And This Is Why I Always Do My Rounds...
Original News Story from
KCBD NBC 11 Lubbock, Texas
ABILENE, Texas - Former Correctional Officers at Big Spring Correctional Center (BSCC), in Big Spring, Texas, have pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) investigation that was initiated when an inmate committed suicide in the facility two years ago while they were on duty, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
Today, Frederick Hernandez, 45, of Big Spring, appeared before U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings and pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements and aiding and abetting. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Last Friday, Christopher Moore, 42, of Dallas, pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of three years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Judge Cummings ordered a presentence investigation report for each defendant with a sentencing date to be set after the completion of those reports.
According to plea documents filed in the case, from August 22 - 23, 2012, Hernandez and Moore were assigned to the Flight Line Unit in the Special Housing Unit (SHU) at BSCC; Hernandez was the Officer in Charge. Part of their duties included making mandatory 30-minute safety checks of each cell and conducting six mandatory formal inmate counts during a 24-hour period, beginning at 12:01 a.m., 3:00 a.m., 5:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. Each Correctional Officer is further required to certify that the mandatory 30-minute safety check of each cell and the mandatory formal inmate counts were made.
An inmate housed in the Flight Line Unit committed suicide during the 8:00 p.m., to 8:00 a.m. shift on August 22 - 23, 2012, and was discovered during the morning feeding on August 23, 2012.
Hernandez admitted that he completed, signed and submitted to the Department of Justice, as required by law, the "SHU Control Log" forms indicating that formal counts of inmates had been performed from 12:01 a.m. to 5:10 a.m., on August 22 – 23, 2012. Hernandez further admitted he knew the logs were not correct and were false in that the formal counts of inmates were not conducted.
Moore admitted he knew Correctional Officers at BSCC submitted forms to the Department of Justice, as required by law, indicating that safety check rounds were conducted, when, in fact, he knew they had not been conducted. He further admitted that he concealed this fact and failed to advise an authority.
In related cases, two other defendants, James McKinnon, 22, and Jamie Navarette Salgado, 24, each pleaded guilty in September 2013; McKinnon pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony and Salgado pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements and aiding and abetting. In December 2013, McKinnon was sentenced to six months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $500.00 fine. He is presently serving his prison time. McKinnon and Salgado also worked as Correctional Officers assigned to the Flight Line Unit in the SHU at BSCC. Salgado admitted making false entries on logs and falsely indicating he had conducted safety rounds. McKinnon admitted that he knew entries on the logs were incorrect and that he failed to advise an authority.
The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulina Jacobo is prosecuting.
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Friday, June 20, 2014
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Time For A Story
Let me tell you a story. It’s a story or lost and found. It’s a story of welcome. It’s the story of a surprise I have been torturing people with for days.
About two weeks ago, we lost out cat Kitty. Frankly, I have been very upset by this. First of all, we lost our cat Cleo several months ago. I was sad about that, but it wasn’t as devastating of a loss as we had not had her as long. However, we have had Kitty nearly four years. She has been through 4 moves, a divorce, other dogs and cats, and anything else. She is a funny cat who walked on a leash and enjoyed riding in the car and going to PetSmart. It is a sad loss. Especially for David. She was technically his cat. He got her when he first moved to California. He spoiled her. She spent most of her time on his lap.
The strange thing about the two losses of cat… They were identical disappearances. Both happened on a Saturday when no one was home. Both times the garage door was not working properly. Both cats were indoor cats, well cared for, groomed and micro chipped. Both were wearing collars with their names and phone numbers. All that and they never ran off before. I right away reported them missing at all local shelters. I continued to look for them there. Especially Kitty. I have been hitting the shelters every couple of days looking for her. I even went a couple of mornings, right after work, still in uniform, asking neighbors if they had seen her. To no avail. I have come to the sad conclusion that someone is stealing our cats. Across the street from our house is a big empty field where I suppose they could have met coyotes, but I never knew them to go across that way. Usually they went and walked around behind the house, occasionally venturing into the alley between houses. Back there is all residential. It is not likely that coyotes roamed that close to homes.
We still have Betty. That is the cat we got when we lost Cleo. Carolynn was very upset by the loss of Cleo so I got Betty from the shelter. She is a good cat. She does like to nibble on people a little, but she doesn’t claw the furniture or pee on the carpet. I had already decided that if we couldn’t find Kitty, we weren’t getting any more cats. The yard just can’t contain them, and the girls are just not good enough at keeping the cat box clean. Besides, we have dogs.
We have our old beagle, Elvis. He is 8 now and we have had him since he was a puppy. My mom’s friend Helen gave him to us and she named him Elvis. She is a huge Elvis fan, and, after all, he ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog. He is getting pretty lazy in his old age. He got all pooped after one jog around the park. But he is a good dog. He doesn’t go in the house and he doesn’t bark and howl much. He does snore pretty loud. He is definitely Catherine’s dog. He sleeps in her bed with her. She feeds him and brushes him. She chases him around the yard. He’s been her dog since they were both younger and Catherine used to try and ride him around the house in Wisconsin. He hiked all the trails of the Lake County, Illinois hiking guide. He rode to Wisconsin and back. He doesn’t fetch or do many tricks. But we love him.
Then there is Gibby. He is Pomeranian and Chihuahua. Gibby is my dog all the way. From the day I picked him up, he has been mine. My mom bought him for me and my dad and my Grandpa named him Gibby, after the baseball player Kirk Gibson. He is a Dodger dog after all. He goes where I go. I take him to the park, to my moms, to the concerts each week. When I worked at the pet store, I even took him to work. He follows me all day. He sleeps in my bed. David says he mopes around when I am not here. I have taught him a bunch of tricks. He fetches and loves to play Frisbee. He wears clothes and I spoil him. I love him.
Anyways, on Saturday, Catherine and I were out running errands. We were going to the bank and to softball sign ups. I decided to check once again for Kitty at the shelters. Usually I go alone, but, this time I had Catherine. We went to one, the softball sign ups, and then another. No cat. Finally we went to the last one. Still no cat. But Catherine wanted to look at the dogs. No harm in that. I had no intention of getting one. So we walked down the range and saw all the dogs. I was surprised at the amount of small dogs like Gibby. The people who worked at the shelter said that people get the little dogs because it is trendy now, but don’t realize how much work they are. It is sad really. We also saw a lot of pit bull puppies. That is just not responsible pet ownership in my opinion. At the end of the row, we came to a cage with a German Shepherd puppy. The man working there said it was a purebred someone had bought and then decided they couldn’t have a big dog where they lived. He thought it was an apartment. She was very pretty. They called her Roxy. While we were talking to the shelter guy (he was feeding her) a lady came and put another dog in the same cage (it was a pit bull puppy) and said she was going to take Roxy out for her daily walk and to the exercise yard. They asked Catherine if she would lie to do it. Of course she did. She took Roxy out to the exercise yard and threw a ball for her for a bit. We were in love. We couldn’t very well leave her there at the shelter.
This wasn’t nearly as willy-nilly as it may seem. There was reasoning behind it. First, there was David. David, who despite popular opinion, has never been anything but good to us. David who works at a crappy job, while constantly searching for another one. David who goes to college. David who takes good care of the girls and everything else while I work. David who gives me nearly every dime he makes to pay his share. He may not be very tidy and he may enjoy a lot of video games, but he is a pretty good person and a good friend. He just lost his cat. He has been saying for years that one day he’d like a real manly dog, specifically a German Shepherd or an Australian Sheep dog. I actually looked into getting him one once, but it was $300 to $500 for one and that didn’t include shots or having it fixed. If you adopt a dog from the shelter, it is $75 and all of the shots and the fixing is included. Of course, what are the chances you are going to find a pure German Shepherd puppy in a shelter?
Then there are the people at my work. They encourage me to make sure and keep my home safe. Truthfully, I could be a target. I have heard of a state correctional officer, in Michigan I think, that was killed on her way home from work simply because she was a cop. I want to make sure my home stays safe. Many people have encouraged me to own a gun, but they are very expensive. Yes, I am very educated in them now and am qualified to carry them at work and being a federal officer, I am within my rights to own and carry one all the time. They used to scare me, but now that I am educated, I know how to deal with them. But they are just so expensive. Plus all the safety accessories I will insist on having will be another huge expense. Maybe one day, but not now. David owns a really neat WWII Russian rifle. It is very cool, but not exactly for home protection. It’s wooden and as tall as me. It is a real working gun however.
More than one officer has suggested we have a good guard dog. I know a guy who raises pit bulls. Like I said the other day, not my thing, but a guard dog sounds like a good idea. My kind of protection. Besides, I love animals. Just ask my mom about the menagerie of pets I had as a child. Everything from dogs and cats to goats, chickens and potbellied pigs. And a German Shepherd certainly is your traditional police dog.
So there we were. I paid the $75 on Saturday, as well as made a donation to the shelter of another $10. Of course there is a law preventing the shelter from allowing us to take her home before she was fixed. (A very good law that I am totally for) And they don’t do that unless the dog gets adopted. Why fix a dog that doesn’t get a home? Sad but true, I know. The shelter is closed on Sunday and Monday and they do their spaying and neutering on Tuesday, so we had to wait until today to pick her up. That is why you all had to wait until now to hear the news.
That gave us time to go out and get her some stuff. That is one of the real reasons we were at PetSmart on Saturday. Yes, we did buy dog food for Gibby and Elvis. But we bought large breed puppy food as well. We bought her a new bowl. (That is what was in the hint picture.) We got her a collar and some toys. We got all the stuff we needed for her. What we didn’t have was a name.
I suggested a nice German name. I made a list of ones I liked. Emma, Ella, Gertrude, Helga, Hanna… it was a heck of a list. I got it off a website for German names. The girls wanted to call her Zelda. It is a German name, and also a video game. In the end we left it to David. He wanted to call her Drizella. He apparently had a German Shepherd growing up named Drizele. He just loved that dog. Drizella is the name of one of the evil step sisters in Disney’s Cinderella. It was a Brothers Grimm tale and they were German brothers. So it worked.
So here she is, Drizella. She had surgery this morning so she is just chilling. The girls have been so excited all weekend waiting. I could have picked her up at 2, but the girls wanted to go so I had to wait until they got home. Then when we got there, they were having a hard time getting her to wake up from the drugs, so we had to wait. That means I had to wait to tell everyone else. She will be fine in a few days and ready to play with Gibby, chase the cat and annoy Elvis.
About two weeks ago, we lost out cat Kitty. Frankly, I have been very upset by this. First of all, we lost our cat Cleo several months ago. I was sad about that, but it wasn’t as devastating of a loss as we had not had her as long. However, we have had Kitty nearly four years. She has been through 4 moves, a divorce, other dogs and cats, and anything else. She is a funny cat who walked on a leash and enjoyed riding in the car and going to PetSmart. It is a sad loss. Especially for David. She was technically his cat. He got her when he first moved to California. He spoiled her. She spent most of her time on his lap.
The strange thing about the two losses of cat… They were identical disappearances. Both happened on a Saturday when no one was home. Both times the garage door was not working properly. Both cats were indoor cats, well cared for, groomed and micro chipped. Both were wearing collars with their names and phone numbers. All that and they never ran off before. I right away reported them missing at all local shelters. I continued to look for them there. Especially Kitty. I have been hitting the shelters every couple of days looking for her. I even went a couple of mornings, right after work, still in uniform, asking neighbors if they had seen her. To no avail. I have come to the sad conclusion that someone is stealing our cats. Across the street from our house is a big empty field where I suppose they could have met coyotes, but I never knew them to go across that way. Usually they went and walked around behind the house, occasionally venturing into the alley between houses. Back there is all residential. It is not likely that coyotes roamed that close to homes.
We still have Betty. That is the cat we got when we lost Cleo. Carolynn was very upset by the loss of Cleo so I got Betty from the shelter. She is a good cat. She does like to nibble on people a little, but she doesn’t claw the furniture or pee on the carpet. I had already decided that if we couldn’t find Kitty, we weren’t getting any more cats. The yard just can’t contain them, and the girls are just not good enough at keeping the cat box clean. Besides, we have dogs. 
We have our old beagle, Elvis. He is 8 now and we have had him since he was a puppy. My mom’s friend Helen gave him to us and she named him Elvis. She is a huge Elvis fan, and, after all, he ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog. He is getting pretty lazy in his old age. He got all pooped after one jog around the park. But he is a good dog. He doesn’t go in the house and he doesn’t bark and howl much. He does snore pretty loud. He is definitely Catherine’s dog. He sleeps in her bed with her. She feeds him and brushes him. She chases him around the yard. He’s been her dog since they were both younger and Catherine used to try and ride him around the house in Wisconsin. He hiked all the trails of the Lake County, Illinois hiking guide. He rode to Wisconsin and back. He doesn’t fetch or do many tricks. But we love him.
Then there is Gibby. He is Pomeranian and Chihuahua. Gibby is my dog all the way. From the day I picked him up, he has been mine. My mom bought him for me and my dad and my Grandpa named him Gibby, after the baseball player Kirk Gibson. He is a Dodger dog after all. He goes where I go. I take him to the park, to my moms, to the concerts each week. When I worked at the pet store, I even took him to work. He follows me all day. He sleeps in my bed. David says he mopes around when I am not here. I have taught him a bunch of tricks. He fetches and loves to play Frisbee. He wears clothes and I spoil him. I love him.Anyways, on Saturday, Catherine and I were out running errands. We were going to the bank and to softball sign ups. I decided to check once again for Kitty at the shelters. Usually I go alone, but, this time I had Catherine. We went to one, the softball sign ups, and then another. No cat. Finally we went to the last one. Still no cat. But Catherine wanted to look at the dogs. No harm in that. I had no intention of getting one. So we walked down the range and saw all the dogs. I was surprised at the amount of small dogs like Gibby. The people who worked at the shelter said that people get the little dogs because it is trendy now, but don’t realize how much work they are. It is sad really. We also saw a lot of pit bull puppies. That is just not responsible pet ownership in my opinion. At the end of the row, we came to a cage with a German Shepherd puppy. The man working there said it was a purebred someone had bought and then decided they couldn’t have a big dog where they lived. He thought it was an apartment. She was very pretty. They called her Roxy. While we were talking to the shelter guy (he was feeding her) a lady came and put another dog in the same cage (it was a pit bull puppy) and said she was going to take Roxy out for her daily walk and to the exercise yard. They asked Catherine if she would lie to do it. Of course she did. She took Roxy out to the exercise yard and threw a ball for her for a bit. We were in love. We couldn’t very well leave her there at the shelter.
This wasn’t nearly as willy-nilly as it may seem. There was reasoning behind it. First, there was David. David, who despite popular opinion, has never been anything but good to us. David who works at a crappy job, while constantly searching for another one. David who goes to college. David who takes good care of the girls and everything else while I work. David who gives me nearly every dime he makes to pay his share. He may not be very tidy and he may enjoy a lot of video games, but he is a pretty good person and a good friend. He just lost his cat. He has been saying for years that one day he’d like a real manly dog, specifically a German Shepherd or an Australian Sheep dog. I actually looked into getting him one once, but it was $300 to $500 for one and that didn’t include shots or having it fixed. If you adopt a dog from the shelter, it is $75 and all of the shots and the fixing is included. Of course, what are the chances you are going to find a pure German Shepherd puppy in a shelter?
Then there are the people at my work. They encourage me to make sure and keep my home safe. Truthfully, I could be a target. I have heard of a state correctional officer, in Michigan I think, that was killed on her way home from work simply because she was a cop. I want to make sure my home stays safe. Many people have encouraged me to own a gun, but they are very expensive. Yes, I am very educated in them now and am qualified to carry them at work and being a federal officer, I am within my rights to own and carry one all the time. They used to scare me, but now that I am educated, I know how to deal with them. But they are just so expensive. Plus all the safety accessories I will insist on having will be another huge expense. Maybe one day, but not now. David owns a really neat WWII Russian rifle. It is very cool, but not exactly for home protection. It’s wooden and as tall as me. It is a real working gun however.
More than one officer has suggested we have a good guard dog. I know a guy who raises pit bulls. Like I said the other day, not my thing, but a guard dog sounds like a good idea. My kind of protection. Besides, I love animals. Just ask my mom about the menagerie of pets I had as a child. Everything from dogs and cats to goats, chickens and potbellied pigs. And a German Shepherd certainly is your traditional police dog.
So there we were. I paid the $75 on Saturday, as well as made a donation to the shelter of another $10. Of course there is a law preventing the shelter from allowing us to take her home before she was fixed. (A very good law that I am totally for) And they don’t do that unless the dog gets adopted. Why fix a dog that doesn’t get a home? Sad but true, I know. The shelter is closed on Sunday and Monday and they do their spaying and neutering on Tuesday, so we had to wait until today to pick her up. That is why you all had to wait until now to hear the news.
That gave us time to go out and get her some stuff. That is one of the real reasons we were at PetSmart on Saturday. Yes, we did buy dog food for Gibby and Elvis. But we bought large breed puppy food as well. We bought her a new bowl. (That is what was in the hint picture.) We got her a collar and some toys. We got all the stuff we needed for her. What we didn’t have was a name.
I suggested a nice German name. I made a list of ones I liked. Emma, Ella, Gertrude, Helga, Hanna… it was a heck of a list. I got it off a website for German names. The girls wanted to call her Zelda. It is a German name, and also a video game. In the end we left it to David. He wanted to call her Drizella. He apparently had a German Shepherd growing up named Drizele. He just loved that dog. Drizella is the name of one of the evil step sisters in Disney’s Cinderella. It was a Brothers Grimm tale and they were German brothers. So it worked.
So here she is, Drizella. She had surgery this morning so she is just chilling. The girls have been so excited all weekend waiting. I could have picked her up at 2, but the girls wanted to go so I had to wait until they got home. Then when we got there, they were having a hard time getting her to wake up from the drugs, so we had to wait. That means I had to wait to tell everyone else. She will be fine in a few days and ready to play with Gibby, chase the cat and annoy Elvis.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
New News
This week I have begun a new chapter of my job. I actually have the same inmates in the same place every day at the same time… except for Wednesday and Thursday, which are my days off. So far it is going along well. It started out a little rough because they didn’t know me, but we worked it out.
Too bad men are pigs, and no, I am not talking about the inmates. I arrived on Sunday for my first day and my office was filthy. There were sunflower seed shells all over the floor. The place was dusty and smelly. I figured no one had cleaned it in a while. Inmates are supposed to clean and these particular inmates have been unavailable for some time. So I spent some time cleaning. I swept the floor, scrubbed the desk and counters, and cleaned out the microwave. On Monday, I went over to Wal-Mart and got an air freshener, a box of tissue, and some hand sanitizer to keep in the office. At the very least, 4 different people will share that office during the week; the morning guy, the guy who covers his days off, me and the guy who covers my days off. I figured if I got it clean, then the four of us would be more comfortable. When I left Sunday, that office sparkled. When I arrived again on Monday, the sunflower seed shells were back, there was jelly on the shelves and paper work and there was food all in the microwave again. There was also something greasy and slippery on the floor I almost fell in. So once again, I commenced the cleaning. I employed some inmates to help scrub the floor and get me some disinfectant to clean. We made it shine. I placed my air freshener in there and it smelled good too. Even inmates came in and said it smelled good in there. Yet, when I returned again on Tuesday, it still smelled good from the air freshener in the window, but sunflower seeds, Chex Mix, Cup O Noodles, and other trash were everywhere. Some kind of red good was baked into the microwave. It was nasty. This time, the inmates were ready. As soon I got there they arrived with the broom and a mop. No one wants to work in filth. It makes me unhappy and no inmate wants an unhappy cop. I have been off two days so heaven knows what it will look like when I return.
Catherine got her new glasses this week. Finally. You don’t even know how much work I had to do, how much paper work I had to go through or how many calls I had to make to get those glasses. Of course, in a few months, she can use my insurance from work to get another pair. I will be able to get a new pair too.
Tonight we are going to this week’s concert in the park. It is a country band. That should be fun for the line dancers. David is working and won’t be joining us. There is no concert next week because they are having an Independence Day celebration next week. I will have to miss that though. I will have to work. That is sad really because you get such a clear view of several fireworks displays from my house.
It certainly has been a sad week in Hollywood. Last Friday we lost Ed McMahon. They had a very nice tribute to him on the Tonight Show. I never saw him on that, but I remember him on Star Search. Then this morning we lost Farrah Fawcett.
I have seen a few old episodes of Charlie’s Angels and of course everyone has seen this poster. I have seen her in The Burning Bed. That was a good movie, even though it was a made for TV movie from the 80’s. Now it is reporting that Michael Jackson has died this afternoon. Michael Jackson was my hero when I was little. I loved Thriller. To me, Michael Jackson was the 80’s. His music is timeless. Sure he was a weird guy and did some crazy things, but as an artist, he was legend. Truly the King Of Pop.
Well, I guess that concludes that. I have to get dinner together before we go to the concert. Enjoy this Michael Jackson video.
Too bad men are pigs, and no, I am not talking about the inmates. I arrived on Sunday for my first day and my office was filthy. There were sunflower seed shells all over the floor. The place was dusty and smelly. I figured no one had cleaned it in a while. Inmates are supposed to clean and these particular inmates have been unavailable for some time. So I spent some time cleaning. I swept the floor, scrubbed the desk and counters, and cleaned out the microwave. On Monday, I went over to Wal-Mart and got an air freshener, a box of tissue, and some hand sanitizer to keep in the office. At the very least, 4 different people will share that office during the week; the morning guy, the guy who covers his days off, me and the guy who covers my days off. I figured if I got it clean, then the four of us would be more comfortable. When I left Sunday, that office sparkled. When I arrived again on Monday, the sunflower seed shells were back, there was jelly on the shelves and paper work and there was food all in the microwave again. There was also something greasy and slippery on the floor I almost fell in. So once again, I commenced the cleaning. I employed some inmates to help scrub the floor and get me some disinfectant to clean. We made it shine. I placed my air freshener in there and it smelled good too. Even inmates came in and said it smelled good in there. Yet, when I returned again on Tuesday, it still smelled good from the air freshener in the window, but sunflower seeds, Chex Mix, Cup O Noodles, and other trash were everywhere. Some kind of red good was baked into the microwave. It was nasty. This time, the inmates were ready. As soon I got there they arrived with the broom and a mop. No one wants to work in filth. It makes me unhappy and no inmate wants an unhappy cop. I have been off two days so heaven knows what it will look like when I return. Catherine got her new glasses this week. Finally. You don’t even know how much work I had to do, how much paper work I had to go through or how many calls I had to make to get those glasses. Of course, in a few months, she can use my insurance from work to get another pair. I will be able to get a new pair too.
Tonight we are going to this week’s concert in the park. It is a country band. That should be fun for the line dancers. David is working and won’t be joining us. There is no concert next week because they are having an Independence Day celebration next week. I will have to miss that though. I will have to work. That is sad really because you get such a clear view of several fireworks displays from my house.
It certainly has been a sad week in Hollywood. Last Friday we lost Ed McMahon. They had a very nice tribute to him on the Tonight Show. I never saw him on that, but I remember him on Star Search. Then this morning we lost Farrah Fawcett.
I have seen a few old episodes of Charlie’s Angels and of course everyone has seen this poster. I have seen her in The Burning Bed. That was a good movie, even though it was a made for TV movie from the 80’s. Now it is reporting that Michael Jackson has died this afternoon. Michael Jackson was my hero when I was little. I loved Thriller. To me, Michael Jackson was the 80’s. His music is timeless. Sure he was a weird guy and did some crazy things, but as an artist, he was legend. Truly the King Of Pop. Well, I guess that concludes that. I have to get dinner together before we go to the concert. Enjoy this Michael Jackson video.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Stuff That Happened And I Forgot To Mention
Carolynn’s wrist is fine. After her trip to the doctors and an x-ray, turns out she just had a bad sprain. They gave her a brace to wear until it felt better.
Let’s see… Oh it was Correctional Workers Week last week. It ended with the festival I took Allison and Catherine to. There was a bunch of prizes given away all week and lots of free food. I am still rocking the midnight to 8 am shift. I am not a fan, but it’s my job and someone has to do it. Here is a work related story for you to read. Just for your information on what exactly my job includes.
Having A Bad Day
May 3 was Trisha and Casey’s Anniversary. Congratulations… Better late than never.
Catherine’s softball has been going good. She isn’t the best player, but she likes going. He team is doing really well. They are in first place with the final game tomorrow. However, they are going to be playing some post season championship games. I will try and post that information when I get it.
Mother’s Day was rather uneventful. I took a potted plant to my mom and we stopped by to visit Chris and Sherri. We went to the Best Buy to buy Carolynn an iPod. Yes, I know it was Mother’s Day, but here is what happened…
Someone important forgot Carolynn’s birthday. (It wasn’t me.) She was pretty pissed. As a matter of fact, she asked for permission to swear about it and used the words asshole and douche bag. Teenagers…. Anyways, when it was pointed out that the birthday was forgotten, again, as this is an occurring theme, a gift card was sent. However, this same person doesn’t know Carolynn very well and sent her a $50 iTunes gift card, somehow assuming she just had an iPod. (They should have asked before they bought such a specific gift.) I pointed this out to them, but to no avail. I have an iPod so I was just going to trade her $50. But she was so disappointed. When she got the gift card she was very hopeful that an iPod would be soon to follow. She had already been disappointed so frequently by the gift card sender that I couldn’t stand to see her disappointed anymore. I bought her the little iPod Shuffle. (The old one. The new one looks like a stick of gum.) It is blue and looks like it is half of my Nano. It doesn’t have a screen. But she really loves it. Plus she got to use the girt card to download a bunch of junk.
Anyways, speaking of birthday’s… My Grandma had a birthday on the 13th. I think she may have been on vacation in Florida. My Aunt Christine had birthday on the 14th. I wonder if she did anything NASCAR related? Is there even NASCAR right now? I have no idea.
Also on the 14th, Catherine went on a field trip with her class. I have no pictures, but she said she had fun. They went to the Mojave Narrows. David went with her class as a chaperone. He led a team of 6 kids on a nature adventure. Their team was called The Squirrels. They learned about Indians, beavers, and plants and had a presentation from the Big Bear Zoo. David really enjoyed the park and is hoping we can go camping there and go horseback riding there soon. Maybe if I ever get days off that make sense.
That is about all. I have to work tonight or tomorrow morning, however you want to say it. Tomorrow Catherine has her ball game. Carolynn is going to a birthday party. David has to work. I have to go to the tire store and then back to work again. Perhaps I can get some sleep in there somewhere.
Let’s see… Oh it was Correctional Workers Week last week. It ended with the festival I took Allison and Catherine to. There was a bunch of prizes given away all week and lots of free food. I am still rocking the midnight to 8 am shift. I am not a fan, but it’s my job and someone has to do it. Here is a work related story for you to read. Just for your information on what exactly my job includes.
Having A Bad Day
May 3 was Trisha and Casey’s Anniversary. Congratulations… Better late than never.
Catherine’s softball has been going good. She isn’t the best player, but she likes going. He team is doing really well. They are in first place with the final game tomorrow. However, they are going to be playing some post season championship games. I will try and post that information when I get it.
Mother’s Day was rather uneventful. I took a potted plant to my mom and we stopped by to visit Chris and Sherri. We went to the Best Buy to buy Carolynn an iPod. Yes, I know it was Mother’s Day, but here is what happened…
Someone important forgot Carolynn’s birthday. (It wasn’t me.) She was pretty pissed. As a matter of fact, she asked for permission to swear about it and used the words asshole and douche bag. Teenagers…. Anyways, when it was pointed out that the birthday was forgotten, again, as this is an occurring theme, a gift card was sent. However, this same person doesn’t know Carolynn very well and sent her a $50 iTunes gift card, somehow assuming she just had an iPod. (They should have asked before they bought such a specific gift.) I pointed this out to them, but to no avail. I have an iPod so I was just going to trade her $50. But she was so disappointed. When she got the gift card she was very hopeful that an iPod would be soon to follow. She had already been disappointed so frequently by the gift card sender that I couldn’t stand to see her disappointed anymore. I bought her the little iPod Shuffle. (The old one. The new one looks like a stick of gum.) It is blue and looks like it is half of my Nano. It doesn’t have a screen. But she really loves it. Plus she got to use the girt card to download a bunch of junk.
Anyways, speaking of birthday’s… My Grandma had a birthday on the 13th. I think she may have been on vacation in Florida. My Aunt Christine had birthday on the 14th. I wonder if she did anything NASCAR related? Is there even NASCAR right now? I have no idea.
Also on the 14th, Catherine went on a field trip with her class. I have no pictures, but she said she had fun. They went to the Mojave Narrows. David went with her class as a chaperone. He led a team of 6 kids on a nature adventure. Their team was called The Squirrels. They learned about Indians, beavers, and plants and had a presentation from the Big Bear Zoo. David really enjoyed the park and is hoping we can go camping there and go horseback riding there soon. Maybe if I ever get days off that make sense.
That is about all. I have to work tonight or tomorrow morning, however you want to say it. Tomorrow Catherine has her ball game. Carolynn is going to a birthday party. David has to work. I have to go to the tire store and then back to work again. Perhaps I can get some sleep in there somewhere.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Living
That’s pretty much it. My job is same old… I work in a prison; it is what you expect when you work with criminals. But I still go back every day. I am still working the midnight to 8 am shift. I sleep during the day a lot. But, it pays the bills.
The girls are good. They had some state testing this week. Catherine had some softball games. I didn’t make it to today’s game because I was asleep, but David said she did great and she had to slide three times and scored three runs. Carolynn had a good birthday on Tuesday and is now an official teenager. Catherine had a game Tuesday. My mom came and brought Carolynn a new collector Barbie. After the game, we went to John’s Incredible Pizza with Joe, Nicole, and the kids. They got Carolynn a cool new outfit. I got Carolynn a couple of new collectible Barbie’s. David made it back from Texas in time to join us for pizza and he brought Carolynn some new books that she had wanted. What she had really wanted was some make up and the privilege to wear it. So we made an agreement, she can wear makeup, but I get to pick it. I bought it and I showed her how to put it on. I think she was disappointed. She said she couldn’t even tell it was on. I said that was the point.
Like I said, David made it back from Texas on Tuesday night. He was gone a week. He drove back in his truck. It is a 1986 Jeep pick up. It looks like crap but it seems to run like a champ. He made it all the way from Texas in two days. We took some stuff to the Salvation Army in it early this week and we picked up some fertilizer for the garden. It has no air conditioner, but he likes it. Here is a picture.
He went back to work at McDonald’s, but having his new car opens up more opportunity for him. He is more available at McDonald’s and can look for jobs further away and not have to worry about buses or limit his availability.
I have been doing some gardening. There are a lot of weeds to pull, but we are doing it a section at a time. We have some plants in the front and a bunch in the back. We are planting a veggie garden out back. Plus some herbs are growing out there. We put some bird feeders out there. We have a couple of rocking chairs and a fire pit. We are going to try and get a new barbecue soon. We have an old charcoal grill for now. It is going to be a great summer to spend out there. Last summer was pretty craptacular. We didn’t have money to do anything. Now I have a great job and David has a little bit of a job, and he will get something better soon. Plus he is going to school. He is taking a math class and a history class. He spends a lot of time on that. Things are finally looking good.
On a sad note however, Bea Arthur passed away today. I used to love her on The Golden Girls. It came on too late for me to stay up and watch, but I used to sneak down the hall and hide in the entry way of our house and watch it anyway. I watched it on reruns for years too. It is amazing how funny she was. There are no others like her.
The girls are good. They had some state testing this week. Catherine had some softball games. I didn’t make it to today’s game because I was asleep, but David said she did great and she had to slide three times and scored three runs. Carolynn had a good birthday on Tuesday and is now an official teenager. Catherine had a game Tuesday. My mom came and brought Carolynn a new collector Barbie. After the game, we went to John’s Incredible Pizza with Joe, Nicole, and the kids. They got Carolynn a cool new outfit. I got Carolynn a couple of new collectible Barbie’s. David made it back from Texas in time to join us for pizza and he brought Carolynn some new books that she had wanted. What she had really wanted was some make up and the privilege to wear it. So we made an agreement, she can wear makeup, but I get to pick it. I bought it and I showed her how to put it on. I think she was disappointed. She said she couldn’t even tell it was on. I said that was the point.
Like I said, David made it back from Texas on Tuesday night. He was gone a week. He drove back in his truck. It is a 1986 Jeep pick up. It looks like crap but it seems to run like a champ. He made it all the way from Texas in two days. We took some stuff to the Salvation Army in it early this week and we picked up some fertilizer for the garden. It has no air conditioner, but he likes it. Here is a picture.
He went back to work at McDonald’s, but having his new car opens up more opportunity for him. He is more available at McDonald’s and can look for jobs further away and not have to worry about buses or limit his availability. I have been doing some gardening. There are a lot of weeds to pull, but we are doing it a section at a time. We have some plants in the front and a bunch in the back. We are planting a veggie garden out back. Plus some herbs are growing out there. We put some bird feeders out there. We have a couple of rocking chairs and a fire pit. We are going to try and get a new barbecue soon. We have an old charcoal grill for now. It is going to be a great summer to spend out there. Last summer was pretty craptacular. We didn’t have money to do anything. Now I have a great job and David has a little bit of a job, and he will get something better soon. Plus he is going to school. He is taking a math class and a history class. He spends a lot of time on that. Things are finally looking good.
On a sad note however, Bea Arthur passed away today. I used to love her on The Golden Girls. It came on too late for me to stay up and watch, but I used to sneak down the hall and hide in the entry way of our house and watch it anyway. I watched it on reruns for years too. It is amazing how funny she was. There are no others like her.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Looking For Love
Okay I am not a big fan of the gossip papers. I really don't care which celebrity is doing which other celebrity. Frankly, I think those tabloids take away from celebrities being able to make movies or TV shows, or music or whatever it is they are famous for doing. Except for Paris Hilton who is famous for doing nothing and if I never hear about it again that would be super...
Anyway, we all know Lindsey Lohan has had some personal issues, but at least she has a sense of humor about it. I happened across this today and it cracked me up. Enjoy.
Anyway, we all know Lindsey Lohan has had some personal issues, but at least she has a sense of humor about it. I happened across this today and it cracked me up. Enjoy.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The End Of A Year
For those of you interested, I am skipping Wordless Wednesday today. I’ll make a come back next week.
I was going to give you an in depth analysis of my year gone by. I was going to give you my new resolutions. I was going to fill you with the promise of hope for a new year. Instead, I am going to give you a bit of a rant first.
I began my day in a happy little mood. In just a matter of days, I will be off to work. 2009 is almost here and all it can bring is happiness. I was expecting a check in the mail today and I planned to go to the bank this afternoon, drop off the rent check, and buy a few snacks for our celebration. I cleaned the house, read some more of my book, watched some TV and added more to my iPod. I joined the Modern Mom Challenge, I listened to the President-Elect’s Podcast, and I baked my Grandpa some Snowball Cookies.
Anyways, my mail brought me to the bank. I went to the window to deposit the goods. I then wanted to get a bank check for $995. Please note, I just deposited around $1300. I don’t see a problem with that. Part of that money came from a government funded check, but the bulk of it came from the check my ex-husband sent. He sends the same check, for the same amount at the same time every month. I have never had a problem. Today, problem city.
I bank with Wamu. Well, I used to, now I bank with J.P. Morgan Chase. I didn’t think it was a big deal. Everything pretty much works the same. Apparently, they experienced quite a few losses though recently. And much like the Chrysler people, they decided to take it out on it’s customers. They informed me that there would be a 7 day hold on the personal check. I said that was ridiculous. I have been getting that same check for over 2 years with no problem. They told me it was the new Chase system that was being more strict. There was nothing I could do. I spoke with several people. They were all just as helpful. Carolynn was with me and getting impatient. Whatever. Perhaps I need a new bank. I have been thinking about switching to Bank of America.
Usually, this is just an inconvenience. Right now, it is a problem. Without this extra money, I am just about $200 short of the rent. I had some in there already that I was holding for bills. Of course, there was no hold on my other deposit. Nevertheless, the rent is due by Monday at 4 PM. The check will be released on Tuesday evening.
The old, 2008 me, would have cried and lamented. That me would have fallen apart. The new me, henceforth known as Officer Jennifer, spoke calmly to everyone I could. I came home and called several people at the bank. I got nowhere. However, I am still calm. I will figure something out. I am a survivor. I am an officer of the law. I am tough.
That is the point of this story. 2009 brings a new and improved me. This new me comes complete with a new career and a new outlook. The new me promises to be more positive. The new me plans to be healthier, happier, and hopefully thinner. The new me has a plan.
I have made a chore chart that so far has shown some improvement. Catherine will still need to be pushed. She keeps losing her stuff. As in, I keep taking her stuff. Tonight she will be going to bed at 9:30. I made a budget and I plan to stick to it. (As soon as they start paying me) I joined several weight loss and exercise groups on-line and am hoping they will help me to eat better. I am sure my new career path will help me get the exercise.
As I start on my journey, I have friends and family supporting me as they did through the tough times. It is nice to have them.
As we say goodnight to 2008, I would like you to think of the promises of tomorrow, not the nightmares of the previous year. Tomorrow I will bring you a video of highlights of 2008. Tonight we look ahead. I know I am looking ahead at a bright future. Enjoy your evening and do not drink and drive. Finally, I leave you with this video, because, when all is said and done, all we really need is more cowbell.
More Cowbell - video powered by Metacafe
I was going to give you an in depth analysis of my year gone by. I was going to give you my new resolutions. I was going to fill you with the promise of hope for a new year. Instead, I am going to give you a bit of a rant first.
I began my day in a happy little mood. In just a matter of days, I will be off to work. 2009 is almost here and all it can bring is happiness. I was expecting a check in the mail today and I planned to go to the bank this afternoon, drop off the rent check, and buy a few snacks for our celebration. I cleaned the house, read some more of my book, watched some TV and added more to my iPod. I joined the Modern Mom Challenge, I listened to the President-Elect’s Podcast, and I baked my Grandpa some Snowball Cookies.
Anyways, my mail brought me to the bank. I went to the window to deposit the goods. I then wanted to get a bank check for $995. Please note, I just deposited around $1300. I don’t see a problem with that. Part of that money came from a government funded check, but the bulk of it came from the check my ex-husband sent. He sends the same check, for the same amount at the same time every month. I have never had a problem. Today, problem city.
I bank with Wamu. Well, I used to, now I bank with J.P. Morgan Chase. I didn’t think it was a big deal. Everything pretty much works the same. Apparently, they experienced quite a few losses though recently. And much like the Chrysler people, they decided to take it out on it’s customers. They informed me that there would be a 7 day hold on the personal check. I said that was ridiculous. I have been getting that same check for over 2 years with no problem. They told me it was the new Chase system that was being more strict. There was nothing I could do. I spoke with several people. They were all just as helpful. Carolynn was with me and getting impatient. Whatever. Perhaps I need a new bank. I have been thinking about switching to Bank of America.
Usually, this is just an inconvenience. Right now, it is a problem. Without this extra money, I am just about $200 short of the rent. I had some in there already that I was holding for bills. Of course, there was no hold on my other deposit. Nevertheless, the rent is due by Monday at 4 PM. The check will be released on Tuesday evening.
The old, 2008 me, would have cried and lamented. That me would have fallen apart. The new me, henceforth known as Officer Jennifer, spoke calmly to everyone I could. I came home and called several people at the bank. I got nowhere. However, I am still calm. I will figure something out. I am a survivor. I am an officer of the law. I am tough.
That is the point of this story. 2009 brings a new and improved me. This new me comes complete with a new career and a new outlook. The new me promises to be more positive. The new me plans to be healthier, happier, and hopefully thinner. The new me has a plan.
I have made a chore chart that so far has shown some improvement. Catherine will still need to be pushed. She keeps losing her stuff. As in, I keep taking her stuff. Tonight she will be going to bed at 9:30. I made a budget and I plan to stick to it. (As soon as they start paying me) I joined several weight loss and exercise groups on-line and am hoping they will help me to eat better. I am sure my new career path will help me get the exercise.
As I start on my journey, I have friends and family supporting me as they did through the tough times. It is nice to have them.
As we say goodnight to 2008, I would like you to think of the promises of tomorrow, not the nightmares of the previous year. Tomorrow I will bring you a video of highlights of 2008. Tonight we look ahead. I know I am looking ahead at a bright future. Enjoy your evening and do not drink and drive. Finally, I leave you with this video, because, when all is said and done, all we really need is more cowbell.
More Cowbell - video powered by Metacafe
Monday, December 15, 2008
The Big House
Today I went to the prison for a drug test and a physical. I was there for five hours. FIVE! Oh well. It was fine. The health services are in the main building, which houses the maximum-security federal penitentiary. I had to be checked, re-checked and checked again. I had to go through a bunch of big metal doors. There were really prisoners in there. They were cleaning the floor. Oh well, I peed in a cup and was checked out. I was given a letter on conditional employment. As soon as they get my test results and my background check, I can expect my real offer. I would being training on January 5.
Tomorrow I was scheduled to take a test for the county tomorrow, but I think I will skip it. I like the sound of that. I already have a job.
Wednesday I am taking my Grandpa to Palm Springs. I did not realize that Wednesday night was also Carolynn’s band concert. Luckily, my mom is going to fill in for me. She can take the pictures and listen to the Jingle Bells. It is more important right now to take Grandpa. I can hear Carolynn play any time. It will be fine if this one time I sent in a substitute. Once I am working, it is liable to happen more often. When I was working last year, missed several cross-country meets. I try to go to as many things as possible. I always tried to send in a substitute though so at least someone was there.
Today was very cold and rainy. It was snowing in places close by. It might snow here tonight. David rang the bell for the Salvation Army for 6 hours. Good thing he got that new sweatshirt. He was still cold though.
Tomorrow I was scheduled to take a test for the county tomorrow, but I think I will skip it. I like the sound of that. I already have a job.
Wednesday I am taking my Grandpa to Palm Springs. I did not realize that Wednesday night was also Carolynn’s band concert. Luckily, my mom is going to fill in for me. She can take the pictures and listen to the Jingle Bells. It is more important right now to take Grandpa. I can hear Carolynn play any time. It will be fine if this one time I sent in a substitute. Once I am working, it is liable to happen more often. When I was working last year, missed several cross-country meets. I try to go to as many things as possible. I always tried to send in a substitute though so at least someone was there.
Today was very cold and rainy. It was snowing in places close by. It might snow here tonight. David rang the bell for the Salvation Army for 6 hours. Good thing he got that new sweatshirt. He was still cold though.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Seriously?
Today just sucked. Well, not totally, parts of it were pretty okay. However, over all the suckiness of it all out weighs the good parts.
I had a job interview today. The ad looked like this…
Seeking enthusiastic receptionist!
Conducting interviews right away for seasonal tax office.
Please email your resumes to XXXXX@whatever.com
Make sure to have contact information available!
• Location: Victorville
• Compensation: TBD
So I replied and they called me yesterday for an interview today at 11. First, it was not in Victorville, it was in Adelanto. Not that it was a big deal, I would have gone anyway. It is just a lot farther is all. I get there at a quarter to 11 and there was no one there. Therefore, I waited. About 10 after 11, a couple of guys came. They let me in and gave me an application to fill out. I filled it out. They came back and they interviewed me. Everything went fine. They were nice and the office was nice. Then, they inform me that they would like me to work there. WOO HOO! However, they do not need any receptionist. They just put that ad up to attract more people. What they really wanted were people who wanted to be tax preparers. Okay, I am not an accountant. Then they tell me it is okay because I can take a class and the class is free. Okay, I am on board. But, wait, there is more. Then they tell me the job is commission based only. I could get $20 to $50 for each tax return I file. And, here is the kicker, they want me to give them $250 for testing. The class is free but the testing and certification will be $250. This is the part were I say, heck no to that. That is not a job at all.
So I was a bit mad. I wasted gas and time to go all the way out there for no good reason. What a bunch of jerks.
Then I came home to change before I headed out to ring my bell. When I was at home, a delivery man brought a package for David. It was from his dad and in it was a very nice box of candy for me and the girls. Chocolates always make me happier.
Anyway, off I went to ring my bell. That went fine. After that, the girls and I went to my mom’s house. The girls made some ornaments for my mom’s tree. My mom got the tree out of storage but not the ornaments. She bought some silver and gold balls and some candy canes. It still looked bare. Therefore, we put up some ornaments we made and it looked much more festive.
Then we came home. We were making some dinner when I started going through the mail. In the mail was a letter from the financial company that I make payments to for my car. I am not behind in payments. I paid them for November. My payment is due on the 25th of each month, and I already gave them about $125 for this month. Last month, they offered to let me just pay the interest for one month, about $250. Since it is Christmas, I was going to do that. I already did half and planned to pay the other half on the 19th. I managed to get all of my other bills paid for this month and I went out and actually was able to get a few presents. Therefore, when I saw mail from them, I did not think much of it… Until I opened it.
It says that due to the excessive lateness of my payments I am in breach of my contract with them. In order to rectify this unfortunate situation I have the following choices:
1. I can allow them to take out the payments by automatic payment on the 19th of each month allowing time to process and have the payment post by the due date of the 25th. In the event that the payment is rejected, repossession of the vehicle will take place immediately.
2. The payment due date can be adjusted to the 15th of every month, thus allowing the financial company better assurance that they will receive payment at a reasonable time. If payment is not received by midnight, Eastern Time on the 15th of every month, repossession of the vehicle will take place immediately.
3. I can return the car as a voluntary repossession.
Okay, seriously… I have not been excessively late. Therefore, I call them and I get some guy named Aaron on the phone. I ask him hey, what the hell. He told me, very rudely, that they have the right to their money. They have a contract with me and I am breaking it. I asked him to define "excessively late". He said it was because I was late twice in a six-month period. I was late, about 8 days on July’s payment and 3 days on November’s payment. However, I paid August’s payment the same time I paid July’s. I paid September’s payment two weeks later, still in August and I paid October’s payment in September. Therefore, I tell this to good ol' Aaron. He says it does not matter, one day late is late and my contract says I will not be late. I told him this seemed a little excessive to me. He actually said if I did not like it, I could choose to do business elsewhere. WRONG THING TO SAY DUDE! I asked to speak to his supervisor. Jolene was slightly more helpful. She told me the same things, but when I asked why they were so uptight about it all of the sudden, she told me that they are having a lot of trouble with people missing payments and having late payments. She said the repo rate has almost doubled in the last few months. So starting on December 1, they are showing no leniency. I asked her if I could do like they offered last month and pay just the interest this month and she said no. I asked her if she could extend my payment due date and she said no. I asked her if there was anything I could do, she said no. I asked to speak to her supervisor. Steve, her supervisor, said there was nothing I could do either. I told him there was no way I was going to come up with another $350 in 5 days. He asked me if I would like the address to the place where I could give back my car. They are just so helpful.
I hate people. Just when I think, okay, I have this under control, some stupid thing happens. I hade a little savings and then needed an unexpectedly high cost repair on my car in August. There went the savings. Then I get a job at the pet store and think I have it, and bam, no more jobs. Then here I am all good to go, and bam, jerks.
So, does anyone need a kidney? I hear you can live with just one. Better yet, how about someone give me a job? A real job, where I do not pay you… That would be cool. Yes, a job would be awesome.
I do have one glimmer of hope. One tiny little hope I cling to. A job, a good one, which I have interviewed for and I think I have an excellent shot at. However, it does not start until January and I have not heard for sure yet. However, I hold that thought as my hope that there is a light at the end of this tunnel of crappiness.
Of course, if they repossess my car, that kills my light. They will not hire me if that happens.
So there you have it, my day of fun. On Monday, while I was ringing my bell, a woman came up to me and hugged me out of nowhere. Her husband put a bunch of money in my kettle and she said, “Bless your little heart for doing this honey. Good things will come to you.” I try to believe her. On Saturday, while I was emptying the buckets and counting, one bucket contained a fortune that read “Success and good fortune will soon come to you”. I hope so. I also found a ketchup packet, a glass bead and a token from the local fun center while counting the buckets, but I do not know that those are good omens.
Now back to your regularly scheduled Wordless Wednesday.
I had a job interview today. The ad looked like this…
Seeking enthusiastic receptionist!
Conducting interviews right away for seasonal tax office.
Please email your resumes to XXXXX@whatever.com
Make sure to have contact information available!
• Location: Victorville
• Compensation: TBD
So I replied and they called me yesterday for an interview today at 11. First, it was not in Victorville, it was in Adelanto. Not that it was a big deal, I would have gone anyway. It is just a lot farther is all. I get there at a quarter to 11 and there was no one there. Therefore, I waited. About 10 after 11, a couple of guys came. They let me in and gave me an application to fill out. I filled it out. They came back and they interviewed me. Everything went fine. They were nice and the office was nice. Then, they inform me that they would like me to work there. WOO HOO! However, they do not need any receptionist. They just put that ad up to attract more people. What they really wanted were people who wanted to be tax preparers. Okay, I am not an accountant. Then they tell me it is okay because I can take a class and the class is free. Okay, I am on board. But, wait, there is more. Then they tell me the job is commission based only. I could get $20 to $50 for each tax return I file. And, here is the kicker, they want me to give them $250 for testing. The class is free but the testing and certification will be $250. This is the part were I say, heck no to that. That is not a job at all.
So I was a bit mad. I wasted gas and time to go all the way out there for no good reason. What a bunch of jerks.
Then I came home to change before I headed out to ring my bell. When I was at home, a delivery man brought a package for David. It was from his dad and in it was a very nice box of candy for me and the girls. Chocolates always make me happier.
Anyway, off I went to ring my bell. That went fine. After that, the girls and I went to my mom’s house. The girls made some ornaments for my mom’s tree. My mom got the tree out of storage but not the ornaments. She bought some silver and gold balls and some candy canes. It still looked bare. Therefore, we put up some ornaments we made and it looked much more festive.
Then we came home. We were making some dinner when I started going through the mail. In the mail was a letter from the financial company that I make payments to for my car. I am not behind in payments. I paid them for November. My payment is due on the 25th of each month, and I already gave them about $125 for this month. Last month, they offered to let me just pay the interest for one month, about $250. Since it is Christmas, I was going to do that. I already did half and planned to pay the other half on the 19th. I managed to get all of my other bills paid for this month and I went out and actually was able to get a few presents. Therefore, when I saw mail from them, I did not think much of it… Until I opened it.
It says that due to the excessive lateness of my payments I am in breach of my contract with them. In order to rectify this unfortunate situation I have the following choices:
1. I can allow them to take out the payments by automatic payment on the 19th of each month allowing time to process and have the payment post by the due date of the 25th. In the event that the payment is rejected, repossession of the vehicle will take place immediately.
2. The payment due date can be adjusted to the 15th of every month, thus allowing the financial company better assurance that they will receive payment at a reasonable time. If payment is not received by midnight, Eastern Time on the 15th of every month, repossession of the vehicle will take place immediately.
3. I can return the car as a voluntary repossession.
Okay, seriously… I have not been excessively late. Therefore, I call them and I get some guy named Aaron on the phone. I ask him hey, what the hell. He told me, very rudely, that they have the right to their money. They have a contract with me and I am breaking it. I asked him to define "excessively late". He said it was because I was late twice in a six-month period. I was late, about 8 days on July’s payment and 3 days on November’s payment. However, I paid August’s payment the same time I paid July’s. I paid September’s payment two weeks later, still in August and I paid October’s payment in September. Therefore, I tell this to good ol' Aaron. He says it does not matter, one day late is late and my contract says I will not be late. I told him this seemed a little excessive to me. He actually said if I did not like it, I could choose to do business elsewhere. WRONG THING TO SAY DUDE! I asked to speak to his supervisor. Jolene was slightly more helpful. She told me the same things, but when I asked why they were so uptight about it all of the sudden, she told me that they are having a lot of trouble with people missing payments and having late payments. She said the repo rate has almost doubled in the last few months. So starting on December 1, they are showing no leniency. I asked her if I could do like they offered last month and pay just the interest this month and she said no. I asked her if she could extend my payment due date and she said no. I asked her if there was anything I could do, she said no. I asked to speak to her supervisor. Steve, her supervisor, said there was nothing I could do either. I told him there was no way I was going to come up with another $350 in 5 days. He asked me if I would like the address to the place where I could give back my car. They are just so helpful.
I hate people. Just when I think, okay, I have this under control, some stupid thing happens. I hade a little savings and then needed an unexpectedly high cost repair on my car in August. There went the savings. Then I get a job at the pet store and think I have it, and bam, no more jobs. Then here I am all good to go, and bam, jerks.
So, does anyone need a kidney? I hear you can live with just one. Better yet, how about someone give me a job? A real job, where I do not pay you… That would be cool. Yes, a job would be awesome.
I do have one glimmer of hope. One tiny little hope I cling to. A job, a good one, which I have interviewed for and I think I have an excellent shot at. However, it does not start until January and I have not heard for sure yet. However, I hold that thought as my hope that there is a light at the end of this tunnel of crappiness.
Of course, if they repossess my car, that kills my light. They will not hire me if that happens.
So there you have it, my day of fun. On Monday, while I was ringing my bell, a woman came up to me and hugged me out of nowhere. Her husband put a bunch of money in my kettle and she said, “Bless your little heart for doing this honey. Good things will come to you.” I try to believe her. On Saturday, while I was emptying the buckets and counting, one bucket contained a fortune that read “Success and good fortune will soon come to you”. I hope so. I also found a ketchup packet, a glass bead and a token from the local fun center while counting the buckets, but I do not know that those are good omens.
Now back to your regularly scheduled Wordless Wednesday.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Gay Friday
Okay, so everyone knows, or should know, I am not gay. However, I do support gay rights. I have gay friends. I have gay relatives. I voted no on Prop 8.
I believe that everyone should have equal opportunity. My friend Teresa got married in August, and now her marriage, as well as many others, is in limbo. My aunts, who will have been together for 25 years in January, were going to tie the knot for their anniversary and now may not be given the opportunity. It is unfair.
So today, a week after Black Friday… I am announcing today will be Gay Friday here on my blog. Show your support. Click on the banner to the right for White Knot.org. Get the button for your website. Enjoy the video. In addition, enjoy these pictures. Remember, the word gay also means “happy and joyous”.
Monday, December 01, 2008
The Return Of Susan
“Is your name Jennifer?”
Yes “Nope, sorry.”
“Really? So what’s your name?”
Jennifer “Susan”
“Susan What?”
“Bowman” (Not even close)
“Hmm… you look familiar. Where did you go to high school?”
Apple Valley “Eisenhower.” (That is where my mom went.)
“What year did you graduate?”
1995 “1992”
“Oh well, you look like a girl I went to high school with.”
“Oh, well, Merry Christmas.”
Yeah, I knew him all right. He and I went to high school together. We were not really friends; he was more of a boyfriend of a friend of a friend. My junior year of high school, I walked in on him and this friend of a friend getting busy in the girls bathroom at school. Being 16, I laughed my ass off, and then proceeded to tell everyone. Yep, I was an ass. Anyway, he and the girl hunted me down later and she yelled at me. She was crying because, as she said, I ruined their first time. Right there in the girls bathroom… in the science building.
Today was my third day of bell ringing for the Salvation Army. I did it last week on Wednesday, but there was not much to say about it. There were few people and it was raining. The people that did come were running to the store or to their cars to minimize getting wet. No one stayed to chat. David did it on Friday. He gathered a lot of money, but no one chatted him up. They were too busy shopping.
Today was a better day. Besides the fabulous person from high school, plenty of old folks chatted. Everyone seems to be tightening his or her belts. One of the old folks that came by today told me he had seen on the news somewhere that the bell ringers were not allowed to ring bells. They had to replace the inside of the bells with paper clips. Another person told me that he heard that people were faking that they were really with the Salvation Army and collecting the money for themselves.
I did not get too many cranky folks today. One woman from K-Mart was rather cranky. She kept telling me I was in her way. She was trying to pull these big heavy carts and she was having trouble. Twice they got away from her and almost hit folks. I would have been in her way down the street.
The worst part about standing out there all day… Smokers. K-Mart people come out on their breaks and other people smoke out there. They stand and smoke, sometimes within feet of my kettle. I am sorry, but that is a disgusting habit. I do not care if you are a smoker reading this, it is nasty. It gives me a headache. It smells terrible. It makes it hard to breathe.
In addition, since many little kids put money in my kettle, I bought a huge bag of Dum Dum suckers to give them. They empty their tiny wallets to help the needy. I give them a tiny lolly. It is only fair.
That is all today.
“Really? So what’s your name?”
“Susan What?”
“Bowman” (Not even close)
“Hmm… you look familiar. Where did you go to high school?”
“What year did you graduate?”
“Oh well, you look like a girl I went to high school with.”
“Oh, well, Merry Christmas.”
Yeah, I knew him all right. He and I went to high school together. We were not really friends; he was more of a boyfriend of a friend of a friend. My junior year of high school, I walked in on him and this friend of a friend getting busy in the girls bathroom at school. Being 16, I laughed my ass off, and then proceeded to tell everyone. Yep, I was an ass. Anyway, he and the girl hunted me down later and she yelled at me. She was crying because, as she said, I ruined their first time. Right there in the girls bathroom… in the science building.
Today was my third day of bell ringing for the Salvation Army. I did it last week on Wednesday, but there was not much to say about it. There were few people and it was raining. The people that did come were running to the store or to their cars to minimize getting wet. No one stayed to chat. David did it on Friday. He gathered a lot of money, but no one chatted him up. They were too busy shopping.
Today was a better day. Besides the fabulous person from high school, plenty of old folks chatted. Everyone seems to be tightening his or her belts. One of the old folks that came by today told me he had seen on the news somewhere that the bell ringers were not allowed to ring bells. They had to replace the inside of the bells with paper clips. Another person told me that he heard that people were faking that they were really with the Salvation Army and collecting the money for themselves.
I did not get too many cranky folks today. One woman from K-Mart was rather cranky. She kept telling me I was in her way. She was trying to pull these big heavy carts and she was having trouble. Twice they got away from her and almost hit folks. I would have been in her way down the street.
The worst part about standing out there all day… Smokers. K-Mart people come out on their breaks and other people smoke out there. They stand and smoke, sometimes within feet of my kettle. I am sorry, but that is a disgusting habit. I do not care if you are a smoker reading this, it is nasty. It gives me a headache. It smells terrible. It makes it hard to breathe.
In addition, since many little kids put money in my kettle, I bought a huge bag of Dum Dum suckers to give them. They empty their tiny wallets to help the needy. I give them a tiny lolly. It is only fair.
That is all today.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
I Made It! NaBloPoMo 2008
Today is the last day of NaBloPoMo. I made it! Woo! I think I enjoyed it more last time. There seemed to be more going on then. Anyway, this time did not totally blow chunks. I met some new people and added some new blogs to my reads. Snailbird.com
Mutts n’ More
Red Lotus Mama
Making Things Up
I’d Blog That
Expensive Mistakes and Cheap Thrills
I participated in a Blog Swap with Sierra from I’d Blog That. That was fun. I never wrote on someone else’s blog before.
Well, that is all for today. Tomorrow a new month starts. I may or may not post. I don’t have to now. Last year, right after NaBloPoMo ended I did another blog challenge called Holidailies. I don’t think I will do any such thing this year.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Robbed... The Conclusion
For those of you who come here often, you probably already know that on Sunday night, while David was at work, the McDonald's he works at was robbed. Well, the good news is, they won't be getting away with it. They were arrested.
Victorville Daily Press News Story
Three Arrested In Restaurant Takeover Robbery
Victorville Daily Press News Story
Three Arrested In Restaurant Takeover Robbery
Monday, November 24, 2008
Robbed
Last night the McDonald’s where David works was robbed. Luckily, no one was hurt. Here is the story as David tells it.
It was almost 10 pm. He was in the back on the grill when two people came in wearing hoodies and masks and brandishing guns. They started yelling “Get the fuck down.” He headed toward the back further when another guy who works there came and told him to get in the freezer with him. They went in the freezer and sat in the freezing cold. He hid his keys and wallet in some chicken nuggets. Then they just waited and contemplated their mortality. Finally, someone who works there came and told them it was over. They got away with the money in the front cash registers and the safe. They missed the drive thru register. No one got hurt. The police came and took statements and stuff.
He seemed pretty shook up when he got home. I would have peed my pants.
I am doing my bell ringing today at the Stater Bros. on Apple Valley Road in Apple Valley. Come on by and give up some change.
It was almost 10 pm. He was in the back on the grill when two people came in wearing hoodies and masks and brandishing guns. They started yelling “Get the fuck down.” He headed toward the back further when another guy who works there came and told him to get in the freezer with him. They went in the freezer and sat in the freezing cold. He hid his keys and wallet in some chicken nuggets. Then they just waited and contemplated their mortality. Finally, someone who works there came and told them it was over. They got away with the money in the front cash registers and the safe. They missed the drive thru register. No one got hurt. The police came and took statements and stuff.
He seemed pretty shook up when he got home. I would have peed my pants.
I am doing my bell ringing today at the Stater Bros. on Apple Valley Road in Apple Valley. Come on by and give up some change.
Friday, November 14, 2008
It’s Not Just Me
In recent weeks, I have seen things I never even considered. My bank, Washington Mutual, that had been in business over 100 years, went out of business. Then Mervyn’s, a store I have shopped at plenty of times, went out of business. At the same time, went Linen’s and Things. I recently saw a news article about a major Las Vegas casino that went bankrupt. I think it was the Tropicana. Then this week, Circuit City filed for bankruptcy. These are the kind of things that happened a long time ago, in another era. The Depression.
Is it any wonder I cannot find a stupid job? Both Mervyn’s and Circuit City had interviewed David. There are places that have signs up that say they are not hiring, stop asking. Places that are hiring are getting more applicants than they can quickly handle. People are losing jobs daily. They are letting people go at the plant where my brother works. He just bought a house and has a baby on the way. When Nicole was here, she said her dad just lost his job. Every place I go seems to be having the same problem. My mom’s office took down their job opening listing. That means now at a time when more people will be using her office, they are not hiring any new people. There will be more cases and less people to handle them. It seems counter productive, but they cannot afford to pay more people. Businesses are predicting a slow holiday season and are not even hiring as many seasonal employees as before.
The jobless rate for the country is going up. The sales for stores are going down. I read online that Starbucks profits dropped 97%. 97%!!!!! I am out there doing everything I can to get a job and be able to stay ahead of the bills. I am trying to take it one day at a time. It is not working.
Jobless Claims Hit 25 Year High, Imports Plunge
Is it any wonder I cannot find a stupid job? Both Mervyn’s and Circuit City had interviewed David. There are places that have signs up that say they are not hiring, stop asking. Places that are hiring are getting more applicants than they can quickly handle. People are losing jobs daily. They are letting people go at the plant where my brother works. He just bought a house and has a baby on the way. When Nicole was here, she said her dad just lost his job. Every place I go seems to be having the same problem. My mom’s office took down their job opening listing. That means now at a time when more people will be using her office, they are not hiring any new people. There will be more cases and less people to handle them. It seems counter productive, but they cannot afford to pay more people. Businesses are predicting a slow holiday season and are not even hiring as many seasonal employees as before.
The jobless rate for the country is going up. The sales for stores are going down. I read online that Starbucks profits dropped 97%. 97%!!!!! I am out there doing everything I can to get a job and be able to stay ahead of the bills. I am trying to take it one day at a time. It is not working.
Jobless Claims Hit 25 Year High, Imports Plunge
Friday, November 07, 2008
Throwing In The Towel
Over four months ago, we moved here in hopes of a better life. Our apartment lease was up and they wanted to remodel so we had to move anyway. The business I was working for was falling apart and I would soon have been jobless. By moving here, we could rent a place for much cheaper than anywhere in San Diego. The schools here are a million times better than where we were. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
David and I left our jobs to move. By leaving my job shortly before it finally went bust, I gave up my right to unemployment. David could not get unemployment either. So we had nothing to fall back on. We began a job hunt. We were ready and willing to do anything. We filled out applications. We sent out resumes.
In August, David was hired on at McDonald’s. The hours there have been scarce and erratic. We found out today that they were not giving him hours because they did not think he had a valid food handler’s card. He has had one the entire time. He proved it to them and so they gave him several days next week. He asked them several times since he started what the problem was… why he was not getting any hours. They said nothing.
Late in August, I was hired on cleaning fish tanks at a pet store. The hours were good and the work was easy. It was part time and gave me time to look for better things. Too bad the owner had some issues and she and I unfortunately had to part ways. Even more unfortunately, she refuses to pay me for the time I worked. I am pursuing legal options to get the money. It may take some time.
I have taken tests for county jobs, school district jobs, and federal jobs. I have interviewed at a variety of places. Still no luck. It is draining. I spend everyday scouring the world for job leads. I spend the day sending e-mails and resumes and filling out applications. It is practically a full time job looking for a job. Too bad you don’t get paid to do it.
I am tired of struggling. Each month I panic as each bill comes. I have narrowed it down as much as possible. I have rent, a car payment, a water bill, trash bill, electric bill, cable bill, cell phone bill, and an insurance bill. I considered moving somewhere cheaper, but to rent a place they will want proof of income. When we rented this place, we were technically still employed at the previous places. I thought about selling my car, but I owe a bit more than I could get for it. Besides, how would I get around with no car? This isn’t a big city with mass transit. I cannot even buy a cheaper car with no job and no money. Right now, I simply worry about repo men coming to take it back. (Not right now... but sooner or later) We keep the water bill down. We are all about water conservation. The bill is usually less than $20 a month. The trash bill is only around $40 every other month. There is nothing I can do about that. We try to keep the electricity down. I mentioned the other day that we have an all-electric house. We have not run the air in a couple of months. We have never turned on the heater. Of course, it is getting colder and I worry about the amount of electricity the heater might use. We have a wood burning stove, but I don't have the money for the firewood. My mom got us some wood and we used some and found that the stove works very well to keep the main part of the house warm. We use energy efficient bulbs and turn off lights. I have the cheapest plan the cable company offers. It includes cable, Internet and phone. I thought about turning it off, but the phone and Internet are needed in my job hunt. If I do not “bundle” it ends up costing nearly as much for two services as it does for three. Besides, the kids would really miss the TV. Truthfully, so would I. I have very little going for me, TV is all I have. I can’t shut off the cell phones because of the contracts and besides we have given out those numbers for jobs. (Same with the house phone) Finally, the insurance just went down $20, and you cannot be without insurance.
So I cannot get reduce my bills, but I cannot pay them either. I have been barely scraping by until now, but bills return every month. This month I have no hope. Soon, one by one, things will be shut off. Eventually, rent will be due again and I have no idea how I will pay it. I am sick of feeling like such a deadbeat. I have had to borrow money from my mom to put gas in my car. I have been known to search the house for change to buy gas or for laundry money. I hate telling my kids no for everything. No movies, no toys, no fun.
I am out of ideas. At this point, it is clear to me that this was a bad idea. I think I need to move somewhere with more opportunity. I need to come up with a new plan. I need to think quickly.
I have an interview today at a place I don’t remember applying to nor do I have any idea what the job is. I do not care; I am still going and intend to do my best to get that job. I have an interview set for next week too. However, most places are cutting back or have budget cuts… There are so many people looking for jobs and so few available.
If I come up with a job in the next week or so, then that is my new plan. If not, God help me, because I am all out of plans.
On Tuesday, America voted for change. Change seems like a good idea for me too. This certainly isn’t working for me.
David and I left our jobs to move. By leaving my job shortly before it finally went bust, I gave up my right to unemployment. David could not get unemployment either. So we had nothing to fall back on. We began a job hunt. We were ready and willing to do anything. We filled out applications. We sent out resumes.
In August, David was hired on at McDonald’s. The hours there have been scarce and erratic. We found out today that they were not giving him hours because they did not think he had a valid food handler’s card. He has had one the entire time. He proved it to them and so they gave him several days next week. He asked them several times since he started what the problem was… why he was not getting any hours. They said nothing.
Late in August, I was hired on cleaning fish tanks at a pet store. The hours were good and the work was easy. It was part time and gave me time to look for better things. Too bad the owner had some issues and she and I unfortunately had to part ways. Even more unfortunately, she refuses to pay me for the time I worked. I am pursuing legal options to get the money. It may take some time.
I have taken tests for county jobs, school district jobs, and federal jobs. I have interviewed at a variety of places. Still no luck. It is draining. I spend everyday scouring the world for job leads. I spend the day sending e-mails and resumes and filling out applications. It is practically a full time job looking for a job. Too bad you don’t get paid to do it.
I am tired of struggling. Each month I panic as each bill comes. I have narrowed it down as much as possible. I have rent, a car payment, a water bill, trash bill, electric bill, cable bill, cell phone bill, and an insurance bill. I considered moving somewhere cheaper, but to rent a place they will want proof of income. When we rented this place, we were technically still employed at the previous places. I thought about selling my car, but I owe a bit more than I could get for it. Besides, how would I get around with no car? This isn’t a big city with mass transit. I cannot even buy a cheaper car with no job and no money. Right now, I simply worry about repo men coming to take it back. (Not right now... but sooner or later) We keep the water bill down. We are all about water conservation. The bill is usually less than $20 a month. The trash bill is only around $40 every other month. There is nothing I can do about that. We try to keep the electricity down. I mentioned the other day that we have an all-electric house. We have not run the air in a couple of months. We have never turned on the heater. Of course, it is getting colder and I worry about the amount of electricity the heater might use. We have a wood burning stove, but I don't have the money for the firewood. My mom got us some wood and we used some and found that the stove works very well to keep the main part of the house warm. We use energy efficient bulbs and turn off lights. I have the cheapest plan the cable company offers. It includes cable, Internet and phone. I thought about turning it off, but the phone and Internet are needed in my job hunt. If I do not “bundle” it ends up costing nearly as much for two services as it does for three. Besides, the kids would really miss the TV. Truthfully, so would I. I have very little going for me, TV is all I have. I can’t shut off the cell phones because of the contracts and besides we have given out those numbers for jobs. (Same with the house phone) Finally, the insurance just went down $20, and you cannot be without insurance.
So I cannot get reduce my bills, but I cannot pay them either. I have been barely scraping by until now, but bills return every month. This month I have no hope. Soon, one by one, things will be shut off. Eventually, rent will be due again and I have no idea how I will pay it. I am sick of feeling like such a deadbeat. I have had to borrow money from my mom to put gas in my car. I have been known to search the house for change to buy gas or for laundry money. I hate telling my kids no for everything. No movies, no toys, no fun.
I am out of ideas. At this point, it is clear to me that this was a bad idea. I think I need to move somewhere with more opportunity. I need to come up with a new plan. I need to think quickly.
I have an interview today at a place I don’t remember applying to nor do I have any idea what the job is. I do not care; I am still going and intend to do my best to get that job. I have an interview set for next week too. However, most places are cutting back or have budget cuts… There are so many people looking for jobs and so few available.
If I come up with a job in the next week or so, then that is my new plan. If not, God help me, because I am all out of plans.
On Tuesday, America voted for change. Change seems like a good idea for me too. This certainly isn’t working for me.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Happy Birthday David
David says he feels old. It occurred to him this morning that he could go into a bar and order anything he wanted and they would sell it to him. That is what old people do.
This morning we went to vote. The voting place is at a mobile home park in the rec center. It was filled with plenty of old folks. Why are polling places always filled with old folks? The lines were not too long. I understand that later in the day the polling places were more crowded. I guess people were going after work and such. I hope that all of you went out and voted. Well, all of you Americans. I know I have a few readers from other countries and I do not suppose they had voting today. By this time tomorrow, we should know who our next president will be. (Probably by later tonight…)
I spent most of the day at home. I cleaned the house, did some job hunting, and baked a cake for David. He got a nice day planner from his dad and card. When the girls got home, we made homemade pizza. I have made pizza before. However, this time I made the dough from scratch. It was so good. Pizza Hut should start to worry. Here is a picture of one of my pizzas. This one is half everything (Sausage, Pepperoni, Green Peppers, and Onion) and the other half is just cheese. I made four pizzas. The other ones had plain cheese, just sausage and an everything pizza. It is a chilly, windy day. My house is drafty. We have finally used our wood burning stove. It keeps the living room and dining room warm. We have many throw blankets to cover up with. We can wear slippers and sweaters. I am trying to avoid the heater. The house is all electric and I am afraid of the electric bill if I run the heater. Electric heaters can use a lot of electricity.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Sit On It
See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die
This video has been all over today. Even if you are a McCain backer, you gotta love Andy and Opie and Richie and the Fonz. Seriously, does Henry Winkler age? It's a little blast from the past. Also, many of you may have noticed the video at the top of my page. Watch it and remember to vote. Who you vote for is your business, but do it. I am leaving it up there until Election Day.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen Things I Learned About Apple Valley
1. It takes 17,256 lbs of fertilizer to fertilize all of the parks in the Town of Apple Valley one time.
2. There are 18 traffic signals owned or maintained by the Town of Apple Valley.
3. The Town of Apple Valley is 78 square miles.
4. There are 30,000 gallons of water in the Civic Center pool.
5. Roy Rodgers and Dale Evans moved to Apple Valley in 1965 and lived here until their deaths. They are buried in Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Apple Valley.
6. Apple Valley was officially incorporated November 28, 1988.
7. In the 1920s, Yucca Loma Ranch in Apple Valley was a getaway for the rich and famous. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were frequent guests.
8. There are 9 regular elementary schools in Apple Valley. There are 3 regular middle schools and 2 regular high schools. There are other various magnet schools, continuation schools, and adult schools in the Apple Valley School District.
9. Apple Valley is at an elevation of 3,000 feet above sea level.
10. There are 15 public parks located in the Town of Apple Valley.
11. The series Sky King was filmed here in the 1950's.
12. Part of the new movie, Eagle Eye, with Shia LaBeouf was filmed in Apple Valley.
13. Cuba Gooding Jr. went to Apple Valley High School.
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