Yesterday was the 4th annual Great LA Walk. Began by Mike to mark his 10th anniversary in LA, it has grown to hundreds of Angelenos showing up to walk this great city. The walk started at the Shrine Auditorium and ended in Venice Beach. We met at Baja Cantina in Marina Del Rey to celebrate the end of the daylong walk. Below is the slideshow of some of the photos I took and the map route.
Map Route:
At FriendFeed, Derrick asked: Do you have an accent? The responses are interesting, in particular from those people I have spoken to or have heard recorded who said that they don’t have an accent when they really do. Funny thing about accents is that everyone has one, but no one thinks they do.
I’m from Kansas City, MO and we moved to Los Angeles when I was 8. I know I had a Midwestern one when I first moved to CA. I moved to a suburb where most of my peers were Latino or Asian. I was mocked mercilessly, not only on how I said words, but what words I used. The old soda versus pop divide, for example. I went on to get a degree in Broadcasting. Naturally that meant taking voice and diction classes and learning how to speak flat American English to remove all traces of regional dialect from my voice. This was to supposed to enable us to get jobs anywhere in the country. I must have done it wrong because since then, most people think I’m originally either from New York or Jamaica (this is before the dreadlocks, even).
My husband is half-Hungarian/half-Romanian. He came to this country (from Romania) when he was 10. When he got here, he didn’t speak a lick of English. To hear him today, you wouldn’t know he wasn’t born in the US, but then sometimes he says a word…weird. This is most likely an effect of him hearing his Hungarian mom or Romanian dad saying Spanish words with their accents. Or the words he only knows from reading, so he hasn’t ever heard them said out loud. He can not, or will not, say words that start with ‘T’ or ‘Th’ correctly. That is, he’ll say ‘tongs’ as ‘thongs’ or pronounce the ‘h’ in ‘Thompson’.
Randomly people will ask me where he’s from because *they* hear an accent. It’s fun asking them where do they think he’s from. Around here, I’ve learned a lot of people assume he’s from South America. People do assume he speaks Spanish and he does try even though he puts his Hungarian accent on some words. In our old neighborhood many people assumed he was from the East coast, I heard a lot of Pennsylvania or Connecticut. This wasn’t based on reality, just what they assumed people from those states would sound like.
Needless to say, all these various ways of inflection have our kids sounding weird at times. My daughter has caught the “ruca-speak” from the kids in her school. She can’t just say, ‘no’. It’s ‘NOOOoooOOO’. It’s funny to think that at one point I sounded like that too. Meanwhile, my son is sounding more like an Asian person learning English. I have NO idea how that happened, but I can’t wait to see what they sound like once they grow into their voices.
Thanks to Jandy’s pretty charts and my boredom, I caved and took the test even though I knew what it would say:
You like to think a task through before you embark on it. If it’s the slightest bit complicated, you make a list (even if it’s only in your mind) and methodically work your way through it. When you have a goal in mind, you’re not satisfied until you reach it.You are not one of those people who ignore the details, and you don’t understand how anyone can get anything accomplished without thoughtful planning ahead of time.
You like your own company; you’re a very interesting person. Tracking your own mental processes, knowing what you’re thinking and why you do what you do, is important to you. Often, what’s going on in your mind is more compelling than what’s going on outside. For the most part, those with a high score on the “introspective” trait enjoy reading, taking long walks, learning new things, and other solitary activities.You are not someone who is constantly looking to be among a group of friends; you never feel bored when you are by yourself.
You appreciate art, beauty, and design; you know that they are not superficial but absolutely crucial to living the good life. You have good taste, and you’re proud of it. Those with a high score on the “aesthetic” trait are often employed in literary or artistic professions, enjoy domestic activities — doing things around the house — and are enthusiastic about the arts, reading, and travel.You don’t think it’s pretentious to be moved by art and beauty. You’re not one of those who believe it doesn’t matter what something looks like as long as it does its job.
You are thoughtful, rational, and comfortable in the world of ideas. People find you interesting to talk to. You’re the living embodiment of the saying “You learn something new every day.” In general, those with a high score on the “intellectual” trait are employed in such fields as teaching and research, and are enthusiastic about reading, foreign films, and classical music.You do not avoid abstract conversation, experimenting with new ideas, or studying new things. It bores you to stick to the straight and narrow of what you already know.
You are constantly coming up with new ideas. For you, the world as it exists is just a jumping-off place; what’s going on inside your mind is often more interesting than what’s going on outside.You don’t feel that the road to success is to be a realist and stick to the program; you never stop yourself from coming up with new ideas or telling the world what you’re thinking about.
You have strong opinions and high standards. When others let you down, you’re not opposed to giving them a piece of your mind, even if it sometimes mean hurting their feelings.You are not necessarily a “live and let live” kind of person. You don’t always make allowances for others’ incompetence or allow annoyances to wash over you. You don’t feel it’s your job to make everyone feel relaxed and comfortable regardless of whether they’ve earned it.
You come up with a lot of ideas; if one doesn’t work out, there’s always another waiting in the wings. You often have interesting solutions to difficult problems. You’re practically a one-person brainstorming session.You are less interested changing the world than in dealing with things as they are. Unlike those who spend all their time trying to solve problems, you prefer to zero in on things that work and stick with them.
You are good at solving problems, coming up with original ideas, and seeing connections between things, connections that most other people miss. People with a high score on the “creative” trait often are employed in such fields as finance and scientific research, and enjoy avant garde and classical music as well as literary fiction and scholarly non-fiction.You do not shun abstractions and concepts in favor of the concrete and tangible.
You strive to master everything you undertake. You tend to learn quickly and do not shy away from challenges.You are not a “que sera sera” type of person, nor do you go easy on yourself when attempting to master a new skill or get a job done.
You are a quick study. You generally don’t need to have things explained to you more than once. When presented with a problem, you will often have an instant understanding of where to look for the solution.You do not take your sweet time when presented with a new task to complete or problem to solve. You don’t avoid assignments that require you to learn new skills.
Here’s some photos from today’s Literacy Parade (read: Halloween parade) for Pre-K.
Yeah…that would be me. I found enough pieces of the old doctor costume (meaning the top and the pants) to put on Alton. There’s a jacket, hat, face mask and medicine bag, but they’re all broken, dirty or missing. If I had tried, I could have made him new ones, but really that’s just expending way too much energy.
When we arrived at the school, he pointed out all his friends, “Oh, Mama! They’re wearing costumes!”, he exclaimed.
I replied, “You’re wearing one too!”
He looked down at his top with the medical cross on it, “Oh. Yeah…Right.”
The other kids had accessories and some had their faces painted. Too much work considering you’d have to do all over again in a couple of days. So, I’m lazy. Shoot me.
I think my kid’s school is out to make life difficult to for working parents. Last year, I complained about the lack of timely information. This year is no different.
Today, the boy was sent home with a slip of paper informing me that the “Literacy Parade” (read: idiotic name for Halloween Parade) for Pre-K is going to be…tomorrow. The kids, even the ones who normally start school at 11:45am, are to be at school by 8:30am. The Literacy Parade doesn’t even start until 10:30am! This is information that could have been sent home on Monday, though last week would have been better.
Then I notice the other paper, informing me that the Literacy Parade for the K-5 classes is on Friday at 1:15pm. Working parents with a kid in Pre-K and another in the upper grades would have two work days disrupted if they choose to attend.
The school makes a big deal about parent participation, but with poor communication like this, it’s no wonder the parents are unable to attend various school functions.
This is difficult. It’s not just the stress, anger, resentment and sentimental bits. This is an uphill battle I’m fighting alone. I’m trying to keep things at home as stable as possible for the kids. I think one day, I should tell them that they’ll be attending new schools…somewhere. Where is the issue.
I have no idea where we’re moving to. I just know I have about 6 weeks to figure it out. This means, at the very least, packing. Sadly, being broke means I can not even buy boxes. There used to be a time where you could go pick up boxes outside a grocery store. Nowadays, they cut the boxes so they can’t be used again or they consider taking boxes “stealing” and will call the cops. Craigslist is useless and no one seems to be getting rid of moving boxes on Freecycle. All of this moot because we have no place to put the boxes.
I’ve learned in the past week that storage areas are expensive. I’ve never used one before and never really thought much of what my friends were spending monthly on their storage places. It’s been eye-opening to see a 5′x5′ space can cost as much as $120 a month. For all of our stuff, we’d need at least a 20′x30′ space. Yes. That’s what I’ve whittled our crap down to.
Of course, it would be less stressful if I could find a place to rent, but lacking funds in the bank makes that impossible. It is slowly dawning on me that there is a very real chance that we’ll have to live in our car (can you imagine 4 people in a Mini Cooper?!) or in a shelter, if I can find one that will take a family, including a husband. Most seem to focus on women & children. I supposed my husband could move in with his mom at that point, but that may be a bit much for the kids to handle along with the move.
It’s times like these where I wish I had learned camping skills or at the very least, had friends or family I could rely on if only for a week. Live and learn. I’ve been homeless before. I didn’t like it, but it was just me. This is very different when there’s two little ones to consider. People tell me things will get better. I hope so.
I’m not going to be subtle about this at all. I HATE school fundraisers. One of my biggest joys at leaving behind elementary and middle school was not feeling forced into fundraising for the school. We had to sell chocolate bars for $1. My mother wouldn’t allow us to go door-to-door and she wouldn’t take the bars to work because it was our fundraiser, not hers. That did not stop her, however, from eating the candy bars, tossing a $5 bill into the envelope and leaving us to cover the rest of with our allowance.
Inside the brochure
Needless to say, I dread my kid’s school fundraisers even more. The paperwork says: “No door-to-door! Only sell to friends, family and coworkers.” Obviously, the onus of selling these items is put on parents. That really doesn’t sit well with me. I’ve worked at so many places with pushy parents who actually try to cajole, chide or guilt you into buying things for their kid’s fundraisers. “You bought so-and-so chocolate, so why not buy my calendar?” or “I know you make more money than I do, so why not get the gift wrap?” It shouldn’t come as no surprise that I think those people are on top of my Crappiest Coworkers List.
The ouside of the brochure
But I’d take $1 chocolate bars over the stuff my kid’s school is selling. As you can see, it’s all sweets. Now, keep in mind, the school is all about healthy eating. The kids aren’t really allowed to bring cookies or junk food to school. So, it seems at cross purposes that they have to sell this stuff.
Also, I can not come to grips with paying $14 for a frozen cheesecake when I can make one fresh or go to a local bakery and get one, for cheaper. And today. These desserts won’t arrive for another 6 weeks. The thought of trying to talk people into buying this no matter this cause is unconciousnable to me.
Which brings me to last issue with this fundraiser: Fools is broke. Our friends couldn’t afford a $14, my family is way too cheap to even consider and we work at home, so we are our own coworkers. Just who am I supposed to sell this to?
I have no objection to the school raising money, I wish they’d consider a bake sale or considering the low-income status of so many of the children, at least something more affordable. I do object to feeling forced into this situation. I do not like having to tell my daughter she can not participate in this because of the financial limitations. What is even more troublesome that this fundraiser is occurring because last year’s fundraiser not only did the PTA president get a lot of negative feedback from parents, but the company messed up the orders and never returned the money.
I vote next year, they do a car wash or a 5K walk.
There was this girl, yeah, Her name was Anika.
But everybody acted like she was some kind of freak, uh
One day…when she down at beach-y,
This dude asked her name,
She said, “Yo, they call me Ceviche.”
He said, “Hey that’s strange, do you smell like fish.”
Ceviche said, “No, it’s ’cause I’m a kickass dish.
Im like all kinds of awesome, complex & flavory.
Add some Tapatio; it makes that tostada savory.
Ceviche’s my name, and when in doubt,
Just watch me swim fast like I was a trout.”
Well this girl Ceviche, reps the City of Angels
Sometimes it’s so hot that she sounds like Charlie Rangel.
You see her around, she drives a green Mini Cooper
Speeding one, she got pulled over by a trooper,
He asked for ID, and said, “Your smile is kind of peachy.”
She laughed and say, “Yep, that’s why they call me Ceviche.”
He said, “Hey that’s strange, do you smell like fish.”
Ceviche said, “No, it’s ’cause I’m a kickass dish.
Im like all kinds of awesome, complex & flavory.
Add some Tapatio; it makes that tostada savory.
Ceviche’s my name, and when in doubt,
Just watch me swim fast like I was a trout.”
The cop was tired since it was an early morning,
He said, “Ceviche, Imma let you off with a little warning.
But next time, I’ll have to give you a ticket,
Take your ass to jail as an excuse just to kick it.”
Ceviche told him, “You don’t need no excuse, man.
You got my address, just come over and we can play Rock Band.”
Yeah, you can check her online, she’s all over the place.
FriendFeed and Facebook…well, not on MySpace
She got her photos up on Flickr,
And updates her status on Twitter.
If you’re in LA, you can check her on BrightKite,
See her Last.fm profile for your party at night.
Her name is Ceviche and she don’t smell like fish.
They gave her that name ’cause she’s a kickass dish.
She’s all kinds of awesome, complex & flavory.
Add some Tapatio; it makes that tostada savory.
Ceviche’s her name, and when in doubt,
Just watch her swim fast like she was a trout.
I have a bad habit of just throwing myself into things and then dropping them. Or worse, thinking of doing something and then never getting around to it in forever. I don’t have a support system like most. When I announce my ideas, they usually get shot down. Yet, I’ve learned that when I say “I will” then the naysayers tend to shut up.
One thing that bugs me about a lot of people I know is that they often announce what they plan to do, yet never follow through. You know the types, “Next week, I’m going to start working out.” “In two months, I’m going to start looking for a job.” “Next year, I think I want to travel.” Those are admirable plans, but there are no goals involved. Why are you going to workout? What kind of job are you seeking? Where do you want to go? There are no answers. You hear them state these things so often, that you tend to tune the out.
In July, I decided that I was going to run the LA Marathon in 2010. So far, the response has been muted. This is in contrast to when I had announced my plans to run the Marathon this year (before the date change and injuries). I found that the people in my life were extremely unsupportive. Where a simple, “Way to go!” would have sufficed, I got responses like, “You? Run? HAHAHA” or “I guess you have to stop smoking.” or the lamest, “You couldn’t get my fat ass to run anywhere.” [Selfish side note: When I say that I'm running, I don't need to hear about YOU.] I have always been aware that there are those who will never support your endeavors because they’re too scared to try anything. It’s easy for them to mock you when you just announce vague plans. It’s harder for them when you have them etched in stone.
But sometimes we sabotage ourselves. I certainly have. And I have to be on the lookout for it. I haven’t been able to run or exercise for some time now. First, we went to the Bay Area. Then we had 2 weeks of bad air quality due to fires and a concurrent heatwave. Now I’m sick. The urge for me to exercise is still there, but I know that all it takes is one more week and I’ll be back to doing nothing. This is unthinkable with my goal to run the LA Marathon. So I’ve decided to come up with smaller goals to help me achieve the larger one.
These are my smaller goals:
EVERYDAY
WEEKLY
MONTHLY
Seeing this list broken down into small attainable goals already makes it easier on me to see the as doable. Besides, now that this out there, I can’t not do it. You can keep me honest by checking in on my MapMyFitness profile.
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