Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Protecting my Grandma, Fighting the Vultures - Update March 29th 2011

This is an Update to my Post: Protecting my Grandma, Fighting the Vultures http://romantictorture.blogspot.com/2011/01/protecting-my-grandma-fighting-vultures.html


March 29th 2011
: I have been going to Visit my Grandma Every Tuesday. I always bring her a Cheeseburger, a Beer & Other Treats. Peeps are her Favorite Treat, so since it is Easter season, I have Been bringing her a Lot of Peeps - She Loves Them so Much, She eats 2 Packages in One sitting!!
I also bring Photos & stuff to decorate her Room. I do not try to bring to much because she always Asks why am I bringing more stuff in her Room. She Says she is going home soon & she doesn`t want people to take her stuff. I reassure her that No one will take anything, that if she moves, I will take everything to her & if anyone takes anything, that is okay because I will replace it for her.
She always says things are missing from her room - but after a few minutes going through her room - I find everything & Put it back where it belongs - I think she moves them & forgets where she put things. However there were a few Photos missing that I could NOT find - No Worries, I have Copies & will Re-post Next Week. I also noticed that a Few Family Members still need to be added to her Photo Wall, so Next week I will print out copies of some family photos and put them up for her.
Sometimes she thinks she is still going to be going back home to live alone, but that unfortunately wont be the case. However the good news is that she is saying she is going home less and less. She is starting to talk about the ladies that live there and how much fun they have! They keep her Very busy there. They have Wii Bowling, Bingo, Church Services, Card Games, Movie Nights, etc. They Serve Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner in their Little Restaurant area. They also have a Patio area outside with a Grill. Now that the weather is getting better, I might try to plan a BBQ Lunch with her outside!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Sky (Ceiling) is Falling - Broken Water Pipe


I was doing Laundry today. The 1st Load was out of the Dryer. I put Away my Clothes, but I left my Husband`s Clothes out to be Put away. As he was putting away his Clothes, he started Freaking out. I went into the Bedroom to see what was going on. Our Bedroom Ceiling was raining on us and it was not Raining outside. However we noticed our upstairs Neighbor was in the Shower.
I told Roy my Husband to Call our Landlord ASAP so he can call his Plumber. The Plumber came & Cut a Hole in our Ceiling above our Bed. Asbestos went everywhere. He told us to cover our faces anytime we came into room. The Pipe above is is so Moldy and smells as well. I wonder if this had anything to do with my allergies & repository problems that I have been suffering from lately. I guess the Pipe in the Wall that leads to our upstairs Neighbor broke. I guess there is a Lot of Major Construction that we have to look forward to. I closed the door because I do not want my cats in there. I will have to move my things out of my bedroom & I guess we are going to have to sleep in Roy`s Man Cave for awhile.
Roy is majorly Freaking out. He has always hated our Apartment, even though I love it. I found it and got it before I met him. It is true we have a lot of problems, but I have had worse problems with my other Places I have lived in. It is Not ran by a Property Manager, which is a Good Thing. I got a Really great deal on it. An apartment as big as this, 3 Bedroom, with Garage, Driveway, Balcony, Laundry Room, Roof Top, BBQ, Beach Front...etc Rent usually is 3-4 times more then what we pay for it.
The Owner just needs to be more on top of things.
Now it is starting to Rain, so the Bedroom Construction is at a Halt.....to be continued....

Monday, March 21, 2011

My Friend 'Reg' got Jumped on the Blue Line Train

(Preview to this Story @ http://romantictorture.blogspot.com/2011/03/my-friend-reg_21.html)
My friend homeless friend, 'Reg' got jumped on the Blue Line the other night - fell into common trap -he was on train -a pretty young lady approached him she said she needed 2call her mom & asked if she could use his cell phone -he wanted 2help her so he handed her his phone -that`s when he got jumped -he fell -he didn`t see anything -all he heard was people yelling 'hey, get out of here. When he got up the girl, his phone & who ever jumped him were gone -luckily he landed on his bag, so they didn`t get 2steal that -he`s a bit bruised -took him home, fixed him dinner - he slept in Roy`s Man Cave -got him towels & supplies so he could shower & clean up- fixed him Breakfast -and Roy walked him to bus stop so he can he go get new phone.

My Hooptie & Broken Agreements

(1st Posted Dec. 29th 2009)

Last year I got a Letter from Saturn that states that my year has Transmission problems & that if I have any trouble -that Saturn will replace my transmission for Free. I took my car in last year because my transmission was acting up......Saturn decided to try to fix it 1st before replacing it....for free like stated in my agreement. Well- fast forward to Xmas Day -I am in Pomona with my Grandma and my car breaks down. We get it towed to Saturn of Cerittos. We learn that my Transmission is dead and we need a New one. I bring up the agreement. Saturn now tells me that the letter/agreement is no longer valid due to the Government Buy Out of Saturn. The Only deal they can give me is a 50/50 -they pay half of the repairs. A new Transmission is about $5000-$6000- .....so that means we gotta pay close to $3000-!!!!! I still do not think that this is right- I think they should honor their agreement -we cannot afford this....plus I hate spending that much money on a hooptie 2003 car that will have more trouble later!! Besides- I cannot trust Saturn anymore to honor ANY Agreement that they give me.
I guess I`m gonna have to contact my Lawyer and Sue Saturn- this is NOT right- I have an agreement in writing that states that they sold us a bumm car & that they are responsible to make any repairs or replace any/all for Free!! I am sooo bummed, upset, sad, broke....etc......I hope the New Year is better!!!

My Friend 'Reg'

(1st Posted Dec. 22nd 2009)

About 12yrs ago I was working a Convention and I met this 'Fan Guy' there. He was a Fan of Models. He would come to all of my Convention Appearances and stay all day. Some might find this uncomfortable -but I feel ok with it. He would help me out by carrying my booth stuff, watching my booth while I had to go to the Bathroom, getting me something to eat etc. He was very helpful & I enjoyed seeing him at these events, I considered him a friend. Let`s call him 'Reg'.
Reg is a part-time sub-situte teacher with a bachelor degree in physiology -however you can tell he doesn`t work that much -because he doesn`t have much money & a lot of free time.
About 3years ago he came by the Bar I was working at to Visit me on my Birthday, have Lunch & Say Hi. That night I knew my Husband was throwing me a 'Surprise' Birthday Party -so I invited Reg. My Hubby didn`t really realized I invited someone to my 'Surprise' birthday party until later when he found out I knew all along.
Reg got to know my Hubby & all of our Friends in which we call 'The LBC Wack Pack'. They all got along very well. We invited Reg to our Monday Night Dinners in which I cook Dinner or Roy, my Hubby, Grills on the Roof -then we All watch a Movie or Sports on TV after Dinner. We also invite Reg to our Events & functions, we consider him a friend & part of the LBC Wack Pack.
Ever since we have known Reg, we noticed his clothes are sometimes a bit dirty, at times he smells really bad and his car is always messy & full of stuff. We suspected he might either be living out of his car or has a really small dirty cheap apartment. One time his car broke down & we offered to give him a ride home while it was being fixed. He told us to drive him to Huntington Beach -but he said not to drop him off at his house because he was embarrassed of his place, so we dropped him off Close to his place. We never pry-ed for information, we knew he might not want to tell us anything. Instead we just offered him to come around more if he wanted. I would let him stay at our house if we were going away, to watch our place, feed the cats, water the plants, etc. I would buy him some new clothes every so often.
On July 3rd we had a Pre-4th of July beach party. Reg was there all day. That night he went to go home -walked to his car -but his car was gone. He came back to our place & told us his car was Stolen. We freaked out -told Reg that we need to call the Cops -Reg did not want that -Reg said just to let it go. That did not make sence to us. We asked Reg many questions. FINALLY hours Later we FINALLY Get the Truth from Reg.
Reg`s Car was towed because the registration was expired. Reg cannot register his car because it will never pass smog. Reg has to just let the car go. Reg admitted that he has been living in his car and that all his stuff is in it. Reg has not worked in a long time and has no money. We told Reg that we will figure this out -in the meantime -he can stay with us.
Reg got to get his stuff out of his car. We let him clean up at our house. I washed his clothes. We found Reg a GREAT Shelter Program close by to us locally. They set him up in a hotel room of his very own for Only $5- a Night. They give Reg a $28- a day allowance for food & necessities. They help him find a Job, which they say will be easy because of his education. They do have rules, in which Reg is not a fan of. One of the rules is a 6pm curfew. Reg will not be able to come to our Monday Night Dinners for awhile, but we told him that is okay, that there will be many other Daytime activities that we can do. This program is awesome. It is comforting to know that this type of program exist!
There will probably be more updates on Reg, but so far that is where we are now. Reg just needs to stick with this program. He said he was in one similar a long time ago, but did not stick with it. We told him if he did that to us, and abandoned this program that we worked so hard in getting him into, that he will not be allowed back to our house. Not to be mean, but we cannot in-able him to remain in dire straits. This is the best for Reg. I will post updates as they transform.

Fake Accents

(1st Posted Dec. 9th 2009)

Here is one of my 'pet-peeves'
I hate it when someone who normally speaks with no accent will speak in a major heavy accent to the word that they are saying - for example - someone with no accent talking to you -but all of a sudden if they say a Spanish or Italian word -they will say it in such a thick accent- that you would think they were from there or had that accent while they talked normally.
I am not against accents -I just don`t like 'fakes' ....the ONLY reason to speak in a accent is if that was your normal way of talking - saying an Italian or Spanish word in an accent does not make it correct -you are doing a dis-service to that language. When people come to the USA and talk English- I do not expect them to fight their natural way of talking and hide their accent- so why do it the other way around.
Newscasters do this a lot. A Newscaster will be talking in her own non-accent -and then all of a sudden a Latin Name or City will pop up & the Newscaster will roll her R`s or say the name/word in a Heavy Accent.
There is an Italian Cook on the Food Network that does this sooo much. She will talk in her normal American born accent -but if she has to say Spaghetti or any other Italian word -so will pour on the heavy accent -to where you think she just arrived from Italy!
Why is this? What statement are they trying to make? I do not get it! I would never fake an accent of a word from another country or state. It is like if I said the word Jambalaya in a Creole accent -or if I said the word Chop Suey in a Asian Accent -or if I said Gyro in a Greek accent -that is un-necessary & I think a dis-service to the language. So Please -just stick to your own accent -way of talking unless you are an actor and you are role-playing!!
What do you think? Am I being weird about this?
oxox Stacy

Pedestrian Etiquette

(1st Posted Nov. 11th 2009)

I notice a lot of people do not have pedestrian etiquette. I have noticed this not only because I walk & Jog a lot around town, but I have noticed this while shopping in malls, grocery stores, in people`s homes, etc.

When walking on a crowded sidewalk, you should always veer to the right when someone is walking by you or coming the other direction, just like when you drive on the road. If you are walking with others, all should veer to the right, if not enough room, the correct thing to do is walk behind each other single file until there is enough room to walk side by side or in a group.
If you are walking on a crowded sidewalk and decide you need to stop, please do not stop dead in your tracks, the person behind you might slam into you, please move to the side out of the way.
If you have a large stroller, please do not use it, or your baby, to bull-doze your way through the crowd, that is Rude and disrespectful to use your baby like that. Another thing please do not hog the road- don`t use the complete sidewalk for your double-wide stroller and don`t be part of the Stroller Mob, where it is impossible to get by your group of breeding diva`s!
When walking out of a store onto a sidewalk, crossing a bike/jog/walking path, Please look out for oncoming traffic don`t just blindly step onto a sidewalk or path thinking traffic will stop for you.
Please do not ride your Bikes, Skateboards, Scooters, etc on the sidewalk, it breeds trouble- it is the law that you ride those in the street. If you are on a Bike or Jog/Walk Path -follow the arrows and make sure not to ride on anything in the Pedestrian Area.
When walking a Dog, please ALWAYS use a Leash. Please keep dog on a snug leash. No one wants to trip over a leash if the dog crosses over. That could be very dangerous for the dog as well as the passer-by. Please do let your dog jump, chase or get to close to others, your dog maybe the best dog but the other person does not know that, you do not know what trauma they may have in the past from a dog attack, etc. Besides they may even be highly allergic. Be courteous of that!
Please be aware of your surroundings, do not assume someone is going to move for you, please make room for your fellow Pedestrians, Bikers, Joggers, etc.
As time goes by, I am sure I will have much more to add to this- but for now, that is all. Please spread this Blog to ALL!!
Thank you.
oxox Stacy

Live Like a Cockroach

(1st posted Oct. 20th 2009)

I admire the cockroach. The cockroach has lived through the ice age -it has survived the elements, almost impossible to kill, it has been here before humans & will probably be here after us humans are gone. The Cockroach eats trash & not the most sanitary of species, but yet, they trudge on.
Being a human, we wash our hands because it kills germs, we take vitamins to shield us from germs, use sunscreen, stay away from sun, we cover our mouths when we cough or sneeze, watch what we eat, steer ourselves from germs to all and any length. We are almost like that boy in a bubble.....afraid of that one germ to make us sick.
However, the more you shield yourself, the more you weaken yourself. The only way you get stronger and build immunities to germs is to be exposed to it -just like the flu shot.
Now- I am not saying -throw all cleanliness & caution out the window -I am just saying that I think we are getting obsessed with staying away from germs. I believe all things in moderation and I want to build resistance to things. The more I shield myself, the weaker I am getting, to where the common cold can destroy me.
I like the sun, the sun is a good source of Vitamin D, it energizes me, warms me, makes me feel better.....I just don`t try to spend to much time in it.
I wash my hands, yes I am really clean, but I am not going to carry that hand sanitizer in my purse. I eat healthy most of the time, but I will eat extremely UN-healthy at times and ENJOY IT!!
Take what you want from this, I`m not a doctor, but I bet most doctors will know that what I am saying is somewhat true.
So there you have it- that is my part in saving the Human Race, to make us stronger, so us humans can live on......building & Strengthening our immune system. Think of me as The Human Cockroach.
oxox, Stacy

My Beauty Routine:

(1st posted Oct. 8th 2009)

My Beauty Routine:

Once a week I use an Harsh Apricot Scrub
Once a Week I use a At Home Facial Peel
Every Night I cleanse face with an Acne Toner
Every Morning I cleanse my face with an Anti-Acne Cleanser

I moisturize my body every day with lotion with Vitamin A, C & E
For my Face I use a mixture of Retinol A, Vitamin C Serum & Acne Cream like salicylic acid. (Vit A is great for Cell rejuvenation, Vit. C is a great antioxidant & radiance booster, and I have oily skin & prone to acne- so I need a bit of Acne Medicine to prevent pimples)

I like to use an all over Body Spray instead of Cologne. I go with the Seasons. In The Fall/Winter, I like to use Pumpkin, Apple, Vanilla Scents. In the Spring/Summer, I love Coconut, Pineapple, Banana Scents. My Favorite is the Smell of Tanning Lotion.

I have always used & will always use Avon Products- They are the Best & Least Expensive.

Roy - The Eyes have it!

(1st posted Monday, September 28, 2009)

A lot of People don`t know that my New Husband Roy has a fake eye....he is legally blind....he cannot get a drivers license, so I am his driver whenever he needs to go anywhere....however nothing stops him and you would Never Know.....here is an interesting article below about him & his eye.
He was Blind Completely for almost 2 yrs- had to go to the Braille Institute & use a cane to go about life. He regained sight in one eye- but the other Eye is gone. His one good eye is not good either- has to have a lot of work, fancy contact lenses & eye drops to see.

The eyes have it


Tustin ocularist uses his art training to craft as-real-as-life replacements.
By CHRIS KNAP
The Orange County Register
http://www.ocregist er.com/ocregiste r/news/atoz/ article_710953. php
TUSTIN – John Kennedy pries out Ronald Luse's right eye with what looks like a screwdriver and presses it firmly against a whirring grinder.
Luse is cheerful.
"It falls out about once a year, but it's usually my fault," he reports.
Kennedy reinstalls the eye and appraises it like a jeweler.
"I think we could improve it a little," Kennedy says.
"My grandkids have a field day trying to tell which one is my real eye," Luse says. "I think it's perfect."
Kennedy, 53, smiles and sits back on his stool.
The patients who come to Eye Design Ocular Prosthetics have been through some of the most frightening diseases the mind can conceive.
Take Roy Hetherington, 36, whose eyes were attacked by the autoimmune disease iritis. His left eye withered and died, then shrank in his head.
Or Brenda Storz, 35, who lost her right eye to retino blastoma, a voracious cancer, when she was just 2.
And now Luse, 70, whose eyeball shriveled and dark ened two years ago after a stroke and glaucoma.
"It died on me," Luse says matter-of-factly. "It was very, very painful. If they hadn't taken it out I would have dug it out myself."
These are horror stories to curl the hair of most people, but Kennedy's patients are mostly past the pain. What they aren't past is the social stigma linked with disfigurement, the jerk of the head when someone notices there's something more than a little odd about their eyeballs.
"This eye is not for me. This eye is for how the rest of the world perceives me," says Storz.
That's where Kennedy comes in, a meticulous craftsman with an easy manner and an encyclopedic eye for color. He's an expert in the obscure science of reopening the window to the soul.
One of just 200 ocularists in North America, Kennedy has made eyes for babies born without, for war veterans who sacrificed an orb for honor; for people of all ages attacked by accident or disease.
When Hetherington came to Kennedy, he was still stinging from a comment by a former boss bothered by his wandering, shrunken eye.
"Can't you get that fixed?" the man demanded.
Turned out he could, although the first version, by another ocularist, bulged strangely and hardly matched his original hazel.
Kennedy made a perfect match, colored by sight and paintbrush, and today it's impossible to say which eye might not be real.
Still, Kennedy's not satisfied. One eye opening appears slightly wider. He removes the orb - turns out the tool is actually a suction cup - and attacks it with a grinder, removing material along the edge to relieve pressure on the eyelid. Reinserted, the eyes match.
Hetherington is ebullient, reporting how much his girlfriend, his family, his co-workers like his new eye.
"We live in a visual society. We are very into appearances. The first thing you look at is the face, and flaws stand out right away," Hetherington says. "When you lose an eye, it takes away part of your confidence. Once you get that part restored, you can almost forget that you lost it in the first place."
Kennedy says many of his patients share that feeling.
"I approach this as an art, but it's also real rewarding. I am helping people feel complete again."
THE PAINTER
Kennedy opens a tattered portfolio and removes 20 years' worth of watercolors.
He once pursued art as a career, but came to believe it wasn't practical.
In 1974, he disappointed his art teachers at Orange Coast College by switching to dental technology, where he would learn to make dentures.
"I could still sculpt and paint and get paid for it."
He took a job in the dental school at UC San Francisco, and became known as a master at creating lifelike dentures.
It was a good job, but something was missing. Kennedy wandered in the woods near Half Moon Bay, rendering landscapes in gauzy colors.
Rubbing shoulders with the dentists, Kennedy realized what it was. They were working with patients, while he was toiling alone in the lab.
"I wanted to be more directly involved with people."
In 1990 he quit his job and took an apprenticeship at a VA hospital in Delaware, where he learned to make ocular prosthetics.
He absorbed the new training quickly, standing out for his ability to relate to people and to match their real eyes.
His watercolors from this period are more vivid, infused with brighter colors, subtle reflections, and life. Kennedy had found his calling.
In 1997 he returned to Orange County to start his own shop, struggling to set up an ocular practice from scratch. In those first years, he made custom dentures to help pay the bills.
"The day I stopped doing dentures, that was a great day," he recalls.
THE MECHANIC
While waiting for Brenda Storz, who is driving from Thousand Oaks, Kennedy pages through an old British sports car catalog, looking for parts for his MGA.
Finally Storz arrives, a fashion-model- tall mother of two with emerald-green eyes.
For 20 years Storz wore a "stock eye," an off-the-shelf model fitted by an ophthalmologist. It was a little smaller, a little off in color, clearly not the same as her real eye. She compensated by being twice as outgoing. After a two-year fiasco with another ocularist, who kept promising high-tech solutions but delivering nothing, Storz was careful about choosing a new ocularist.
Was his approach primarily artistic or scientific, she asked Kennedy? (He said artistic.)
How long would it take him to make the eye? (One day.)
You might think that modern eye prosthetics are some sort of high-tech science, miracle polymers matched by computer chromatograph.
Not so - and perhaps that's a good thing. Kennedy's not much for computers. He makes eyes using technology developed by the Army in the 1940s, when the supply of German glass eyes dried up.
He make a gel impression of the eye socket, a wax model of the eye, then a plaster cast of the model. The artificial eye is cast out of methyl methacrylate, an epoxy-like plastic.
Now comes the most intense part: Staring at Storz, he colors the sclera, iris and pupil, scratching his brush in dried pigment and simulating veins with scraps of thread.
Essentially, Kennedy has painted a portrait of her good eye on the plastic model.
He tops the colors with another layer of plastic, presses the model in a vise and cooks it at 212 degrees, then polishes it with pumice. Now Storz has two emerald orbs, an overwhelming change.
"You've stepped in a really intimate place with people like that," Kennedy says.
"It's a huge emotional impact when they look in the mirror and they're whole again."
Contact the writer: (714) 796-2240 or cknap@ocregister. com

July 3, 2008

Gian Temperilli/ Peter James/ Queen Mary

(1st posted Monday, September 28, 2009)

Gian Temperilli- of Gian & Shirley 'The Ozbournes of The LBC' - The one with The SUPER LONG HAIR.well- say bye-bye to his long locks.because of the tight finacial times he has decided to go to the Police Academy to become a cop (the only people hiring).but he has to cut his hair.this is really traumatic for him cause he has always had long hair.all his life!! Good newz however- Gian is donating his long locks to 'Locks of Love'- they make wigs for cancer patients. Gian has great martial arts knowledge and is very book smart- so after 4 years on the beat- he hopes to be a detective.
It is sad still though.I wish his book would take off. His real love is writting & the paranormalhe wrote a great book about Peter James - and is very close to the people who own The Queen Maryinfact anytime I wanna go Ghost Hunting & get into the 'closed-to-the-public' Ship`s Pool- I canhehe!!
Anyway- here is a few pix (attached below) of Gian to remember his Hair.(tear).

Gian Temperilli- of Gian & Shirley 'The Ozbournes of The LBC' - The one with The SUPER LONG HAIR.well- say bye-bye to his long locks.because of the tight finacial times he has decided to go to the Police Academy to become a cop (the only people hiring).but he has to cut his hair.this is really traumatic for him cause he has always had long hair.all his life!! Good newz however- Gian is donating his long locks to 'Locks of Love'- they make wigs for cancer patients. Gian has great martial arts knowledge and is very book smart- so after 4 years on the beat- he hopes to be a detective.
It is sad still though.I wish his book would take off. His real love is writting & the paranormalhe wrote a great book about Peter James - and is very close to the people who own The Queen Maryinfact anytime I wanna go Ghost Hunting & get into the 'closed-to-the-public' Ship`s Pool- I canhehe!

Gian`s MySpace page: http://www.MySpace.com/PeterJamesLives
oxox Stacy


Gian`s MySpace page: http://www.MySpace.com/PeterJamesLives
oxox Stacy