October Memories

Unfortunately, October has been a bit of a rough month. This was my last month of being able to work 2 days a week at home because Chapman has forced everyone back five days a week. Breaks my heart that the company I've worked at for 16 years now, a place I have been a stellar employee and only gotten more productive and happier with a hybrid schedule, has turned into a place that does not care one bit about its employees. I'll never understand why an employer doesn't care about their employees. The damn school has only grown, and improved and hit all kinds of milestones over the years with everyone working hybrid - yet you're pulling us all back in? There is no parking, people who are sick are coming in and getting everyone else sick, there's not even space for everyone anymore. The entire campus is miserable. You can feel it. I fought it for a few months trying to get an exception - with a letter from my therapist mind you - and they denied it. Back and forth BS for months - only to be denied. Every day I go into work I feel like a piece of my soul dies. It's absolutely heartbreaking to work for an institution who doesn't care about their employees at all. The mental health and well being means nothing to them. But I need a damn job, so until I can find something else in this crappy job market I'm stuck. Thanks Chapman. You fucking suck.

We've both been battling some health stuff which is never fun. We've also lost some truly lovely people this month. A bright light in one of my dear friends family passed. A wonderful human, Sean Hesketh passed just last week. I cried for two days. He was a good person with a good heart. He was on such a good path with a supportive family behind him, but his body just couldn't handle it. I'm so so very sad. I saw him in June at a music festival. Rascal kept barking at him and I was getting so annoyed - he of course blamed himself saying "Oh I reached down to pet him too fast" we laughed and I said "No my dog is just a dick" we laughed and hugged and hugged again. He was happy. He was lovely. And now he's gone because for some reason the good ones keep getting taken away from us. 

So yeah. October has been a tough go. But as always, I try to find the joy. Find the love. Be grateful. Life is about ups and downs I know. We just have to ride this down out. I just sure wish it would hurry up. We all need some ups. Love you friends and cheers to the good times and good memories made.

October Joy:

We'll start with the fur balls:

I will never not be obsessed with her

Rascal was a little unsure about the Halloween decorating

Really unsure...LOL!

Saw a pretty egret in the Riverbed one morning

The doggy daycare Rascal goes to sometimes had a Halloween set up

New toy from Gramma

Halloween morning walk

The food:

A really yummy cod over a panzanella like salad

Julie and I had dinner a really great restaurant called Selva. I highly recommend! This was an insane pulled pork dish

This was like a ceviche. So friggin bomb

An Asian crispy skin salmon. So good!

I can't remember what this was....LOL

Another salmon dish. Pat is loving this new way to make spinach too

A chicken soup like dish

More fish! Yummy!

Bowling shenanigans:

Team "That's some Bowl-Shit"

Jenny turned 50!

Birthday shots

Jenny made some Halloween goodies

Halloween shirts!

Halloween Decor!

Just a pretty "Fall" picture

This lady has this goose statue outside her door. I'm super curious now to check it out every holiday!

Prety Autumn Sky

Carol at Rogers Gardens

One night we took my boss and her family around a couple of our favorite spots in Orange to try to bring her some joy (She had to move uproot her whole life and family and move out here due to Chapman's back to office BS) so we wanted to try to show her some fun. We hit up Pixley St and our favorite house on Palmyra. Not as much decor as usual - we've had some bad winds and then rain, so I think it deterred alot of the usual decorations but still saw some good stuff!

The Fisher Family

Pat, Taylor and I hit up a Hocus Pocus Drag Brunch. It was more of a show rather than a brunch, but super fun!

She was our hostess

This queen was a fave!

Loved this gal too!

She was Binx!

Apparently when Allison is throwing the salt circle out, there's a joke about her boobs - well....LOL

The prettiest Billy Butcherson eva!

Got a just a couple of hikes/walks in. The weather hasn't been in our favor this month. We went from horrid heat wave to Santa Ana Winds to rain. So random.

Been trying to find this damn cache forever!

Halloween walk

Pat, Taylor and I also hit up The Blind Rabbit one night. It had some fun holiday cocktails and a holiday menu. They had it decked out like Harry Potter.

Dig the Packing District

Me & Da Boys

Loved the witches hats hanging all over

My cocktail - the Philosophers Dragonfruit

Pat got a Toffee Tongue

Taylor got a Muggle Madness

Fancy crab cake

Fancy burger

The Flynn's kiddo Nora was in the Long Beach Playhouse's production of Night of the Living Dead. It's not quite as good as the one the Maverick puts on but still super fun. Our old professor and friend David Scaglione directed!

Director David with Jill, Jules and I

Apparently the Flynn fam and Coyan came the same night we did, but no one told anyone

Go Nora!

The other two Flynn kiddos Molly and Jack with crazy Aunt Jill

Jules and Jiller were not happy that the Flynn's failed to mention they'd all be there that night

The degenerates 

One lovely Friday evening Alex and Elyse came down and we did a super fun little Spooky Paint Night at Soullandlab. You picked out either pottery or a paint by number canvas. I should have got a canvas because I finished way before the other three. Apparently the paint by number was pretty challenging! LOL! But all pieces came out super cool. They played the movie Halloween and we had a lovely time!

Ready to paint my sugar skull!

Pats choice

Can't wait to see it after it's glazed and fired!

The ladies

The fella's

Got together with what is now becoming a Quarterly Brunch with these gals since it's impossible to get everyone together. But we got almost everyone this time!

Aimee picked Katella Bakery. Place was bomb!

Only missing two this time

A few of us went back to Cori's

Cora showing off her new costume!

Miss Jen-nay was in town for a week, so me T and her hit up Temecula one of the days. It was so lovely!

At Halter Ranch

Moved out of the sun and hung with the cats

Bravo

We decided to hit up Peltzer thinking it'd be super decorated. Not as much as I'd hoped but still some fun stuff

Some other random things:

Since everyone is so miserable at work - some people try to bring some joy. So we've been doing puzzles in our building. 

Always watching my husband cook

Pat and I have been playing our GenX trivia game when the weather keeps us inside

We celebrated Dad and Lori's birthday one night. Happy Birthday guys!

Halloween:

Halloween night we were not sure really what we wanted to do. It was raining. We weren't sure how Rascal would be but Cori reached out and invites us and The Shouse's over for a Mexi potluck. It was perfect and lovely because we could bring the pup, he knew everyone and it was just the chill mellow Halloween we needed. 

Even tho we kind of half assed it - we still cute as hell!

Cora was a little furry. Rascal didn't love it, but he did well

Cori's niece Katelyn was in town so it was really lovely to see her too!

When Pat and I got home I did a Samhain Tarot card reading for Pat and myself. I really wanted to do something to bring in the shift in seasons. We're rolling into winter and although SoCal doesn't have any shift really - Mama Nature and the Universe certainly do. I'm thinking paying more attention and try to be more in tune with all of that may help me navigate through this new chapter in my life.

The veil is thin this time of year, and it seems my loved ones passed are telling me that I'm actually killing it and doing a good job. I need to focus on me and my journey more and that felt really good.

Life has been a challenge this year, along with the most current years past. It really does seem like we're just in this really difficult road right now. So I'm trying my best to ride it out, roll with it and of course - find the joy. I'm hoping to take some time to reflect as we roll into the hibernation months and maybe get some insight. It certainly sounds like I'm on the right path.

November and December are already full and the holiday madness is about to hit. I'm taking a deep breath and ready to find as much joy as I can muster as we wrap up a rough 2026.