My McCain sign is in my yard. I 'borrowed' the sign from the Nevada Caucus where I was a McCain volunteer, and not the most mature volunteer at that. I had trouble asking people:

"Do you know where your caucus is?"

I had to change the script because I kept giggling like a kindergartner. Not the image Senator McCain is trying to project I'm sure.

2008

I will drink more water
I will take my vitamins
I will eat my vegetables
I will NOT be tricked into singing along to the Viva Viagra commercial.

Why I don't cook OR Why I drink in the kitchen

I thought it would be nice to give cookie packages this year on Christmas Eve. I went to a cookie exchange a few weeks ago and discovered some delicious trailer trash delights made from Ritz crackers and peanut butter dipped in chocolate. Sounds disgusting and yet surprisingly delicious. I wanted to share my discovery with my loved ones. I didn't have a recipe but how hard could this be - right.

I headed for Costco and bought Ritz crackers, organic peanut butter and the industrial sized bag of toll house chocolate chips. I made one hundred peanut butter and Ritz sandwiches and proceeded to dip them in different mixtures of chocolate. The organic peanut butter was to oily. I needed good old fashioned Skippy extra creamy. Good thing I bought the industrial sized box of Ritz. A quick trip to Albertson's for another jar of peanut butter.

When straight toll house chips turned out to be too thick for dipping I found some instructions on the back of the package directing me to add Crisco to the melted chocolate for dipping. Another trip to Albertson's for Crisco and I dipped some more. I waited for the chocolate to set. I'm still kind of waiting.

I went to the Internet for instruction. It referenced 'dipping chocolates'. I went in search of dipping chocolates which after 4 stores and and equal number of hours I found is not sold in the chocolate aisle, nor is it sold in the baking aisle, it is carried in the produce aisle. Don't ask me why, we've already established that I don't cook.

And so I bought the dipping chocolate which came in it's own microwave safe cardboard bowl and I again proceeded to dip. And again I waited for the chocolate to set, but this time it did set. I moved to the next step in the process which was cookie decoration. White chocolate piped on top of the cookies in a decorative fashion. I used the dipping chocolate in white since I knew it would at least harden when done.

My finished cookies are delicious - all 40 of them. No, the chocolate did not set perfectly and yes they do seem to be sweating. You must eat your cookie very quickly once you've chosen it from the plate lest it melt in your hand.

My kitchen is not back to normal. It may never be. Please stop me if I ever mention the desire to make cookies again.

A Boycott you can get behind

Once again I will boycott OJ news coverage. I did it during his murder trial and I'll do it during his already highly over-hyped armed robbery, kidnapping, grand theft -what ever it is he's charged with, I wouldn't know cause I'm boycotting the news coverage -trial.

Nancy Grace, Larry King, Geraldo, I beg of you, please find something more worth while to report.

When your local news leads with an OJ story, change the channel. How can a robbery in Las Vegas be the lead story in your city (unless you live in Las Vegas that is.) Leading the local news with OJ is irresponsible.

Please join me.

Love Walk 2007 - Team Wagner

Today was the second annual Love Walk for Peppermint Ridge. The event was a great success. Everyone had a great time and we raised over $40,000 for the Ridge.

Team Wagner thanks everyone for their generous support. We raised over $4,500 in donations in Paul's memory.

Every year I'm encouraged by the support for this event. Team Wagner received donations for $10 all the way up to $500. Our friends and family seem to give what they can and every little bit matters. And since it's an event directly sponsored by the Ridge, it's refreshing to know that every penny is going to the residents. None of this money goes to future marketing or more fundraising. If you donated $10, then $10 will go straight to the developmentally disabled residents of Peppermint Ridge.

As for the walk, we had a couple hundred walkers and great weather. The Corona High School Junior ROTC handed out water along the course and cheered the walkers. The residents of the Ridge walked with the community - even if they used walkers or needed other help.

After the walk Chick-fil-a and Backwoods BBQ served lunch (yum). That's Backwoods cooking up some burgers and dogs in the picture.

Again, thanks for your support. If you forgot to send your check you can still do so. Also, remember to submit your receipt to your employer if they match charitable donations.

Next year come walk with us. It's fun.

Paul's Memorial

Sunday September 9th at 2:30 pm at

Corona First Baptist Church
111 W 8th St
Corona, CA 92882
(8th and Main)

Casual Attire
Reception with Refreshments following service

We are asking for donations to be made to Peppermint Ridge in Paul's name in lieu of flowers. You can donate in Paul's name at the service or at Paul's Memorial Page for the Love Walk.

If you are unable to attend the memorial and/or would like to join us in honoring Paul at the Love Walk on September 15th, you may register at the following link.
Walk to Remember Paul

Paul Wesley Wagner 06/02/64 - 08/29/07

My Brother, Paul Wesley Wagner died this morning of a heart attack. He was 43. It was unexpected. We're all still in shock. We love Paul very much.

This afternoon I learned that an essay I wrote about Paul has been published in the August issue of Corona Business Monthly. I wish I had been able to share my essay with Paul but you know how things are - we're busy and we always think we'll have time.

I'll share my essay with you instead. I'll add a link to the magazine later.

"A Sister's Story"

By Judy Wagner

My brother Paul lives in Corona. You’ve seen him, his girlfriend Missy, or one of their many friends in your place of business. They’ve been in line behind you at Target, next to you perusing the DVD’s at Best Buy, in the disabled seats at the front of the Regal movie theatre.

You may be confused when you see Paul and the other residents of Peppermint Ridge around Corona. You’re not quite sure what’s wrong with them, and you want to be politically correct. Don’t look, you think to yourself. You tell your children not to stare.

You’ve learned about developmental disabilities on the news. First it was Down syndrome. You learned about extra chromosomes and prenatal testing. Now all the talk is about autism. You’re finding out real people have autism and they can’t count cards in Vegas like Rainman.

When Paul and I were kids, developmentally disabled people were referred to as retarded and this is still a valid label for some people. Paul is retarded and I still refer to him as such, but Paul will correct me if I say he is handicapped. “I’m disabled, not handicapped,” he says.

Whatever you want to call the residents of Peppermint Ridge, they are first and foremost your neighbors. You sit behind them at the movies on Saturday nights and in front of them at church on Sunday mornings. You are the stylist who cuts their hair, the dentist who fixes their teeth, the nurse who remembers their name when they are re-admitted to the hospital for the third time this year.

This summer you might see Paul and the other residents of Peppermint Ridge walking in your neighborhood as they train for the one mile Love Walk for The Ridge. It’s OK to look at the walkers, and your children can stare, after all, they’re just curious. The residents of Peppermint Ridge won’t mind. My brother Paul is not ashamed of his disability, he is proud to be your neighbor.


If you’d like to walk the one mile Love Walk with the residents on Saturday September 15th, or if you’re interested in becoming a Love Walk sponsor, please visit the Peppermint Ridge website. www.peppermintridge.org

Established in 1959, Peppermint Ridge is a non-profit organization with the mission of providing loving homes and empowering support services for individuals with developmental disabilities. A broad base of financial and volunteer support allows The Ridge to offer a wide variety of residential options and training opportunities for its clients. As a supportive and loving community which nurtures every member and encourages each one to become more self-sufficient and responsible, Peppermint Ridge is more than a place to live - it’s "Home."

A Sad Day

On July 30th we finally had to put down our dog Boo. She'd been sick for months. We had been hand feeding her and coaxing her to eat but the last few days of July she wouldn't eat anything. She was telling us it was time.

Boo had been with my patents for 11 years. She'd traveled all over the country with them in their RV. We were all very attached to her.

Boo was wet with our tears when we handed her to the doctor last Monday. We'll miss her.

Paris

All I can get today on the news, or anywhere else on TV for that matter are reports on Paris Hilton. That’s OK, it’s not like there’s anything else important going on in the world at this moment – oh yeah – well the G8 summit is pretty boring. A bunch of world leaders talking about saving the planet and stuff like that. Snoozer! So I can understand why reporters feel the need to lead with the Paris Hilton story – nothing much else going on today. It’s not like we’re at war or something.

Double Whammy!

This morning I got the dreaded blue screen.

If you've ever seen it, you know what I'm talking about. You look at your computer monitor and expect to see a pleasant windows desktop full of program icons, perhaps some tulips in the background and if you're really cleaver a picture of your children or pets smiling back at you. But instead of this familiar and comforting collage, you're monitor shows you a blank blue screen.

The not unpleasant royal blue screen may also contain some white type, DOS style, really old school. This type could say anything but I can sum it up for you:

"You're Screwed!"

And so today I spent the day attempting to save what data I could from my hard drive so that I can try the fianl suggestion the Dell help desk had for me. Tomorrow I try to reload Windows. Pray for me.

Why not reload Windows tonight you might ask?

This evening I have to complete what I had on schedule for today before I was slapped off track by my computer troubles.

Tonight I must assemble my new Ikea entertainment center.

Yes, another prayer is necessary. I've already opened the wine.

NYPL Patience

NYPL Patience
Originally uploaded by judykay.

Also visited the New York Public Library. I asked my friend the names of the Lions and she said, "Simba and I don't know the other one's name." I almost peed my pants I laughed so hard. She has small children and didn't quite understand the question.

Updated 05-05-08 ...I've been corrected. The Lion pictured is on the North side of the Library. Patience is on the South side. The lion pictured is Fortitude. ooops.

My Birthday in Central Park

Central Park Great Lawn
Originally uploaded by judykay.

Got home last night after 5 days in New York City. We had excellent weather. I took some pictures of my first visit to Central Park. The trees were blossoming. A perfect day for the park.

10 Things about me

This is from my Match.com profile. I haven't been paying much attention to Match lately but someone wrote to me and raved about my profile so I took another look.

It's kinda funny. I'll bet my friends could add to the list. I'd love to hear what you have to say.

From Match.com

10 things you should know...

1. I can't golf. I've tried. My Dad just points and laughs at me. I come from a golfing family. I do well at the 19th hole.

2. I don't sing in the shower but I do sing in my car - mostly when I'm alone though. I don't sing well. ;)

3. I wash my own car but I don't clean my own house. Hence, my house is cleaner than my car most of the time.

4. Call me old fashioned but I think men should take out the garbage. Every week I resent dragging the trash cans to the curb with the neighborhood men. I'll empty the dishwasher.

5. I have trouble waking up in the morning and sometimes I drink soda pop. I know it's gross but I still do it.

6. I put half and half in my coffee. The low fat stuff just doesn't taste as good. My coffee is decaf.

7. My friends think I'm funny but sometimes I can't tell if they're laughing with me or at me. Either way it's fun.

8. I'm all for plastic surgery if you have lots of cash and low self esteem. I find that I rarely have both at the same time.

9. My parents have been married for over 50 years. I'm 40 and single so I don't think I'm going to break their record but you never know.

10. I run half marathons but this morning I couldn't run a full three miles and walked home like an arthritic old woman. If I were walking sexier, I would have lied in my profile and said I was 35. Why not! Everyone else does.

Happy New Year

New Year's Eve should be known as Girls Night Out at the movies. Hey - all you single guys out there who wonder where you can meet a nice girl, there were hundreds of them at the Big Newport Theater last night.

As for the movie, I saw Children of Men because of Clive Owen. Very strange movie. The Nativity Story meats Escape From New York with a little dash of Mad Max. Good story but I must have missed some major pieces so I might pick up the book.

2007 Resolutions - sure, why not:

Take my vitamins
Drink more water
Eat my vegetables

kind of boring but they're a requirement in Jan 1 blog postings.

Have a great year and remember to take your vitamins.

Hey - is anybody reading this? We'll soon find out.

I need your help. I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and I need interesting characters and funny work stories.

Send me your funniest work moments. Irony is always good.

Also, I have two female characters that need some color. What should their hobbies, compulsions, and eccentricities be? (pulling hair out one strand at a time is such a bore...give me something else.)

The Love Walk for Peppermint Ridge

An update on The Love Walk for Peppermint Ridge.

Thanks to everyone who donated. Team Wagner raised over $3000 and The Ridge raised over $20,000.

We had a blast walking. No major mishaps although my Dad did get distracted while helping my Mom from the car and my Mom ended up rolling across the parking lot until her wheelchair finally hit the curb. Mom wasn't scared. She thought Dad was pushing her and just kept yelling "slow down - slow down." Wish I had that one on film.

If you want to walk with us next year, just let me know. My friend David walked with us this year. Chick-fil-a was a sponsor so we enjoyed chicken sandwiches and Hansen's soda after the walk - and you know I always rate an event based on the quality (and quantity) of the food. Maybe next year we can get In-N-Out to sponsor :)

Anyway, here's a pic of the family. We're not the most photographic bunch and I must say that this in one of the better pictures we have ever taken. You may see it on my Christmas Card.

Looking Good!

I'm distraught. For the past two days I've been in my room - under the covers – sulking.

Sunday I finished the Long Beach Half Marathon. Notice I didn’t say ‘ran’ the half marathon. I ran 7 miles and then I pretty much jogged when I could and walked when I couldn’t, until I crossed the finish line. No Biggie. I had an off day. 3 hours 15 minutes for 13.1 miles.

I was still proud of myself. I had been running consistently for over a year. I was getting in shape. I felt good. I looked good. Wait – did I say I looked good?

There are two big problems with running races.

1. Races start at 7:00 am which means that you have to get up at 5:00 am so that you can drive to the starting line before the roads close.

2. Photographers snap your picture before, during, and after the race.

Hence, the trauma that drove me to my bed for two full days:

Oh dear God! How am I ever going to catch a man when I look like I’m one tool belt and a flannerl shirt away from rushing off to Home Depot to meet my girlfriend? (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

For years now I’ve wondered if it’s possible that I’m not as good looking as I think I am. After all, in my head I look pretty good.

When I started internet dating I forced myself to perform some personal level setting. I contemplated my reflection and accepted what I saw. I was not 29, I did not look 29, and even worse, my waist was certainly not a 29.

I could live with that until the race pictures came trickling in. Evidently I look like a man and run like a girl. Double Whammy - No Fair!

Run to Remember Joe Gogue

Yesterday I ran twelve miles.

If you are laughing, please know that this is no joke. My calves are not laughing!

If you don’t believe me, well, you’re in good company but I assure you I did run a full 12 miles.

I'm not good with distances and measurements so I went to Google maps to find out just how far 12 miles is.

I found that it is 6 miles from my house to John Wayne Airport so a round trip would be 12 miles.

The Bay Bridge in San Francisco is 8.4 Miles.

Manhattan Island is 13 miles long.


Impressed yet?

On October 15th I'll be running the Long Beach Marathon - OK, I'll be running one half of the Long Beach Marathon - 13.1 Miles (and for our metric friends, 21.097494 kilometers.)

I will run this race in under 3 hours if I can help raise at least $1500 in memory of Joe Gogue. If you support me (and the Hospice that helped Joe in his final days,) I'll reward you with a race souvenir. It may or may not be a video featuring interviews with my race team and me at various points throughout the race.

Did you see Oprah and Gail's Road Trip? Well, this will be Susan, Tracy, and Judy's Marathon (OK, Half Marathon but who's counting.)

You can support my efforts and donate to the hospice in Joe's memory at the following link.

http://www.active.com/donate/runtoremember/rtr2006JoeGogue

Of course this is tax deductible so be generous.

WEHO

So last Sunday I attended the West Hollywood Book Fair. I was late, which I'm sure is not shocking to anyone who is acquainted with my usual Sunday routine - up at 6:00 am to meet my running group (ambitious Judy) and back to bed by 10:00 am for a well deserved nap (the better known, lazy Judy.) I enjoy my Sundays. Sometimes I nap until it's time for 60 Minutes on the tube.

On this particular Sunday I forgot that I had actually planned a social activity so I slipped right back between the sheets after my run. Thank goodness I had included others in my plans because my trusty friends began calling me at 11:00 am to see where I was. While still curled up in my 500 thread count cocoon, Ambitious Judy had a small row with Lazy Judy and it was decided that I should take a quick shower and drive to West Hollywood. After all, I could still catch the panel on humor writing in memoirs.

The book fair was about what I had expected; A sunny day in the park with various panel discussions on writing and publishing taking part under rental canopies. What I had neglected to anticipate was the West Hollywood factor. (You're probably thinking that I was shocked seeing Daddy and Daddy with the stroller, or by the booth promoting the new children's book Susie has two Mommies - even if they both look like Daddies. I'm here to tell you no, I've spent time outside of Orange County and I take no special notice of such things.)

Around 2:00 pm I needed some shade so I decided to sit under one of the rented canopies and watch a panel discussing news sources and the changing environment of reporting the news. In this discussion I learned that blogs really aren't that well read for real news and most of those citing blog readership were really referring to cruising myspace. OK, I'll agree with that. Beavis and Butthead reading myspace shouldn't count as one lost reader for the LA Times. Come on, they weren't reading the Times before myspace and unless you print news headlines on rolling papers, they're not going to read it now.

So far I'm fitting in. I'm a writer. I'm an artist. I belong here.

Next was an intelligent question from the audience asking how a reporter chooses to describe a perpetrator of politically motivated violence. I'm excited now. Clever questions from a literate audience; I'm glad to have made the drive.

The panelist goes on to describe how one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist and that word choice is often politically motivated. Bingo - I'm nodding my head. She than gave an example of the use of the word ecoterrorist to describe people working to save the environment by drawing attention to others who are misusing the earth's resources. My nodding stops. She explains that this word - ecoterrorist - is being promoted by an anti-environmentalist in an attempt to discredit the environmentalist movement.

"Take setting fire to a lumbar yard in order to draw much needed attention to deforestation as an example," she said. "Is ecoterrorist the best way to describe those setting the fire?"

I wait and do quick check around me before nodding my head. I can't believe that I see the crowd shaking their heads no. One of the panelist jumps in and says "They're not terrorist." A few shouts of "no they're not" erupt from the crowd.

I guess I've already been brainwashed by the anti-environmentalists because I would say that burning down a business to make a political point is terrorism. I might as well stop separating my trash and reusing my grocery bags because apparently I'm a proponent of global warming because I shop at Home Depot.

Needless to say, I looked at Orange County in a new light when I returned. We may have excessive plastic surgery and drive Hummers, but we're not ecoterrorists! That's one thing we've got going for us.

Nice Guys and Nazis

My first date was in 1981. I’ve been dating ever since and I’m exhausted.

I thought online dating would bring my life’s extended courtship phase to an end and I must admit that most of the men I’ve met online are nice. The problem is, nice is the most passionate adjective I can supply to describe them.

A few weeks ago I had coffee with Average Joe. He was nice, really very nice. Nice looking, appropriately dressed, polite, and gainfully employed. While he was explaining auto insurance rates for the hard to insure, I tried to imagine spending my life with this average Joe; your typical nice guy. It was then that I began to understand why the entire country is on antidepressants. Only a hefty dose of Zoloft could make this imaginary really very nice life stimulating.

More recently I was pleasantly surprised when I received an enthusiastic response to my profile from a man whose screen name indicated he was Swiss. I never could resist a man with an accent? I sent him my phone number so we could make a date. When he called I did a quick mental scan of European geography and realized that the Swiss accent would not be romantic, instead my new exciting foreign man sounded like a Nazi – as in “Vwhere are your papers.”

I asked the Nazi to meet me at Zinc in Corona del Mar for coffee and he asked me to spell Zinc.

Judy: “Zee-Eye-En-Cee”
Nazi: “OK, yes Cee-Eye-En-Cee, Cinc, I’ll see you there.”
Judy: “No, it’s Zee-Eye-En-Cee. Zee as in Zebra, not Cee as in Cat, Zinc.”
Nazi: “Oh Zee, not Cee, Which Cee is a Zee?”

“Vhere are your Papers!”

Last weekend I met the Nazi in person (at Zinc with a Zee) and I was pleasantly surprised to find a tall attractive man who was obviously comfortable in his own skin. Usually my online dates are nervous. We talked about who knows what and I didn’t care because I thought I felt a spark. As the Nazi told me about his golden retriever, I glanced into my half full cup of coffee and wondered if the barista had accidentally poured regular instead of decaf. I’ll never know what was actually in that cup of coffee but I knew after an hour that I wanted to go out with the Nazi again.

Yeah – I wanted a second date! I was making real progress.

That evening I thought about my next post:

Every once in a great while you will meet someone who is attractive or exciting and you’ll get the spark that thankfully breaks the monotony of first dates.

Two days later I contemplated another post:

After you’ve worked for weeks perfecting your online profile, spent days reviewing and emailing prospective dates, endured countless hours of really very nice first dates, you’ll eventually feel a spark.

Here’s the gruesome concealed catch, this attractive exciting man who has sparked your desire, has to feel a spark too.

You see, the Nazi didn’t call. The dating equation is much more complicated than I first thought it was. I don’t just have to find a guy that I like; he has to like me back.

This just might take forever!