Finally!

In about 15 days I am going to get a smartphone- I'm very excited and I don't get excited about too many things. I have been using a dumbphone for too long (I dream of drowning my phone just to drown it). The reason I don't have a smartphone yet? Hubs hasn't given in to my pleads and to save money (it is an extra $30 a month). But in reality, it has been a crutch on my social media life. I love to use Foursquare and it does me no good to check-in at home and I can't rely on wi-fi hotspots for the rest of my life. I recently went to Disneyland with my family. My sister has a Motorola Droid and I kept asking her to use her phone so I could check-in on Foursquare, well she finally cut me off. She thought I was a nut. Anyways, my hubs asked me what I wanted for my anniversary (It's Saturday) and diamonds were not the first thing that popped into my head (they actually didn't cross my mind). He said "Droid" and I said yes (ipad was 2nd choice but I am pretty much over that hype). I guess he knows me too well and also was probably tired of giving him sad eyes every time I needed his blackberry for checking twitter. My phone of choice: I am getting the Motorola X which releases on July 15th. The Incredible is backordered till the 29th. So that made my decision pretty simple plus I am not sure if I can wait till January for the iphone for Verizon. Now I have something to look forward to and I can now play with tag readers.

Photo: Techcrunch

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One decade of not being a single lady

One decade. That's 10 years. 10 years of happy, sad, mad, glad, rad, and a few bad moments of my life. They say for better for worse, for richer for poorer. I think we have been through all four of those stages. I met my husband in an alley- we went for a walk and the rest is history. We'll that's his recollection. My recollection or first notice of him is that I met him in a laundry room. I don't think he remembers that I was the one in the laundry room though. I am the polite type and I fold people's laundry in shared laundry quarters, if I need the dryer and they left their clothes in there, I fold them. So here I was folding a strange man's clothes, I was folding everything but his underwear and he walks in and says thanks- yes I did a double take but other than that I didn't think much of it. Funny thing is,  I am still folding his laundry to this day including his underwear. They say don't give up and this is one of the things I haven't given up on, yes I admit there were times of strain but we have worked on our differences. I have given up on lots of things but love isn't one of them. So thankful, that he hasn't given up on me either. 2 kids and 10 years later, we are still together through our good and bad.

Fast forward to Saturday, July 3, 2010- I finally got through to the W San Diego and we will have a mini one-night staycation. Hope to enjoy a few great downtown moments to add to my "for better" part of my life with him. I love you Ed.

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I thought my dog was big

The St. Germain's Cafe Dog is huge (mine is the white dog on the left). Last Saturday, I went to my first "Yappy Hour" at St. Germain's Cafe.  Live Music, dogs and friends, it was a great way to spend my Saturday evening. This cafe is right on S. Highway 101 a few blocks away from the beach in Encinitas. St. Germain's Cafe hosts Yappy Hour every Fri. & Sat. from 4pm - 7 pm through the end of July. The food is excellent and a percentage of food/beverage during these times go to the Rancho Coastal Humane Society.  What a nice way to give back to the community and enjoy some quality time with your pooch. For more info. go to San Diego Bargain Mama's Site.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Summer Fun with the kids

This is the last week of school for both of my kids ages 8 (g) and 12(b). Today, I asked my 12 yr. old son what he wanted to do this summer. His response "Sleep-in and do nothing." This is not the response I was looking for. So what do you do with two kids all summer? One that doesn't want to do a thing and the other that loves to do things as long as they are kid-like and fun. "No museums", they both plead with me. Last year, we took advantage of the Free Tuesdays at Balboa Park. For Locals and Military there are selected museums that are free that particular Tuesday. So every week, I took them to Balboa Park. Yes, I plan to do this again this summer but I will tone it down a little. Maybe one museum each Tuesday will be a happy medium for all of us. I certainly don't want them plopped in front of the tv all summer and I do want to take advantage of the lovely beach we have here in San Diego. This will be the summer that they remember. Doing things and capturing the memories. Now why did I think of going to work full-time again? Oh yeah, I remember, but that can wait till September. I'm a mom now,  I am someone who does what is the best for the kids, I think they will thank me for that later. 

Caption: Spongebob Squarepants (one of the cartoons that will slowly kill my brain cells this summer)

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Pen to Paper

I haven't been writing. It is that damn writers block. Lots has been going on with me mainly personal. Maybe that is what is holding me back? I really need to be honest with myself and get out of my shell. My friend gave me an idea to do a to-do list. Well this is a start. I think I have a bucket list started in my drafts somewhere (I am sure that will be a good publish). Maybe I should have this list to get my wheels in motion, so here it goes: 

1. I guess the number one thing on this list is to get a jobby, job, job. I am assuming that I should get a real job with benefits and all the adult things that you should have like retirement and vacation (will make hubs happy). Or my other option is to invent something fantastic, get funded and live a happy life. Goal: 6 months

2. With #1 goes my work life/balance. Who am I kidding? I need to work but I need to also want to watch them do kid things. Also, call my parents (not good at that). Once they turn 17 or 18, i won't get to experience that anymore. I admire companies who realize this is important, so I am hoping that I can find or invent this to fit with #1. Goal: Now

3. Balance my home life/ go out life. Sadly, this doesn't match up. But I think am doing a good job in keeping this balanced so far. I do need to go out and do things with the children/hubs more, but they are homebodies. Since summer is coming, I guess I should initiate the beach, zoo, outside activities with them.  I love going out and meeting with my friends but I think I need to incorporate family/friends a little bit more better. I recently joined a bootcamp that works my arse off, but I would not be motivated to go if it were not for my friends who push me forward. I have a gym membership but of course, I need to be motivated in this area of my life. So far so good. Goal: Now

4, Travel more- I think this aligns with #1, 2 and 3. I think I need another European Vacation. I also need a NYC Broadway fix. Paris/Coastal regions/Champagne, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Italy. New York to see Pee-wee on Broadway. These are the fun goals in my life. Goal: 1 year

5. Give- I say I want to do this but maybe I need to push. I need to volunteer somewhere- one or two hrs. a week. Give something back to the community. I would love to help the homeless community or the senior population. I guess on my to-do list is to research and sign-up. Goal: 1-2 months

6. Learn more- I really want to go back-to-school to see what I am good at- I did this with Marketing via New Media (I love SM). I want to take art classes so I can put brush to canvas and take french lessons again. All of this is related to #1. Time and Money.  Goal: 6 months

7. Blog more- This goes to the whole reason for this post. Pen to Paper. Fingers to Keyboard, Brush to Canvas...Produce and do something. I guess my goal is one post a week. My Secret San Diego posts need to be bi-monthly at least. Posterous- once a week or so. I should also do some business-related posts. 

8. Finish books I read- right now I am reading the Warhol Diaries, Open Leadership, Eat Pray Love...all at the same time. I love to start books but never finish them. Maybe it has something to do with finality. When it ends that's it. It could be an ADD problem. I am not sure. Goal: Eat Pray Love before Movie comes out...Open Leadership= 2 months, Warhol Diaries - 1 yr. (this is a 900+ pg. book). 

9. That is all for now. Hope you enjoyed my list. Let me know if you want to do #4, #5, #6 or if you have a wonderful lead for #1. I would love to hear from ya. 

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My first augmented reality experience

I got the latest issue of Wired Magazine yesterday in the mail. My first reaction was "this is cool"- the cover has Buzz and Woody from Toy Story. I was excited that this was an issue with some interesting topics...Geek Gardening, The Mechanics of Ice Hotels, Zombies, Cheetos etc... But do you know what the icing on the cake was? An augmented reality experience. Yep, an augmented reality ad from Olympus. A flimsy die-cut of a camera with some instructions to go to a website. Seems easy enough. It was, until I had to install DFusion on my computer. This is an unknown plug-in to me and if wasn't so curious, I probably wouldn't have downloaded it but I did. It took about 5 minutes or so for me to get situated with the plug-in installation. After that was done, I still had restart the website so it would detect I had the plug-in installed then I had to make sure it was able to access my webcam (needed for the diecut camera to work). This is a lot of work for an experience. But I was ready. I got my die-cut camera and put it in front of the webcam. It took a little bit of set up but I can honestly say it was a very cool experience. The die cut camera turned into a real camera on the screen and I was soon clicking (using my mouse) on the features and even taking "fake" pictures and video- I even got to pop off the lens. I don't know how much the ad cost Olympus but I would be curious to see how many people actually will go through the trouble to download the plug-in and experience this augmented reality Olympus camera. I don't think this would take place of actually having the camera in my hands but in the way of technology, this is a good start. You can experience this by going to getolympus.com/PEN3d and print out and cut out the pdf of the camera on file or you can go and buy the June issue of Wired. I would love to hear about your first augmented reality experience. 

Note: The pictures were taken by my "real" digital camera, they are not screenshots.

picture 1 and 2- diecut
picture 3- view of augmented back
picture 4-augmented picture of me holding the back of the camera
picture 5- augmented view of the lens
picture 6- another view of camera
picture 7- I popped off the lens
picture 8- lens back on
picture 9- view of back
picture 10-I am holding the camera up, but in reality I am holding up picture 1 and 2

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Mottos and How they Can Fit into Real Life

Love your work-Work your Love and repeat... This is a little notebook I picked up at an Holiday Matinee event not too long ago. I have to see things like this to remind me of who I am. Yesterday, I had a job interview as an assistant. Though I didn't actually meet the people I would be assisting for. My thoughts after the interview:  Oh, it would be great to have a job, why? Because it helps pay the bills- but as of right now that would be it. Be a corporate citizen, get a real job. But in actuality, I need to remember "Love your work-Work your Love and repeat...unfortunately, this job had no love (not for me at least). It dawns on me (actually I know) that working in a corporate is not for me. I work hard and I get things done, but the corporate structure, look and feel suffocates the hell out of me. Will I get this job? Not sure, I do have an in- and more interviews ahead, but no guarantees of getting hired as of yet. Because of this interview,  I have a devil and angel on either side of my shoulders. Angel says "It's a great "corporate" company with many corporate benefits. It is only 9 hours a day of my life and it pays well, plus you will have that secure job." The other side of me says "don't compromise who your are as a person. Be free, do things you love to do. IT will all come together, in time. Enjoy your family while they are young and reap the rewards of the simple things in life." Actually, I am not sure what side is the Angel or the Devil. But I think I answered my own question by writing this out. (Disclosure: My husband works and we are ok financially on his one income, but he would like to retire one day, therefore my quest in finding a job). 

So what are my loves right now? I am loving getting out there and finding cool things in San Diego...I started a blog last July. Secretsandiego.wordpress.com. I recently changed the name and URL to secretsinsandiego.com (more professional). The reason I started this blog is because there are so many things to do in San Diego and every place has its own uniqueness. I don't think I have even scratched the surface of it all. Another thing I love to do is social media. I believe creating/maintaining relationships and content creation is the key to keeping customers and gaining the new ones. As a business, listening to your audience and maintaining your brand is important- social media is a perfect medium for doing this. I love the term "Word of Mouth on Steroids" for social media, I just hope doesn't become an overdone term like engage and interact (which are important but are overused terms, I hear a lot).  Other things I enjoy are traveling, movies, music, reading, learning about art, design/aesthetics, the journalistic style of photography, french art and culture...I just don't know how to incorporate those things into a paying gig. These are just my thoughts of the moment. If anyone is out there and has any suggestions, let me know. I would love to hear from you. 

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Sitting on the Sidelines

So I have been sitting on the sidelines about this Facebook Privacy debate/discussion- whatever you want to call it. Articles upon articles have been written about Zuckerberg- all the pet projects that led him up to his creation of this massive network of a social site called Facebook. Here is my brief thoughts before I go to my 10:30am personal training session.

 

 

1. Facebook is what you put on it. If I put something on the interwebs- I expect if someone really wanted to find it, they could. I could be private but that would mean I have to stay off the internet. I use the FB privacy controls but I don’t expect that to stop someone to finding more about me. I think there are sites like wink, peoplefinder etc… that can find my city, state, how many places I’ve lived, age etc… 

 

2. I use Facebook as a communication tool for my friends and family. I don’t have plans to take my page down or boycott Facebook. But as with myspace…I go where the rest of my fish are.  There is a big chance that in the next year, a better social network with come out and overtake FB social presence. I was a huge myspace user until FB, came along, I even had a blog post on this:

 

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 

this facebook thing and other stuff

I think it is easier to keep this myspace account, it is too hard to start over again.  It does the same stuff,  I guess you can easily add stuff from companies if you want to but I am too lazy to create a new profile, etc... also, trying to have my friends list transferred is hard no one has a facebook acct.  Anyways, I am ranting at 5 am.  Reprise in April 08: I take that back, with different applications available, facebook is more self interactive and you can interact with your friends as well.  I do have a current facebook acct.  which do I use most?  I have a fair share of both facebook and myspace…

 

So I am saying it could happen, I could move my social network over to xyz.

3. Facebook is a business. They have to generate income and all of that other stuff that businesses have to do to make money. If they decide to change their pages every 3 or so months and make it difficult for people to adapt, they will lose users. Is Facebook gambling on their fate- My thoughts YES. There are lots of thought leaders out there that are boycotting FB and upstarts that are out there vying to become the next “myspace”, “facebook”, “twitter”, “google” etc… But in all honesty, FB has a good interface and it still is a huge community. But then again, I said this about Myspace three years ago.

 

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Cracking the Whip

Starting tomorrow, I am cracking the whip on myself. Really...I am. It is almost summer and I guess that means hanging by a pool or the beach that I never go to (I live a whopping 20 minutes away). I've decided to start going to Optimum Condition in El Cajon to get a body evaluation and training program. Using a certified personal trainer is necessary for me to get motivated and to make sure I am doing the right amount of diet and exercise to obtain my summer goals. In addition to a personal trainer, my family got me (Mother's Day request) a little gadget called the a Nike sensor for my Itouch Nike+Ipod application. The sensor fits goes in or on your running shoe to keep track of your distance/pace, set goals and to let you know how many calories you burned. I chose to make my own sensor holder by cutting a insert in the tongue of the shoe and then after inserting my sensor I stitched it back up.  With my Nike+ I can set workouts based on time, distance and calorie goals. For example, if I wanted to run for 20 minutes, I tell the app and it would count down for me the time and a computer voice would periodically let me know how much time I have left (it actually does this while your listening to your music). After the workout, the app has a history section, where I can go back and view my previous workouts. I am pretty visual and goal-oriented, so this tool may just be the trick to get me out there on a regular basis. I tested it out this morning with a 10-min run on the treadmill right before my Sunday morning yoga class. Wish me luck and goodbye Haagen Dazs - Dulce de Leche, I'll miss you. 

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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The Vicious Cycle

This is a relationship post. I don't normally post feelings that pertain to my "personal" personal life, but this is my venue without having to feel I need to censor myself. So this post is about my vicious cycle. My vicious cycle is my marriage. I love my husband dearly- but at the same time I feel I cannot keep up to his expectations. We will see what happens after this last talk, but really this is like the three strikes rule and I am almost to the point where that is it. Maybe, it is me. I just can't be myself around him, I feel I walk on eggshells, and he isn't the person that I used to adore anymore. Mind you my head is fresh off of the argument and my face still hurts from crying like a mo-fo. I kept a blog post from 2004 in my notebook portion of my yahoo acct. and this is what it said- "I am afraid of what Ed came hom e soon after, he always is foul when he gets home. I am always afraid he will blow up like he did last night. I think its the afraid pat. I don't know how to be. I try so hard to keep the home maintained and find my balance, last night It simply wasn't good enough . Aways, try harder but w/ no avail. What do I do next?Pls. tell me." (writing angry that day?-why yes) Fast forward 6 years. Same situation. When will this vicious cycle end. Will it be when I say I can't take it anymore. Some days this is true. But I don't see myself without him. I guess I am not ready to throw in the towel yet and he hasn't either. Though yesterday, I had moments of doubt but I am a fighter and I will fight for the big things that matter to me. I guess this is one of them. Suck it up, Jen...Suck it up.

Props to SAHM/Ds of this World

Yesterday, I volunteered to babysit a friend's two-year old daughter. My friend was starting a new job as a cocktail waitress and she had been a Stay-At-Home-Mom (SAHM) for the entire time she had her daughter (call her S), so she asked me if I could watch S at the last minute. I, of course said "yes" but then I quickly remembered I hadn't watched anyone else's toddler-aged kid since I was 12-14 (my babysitting years). I had S for a whole 8 hours- which might be cake for some but not for me. Yes- I do have two kids of my own but I never really knew the true meaning of SAHM status. I always had either the daycare, preschool or a relative watching my kids while I went to work (work meant mental break). Anyways, it was hard work watching S. I had to make sure she didn't get into dog dishes, break something, or eat something she wasn't supposed to. She didn't let the TV be her babysitter, she wanted to color, walk around and throw not roll balls around (around my breakables- good thing onyx chess sets don't break).  Plus, I had change her "pull-up" every so often (not potty trained). I forgot about the "pull-up"/diaper part of life.  I got paranoid by this because I was afraid I was going to have to change a #2 (whew, this didn't happen). By the end of my "Shift", I was ready to give S back. S didn't cry while I had her (what a relief), but when i did give her back her tantrum side went off (sign of being tired). At the end, I was tired (I wanted a nap so bad) and I mentally was exhausted because I had watched the every move of a two-year old.  I truly had forgotten what it was like to have a toddler-aged kid. Props to the SAHM/D who don't get breaks in their lives. I love kids, but watching them - oh so not my forte.

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NYC bathroom in Lego's

NYC bathroom in Lego's
Originally uploaded by TouchedByAnAtheist

This is the only bathroom in Miniland at Legoland California that is built in the whole entire area.

Remembering

So today is April 8th, 2010. I sometimes forget that I change, that people change, that I may be moody or sad or happy or flirty or angry. I tend to blame this on the foods I eat. I will feel gross if I eat too much sugar or fat and feel great if I eat healthy things. Same with what I drink. Me and alcohol = love/hate relationship. I like alcohol but it doesn't love me. I can get moody or happy, I tend to talk a lot, be gushy, be honest, sometimes regrettably too honest. My cutting point is probably half a glass cause one or more drinks and my thoughts go out the window (so if you are with me only one glass please). Lately, I been forgetting to be nice and smile. I want to go into the dark hole and hide and that has been the dark hole I been trying to dig out of for years. I like to think I have progressed but some things make me want to regress and I fight it. Really, I don't want to lose but some actions tend to beat me up and I want to wonder why I did what I did. I have learned from other people which has taught me to hold on to what I have. Be thankful for your family, your true friends, your neighbors and the encounters that decide that your life is better than what you think it is.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2008

Generally Speaking
I truly am blessed with my family, my friends, my job, my dog and other pets that are with me in present time. Sometimes it takes external forces to help me realize that I need to be proud of my accomplishments and what I have created as a whole. I also need to stay focused on being a positive human being. Whether that means I let people change lanes on the freeway in front of my car in traffic, smiling at someone at the supermarket when you know the other person is not having the greatest of days, or just plain on being a nice, polite person. This reminder of what is a growing process of myself, a current metamorphosis as you will, checks myself into reality from time to time. I can no longer be angry at the world and it's doings. It is what it is and it is up to me to help change at least my surroundings. So with this general mantra, I will try to be better at who I am and what I do...starting today.

My Myspace revisited

It has been a LONG while since I visited my Myspace Account. My page is like a black hole with memories till 2008. I even had a myspace blog post from 2007 saying I liked myspace better than Facebook, then I changed my mind in 2008. I recently logged in and found that it is mostly music-oriented, lots of game apps, flashing ads and entertainment centered. I do still have a few friends on there (mostly silly friends like Pickle, Gummy Bear and Nabaztag) but I looked around and about 5 or so of my friends still update their page. Anyways, it is pretty funny reading my profile back (see below). Slight things have changed like I no longer take french lessons, my tv shows have changed and my occupation is no longer what it is but overall my likes and views are the same. Do you still have a myspace account? 

About me:

Marriage is love.

(there should be a rainbow flag here)

..

..  I eat sleep work play and do it all over again. Let's see, I like to sleep. I work in recruitment advertising. I play with my kids and my friends. I like to go to Vegas at least once a yr. to watch a show or two. I am not much of a mall shopper, it makes me cringe. I hate waiting in line. Have to have my daily white mocha from SB. I am all about good karma. ------------- New as of June07: still sleepless, everything else is the same. I think I am a craft addict. I've got cool crap that is taking over my messy office. In 2007, I would like to: Go on a relaxing vacation!!!! 
win the lottery- the big one not the ten dollar wins 
go to the gym at least twice a week 
cook more in... eat out less 
work more efficiently and stop stressing 
recycle my bottles and cans- all of them not some of them 
sleep through the night....

• General

  My french lessons (terrible but still hangin in there), traveling, dreaming, tord Boontje, modernistic design, design in general, Aesthetically pleasing things. Sleep, Good Restaurants Staying in touch with family and friends and making sure no one gets in trouble.

• Music

  All sorts...I can listen to music all day. Artists forever: Madonna, Prince, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Zero 7, Carla Bruni, The Racounteurs, The White Stripes, U2 I have seen in concert: (Will see if I can remember- 1st concert(16yrs. old) to present- some out of order) Lynard Skynard, Aerosmith, Bridge Benefit (Neil Young, Pearl Jam, Tom Petty etc.., some thing in Hawaii (porno for pyros, the bee group whose lead singer died, Lalapalooza 93?, No Doubt before they hit it big, - Smashing Pumpkins, beastie boys, etc.., Smashing Pumpkins again in a much smaller venue in SD*, Bjork*, Chris Issak*, No Doubt and Bush (before Gwen and Gavin got married), Mazzy Star, Noisepie, Frente, Tori Amos (x3or 4 times), Susanna Hoffs, private birthday party with Kool and the Gang, Street Scene w/ Cake, Incredible Moses Leroy (x2) and Counting Crows, 

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Yes - We had an Earthquake

Earthquakes are memorable events especially when you are in them. I have been in a few quakes in my life. I remember being 90 miles east of the big 1989 San Francisco Earthquake, I don't think I panicked for that one. In fact, I was at home on the telephone with a friend and told them to hold on we were having an earthquake. I always think back to that day because I was so nonchalant for that quake. I remember a couple of years ago, I was sitting at work on the computer and experienced a slight shake. It didn't last long so I was not in the position to duck and cover. I got up from my desk and it became watercooler news. Every time there is a small quake I am relieved. I was taught that small quakes are good to have because it releases tension on the fault. You don't want the tension to build up because it becomes a big quake (similar to yesterday in Baja). Ironically, I was at a dinner a few weeks ago and we talked about having and putting an emergency bucket together. I guess the key is to take a 5 or 10 gal plastic trash can with a lid and fill it up with camping supplies, water tabs and freeze-dried food, that way if you need to grab the bucket and go somewhere it is accessible all in one place.

Yesterday's quake hit me by surprise, I was getting ready to leave for our Easter Parties and saw our breakfast bar lights shaking. Then the roll came and I instinctly went under our dining table. I totally spaced on the fact that I had two kids who never felt a tremor like this before. Eventually, I ran outside and met up my kids and husband and watched the windows across the street rattle. As soon as I saw that the rattle was gone we all went back inside the house. I am grateful that my kids were not freaked out by this experience. I am especially thankful that their dad was the one who led them outside safely. Of course, I got a fun lecture on how I was totally unprepared and lacking earthquake knowledge. They teach you in school to duck under your desk in an event of a quake, I was told this has changed. I guess tables are not the safest places to hide under because they can fall on you. Also, I guess if you have children you should try to find them to make sure they are safe. This I didn't do either. Oops, #fail.  But what I will always remember about this Easter quake is that it is the day that prompted me to brush up on my natural disaster skills.

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Easter Greetings

Every year the Easter Bunny comes and gives treats to the little girls and boys of America. I think this is a great tradition. Though, I hope I don't find a hard boiled egg in my yard six months from now (that would be gross). I absolutely love Easter for the candy alone. Those Cadbury Mini Eggs and the Peeps are my two favorites, which reminds me I need to stock up on these before the day is over. Have a Hoppy Easter!