Tuesday Morning . . .

One the things listed in the disclosures for the condo was that the property was next to an active train track.

On one of my many visits to the sales office I inquired about the train track and just how "active" was "active"?

My sales agent said that she only saw the track being used on Tuesdays at noon.

That didn't bother me because I like trains and I would most likely be at work on Tuesdays.

So being on vacation this week I was checking email when I heard a train whistle.   I looked at the clock and it was NOON ON TUESDAY!  

I ran out of my unit to the common area that overlooks the street and sure enough there was a locomotive parked outside!

Cool!

The Song Of The Day - Tuesday Morning by Michelle Branch

So This Is Christmas . . .

So this was Christmas, by the little tree I scored Dec 22nd for half off.   It may not look like much, but for $10 I am not going to complain.

Christmas morning my parents and I headed off to the only mass being said on Christmas day; the 9am bilingual service.  And just as I was welcomed into the community a few weeks earlier,  the parish clapped for all those visiting the church that day (insert my parents here.)

The bilingual mass had a little Tejano flair where Jingle Bells made a surprise visit during the most sacred part of the mass.

After mass we returned home for breakfast, presents, and of course the cooking of the next meal; dinner.

 

As this was the first time I (meaning my Mom) had used the oven, shortly after the first casserole was placed inside the oven we set off all the smoke detectors in the unit because the "new" oven smell started burning itself off.  Windows were cracked and fan vents turned on and all order was shortly restored.

 

Here's Mom and I getting our "cook" on.

And dinner is served!  Turkey, Corn Casserole, Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, and Gravy - YUM!

(And yes, every plate is a different color on purpose.)


The Song Of The Day - So This Is Christmas (War Is Over)  by John Lennon

You Just Lost One . . .

This is the tale of the modern day Christmas Miracle.

On Christmas Eve my parents and I returned home after a long day of shopping.

Mom was boiling water on the stove for pasta and super excited to try the "Power Boil" feature on the range top.

Dad was sipping Dewar's White Label Scotch on the couch and I said I was going to run downstairs and get the mail.

On my way back into the building I spied a brand new unwrapped iPad 3G sitting on the staircase outside.

There was no tag on the iPad.

Oh Santa, you do exist and you brought me another better iPad than the one I already have.   You left it here on the staircase for me to find.  I knew you were real!

Then I snapped back to reality.   Sort of.

At first I was going to bring the iPad inside because I figured someone had accidentally left it outside.

Then I thought that maybe one of my neighbors who was having a gathering that night had purposely put the iPad on the staircase and it was part of an elaborate gift scavenger hunt.

Yes, that was definitely it, if I took the iPad inside it would ruin the whole Christmas Eve scavenger hunt for everyone.

I couldn't free my mind of the iPad.  So every few hours I would go back and check if it was still there.

Nightfall came and the party guests were leaving one by one and the iPad still sat on the stair case.  Now I figured that the party was so good that the guests must have had too much to drink and had totally forgotten to open the gifts which included the iPad.

I went to bed.  (I am not going to lie, when I woke up at 1am I checked on the iPad again.)

First thing in the morning I went downstairs; saw that the iPad was still there and grabbed it.

I placed a note in the parking garage that said "If you lost an unwrapped Christmas gift with a bow on top, I found it outside on Christmas Eve.   Call me."

The hours ticked by Christmas day and the phone never rang.

By 9pm I was pretty sure I had just inherited an iPad 3G.

Then I looked over at my phone and saw one missed call from a number I did not recognize.

I listened to the voice mail and it was a gentleman who was hoping that the gift I found was an iPad.

I called him back and told him that it indeed was an iPad and that he could come over and pick it up.

So a little more than 24 hours after iPad 3G entered my life it was gone!  Gone that is to make someone else's Christmas just a little bit better!

The Song Of The Day - Lost Ones by Lauryn Hill

Happy Holidays . . .

May the Spirit of the Season be with you and your family during this Special time of year!

Merry Christmas from Just Jon!

The Song Of The Day - (Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag by Kay Starr

He Calls Us Each By Name . . .

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Church is not a building; it is people."?

Well I think I have found this to be true of the church in my new neighborhood.

I have never experienced a Catholic church as welcoming as the one in this community.

My first experience at St. Paul of the Shipwreck was several months before I moved into the neighborhood when I was still "checking" things out. I stopped by to see if it was a Catholic church and to see what the mass schedule was.

Out front I met a man sweeping the sidewalk. I introduced myself and he offered to open up the church so that I could see inside and pray if I wanted to.

I was pleasantly surprised by the multicultural representation of Jesus hanging above the altar.  It beautifully represents the community at large.

As i was leaving the man said that he hoped to see me again.

Two months later I attended my first service.

I was 30 minutes late because I forgot what time mass started.

At the Sign Of Peace the entire community stepped out into the aisles and shook hands, hugged, and kissed.

The man whom I had met a couple months back was coming down the aisle and he beamed with delight when his eyes landed on me.

One women held my hand and said, "It's your first time isn't it?"

I said, "Yes, it is."

She replied with warmth, "Well, welcome!"

At the end of mass the priest asked if there were any birthdays being celebrated.  When no one responded he started the closing prayer.  A woman yelled out, "Father, we have someone new with us," as she turned and pointed at me.

The priest stopped the closing prayer and asked me to introduce myself to the congregation.

When I said I had just moved to the neighborhood they all smiled.

Last week I missed mass because I was not feeling well.

This week at the Sign Of Peace the priest grabbed my hand and said, "Peace be with you Jon."

Now I have a terrible time remembering people's names, yet after only meeting me once he was able to address me by my name.  I was impressed.

I was impressed that is until after mass when I was leaving the Priest saw me and said, "We haven't seen you in a couple weeks.  Nice to have you back."

"Oh Jesus!" I said in my head.

Out loud I said, "Oh yes, I wasn't feeling well last week, so I missed mass."

Really!  I only missed one week and I was sick.

I guess I won't be able to miss mass anymore or the Catholic guilt will really get to me since the priest will notice that I am not there.

The Song Of The Day - He Calls Us Each By Name by Santa Sophia Catholic Church

Eat More Cake . . .

It has been brought to my sweet tooth's attention that Jack In The Box has updated its dessert menu to now include the "Chocolate Overload Cake."

This means I need to update Jack In The Box's standing on the Just Jon Fast Food Dessert Ranking chart.

As previously reviewed in April 2009, the Double Fudge Cake that used to be on Jack In The Box's menu paled in comparison to the Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese frosting from Carl's Jr.  What I failed to include on that blog review was the Chocolate Bundt Cake from Quiznos.

In order from best to worst they would have been:

1.  Carl's Jr.
2.  Quiznos
3.  Jack In The Box

However, now that Jack In The Box has introduced the Chocolate Overload Cake, they have risen in rank.  They are now tied for second with Quiznos.

The two cakes are very similar.  In fact they may be the exact same thing.   The only difference in the cakes is that Jack In The Box's appears more moist.  This might be because I don't think it came straight from the freezer like the Quiznos cake (allegedly).

Congratulations on elevating your game Jack In The Box!

The Song Of The Day - Kandi (Eat More Cake Mix) by One Eskimo

Long Time Coming . . .

I'm Back!

It's been a long time coming Loyal Readers!

In fact it has been so long since I have written a real blog post, I am a little nervous.

But after 26 days of battling with AT&T, I finally have my Internet connection!  WOO HOO!

In all seriousness, you never realize how much you use the Internet for EVERYTHING until you don't have access to it.

The whole moving process is stressful, and when the first answer to every question is, "Please refer to our website for additional information..."  my response was, "I can't!"  Then, the challenge of trying talk to a live person at any business is like finding a needle in a hay stack.  Good luck!

But we are out of the woods and on to bigger and better things!

Like LAUNDRY!

In the twelve years that I have lived on my own I have used public laundry mats.  I never felt that my clothing smelled as fresh and clean as when my Mom did my laundry for me.

But now that I have my own washer and dryer, my clothes came out smelling just like when Mom does it!  Woo Hoo again!

And the other night, I used my dishwasher for the first time.  Believe it or not, I had never used a dishwasher before.

All in all I am having lots of "first" experiences and it is exciting.

So here is a little of what has been going on the last four months...

The Song Of The Day - Long Time Coming by The Delays

Shine . . .

This is The Sequin Jacket. It has consumed my life for the last three weeks.

That makes it blog worthy.

P.S. I still don't have Internet service at home thanks to my friends at AT&T. Please forward all complaints about missing Just Jon to AT&T.

The Song Of The Day - Shine by Cyndi Lauper

Under Pressure . . .

New TV Haiku

Stopped into Best Buy
With no intention to buy
Sir, "Sale" ends tonight

The Song Of The Day - Under Pressure By Boys II Men

Train . . .

Muni Haiku

Identify line
J K L M N and T
Last to transport me

The Song Of The Day - Right Track Wrong Train by Cyndi Lauper

Wash . . .

Naive Laundry Haiku

Standing And Staring
At My New Washing Machine
Where Do Quarters Go

The Song Of The Day - Come Clean by Hilary Duff

Connect . . .

Loyal Readers -

As part of the moving process my Internet service will not be set up for a couple of weeks.

That means new posts will be few and far between.

I will be posting photos to the Just Jon facebook fan page with some captions and status updates.

If you haven't already joined the group; please do; so that we can stay connected while I wait for my Internet service.

The Song Of The Day - Future Lovers by Madonna

First Train Home . . .

I am finally a homeowner!

Keeping my mouth shut on this blog for the 74 days I have been in escrow has been tough!

I really appreciate the select few people who were aware that I was in escrow and kept it on the down low per my request.

The reality is that I felt like the home buying process is similar to a woman in her first trimester of pregnancy, I just did not feel comfortable talking about the purchase until I felt it was a done deal.

Loyal Readers may remember that I have posted about my home search before.  This process has been several years in the making with one ill fated offer that was retracted before any paperwork was signed sealed or delivered.

After that experience I knew that this time I was going to make sure the deal was solid before I started talking about it.

It has been understandably stressful, and even more challenging when you are trying to do the whole process as a single person.  It is very hard to be in two places at the same time.

But after 74 days of waiting, document reading, signatures, faxes, notaries, emails, design appointments, video shoots (don't ask), wire transfers, walk throughs, phone calls, messages, mover quotes, packing, trips to Goodwill, no parking permits obtained; today I was told, "Congratulations your purchase has been recorded and you can pick up the keys to your new home!"

So Friday morning the movers are coming to take me HOME!

Just Jon will still be residing in the City by the Bay in a new one bedroom + den condo.  In fact I believe I am the first resident moving into the complex!

Shout out to my parents for emotional, physical and mental support!

The Song Of The Day - First Train Home by Imogen Heap

Start The Commotion . . .

And so it begins...

The Christmas holiday decorations have begun to overtake the City by the Bay!

The Song Of The Day - Start The Commotion by The Wiseguys

32 Flavors . . .

Three weeks ago the Just Jon fan page was launched on facebook.  

In the two and a half years prior to the facebook launch only 14 people had signed up to be Loyal Readers through the Google Follow feature on this site.   In just three short weeks 32 people have clicked "Like" on facebook!

Thanks to each and every one one of my 32 flavorful readers!

Oh, and why not go for total world wide web domination while we're at it;  there is now a Just Jon Twitter feed.

My excuse for the Twitter account is that I wanted to make sure that no one else got my Username before me.  I also realize that I am now going to have to get a Twitter translation guide because I don't understand the Twitter Tweet Speak abbreviations.

The Song Of The Day - 32 Flavors by Alana Davis

Grab A Hold . . .

I recently spotted the above sticker on the roof of a Muni Train.

Yes, it accomplishes its goal of providing a safety warning to passengers so that they will not get hurt in the automatic doors.

However, I think it would be much funnier printed on the back of a Hooters waitress' t-shirt; or just on a t-shirt in general.

Who knows...this may be coming to the Just Jon Junk store 2011.

The Song Of The Day - Grab A Hold by Cyndi Lauper

Breathe . . .

Today, remember to breathe!

The Song Of The Day - Breathe by Midge Ure (not available on iTunes)

My Elevator . . .

Things that make you go hmmmm.

When the permit for the elevator you ride most often expired almost two years ago.

The Song Of The Day - Elevator by Flo Rida feat. Timbaland

Parade . . .

All it took was our Senior Director to say, "Who is going to the parade?  You should all try and go."

And with that everyone who didn't have a meeting scheduled piled into the elevators and headed to the first floor to start the 15 minute walk toward Market Street and Montgomery.  This walk was filled with hundreds of thousands of other Bay Area Giants fans hoping for a glimpse of the World Series Champions!

Perched on top of railings, newspaper stands, window sills, and roof tops a sea of orange and black cheered and chanted for the winning team.

And I, hundreds of people deep into the crowd could only "see" vicariously through the eyes of those who stood on the railing near me and shouted above the dull roar of the fans just who was on the cable car passing by...

"The trophy just went by..."

"It's the mayor..."

"Cody Ross..."

This beautiful 70 degree San Francisco day was perfect!  The only rain was that of orange black and white confetti.

The Song Of The Day - No Parade by Jordin Sparks

Whatcha Think About That . . .

I would like to thank my boss for bringing this to my attention.

The above photo shows part of the actual sample ballot in San Francisco.

Please note the fifth candidate for Member of the Board of Education.  Also note his/her qualifications for being on the Board of Education.

This is not a joke!

Only in San Francisco!

The Song Of The Day - Whatcha Think About That by The Pussycat Dolls Featuring Missy Elliott

Just Lose It . . .

Seriously this City has lost it's shiz over the Giants winning the World Series.

We had already changed the lighting on city landmarks like the Ferry Building, Coit Tower, and City Hall to be Giants Orange when our hometown heroes made it into the World Series.

But now that they won...

Sweet Holy Moly!

It has already been three hours of horn honking, people cheering, fireworks blazing, streets overtaken, and buses commandeered.  All that and our boys are not even here; they are still in Texas!

If it is this nuts now, I can't wait to see what Wednesday's Parade down Market Street will bring!

This just might make the Pride Parade and Love Fest look like a church picnic.

Every man woman and child for themselves!

The Song Of The Day - Just Lose It By Eminem

M O N E Y . . .

In 1990 my mother gave me the above Coca-Cola plastic piggy bank.  I vowed to only put pennies into this bank.

Over the years the bank has moved from home to home to apartment to apartment from So Cal to Nor Cal.  As the years have gone by the pennies became to much for the aging plastic to contain and cracks started to form.  Packing tape was strategically placed over the cracks in hopes of keeping the bank in one piece until it was filled to the top.

Recently it was clear that the bank was not going to make it much longer.

So yesterday I decided to cash in.

I looked up where the nearest Coinstar was located.  I also knew that I had about as close of a parking space as I was going to get to my apartment if I was going to attempt to move this bank.

Unfortunately the bank was so heavy I could barely move it.

So I made the strategic decision to empty the bank into two nondescript reusable shopping bags.

Despite being separated into two bags I could still barely lift the pennies.  This was going to require the use of my "granny cart" if I was going to make it to my car.

I got the granny cart filled with pennies to the corner and realized for the first time just how steep the hill my car was parked on top of was.

Halfway up the hill I was sweating and out of breath!  The pennies were ridiculously heavy!

When I reached the market with the Coinstar I popped the trunk open and took the first bag of pennies out.  The strap on the bag immediately ripped and the bag of pennies went splat onto the rain soaked asphalt.  I lifted the bag from the bottom this time and waddled into the store.

This was my first time using a Coinstar and I was mortified at how much noise these machines make.   Especially since I knew that I was going to have to do this process twice!

Slowly but surely I put handful after handful of pennies into the tray and fed them into the tiny slot.

As I loaded the pennies into the tray I thought back to 1991 high school chemistry class with Mrs. Reeves where we did an experiment that changed the color of pennies to "gold."   Deep inside me that was the only penny I kind of wanted to keep.  But that would be like finding a needle in a haystack to recover one penny.

The first bag finished processing and was a total of 5,886 pennies!   That was $53.54 after the service charge was deducted!  Pretty cool because this was the smaller one of my two grocery bags of pennies!

I went out to the car and carefully picked up the second bag of pennies from the bottom and again waddled my way into the store to start the process over.

About halfway through counting the second bag of pennies a miracle happened!

Glistening like the north star in the tray of pennies to be processed was my "Gold" penny from high school!

Hooray!

The second bag finished counting and totaled up to a whopping $73.52!

In total that was 13,897 pennies in 20 years that I pulled out of my pocket or $127.06!

The funniest part was when I went to the cashier to redeem my Coinstar vouchers.  I didn't even think about the chance that I would be given pennies back.  As the cashier redeemed the first voucher for $53.54 I heard the change dispenser go clink clink clink.  I looked down and saw four Abraham Lincoln's looking at me!  How ironic that I just gave away almost 14 thousand pennies to get four back!  That is just a cruel joke!

The Song Of The Day - Money Honey by Lady Gaga