A REAL Post for 2011

The last several posts on my blog have been writing prompts from Plinky.com. I haven't had a diary for a couple years, mainly because my last complete one was taken along with many personal belongings (useless to those theives) that I left in a car. As much as I desperately need to write about some things going on in my life, I feel like this might not be the most appropriate place to post them, since it's not an anonymous blog. Who knows, the more I think about it, I might just say to hell with it and write about it anyway. We'll see as I type more...

In October of 2010, I switched real estate offices. I was getting fed up with the owners and managers constantly trying to be "friends" with the agents and gossiping about everyone. I can see this going on between co-workers, but it's not acceptable behavior for an owner or manager. The office I left had a few other locations, but I would always avoid having to go into the main office. I, too, started falling into that sink-hole of negativity. As much as I tried to reverse my bad-attitude for that office, some other issue would arise and I would be frustrated at the way management would handle it. It was like being in a bad relationship: both parties keep falling into their bad habits to the point that the only solution is just to walk away.

Real estate is still pretty slow. The banks aren't foreclosing on properties right and left, which means there aren't many homes out there for us to sell. Even if we do find a potential buyer, the lending requirements are still pretty strict, and not everyone is able to qualify. This lack of money is definitely starting to take a toll on me. I just want to be able to start paying bills again. Even though Francisco takes care of all the finances right now, it just not the same as having my own money. I don't think I could ever get to a point in my life where I would be okay with someone else making all the money - haha!

This past summer I attended a lot of local community events. Brentwood (my hometown) has Downtown Thursdays: car show, live music and street vendors in the evening. It was a nice way to spend the warm evenings out listening to a small band play while sipping on wine and chatting with friends/family. Saturday mornings were usually spent at the Farmer's Market, also in Downtown Brentwood. A seafood company from Santa Cruz would set up and we usually had a few raw oysters before heading into the Wine Bar for mimosas. Of course, this is after walking through the vendors, trying free samples and buying our fruits, veggies and olive oils. It was at one of these Farmer's Market Saturday's that I took a picture of my youngest enjoying a plum, which was later published in our local paper as a "Kid of the Week".


People from all over the Bay Area come to Brentwood around Memorial Day Weekend and into a few weeks of June to pick cherries. It's a huge event for some famililes. Growing up in Brentwood, I never knew what the big deal was. I just remember the streets and parks being packed with out-of-towners. My cousin drove out from Pinole with his kids, and my mom, baby Frankie and I joined him. We picked about 2 pounds of Bing cherries. They were DELICIOUS!

This is a pretty long post, so I'll catch you up on another day. There are still pictures and trips to Santa Cruz and the Boardwalk, Hazel's hamburger challenge, concerts in San Francisco, Neighborhood Clean-Ups, soccer games and college admittance...