November 12, 2008 by samantha.

Thank goodness this problem is not plaguing America. Sometimes it is comforting to only complain about the government and gas prices!

Posted in Rants | No Comments »

November 2, 2008 by samantha.

Halloween has been my favorite holiday since I can remember. This year lived up to my expectations. I hung out with friends and “family”. We had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows as we passed out candy. I saw some great costumes. I am hoping to put some pictures of some of the cuties I saw, but I have to get permission first! It is always so sad when Halloween comes to an end. Now I have to wait another whole year before it comes around again. I should start planning now!

Today, I went to see W with a good friend of mine. We were both disappointed by the movie. In fact, we both found the movie a bit boring. I expected more from Oliver Stone. I wanted to be shocked and learn something new. Instead, the movie showed us everything that we already knew. Josh Brolin did a fantastic job as W. His accent and mannerisms were perfect. I can see him getting an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Now I am gearing up for Tuesday night. I am going to a friend’s house to watch the results. I know I will need to be monitored. I am so nervous. I hope the right guy wins. And in California, there are so many controversial props on the ballot. I have already decided that I will dress all in black on Wednesday if I am not happy with the results. I may have to take Wednesday off to morn. This election is so exciteing! No matter who wins, history will be made! It is an exciting time! I wonder how many of us will be disappointed come Wednesday.

Posted in Holidays, Friends, California, Weekends, Movies, Rants | No Comments »

October 26, 2008 by samantha.

I just have to start this post by saying I had a great time this weekend! As you may or may not know, I am a site rep at my school for the local teacher’s union. Since I am a new rep, I had to attend a training conference so that I was educated for any case that may come my way.

Since the conference was held in Anaheim and it did not start until 6pm, it seemed only natural that I skip school on Friday and go to Disneyland. I was excited to see the park decorated for Halloween. It never fails to amaze me the job that Disney does with its decorating. They take holidays seriously!

Saturday was filled with classes that I found very enjoyable and informative. The trainers were excellent and really knew their stuff. It was nice to know that most of them were former teachers and site reps. I always find it frustrating when someone who has no idea of what I go through on a daily basis, tries to train me.

Saturday was party night. We all went out for dinner and had a fantastic time. It was nice to get to sit down with our board members. We picked their brains and get to know them. And did we ever live it up. I was out way past my bedtime and could have cared less.

Sunday was all about one thing. Getting through the final class, eating brunch, and getting home! Then again, the highlight of my weekend happened on Sunday. I won, not one, but two Barnes and Noble gift cards! I am so excited! So since I am playing hooky again tomorrow, I think I will spend my day at the bookstore! What a great way to spend a day!

Posted in School, California, Weekends, Travels, Books | No Comments »

October 19, 2008 by samantha.

I know that I have no right to complain. I have a pretty plush life. But I am in a complaining mood. I have a headache (tension and sinus). The kitchen sink is clogged again. Work is so overwhelming that it is no longer fun. And that is just to name a few things. As much as I love to complain, I tend to dwell and obsess over the issues in my life. I know! People who know me are shocked to hear that I obsess over EVERYTHING!

Okay, now I feel a bit better than I have complained out loud. Now we can move on to something more interesting.

Saturday, I went to a Halloween party. I did not know a lot of people there and I was not in the mood to mingle. And the party was way past my bedtime! I am too old to stay out after the sun goes down!!! But still I had a good time. I laughed and met new people. The food was good and I tried some interesting drinks. Almost everyone was dressed in cute costumes. I put on a witch shirt and called it a day.

Today I saw The Secret Life of Bees with a friend and I loved it. I read the book a few years ago and was moved by it. I was nervous about seeing the movie, since I had such fond memories of the book. The movie does not disappoint. I loved the characters and the story. It was wonderful. And after the movie, we went to the bookstore and for sushi. It was almost a perfect day!

I have exciting plans for election night. I am going to Disneyland on Friday, attending a conference this weekend, and I am sick (sniff…cough…sniff), next Monday. I think I have plans for Halloween. And I have to go an order my new shower door and maybe a new kitchen sink. I am heading to France in about six weeks. All is good.

Still, I have some complaining to do. Complaining makes the world go round.

Posted in School, Friends, House, Weekends, Movies, Rants | No Comments »

October 12, 2008 by samantha.

For the first time in a million years, I went to San Diego and did not see any family! What a different and nice change! A few friends and I participated in the San Diego Zoo’s Walk on the Wild Side. We headed down Friday night and gallivanted around Hillcrest. We had a nice dinner and even met the Hep Bee!! He passed out goodies that I do not think are appropriate to share with the public. We stayed out way past my bedtime, which is not hard to do. Saturday morning, we were up at five a.m. (my usual wake up time) and headed to the zoo, in our team t-shirts. The walk was a lot of fun. We were got to enter the zoo before everyone else and even had the chance to put a camel! I look forward to doing the walk again next year. After the walk, we headed to Seaport Village for brunch and then moseyed on home. We were all tired and ready for some down time.

I did forget to tell you how I spent my Thursday night. I was in Urgent Care all night! Okay, it was only until 10pm, but that is like all night for me! Everything is okay. A friend of mine was not feeling well and wanted to make sure that an alien was not growing inside of them. Needless to say, I needed today to rest and get back into my routine.

Now my plans are to decorate the house for Halloween and autumn. What are your Halloween plans? Any interesting costumes? I have seen some great ones so far. The best one I have seen is a friend’s dog dressed as a hunter. I will have to get another copy to share with y’all!

Posted in Friends, California, Weekends, Travels | No Comments »

October 7, 2008 by samantha.

As I mentioned before, I raided the school library so that I could catch up on my teenybopper literature. Yes, I still like to read from the “young adult” genre every once in a while. Call me immature if you want. It would not be the first time!

I have been a fan of the Traveling Pants series since the first book was given to me as a gift. Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood is the final book. I am happy to say that it did not disappoint. The series follows four girls and how their lives evolve, as they grow apart. The one thing they hope will keep them together is the infamous pants that started it all. I would not say that Ann Brashares is a great novelist, but she writes a fun and easy book to read.

I find it ironic that I found a new favorite quote in a book like this.

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
-Greta Randolph-

As much as I agree with it, it is hard to follow it sometimes.

Posted in Books | No Comments »

October 5, 2008 by samantha.

We had rain this weekend! Yippee! It was the first rain of the season. It did not rain long or very hard, but it was enough to wash away a majority of the dust and let the plants sparkle.

Saturday was Tamale Day. I went over to a friend’s house and worked on the assembly line to help make tamales. It was a lot of fun. We snacked all day long and had a fantastic time. Usually, Tamale Day is a family thing. But her mom and no problem assigning jobs and letting us know if we did something wrong. We made three types of tamales: a green, a red, and a sweet. Each one is just as good as the previous. I cannot wait until next year’s Tamale Day!!!

The big claim to fame of the week was that I finished my book. I was happy that A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini was just as good as his first book.

It is the story of two women and how their lives involved in Afghanistan. What I like about Hosseini’s books is that they are a history lesson as well as a novel. Even though the author is man, he was able to capture the women’s thoughts and feelings.

Since I needed a new book to read that was light and easy, I raided my school’s library. I checked out three books and I am having a hard time staying up so that I can read. I have been falling sleep earlier and earlier each night. Of course, that means I am getting up earlier than normal. Is that a bad thing?

Posted in Friends, California, Weekends, Books, Rants | 1 Comment »

October 1, 2008 by samantha.

There has been a lot of buzz about the new citizenship test. I have heard that it is much harder than before. Is that a good thing? I took the CNN version of the test and got a 9 out of 10. I wish I had a good excuse for the one I missed. Since I missed one, am I still an American citizen? Do I have to take the test again until I get a perfect score? I wonder, could our elected officials pass the test? I really hope they can and they better get a 10 out of 10!!!

Posted in Rants | No Comments »

September 30, 2008 by samantha.

It has taken me some time, but I finally have a twitter account. I am still trying to figure out how to put the icon on my web page, but until then I have added a link. At the top of my web page, there is a button titled “twitter”… it took me a long to come up with that title! It is just another way to keep me entertained and in touch with everyone!

Posted in Rants | 2 Comments »

September 28, 2008 by samantha.

This week is National Banned Book week. I am sure we all know where I stand on the matter. I will say that the list has introduced me to some of the best books I have read. As a matter of fact, my two favorite books, To Kill A Mockingbird and The Giver are both on the list. When I was in school it was my goal to read every book on the list. I even went as far to get a copy of it and cross out those books I had read. Unfortunately, life has gotten in the way as well as a million other books to add to my “Must Read” list. But in honor of the week, events across the country, are being held to make people aware that books are still being banned in the twenty-second century for ridiculous reasons. But what do we expect? We live in a country were art is still being censored.

I guess I did a poor job of not sharing my opinions. Did you expect me too? Want my opinions on the $700 billion bailout? Iraq? Bush? McCain? Palin? Obama? Dogs wearing clothes?

Anyway, why is banning books so high on people’s lists? Isn’t there more important things to do? Is banning a book really going to change anything? I probably wouldn’t have known about half the books that I have read if it was not for the list. The Banned Book list made me want to read more books. I wanted to see for myself why certain books were banned. What was so horrible about them? Are you telling me the The Catcher in the Rye is worse than most horror movies?

Or maybe we do not want people thinking for themselves! That would be horrible! Should we do what we are told to do? Is thinking of ourselves such a terrible thing? Shouldn’t an adult be able to decide if a book is acceptable to read or not? I could go on and on. Already I playing devil’s advocate in my head. I can hear the arguments.

Still, what is so wrong with the Harry Potter series, The Color Purple, and Fahrenheit 451, to name a few?

Posted in Books | 1 Comment »