Happy New Year!

Happy 2010 New Year!

I still can't believe it's New Year's Eve. It's not much of a deal here, seems like everyone is bunked up after Christmas but I like to celebrate it and celebrate it we shall!

We had a feast. Could not even eat it all. A party of two was great. When the New Year arrives we are going to play the flute and beat the pans to make noise.

Anyway, Happy New Year!

Pondering

He would look good in this shirt.

Why do we celebrate Christmas?

Seriously, to me it's more like a regular holiday, which basically means just day off and that is a good thing. But all the fuss and commercial overtones? It's not a Christmas as much as it is Giftmas and you of course are supposed to buy all your gifts for friends and relatives at the mall.

The amount of junk at the malls are overwhelming and it's all same ol' same ol'. The funny thing, you can't even buy what you want. How do I know? Well, I wanted to buy a pair of walking shoes. I had my mind settled on Reabok and there were no shoes available in my size or at most, there would be just one pair but either wrong colour or model or something. I have one of the most common sizes of shoes and I went there twice and they never replaced the stock. I was very disappointed.

Free Turkey

Free Food! (Tomasito photo, 2009)

We had the fun of going out for Turkey Day dinner at the Free Feed for Everybody "do" at the church/school located right below our apartment (we're on a steep hillside!).

The name of the Church/School is "Light and Life" which just about covers all the good stuff.

At the feed I was faced with The Vegetarian's Dilemma: Free Turkey!

I fell off the wagon and it was VERY tasty!

Only once a year is OK, NO?

That was a couple of days ago and today the first good rain of the winter was falling here all night long--so extra-nice here in the desert of Southern California!

Good.

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New Game

I ordered a new game on internet and it arrived in 2 days! The funny part is that even with a shipping it was still less expensive than ordering in retail store.

So far it's good. Lots of guesswork though in spite of the fat that it's supposed to be a murder mystery investigstion.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We wish you a jolly Halloween
from Alice, Tom and Monty the Tree Monster!

Monster Mash

Halloween is right around the corner and we've got a good song. This Monster Mash is a classic that deserves listening.

Palomar Mountain

Gosh, it's been a while since we went someplace. I've been working and it's not easy to get out. This picture makes winter look very attractive: blue clear sky, a pine tree and snow on the ground.

Rancho Guajome Adobe

Rancho Guajome Adobe

Rancho Guajome Adobe is one of the historic landmarks from the old days of California. They are not quite as old as missions but they present us with the slice of life that people had at that time.

The rancho is quite a magnificent house with everything you can think of. It's not a castle but it is surrounded by big piece of land where the cattle grazed. They had their own smithy, stables and the like. The interesting part was the size of the rooms. They actually were rather small, even the biggest room in the house: the sitting room. But the most astonishing thing were the beds: they would fit a modern child but they would be far too little for an average adult. Of course there were no "proper" bathrooms either but they did had a bathtub that was tiny. We indeed are very lucky to have all the modern conveniences.

The Sewing Room in the Attic

Perhaps the best room in the house was a little workshop, a sewing room that was situated in the attic. That was the only second storey room in the whole house, other than that it was a typical Spanish style rancho with inner courtyard and all the rooms opening into it. But from this attic one can enjoy a magnificent distant view.

The Inner Courtyard with a Fountain

We were fortunate enough to have a self-guided tour as there were just three people total visitors at that time. It is an interesting relic of California history and if you have a chance I urge you to visit this adobe.

An Eery Sight

I looked out of my bedroom window late at night and happened to see a huge monster mask. I managed to take a picture (not easy in the dark but it turned out pretty good). It was really a creepy sight and we still have one month before Halloween.

Update. Actually if you look closer, you will see that there is a second mask inside the big one. Now how's that for a Halloween? And the best part? It beats all the artificially made masks that you can buy in the store. It is a perfect illusion. The monster is not spooly anymore but feels more like a buddy now.

Apricot Bars

This evening we enjoyed scrumptious apricot bars. I managed to take a picture before they disappeared.

How to Motivate Yourself

I just found a great video about how to motivate yourself. And, yes, it worked. I just cleaned up my messy desk!

Ronald McDonald and Someone

New Friend in Escondido (Tanya photo, 2009)

I had just arrived in the flourishing southern California Townlet of Escondido and had parked my yellow truck in the spacious parking lot of a McDonald's--what do they call it? Fast food place? Restaurant? Cafe? Anyway, you know what I mean since they are literally EVERYWHERE.

I was hardly out of my pretty truck when this odd gentleman in blue tee-shirt and green shorts (Photo above) scampered across the asphalt and asked if I would allow him to get a photo with me!

Me, of all people! As if I was some kind of celebrity!!

Honestly, with all the REAL celebrities in southern California you would think he would find Brad Pitt or someone--but no! He asks ME!

Well, of course, I didn't want to upset him--he probably mistook me for someone else and actually all I really wanted was to get away and get a hamburger.

So I said YES and the lady (very nice) with him snapped a shot.

Then he even had the nerve to remark to me that my MAKEUP was PERFECT! I mean REALLY!! I wasn't even WEARING any makeup and told him so!

People can be SO impertinent--when ALL my FAMILY has elegant pale skin and NATURAL red FLUFFY hair!

Ronald


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Qigong for Health

Book Cover, Qigong Series by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming

I would like to pass along some information which I believe is beneficial to the health.

During my recent bad back episode, when I was flattened by pain and reduced to crawling around the apartment--Tanya brought several books home with helpful hints for back pain sufferers for me to read.

I especially liked the Pilates book and owe some of my quick recovery to the simple exercises from the first chapters of that very fine book.

But one good book she brought was a little too much for me to get interested in at that time--but now that I have had a chance to read some of it more carefully--I want to recommend it to you.

The cover is copied above--we checked it out from our local library and I think the philosophy and the exercises recommended by Dr. Yang are probably the most beneficial to the improvement of general health I have come across in a long time.

Dr. Yang compares Chinese and Western medical attitudes and practices in a very comprehensive way (for a short book) and I find it most helpful.

I intend to use the exercises and the philosophy (CHI movement, etc.) and will keep you informed as to my progress.

Oceanside CA Pier

Oceanside Pier Fishing. (Tomasito photo, 2009)

All along the long Oceanside Pier people were fishing--and catching fish!

No license is required and you can rent poles. tackle and bait right on the pier!

There was a bit of excitement at the end of the pier when a shark was seen but we heard that sharks, manta rays and few other dangerous fish hang around the pier --and we also learned that the fish caught in the shallow surf near shore are different from those caught in deeper water at the end of the pier--it is that long.

There was a cool breeze blowing--so being ON the pier was very good!

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Oceanside Beach

View from Oceanside Pier. (Tanya photo, 2009)

As you see from the photo above. we were not alone on the beach!

School is out and the surf was up--not too much, but just right for a lazy summer afternoon.

Military youth from Camp Pendelton were busily spending their stateside pay at the barber shops, the bistros and the bars and everybody was having fun. Even though the streets near the beach were jammed with cars, the drivers seemed to be fairly generous with the crowds of pedestrians--and though it was very warm--well, hot--I didn't notice anybody losing their tempers.

And my BACK is almost back to normal and I was with Tanya--so it was pretty nearly a perfect day!

You too!

Tomasito 2009


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.

Oceanside, CA. July

The Pier, Oceanside, CA. July 2009 (Tomasito photo)

We wanted to have the experience of taking the little Sprinter train which runs every half hour daily from here, Escondido, to Oceanside where one can catch the far bigger Coaster train to literally anywhere train tracks run on this continent--but firstly to San Diego (south) or Los Angeles (north).

Our Sprinter is mainly a commuter's train.

The route of this fine, up-to-date little train connects all the small communities on it's way to the coast and the price is very reasonable--$2 per person one way 0r $1 for senior citizens. It's nice and clean (zero graffiti or vandalized seats!), it's quiet and it's air conditioned--and parking at the Escondido terminal is FREE.

The one hour trip is a breeze--and it's so much fun NOT to be driving on the usually jammed freeways.

When you reach the Oceanside terminal you can walk two blocks and you will see the view above--and you don't have to TRY to find a parking place--and then PAY for it--which frustrating and expensive chores can really take the edge off a pleasant day at the beach.

Not bad for a Southern California Sunday in July, by golly!

Tomasito, 2009


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Back Pain Relief

I mentioned in my previous post a book titled Back Pain Relief by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. It is the best book of all three. He promotes Qigong training pretty much for everything but this book accentuates Qigong for back pain relief. The first part is general Qigong theory pretty much the same as in his other books. Then there is a chapter on anatomy of the back and all possible back diseases (you don't want to know that much). Finally there are movements to relieve backpain and build up your torso.

There is also some "fun stuff" like acupressure massage to relieve the pain.

As you might have guessed the book is very detailed and designed for use without any Qigong master's supervision. The theory is presented very clearly, the movements are all accompanied by photographs and are easy to follow.

His exercises are different from those presented in the other books mentioned in the previous posts. They are also the best ones to practice if you are interested in prevention (yes, it is possible not to have any backpain).

Books for Backpain

If you have a backpain (no matter how severe), I have found some books that contain very good exercises designed to prevent and relieve the backpain. These books explain the theory and practice behind the backpain so I won't go into it here.

They are all extremely practical and you can start using methods described there right from the start.

So, 3 books recommended for your reading if you are experiencing (or want to prevent) backpain.

1. Backache: What Exercises Work. Breakthrough Relief for the rest of Your life---Even After Everything Else Has failed by Dava Sobel and Arthur C. Klein

2. Banish Back Pain the Pilates Way by Anna Selby

3. Back Pain Relief. Chinese Qigong for Healing and Prevention by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming

Mooing

Bro Joaquin Whitewolf and Tomasito. (Tanya photo)

Back in April 2008, when I was staring a new blog, I posted a poem I made up a few years ago which I think just about says it all--I posted it and more or less forgot it--but today I was reviewing some of the older things I have put into my blogs and came across it again.

Here it is as first posted in my ahimasland blog:

April 24, 2008

Poemito

Hello.
For today I have a nice poemito for you. I hope you like it. It's called:

MOOING

Then what shall we do?
Let’s go out and moo!
If we’re asked what we’ve been doing,
We can say that we’ve been mooing!

That's the "poemito"--so far so good--BUT I missed the comments! (As follows:)

2 comments:

I totally MISSED this great comment poem by Bro Joaquin Whitewolf and it reminded ME again to Moooooooo a little EVERY DAY! (Far better than Geritol!)

!Gracias Hermano Joaquin!

Tomasito, 2009


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Lazarus, Come Forth

Me Emerging. (Tanya Photo)

Outside in the sun again for a short time after three weeks of wriggling, crawling, tottering and now--finally--walking!

Not QUITE dead, but almost as good as--or as bad as.

BACK pain is NOT NICE!

I look around at the sunny world and find it good. Escondido GOOD!

GREAT to be BACK!!

Tomasito with Thanks to Tanya!


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Goodies

And they say there is no Santa Claus.

Well, it was not exactly Santa visiting but we've got a completely surprise visit from our next door neightbour who brought us some good stuff. Some items were old and antique quality, others were from the goodwill store to where they will shortly return...

Anyway, it was so much fun. Among the things we've got are a spice rack, a box that smells like incense, 2 brass holders, 2 wooden cups (monkey paws), 2 orange dice, an old (but working) telephone, an answering machine (Casio!), a bunch of old audiotapes and a big TV set. How about that? Our good neighbour is moving. And we did not even know the guy very well, just chatted a couple of times.

I'll post the picture of some goodies tomorrow. Until then.

To The Beach

I wanted to see the famous County Park Encinitas beach. It looked good on the map. I might have been there about 10 years ago but I don't remember. So we drove there.

The beach was actually very nice. The water was worm that day and there were lots of surfers there. There is a winding path leading down. You can watch the surfers riding the waves.

Now Encinitas is a very strange town, unlike most of them. It has merchant's row running along the coastal Highway 101. There you have yoga studios, fancy (and not so) cafes, restaurants, gift shops, you name it. There are also some small businesses situated on quiet residential strees, a block towards the ocean from the main highway. And there are some streets with prosperous houses build along the coast, a block or two from the ocean.

That's all we used to see. However, if you take one of the streets going inland, you'll discover that the rest of Encinitas is just an ordinary small American towns. No fancy shops, the usual chains like McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Supercuts and the rest of the, There are like 3 or 4 dealerships in the town that small. People sure love their cars. The streets are wide and there are parking lots with plenty of space.

(Sigh) But then, that's all there is there, isn't' it? People want convenience and that means driving the car to your destination and walk as little as possible. I presently work in the town that consists of nothing but huge shoppping centers that are built in a row: one after another with no space in between. That town used to be cow pastures not so long ago. Old time residents still remember that.

A town with no history.

Folk Art

Orange Peel Flower on Lettuce Leaf. Vallarta Supermarket Deli Department, Escondido, CA.
(Tomasito Photo)

Art by ordinary people is such a pleasure to see.

I absolutely LOVE it when someone--like a delicatessen butcher--decorates his work (like meatloaf in the above photo!) with handmade creations--don't you?

It gives me a feeling of hope in our prefabricated, prepackaged, more and more sterile world.

Life is short--use it creatively.

Bosses, your employees are human beings--let them express themselves in the ways they find beautiful even when they are on the clock and some of their happiness might come back to even you!

Tomasito 2009


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Quail Gardens

Rain Forest Area

Quail Gardens is a botanical garden in Encinitas, CA. It is very big. The tickets are quite pricey, which is kind of funny considering it's a non-profit organization. I have noticed lately that "non-profit" means expensive. They have one day free (you still have to pay the parking fee but it's only a dollar).

Anyway, there was quite a crowd there. I guess not many people want to pay full price. While the garden is big and has lots of different plants subdivided into regions by countries, continents and climatic areas like rain forest, tropical, etc. the majority of plants were not very well marked and that was disappointing. I have noticed the same thing in Turtle bay Park in Redding (another non-profit) though and its garden was much, much smaller.

Anyway, it's a good place to spend a couple of hours. But I would not like to pay $10 to see it.

The Last of the Beans

These are Anasazi beans. They look a little like black-eye beans.

This is a picture of the three Anasazi beans. They have a curious history. The beans were found by one of Tom's distant relatives who lives in the desert and likes to explore the land. Thank you, Gary. He sent us these ancient beans but since we have no land to grow them we send them to our friend Jerry who owns a small ranch. He planted them and they grew and produced the next crop of beans. These three beans are from this crop. Then we decided to send the rest of the beans to another relative who is a farmer. Well, sort of. He is interested in organic farming and actually lives on a farm.

These three beans were taken out of this batch. They will probably grow. I migh actually plant them and see what happens. The amazing fact is that the original beans are probably at least 70 year old and they grew. Bean are one of the easiest plants to grow and they almost always produce some crop. Even ancient Indian beans did.

The Best Salesman in the World

Hey, I sold some stuff today at work!

For most of you it's probably not a big deal, but for me it is. I upgraded 3 services just by talking to clients. The interesting thing is that they would not buy it until you talked to them. Today I was on the roll. Some day you talk to them and they don't want to buy. Other days you say the same thing and they buy. So if you try to sell and see no success, just continue the next time. Some days are better than others. Besides, it's the numbers game, anyway.

The book with the title that I put in the post headline is pretty cool. Anther good one is The Richest Man in Babylon. But nothing actually helps except practicing your skills again and again.

Take care.

Back Pain

My blog partner Tom got a really bad backache so he won't be updating his blogs for a while. He had this pain in the back before with about once a year frequency but each time it gets worse. So keep your spine flexible. Spine is a real tree of life.

Cars, Cars, Cars, Cars...

Cars and Freeways, San Diego, CA. (Tomasito photo)
(Please click photo for detail)

Cars, cars and more cars.

Being in cars for hours every day is so much a southern California thing that distances here are given in time instead of miles.

Example: "San Diego is 30 minutes from Escondido." (If traffic allows.)

It is NOT considered odd to commute from El Cahon (12 minutes North of San Diego) to Escondido (30 minutes East of San Diego) every working day, as one of our new friends does.

("You get used to it." she says.)

What IS considered odd here is to consider people who drive the freeway for hours every week odd!

Freeway driving--commuting back and forth to work is normal. Two or three cars per family is normal. It is part of the essential "American way of life" which our armies are presently willing to die for here and there around the planet.

What is considered freaky odd here is to WANT to work NEAR the place where you sleep--to walk or bike to work instead of drive.

Coming out of San Diego there is a place on Highway 15 sixteen lanes wide if I counted right--and traffic on all lanes moving bumpertobumpertobumper at at least 65 miles per hour.

And this is considered normal??

This IS considered normal!!

Tomasito


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Wilderness Gardens

Wilderness Gardens is a park situated about 5 mils east of Pala, which is an Indian reservation. The park itself is not on Indian land, however.

The park is very desolate. There are some great trails to walk. They are all of moderate lenght, less than 1 mile but they continue and branch off from each other.

So is this park worth visiting? I think so. It's very dry and not many visitors there. You can see lots of typical wild plants of Southern California. There is San Luis Rey river running right through the gardens. Well, the name gardens is actually an exaggeration. So is the river. There is no river there but rather a dry river bed which I presume gets filled in the winter after rainy days.

One of the trails is full of horse flies so be sure to wear proper clothes.

There is also a pond in these "gardens" which you can't see because of cattails.

The landscapes are beautiful and there are some trees and unusual plants to break the monotony.

It's rather an unusual place. Yes and cacti were blooming while we were there.

Too Many Babies

Swarming Time in California

Us

I know as well as you do that you CAN'T say anything bad about children.

In fact children are about the only sacrosanct topic left.

You can say all you want about how cute and how dear and how wonderful and precious they are--

But you CAN'T say there are just too many of them! (Oh my, did I say that!?)

A politician can kiss as many babies as she wants--but she better not say anything like: "There are just too many babies being born!" if she wants to be elected!

Nope.

She can't say THAT!

And if the freeways are jammed--the food is growing ever more expensive--the water is going to be rationed--there are more and more homeless--the forests are disappearing--the oceans are polluted--and there need to be lots more prisons...

You just can't say: "Enough babies!"

Because babies seem to be the only sacred things left.

And always the more the better.

Well, the "Planet Eaters" (us) do seem to be entering their final swarming stage and the whole human population is quickly approaching the final destruction of the earth's resources.

Save and recycle as we will--there seems to be no way to slow the cancer of the planet--us.

Tomasito


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Fattening Up Dumbing Down

There are so many MORE fat people around now than I remember in my youth that I feel I should send out another notice to the internet community about the problem.

There were NO fast food places when I was a child--they are definitely a phenomenon of the latter part of the twentieth century. It is kind of hard now to believe--but there were no McDonald's or Burger Kings or Round Table Pizzas in all the world!

And for many of us Americans, meat was a once a week treat--Sunday: CHICKEN!

Not a big hamburger every day and some form of meat at every meal!

So big fat people--really big, fat people were very rare.

This morning I watched a huge lady slowly lumber across a street--her buttocks were so big that--well she was more like anther kind of an animal than a human being--more like a pig or a cow--and then it hit me!

She was becoming a pig or cow!

And I could guess from the expression on her face that her brain was not functioning very well either--sort of a dumb look is the best way to describe it.

Then I remembered all the growth hormones and chemicals that are put into the cattle, pigs and chickens which are then consumed in huge quantities by many , many people and it was more clear that these same growth hormones are being passed along to the human eaters of the meat and they are fattening up and dumbing down too!

"You are what you eat!" And if your diet is full of growth hormones, you will definitely grow!

If you're not a vegetarian yet, you will be.

Tomasito, 2009


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Kids at Picnic

Picnic at Felicita Park. (Tanya photo, 2009)


Cinco do Mayo, Escondido, CA, 2009

There are some nice parks in Escondido and one of our favorites is Felicita Park.

It is VERY quiet on weekdays and on weekends it is used a lot by families and parties of people--all kinds of people.

I know it is a lot of fun for the kids--we can always hear them yelling and laughing.

Cinco de Mayo was an especially lively time there for all of us!

Tomasito, 2009


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I got a Job

After a long period I finally got a job. Hooray! It came in a nick of time too as we were running out of money. But now things are finally turning for the better.

Cinco de Mayo

Un Mexicano Borracho!
(Tomasito photo, 2009)

Here's the funny display I mentioned a couple of days ago.

The Mexican beer "Corona" had the great good sense of humor to lampoon their own product with this "typical" dummy figure of a "traditional" Mexican--serape, straw hat and sandals, VERY drunk on "Corona de Mayo" beer!

Now THAT shows good taste and a healthy sense of humor--especially since the biggest customers of Corona beer around here are undoubtedly the latino population.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Tomasito, 2009


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We Went to the Animal Fair...

These guys kindly posed for me. I love the expression on their faces.

The Adventures in the Indian Land

One of the most beautiful parks in Escondido is Felicita County Park that you must pay to get into. Cheapskates and smart people (that is, us) can park a block away and walk in there for free. They don't charge you for being in the park, only if you drive in and most of the day you can even probably get away without paying. But not on weekends: this place is very popular for family picnics and there us usually somebody at the gate charging you admission.

Anyway, we went there a couple of weeks ago and the place was full of Mexican families having picnics all over the park. Yes, there were mainly Mexicans, very few gringos, though of course now and then you will see a gringo.

Anyway, driving past it the other day we saw a huge number of cars parked all over inside the park. Something clicked in my head: this is too many cars even for Mexicans. So the next day curiosity got the better of us and we went in.

Well, our usual parking spot a block away was taken. In fact, there were cars parked literally all over the place so we had to park TWO blocks away. No biggie, though.

Then we walked in and found out what all the fuss was about. I was right, it was not an ordinary Mexican get-together thing. It was

A Renaissance Fair!

Now my only experience with Renaissance Fair before was one in San Luis Obispo. It was fun but nothing really to write home about. The costumes were cool though.

Well, we tried to get in but they wanted money for admission. Well, I hate to admit it but we just did not have the money. So we turned around hoping to get in through the back way. It was not a priority though, we actually did not give a damn whether we get in or not.

So we went to one of the playgrounds and watched a Mexican family have a good time there. We even climbed a couple of kids' ladders ourselves and saw a guy performing pushups on one of the pieces of equipment. Then we went around...

And here we were in the dark and shady grove. Down the slippery slope we went, across the bubbling brook we jumped and lo and behold, in five minutes we were in the Fair. I want to accentuate the fact that we did not do anything illegal, did not climb over the fence or breake any other rule. There was a yellow ribbon prohibiting access across the only footbridge. We wily coyotes did not need the bridge.

The Fair was closing. The best part was that we got to see people in cool costumes and take some pictures. You can see a couple of them here.

What a fine costume! Thank you, dear stranger, for posing.

Don't get any ideas of doing illegal stuff. The method described above takes extreme knowledge of the area and the ability to slide down the slopes. We do not promote any illegal activity.

Beer Palace

Cinco de Mayo Beer Display. (Tomasito photo, 2009)

I have told you that Escondido has become a Mexican town in the last decade--which is fine by us since Mexicans seem to have more fun. We shop at a very nice, clean supermarket a 15 minute walk from our apartment--and lucky for us--it is a big Mexican super market--which means it has a LOT of Mexicanismo!

The name of the place is Vallarta, of course, and as soon as you walk in the door you've crossed the border.

Salsa music instead of Muzak--bright, colorful decorations instead of the usual insipid "buy me" stuff--good smells from the deli department--bakers slapping bollios into shape by hand--big tortilla machine cranking thousands of the flat things out to package in large family-size quantities--cactus leaves and all kinds of chilis as well as the usual great California fruits and vegetables--huge cooking kettles for tamales--saints statues and candles--it's a whole different scene!

The whole place, which operates with as much pizazz and high-tech precision as you would want in a supermarket, is a folk-culture experience.

The prepared meats in the deli have been shaped into little piggie-wees as decoration for example--and the fruit salads have boats and flowers, carved from the same fruits, perched on the trays!

Food as art!

Good for the soul as well as for the tummy.

But the latest display--made up for the coming Cinco de Mayo celebration--is a castle like construction made of pretty cases of beer! It is SO bizarre that I took a photo (above) of the building work--but when I went in for fresh bolillos this morning the construction was finished in such an hilarious way that I had to take another photo--I'll show it to you on May fifth!

You can just wait in suspense (in suspenders as we say) until then!

Tomasito, 2009


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Debit Card Robbery

Fear in Escondido. (Tanya photo, 2009)

An odd thing happened to us last week.

The kind of minor disaster that happens to everybody sometimes it seems--but had never happened to us.

When our bank statement arrived we found that someone had bought something very expensive--almost $2,000 expensive--using our debit card--which had never left our wallet!

The thief or thieves had used our credit card number somehow way up in Fullerton, CA (Which we still don't know where is!) at a Sam's Club--(Which we are not members of!) and made this expensive purchase without even using our four-digit pen number!

The purchase wiped out our checking account and dug into our savings account (which cost us $24 for the automatic overdraft coverage)!

Ouch!

And worst of all left us with not enough money to pay our rent which was due in two days! Stress time and double OUCH!

We went right down to the bank which is now Chase and was Washington Mutual and told them what had happened and very good for us they immediately canceled the card number which the thieves had compromised.

Before the two days before rent due were up Chase also mailed us a new debit card and replenished our account with the amount which the thieves had stolen.

GOOD and THANK YOU, CHASE BANK!

BUT!

HOW were the thieves able to get a card with OUR number on it and use it in a store like Sam's Club in another part of the state from where we live without using a pen number for such a large purchase??

To us "babes in the woods" this smacked of an inside job.

Some bank employee with access to our numbers and confederates in the Sam's Club at Fullerton must have pulled off this robbery without fear of being caught!

And no one is responsible.

I think this type of thing--including big-time theft in very high places--is one of the things that is going to bring this whole country down.

Tomasito, 2009



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First Dollar... I mean Two

Well, I finally got to it. I did some paid surveys. I say, what a pain in the neck. But get this: I made a whopping $2. Two dollars! The minimum payout is $20 though, I don't know if I reach it.

On the other hand... it might be just a beginning. It sure would be nice to make at least $300 a month.

Update. It's a whole $3 bucks now! Anyone join me for a beer?

World Peace

Lake Hodges Shore (Escondido, CA).
Tomasito photo, 2009

Sometimes it seems to me that taking a slow walk around a little lake--scuffing through some sandy places--stepping aside so a few horse riders can pass--avoiding the poison oak but gathering a few wild radish leaves to cook later for dinner--sharing an orange--is really the best thing for World Peace.

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Glass Ranch

Art Patrons Examine Works at Glass Ranch.
(Tomasito photo, 2009)

Yesterday we visited an open house show by a local artist couple--Garry and Cherrie La Porte Cohen.

The exhibition was held at their house which has a nice location in a kind of hippy enclave of what looks to me like "K" Zone (homemade) houses overlooking Hodges Lake on the southwestern end of Escondido town.

Glass Ranch, they say, "is a blend of eclectic vision of glass, metal and nature worth visiting".

I think so.

There was a crowd of about fifty people on the scene to watch a demonstration of glass blowing and to nibble the cheese and crackers, taste the wine and maybe buy something for Mother's Day.

I very much like the fact that these two successful artists hire other talented craftspeople to help them. I also like the fact that their hand made creations are all one of a kind labor intensive artifacts--not imported factory copies.

Tomasito, 2009


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Depression 2009

Me--Brick Wall--Depression USA, 2009. (Tanya photo, 2009)
(Please click on photo for detail.)

So it is in Escondido, CA--April 25, 2009.

"Jobless Rate hits 11.2% in California" is not just a newspaper headline here.

"More than 2 million listed as out of work." is not just a grabber line here.

And all those empty stores in "Old Downtown Escondido" means something here.

OUT OF WORK means no work--no work means no money--no money means no shelter, etc.

Everything comes and goes--that's true as always--but it sure would be nice for something to come for a change!

Tomasito, 2009


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Questhaven... again or the Mystery of an Unassigned House

Open Sesame Trail

Well, since it was nice and cloudy day we decided to go to Questhaven to walk one of their trails. Last time it was too hot there.

Well, we walked a couple of trails. One was supposed to have "roaring waters and waterfalls". It had none since it is not winter and all the water dried out. There was a bunch of boulders though at the end of the trail where one can imagine the water flowing. Very nice.

The trails run through the chaparral hills covered with buckwheat and chamise. There was an old oak tree with a stone bench under it: a so-called meditation area.

There are a couple of trails in order to get to you should ask for a key. But they are very long and uphill and we didn't feel like walking them.

And now I am going to tell you a mystery story. Last time they gave us a map of the premises that showed different buildings marked with numbers 1,2,3, etc. Number 9 was "unassigned". So we naturally assumed that there was a house that was not assigned, in other words an empty house though it was not on the map. We wanted to see it so we asked at the office. The answer will shock you.

Well, maybe not. After all, the thing turned out to be "the thirteenth floor" type prejudice. These people just don't use number nine. The woman in the office parroted some spiel that she evidently memorized without having the least understanding of the whole matter. Pythagoras was duly mentioned of course as well as the "secret" meaning of numbers. Total BS... give me a break...

Jobs NOW

Photo, Tomasito, 2009
(Please click on photo to magnify)

Now returning to the jungle--or desert as the case may be--
31,000+ square feet of commercial space in Downtown Escondido.

Jobs--income . Work for pay. That's what is needed not next year or in six months--but RIGHT NOW.

NOT classes in how to write a better resume or click a computer! Not two years of training at some bogus college which will prepare you for some mythic high paying job which will not even exist when and if you get your expensive diploma!

Jobs. Work. Income. Right here in Escondido--and not something to be outsourced as soon as it begins to pay to wherever in the world the labor is cheaper.

And right now--not in some golden day of the future when technology will solve all our problems and when the government will take care of everything.

Tomasito, 2009


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Empty Downtown Escondido

Another Empty Downtown Escondido Store.
(Tomasito photo, 2009)

(Click on photo for detail)



What Can Be Done?

Obviously in Escondido something should be done.

Store after store is empty--but what could generate enough cash-flow to bring them--and the downtown--back to life--to make these useful spaces really be useful again?

Whatever it is--it will not be what it was--since the shoppers have gone on to other places--the big box stores and the malls.

In an earlier blog I suggested that there was a growing Mexican presence in the downtown area--and I don't mean graffiti artists, gangsters and vandals--I mean small businesses--like the bakery and fast food cafe.

JOBS--WORK for workers is what is needed.

Production of needed things--or at least decorative things.

Things that people will spend their ever more scarce money for! And I am NOT talking about the million dollar bonuses some well placed crooks are getting for nothing!

And I am not suggesting that the current owners of these downtown buildings start scooping up the money their fathers and grandfathers earned by getting here the firstest with the mostest either.

What I think we need is more work--more employment for the many of us that must have some income now--and not just a government hand-out or more layers of tax-paid bureaucracy! Just honest, paid WORK!

Tomasito, 2009


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Questhaven

The church has no altar inside

Today we bring you news from Questhaven. Questhaven is non denominational Christian church founded by Flower Newhouse. They seem to run along the same lines as Yogananda's Self-Realization Fellowship in Encinitas (see my previous posts).

Well, the church and its surroundings are located in the dry hills. It was very hot today, like 100 degrees so we did not feel like walking one of their trails.

The church is executed in a typical instant American church style architecture, quite ugly. The other buildings look exactly the same. The landscaping is good though and there is a typical maze that you can walk with a great distant view.

The maze offers a wonderful distant view

They offer retreat facilities where you can rent a room for the same price as an average motel room. You must bring your own food though.

We met a couple of women there and they were very nice. They gave us a ton of literature with propaganda that overloaded my BS quotent for today so I still feel a bit weird. We mentioned pranic healing as it turned out they run a pranic healing clinic there. We might want to go but it's only once a months.

It is not a monastery like we were led to believe but a church with a staff living on site. A good place to walk.

Surprisingly they have a few Hindu style statuettes scattered in the landscape. Yet when I mentioned Deer Park Monastery (see previous posts) they pulled back and said they have never been there. They did not seem very interested. I wonder who installed the statures.

Self-Realization Fellowship

Self-Realization Fellowship Bookstore

Self-Realization Fellowship is a "spiritual" outfit founded by Yogananda, one of the first yogis to bring yoga to America. he wrote a book An Autobiography of a Yogi, which is a very good read and one of the few books that gives an insight into yoga from the inside, so to speak. Another good book is Living with the Himalayan masters by Swami Rama, but that deserves a topic by itself, so I won't go in it.

Anyway, in case you are not familiar with this organization, it seems to operate like an ashram (as close as you can imagine an ashram in America, of course), they have monks and nuns, a few centers 3 of which are in Southern California. They even offer retreats for people who are interested to learn more but they are a bit expensive. We wanted to go twice but every time something would happen to prevent our going.

It seems like the organazition took over the town. They even have their own church that they call meditation chapel. Actually their whole idea is to explain that yoga is just like Christianity and they try to explain very complicated Hindu concepts by comparing them to Christian terminology.

They have wonderful bookstore where you can buy all the stuff: books by Yogananda and his followers, incense, essential oils (my favourite), even some Indian style clothe and musical instruments. They have actually expanded their bookstore recently as a way to earn more money.

Yesterday I had a chance to play one of the so-called tibetan singing bowls: these things are amazing, they produce such fine vibrations that fills the air around you and you can feel them in your body. It takes some practice to do it right though. A very nice helpful clerk showed us a few bowls and even demonstrated the difference between "new" and "antique" bowls. My recommendation: go for antique. They are more expensive but I think in the long run it's worth it.

Yogananda Garden

The best thing about Self-Realization Fellowship in Encinitas is their small but very charming garden. It is situated right on the cliff of the ocean and it is full of flowers and trees. They try to make it feel like real jungles.

So if you pass through Encinitas, stop by in this garden and in their bookstore. You won't be disappointed.