Charity and Anthony are in an opera this weekend, "La Traviata."  I read the story form Wikipedia, and am surprised it is very similar to Molin Rogue.  La Traviata means the fallen woman or woman who strayed.  Violetta has a lover, but while she is sick and unconscious Alfredo visits daily and confesses his love for her.  They leave and have three months together, when Alfredo's father convinces Violetta to leave him for the family honor.  The engagement of Alfredo's sister is in jeopardy because of her bad reputation.  She gives him a note saying she is leaving.  She is at a party with a Baron, also attended by Alfredo.  Alfredo confronts her, and throws money he has won gambling at her feet to pay for her services of three months.  Violetta's tuberculosis returns and the doctor says it is fatal.  Alfredo comes to her from a duel with the Baron.  The Baron was wounded.  Violetta seems to revive, and then dies in Alfredo's arms.

Charity is in the chorus. Townsend Opera in Modesto.  This version is performed with the backdrop of 1980s San Francisco.

Modesto Bee article
http://www.modbee.com/2013/01/23/2545583/townsend-opera-gives-1980s-twist.html

Movie Night: ***^Funny Face

Funny Face is a very entertaining movie.  It stars Audrey Hepburn as Jo and Fred Astaire as Dick a photographer.  It also has Kay Thompson as Maggie, a fashion magazine editor.  These three characters do very well together.  The editor has her eccentricities with  lipstick, and a grating voice, but by the end of  grows on you.  The model, who really doesn't want to be  a model, but wants to go to Paris to meet her hero of philosopher of empathic thinking.  And the photographer, who is all business, but is able to keep the model going and performing.  Over time, Jo falls in love with Dick.  Dick finally realizes he returns this love when Jo spends too much time with our philosopher friend.  Dick gives upon everything and is headed back to New York.

The music is by George and Ira Gershwin.  However the music is mostly forgetable.  What is not forgetable is the dance, by both Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn.  Also what is fantastic is the modeling by Audrey Hepburn.  She was a model before becoming a movie star.

Movie Night: ***Huckleberry Finn (1974)

This is a musical telling of Huckleberry Finn.  This is very true to the story of Huckleberry Finn, but the music is really not that impressive.  This is a very low bass on the song "Huckleberry Finn" and Jim sings about freedom.  This story made the point that Jim had a wife and a newborn child.  Huck had been taken in by a couple old women.  So when Huck's father comes asking for $1000 Jim knew the only thing they owned to raise that kind of money was himself.  So he took off, with the hope of earning his freedom and getting enough money to buy the rest of his family, so they could stay together.  They were headed to Cairo, Illinois.
When I was young I didn't understand why.  In fact it seems the were headed to New Orleans.  In both cases it would be because this was during the war, and he was trying to meet the Union army, where the union had already proclaimed that slaves of the states in rebellion were free.
As for Huckleberry's part, he was taken by his father, and locked in his cabin.  He managed to escape, and was also headed down river.  Jim fashions a raft, and together the head down river.  They have many adventures, mostly with Jim staying with the raft, while Huck goes to explore.  Huckleberry ends up in the middle of a feud, and barely escapes with his life.  He and Jim meet a couple con men, and Huckleberry and Jim barely escape with their lives when the pretend to put on a show, but then make off with the ticket sales with no show.  Huckleberry then ends up with another family.  The con men pretend to be long lost relatives of a deceased person, and want to claim the inheritance.  Huck swindles them, and puts the money in the casket.  In the meantime the rightful relatives show up, and things are bad for the con men and Huck says where the money is.
However when he returns to the raft, Jim is gone.  The con men turned him into the slave hunters, and he is headed back to slavery, instead of to Cairo.  Huck manages to set him free, and the run away escaped by the coon dogs and men.  Huck trades him shirts, agreeing to go back to his life with the old women, while Jim escapes.  The movie ends with Jim getting away while Huck watches.
I liked the way this movie presented the desire to be free, and the sacrifice for freedom and family.  It was also very true to the book.  The music was forgettable.
This movie is available through instant Netflix.

Addictions: What is the Cost?

I do not claim myself to be an expert on addiction, but I have seen enough of the effects of addiction to say that the cost is too high.  I work in the mental health field, and addiction seems to haunt those with mental illness.  I have seen the effect of all types of addiction, alcohol, methamphetamine, heroine, PCP, cocaine, pain killers, cigarettes, marijuana and other drugs.  I have seen addictions to caffeine, or food.  I carry over 80 pounds too many.  I have also seen the results of sexual addiction.  When I worked the graveyard shift, I received calls from those with sexual addictions.  This might be the hardest addiction of all.  My son Mark and his band put into music their view of addiction.  It is a very appealing song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AawBczU6FrY

Discussion on Adoption 8: Birth Parents

For Tony's birthday, we are going to have a party with his birth family.  He has a cousin he needs to meet.  He also has a birth mother who has not seen him for a while.
Tony has matured, and he is beginning to understand birth parents and adoptive parents.  He understands that he was carried in the tummy of his birth mother, but he is carried in the hearts of Sheri and I each and every day.
Sheri shared a blog she follows with me, and I found this song, which talks about birth parents and adoptive parents.  This is from an album called sharing.  We have chosen Tony, and love him
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCToSWHpTEM

This is the blog spot Sheri was talking about
http://www.therhouse.com/

Movie Night: ***^The Charade (1963)

This move is available on Instant Netflix.  This is a Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn movie.  It is well done for the most part but there are a couple times Cary Grant goes over the top with showering in his clothes and making funny faces.  I like the twists of the plot and the mystery.  Hepburn's husband is murdered.  But there is some money hid someplace, and his former partners in crime want it back.  It seems the CIA also wants it back.  She doesn't know who to trust.  That is what makes this movie intriguing.  I mildly recommend this movie.  It feels like a Hitchcock but is not and Hepburn is very pleasing to the eyes.

Movie Night: ***Tin Tin (2008)

This movie was a pleasant surprise, but I had it all wrong in my head.  I thought it was like Rin tin tin, a movie about a dog.  Instead the dog is a principle character, but Tin tin is the name of the reporter.  Together with Captain Haddock they go on an adventure in search of gold, while facing an intergenerational villain.  I don't know how it works, but it seems the villain and the Captain have memories from their ancestors, and the villain is intent on pursuing an old grudge from his family against the Captain.  How the intergenerational thing works with shared memories, is something I don't understand.  It is one time you have to suspend belief.  This is an animated movie.  But it is a wild ride with motorcycle chases, plane crashes and an evil eagle.  It even has cranes fighting.  Now that is cool.  Available through instant Netflix.

Caleb's Sacrament Meeting Talk on Choices

I was asked to speak on the topic of “why do the choices I make matter.” I was a little taken aback when Bro. Morgan asked me to speak on this topic because he said that It was the perfect topic for me to speak on. I wasn’t sure if I was doing something wrong or if I need to change anything because of this, but often times talks are assigned for the speaker just as much as the congregation. So I will try my hardest to help express to you what I have learned while preparing for this morning.
    The first choice that was made by all of us was in the pre-mortal existence. We were given the choice to follow Heavenly Father’s plan or Lucifers. Something I personally think is really cool is that we were all at one time together in a beautiful place. We met with our Heavenly and that’s much like it will be in the Celestial kingdom. Every person who has lived, is living, or will live, made the choice to follow heavenly fathers plan which means that we all have something very important in common.
    The first time a mortal decision was made was in the Garden of Eden, but after Adam And Eve left they were given the Holy Ghost which is the driving aspect behind the choices we make. This is so important because from then on they were able to know the difference between good and evil. Adam and Eve called upon Heavenly Father in prayer. He spoke to them and sent them an angel and gave them commandments. They made an important choice to follow those commandments and continue further communication with Heavenly Father.
    The key to the choices that Adam and Eve acted upon was the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a wonderful helper when it comes to knowing the difference between good and evil and can help us make the correct choices in our lives.
    When I make choices I try to include my heavenly Father as much as possible. If we continue to pray to our heavenly Father daily about questions we have, the Holy Ghost will bare truths in our heart, that we may know what is right. We should always try to include the Lord as much as we can in the choices we make. He is the Father and we should look to him for direction and light.
    The choices that we have made throughout our lives have a direct correlation with the foundation of our faith. The more right we do, the more we will be blessed and have our hearts touched which deepens our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Moroni 7: 16-17 reads...16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

 17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.

As this scripture states, what ever things we do that help us plant our faith more fully in the gospel are sent from God. They are gifts from him to more fully root ourselves in the faith. President Eyring said in the April 2012 conference:

As a young man I worked with a contractor building footings and foundations for new houses. In the summer heat it was hard work to prepare the ground for the form into which we poured the cement for the footing. There were no machines. We used a pick and a shovel. Building lasting foundations for buildings was hard work in those days.
It also required patience. After we poured the footing, we waited for it to cure. Much as we wanted to keep the jobs moving, we also waited after the pour of the foundation before we took away the forms.
And even more impressive to a novice builder was what seemed to be a tedious and time-consuming process to put metal bars carefully inside the forms to give the finished foundation strength.
In a similar way, the ground must be carefully prepared for our foundation of faith to withstand the storms that will come into every life. That solid basis for a foundation of faith is personal integrity.
Our choosing the right consistently whenever the choice is placed before us creates the solid ground under our faith. It can begin in childhood since every soul is born with the free gift of the Spirit of Christ. With that Spirit we can know when we have done what is right before God and when we have done wrong in His sight.
Those choices, hundreds in most days, prepare the solid ground on which our edifice of faith is built. The metal framework around which the substance of our faith is poured is the gospel of Jesus Christ, with all its covenants, ordinances, and principles.
One of the keys to an enduring faith is to judge correctly the curing time required. …
That curing does not come automatically through the passage of time, but it does take time. Getting older does not do it alone. It is serving God and others persistently with full heart and soul that turns testimony of truth into unbreakable spiritual strength.
Mosiah 3:19 reads  19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

This scripture state that we should be in the world and not of the world. The natural man is an enemy to god.

I know that the choices I make me affect my eternal salvation for better or worse. When I think about the question, Why do the Choices I make matter? The answer is simple. The choices I make matter solely because to live with my Heavenly Father again I must make good choices. The easiest way to do that is with his help. After the age in the mission change I immediately knew that I wanted to leave right after high school. I had felt the spirit and felt in my heart that it was a good thing. Eventually i realized that I had never asked my Heavenly Father what he would have me do. I asked him in prayer if I could leave right away. Of course he said no to that because I still need to finish high school but, he did say that it is time for me to go when I am eligible. I’m so excited to serve my heavenly father in the mission field. Like I said, everyone that has lived, is living, or will live, made the decision to follow heavenly fathers plan. So I’m excited to help my brothers and sisters who are wandering and pull them back on the path toward Heavenly Father. I know and hope that I will be blessed for the choice I made to serve a mission, but I will also be blessed for making the choice to include Heavenly Father in my decision. I pray that we all can include him as we pray to him on our knees. The choices I make and the choices you make matter because choosing good more fully roots us in the gospel, and we must choose good constantly in order to be with our Heavenly Father again

Ace 32: It's Cold and update on 49er Stadium

Ace;
It has been cold.  There is ice on the window, and it is cold waiting for the train and the Light-rail.  I always look for sun, but in the morning, sometimes there is none.  This brings up a concern for those living on the streets.  In Santa Clara county this is a problem, as there are not enough shelters for everyone.  Some of the shelters do a daily lottery for beds.  But many are left along the rivers or other places looking for a place to sleep and not be too cold.  I noticed the underpass to the Alameda is crowded with people.  They have even put up some wood to try and block the wind.

sorry about the light reflection

Someone's home along Los Gatos Creek

I had some extra time so took a walk around Diridon, over to the Arena.  There was lots of noise form radio station booths, and what looked like a carnival.  It was a bus entitled Born Brave.  I guess it had something to do with the Lady Gaga Concert to be held that night.  It goes with her song “Born that Way.”  I think the message is you can behave morally any way you like as you are born that way.  I disagree with her message.  I agree we should treat all others with respect and love.  I do not agree that “we are born that way.”  We are not animals, but children of our Heavenly Father with the ability to make decisions. I walked past the arena.  That was a sight to behold.  There were numerous people dressed up to look like Lady Gaga.  There was white and purple and green and pink hair.  I hope they were wigs.  There were many people with pants with multiple slashes.  It was interesting.  My only photo was one I took from the train as we left.

The 49er stadium continues to go up.  It looks like the metal frame work is done.  They are now putting in cement blocks.  They don’t lay the cement in place, but bring it as a slab and then fit it into place. 

As for the Earthquakes Stadium I can’t see that they have done anything.  The lot is still just a vacant lot.  There is a soccer field on it.  There is also a pile of stuff, which may be the beginnings of putting material together for the arena. 

Work: Christmas Party Picture

photo courtesy of Diem

This is Christmas Breakfast at the Pruneyard:  Kim Seng, Vanessa, Nancy, Theresa, Diem, Hang, Anne, Annemarie, Audrey, Mikelle,   Marilyn, Nina, Me, Mitra.  Fun time with gift exchange and good food.

My one comment about work.  The air conditioning people are to be congratulated.  Every morning we are met with temperatures which keep my coat on and my legs covered with my blanket.  I hope they do as well this summer.  In the meantime, I would like to be warm before noon.  They always check in the afternoon after the heat has started to work.

Stillborn Births, Conference Talk, and My Thoughts

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/because-i-live-ye-shall-live-also?lang=eng&media=video

This is a talk from this last conference.  It was given by Shayne M. Bowen of the seventy.  After teaching of the atonement today, it seems appropriate to me to share this talk.
Sheri and I lost our first baby he was stillborn.  I must admit our experiences were not the same as those of this elder.  I don't want to speak for Sheri, but I don't think I ever felt bitter.  But we have felt the blessings of the atonement in our lives.  It is when the Lord gives you the peace that things will be OK, that you can get on with living your life, with a hope of being an eternal family.  I like his quote from Joseph Smith, “The Lord takes many away, even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again.”
I  have always thought of Billy Boy (as we affectionately named our baby) as one of those blessed, waiting for us on the other side of the veil.  Sometimes I think I can feel his presence.  Sometimes I ask him to help me in my struggles, to be an influence for good with his siblings.
Of course stillborn, is different than passing away in infancy.  This is from an article by Val Greenwood, "The question of whether stillborn children will be resurrected and belong to their parents in the hereafter is really the crux of the matter. This question is, as yet, impossible to answer with certainty. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith wrote that “there is no information given by revelation in regard to the status of stillborn children. However, I will express my personal opinion that we should have hope that these little ones will receive a resurrection and then belong to us.”" (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:280.) Greenwood further states, "Though our knowledge of the plan of salvation does not explain why miscarriages and stillbirths take place, nor what the eternal result will be, we can know with confidence that God, who is the father of all spirits, is merciful and just. We can know also that there is hope. Worthy parents can trust in him and know that they and all his spirit children will—one way or another—receive a just reward for their efforts and sacrifice, perhaps in ways that we do not presently comprehend."

San Joaquin Distrist Honor Choir: 2013: Caleb Wardle

For the second year (both years we have lived here) Caleb was in the district honor choir.  Caleb sang the tenor solo.  I am posting a couple song now, and will wait for the DVD to post the rest.  We also watched orchestra and band.  Caleb was the only guy from Sierra High School.  There were also three women.  Clayton Williams from our ward and Manteca High School was in the concert band.  Ben Tolman was also in the band as was Joshua Cook from "Hot Spud."
The Last Words of David
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4qths-H6oY
This is the song with Caleb singing the tenor solo.
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&video_id=Pg0r1Wl8KbM&feature=mhsn

Movie night: ****Of Mice and Men

After reading the book, I decided to watch the movie.  To see some of this acted out, can be a bit disconcerting, so it has a PG-13 rating.  For the most part it doesn't show a lot of blood, but it does show violence.  This movie is available on Netflix Instant.  It stars Gary Sinise as George and John Malkovich as Lenny.
It is very true to the story, but it starts with the later flashback.  Lenny gets in trouble touching a woman's soft dress, and being accused of attempted rape.  A posse goes after George and Lenny, but they escape in a ditch.  They then show up close to a farm by Soledad, and are hired to help with the barley harvest. 
Soledad, loneliness, and that is what John Steinbeck portrays, is lonely, insecure people.  It shows us the boss' son Curley who is lonely, wishes he were bigger, is over jealous his new wife might  not be faithful, and is controlling and abuses her.  We see his wife, who is also lonely, not allowed to talk with anyone because of her husband's loneliness, the boss who gives the Black farm hand "hell" when anything goes wrong.  Candy, who has his old mutt for company.  However his mutt is blind, and stinks, and the other bunk mates don't like it and convince him to have the dog put down.  Carlson uses his pistol.  Slim, the foreman, who really doesn't have anyone, and the other ranch hands are all working to get their $50 so they can take it into town on blow it on beer and whores.  The saddest case is Crooks, the stable hand.  His back is crooked from having been kicked in the back by a horse.  He is African American, and has his own room, but is not allowed with the other men, and only has books to read.  He is lonely too, books aren't enough when you are aching for company.  We never see the boss' wife, or Curly's wife might have had a friend.  As such she wanders among the farm hands looking for companionship.
In this mess of people, Lenny, George and Candy make a plan to get away.  It just might work.  Candy has some money from his losing his hand, and saving up.  With the pay at the end of the month, they could swing getting their own place, where they could live and support each other.  If they could just make it to the end of the month.  This movie lacks some of the lines I liked from the movie.  It does have a similar ending; except George isn't met by the farm hands at the end, but sneaks off in a cargo train.

Movie Night: ***^Les Miserables (2000)

This is not the version currently in the movies, but a 2000 miniseries version which is available through instant Netflix.  It has an international cast with Gerard Depardieu, a French actor, as Jean Valjean and John Malkovich as Javert.  Malkovich is eerie in his roll of Javert, as he is so persisitent in his pursuit of evil.  
This version does not have the music, and has a couple of plot twists different than the musical.  These mostly involved the Thernadier family, as Thernadier ended up in prison after his first experience with Valjean for selling a child.  His other experiences were just as distressing, and lead to his harboring great bitterness.  By this we understand more his motivation to rob Valjean when they meet again in the city.  The emotions are in this movie, as in the other versions I have seen.  They make Eponine to be uglier, and with less of a crush on Marius.  However Marius is the neighbor to Thernadier.  It is he who warns Javert of the robbery of Valjean, and put Javert on the trail of Valjean again.
Marius' grandfather has a larger roll.  And takes his grandson in after the barricade.
My only complaint was the suicide.  Javert walks into the river.  Could you really complete a suicide that way?  Cosette is truly beautiful, and could easily steal a man's heart at one sighting.  This movie is entertaining. 

What I do at Work

When asked what I do at work, I like to say I recycle papers.  This is because when I get something done, I put it into the confidential waste bin, which quickly fills up and then I take it to the bigger confidential waste bin.  But what I actually do is more complicated.  I work at the Callcenter.  I take 10-15 calls every day and try to help people figure out who mental health services are best.  Each call is different, and can mean a report to CPS, referring to Mental health Urgent Care, referral to community resources, or referral to county mental health programs.  We also get calls for other things, sometimes for medical appointments, checking on appointment times, residential or homeless programs etc.  In addition I do a few special tasks.  I guess we have close to 50 special tasks we do between all of us.
 special projects       
ATS review: I clinically review the Assessment and treatment summary forms from the fee-for-service providers.  We review the annual or semiannual ATS submissions for the 1000+ clients who are seeing outpatient fee-for-service providers.  (100+ a month)
6-18 Spanish speaking referrals: I Process referrals for 6-18 year olds, Spanish speaking.  I receive the referrals from pediatric MDs throughout the county, VMC and other private providers and process them and connect with outpatient services.  I then respond to MD with the disposition.  (ten+ a week)
Adult Spanish speaking physical health care referrals: I Process adult physical health care referrals, Spanish speaking referrals.  I follow-through on referrals we receive from physical health care providers and facilitate connection to outpatient services.  (two or three a week)
Numbers monitor: Weekly I monitor the number of referrals.  I run report of referrals so far this month and put this information on the white board for all to see.  It shows how many referrals have been made to particular programs so we know if we are over sending referrals to a particular program.  It also lets us know if certain clinics have reached their capacity for the month.
MHRC post auth referrals: I process post auth referrals from the MHRC program.  MHRC is the connecting point to mental health services for those on juvenile probation.  They send the post authorization form which I enter into Unicare after checking insurance.  (less than ten a month)
NOA-A: Enter NOAA (notice of action) information into Unicare as an alert so this information is available to Callcenter staff as well as other providers.  (a few)

To the Movies: ****^ Les Miserables (2012)

I have seen a few opinions about Les Miserables from--the best movie ever to too dark.  And after visiting the theater yesterday, I can understand both remarks.  Les Miserables is a dark story to begin with.  However with all the expectations, many were predisposed that it was going to be the best ever even before seeing it.  I wave watched the ten year, and 25 year anniversary concerts over and over.  And granted those were concerts not theatrical productions.  But they music from those far surpasses  that in the movie.  The movie was going for character and story, and took the risk of casting theatrical actors in musical parts.  Sometimes it worked, and others it didn't.  So the pluses and minuses.
Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean worked.  His singing does not compare to Colm Wilkinson, but he carried the roll.  "Hear my Prayer" is the highlight of the show, and although I would have liked to hear Colm Wilkinson, Jackman delivered the emotion of the song such as to be effective.  It is just so beautiful the way Wilkinson holds that last note.
Russell Crowe as Javert did not work.  The song "I Swear by the Stars" sounded more like some one singing in the shower than a prayer to the stars.  Crowe did  make the suicide scene more believable than I had seen it.
The added song of Valjean singing his love to Cosette added depth to the character.  You also can love instantly.  Being a foster/adoptive parent I know this is true.
The three young people, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) Eponine (Samantha Barks) and Marius (Eddie Redmayne) were the highlight of the show.  They carried their trio and other performing parts with energy and gusto.  I left the theater humming "heart full of love."  "On My Own" was also well done.  However keeping with the dark theme of the director, was done in the rain. Marius sang "Empty Chairs," with such beauty and emotion, I think everyone who has seen this has cried with him.
Fantine (Anne Hathaway) was somewhat of a controversy.  Lea Salonga sings which much greater skill, energy and professionalism.  However, in the mood of the film, Hathaway did an incredible job.  The song "I Dreamed a Dream" was presented later in the movie, after arriving at the bottom, rather than just starting the slide, so there was a different tone (darkness) to the song.  I especially like her in the death scene at the end. 
The innkeepers are a welcome comic relief.  The must have worked so hard at coordinating everything.  I especially like their entrance through the carriage to the wedding. 
So there are more things to like and love about this version of Les Miserables than there are to dislike.  The music is worth going to see, the action is well done, the characterization is good, and the sets are effective (except for the sewer which is over the top) and the theme that when we show love to each other, we show love to God is timeless.  Oh Colm Wilkinson does have a cameo as the priest.  His baritone voice resonates, and somehow he is in the final scene at the pearly gates.  A nice touch.  I recommend this movie, but don't go so far as to say it is the best ever.

Ace Train 31: Fare Inrease

I hate to be negative, but here goes anyway.  Ten percent jump in rate as of January first.  (This for me is almost $30.)  You would think this might mean better service, but I rode the train five times this week, with three late arrivals, one a late pickup in the freezing cold.  It would be nice if they turned up the heat on such days.  We arrived an hour and a half late Wedesday as they said a car was stuck on the tracks.  The other two days were switch problems or "congestion."
I know things happen which are hard to control.  But that is not my only complaint.  I feel the Lathrop/Manteca fare is steep compared to others.  The monthly fare for the three stations over the hill Pleasanton, Livermore and Vasco is the same for all three $197.50.  The fare then jumps to $256.25 to Tracy, thirty minutes from the Vasco Station.  The train then travels ten minutes to Lathrop Manteca but the fare jumps to $316.25, A $60 a month jump.  It then goes to Stockton, another fifteen minutes, but the fare is only$330; a jump of $13.50.  So the result I get is the people in Lathrop/Manteca support, through unfair rates, the people who board in Tracy and Stockton.  If the fare went up equally the Manteca fare would be $301.  It could be that city governments support riders from Stockton and Tracy.  However if this is not the case, it would appear riders who board in Lathrup/Manteca do support them with an artificially high rate.

Life in Manteca 61: Crime

Unfortunately not all is loverly in Manteca.  We live between Stockton and Modesto, two of the highest car burglary cities in the state.  Stockton is also known for murders, and jewelry theft.  I had heard of car before, at the movie theater mostly.  We also take turns at church patrolling the parking lot.
However this week, this problem effected my family directly, and it doesn't sit very well.  We were all enjoying a game night, and Charity got a call that someone was using her credit accounts and card.  She went to her car and discovered the back window had been broken.  Some attempts at her account were declined, but some were not.  They also need to replace there back window.
We live at the end of a cul de sac, but there is pedestrian passage to the street.  They took advantage of this.  They had  their accounts closed, and have to careful in redoing them as are still vulnerable to identity theft.
It makes me wonder why we tolerate this kind of behavior in others?  Why is it so easy to make crime pay?  What kind of inhuman would try to spoil the Christmas of others?
I guess we go on; but it is not fun to be violated.  I dealt with it by sweeping glass.  Police were informed.  However it would only be luck if something comes out  of that. 

Happy New Year

Our New Years Eve was mostly uneventful.  We played Trivial Pursuit last night, but played a fast version as we weren't very good at the questions.  I had said I was going to bed early, but stayed up piddling on the computer until after I could hear fireworks outside.  Part of this was because I had to pick up Caleb from the church dance.  His band played. He said they did a good job.  I took the van to load up with drums and instruments.  I had used some Driscoll Fruit coupons expiring 12/31/2012 earlier in the day, but they wouldn't let me use more than one at a time, so I went back to Safeway, to use the last, but they closed for the holiday so I had one unused coupon. 
Today we went to the beach, it was cold.  We did enjoy walking through Capitola, and visiting the Thomas Kinkade Exhibit.  Impressive art, incredible how he manipulates light.  We came home early and everyone went to see Les Miserables while I stayed home with Tony.  We have been watching "Avengers" cartoons.  I have been trying to recover from a bad cold and sinus infection.

Grandson Elliott

Trying to get Elliott to wave goodbye.  He is focused on his cereal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhZbxmISM6k

Life in Manteca 60: Wood Chipping the Orchard

This is an update on a blog from November, announcing that the orchard behind our house had been knocked down.
http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2012/11/life-in-manteca-57-say-it-aint-so-again.html
Our orchard is disappearing.  It is being turned from knocked over trees, to mulch, which is being hauled away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2O0W3x_MXQ