We're Number One!!!

The Firecrackers did it, they really did it!
Walnut Creek Soccer Club Division II U9 CHAMPS!

They ran, passed, assisted, kicked, scored, took fouls, fell down, got up, encouraged their team mates, and kicked some serious you know what!!!

Our boys just hit the ground running, from the first game yesterday.

The championship game was nail biting: they scored, we scored, they scored, we scored.
Double over time and Ian, our star player, and nice kid to boot, scored the winning goal in a sweet long lob right over the goalie's head.

What a game!!! Every kid worked hard and did their best and look what happened.
The biggest trophy, yeah!
( I think it was a good motivator to see the first and second place trophies sitting on a table during the game, they really wanted the big one!)

Love these kids: Cody, Jake, Jeremy, Lewis, Jack, Lucas, Andre, Marshall, Owen, Ian, Nicky.
Jake's been friends with most of them since kindergarten...I can't wait to see what these kids do down the road...sigh.....they're so adorable.

Jello Biafra

Just hearing his name puts the reality of our economic struggles into perspective. Yes, we as a country have it tough right now and there are alot of people suffering but are most of us suffering for our televisions, ipods and fancy cars? I swear to God I'm going to try and not complain about my lack of money as long as there is food in my child's belly and a roof over our head.

Here's an event from Alternative Tentacles that Mark forwarded:

Hello, everyone!  Sorry to invade your inbox so soon again.  We want to tell you

about an upcoming taping of Ian Svenonius's show "Soft Focus" on VBS.tv, which

will take place in San Francisco.  Ian Svenonius will interview Jello Biafra as

well as Alan and Richard Bishop of the Sun City Girls in front of a live

audience.  It's free to attend the taping, but space is limited so you will have

to RSVP with your name and e-mail address: http://www.viceland.com/softfocussf/

Here's my reply to Mark:

OMG, I wanna go........

The last time I saw him was at the Cinder Block 10th anniversary party (about ten years ago) when Green Day played and he was actually nice and polite!

When I asked him if he was on polite pills these days he was like, "was I rude to you the last time I saw you?" and I was like, "it was on KALX dude, I was interviewing you for the fundraiser and you ripped me a new one cuz you thought I was a cheerleader cuz I had blonde hair and was pretty...your words" (and he got on me about "my Daddy's credit card" when I called him on AT) "....and I called you a hypocritical asshole cuz you were judging me on my looks and you had no idea I was a poor single parent child of liberals. You just needed someone to yell at, as always."

We laughed and I told him I'd give a thousand bucks for a tape of that interview. He said if he ever got a hold of it, he'd sell it to me for five hundred.
Anyway.....
Jello Biafra is nucking futs and I love/hate him.
Love his thoughts on media literacy and that is my dream teaching job, teaching kids to mistrust the media. And use it for the pursuit of liberty, justice and the real American way.

Ok, can you tell I'm stuck at home with elementary kids and I just drank a gallon of Diet Coke?
Ack...
Will try to make it.
Love,
Jayne

I Love My Mommy

This is us in Yosemite for her 70th celebration, on a hike to the falls. (Jeane, Colleen, Mom, Ron, Jake in front, I took the picture, Kyle and Paul were checking the score).
Her nickname is "Yosemite Samantha" cuz it's one of her favorite places in the world. You can see my bro Dave, peeking thru us in the background.
She's coming soon for a visit, yeah. She's too far away, but they're happy and lucky, living near the beach in Oz.

It's so nice to have a Mommy to be loved by. Sigh....I love my Mommy.

I LIKE TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT !!!

Listening to LOTS of You Am I: took this on my phone when I saw them at the Bottom of the Hill last year. Love the lead singer.


Actually enjoyed Madagascar 2, guess it helps to go with 2 eight year olds. But I actually laughed out loud several times. Gotta love those penguins.

We had a generally relaxing weekend with minimal kid invasion. A soccer game, a sleepover, some next door neighbor playdates and Mommy got to sleep in TWICE..
Four day weekends are beautiful.

Poor Daddy got a tummyache but luckily Mommy was there to get his medicine, saltines and seven up.

Still can't seem to get through the piles-piles of leaves, piles of paperwork, piles of bills, piles of papers to write (when will I be done?), piles of dust, piles of laundry, piles of castoffs. I sort the castoffs into so many piles. The good piles for hand me downs to good friends. The Salvation Army pile. The recycling pile that can't go in the bin, etc., etc., ETC>>>> Sometimes I get so tempted to just throw it all away but then I know the green fairy will come and sprinkle something nasty on my house.
I swear to God I'm going to get through these piles before the holidays set up.
Time is running out.
Better move it, move it.

Smile and wave boys, just smile and wave.

Florence, California

Last weekend, my brother, my step-brother Rob and several other friends placed dear Mom II with Dad in their beautiful resting place. The Westwood Cemetery is an amazing and unique place. Go to Wikipedia or Google it, it's worth a look.

My Dad used to walk me there after a Westwood Village lunch. We loved this place because of it's bizarre urban location (nestled inbetween skyscrapers, hidden and silent), it's occupants (where do I start? Marilyn Monroe-Joe D. chose it in the 60s for it's relative obscurity, Dean Martin, Truman Capote, Jack Lemmon, Roy Orbison, Frank Zappa, on and on).
Because my Dad became so ill quickly, he hadn't decided on his final resting place. We were all in denial I think. No, we were full of optimism and unprepared.
After my Dad passed, my poor stepmother was so worn out and grief stricken, it was all she could do to get through the service.
As I was driving around Westwood that sad and heavy day, (I didn't know what else to do), I drove past the entrance to the cemetery, it's easy to miss. I decide what better place for me to cry than a cemetery my father and I used as a walking destination. As soon as I got out of the car,
I knew it all at once that this was where he was supposed to be. Into the office I went.
As if dealing with the death of a parent isn't surreal enough, go try and price burial plots. The staff was lovely but it was depressing.
I gingerly approached Mom II and suggested she think about it. Afterall, his ashes couldn't stay on the mantle forever. He needed a resting place to honor his memory and help her and all of us to heal.
She loved it. She and I both knew it was perfect in every respect for not just him but her. Their beloved Westwood, surrounded by the creative people they loved.
Which brings us up to speed.
Sorta.
I chose this picture cuz I knew it'd make Mom II laugh, as she was a writer of sorts. And she loved his movies.

Our little gathering was simple and sweet. We touched the marble square holding my Dad's plaque with Florence's to come soon. The ashes were in. They are now together forever, as always.
We all walked around and looked at gravestones, plaques and repeated over and over how perfect it was from the sanctuary where they lay to the people there to the setting to the everything.
As we walked back to the garden wall I noticed a large headstone.
Rodney Dangerfield, one of my Dad and Florence's favorites. His headstone read:

RODNEY DANGERFIELD
There goes the neighborhood

I hope the spirits talk at night.

I hope there's a heaven where we all meet again where we're not sick or old.
I hope there's something beyond this beyond where good people continue to love.
All this love we feel and share on this earth can't just go away, it just can't, I can't believe that.

I feel so deeply for my step brothers and sisters. They've lost both their parents in such a short time. I'm speechless.

God Bless my Mom II, may she rest in peace.

To Jeff and Sara Lugo

This is long overdue. I finally found my pictures, will be ordering some official photos off the web soon.

Our beloved eldest, Jeff, married his high school sweetheart, in the most beautiful wedding at the Kensington Unitarian and Mira Vista Country Club. I've never seen him so happy.
Congratulations. May you live happily ever after.







Jake Lugo, little brother and ring bearer. He can't wait to be called "Uncle Jake." Uh, I can wait to be called grandma.











Jeff gave his groomsmen silver flasks as thank you presents. Ron's was inscribed:

"Best Man, Best Dad, Best Friend"

Sniff, sniff.







I was in charge of the butterfly release. It went beautifully. You should see the professional pictures. Sara and her bridesmaids were knockouts. Jeff and his groomsmen were studly.




















Darn it! It's fuzzy! When they made their entrance (Mr. and Mrs. Lugo) it was so damn cute. They had the best wedding dj eva who made the wedding party's entrance like the royal procession. It was spectacular! Poopy Uncle Oscar stepped in front of me to add to the funky picture.

WE DID IT!
ALL HAIL THE NEW CHIEF!!!

Best Halloween Ever

Halloween Parade at school. Jake was the cutest, I mean coolest little grim reaper you ever saw. He was nervous about carrying his scythe cuz of the no weapons policy but we agreed it wasn't a weapon, it was a methaphorical symbol of the end of life. Or a farm tool.
Fun party in class at the end of the day, glad to be there.
After school, some quick downtime and healthy snack before the sugar avalanche.
Then to the Fehrnstrom's for a quick hello at their All Hallow's Eve gathering. Lots of good food, company and mostly girls.
So, off to the Persons' where Jake met up with the BOYS. We ate pizza and salad then went on the trick or treat rampage around Lakewood. We got sprinkled on which made the night extra spooky and fun. Falling leaves, dreary rain, decorations and lights, jack o lanterns, little ghouls everywhere, what could be better? Jake's friends all had pillow cases but Jake stood fast to his traditional plastic pumpkin. Good on ya Jake.
Then to the mansion. Man is that place cool. After a couple go arounds with Mommy, Jake and Cameron ran through it alone. The haunted path around one of the cooler historic houses in Walnut Creek. Awesome. Leather face scared the crap out of me as the did the troll under the bridge. A real stone bridge mind you with a real troll. An amazing WC tradition that will make me cry when Jake no longer wants to go.
We met up with the rest of the gang, saw tons of friends from school, even some of my students from my stint at WCI. Way fun.
Then home to meet up with the neighborhood pal and to trick or treat the street and then: maximimum candy ingestion.
What a haul.
Jake said it was the BEST HALLOWEEN EVER!!!!