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My life as a Brunette
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The 3 stooges. Koa, Keona and Christopher
Yes, sometimes I wonder what to call them as a group.. I mean, each has their own personality and such, but put the 3 of them together and "Oh my!" all hell breaks loose. To think even if any one or all three grow up to be as smart as I am, the world will never be the same :-) So here are some photo to show what I am talking about.
These monkeys making sad faces (even though Christopher is smirking) since I didn't come visit them at my dad's house one evening.. (FYI.. I just saw Christopher the night before, so he has no reason to pout..)
He must have loved this when Joann came back from Vegas..... My favorite quote from him is "Ok mommy, I'll stay with here for 5 days but you better be back. "
Love seeinig them being like me and always wanting to build something... Brings a tear to my eye :-)
Oh god... I hope one of them makes it to college...
Anyways, it has been a fun summer of watching these guys grow up, now if I can get them to swing a hammer and carry wood... hum...the possibilities are endless...
Fannie Mae needs to hire better asset managers.
Yes you do..
If your stubborn asset managers with no sales experience are going to stall a negotiation on an already over-priced REO home over $2,000 you need to get your priorities in order unless you want to keep holding onto homes you cannot sell. I understand they are overwhelmed they are with 200-300 REO’s to deal with, but you should train them not to just rubber-stamp any offer with full-asking without even looking at the terms. You also should be consistent with policy. Some say you will cover buyer closing cost, other say no way, other say maximum of 3%. If you are letting those asset manager set the terms, the stubborn ones with a bone to pick are going to be your demise over those understanding Fannie Mae isn’t in the business of selling homes, realtors are, so let them do their job.
Yeah for flights from Stockton to Long Beach!
Finally had a chance to fly to SoCal on Allegiant for $58 round trip.... (How Crazy is that?) If you don't mind having to spend $2 bucks for a soda and carry yor luggage on, it a great wayto get to SoCal from Stockton in an hour! Plus yo ucan actually sit and way goodbye with your friends and family. even see them get on the plane....
And lunch at the throw back diner in the airpport wasn't that half bad when I got back...!
Dallas Braden on HBO's Real Sports
These F@#king Guys - Goldman Sachs
Gosh Christoper is growing up too fast..
Woohoo!... faster internet...
About time my neighborhood moved into the 21st century...
At&T U-verse
FYI I was barely getting 2.0Mb/s DOWNLOD and .75Mb/s UPLOAD before the upgrade. Lets see how it does in the rain as my old service pretty much died whenever it rained..
Stockton on Forbes List (again)
#2 as the most miserable city, but good to see that we are moving down that rank and at least mentions what Stockton is doing about it. Here's a pretty good video from Forbes about Stockton and what step Stocktonians are taking to improve the city. Everything from better marketing, promoting a diversified economic base and advertising our economic enterprise zone, it sounds like people are truely looking into Stockton's future.
The Mayor, his son fun times in Stockton, Utah
Glad the city council is on the side of the officer.. Yes there is common courtesy, but hey if you don't have your license, you don't have it and avoiding a DUI check will almost certianly get you pulled over..
from: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=8471349
Stockton officer defends actions in spite of suspension
STOCKTON -- A traffic stop involving a young officer and the son of a small-town mayor has the whole town talking. The mayor of Stockton tried to fire the officer for issuing his son a ticket.
Cpl. Joshua Rowell told KSL News he was just doing his job. He said he acted professionally when he wrote the driver a ticket and was shocked when he was suddenly asked to hand over his badge.
Rowell is a new member of the five-man Stockton police force. So, last Tuesday he didn't think twice about pulling over a driver in a small white car for avoiding a DUI stop.
"He didn't have a driver's license, so I issued him a citation for that," Rowell explained.
He didn't think twice, that is, until he handed the ticket to the court clerk.
"She looked at it and said, ‘Hey, you know you just gave the mayor's son a ticket?' And I said, ‘Oh, crap,'" Rowell said.
He said he had never met the driver, 29-year-old Jared Rydalch, before. He said Rydalch told him he was out looking for his dog, and asked him to tell the other officers to not pull him over again.
"I told him, ‘No. If I see you driving around again, I'm going to pull you over again,'" Rowell said.
Rowell said he knew there was trouble when, about 20 minutes later, he found the chief of police in the mayor's truck in a heated discussion. Then he said the mayor, Dan Rydalch, rolled down the window and demanded he get in his truck. When he refused, Rydalch abruptly fired him on the spot.
"He told me, ‘All right, I want your badge in the morning,'" Rowell said. "I tried to defend myself and say, ‘First of all, look, he was breaking the law. Second of all, I didn't know he was your son.'"
Shortly after the incident, Rowell was told he was suspended without pay, indefinitely.
"The mayor, I think, was wrong," said Stockton City Council member David Durtschi.
According to Durtschi, not only was Mayor Rydalch out of line, the council stands behind Cpl. Rowell. In fact, the town is so upset about the mayor's actions, many of the citizens are trying to change their write-in ballots for the upcoming election.
"I think the mayor did make a mistake," one Stockton resident told KSL News.
Another said, "I was very shocked, very shocked, because I thought it was a little extreme."
As for Rowell, he just wants the job he loves back.
"There's no more respectable position than a police officer, in my mind," Rowell said.
We tried repeatedly to get in touch with the mayor.
Another Stockton city council member, Kendall Thomas, told KSL News the mayor is conducting the investigation into any wrongdoing in the incident and has not consulted any of the council members. A special council meeting is scheduled for Thursday night to discuss the incident.
E-mail: jstagg@ksl.com
Hey.. that's me!
I see I made onto the City of Stockton, Neighborhood Renaissance Program website. That's me in the striped shirt :-)
http://www.stocktongov.com/nrp/pilotprogram.cfm
Congratulation Nicole and Alyssa.
Ah...they grow up too fast. My nieces Nicole and Alyssa are now adults. Well they will always be the little twins but yesterday they graduated from Tracy's West High School. I am still shocked that they just recently turned 18, but to now graduate from high school just a good example how life is too short and everything happens so fast.
Soon enough they will be starting junior college in the fall. Not sure if I could come up with words of wisdom as they have been model/ well-rounded children for the most part (well that's what I see) so I hope they turn into well-rounded respected adults. My only advice is to look into the future with a positive eye, don't get too hung up on things in life that won't matter in a year and don't follow and lead in whatever you do. I wish them the very best in whatever future endeavors may take them!
Stockon Record coverage of the graduation
State of California v. Melissa Huckaby
 As Scott Smith from the Stockton Records points out, the San Joaquin Superior Court has setup a website for the Cantu case. http://www.stocktoncourt.org/courts/media_notice.htmThe arraignment in the case People of the State of California v. Melissa Huckaby (case number SF111539A) has been scheduled for Friday, May 22, 2009 at 1:00 pm in Department 35 of the main Stockton Courthouse located at 222 E. Weber Avenue, Stockton, CA 95202.
Wow SUSD drop-out rates goes from 54% to 17%
Well while watching the news just now on News 13, they just had a story about how SUSD has drastically reduced the high school drop out rate...They mentioned in the interview with the school district superintendent about a previous "calculating" error that has now been fixed, but in either case that is impressive that the drop out rate has dropped so dramatically. Finally some good news from the media about Stockton, CA.
Jury Duty.
Being labeld a "werid" guy I guess its not ironic that I never have served on jury duty. A couple of weeks ago I got my first jury summons for the week of May 11th. I am actually reather excited to see what the heck goes on and if all the stories that you hear about are true.
But you have to love the logistical aspect of it all. you think they could be a little more specific on you timeframe as the note on the website regarding the different group number and what you are suppose to do.... I guess I will check in tonight after 5pm :-) But it is government, so if the DMV has taught you anything, waiting is apart of governement service.
| Group Number(s) |
Instructions |
| 101, 102, 103 |
You are to appear on Monday, May 11, 2009 at 8:00 a.m. **PLEASE BRING COMPLETED SUMMONS AND JURY PARKING TICKET IN WITH YOU TO BE VALIDATED.** |
| 104, 105 |
You are to check this website on Monday, May 11, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. for possible service at 12:30 p.m. **DO NOT STAY HOME; PLEASE GO ABOUT YOUR NORMAL BUSINESS DAY.** |
| 106 through 130 |
You are to check this website on Monday, May 11, 2009 after 5:00 p.m. for further instructions. |
San Joaquin Board of Supervisors and San Joaquin Superior Court have proclaimed this week as Juror Appreciation week.. How cool is that I was scheduled for jury duty this week.. Hopefully I'll get my mechanical pencil :-) I know it might sound silly, but I am glad that the county actually noted that people do give up something and that they appreciate that time of citizens to participate in Juror service. Hopefully my part will be on Thursday :-)
Nephews 3rd birthday today :-)
Red Shoes and Pink Coat
What that her?
Dropping off my sister's friend back at work downtown after having lunch today with my sister all the way out in Tracy (Tracy Thai has some pretty good eats there..) , I see someone that I haven't seen, heard from in months. Is she hiding? From what? From me? I understand things are totally different then 3 years ago when I couldn't wait for Easter to arrive so I could have an endless tummy ache all weekend with all fun candies and treats she would put together just for me.. How serendipitous it was that it being Easter weekend and being today is Good Friday and I see that someone with dark hair, fancy red shoes and a big pink coat strutting along the sidewalk. A wave, a look, nothing, maybe it wasn't her. Maybe it was just someone with the same fashion sense. I guess I will never know, but at that moment I had a sense and feeling of a much happier time/ place occured as she walked right in front of me. Only if she knew that there's an easter basket waiting for her with goodies and treats..
Buy the Stockton Thunder for $100.00
From the man with the bike and clock from Naughty Nick, brings you Podcast Stockton
In his second episode (http://podcaststockton.com/?p=69), he talks about the sale of the Stockton Thunder, our Local hockey team. He brings up one specific point is that the citizen of the city should buy the team. Say if the team is for sale for $5M and for a simple breakdown, if 50,000 people ponied up $100, that would just about cover it..
Interesting idea, as he points out that the people of the city oven the Green Bay Packers.
A message to you on your special day.
Happy Birthday!
Wishing you the very best on your special day. Hopefully you ate all the red vines, jelly beans, and Sprinkle Cupcakes you could find. I have some speical M&M's for you next time I hear from you.
Centrale Kitchen & Bar... what a cool place!
So this past Friday I had the opportunity to get out to and try a new restaurant that I have been meaning to visit for some time. My favorite co-worker and I took a trek to one of Stockton newest restaurants, Centrale Kitchen & Bar. Opening just this past October, and being about a mile from my house, it was time to get over there.
I've actually been inside twice but just for a drink, however it was time to sit down and have a dinner (I don't count eating at the bar as a dinner.)
Anyways being to some of the nicest restaurants in Los Angeles, it is a great to finally see a place that made me feel like for a moment that I was back in my "element" as many of friends say. The ambiance, the music, the drinks are all top notch. It was like an LA restaurant without the 350 mile drive or the $15.00 Apple Martini’s!!
As for what is on the menu, the menu is small but changes, so is always worth checking it out at different days of the week. Friday and Saturday are seafood days and as I was told it varies from week to week. On this night, I had the Ahi Tuna, even though the night before I was told by my favorite bartender Meghan that they were going to have Mahi Mahi, which was of great disappointment of my co-worker who was looking forward to it after talking about it at work. Not to be disappointed the Ahi was pretty darn good and from the looks of it the Pasta Shrimp did not look bad at all. Maybe they will have Mahi on the menu sometime after writing this!
Meghan, who has helped me on both days, is absolutely wonderful. I hope this restaurant stays around for awhile. I just like how the whole thing just works. I am a big fan of small boutique places. The crowd is pretty mellow, eclectic and not too stuffy not too bumish. I feel that it great balance of style, size and layout.
As for any Stocktonians out there, yes I’ve gone to the old-school places like Alder Market, Stockton Joe’s, Papapavlo’s and even other newbies like Paragarys. Each of these places has their own appeal, (I really don’t like the layout of Paragary’s and the main door being too close to some of the seats as both times I’ve eaten there.) but still don’t compares as I was willing to do there two days in a row!
(Oh and I haven’t been to Le Bistro yet. Anyone with other restaurant choices let me know.)
And lastly, be sure to call in a reservation if you are going there on a Friday or Saturday as the popularity is getting the best of them as you might be in for a wait, which for me isn’t a big deal being from LA for the last 12 years, but for Stocktonians that might be too long.
To see what others are saying take a look at the following social networks about it.
Forecast Sees Recession Through 2009
Well this isn't good.
Nice to see thought thatthe Business Forecast Centere her at Pacific was quoted by the Los Angeles Buiness Journal...
Posted date: 12/11/2008
Forecast Sees Recession Through 2009
By HOWARD FINE
Los Angeles Business Journal Staff
Next year will be an ugly one for the California economy with continued job losses and falling incomes as the nationwide recession deepens, according to the latest quarterly forecast from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
The Anderson forecast predicts about 184,000 non-farm payroll jobs will be lost in California in 2009, compared with 139,000 this year. About half of those job losses are expected to come from the manufacturing and trade sectors.
Even worse for state coffers, Californian’s personal incomes, which are expected to be flat for 2008, will drop 0.6 percent in 2009, the first negative year since 2002. Taxable sales are projected to fall 3 percent in 2009 on top of a 5 percent drop for 2008.
“We’re in for a very rough ride in 2009,” said Jerry Nickelsburg, senior economist with the Anderson Forecast and author of the California portion of the forecast.
What had been forecast as a relatively mild recession worsened sharply in September as consumers stopped spending. The collapse in consumer spending is quickly replacing the decline in construction spending as the main factor pulling the state’s economy down, Nickelsburg said in the forecast.
He added that the bottom of the current recession is likely to be reached in the third quarter of 2009, with a gradual recovery beginning in the fourth quarter. But it won’t be until late 2010 until the economy regains solid footing and the jobless rate starts heading down, he said.
The UCLA forecast follows a pair of other gloomy statewide forecasts issued this week. Chapman University is less pessimistic, however, forecasting at least 76,000 non-farm payroll jobs being lost in 2009, compared with its number of 87,000 jobs lost this year.
The University of the Pacific in Stockton did not put a number on payroll job losses. But its forecast calls for the state’s unemployment rate to peak at 9.6 percent by the end of 2009 and remain above 9 percent until early 2011. The state’s current unemployment rate stands at 8.2 percent.
From
http://www.labusinessjournal.com/article.asp?aID=06930025.6438741.1719120.5922235.5317822.796&aID2=132231
Honor Roll
Well lookie there, my nieces made the Spring 2008 High School Honor roll.. That is awesome! Congratulations Alyssa and Nicole! ( Do a search for "Sterni" of course!) http://online.recordnet.com/projects/honorRoll/HonorRollSp08.html
2008 Miss Stockton Rodeo Queen Contest?
Sometimes I guess I do not know everything that is going on in town.. http://www.myspace.com/stocktonrodeoqueen
But I did hear that the Stockton Rodeo was goig to do something in the downtown arena in September. http://www.stocktonrodeo.com/
Stockton Politicans Start blogging?
Here is an interesting tid bit of information from my favorite Stockton reporter...
http://blogs.recordnet.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?webtag=sr-dsiders
Looks like some Stockton city councilmen will start blogging. I hope they decided to take this up. As you can see, I am a big fan of this medium and its ability to convey information that “feels” more sincere and unpolished... well at least for us not in journalism.
As mainstream media becomes less objective , it seem hearing the opinions of non-journalism individuals through blogs and comments seems to make more sense and more informative than people we actually trust to be objective and just give us the facts.
Oh I almos forgot, the link to the politican blog is...
http://capitalelector.com/index.php/blogs
On our way home
Foreclosure fix-all it's not, but governor calls new plan a great start
The state unveiled a $200million loan program Monday aimed at helping ease a small part of the foreclosure crisis by helping first-time home buyers purchase foreclosed properties in the eight most heavily affected counties.
Link to video of Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger talking in Stockton
Link to story from the Stockton Record.
Jesus Fedex, bring my package already..
I am missing a full day of work because of storms in Memphis, even though my package is coming from Los Angeles????
Beach Hut
Well I had Beach Hut ( http://www.beachhutdeli.com ) for the second time this week.. (I had some friend visiting from Texas and London and gave them the good ole Stockton tour on Monday) I wanted to make sure they say the improvements in downtown and explain how much better downtown is than 10 years ago when I was younger living in Stockton. Today the director Admission wanted to get away from the office for a pow-wow and to chat about random politics including local, national and Pacific (UOP) politics.
Anyways, as for Beach Hut... Man they really need to speed up the service sometimes as it took 30+ minutes to get my favorite medium Santa Cruz sandwich during the lunch hour... They are good and all, but man, if its going to take that long let me know... Luckily they got be hooked as they are pretty tasty and willing to wait, but no so sure about co-worker as they are much more time sensitive than I...
Interesting....
I was posed with the question, so what do you think about the election. My instance reaction would have been, "not as I expected.." but since I know opening your mouth too much gets me some interesting press, so I just said "interesting..."
But for an actual thought on the subject matter, here's my 2 cents:
For the Mayoral race, it was expected that Ann Johnston and Clem Lee would be the front runners. I am impress how much Steve was able to pulling that many votes and always amaze me that Ralph White can get as many votes as he does. I am curious on what Clem is going to do based on the results. It seems like a good enough margins that he need to kick it up a notch.
In District 4, Chris Ely edged out Diana Lowery by a hundred or so votes. Oddly enough they are going to do it all over again in November. I am curious on how each will adjust their campaign strategy in lieu of how the result went.
I am still mulling over whether or it true in this election that the one that sticks his/her head out first are the one that gets shot at in terms of press and cynics..
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