Field Trip!

Another great end of the week with another unique and great field trip. This time was a local visit to the Helipad and the Arboretum trail for a nice short walk and great views. Last time Natalia walked the trail she was 3 and seemed much longer as I had to carry her part of the way. This time it was a fast walk as I realized it is a short loop.

Another quiet few days at home and even though the temperatures were a little cooler it didn't stop Natalia from playing with water balloons every day. In the end 100 water balloons were exploded. Saturday ended with some BBQ, some time at the park and some board games with Natalia. Sunday I opted to not ride and go for some one on one suffering on my 10km run. It warmed up a little and again 10km seems to be my limit thus far. I wish I can break this and move up to 15kms. I am sure more running would help.

"I was not designated to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest."

- Henry David Thoreau, On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience

Finished reading Old Twentieth and found it entertaining with a nice ending. I feel this book would make a nice movie. Joe Haldeman has not failed yet. I look forward to Seveneves by Neal Stephenson and The End of All Things (Conclusion to Old Man's War) by John Scalzi. Currently decided to re read A Wrinkle in Time and hope to finish that rather quick and search for a new read.

Two pumpkin plants planted on some big tubs and now we will see if they survive and better yet, produce some pumpkins. Also slowly I am seeing the hummingbirds find the new feeder I put up.

Rant: Lately we are seeing more and more the resistance to drive minimum wage up. So many negative propaganda claiming it will destroy businesses as they won't be able to bear the burden. Please find out where such views are coming from and you will see it is from the elites and those very wealthy that keep getting richer from the work of so many. Sit an analyze that the minimum wage has not increased to keep up with inflation. That figure you will never see. Or if you do t will be fake and full of false reports and analysis. Much like the figures for "global warming". The charts showing how the livable wage should be over $20/hour to keep up with inflation. Funny how the elites get to pick what goes up and who stays down. How such firms pay millions in advertising to tell us that the working class can't make any more or the system will collapse. Really?

On another rant, seems the state of Pennsylvania is trying to pass a 40% increase of taxes on tobacco at the wholesale level. This clearly will drive out many of the wholesalers there as stores would buy from out of state. Maybe being so greedy to increase revenue they should cut on their own government programs and outrageous salaries. It wont be long until they go after the retailers themselves. Amazing how so many do know remember history. The tax on a leaf that caused the tea parties is here again. Hmmmm.

Tiresome Week

Normal week at work and feeling tired. Changes again at work with personnel moving to other stores and a new store manager. Now to see what climate is set. This time means schedules don't get made as departing managers tend to not care. Seems to usually be the trend. For some, if it doesn't affect them they do not care. I have been amazed that the store took on a huge loss as compared to prior years and our store manager was moved down but I have yet to see the person in charge of asset protection be held responsible.

Today is a much cooler and overcast day as opposed to the previous days. Natalia has a local field trip tomorrow and that should be pretty good. Other than that it will be another few days of us hanging out and entertaining ourselves.  Maybe introduce her to Indiana Jones as she as mentioned him a few times in the past and asked about the ride at Disney.

Still reading Old Twentieth by Joe Haldeman, and so far a page turner and hope to have it finished by this weekend. Also picked up 2 John Wayne releases in Cahill and Train Robbers.

Finished reading In The Garden Of The Beast and found it educational and another book everyone should read to see how this event in our history took its roots and made its change. Call me crazy and a conspiracy nut but some of these changes made by Hitler and his group are happening now and being implemented by our government. Goes to show so many do not know their history. June 30, 1934 marks the day WWII started. On that very early morning Hitler took over Germany in a fast and brutal way. However the United States refused to see it as they were too busy trying to be friendly and having their debt re paid, but many warnings were made.

I've noticed on my rides around Riverside the amount of homes with grass and flying the American flag. I though both items were illegal. Very glad to see such displays. Also up here some streets have installed flags on utility poles which is also good to see.

Rant: I receive no government aid but it seems I always get screwed by it. Even worse is I serve and sacrifice for this country and nothing. But that has always been the case here. Lots of talk and fake shows of appreciation but nothing fundamentally done to thank, help and honor. I do it because inside I am one of the few built to do it. To help those that do be safe and help in any possible way for them to be safe and be with those they love. Anyways, I already know I pay for the food and more for many welfare recipients with my tiny check but recently I went to cash in my recycled bottles and seems some bottles are not accepted as they belong to the WIC program and are free. Well, I didn't get my juice for free, I paid for it. Either way no 5 cents for me. Thanks California!

Fallout 4 has a trailer posted and I can't wait. However only for current Gen systems which I do not have. Damn!

On To The Next Season

Seems like summer is slowly arriving and no more surprise late snowstorms in the forecast. I started to clean up and organize my upper deck and got the birds squared away with food and planing on where I will grow my few items this year. I want to grow pumpkins and seems it may be in giant tubs and maybe later dress them up nice. It has been nice these past few days to just sit outside and watch videos or do some reading while having a nice scenery. Natalia too likes the outside and was outside playing most of the time. Always happy to see she has fun anywhere and with anything. Slowly a bucket turned into her "pool". Our trips to the park have also returned with this weather.

This week working as usual and slowly watching John Adams movie at night. I have become recently fascinated by our foundling fathers and our nation's history and its turn of events. I am hoping to soon pick up the newer movie, Sons Of Liberty. I know it is not all factual as liberties were taken to make the movies exciting to the viewer.

I have been reading In The Garden Of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin and hope to have this book finished by this week. A nice smooth read on how Hitler came to power by the views of Dodd, the then Ambassador to Germany. Amazing thus far how smooth the transition was made and he took over power and the struggle in his ranks. A book that thus far I feel everyone should read for its insight.

Also this week I got in the mail a brand new copy of Dark World. An older game that looks pretty and one Natalia and me can play together and have fun fighting monsters and finding treasure.

On to another week of closing and leaving work very late.

Let's Screw With Him Again!

"Let's screw with him again" That was me all last weekend yet again. But more of that later on my humble blog post.

Another Friday and another cold wet day. However, no snow today but rain. Found another good game at the bookstore to play with Natalia and a bit fun. Dream Cakes is colorful with good quality components which makes for pretty game play.

This week I spent most of it with limited mobility thanks to the PT during the weekend. However no complaints as I like PT and the atmosphere as most of the unit was present. We will see next month, as I am sure the same people will not be present and yet receive better evals. My "real" work has been the same and again always closing and starting to get tired of the schedule. Hopefully it will change a little every so often, but grateful to have this low paying job. I am not fortunate to have a decent paying job doing nothing. Truth is I have to be active and sweating a little. I know it is not the norm lately.

Natalia is doing good as usual lately and expecting soon to change my days with her as soon as her school ends or whenever my ex decides to go crazy again and start her bi polar behavior.

Finished reading Forty Signs of Rain and found it  a waste of my time. A book pointing out this bogus climate change propaganda. However it could have been making fun of it by its ridiculous outcome of destruction and the lack of interest and funding to DNA projects in turn for the bogus climate change agenda that clearly is making lots of money for the elites. Now still reading the reprint of Hercules Text and find it a classic entertaining McDevitt title. Maybe my next read will be a bit of a history lesson for me.

Drill weekend done and my re enlistment went through. However not without issues. Seems again my paperwork was "lost" and a rush job was made. Ceremony was done hidden and not unexpected. No way was my unit going to highlight my sacrifice. I am also amazed of my real bad eval and input by my "leaders" I am really amazed at the "lies" being put to paper and the disconnection of admin to the real work being done medically. Never will seize to amaze me that lazy behavior is bring awarded to the many sailors whom clearly contribute nothing of importance to the job. But that hasn't changed and will never change. Just do the job and know it is of importance to those being served. Sadly I know lost all trust of many of my "leaders". After my experience this weekend, I saw American Sniper and there was a scene where Chief Kyle was on over-watch with a Marine with him and he decided to clear houses and the Marine refused to do any work or help his Marines. Chief Kyle told him he never wanted to see him again. This behavior of the Marine sadly I see far too often among my unit. With that being said I already know I will be unable to perform my Annual Training and not be able to fulfill a requirement for the year as I can expect to have my request "lost" and not approved.

This weekend I hope to end it with a nice mountain bike ride with my people as it has been a few weeks.

Snow?!

Unexpected weather but not rare for up here these past few days. Got some snow last week and quickly saw it melt during the week and this weekend the same weather expected. Natalia got to go sledding at a few places last week and maybe this weekend as well if we get the same amounts of snow. Also after the weather rolled by last week Natalia wanted to go for a hike and I went up to Keller Peak for a walk and some great scenery.

This week I found some games at the Barnes & Noble sale, but not the score I was hoping. This week started reading Forty Signs of Rain and not what I expected but a decent read. Hope to finish it this week and the reprint of The Hercules Text by Jack McDevitt and afterwards pick up a Erik Larson novel. Also on my trip to the bookstore I again got me a list of books to read next. Found Longmire season 3 was up and quickly consumed that as well as a new movie called Homesman, which is a western type movie that I recommend. No mountain bike riding last week or this week due to drill and hoping to go for a run this weekend.

Natalia is doing good and not to my surprise she didn't want to do a card for Mother's Day last week. However she did do one for her grandmother. I will never know what happens on the other side.

I was hoping the Tour of California would make it to Big Bear this year and watch the time trial with Natalia but due to the weather the organization decided to reschedule the site of the time trial to not risk the weather. Bad for the people up here planning to see it here and the people whom arranged it to come to Big Bear and made all the arrangements.

Work has been the same for me but changes in our store as we lost our store manager after a bad inventory and as usual changes. Seems where I work is a favorite of the big bosses so that area gets a lot of attention. Always working till late and doesn't look like that will change.

Zegama-Aizkorri Maratoia is this weekend! Hopefully you can get some coverage on the interwebs.

My Kind Of Weather (But It's Gone)

A dark wet and cold last week and I like that type of weather. No one at the park last week and Natalia determined to play in the dense cold wet fog. That was until her pants got too wet and her hands were cold. Again as usual rain forecasted but no real rain other than drizzle and thick fog. That didn't last but  a few days and it has been heating up lately. With the warm up I decided to start my small planting of vegetables and herbs.

Past days have been calm and quiet for me with no drama or action. Been working the closing shift and seems that will be my schedule and well sometimes I like it. Many nights it can get boring as I tend to get everything done fast and early. That is nothing I will be able to change, it is my work ethic. Also been going on rides on Sunday mornings but just me and Lumbar Lou and last week Bike Wife showed up. It was a nice ride as usual. Maybe get the AARP folks out soon.

Natalia has been interested in Star Wars and told me that she is a Rebel and was wanting to see when Han Solo met Chewbacca. Hmmm, has that ever been shown? Funny she has mentioned Star Wars as I finally cracked open Imperial Assault and started to learn the game and building an insert for the many game pieces. So far a pretty fun game, even though I play it solo as most of my games.

Back to reading pulp fiction in The Day They H Bombed Los Angeles, a book being brought back to the public thanks to the Singularity & Co. project. A short book and one of its time; showing us the "zombies" stories from the 60s.

Here is another view at Terminator Genysis (Trailer #3).

Good Morning Tulips

Slowly starting to warm up on the mountain and a few of my tulips have woken up. This week on my trip to the bookstore I saw a few good games to play with Natalia and picked up Labyrinth and Cauldron Quest. Cauldron Quest has been a very fun game with already many plays. Labyrinth however seems a bit challenging for Natalia at her age. Finished reading Ten Tea Parties and a nice informative short book. Goes to show there were many of these protests and showed how violent they got and how one act from government caused the people to take action and change history. Nowadays we see government do worse far more often and no actions taken. A book everyone must read to see how we became a nation and how we are slowly steering away from our basic principles.

Another corpsman from my unit is getting mobilized and I am excited for him, while also another one returns from a mobilization . However, he is leaving a son behind and that is always never easy. It goes to show the honor, sacrifice and commitment we make. Amazed how these past 2-3 years there has been so many mobilizations from our unit.

This week so far will be normal work with the possibility of rain chances most of the week. This may mean I will get wet at work as usual. Never fails, but I do not mind, I'm not made out of paper.

This week I got my weekly correspondence from my ex wife's lawyer and this one is him informing me he is not longer representing her. I kind of will miss my weekly harassment letters from him. Truth is I hope to never be in the same room as such a sleazy dishonest person. But to my amazement a few days later I receive yet another letter from him. This letter dated after his removal of the case. Why does he keep bothering me? He keeps trying to alienate himself from the false abuse accusation and tell me I have an abrasive behavior. Yes I do, towards those trying to hurt my daughter and keeping her from being with her dad. 

Well here it is! This film still alone is well worth the wait.

Normal Days And A Visitor

This week cold temperatures on the mountain but no snow. Just a very light dusting that quickly melted. However the dusting left around the house revealed my raccoon visitor.Again, days at home with Natalia as she prefers to stay at home and play here. A few more games and we decided to "pimp" out Colt Express by making railroad tracks. Maybe look for better scenery next. I am very far behind on my reading this year thus far and don't see it picking up. Simply nothing interesting out there and no money for new releases. I continue to slowly work on my room downstairs and organizing.

Drill weekend done and I made another major decision in my life and will write more about it if it all goes through. Been working the morning shift at work unlike my normal closing shift and this week missing Natalia during the days she is not with me. But tomorrow I will see her again. So I hang in there. Also hoping to go for a ride this weekend as it has been awhile since I have seen my people.

"The people should never rise, without doing something to be remembered - something notable. And striking. his destruction of the tea is so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid and inflexible, and it must have so important consequences, and so lasting that I can't but consider it as an epocha in history."

- John Adams December 17, 1773

My ex decided to continue the schedule as before thus allowing Natalia to continue preschool, since she no longer takes her to preschool on her time as she stated. Amazing I have to beg to let my daughter go to school. Natalia however keeps informing me she doesn't sleep at her mothers house most of the time, but at her grandparents.

Rant: It never seizes to surprise me the people using EBT (Food Stamps) and even the free cash allowed to buy items. People that I would never imagine would need "assistance" using this payment. Clearly the system is being scammed.

Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 in 2018?

Easter

Natalia got to do some nice egg hunting in town for Easter. I simply like the small town atmosphere. This year however there were a bit more kids than I remember from two years ago. At least it was not very cold. It was a little cold again as all the sudden a few days ago we have gotten lower temperatures in the 40s at night. This past weekend my tulips have started to wake up! Temperatures continue to be lower this coming week but the chance of snow quickly disappeared. I had wished for some weather hopefully rain to not ruin the flowers but it was expected.

I want to mention this Easter Sunday at work as very busy and not expected at all. Busy all day and not just a few hours. People buying Easter items all day. What is the reason for such a boom and even on the same day?

The game Colt Express (as pictured) hit the table this week and it is rather fun. Also on our trip to the Thrift Store we scored three games and three books and all three games are fun and already played all of them a few times. One of those games is an ice knocking game which was also a hit this week.

Court again and no more extensions. As figured Natalia sadly will not go to the great school up here but to the ghetto in Moreno Valley where she will change schools often. It still amazes me that the courts love to say "for the benefit of the child". Never seeing evidence. For example Natalia hasn't been to pre-school with her mother in a month because her mother "has better things to do" as she stated to me. Now time will tell and hope Natalia doesn't follow in the path of her mother not finishing school and not very educated. The only schooling she receives now is from me and even that wanted to be stopped by changing schedules which would not allow Natalia to go to school. Yet this is in the best interest of the child. Also seems a person can make fake child abuse accusations and just get away with it spending money and putting the child through questioning for nothing. People always tell me the courts take this serious. Not from what I just saw. Now since this was done I am sure I will get more accusations in the future since no punishment was made for the false claims.

"This spot! It was driving me out of my mind! What a spot -- what a spot for a fellow to mind! My troubles were growing. The way it kept going! Where would it go next? There was no way of knowing."

- Dr. Seuss

Below I want to share a fan made trailer for the upcoming Batman Vs. Superman movie that may be coming soon. Seems like Wonder Woman will be also making an appearance.

A Normal Week

This past week consisted of just work which is good. Good if the pay was better for the amount and type of work I do. Also planted some English Lavender in my front yard and hopefully they don't die. Waiting for the few tulips to come up a well. Got another mountain bike ride in last week and this one was just me and Lou and a nice ride as usual. The green of Sycamore park is no more and the snakes I hear are out already. Won't be riding for about two weeks due to Easter and drill the next weekend.

As far as games I managed to save a few bucks and continue to put shelves up on the game room for the slow game collection and books. This week I got myself a few games that hope will keep me entertained many hours. I bought Dark City, which is another expansion for Marvel Legendary as well as Paint the Town Red. Also Thunderstone Advance: Worlds Collide and Colt Express which I hope Natalia likes and we play together soon.

Currently still reading The Menace from Earth and loosing interest as I just realized is a short story book and I do not like these. In between I read Batman: Year One and a little more on 1775: A Good Year for Revolution. Talking about books, I read many children's books to Natalia and think I should highlight the best ones and hoping to maybe do more on this area. Thus far I will start by pointing out a Easter related book called The Easter Bunny That Overslept. As the title hints this is about the Easter Bunny that misses Easter and wakes up late. Among this story he travels to the other holidays for help. A nice fun book.

This coming week we celebrate Easter Sunday and another trip to court on Monday. Again I have no idea why and no resolution has been reached as far as Natalia's schooling. My ex and her lawyer decided to spend almost a year since last May with false abuse allegations and the past months seeking every financial document I have going back to 2010. It has been probably worse than an audit. Clearly either wasting time and money or seeing if I have money to seek. Wrong guy! I structure my life around the care of Natalia and live a very simple life.

Rant: Last week on my ride we came across a guy whom after talking about Riverside plan to be "water wise" was telling us he works at a Ralph's plant locally and the amount of water they waste is ridiculous. The water waste in in the amount of thousands of gallons daily. He stated that to make a gallon of "drinking water" it takes about ten gallons. All that waste. Why are the cities not utilizing this excess water? Cities love to fine people and seek money. Why go after honest tax payers for fines when huge corporations are wasting so much. But much better idea is why not make a system to reuse this water? Hmmmm. I'm thinking too much. Lets just keep wasting, lie to people we are out of water and make more money. I am laughing at the fear tactics in play in California that we will be out of water in a year. Does this mean the end of California by next spring? The death of thousands? Nah! I'm sure we will all be here next year with yet another scam.

I will like to highlight a current project on a book that has got my interest for Natalia as well as myself for our collection. It is SisuGirls' Fearless Frosty. A story featuring Anna Frost showing that girls can do anything.