A Day Out with Thomas!

We just had to be there.

We made a trip to Fillmore, CA to see the "real-life" Thomas the Tank Engine. Ann and I had known about this event for some time now and at first were debating on if we should go. As the tickets began to sell out, we decided we should get in on this. And we're glad we did.

The tickets entitled the bearers to a 20-minute ride lead by Thomas himself, although I seriously think the locomotive at the end of the train was more or less the real power behind the train, Thomas being more of a caboose than anything.

Basically, the train backed out from Central Park station in downtown Fillmore, went for about 10 minutes, and then headed back with Thomas leading the way. Not exactly a tour of wine country, but Anthony didn't care. In fact, upon our arrival to the event an hour ahead of time, Anthony's first glance at the bright blue engine elicited one loud reponse: "WOOOOOOOWWWWW!"

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the activities: temporary tattoos, coloring, food, and more. Fillmore is definitely not a big city and it shows. The people were kind, the atmosphere relaxed. One indication that I was no longer in the city was when we were riding the train. At one point, there was the strong smell of cilantro and tangerines coming from the fields that were as far as the eye could see.

Downtown Fillmore reminded me a lot of downtown Fullerton (CA), another city made famous for its railways. Fillmore, however, hit me as being more authentic as it still is a small town. Fullerton's downtown district now just seems to be a backdrop for the non-stop traffic that clogs its narrow streets. This event probably brings in more traffic than the residents care to think about.

We went to a panaderia and bought some bread. Awesome stuff. After talking to my brother about our trip, we're convinced that someone should make car air fresheners in a "Panaderia" scent in the shape of the gingerbread pig. If heaven smells like anything, it's a panaderia.

Another fun part of the trip was eating at the Bob's Big Boy in Santa Paula. Granted, the burger wasn't as big or as good as I remember, but for nostalgia purposes it definitely worked. And I got my picture taken with the Big Boy himself.

For Digital Documentation, click here.

We spent lots of money. We ate at the Big Boy. But we just had to be there.

Goodnight, Kita

It's been over a month since my last post, so I thought I'd do one tonight. Be warned, however, that it is a sad one.



The picture above is of me and Kita, a cat that has been in our family for 20 years. Up until about a week ago she appeared to be fine. She was eating, drinking, and doing her usual strutting around.

She lived with my mom who called me tonight and let me know that Kita, quite possible the best cat we've ever had, is in bad shape. Kita stopped doing all of the aforementioned things and Mom had made the decision that tomorrow, April 24, our beloved Kita would have to be put to sleep.

So by the time most of you read this, our family will be a member short. And it breaks my heart.

Kita was the best. Every weekend Mom would fry some bacon and Kita would sit at the stove until it was ready. She always got a strip. She also liked to eat tortillas, bread, and crackers. Yes, she did eat cat food as well. The regular food was a way of rewarding her. And when she wanted water, she would stand at the kitchen sink until someone turned on the spigot.

I can't ever remember Kita hissing, scratching, or ever being mean-tempered. She was one of the most calm cats I ever owned.

Probably one of the funniest memories I have of her was one time when she was curled up beside me on the bed. I was relaxing watching some TV in my room, which had those old roll-up shades over the window. As I lay there, the shade decided to roll up on its own and Kita--well, let's just say she was in the living room before the shade was completely up. It scared the hell out of her, and the poor thing looked spooked when I went to find her. I had never seen a cat move that fast in my life. I always said that she used up one of her lives on that one.

Somewhere along the way she gracefully used up another 7, and tomorrow Number 9 will be over--a life that we will all miss.

I went over to see Kita one last time and my brother took the picture you see. It will be the last time she will ever curl up on me. And I wasn't going to leave the house until she purred. I held her for about a half hour tonight, and I didn't want to let her go. I told her we're going to miss her and we loved her. I only felt better when she began purring.

It was hard saying goodbye to the old girl, but 20 years is very old for a cat. And I thank God that she was around that long for us to enjoy.

So goodnight, Kita. We all love you and will miss you terribly.

Job Update: Final

It took nearly a month, several interviews, a few new outfits, extra gas money, some frustration, lots of waiting, and time off from work to accommodate my potential employer's requests. And it finally paid off yesterday.

It was then that I was officially offered my job. Of course I accepted.

My rate of pay will be significantly more than my current rate. Let's just say I could probably purchase a Scion xB with the annual difference in pay. Not that I would ever do that, but you get the idea.

I will be turning in my resignation letter tomorrow, and I start my new job on April 10th.

Am I happy? Yes, I am.

Job Update

So you're probably wondering how the interview went, no? Here you go.

I had to take two proofreading tests, two computer-related tests, and two English tests. The results:

Proofreading (English catalog page): 15/16 mistakes found
Proofreading (French form letter): 15/16 mistakes found
Excel: 85%
Word: 80%
Grammar: 70%
Spelling: 100%

With the exception of the proofreading tests, each consisted of anywhere from 20-30 questions. They were timed anywhere from 15-30 minutes. And from what they told me, I ranked the highest on the proofreading tests so far (the ones I missed were common among everybody tested so far, so I don't feel so bad). They had two more applicants to interview so I should know by the end of next week what their decision was.

This is going to be the longest week I've been through in a long time...

Wish Me Luck...

An ugly situation happened at work last week which pushed me to the point of almost quitting on the spot. It's a long story I won't cover right now.

Since then I have been busy looking for a new job. And after only three days of searching I found one that could work out.

I am going for testing on Wednesday, testing that will cover grammar, spelling, proofreading, and Word and Excel skills. I'm a bit nervous about it, so wish me luck. If I get it, I will be making $10,000 to $17,000 more than what I currently make annually. That would be very nice indeed.

Here's hoping I do well. I will post updates on things as they happen. And be prepared for something big if I do get the job.