A Family Affair

It’s A Family Affair

        Looking back at all the great times I have experienced, none can top the time we had our son baptized.  We had 102 guests at our home, and it was the first big event I had ever hosted in my whole life!  I was lucky that my family had come into town to be here, since my sister, Linda, was going to be the God Mother.  My husband chose his older brother, Jess, to be the God Father, who lives just minutes from us. 

        It felt like it was a class reunion, as well, since we had invited a lot of our friends.  My husband and I both have big families, and I can literally say that everyone and their uncle was at the event!  My husband’s aunts, uncles and cousins were also there.  On my side of the family were all my cousins, aunts and uncles.  And even my great aunt and grandmother were there, from my father’s side of the family. 

        One of my sister in-laws convinced me to make tamales.  Little did I know that she was not going to be there to help me make them, since she left town at the last minute.  I burned a whole batch of three dozen tamales and the house reeked of burned tamales, and I could not air the house out fast enough.  Even the clothes in the closets caught some of the odor, and I was in a panic.  Fortunately, the remaining batches came out pretty good.  I also made two gallons of salsa, and I thought I wasn’t going to have enough; what did I know?  We also served beans, rice and potato salad, and since I made the potato salad myself, and I could not burn it, it came out pretty good. 

        I had placed umbrella tables in the backyard to accommodate everyone.  With the event being held in August, the weather was perfect. For entertainment my cousin, who owns Peacock Record Bar, DJ’d for us, and my mother in-law wanted a Mariachi Band, so we had them come in for a while, as well.  Everyone ate and danced, and had a great time.  My husband’s friends were so happy, they didn’t leave till 3:00 a.m., and my husband was already in bed asleep.   I, for one, was so happy it had all turned out great!  My son received a lot of beautiful gifts and keepsakes.  We were so blessed to have so many loved ones around us to share this special day for our son. 

Three Special People In My Life

There have been three special people in my life that I have bonded and grown as a person with.  Without these people, I probably would not be who I am today.  They each have shown me a sense of humor, strength and love.  These people are my mother’s three sisters.  My aunties Lupie, Irene and Isabel. 

        My Auntie Isabel was a petite, short-haired woman.  Her hair was always done with actual pin-curls.  She was not heavy when she was young, but became full-bodied with age.  She was always dressed very nice.  Even when she didn’t feel good, she looked great.  My Auntie Isabel was a very structured person and my mother was not.  My Auntie Isabel was also very domestic and showed me how to knit and crochet.  When I was growing up I always admired that all the women in my family was always very done up and always had the lastest in lipstick and nail colors, which I felt was so feminine.  But my Auntie Isabel was an Avon lady and was always wearing the latest in makeup.  Unfortunately, my Auntie found out she had cancer, and even through her tough days, she would still do her hair and makeup.  When I was small she use to babysit my brother and I and would act as our D.J., playing the records and recording us with her camera.  She would even pay us to dance a whole record.  I remember her favorite song was “Pretty Woman,” and to me she will always be the “Pretty Woman” in my life.  My Auntie Isabel passed away seven years ago, just two months after my mother.  I miss them both very much.

        My Auntie Lupie was the quiet one of the family. She was very petite and had short black hair, but her hair was a little fuller.  She had the old-school hair do that required rollers just about every night.  She would even sleep with her rollers. But as quiet as she was, she did have her opinions.  My mother and my Auntie were very close, and we were also close to her husband, my Uncle Frank.  We had a lot of fun times with our get togethers.  Since my Auntie only had one son, my sisters and I were like the daughters they never had.  Growing up my Auntie showed me how to play different board games, and she was really good at Scrabble.  Later, when I was older, I would gift to her different editions of Scrabble and would look forward to playing with her.  I learned a lot from my Auntie when it came to words and their uses within my vocabulary and the placement on the game board, as well. When it came to her sense of humor, she was very witty.  She was always challenging me with an excuse that it was for my own good.  She, too, passed away, a year ago, and that has left a big void in my life, since I always turned to her for questions regarding cooking to shopping, because she knew it all.

        My Auntie Irene was the fun one of the family.  She was kind of tall and slender when I was growing up.  Her hair was long and sometimes short, it all depended upon the fashion and her mood.  She was also the one that would always praise and encourage me to do different things, and to try different jobs.  Her motto was, “You will never know what you are good at if you don’t try something new.”  As far as she was concerned I could do anything I wanted to, and I should do it all.  I was often told that I resembled my aunt a lot, and I felt that was such a compliment, since I thought my auntie was very pretty.  But, when my auntie lost her husband in an accident, she became very sad.  As much as she tried to be happy and go on with her life, the sadness overcame her.  I felt so helpless when she would ask me for help and I would go with her to see different attorneys regarding the lawsuit against the person who caused the death of my uncle. But not even winning her case did that make a difference in her depression.  As much as I knew it wouldn’t, I still continued to push forward.  My auntie’s depression worsened, and this past March she passed away, having suffered  Alzheimer’s and just withered away to nothing.  I will never forget my Auntie and her praises, which I have tried to use as a model with my own daughter and nieces.

I cherish the memories I have of my mother and my aunties.  And I try to share with my daughter and nieces stories of when we use to get together with everyone.  We now are making our own memories, and it is a lot of fun.

"Where's The Beef?" Wood Ranch Review

After reading “Fast Food Nation”  I am convinced that I don’t care “where’s the beef!”  As much as I do not eat beef that much, I am totally turned off.  So, when my in-laws gave me a gift card to Wood Ranch, I was pretty hesitant to use it.  But, nonetheless, my husband wanted to eat dinner there this past weekend.  Obviously, he has not read “Fast Food Nation”, and I have not talked to him about what I have read.  Since I didn’t want to ruin our date night, I agreed to go.  To my surprise, what I found in Wood Ranch ‘s menu,  the bar, and their pricing, was quite a surprise. 

As you are walking up to the front door of Wood Ranch you get smell the delicious aroma of barbecue.  Who can resist?  A look through their extensive menu, and you have a huge variety of different meats: Steak, seafood, chicken, turkey, and burgers.  They also offer a variety of burgers made of turkey, beef and even vegan burgers.  The vegan patties are made of bulgur, corn, squash and seasoning.  The actual sandwich is made with the pattie, lettuce, tomatoe and a Dijon mustard.  The bun, itself, is huge. And you put it all together, and it is a great meal!   The answer to my prayers!  I had the vegan burger and it was delicious!  They also offer different types of salads, pastas and soups.  Their portions are quite generous, as well.

Wood Ranch’s bar menu is also quite extensive, offering a variety of wine and spirits.  Their happy hour has a nice selection of appetizers and special pricing, as well. 

        As for the pricing, they are right up there with the rest of the nice restaurants.  Some plates ran around $9 all the way up to around $25.  Your best bet was to go at lunch time when they serve a slightly different menu, with lower prices. 

All in all, I was very pleased with Wood Ranch.  If I did not want to have a red meat dish, I could choose vegan, salad or a pasta dish.  Their garlic rolls were also great, which is a nice touch to a great dinner, had I not had a vegan burger.  

Mad Cows - Mad People!

“The Meaning Of Mad Cow”

  The last part of the book actually culminates with the worse possible scenario to the story of “fast food.”  The author uses, at the end of the last paragraph, the most perfect words to describe what the fast food industry has become, which is “human arrogance and blind worship of science.”  With all it’s technology and the race for the next quick way to make money, the industry has done everything it possibly could do to make a quick buck, at the expense of those it is serving, the consumer.  The dangers that their employees are exposed to, whether it is the employees at the slaughterhouses or at the fast food restaurants, are so blatantly slave-like. 

Throughout the book, I learned about a whole different world.  From Disney and the treatment of the employees when they decided to strike because they wanted to unionize to the treatment and conditions of the employees at McDonald’s, and the use of young people and unskilled migrant adults.  The fact that the labor laws do not apply to them, is so “UnAmerican.”  I cannot understand how McDonald’s, and other fast food restaurants, have so much pull that this can happen. 

        I feel that McDonald’s is deceitful in naming their kids meals “Happy Meals” when the people that made that meal happen can’t possibly be happy with the way the working hours are, and of course, no benefits.  Fortunately, my daughter is a vegetarian and does not like to get her meals at fast food places.  If anything, she likes the rice bowls at Jack In the Box, but orders it without the chicken. 

        Throughout the whole time I read this book, I wondered if the author was a disgruntled employee.  He really dug deep and got to the nitty gritty of the ugliness of how these founders of these fast food restaurants worked their way through the heart of America and established themselves as “The American Way.”  I am ashamed of them and I feel that they are not worthy of my business.  It has been a long time since I have had a McDonald’s cheeseburger, and I think it will be an even longer time, now, if at all, if I am to frequent the place in the near future.

5 Lies, 1 Truth - Life As A Forensic Investigator

When I had just graduated as a forensic scientist, I was lucky enough to be hired as a Ventura County Forensic Investigator.  Just the thought of it made me feel that maybe I was shooting too high, and should take things a little slower.  I was fascinated with clues and putting them all together in order to solve a crime. 

        While I was attending school I interned at the morgue, and then went on to get a part-time job with the Ventura County Crime Lab.  The stuff that you see there can make you lose your lunch, and I’m not kidding.  My job, actually was to transcribe the lab reports.  But sometimes I would have to go talk to the different doctors if I could not understand their dictation. 

I guess I should be grateful for the work my best friend suggested I try, in order to get my foot in the door.  I am really a transcriber / translator for a group of criminal defense attorneys who I work for as a side job.  But I could not miss this opportunity.  After all, it was an opportunity to get my feet wet. 

        As much as I miss school, I find that each day is so different from the previous one.  When a body comes in that is not identifiable, I feel that it is up to me to find the missing link that will be able to bring this person to life, literally speaking, and get them to their family for closure.  Sometimes, cases are no so easy, and with the backload of work, it is not always a fast process.  But, hey, it’s a job!

Thinking, Thinking, and More Thinking!

Thinking, Thinking, and More Thinking

I am back at school, and cannot believe that I am actually working on the blog for week number nine!  I have met some really nice and interesting people.  And my professor, Ms. Croker, is exactly the kind of teacher I wish my kids will get.  My decision to return to continue my education came after a lot of thought.  I currently have a full time job at a local high school and I also have a part-time job on the weekends with a group of attorneys and investigators.  I was a volunteer at church and at my daughter’s school, and once in a while I was a team mom for one sport of hers, or another.  I wasn't sure how I was going to juggle it all, but I had to try.  And, as much as I like my jobs and my class, I have found that the time I spent volunteering is gone, and I miss it.  My life has changed so much this past year.  My son moved to San Diego to go to college and my daughter started high school.  And with all that going on, we also remodeled our home, so not even that is the same anymore.   

I know that my future is getting closer and closer, and I am excited about finishing school and going onto a new career as a high school counselor, but I have found myself consumed with “thinking!”  I don’t know about the rest of the class, but when I least expect it I am thinking about the next blog or my next comment on a classmate’s blog, or thinking of the topic of the week for our essays.   I feel that sometimes I cannot think of “fun.”  As much as I look forward to class and getting through the next assignment, I miss “fun.”  But, there is no time!  And when I happen to come across something fun with the family, I feel guilty.  I end up taking my notes or books with me and read or write my notes, just to feel accomplished, if only for a few hours.    I have become so paranoid, that I even wake up thinking, “Did I hit all the points on my essay?”  “I need to look at the assignment, because I am sure I missed something.” 

With the holidays coming up, I feel that I won’t have time to think about Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas, since this class does not finish until the week of Christmas, and I feel sad and kind of left out of the “fun.”  I try not to pout, but that’s how I feel.  I know I sound silly, but I have come to realize that my priorities are changing, as my determination increases.  I am trying to enjoy this journey, but I have found that it is a lonely one, with all this thinking.

Marriage: Live Together Before Or After The Wedding?

My opinion of people living together before marriage has changed so much.  I use to believe, or maybe even convinced, due to my culture and faith, that you get married to the person of your dreams and you live happily ever after.  There was not to be a “trial run” at all, or you would be struck by lightening!  Back when I was growing up, my parents, aunts, even my friends, all followed the golden rule and all got married and did not live for a while before the wedding.  I even had friends that would talk about other people that were living together and with children out of wedlock, and that was scandalous. 

After seeing so many marriages go through such an adjustment during the first few years of their marriage, I am convinced that everyone back in the day was wrong.  As much as I feel that it is best to get to know your future spouse as much as you can and date for a long time, you never really know a person until you are a part of each other’s lives.  You need to know what their culture dictates as far as their practices during religious holidays, and the expectations of each other’s families during these holidays. 

I was lucky in that my husband’s family and my family both celebrate all the holidays, and they are all a lot of fun.  But not all families are like that.  I dated my husband for six and a half years.  During that time we learned about each other, as well as our cultures and faith.  Our families are religious, and practice the Catholic faith.  It is challenging to coordinate when and where we will be sharing our special days with our families, but we have managed, and would not have it any other way. 

I am sure that getting married is a part of a person growing up, and making the adjustments and compromises that we all do for the sake of our spouse.  But, sometimes, it seems that these people that get married so young, and then divorce because they grew apart is so sad.  Maybe they should have shared a residence first.  I know of a couple that are dating, but they are living together, with no “special benefits” because they are saving themselves for their honeymoon.  Now, that’s love and commitment! <B

SuZ