Concert Tee Day

Rick Springfield's Working Class Dog Tour Tee, 1981

Today is Wear Your Favorite Rock Band Tee Shirt day here at the office.  Later, we'll have cake for all the February birthdays.  Wearing funny theme shirts and celebrating birthdays are nice ways to end each month.

I began reflecting on some of the artists I've seen in concert through the years:

• David Bowie
• Sting
• Rod Stewart
• Three-Dog Night
• The Moody Blues
• Julian Lennon
• A-Ha
• Glen Campbell
• Jackson Browne
• The Doobie Brothers
• Melissa Manchester
• Neil Diamond
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• Rick Springfield
• Men At Work
• Arlo Guthrie

That's an eclectic list, isn't it? There may be a few more that I can't remember.  (Okay, there are probably quite a few more I can't remember!  I'm going to go out on a limb and say that some concerts are more memorable than others.)

I'm a big fan of a few of these, and remember attending a few of these concerts with friends who were big fans.  Some of the best shows out of the list?  David Bowie and Neil Diamond are among my favorites.  Their shows were terrific.

There are also lots of groups I wish I could have seen.  How about you?  Who have you seen in concert?  Who do you wish you could have seen?

Later today I'm going to go around the office and take photos of the concert tees everyone is wearing.  So far I've seen a few good ones... I'll be sharing with you next week, so stay tuned.

Have a terrific weekend!

Working Class Dog, 1981

Dinner and Theatre

Peggy and her Dad

My friend Peggy and I dragged her father, who is now visiting here from the frozen wastes of Ohio, to the theatre this past weekend.  We went to see the Whittier Community Theatre's current production of Johnny Guitar, which is still playing for the next two weekends (see my post of February 3, 2015).

Peggy's dad is a great guy.  He very cheerfully submitted to a dinner of hole-in-the-wall Chinese food.  

Actually, what I ordered wasn't too bad!  There was orange chicken and green beans.

Orange Chicken with green beans - yum!

For dessert there was a very deeply philosophical fortune cookie...

The ubiquitous Fortune Cookie

... because all fortune cookies are...

and hot chili sauce.

Chili Sauce - my favorite!

I love spicy foods.

But that's not the point.  I think the point is, going out for dinner and off to the theatre with friends is a lot of fun, no matter how posh.

Yours Truly at the Chinese eatery

In case you hadn't noticed, this tiny Chinese place we went to is NOT posh, but they serve decent, inexpensive food.

And it's fast.  We are always running late, and an eight o'clock curtain comes quickly sometimes.

Peggy and her father in the City's Center Theatre

We made it just in time to enjoy the show, and we did ENJOY the show.  Johnny Guitar was funny.

Really, really FUNNY.  

The principals of Johnny Guitar:
Jay Miramontes, Mallory Kerwin and Matt Berardi

It's also a musical, and the music was terrific.  We felt well entertained.

If you get a chance, y'all come on over to Whittier on one of the next two weekends and see this show!  Y' hear?

Prominent Canadian Artist Fred!

Untitled, Dec 2014

Everyone is an artist at five years old, someone once said.  I suspect that's true of all of us, even you!

Fred is five and a half.  (Have you noticed that once you hit, like, 21, you never add the "half" any more?  Why is that?)

Fredrik, the balloon artist

My great nephew, Fred, is quite the artist.  I really enjoy his art, too!  I see the Lego and, perhaps, some angry bird influences in his work.

He recently had a showing at his home in Canada.

The Red Bird Bandit
I love the smile behind the artwork!

The colors are bold, the forms are simple, and the execution is quite striking.

What do you think?  I'd say it's Expressionism at its most basic.

Lego in Blue

When was the last time you put a crayon, colored marker, drawing pencil or some paints to paper?

Have you fostered your inner child creativity lately?

What are you waiting for?

Sabrina's Birthday

Happy Birthday, Sabrina!
L to R: Carmen, Sabrina and Laura

One of the fun things we do as an office is celebrate birthdays.  We recently got together to tell Sabrina we are very happy she was born!  Oh, yes, we also had lunch!

Lunch was at a local eatery known as the Thai House.

Barbara and Carmen

The Thai House has really good Pad Thai and other yummy things for lunch!  We had a good time with all the ladies from the office.

I love these women!  They are beautiful, bright and very kind.  I enjoy spending my days with them.

Nikita, Ivy and Ana

Historically, it's only been the marketing ladies that got together for lunch, or sometimes the marketing and admin ladies.  However, we've expanded our group to include the planners and engineers.  That makes it more fun.

Say Cheese!
L to R: Nikita, Ivy, Ana and Veronica

Veronica recently announced she is expecting a baby in August!  She and her husband, Evan, are very excited about the news.  (I am too!  I love babies!)

Veronica and I hamming it up for the camera

I had a shrimp Pad Thai for lunch that was great.  You can see by our clothing that it's been fairly warm around here.  It's been a very mild winter.  The day we went for lunch it was beautiful, moderately warm and sunny.

Trying to capture the moment!

I always become the annoying woman with the camera on these occasions, but I can't help it!  I must have photos for this blog, you know.  I'm so happy that Barbara helped by taking some photos of her own.

Sabrina is a highly talented graphic artist.  She's also one of those truly, naturally funny ladies that just make you laugh.  I love being around her!

Hope you enjoyed your birthday celebration, Sabrina.  I sure did!

Happy Birthday, my friend!

Jack the Cat and the Stink-Eye

Jack just hanging out 

My cat Jack is a funny guy.  He is very laid back and sweet.  He's so sweet and kind and funny I sometimes forget he's a cat.  (No offense to cats everywhere, but you know how bossy and opinionated cats can be!  They think they're always right and have an extremely high opinion of themselves.

Not that they're completely wrong.  Cats are pretty awesome.

However, every now and then, he reminds me who is really in charge of our household.

Like the morning Jack decided I needed to move to the couch because it was his turn to sit in the comfy armchair.

Stand Back!
Jack giving me the stink-eye

I got the stink-eye on that one, until I moved out of the chair! (Yeah, I'm a pushover!)

Phew!  I won't make that mistake again.  That's a rather scary expression. That's a "you know I could easily kill you with one swipe of my ittle widdle paw" expression.

Most of the time, my little Jack is content to be my sweet cuddle-bunny.  That's just fine with me. I have to remind myself that we all have occasional bad days, don't we Jack?

Jack in a better mood, smiling for the camera

I can't complain about Jack.  He takes pretty good care of me on a daily basis. He makes me laugh. I'm lucky to have him around.  ...And that stink-eye is rather effective when it comes to scaring away monsters and boogey-men!  

Wherever you are, Jack and I wish you a lovely weekend!

Happy Chinese New Year!

A sheep

photo from Wikipedia

Today marks Chinese New Year!  So, Happy New Year, everybody!

This year is either the year of the Sheep, Ram or Goat - I don't think anybody can figure that part out. So, I think you should be able to choose what works for you.  What do you think?

Enjoy your day!

Chinese symbols taken from the website: www.Taiwanese-secrets.com

In case you forget..

The view from Donna's Connecticut home window

Those are some killer icicles!

I keep forgetting that half the world is still experiencing a tough winter!

Fog on the way to work

We had some fog the other day.  Does that count?

Somehow... I don't think Donna in Connecticut would agree!

Snow in Connecticut

Stay safe and warm, everyone!

Angels in Spring

Angel, Desiree's kitty, sitting in the middle of the bird feeder

I hope everyone had a lovely Presidents' Day holiday!  I know I did.  Jack and I had a great time together. The weather is warm and sunny and delightful here in Southern California. Up in the Pacific Northwest, my friend Desiree says spring has started poking through the winter cold and rain.

Here, it's in the 80s.  Up there it's been in the mid-60s, so the very first flowers of spring have bloomed.

Desiree says her blooming violets are a sure sign that the Fairies are active!

Violets bursting forth on the back lawn

While it's been a mild winter so far, Desiree reports she and her neighbors are bracing for a late spring ice storm.  It's easy to get complacent when you have a mild winter, but the Pacific Northwest is notorious for late spring snow and ice storms!

The tragedy, says Desiree, is that the spring flowers get coaxed out into bloom only to be wiped out by these types of storms - then there are no flowers again until June or July.  She's keeping her fingers crossed this year that they cruise right on into a warm and sunny spring and summer.

Meanwhile, on her front lawn, a single Snow Drop has pushed her slender head up at the feet of Desiree's Welcome Angel.

A lone snowdrop ventures forth at the feet of the Welcome Angel

Now, let's take another look at Angel, the kitty.  You may notice she's sitting in the middle of the bird feeder!

Angel

I think Angel is convinced that little shaded platform is for her, and she's just wondering where all those pesky birds are! Kitties are so funny. I can imagine the conversation:  Hey, look at me!  I'm here! Where are you guys?  I want to play!

Angel, they're hiding!  The birds won't come if you are sitting there!

Really?  Why not?  Why are they hiding?  I want to play!

Angel, sweetheart, the birds are not going to come out while you are sitting there!

I don't understand.  I'm adorable.

Thanks, Desiree, for sharing your photos with us!  

(And please give Angel a hug from me and Jack!)

Where Did Winter Go?

My friend Bianca

Today I drove to work in sunshine and wearing a short sleeved shirt.  It will be in the 80s today.  Winter never really hit Southern California this year and even though we got some rain, it wasn't enough to put a dent in our vast deficit of water resources.  We are still in a drought situation and it looks like our winter is over for this year.

All these things made me a little sad as I came to work

Then I saw the photos of my friend Bianca and started smiling.

Bianca is turning 3 on Tax Day this year (April 15th).  She doesn't let anything get her down.  She is a happy little girl, interested in everything around her.  The photos above show her checking out her rain gear on one of the few rainy days we had around here last month.

Jeffrey and Belle

These are Bianca's doggies, Jeffrey and Belle.  They are adorable.  They kinda make me smile, too.

Hope you have something to smile about today.  

Have a terrific - and lucky - Friday the 13th!

TBT: My Family

Anne, Jay, Marianne and Glenn

Hi!  It's Throw-Back Thursday!  And to celebrate throw-back Thursday, today I'm posting this photo of my family taken back in (I'm guessing here) 1967 or '68.

I'll further venture a guess that this photo was taken at my cousin Elaine's wedding reception in Durango, Colorado, but I'm not positive about that.

My mother performing with Cousin Karen at the piano

In any event, my mother sang.  She sang a lot.  She was a beautiful woman with the voice of an angel.  Had she not married my Dad, she would have been on the concert stage in her home country of Norway.

Cousin Karen was also, and is still, an outstanding musician.

I loved taking trips with my family when I was a kid.  We would talk and laugh and sing in the car.

Good times.

Have a great day!

Celebrating KOA Style

Veronica and Laura getting photo-bombed by an unidentified hand
This photo makes me laugh!

I should have posted these photos with the blog about our company's tee shirt day, but it seemed like overload at the time.  On the last Friday of January, a day we were also enjoying Team Tee Shirt day, we celebrated all the January birthdays in the office.

As we were already wearing our team jerseys, it was a festive day.  Okay, maybe festive isn't the word.  It was a bit of a goofy day.  But nice.

Brian blows out his candle, while (L to R) Albert, Ana, Eric, Barbara and Anthony look on

We do have fun together as a company.  There was a lot of silliness as each of the January birthday people, Albert, Brian, Erica and Barbara, took turns blowing out one candle each.

Dodds had a "Team" shirt with pretty colors
I complimented him on the shirt before I saw what it was advertising on the back!  (You don't want to know)

 The cake was good!

Frank G's team tee got left out of the last post, too!
I have no idea why.  I really liked this shirt.

We enjoy birthdays in our office.

The cake.  It was chocolate.  'Nuff said.

This is our boss, Joel, (below) supervising the festivities.  He has really been making an effort to promote fun things that will produce more camaraderie in the workplace.  I think it's working.

Joel

We've got a good group, though. It doesn't take much to get us going.                                          

Barbara claimed she didn't want to cut the cake this time, as it was her birthday
She usually does all the cake cutting

This was a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.  Nice.

Ben and Ana are checking out Jimmy's Kansas City Chief tee-shirt while Sabrina eyes the cake

We are serious about our desserts at KOA.

Sisters Barbara and Veronica
These are great women!

We laugh a lot, too!  Really.  It just doesn't always look like it in the photos.  I should have taken more photos of everyone amped up on sugar AFTER the cake was cut and distributed.

I love my co-workers.  They are a great bunch of people to spend your days with!  This coming month end (Friday the 27th) will be another tee-shirt day... favorite bands this time!  I wonder what people will wear!  I guess it's time to launder those old Rock Concert tees!

Hope you're having a great day!

Snow Angels

Digging out after a snow storm with a shovel is slow going!

On January 28th I posted a blog about my friend Donna measuring the two feet of snow at her house in Connecticut.  Well, digging out from such a storm is a tough job.  I read where there has now been even more snow back East.

All this makes me feel slightly guilty.  They are predicting temps in the high 80s for the greater Los Angeles area over the next week.  So, no snow here!

Brother Twelves and his snow blower to the rescue!

Well, what do you do with more than two feet of snow?  You start digging yourself out with your snow shovel.

Donna resignedly got her snow shovel and began digging out the driveway.

She had gotten as far as the oak tree in her front yard, when this guy pulled up, pulled a snow blower out of his truck and started in on her driveway!

She was far enough away, she couldn't tell who it was and finally called out, "Do I know you?"

It turned out, she did!  To her surprise it was Brother Twelves from her church (she is LDS).  Brother Twelves got his snow blower into action and announced more helpers were on the way.

Working hard!

Soon a whole bunch of "angels" showed up to help.  This included Brother Haglund with his two little boys (Quinlin and Alistair), two full-time missionaries (an Elder Fish and his companion), and Aaron, one of the teens in the Ward (congregation).

Getting into the spirit of things!

With all of them working together, the work went along quickly.

Of course, kids and snow are a recipe for fun, so Alistair and Quinlin couldn't resist doing somersaults and playing a little game of King of the Mountain!

Playing in the snow

Donna said it was a delight to watch the little boys enjoying the snow so much!  (It looks like fun!  I remember what that was like from my childhood in snow country!)

King of the hill!

It didn't take much time for the group to get everything taken care of.

With so many helping hands, the driveway and sidewalks were cleared in no time at all!

The group then trooped off to go help other members of their Ward who were snowed in.

Donna's home after the angels left

Truly, they were Snow Angels!

Thanks for sharing your story and photos, Donna!  Stay warm!