Save Darfur! Sign the No-Fly Zone Petition Over 450,000 have been killed. |
|
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Heart Attacks and Flies
I'm supposed to be working right now but I've decided to take a quick break. One of the quirks of being self employed is that I can take breaks for as long as I want, as often as I want and whenever I want. But then again, it's my wallet that hurts from too frequent or too long breaks.
I just got off the phone with a potential client. I spent almost an hour explaining menial details over -and over -and over- and over again. I had been in my garage working out when my cell phone rang. It was him calling to discuss the loan I had proposed to him. I ran inside and just as i picked up I saw that the battery was dying on my phone so I ran to the charger and plugged it in. For the next hour or so I sat on the phone with this guy, sweaty as a motherf*ck*r from just having been working out, being attacked by flies. YeS! Flies. I left the garage door open and the door to the garage open. Flies swarmed in. It was like one of the signs of the apocalypse. I'm kidding of course. There were only a few. But they were impossible to kill. Especially since I was on the phone and trying to pay attention to the conversation. The worse part was that I couldn't get away from them because my cell was plugged in. It was horrible. Just the feeling of them landing on me. It grossed me out so bad. I hate flies. I almost want to write to congress to see if we can figure out a way to kill them all...
Oh yeah... almost forgot. Who's idea was it to make the term "heart attack" more commonly used than "cardiac arrest?" Seriously. I remember that as a kid I use to think of heart attacks as either your heart attacking something or something attacking your heart. Yeah. Maybe your lungs had a grudge on your heart? Maybe your heart had beef with your stomach? Who knows... I was a weird kid.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
D N
Today was somewhat interesting. I stayed home, as has become my custom on Sundays for the past month, and 'chilled.' It wasn't bad at all, in fact, I discovered Death Note. It's Japanese anime. It's about this guy named Light (apparently in Japan it's not weird name you kid light..) who finds a black notebook outside his school. It turns out this notebook is a 'Death Note.' Basically, it works this way: Forty seconds after a name is written inside the notebook that person dies. It's pretty simple. You can also write out in detail exactly how that person dies if you so choose, but thats beside the point. Anyways, this kid Light. After finding the book and reading it's instructions he thinks it's a joke but ends up taking it home with him anyways. Eventually he tries it out just for 'shit's and giggles' and finds out that it works. He then decides that he is going to do the world a favor and purge it of all evil by systematically killing off all high profile criminals by writing their name in the notebook. He believes he's bringing about justice and feels that if he keeps it up people around the world will realize that all criminals are dying off and choose not to commit any crimes out of fear of dying.
All in all the story is pretty entertaining. But it got me thinking. The death penalty. It's kind of the same concept with the exception that this character Light has taken it upon himself to judge and execute criminals. It's a huge moral issue. I'm supportive of the death penalty, but like most people, have my own guidelines as to what crimes merit death. But I won't go into detail. To sum it up, if someone kills someone else knowingly and purposefully and not in self defense or in defense of someone else, they deserve to die. I see them as threats to society. I don't believe any amount jail time would certify 100% the 'correction' of their behavior, and in fact, think they would be prone to commit the same crime again where they allowed to return to society.
It's just my opinion. Don't hate me for it.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Over It
Alright. I'm pretty much over everything that was on my mind last night. I've decided that things could be much worse. I'm going to concentrate on working hard towards what I have to do to better my situation instead of bitch about said situation. So yeah- you won't have to hear about it.
_______
Today I picked up my guitar for the first time in a while. After messing with it for about an hour it became pretty damn clear that I've forgotten most of the songs I use to know. Which irritated me quite a bit. I should have never stopped playing it. So, I've decided to start practicing again. It's not like I have to learn to play all over again. I simply need to re learn some chords, build some strength in my left hand and dexterity in my right. Oh, yeah, and learn more songs.
Also, I cooked up a nice new resume today. I'm going to copy/paste in onto here for your reading pleasure. Any feedback is appreciated. Enjoy!
____________________________________________________
| Rene Ruiz 29090 Sal Rio Dr. Menifee, California 92584 (951)317-**** ReneRuizJ@gmail.com | Summary I am and extremely self sufficient and self motivated individual. Always looking for new challenges and always overcoming them. I take pride in considering myself a well spoken character; in English and Spanish, for both are my native languages. I can speak, read and write both equally well. My main priority at the moment is to obtain my college degree. It is therefore critical that I find a employer who is willing and able to have some flexibility in regards to my schedule. In exchange I offer the full array of my abilities, knowledge and experience as well as my commitment towards excellence. Work Experience |
Loan Officer 2/2007 - Present Axis One Financial, Carpinteria, CA § My responsibilities as a loan officer with Axis One Financial were virtually identical as to my responsibilities with Americas Mortgage Specialists, with the exception that with Axis One Financial I worked independently from home. This opportunity greatly helped me develop my personal organizational skills. My responsibilities included meeting with applicants to obtain information for loan applications and to answer questions about the process. Explaining to customers the different types of loans and credit options that are available, as well as the terms of those services. Obtaining and compiling copies of loan applicants' credit histories, corporate financial statements, and other financial information. Reviewing and updating credit and loan files. Reviewing loan agreements to ensure that they are complete and accurate according to policy. Computing payment schedules. Staying abreast of new types of loans and other financial services and products in order to better meet customers' needs. Collaborating with underwriters to aid in resolving mortgage application problems. Analyzing potential loan markets and developing referral networks in order to locate prospects for loans. | |
Loan Officer 7/2006 - 2/2007 America's Mortgage Specialist, Corona, CA § Entering this industry was extremely difficult but also equally rewarding. My responsibilities included meeting with applicants to obtain information for loan applications and to answer questions about the process. Explain to customers the different types of loans and credit options that are available, as well as the terms of those services. Obtaining and compiling copies of loan applicants' credit histories, financial statements, and other financial information. Reviewing and updating credit and loan files. Reviewing loan agreements to ensure that they are complete and accurate according to policy. Computing payment schedules. Staying abreast of new types of loans and other financial services and products in order to better meet customers' needs. Collaborate with underwriters to aid in resolving mortgage application problems. Analyzing potential loan markets and developing referral networks in order to locate prospects for loans. | |
File Clerk 9/2005 - 7/2006 Barbaro & Valentine, Santa Ana, Ca § As a file clerk with Barbaro & Valentine my job duties included adding new material to file records, and creating new records as necessary. Answering questions about records and files. Assigning and recording or stamping identification numbers or codes in order to index materials for filing. Eliminating outdated or unnecessary materials as well as destroying them or transferring them to inactive storage according to file maintenance guidelines and legal requirements. Finding and retrieving information from files in response to requests from authorized users. Modifying and improving filing systems, or implementing new filing systems. Performing periodic inspections of materials or files in order to ensure correct placement, legibility, and proper condition. Placing materials into storage receptacles, such as file cabinets, boxes, bins, or drawers, according to classification and identification information. Scanning or reading incoming materials in order to determine how and where they should be classified or filed. Sorting or classifying information according to guidelines such as content, purpose, user criteria, chronological, alphabetical, or numerical order. Track materials removed from files in order to ensure that borrowed files are returned. Designing forms related to filing systems. Gathering materials to be filed from departments and employees. Perform general office duties such as typing, operating office machines, and sorting mail. | |
Cashier 3/2003 - 7/2006 Stater Bros, Corona, Ca § My main responsibility was to provide excellent customer service while ringing up orders. Other responsibilities included stocking shelves as well as organizing and maintaining products in storage. Working here has helped considerably in learning to help customers with questions and requests while at the same time being able to keep up with all of my other responsibilities. | |
Customer Service Representative 6/2002 - 3/2003 Pizza Hut , Corona, Ca § Responsible for taking orders on the telephone and in person as well as preparing orders. Helping customers with any questions as well as providing information regarding our products and services. | |
Education | |
| 8/2004 - 8/2008 Cal State Fullerton, Fullerton, Ca § Some College Coursework Completed § Double major : Criminal Justice and Public Administration. § High School Diploma from Corona High School | |
| |
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
The Letter E
Everything is a fucking mess. I don't feel like writing about it.
On a brighter note, I just woke up because I fell off my bed, and bare with me- I'm just getting to the good part, I fell off my bed while asleep because I was having a dream about having a threesome with Megan Fox and Tara Reid. Are you laughing yet? Good. And yes- in the dream they both fell off the bed with me. They didn't have a choice. We were very much intertwined. Heh.
So yeah, now that I'm back to thinking about how shitty my life is right now. . . I REALLY could go for a beer right now. But I'd rather not drink alone.
- - - - -
Ready yourselves. I have a feeling the next post is going to be long, elaborate and boring with great details about everything I'm purposefully neglecting to write about right now.
Cheers.
PS. Anyone still act like a child and have cereal for breakfast most mornings? (and by morning I mean anywhere from 6am till 2pm) I do. Anyone notice the fact that Trix no longer shapes its cereal? They made it all spherical. Seriously. WTF happened?
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Safari
Downloaded Safari 3 Beta. They added tabs. PERFECT!
I feel lame posting something like this which lacks- erm, substance? Yeah.
So here's a nice riddle. I'll post the answer with my next post. Or if it you can't wait then just hit me up and I'll give you the answer. BTW the answer is pretty simple. I really am hoping people hit me up for the answer so I can laugh at them... jk.
It is the beginning of eternity, the end of time, the beginning of end, and the end of every space.
What is it?
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Relationships
"Relationships don't work the way they do on television and in the movies.
Will they?
Won't they?
And then they finally do and then they're happy forever.
Give me a break.
Nine out of ten of them end because they weren't right for each other to begin with and half of the ones that get married get divorced anyway. And I'm telling you, right now, through all of this stuff, I have not become a cynic. I haven't.
Yes, I do happen to believe that love is mainly about pushing chocolate covered candies and, you know, in some cultures a chicken. You can call me a sucker; i don't care. Cuz I do... believe in it. Bottom line is.. couples that are truly right for each other wade through the same crap as everybody else. But the big difference is they don't let it take 'em down. One of those two people will stand up and fight for that relationship every time- if it's right and they're REAL lucky."
Bravo. Well spoken. This is a quote by, believe it or not, Dr. Cox from Scrubs. Yeah. I know. How fucking lame. But hear me out.
Recently I've become a fan of Scrubs. I've been downloading episodes and watching them. When I came across this episode and heard the above quote in it I immediately paused it, hit rewind and opened up Word so that I could type it out. Why? Well I happen to agree with almost every word of it. Let me put it in context for you...
The first few lines are self explanatory. Obviously, and I truly hope there is no one out there disagreeing, relationships are NOT like on television and in movies.
Next, divorce rates ARE ridiculously high. Properly calculated, divorce statistics are not exactly at 50%. They are at a miniscule 41%. Yes I was being sarcastic. 41% is still way too fucking much. Seriously. Check it out for yourself: http://www.divorcereform.org/nyt05.html
Now, the candies and the chicken... well I don't know if this line lost a lot of you, but I knew exactly what it meant as soon as he said it. He's referring to those thing that in a relationship, in accordance to the nature of that relationship, are the responsibilities of each person in the relationship. If I lost you just go back and re read it. In a marriage where the man works and the wife raises the children- the man better god damn work hard enough to sustain the family and the wife better god damn raise the children well. They should both also cater to each others needs. If the man comes home from a long day at work and wants some ass, honestly don't think of me as a pig just yet, I think the wife should be there to cater to that need and maybe have dinner ready too. BUT- if the husband comes home from a long fucking day at work and finds his wife exhausted from a long day of cooking and cleaning he should be ready to cater to her needs. Offer to watch the kids the rest of the evening or hell, call a babysitterfor the kids and take the wife out to dinner. Buy her a nice gift. I dunno.. it's easier to explain the expectancies I will have of my wife than those she will have of me (that's because I haven't met her yet). But I hope when the day comes we're both good at communicating our needs to each other. My point is- both husband and wife have to do their part and be attentive to each others needs. (Also, this was an example. I understand that the nature of one relationship compared to the next will always differ, but this was the most obvious and easiest example to use.)
Alright. This entry is getting way too long and I got a bit carried away with that last paragraph, so I'll be brief with the rest. Now what I described above sounded more like a contract between two people. And it is. Really. But for this contract to work there is one more element which must not go missing. Love. Yes I too believe in it. I believe that the day when I find a woman and can tell her everything about myself; all the good and especially the bad, and she can still want to be with me, and visa versa of course, then I will have truly found love. If your REAL lucky and you've found that person and you both willingly follow through with your responsibilities in accordance to the nature of your relationship then when disagreements come up you'll both be in a position to make things work. Because no matter how intense the disagreement may be, one of the two, if not both, will always find a way to agree.
ReneRuizJ
Will they?
Won't they?
And then they finally do and then they're happy forever.
Give me a break.
Nine out of ten of them end because they weren't right for each other to begin with and half of the ones that get married get divorced anyway. And I'm telling you, right now, through all of this stuff, I have not become a cynic. I haven't.
Yes, I do happen to believe that love is mainly about pushing chocolate covered candies and, you know, in some cultures a chicken. You can call me a sucker; i don't care. Cuz I do... believe in it. Bottom line is.. couples that are truly right for each other wade through the same crap as everybody else. But the big difference is they don't let it take 'em down. One of those two people will stand up and fight for that relationship every time- if it's right and they're REAL lucky."
Bravo. Well spoken. This is a quote by, believe it or not, Dr. Cox from Scrubs. Yeah. I know. How fucking lame. But hear me out.
Recently I've become a fan of Scrubs. I've been downloading episodes and watching them. When I came across this episode and heard the above quote in it I immediately paused it, hit rewind and opened up Word so that I could type it out. Why? Well I happen to agree with almost every word of it. Let me put it in context for you...
The first few lines are self explanatory. Obviously, and I truly hope there is no one out there disagreeing, relationships are NOT like on television and in movies.
Next, divorce rates ARE ridiculously high. Properly calculated, divorce statistics are not exactly at 50%. They are at a miniscule 41%. Yes I was being sarcastic. 41% is still way too fucking much. Seriously. Check it out for yourself: http://www.divorcereform.org/nyt05.html
Now, the candies and the chicken... well I don't know if this line lost a lot of you, but I knew exactly what it meant as soon as he said it. He's referring to those thing that in a relationship, in accordance to the nature of that relationship, are the responsibilities of each person in the relationship. If I lost you just go back and re read it. In a marriage where the man works and the wife raises the children- the man better god damn work hard enough to sustain the family and the wife better god damn raise the children well. They should both also cater to each others needs. If the man comes home from a long day at work and wants some ass, honestly don't think of me as a pig just yet, I think the wife should be there to cater to that need and maybe have dinner ready too. BUT- if the husband comes home from a long fucking day at work and finds his wife exhausted from a long day of cooking and cleaning he should be ready to cater to her needs. Offer to watch the kids the rest of the evening or hell, call a babysitterfor the kids and take the wife out to dinner. Buy her a nice gift. I dunno.. it's easier to explain the expectancies I will have of my wife than those she will have of me (that's because I haven't met her yet). But I hope when the day comes we're both good at communicating our needs to each other. My point is- both husband and wife have to do their part and be attentive to each others needs. (Also, this was an example. I understand that the nature of one relationship compared to the next will always differ, but this was the most obvious and easiest example to use.)
Alright. This entry is getting way too long and I got a bit carried away with that last paragraph, so I'll be brief with the rest. Now what I described above sounded more like a contract between two people. And it is. Really. But for this contract to work there is one more element which must not go missing. Love. Yes I too believe in it. I believe that the day when I find a woman and can tell her everything about myself; all the good and especially the bad, and she can still want to be with me, and visa versa of course, then I will have truly found love. If your REAL lucky and you've found that person and you both willingly follow through with your responsibilities in accordance to the nature of your relationship then when disagreements come up you'll both be in a position to make things work. Because no matter how intense the disagreement may be, one of the two, if not both, will always find a way to agree.
ReneRuizJ
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Confidence
Dictionary.com defines confidence as freedom from doubt (or) belief in yourself and your abilities.
How important is confidence?
To me it is extremely important. I'm not very susceptible to peer pressure and not very interested in what others think about me. Therefore, the main drive behind my achievements is my own opinion: what I think about myself, of what I do, of where I am and of where I am going. Without confidence in what I'm capable of there is no future for me. Maybe I'm just rambling on about something everyone else already knows or has thought about... regardless, after the last entry discouraging "hope" and "beliefs" I feel I should clear some of it up.
What I am trying to say is that my mom wasn't completely lying to me when she said that all I had to do to achieve something was to believe; she was merely not specific enough. She didn't differentiate between simply "believing" and believing in one's own abilities. To achieve a dream one must keep that dream within the limits of what one's abilities are capable of achieving and then have full confidence in one's own abilities, patience, hard work and diligence to finally reach out and alter that dream into an actualization. Without the confidence to drive us to fight for an ambition one can not expect a fruitful result.
I have to give credit to my aunt for a conversation we had today that led me to this apprehension. Thank you...
July 2006
_______
***Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com
How important is confidence?
To me it is extremely important. I'm not very susceptible to peer pressure and not very interested in what others think about me. Therefore, the main drive behind my achievements is my own opinion: what I think about myself, of what I do, of where I am and of where I am going. Without confidence in what I'm capable of there is no future for me. Maybe I'm just rambling on about something everyone else already knows or has thought about... regardless, after the last entry discouraging "hope" and "beliefs" I feel I should clear some of it up.
What I am trying to say is that my mom wasn't completely lying to me when she said that all I had to do to achieve something was to believe; she was merely not specific enough. She didn't differentiate between simply "believing" and believing in one's own abilities. To achieve a dream one must keep that dream within the limits of what one's abilities are capable of achieving and then have full confidence in one's own abilities, patience, hard work and diligence to finally reach out and alter that dream into an actualization. Without the confidence to drive us to fight for an ambition one can not expect a fruitful result.
I have to give credit to my aunt for a conversation we had today that led me to this apprehension. Thank you...
July 2006
_______
***Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com
Monday, June 11, 2007
Skepticism
When I was eight years old I jumped off the second story patio of my grandmother's house because I believed I could fly. I know. How could I have really thought I could fly?
From when I was six until I was eleven I often spent my entire summers at my grandmothers house. This summer was no different. On this particular day there was nothing to do. There was nothing on television and no one around to play with. My grandmother was busy cooking lunch. It was then that my uncle and my cousin Alberto, came to visit. I was excited to have someone to play with. After my cousin had said hello to my grandmother we quickly ran upstairs to the second story patio. This general 'area' was were we often played power rangers, ninja turtles, etc. This is the spot I would later jump from.
I had been brought up thinking that I could do anything or achieve anything if I REALLY believed in it. This, combined with the dream (one we have all had, I am sure) of flying, led me to eventually try to fly. I don't recall whether I had premeditated to do so or simply came up with the idea on the spot, but I informed my cousin that I was going to fly. My plan was simple. I was going to jump off and then ... Well, float off? Slowly descend without injuring myself? Take off like Superman? Well I didn't have all the details planned out, but the base of the plan was to fly. So I jumped off and as I was in midair I really thought I was doing it. I really thought I was flying. For the 2 or 3 seconds it took me to "land" I really thought I was flying. Picture me jumping off and as I fall a smile widens across my face as I believed I was flying. Before jumping off I convinced myself of what I had been told about believing and that to fly all I had to do was believe I could do it, and I promise you, I was not one bit afraid; I really did believe...
But believing was not enough. What I had been taught wasn't true. I couldn't do it... I didn't fly, instead I broke my leg.
I was so ashamed about having been so naive that I told everyone my cousin had dared me to jump off and so I had done it. I didn't care if they thought I was stupid for jumping off on a dare... I just didn't want them to know that I had been even stupider in believing I could fly. He was fine with that. He turned out looking like the intelligent one; the one making the dare and not the one jumping off and breaking his leg.
I've been thinking back on this experience a lot lately. I've decided that this was the exact point when I began to question anything and everything I am told. I'm skeptical because when I was eight years old I though that if I truly believed I could fly I would be able to do so.... Then I tried it and it didn't happen. I also think that deep down, subconsciously, I hold a grudge against my mother for this because she was the main person instigating in my mind that I could do anything as long as I believed in it. I don't regret it though. I learned that hope isn't enough and to make dreams come true it also takes patience, hard work and diligence. I also believe that this further developed skepticism is what eventually led me to abandon my Catholic faith and become agnostic.
June 28 2006
__________
*** Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com
From when I was six until I was eleven I often spent my entire summers at my grandmothers house. This summer was no different. On this particular day there was nothing to do. There was nothing on television and no one around to play with. My grandmother was busy cooking lunch. It was then that my uncle and my cousin Alberto, came to visit. I was excited to have someone to play with. After my cousin had said hello to my grandmother we quickly ran upstairs to the second story patio. This general 'area' was were we often played power rangers, ninja turtles, etc. This is the spot I would later jump from.
I had been brought up thinking that I could do anything or achieve anything if I REALLY believed in it. This, combined with the dream (one we have all had, I am sure) of flying, led me to eventually try to fly. I don't recall whether I had premeditated to do so or simply came up with the idea on the spot, but I informed my cousin that I was going to fly. My plan was simple. I was going to jump off and then ... Well, float off? Slowly descend without injuring myself? Take off like Superman? Well I didn't have all the details planned out, but the base of the plan was to fly. So I jumped off and as I was in midair I really thought I was doing it. I really thought I was flying. For the 2 or 3 seconds it took me to "land" I really thought I was flying. Picture me jumping off and as I fall a smile widens across my face as I believed I was flying. Before jumping off I convinced myself of what I had been told about believing and that to fly all I had to do was believe I could do it, and I promise you, I was not one bit afraid; I really did believe...
But believing was not enough. What I had been taught wasn't true. I couldn't do it... I didn't fly, instead I broke my leg.
I was so ashamed about having been so naive that I told everyone my cousin had dared me to jump off and so I had done it. I didn't care if they thought I was stupid for jumping off on a dare... I just didn't want them to know that I had been even stupider in believing I could fly. He was fine with that. He turned out looking like the intelligent one; the one making the dare and not the one jumping off and breaking his leg.
I've been thinking back on this experience a lot lately. I've decided that this was the exact point when I began to question anything and everything I am told. I'm skeptical because when I was eight years old I though that if I truly believed I could fly I would be able to do so.... Then I tried it and it didn't happen. I also think that deep down, subconsciously, I hold a grudge against my mother for this because she was the main person instigating in my mind that I could do anything as long as I believed in it. I don't regret it though. I learned that hope isn't enough and to make dreams come true it also takes patience, hard work and diligence. I also believe that this further developed skepticism is what eventually led me to abandon my Catholic faith and become agnostic.
June 28 2006
__________
*** Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com
Mary Jones
Mary Jones
Female.
Age 71
*Not homeless. A friend of Mike Nevon. Retired.
“A mother should never have to burry her own children.”
Mary was sixteen when she dropped out of high school; she was pregnant and her boyfriend would not let her achieve a higher education than himself. They were married twenty one years. In 1971, after trying to divorce four times, they finally separated for good. From then on Mary raised the six children they had had all on her own (they had seven but one passed away at the age of seven months; she didn’t say why). Mary worked at a company who manufactured slurpee machines for several years and sometime in the late 70’s applied at Hue’s Aircrafts, where after lying on her application, she was hired as a quality control specialist. Her first days on the job were frustrating. She had no clue what she was doing. With time she learned and moved up the company ladder. In 1995 she was laid off. She inspected programmed and designed circuit boards and hardware used in airplanes operated by out military. She never got her high school diploma.
Mary gave birth to 7 children of which only 4 are still alive to this day. Her oldest, Patty, was the only one of her children who suffered no addictions and actually made something of herself. She is now 54, is married, runs a daycare center and takes care of her deceased brother and sister’s children. Her second oldest, Roy, was a heroin addict as well as an alcoholic. After being diagnosed with Hepatitis C Roy began to pick up his act. He is now a devout Christian and is stabilizing his life. Charlie, age 50, was also a heroin addict and alcoholic until the death of his best friend in a motorcycle accident which he was also involved in wherein his back was broken in two places. He has now begun to get his act together and is now married. Her next two children Warren (would be 45) and Trixie (would be 42) are now deceased. Warren was a heavy drinker, his favorite drink being Thunderbird Wine. He drank so much of it his liver disintegrated. He died because of undetected internal bleeding. Trixie passed due to a Heroine overdose. She was an active prostitute here in Corona. She sold herself in order to feed her addiction. Her last child (other than the 7 month old deceased whose name was undisclosed) is named Paul. He is now in jail because having been on a heroine trip he brutally beat his mother, Mary, and put her in the hospital. When he was arrested he told police that he was God and his mother was Satan and that was the reason why he had beat her. Five months later she suffered a stroke followed by another 8 months later. It was calculated that she had only months to live; her children took everything she had and divided it amongst themselves. She did not pass away and is now recuperating from her loss.
Mary use to live in Garden Grove. As has become quite evident, nearly all her children had addictions which degraded her home. They pillaged through her savings and possessions in order to fuel their addictions. In 1996 after her having been laid off she left them and moved to Corona. She now lives in a modest home near Centennial High School.
Mary is highly motivated and politically active. She corresponds with our senators on a regular basis. She has in the past also sent letters to ex President Clinton, Colin Powell, and Barbara Feinstein. She reads the newspaper every day to maintain herself well informed.
Mary is also a devout Christian and thanks “the Lord” for every opportunity she has been given in life. She resents none of her children nor her ex husband regardless of their past. She prays for them every night and says she still “loves them.”
I got the impression from Mary that she doesn’t often have someone who is willing to listen and absorb some of her wisdom. I was deeply touched by her story and inspired by her truly benevolent and forgiving attitude as well as her strength through all of her endeavors. I was thoroughly impressed.
Nov 11 2005
-________
*** Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com
Female.
Age 71
*Not homeless. A friend of Mike Nevon. Retired.
“A mother should never have to burry her own children.”
Mary was sixteen when she dropped out of high school; she was pregnant and her boyfriend would not let her achieve a higher education than himself. They were married twenty one years. In 1971, after trying to divorce four times, they finally separated for good. From then on Mary raised the six children they had had all on her own (they had seven but one passed away at the age of seven months; she didn’t say why). Mary worked at a company who manufactured slurpee machines for several years and sometime in the late 70’s applied at Hue’s Aircrafts, where after lying on her application, she was hired as a quality control specialist. Her first days on the job were frustrating. She had no clue what she was doing. With time she learned and moved up the company ladder. In 1995 she was laid off. She inspected programmed and designed circuit boards and hardware used in airplanes operated by out military. She never got her high school diploma.
Mary gave birth to 7 children of which only 4 are still alive to this day. Her oldest, Patty, was the only one of her children who suffered no addictions and actually made something of herself. She is now 54, is married, runs a daycare center and takes care of her deceased brother and sister’s children. Her second oldest, Roy, was a heroin addict as well as an alcoholic. After being diagnosed with Hepatitis C Roy began to pick up his act. He is now a devout Christian and is stabilizing his life. Charlie, age 50, was also a heroin addict and alcoholic until the death of his best friend in a motorcycle accident which he was also involved in wherein his back was broken in two places. He has now begun to get his act together and is now married. Her next two children Warren (would be 45) and Trixie (would be 42) are now deceased. Warren was a heavy drinker, his favorite drink being Thunderbird Wine. He drank so much of it his liver disintegrated. He died because of undetected internal bleeding. Trixie passed due to a Heroine overdose. She was an active prostitute here in Corona. She sold herself in order to feed her addiction. Her last child (other than the 7 month old deceased whose name was undisclosed) is named Paul. He is now in jail because having been on a heroine trip he brutally beat his mother, Mary, and put her in the hospital. When he was arrested he told police that he was God and his mother was Satan and that was the reason why he had beat her. Five months later she suffered a stroke followed by another 8 months later. It was calculated that she had only months to live; her children took everything she had and divided it amongst themselves. She did not pass away and is now recuperating from her loss.
Mary use to live in Garden Grove. As has become quite evident, nearly all her children had addictions which degraded her home. They pillaged through her savings and possessions in order to fuel their addictions. In 1996 after her having been laid off she left them and moved to Corona. She now lives in a modest home near Centennial High School.
Mary is highly motivated and politically active. She corresponds with our senators on a regular basis. She has in the past also sent letters to ex President Clinton, Colin Powell, and Barbara Feinstein. She reads the newspaper every day to maintain herself well informed.
Mary is also a devout Christian and thanks “the Lord” for every opportunity she has been given in life. She resents none of her children nor her ex husband regardless of their past. She prays for them every night and says she still “loves them.”
I got the impression from Mary that she doesn’t often have someone who is willing to listen and absorb some of her wisdom. I was deeply touched by her story and inspired by her truly benevolent and forgiving attitude as well as her strength through all of her endeavors. I was thoroughly impressed.
Nov 11 2005
-________
*** Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com
Mike Nevon
Mike Nevon
Male
Age:54
Mr. Novel has been homeless for 12 years and on the streets for over 25 years. He is a Marijuana and speed abuser as well as an alcoholic.
Originally on the streets because of a girlfriend he was with. Supposedly lived with her and after a fight (they fought a lot “she was a ho.”) he just one day up and left. Before he was homeless and unemployed he worked building campers. He now lives under a bridge whose location he did not wish to disclose.
When asked about his family his initial response was “Not anymore.”
After some pressing I got him to admit he had three kids. He has two daughters and one son. The youngest being his daughter Gina 32 years old. His second oldest, Linda, of 35 years of age, was who he spoke most about. She apparently moved out to Florida with her Hawaiian boyfriend as they both skipped parole. She now is back in California living on the streets. His oldest, a son named Carlos, is now relatively leading a stable life. He is the only one he has not severed ties with completely.
When I asked Mike what his average day consisted of his response was simple: “Yell at people and loiter.” Mike is agnostic. Seems to be bit confused about religion. Believes in afterlife where everything is much like our current world with one exception: no suffering.
Mike had a lot of things to speak about other than himself. It seems he’s quite ashamed about who he is and tends to change the subject quickly as I neared anything too personally revealing about him. His means of distracting my attention were quite interesting. At one point he mentioned that George W. Bush is a lot like Adolf Hitler and later mentioned his theory of Al Quaeda using homeless people as means of infiltrating our society to commit further terrorist acts. I suppose he gets a lot of time to think.
I was touched to meet Mike. I was leaving work after having picked up my paycheck when he came up to me and asked if I had any spare change. I didn’t but offered him a meal in exchange for some of his time and his cooperation. It was depressing to see him eat those French fries with such haste. I dare not imagine how long it has been since he last ate. Over in all though, Mike was very courteous and helpful.
Nov 11 2005
_______
*** Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com
Male
Age:54
Mr. Novel has been homeless for 12 years and on the streets for over 25 years. He is a Marijuana and speed abuser as well as an alcoholic.
Originally on the streets because of a girlfriend he was with. Supposedly lived with her and after a fight (they fought a lot “she was a ho.”) he just one day up and left. Before he was homeless and unemployed he worked building campers. He now lives under a bridge whose location he did not wish to disclose.
When asked about his family his initial response was “Not anymore.”
After some pressing I got him to admit he had three kids. He has two daughters and one son. The youngest being his daughter Gina 32 years old. His second oldest, Linda, of 35 years of age, was who he spoke most about. She apparently moved out to Florida with her Hawaiian boyfriend as they both skipped parole. She now is back in California living on the streets. His oldest, a son named Carlos, is now relatively leading a stable life. He is the only one he has not severed ties with completely.
When I asked Mike what his average day consisted of his response was simple: “Yell at people and loiter.” Mike is agnostic. Seems to be bit confused about religion. Believes in afterlife where everything is much like our current world with one exception: no suffering.
Mike had a lot of things to speak about other than himself. It seems he’s quite ashamed about who he is and tends to change the subject quickly as I neared anything too personally revealing about him. His means of distracting my attention were quite interesting. At one point he mentioned that George W. Bush is a lot like Adolf Hitler and later mentioned his theory of Al Quaeda using homeless people as means of infiltrating our society to commit further terrorist acts. I suppose he gets a lot of time to think.
I was touched to meet Mike. I was leaving work after having picked up my paycheck when he came up to me and asked if I had any spare change. I didn’t but offered him a meal in exchange for some of his time and his cooperation. It was depressing to see him eat those French fries with such haste. I dare not imagine how long it has been since he last ate. Over in all though, Mike was very courteous and helpful.
Nov 11 2005
_______
*** Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com
Homeless
How do you feel when a homeless person encounters you and ask for "some spare change"?
How do you react? What thought's cross your mind?
Overall, I feel compassion and curiosity. Yes. Curiosity.
How did these people end up where they are? What are they doing to try and rebuild their lives? Where are their families? If they went missing- would any one notice? Care?
As for the compassion; if I had the extra change I would give it to them. But I rarely do. Instead I've opted to offer to buy them a meal and in exchange I ask only they help me to better understand their situations and thus quench that curiosity.
Today I began. I conducted two interviews. I'll be posting these interviews and any others I conduct.
Nov 10 2005
_____________
*** Copied from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com
How do you react? What thought's cross your mind?
Overall, I feel compassion and curiosity. Yes. Curiosity.
How did these people end up where they are? What are they doing to try and rebuild their lives? Where are their families? If they went missing- would any one notice? Care?
As for the compassion; if I had the extra change I would give it to them. But I rarely do. Instead I've opted to offer to buy them a meal and in exchange I ask only they help me to better understand their situations and thus quench that curiosity.
Today I began. I conducted two interviews. I'll be posting these interviews and any others I conduct.
Nov 10 2005
_____________
*** Copied from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com
Compassion
"A wretched soul, bruised with adversity,
We bid be quiet when we hear it cry;
But were we burdened with like weight of pain,
As much or more we should ourselves complain."
William Shakespeare
_________
***Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com.
We bid be quiet when we hear it cry;
But were we burdened with like weight of pain,
As much or more we should ourselves complain."
William Shakespeare
_________
***Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com.
Religion
Religion is beautiful.
For the longest time I haven't allowed myself to believe in God. I've wanted to take credit for every one of my accomplishments; I've wanted to owe nothing to anyone and everything to myself. I've revolted against the thought of something 'divine,' something with power over everything, using that power to ease my path in life. I've been selfish and arrogant.
There are things I can not find an explanation for; there are explanations for things which I cannot accept. Mainly, I cannot perceive our universe as a product of a 'big bang.' I can’t be as simple as that. Nor can I believe that humans, as complicated as we are, as evil as we seem, as benevolent as we can be, have been, and will be, as intelligent yet foolish, strong and at the same time weak, have come to be by mere chance.
Religion is beautiful because it is pure, it is selfless, it is honorable, devote, and admirable. Pure because it symbolizes untainted faith, selfless because it requires nothing but faith, honorable because faith can disgrace no one, devote because it doesn't disappoint those who have faith, and admirable because it is something I have been unable to attain.
I'm certain there is some sort of God, divinity or greater concept for me to discover, but I'm still uncertain whether everything in this world is owed to it. I read a lot, and for the most part it has been in search of what God means to me. I was raised Catholic, but I no longer consider myself to be Catholic. I'm not sure if I even believe in Jesus, or The Bible, or anything. For now all I know is that I need to find something to believe in.
For me to find God will be difficult. But if and when I do, I think it will prove even harder for me to accept him.
________________
*** Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com.
For the longest time I haven't allowed myself to believe in God. I've wanted to take credit for every one of my accomplishments; I've wanted to owe nothing to anyone and everything to myself. I've revolted against the thought of something 'divine,' something with power over everything, using that power to ease my path in life. I've been selfish and arrogant.
There are things I can not find an explanation for; there are explanations for things which I cannot accept. Mainly, I cannot perceive our universe as a product of a 'big bang.' I can’t be as simple as that. Nor can I believe that humans, as complicated as we are, as evil as we seem, as benevolent as we can be, have been, and will be, as intelligent yet foolish, strong and at the same time weak, have come to be by mere chance.
Religion is beautiful because it is pure, it is selfless, it is honorable, devote, and admirable. Pure because it symbolizes untainted faith, selfless because it requires nothing but faith, honorable because faith can disgrace no one, devote because it doesn't disappoint those who have faith, and admirable because it is something I have been unable to attain.
I'm certain there is some sort of God, divinity or greater concept for me to discover, but I'm still uncertain whether everything in this world is owed to it. I read a lot, and for the most part it has been in search of what God means to me. I was raised Catholic, but I no longer consider myself to be Catholic. I'm not sure if I even believe in Jesus, or The Bible, or anything. For now all I know is that I need to find something to believe in.
For me to find God will be difficult. But if and when I do, I think it will prove even harder for me to accept him.
________________
*** Copied over from my old blog reneruizj.blogspot.com.
Genesis
So here is where I begin.
I had an old Blog, reneruizj.blogspot.com, but it slowly died away. I wasn't giving myself the time or in any way convincing myself that it mattered. But since I made the decision to create this new blog I realized that if I don't want the same thing to happen wit this Blog I need to find good reasons and means of convincing myself to keep it running. Here goes...
1. I'm not currently attending school. I always thought of myself as a good writer and I'm finding that I'm loosing a lot of my creativity. I read a lot, which is good, but I have to write as well to continue the preserve or even expand my understanding of rhetoric.
2. We all age. We all forget. Although I'm not under the perception that as I age I will begin to forget what experiences have molded me into who I am today or will be in the future, I do realize that their memory may slowly blur with age. Therefore, it is reasonable to think that a good option is to record my thoughts today so that they remain intact for my review in the future.
3. For my own better understanding. I have learned that by writing things down and reviewing them I can achieve a better and deeper understanding of the motives behind my opinions.
4. For others. So that certain people, mainly friends and family, can have a better understanding of me. Also, if applicable, so that same friends and family can learn from my mistakes- which I plan on amply discussing in this Blog.
5. For my better health. Writing for me is like venting. It helps me relieve stress.
Here goes...
I had an old Blog, reneruizj.blogspot.com, but it slowly died away. I wasn't giving myself the time or in any way convincing myself that it mattered. But since I made the decision to create this new blog I realized that if I don't want the same thing to happen wit this Blog I need to find good reasons and means of convincing myself to keep it running. Here goes...
1. I'm not currently attending school. I always thought of myself as a good writer and I'm finding that I'm loosing a lot of my creativity. I read a lot, which is good, but I have to write as well to continue the preserve or even expand my understanding of rhetoric.
2. We all age. We all forget. Although I'm not under the perception that as I age I will begin to forget what experiences have molded me into who I am today or will be in the future, I do realize that their memory may slowly blur with age. Therefore, it is reasonable to think that a good option is to record my thoughts today so that they remain intact for my review in the future.
3. For my own better understanding. I have learned that by writing things down and reviewing them I can achieve a better and deeper understanding of the motives behind my opinions.
4. For others. So that certain people, mainly friends and family, can have a better understanding of me. Also, if applicable, so that same friends and family can learn from my mistakes- which I plan on amply discussing in this Blog.
5. For my better health. Writing for me is like venting. It helps me relieve stress.
Here goes...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
