow brings a new year. And for a new year.... Let's give this a try...


I got this from Red Lotus Mama who got from Razing Mayhem who got it from Pintrest...

Anyways, I think I will try it.

Starting tomorrow.

Tonight, Carolynn has her boyfriend Artie visiting. They are playing games and eating food. And waiting for the New Year. I am determined to make it.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all!

We had a pretty great day. Once I got home from work, and showered, we started the fun. We had ham in the oven. David had baked a a pie. It smelled so good when I got home.

Then came presents. The girls were surrounded by the goods. Piles of all they could possibly want for Christmas. Catherine got a great new telescope for Christmas. We got it set up and froze our butts off outside looking at stars and stuff. We saw Jupiter. It looked like a pitted ball with a small orange dot. It was so cool.


Carolynn got a variety of cool games and clothes. David too. Gena and Robbie got me a cool new Disneyland game for Kinect. I can't wait to try it.


Gena and Robbie went home after dinner. In the end it was a pretty awesome Christmas.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

T'was The Night Before Christmas

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Friday, December 23, 2011

Little Drummer Boy

A Day In The Life

One fabulous morning I was working in control. It was time for the AM Census Check. There is no inmate movement during this time. Also, at this time, on that day, the power on the outside doors to the units had quit working. Only on one side of the compound. They were already working to fix it and I was helping by pushing the open and close buttons when told.

On the other side of the compound, where doors worked, an inmate was some how in the sallyport of a unit... Stuck between the inner door to the unit and the outer door, which I control. There is a door buzzer to let me know someone is waiting. He pushed it. I told him I would not let him out as there was no move at that time. Apparently, for the same reason, the unit officer would not let him in either. He was in the middle of his census check.

But that inmate would not quit. He continued to press the button. Over and over. And over.

And he got more and more belligerent. He called me every name in the book. I tried to ignore him, but because I had no choice but to sit there and help with the broken doors, I had to keep hearing the door alarm.

The lieutenant came into control to give us some information and I tell him about the button pusher in the unit sallyport. He gets on the intercom, identifies himself as the lieutenant and tells him to knock it off. The inmate starts yelling at the lieutenant because he thinks it is still me.

The lieutenant sends compound out to pick him up and take him to the officer for a little chat... And a trip to the special housing unit.

*************************


He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

A Christmas Carolynn


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His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

It's Christmas Time In The City

Check out more Wordless Wednesday posts here.




Christmas At Town Hall
Apple Valley, California
December 2011


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A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes- How they twinkled! His dimples- How merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town


After the last two days of work, I really needed a day off. So today I am enjoying my day.


I slept in all I wanted. I got up and watched Home Alone and did lots of holiday baking.


For dinner, we got some Jack In The Box. Tacos and burgers! Yay!


Best. Day. Ever.

*************************

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

Monday, December 19, 2011

Joy To The World

These last two days at work have been brutal. BRUTAL! I am still battling this sickness. I am still getting used to the new schedule. I have been incredibly busy getting ready for the holiday. When I got home from work today, I went right to bed and slept for hours. David brought me tacos to make me feel better.

The best part is...

Now I have two whole days off. YAY!

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So up to the house top the coursers they flew,
With a sleigh full of toys, and St. Nickolas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

Tonight we went to our annual “Christmas Ornament Exchange”. Sometimes we do it at our house, but this year we did it at Chris and Sherri's house. We had a great time. We made homemade pizza. Sherri made this fabulous vegetable barley soup. Mary baked pumpkin bread. I was full after that.

We got some pretty great ornaments. I got some glittery hearts. Carolynn got a cool Glee ornament, which she hung on the wall in her room. Catherine got a fun rhino ornament.


We had a great time.

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To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle mount to the sky;

Saturday, December 17, 2011

You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch

On Tuesday night, I was feeling kind of sick. I stayed on the couch and refused to move for fear of the imminent tossing of my cookies. I went to bed early and I slept until 2 Wednesday afternoon. When I got up, I thought I was better. So I went to work, despite David's objections. (Who uses sick days for actual sick?) Of course, by 6 I felt like I'd been run over by a truck. I couldn't understand why I felt so tired. And no food sounded good. When I got off work at midnight, I went right to bed.

I had to get up early on Thursday. The girls had to be at school before 8:00 am. I felt okay. I went to the school. I bought a donut from Carolynn's class fundraiser. Then I came home and went right back to bed. I got up just in time to go to work. Against David's wishes....

Yesterday, I slept in and was really feeling better. So I made us a nice lunch of pasta and garlic bread. Then off to work I went.

Bad idea.

Even the inmates kept saying I didn't look too good. I was all flushed. It felt so hot in there. Inmates were all bundled up complaining of the cold. I felt like death. The thought of garlic bread was making me feel like I might have to see it again.

So today I finally said no, I am staying home and resting.

I still feel tired. All food still sounds like a bad idea. I had some toast.

Stupid.

*************************

More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled and shouted, and called them by name:
Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!

Friday, December 16, 2011

10 Lords A-Leaping

A Day In The Life

Some days people just feel like pushing my buttons.

Inmates were up and down wanting in and out all morning. Hello jerks, we have move times and I am not your personal door person.

They took their sweet time locking down for count at 9:45 am (It must have been a weekend.)

Then, during count, the jerks were not standing. Nope, they were sleeping. They had their lights off. They had towels hanging from their bunks covering so I couldn't see.

Fine.

I wrote 15 incident reports.

Inmates were shocked.

Apparently, never in their many years of incarceration, had some rogue officer dared to insist they follow rules.

I just laughed.

*************************

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Run Over By A Reindeer...

Or something like that.

David finished his final for his animation class. It is quite awesome.



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When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Here Comes Santa Claus

Yesterday David and I went and did most of our major shopping for the holiday. We shopped all day. Shopped til we dropped. It was fun. We started with the mall. Our mall isn't that great, but it has what we needed.

First, we did lunch. David got a slice of pizza and I got some Japanese food at Edo Japan. (The line at the Panda Express was too long.) It was so good. I had never eaten there before. It is more expensive than Panda Express, but the food is worth it. I like it better. I can't believe I have been missing out.

Then it was on to the shopping. We saw our good friends Adrienne and Serenity doing their shopping. Adrienne's engagement ring looks so beautiful. They are a fabulous couple.

Anyway, we went to Sears, J.C. Penney, Barnes and Noble, Toys R Us, Claire's, Hot Topic (It's scary in there!)and a few more. David got a new ornament in the Hallmark store. It goes with this video...



I love it.

Then we came home. We barely got in the door and the girls were ready to go shopping. David was all shopped out, so I took the girls to Denny's for dinner and then to Target.

Then we did the grocery shopping. That is a lot of money spent.

But it was fun.

Today we are doing some Christmas baking. Chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies are done. So are mini loaves of banana bread. Sugar cookie dough and gingerbread cookie dough are chilling in the refrigerator. My special sweet Chex Mix is cooling on the counter. And Mexican chicken and rice is on the stove for dinner tonight. I probably should go to the gym to offset this.

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T'was the night before Christmas,when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

Monday, December 12, 2011

Blue Christmas


Last week we finally got our Christmas decorations up. A bunch of our lights were out, and all we had were blue lights. So it's a Blue Christmas for us.

We had a good time getting all of our favorite ornaments out and hanging all the fun stuff up.





Sunday, December 11, 2011

God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman

Yesterday Catherine's tae kwon do had a Chritmas party. David and the girls got to go. I hade to work, as usual. (As a matter of fact, I am working 16 hours today.) They had a great time. The demo team showed off their skills. The instructors performed. There was plenty of food and fun. Catherine took some video. Enjoy.



Saturday, December 10, 2011

Away In A Manger

I finished reading Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. I loved it. I loved the way the people were portrayed. She did amazing research. The story was of a veterinarian. His parents are killed in a tragic car accident and he accidentally, in his despair, hops a circus train. With no better options, he stays. The man who operates the circus is evil. The man who is in charge of the animals is a nut. He falls for the animal guy's wife, a circus performer. It's a little predictable, but still good. The whole story is told from the vet's point of view as he is an old man in a nursing home and a circus comes to town there causing his to think about this. It goes back and forth between the old guy at the nursing home and his memories of the circus.

I have seen the previews for the movie they made of this book, and I just don't get how they got that movie from that book. Doesn't make sense to me. I guess I will have to watch it and see.

Speaking of books into movies...

I watched the movie P.S. I Love You. I liked the book, but the movie was lame. They made too many changes.

Also, I gave up on A Game of Thrones. I made it half way... I just couldn't get into it. David read the whole series and loved them.

Friday, December 09, 2011

Do You Hear What I Hear

A Day In The Life

One afternoon I was walking down the sidewalk. Just inside the yard fence, two inmates are walking along just behind me. I am heading to the gate to stand by as the inmates return from the yard to their housing units.

I heard one of the inmates say something behind me. It's not something good. It something to the effect of “shake that ass”. So I turn around and look at him. He stops.

I continue walking. Again, I hear him. “Shake that ass. Do it just for me. You know how I like it.”

Really?

I turn around again. Again, he stops. I ask him what his problem is. He says there is no problem.

I walk further. Just as he hits the fence so her has to turn away from me, he does it one more time.

I yell at him to quit that. He ignores me.

I walk down to the gate and wait for him.

He comes out of the yard and I immediately direct him towards the lieutenants office. On the way there I run into the lieutenant who says to take him directly to the Special Housing Unit. We get to the hallway that leads to the Special Housing Unit and a couple of guys take him the rest of the way. He starts yelling he didn't do anything. He calls me a bitch and a bunch of other stuff.

An hour or so later, he tries to convince a case manager it was a mistake. She comes and speaks to me about it. I tell her that I don't think it is a mistake. He said those things and he has a history of sexual proposal to staff as well as exposing himself or masturbating at staff.

A few days later, I was working in the Special Housing Unit. That same inmate starts telling me that I made a huge mistake sending him to SHU. He claims he wasn't talking to me. He didn't even notice me he says. He was just walking along singing a Little Wayne song.

I tell him that even if that was true, he was singing a Little Wayne song, he did so notice me. I turned and spoke to him several times. He should have known that in that environment that was not the time nor place to be singing that kind of song. He should have known better.

Later that same afternoon, he and another inmate are outside in a rec cage and the two of them try to convince me that he was singing a Little Wayne song. I tell them I don't care.

A few days later, I get an email from the disciplinary officer. He says he spoke to the inmate about the incident report I wrote and the inmate is claiming I said I would take it back.

I said no such thing.

A few days after that I got an email from the SHU lieutenant asking me the same thing.

Again, no.

Perhaps he should have sung a better song.

Thursday, December 08, 2011

Babes In Toyland

Thursday Thirteen

I haven't done one of these in forever. But I just don't have much to say today. So here is a list of thirteen things I want for Christmas. I probably won't get any of it because I can't afford it. But hey, a girl can dream.

1. Book- The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
2. A Super Fancy Camera- Maybe a Nikon :)
3. A New Car- Not picky on what kind
4. Socks- I never have enough socks. Mostly because Carolynn steals them.
5. New Living Room Furniture
6. Cash
7. Book- The Help
8. iPhone 4S
9. Jammies
10. 2nd Gen iPad
11. A New House
12. A Vacation
13. Disneyland Passes

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

All I Want For Christmas

Catherine and I began our holiday baking extravaganza today. So far we have chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies. We plan on several more kinds of cookies. We are making mini loaves of pumpkin bread and banana nut bread. We are making mini cupcakes in our homemade shipping boxes. We need to get these things done so we can get them shipped to people for the holidays.

I got most of my Christmas cards ready to go. I just have to pick up some stamps.

Most of the items I purchased online over Black Friday weekend have arrived and been wrapped. If I don't wrap right away, I get snoopers.

What are your favorite holiday treats? Cookies? What kind? Let us know. We might get some new ideas. Or if we know you, we might make you some.

Monday, December 05, 2011

O Come All Ye Faithful

The bathtub in the master bath has never been quite to my liking. The stopper never quite worked. You could start to fill it up, but it was still slowly draining. So taking a long hot bath was never an option. The other bathroom didn't have that problem. But that is the girls' bathroom and it usually a mess and Catherine is probably playing with Pokemon in there anyway. Who can relax in a Pokemon filled tub, in a bathroom covered with clothes and someone's wet swimsuit always hanging up in there?

Some time last year the overfill drain in my bathtub just fell off. (My house is old.) Then there was a huge hole in my bathtub. Another thing not too appealing to a relaxing tub time.

Then the girls' bathtub stopped draining right. All their showers were baths. No matter how much Drano and Liquid Plumber I tried. Of course, some time a couple of months ago their shower broke. And only bath's were available. Bath's that took an hour to drain.

Sweet. Now the Pokemon and Carolynn junk had moved to my bathroom.

Of course, in my bathroom you couldn't even brush your teeth. The sink didn't drain right. I tried the same products I had tried on the tub. No dice.

This house is so old.

I bugged the rental agency and finally, this morning they sent a plumber.

In the space of 30 minutes, he unclogged my sink and the girls' bathtub. He fixed the shower in there too. He replaced the overflow in my tub and also replaced the stopper.

OMG!

Calgon, take me away.

Sunday, December 04, 2011

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear


Catherine started this project in August. I thought for sure she would have killed it by now. But no. It's multiplying. They are everywhere. The original plant has gotten huge.

She took one of the first babies to my dad in Fresno. But all the rest are here.

Taking over the kitchen window.

Catherine has plans to take one to Chris and Sherri. I am sure Mary and Tonya would be glad to have one. But the rest...

TAKE THEM! TAKE THEM NOW!

Saturday, December 03, 2011

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Two things I really wish I had when I have to get up in the morning.

1. A heater that turned itself on about 15 minutes before my alarm goes off. That way I don't have to get out of my nice warm bed into a freezing cold house.

2. A dryer that turned itself on about the same time so I could put on nice warm clothes.

It's not so bad right now, since I don't have to be at work until 4. Unless, like today, I am working 16 and have to be to work at 8:00 am. But in a couple of weeks the schedule changes at work and I will have to start being to work at 6:00 am. That is going to make for some very cold mornings.

Well, I am off to 16 hours in prison. Wish me luck.

Friday, December 02, 2011

Seven Swans A-Swimming

I was working one evening in the best Special Housing Unit in the universe. I was working outside as the recreation officer. When I first got there, I was trying to get an inmate to come inside and he decided to jam the gate. He used a Metamucil bottle full of rocks. Where he got rocks, I have no idea. How he got the bottle of rocks out to the rec cage... Well, it was hot. Inmates often take a cup out to the rec cage to drink. We provide water out there, they bring the cups. Cups and handballs are the only things they are supposed to bring out there with them. Sometimes, if they don't have a cup available they use peanut butter jars or coffee containers. Those are clear. Metamucil bottles are not clear.

Eventually we got him to remove the bottle and come out. We confiscated the bottle of rocks and he was escorted back to his cell.

Anyway, back to me. I was watching over the recreation area and letting inmates in and out. They brought out two Native American inmates. One was carrying a coffee container full of water. The other was carrying a Metamucil bottle. Learning from earlier, I asked to see what was in the bottle. He tells me it's water. I ask him to please open the container and let me see.

He says no.

I again ask him to open the bottle.

He says it's just water. And tells me to leave him alone.

I refuse to allow him into the recreation area until he shows me what is inside the bottle.

(You can see where this I going, right?)

So he opens his bottle and pours it right on my front.

Yep.

So I am soaked. I go into the lieutenants office and he asks me what happened. I tell him and we both go back to the recreation area where that inmate is waiting.

The lieutenant asks him why he did that. The inmate decides to demonstrate what he did the first time. He still had a little water left in the bottle. So he poured that on me too.

He was escorted back to his cell and I wrote him up so assault without injury.

And then I sat outside and dried off.

Thursday, December 01, 2011

The First Noel

Well, we did it. With the help of Carolynn and Catherine, we wrote 30 posts in 30 days! Now, can we continue this trend? Can we keep up the momentum?

Sure, why not?

Catherine and I have some good posts coming up. Carolynn might even get a few in. She is going to the town tree lighting on Saturday to take pictures for her current school project. Carolynn's tae kwon do studio is having a holiday party in a couple of weeks so there will be pictures of that too.

There should be so much fun holiday activities to talk about and photograph. Doesn't that sound like fun?

And of course, there will be some great prison related stories. Be careful of penises in the windows.

See you tomorrow.