I got my paperwork for my new job emailed to me today. Boy was there alot of stuff to give my ok on. I remember when all I needed was a phone number and reliable transportation to get a job. Now I had to agree to - A criminal background check, sex offender check, ss check, consumer report, DMV, college degree check. I mean honestly, you would think I am applying with the FBI! I think the rules changed the day we gave over our rights in exchange for our security... homeland security that is! I really do believe that! But when I tried to find out how I can protect myself from renting a home that is in foreclosure, I found out I really can't. I just have to keep my fingers crossed the owner of the property is honest and actually pays the mortgage with my rent. Jeeeez!

Since I'm on the subject of looking for rentals, let me tell you there are tons out there... condos and apartments that is ... houses not so much. I spent hours looking through craigslist and the internet and most of the rentals were offered by a rental agency or property management. There was one in particular... they had 5 listings but the catch was that I had to go their office to find out the address. So I did. Why not. The first red flag was their office was in a run down mostly empty strip mall. Then when I opened the front door and I saw 4 desks lined up behind each other with 20 somethings sitting behind these desks. The only thing on these desks were telephones. No computers. No pictures of rentals on the walls. Nothing. It looked to me that if the cops showed up they could run out the back door in 10 seconds and no one would know they were there. I decided to go along with it... do some small talk and all just to see what the deal was. Joe went in the back room to get a contract for me to fill out and then asked for $195 so I could look at a couple of rentals. Now I'm not the smartest person in the world but I know a scam when I see one... so I told Joe that I had to get permission from my husband before I could commit to that. Joe assured me that the $195 was refundable if they could not find me a house to rent or if I found one on my own... I just needed to bring in my rental agreement and then I could apply for the refund minus $50 for a credit check. hmmmmm.

So I went to my car and called James, my son to look up this place on the internet and find out more about this place. It seems the BBB gives them a rating of F and not for Fabulous! It seems that these guys like to take $195 from as many dumb people that they can and then not give refunds. They also give addresses of homes that are not for rent, take listings from the newspapers, or just plain make stuff up in hopes that people will get mad... then give up and go away... gambling that they will not end up in small claims court for $195. Well I say to them Shame! Shame! Shame! What the heck is wrong with people? Can't they use their talents for good not evil?

In my travels I did find myself getting hungry so I stopped in this little Mexican restaurant to get a bite. The BBB would rate this place A+. The food was delicious, the service was excellent and the price very reasonable. The name of this place is La Torta Loca... which I think means the crazy tortoise. If you are in Santa Ana, CA be sure to stop in. Here is their location
La Torta Loca No. 1 - 2031 E 1st St. Santa Ana, CA 92705-4018 (714) 834-1817‎.
Hope your week is going good!
Don't forget to laugh out loud!
xoxo Inge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyf7QIqIHl8

I slept in today and actually got a goods night sleep for a change! I have been thinking about when I started this adventure and I have been going strong since May 2009. I was working 2 days a week at my job and spending the rest of my time commuting to so cal and looking for work. I moved down here when James broke his ankle in July... no wonder I am pooped! I have only taken 3 days off since May and today is my 3rd day.

I spent the morning catching up on the news online. I read the liberal paper http://www.washingtonpost.com/ because I like the editorials. Yes, I am a liberal... but I consider myself a social liberal ... I think people who are against gays getting married should just get a life! ... and those people who oppose abortion should not get one... I believe in live and let live and I am ok with religious freedom as long as that freedom does not limit my personal freedom... I am a fiscal conservative... learn to live within your means and that goes for me, and everyone else - including our elected officials... we are all responsible for our actions good and bad. Stop whining and pointing fingers! It is getting old! Whew! I must have woke up on the pulpit this morning!

Since I have time on my hands so I thought I would post some random stuff I have been thinking about or doing ...

I spent the last hour deleting and organizing my "Favorites " section. Do I know how to have a good time or what! I like to earmark things I want to look at later, so I just add it to my favorites section, knowing that I will eventually delete it when I have time. I saved some interesting stuff, well interesting to me anyway, and I came across this link on another blog I like to pop in on http://joannagoddard.blogspot.com/ aka A Cup Of Jo. Here's the linkhttp://www.daredeviltattoo.com/component/option,com_gallery2/Itemid,26/?g2_itemId=1289.

Remember Shel Siverstein? I really like his books so I found his website. If you have kids his books make a great gift http://www.shelsilverstein.com/indexSite.html

My landlady is going to this event tonight called Pageant of the Masters... here is the link
http://www.foapom.com/site/overview_pom.asp. From what I understand there are people standing around posing... a recreation if you will of what the models did for the painters back in the day of Leonardo and his peeps. If you ask me that sounds boooorrrrring! She is excited about going... good for her and luckily she did not invite me to plop down goddess knows how much cash this event costs. She has invited me several places in the past week and I turned her down because 1. I cannot spend money on anything except our move here and 2. She likes to do things that do not interest me at all or if I went I know I would get in trouble because something smart ass would pop out of my mouth! The other day she wanted me to go with her to watch home movies at her neighbor's house. They just came back from a 3 month trip to Vietnam and they stayed with people who live their lives on boats. I don't believe these people really stayed with them... I think they stayed in at least a furnished hut but not on the actual boat. Anyway, I told my landlady I did not want to go but if she had friends who had home movies about the ghost hunting count me in! I don't need to tell you the look I got. I can't help it. Watching a movie about Vietnamese boat people = a good nap... Anything to do with the paranormal = 4 stars. She does not give up though. I have to give her credit for that. She wants me to be her friend but I don't have the time for that. I will be living at least 45 minutes away - working a 50 hour week, I have a hubby, a kid, and of course my fur babies... I really don't have anymore time.

I did take time the other day to stop at the Oceanside Harbor. I felt my stress melt away, this happened before I got the job, so even though I tried my hardest I felt stressed. I think there is something so relaxing to sit by a harbor. I also took the time to daydream about the motor home we plan to someday own... actually a Mini Winnie. There were several motor homes parked at the harbor. The ocean was on one side and the estuary was on the other. There were several men fishing and the pelicans were lined up in case someone was willing to share.

I guess I better get out of my jammies... it's after 2 o'clock already.

Hope your weekend is fun.

Don't forgetr to laugh out loud!

xoxo Inge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT2UmZxzmjs

Wise words to live by

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN5rUjfvCIg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBUqRpoCVZ0

You simply must check out this guy on Twitter. If you aren't signed up with Twitter, do it! it's so easy and following this guy is worth it. It is called shit my dad says and is tweeted by a 28 year old guy who lives with his 73 year old dad. http://twitter.com/shitmydadsays

I treated myself to a massage today. I went to the Lincoln Institute of Body Therapy located in Orange, California. It is a massage school and the massage was only $30 for an hour! I could have used 3 hours worth but I was afraid of exhausting my therapist. If you can use a massage but don't have the $95 to shell out, I recommend looking for a massage school near you, the ambiance is not as foo foo but the student does just as good a job.., and isn't that what really matters? After that I ventured over to the The Shops at Mission Viejo. Let me tell you this is not your mother's shopping mall. There is a valet service in case you can't be bothered to park your own car, and the food court is called a dining veranda. A fancy schmancy name for fast food! There are two levels but I only made it through one before my feet wanted to go home. It is a nice mall though and I probably will go back when it is time to shop for work clothes.
Hope your Friday is going well. Any plans for the weekend?
Don't forget to laugh out loud!
xoxo Inge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOEKdaXIEHc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VItQ-8dLAP4

Everything in this store is black and white.

I decided to stop looking for work...

CAUSE I GOT A JOB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND IT'S THE JOB I WANTED! I don't want to say where because I heard of people losing jobs because their empoyers did not like their blogging... I will say I am an assistant manager at a restaurant and I make more money than I have in a VERY long time. Whew!!! I have to admit even with the motivational videos and comedy and affirmations and the nightly pep talk from my sweet, supportive hubby, I was sweating bullets. I decided today before I got the job offer that if this did not work out I was heading back home to regroup and see my family. But now I will look for a permanent place for us to live... but first I will book a massage somewhere and treat myself to some TLC. I have been waking up in the night with leg cramps and my foot still hurts when I walk to much. I have not done my nightly stretching either since I hurt my foot so I am sure that contributes to the cramps. After we get settled, I plan to join a gym again. I miss the one I went to back home and I felt better! But for now I will take a breather and sleep in for a change.
If you are looking for work or know someone who is, I suggest thinking outside the box, meaning don't completely focus on jobs posted on the internet job boards... go to the places you want to work at and sell yourself. That is how I got this job. It took a month of consistant marketing myself and then asking for the job at the interview that I believe got me this job... I did go to other jobs and apply but I always went back to the one I wanted. Oh and brag about yourself at the interview but be honest they will find out...
And don't forget to laugh out loud!
xoxo Inge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2318JxxN-tI

I think the job of motivational speakers and job coaches is to be the lone positive voice among the avalanche of negtive ones that bombard us each and everyday. I get lots of "well intentioned" advice from people, and I also get alot of negative comments. Your going to your job coach? They probably won't have much time for you they have to see alot of people... There are alot of people out of work, you probably won't find a job... you are travelling how far for that interview? That's a bad area, lots of homes foreclosed.... and on and on. I have discovered most of this "advice" has no supportive evidence to back up their claims... they basically talk out of their ass! It is hard sometimes when I am surrounded by these nay sayers... so I decided to start each day with a motivational video and end my day with comedy. And for the rest of these negative poops... If you have nothing positive to say, then SHUT THE HELL UP!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23PgYSpISNE

I really do believe that laughter is the best medicine. My dad had a terrific sense of humor, even when he was terminally ill. He could always find something funny in any situation. For the past few weeks I have needed extra doses of humor to keep my stress as low as possible, but there are times that I let stress take over and I can worry myself in a hole. As you know I am looking for work. This is the first time I have been out of work since 1993... weren't we experiencing a recession back then too? I was out of work 6 months! I don't want to go through that again. I did get that temp gig last weekend, which I am grateful for, but here I am again schlepping my resume around and filling out applications. Oh, I did get that minimum wage job but seriously who can live on minimum wage and part time hours unless they live under a bridge?

I did go on a 2nd interview yesterday for a job I really really really want and I was hoping to get a job offer on the spot... but I have to wait until Thursday for a phone call that will let me know if I will work there. The suspense is killing me! I will be so disappointed if I have to start my job search all over. In case I don't get the position I want I will ask if I can start as a server at one of the restaurants and wait to get promoted from the inside... I can hear my feet protesting but sometimes we have to suck it up and change plans in order to ultimately get what we want.

I have been watching alot of comedy and motivational clips when I get home on youtube which I thank the great goddess everyday for the invention of youtube!

Hope your day is fun and if you are looking for work, remember to keep laughing. Potential employers can smell fear.

xoxo Inge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxqUNisfyCI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uekdv8SiTec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkL1IUh1X-Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN01-B3oshg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSxtNQUmrqw

We've come a long way baby!

Remember this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_XrIx2eUGc

Who knew it evolve to this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoHey6rGnkc
Have a fun day! And put the joy stick down (do they still call it that?) and go outside, get some sun.... you look a little pastie. Ok, stay indoors, play that video game, but remember to laugh out loud! xoxox Inge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO0IBAm0Dko

I took this photos around the house where I am staying. Those gorgeous tomatoes are from her garden. And they taste as yummy as they look.

Ozzy Osborne is a perfect example THAT BOOMERS STILL ROCK !!!!!!!!!!! Ozzy is turning 62 this December and he can still sell out a concert! There was a mix of age groups (26,000 was the head count) in the audience but the median age was 30. I had such a fun time AND I got paid!

Towards the end of the convention, right after Ozzy's performance a gamer around the age of mid to late 20s started hanging around me. The first time he went through the line he did shop at the store, but when he came back he complemented me that I looked 15 years younger than I am (glad I got my hair done the other day) then he just kinda hung around and made small talk in between me directing customers to cashiers. Now I am not positive because it has been a few years but I think he was "chatting me up". Isn't that adorable???? hahahaha!

Today I will put my feet up and just relax... something I have trouble doing... I like to putz around but I figure this is the only full day I have to rest my foot, which is still swollen. I googled sprained ankles and it seems that this is normal, so I have to be patient... something else I need more practise with.

Hope your weekend is going well or as Ozzy likes to say "Fucking great!". Here's a little Ozzy for those fans out there.

Don't forget to laugh out loud!

xoxoxo Inge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoY_DuoAShY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT8maUTzE48

I worked Blizzcon yesterday and by the end of my shift my feet were screaming at me. Today I will bring a second pair of shoes to change into, may be that will help. No Ozzy siting last night. I heard he will perform tonight at 9 pm. It will be more crowded than yesterday, which I find hard to believe! There were people milling about everywhere yesterday. I figured out what Blizzcon's theme is.... mix some Star Wars with some Elvira, add a dash of Hooter girls, a pinch of MC Hammer, throw in some vampires, and don't forget the Hobbits, top off with heavy metal hip hop and you have Blizzcon!

The hall where the event is had barely any lighting, I'm not sure if they were trying to set an ambiance or they just did not want to pay a huge electric bill... all I know is I could not see a thing especially in the back behind the curtains where the employees had to put their belongings and take breaks. At one point I mentioned out loud that I could not see a thing! and some considerate young man (don't I sound like a grandma?) took my hand and guided me to where we were going to work. I really do appreciate his help and I really did need it... I do not need to be falling down again! but I felt really old!

In case you want to see some of the events from yesterday...
http://www.dipity.com/timeline/Blizzcon-2009-Costume-Contest

Well, back to work today and tomorrow I take the day off and rest my foot...
Hope you have a fun weekend and don't forget to laugh out loud!
xoxo Inge

Busy day for me tomorrow... at 10 am I have appointment to cover this grey and then I have to be at the convention center for Blizzcon... I just found out Ozzy Osborne will there to perform. Maybe tomorrow will be his lucky day and he will get a chance to meet me and if he is really lucky I might pose for a picture with him! I have been driving around Laguna Niguel alot today... looking for work and shopping with the rich people at Trader Joes. I still can't figure out how these people get all that money! I did not have time to take any pictures of my own so I pinched a few off the internet and I have a link to the real estate page in case anyone is interested in buying a little shack of their own http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.luxuryportfolio.com/photos/property/full/S496538_SoCalMLS_p1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.luxuryportfolio.com/browse~mnc/california/orange_county/laguna_niguel.cfm&usg=__TR8iM0TR9RY5JMqdt68W6oS2Hzw=&h=400&w=600&sz=42&hl=en&start=377&sig2=Ezdm3gnzv8i7bt1CRJn8xw&tbnid=-9DryeF3QTSxWM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlaguna%2Bniguel%2Bcalifornia%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D360&ei=7j2OSoTII5LENrWY4bAK

Hope your Friday is fun and don't forget to laugh out loud!

xoxo Inge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVm-HwAkVp8

I found a place to live temporarily. I am there for two weeks then I will see where I go. It is a lovely room... I mean closet... no room. The house is beautiful, something out of a shabby chic magazine... I'm not kidding! The view is fabulous and there is a lovely garden. My room is small though... I would guess 10' x 5' and it costs $175 a week. I have kitchen privilages, access to the laundry and the neighborhood is upscale. I am 15 minutes away from the ocean and Dana Point. I can actually smell the money from here. The woman renting the room also rents another room. She is a victim of this mortage mess. Actually the whole thing reminds me of the movie with Sally Field "Places in the Heart". It was about a woman during the depression who rented out rooms to make ends meet. I think this so called recession has hit people alot harder than the media leads us to believe. I guess if they called it what it really, is our economy would be worse. You know that saying? "Ignorance is bliss". I guess sometimes it is.

I am still looking for work. I think I will have to go back to waitressing at least for a short time and I will be lucky to get that. I am working this weekend and I told the person who hired me thanks for the job numerous times. I really am grateful for the work. Hopefully, they will send me out on more jobs in the future and I can do that until I land a good paying full time gig, hopefully in management. A few years ago I managed to convince some big wig at a car dealership to hire me as a sales person even though I had no previous experience. I should be able to pull this management thing off.

I was thinking of putting a large jar in my car and throwing quarters in it everytime I cuss while driving. I figure at the rate I am going now by the end of the year I will have enough money for a good down payment towards a house. I find that cursing the driver next to me helps me drive better. Have you driven the LA freeways? It is similar to bumper cars. It is a miracle there aren't more accidents than there are. So I put Lulu (the name of my Scion) in hyper speed and fly down the freeway at a breath taking speed of 62 mph! Cursing and singing (I have the radio full blast)! Ah! This southern cali lifestyle is the life for me!

I got a job! The down side is it is part time, minimum wage. Damn! I can stay in Chico for that kind of low pay. I did get a temporary gig though with a company called The Party Staff. They specialize in parties, banquets, your typical soiree. I got hired to work as a cashier at the Blizzcon, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention center this weekend. If you haven't been to a Blizzcon... you are in for a treat my little gamer friend! In case you can't be there in person they will be streaming live from the event to a pc near you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAvZelfYAb0

I am also looking for places to live temporarily. James is much better and more mobile. Anything he will need now, he will have to depend on his girlfriend. He won't be able to drive anytime soon, and he needs to go to physical therapy a few times a week. I have been looking through craigslist and boy are there a bunch of nuts looking for roommates on that site. The motels around here are havens for drug and prostitution activity, so that is not an option. Too bad because they have kitchenettes and are close to Knotts Berry Farm. You would think that these motels would be a great option for families... they are affordable... $300 a week. I can't believe August is almost over. I really want a well paying job - like right now - so I can start looking for permanent housing and then John and my furbabies can move here and we can begin our lives as beach bunnies. I miss them sooooo much! I got sad today. I have not been away from my family for this long of a time. After this move we are staying put for a very long time.
Hope your day is fun and don't forget to laugh out loud!
xoxo Inge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNJWM_ucwws

How many people do you know enjoys spending time at the cemetery? I can't think of anyone else but me, but I'm sure there are others like me - somewhere. Oh well, I don't feel like dwelling on it, because I do and if that makes me seem odd so be it. I actually really go to take pictures of the statuary. It is hard to find them anymore. These days most cemeteries switched to headstones that are flush with the lawn so it is easier to maintain, but in my opinion, it also makes them boring.

Today, I went to Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California. It had a quite a few statues to take pictures of which is why I like to go. There were also many more community mausoleums which made me think of the many condos and apartments in the area. Hmmm, condo living alive and dead. I wonder if it is cheaper to be placed in a community mausoleum than a regular plot. Anyone know? There were also alot families there. Most were changing flowers and cleaning up the headstones... some sat in lawn chairs with umbrellas and children played in the area. I found that interesting... it was mainly Asian families not Caucasians who were there and I wonder if that is part of their culture. To be frank, I think most white people are uncomfortable around cemeteries. I do not know that for sure, it is just something I have observed. When I participated in the Day of the Dead celebration in San Francisco a few years ago there were mainly people of color there and the people representing the different religious views were definitely not mainstream Judea/Christian!

I think this so romantic!

Another beautiful romantic couple.

I found this article on Yelp about another Forest Lawn Location in Glendale that you might find interesting. I did because it shows me there are others who enjoy the cemetery environment.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/forest-lawn-memorial-parks-and-mortuaries-glendale

While driving around today my all time favorite song came on

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9U6URQSF6U

Anyone else have a favorite song? The first time I heard it was when I was 6 years old and it instantly was my favorite. At 6 years old!... I had a great ear for music even then, too bad my singing voice isn't.

Hope your day is fun and don't forget to laugh out loud!

xoxo Inge