It’s almost 2004! So much work to do! I bartended the last couple of days so I’m even further behind. Tomorrow is payroll and the big New Year’s Eve Party at deva’s. We are having chicken, spinach dip, and appetizers. I think we serve more food then most restaurants during the holidays. I wish deva’s had a kitchen! I made gallons of “Mad Cow Stew” (vegetable & Top Sirloin) for Sunday football two days ago. The patrons ate every drop and asked for more. I don’t think many people are actually worried about getting Mad Cow disease. The line is still around the corner at Inn & Out, the hamburger joint, down the street. We had steaks on Christmas Day. Its just one cow, linked to Canada, come on. I’d probably die from chocking on a piece of steak before I’d actually die from Mad Cow Disease. A person actually wrote in to the OC Register today proclaiming they weren’t going to eat beef anymore because of all the pictures on TV of cute little cow faces being slaughtered. Okay. That guy probably believed the commercials of the “Happy Cow” in California as well. Does he think that the cheese slices on his turkey or chicken sandwich today came from “Happy Cows” roaming free in the sunshine over the vast green, daisy covered, hillsides? What about the poor little cute chicken or turkey faces that were slaughtered for his non-cow meal? Give me a break. I guess we all should become vegans, wear man-made material shoes, and hug a tree.

Friday was such a lovely day at work. By the time I got there the ice machine stopped running, the cash register died, and several light s had burned out. It wasn’t even a Monday! Deva’s is such an electrical nightmare. The previous owner was an electrical contractor, and still is! Scary! We have outlets in the strangest places. The one above the TV’s is fell out of the ceiling when I first took over. I really would like to remodel the place. Only problem is all the laws, regulations, ordinances, commissions, departments, landlord, etc………. maybe someday. ( There are so many idiotic regulations that prevent imprvement.)

I’ve got to get all these bills in the mail and start searching for the bottom of my desk again before next year starts!

Merry Christmas All!

I went to the doctor yesterday. Armed with Bill O’Reilly’s “Who’s Looking Out for You?” “The Week” magazine, and a list of “The Best Notable Quotables of 2003,” I planned on the long two hour wait. I didn’t even get through a paragraph when they called me in. I have gained back 7 pounds from my lowest weight during the campaign. Lovely. My blood pressure was 110 over 80; okay I guess. I also had a slight fever, no big deal. Dr Chang looked down my throat, listened to my heart, and asked me what was wrong. I told him I thought I had strep throat and needed antibiotics. So I got the prescription for the Z-pack that I wanted. I paid cash and that really throws people off! If you want to see confused people, pay cash for a doctor’s visit and then don’t use your insurance when you go to fill your prescription either. Think about it. They told me there would be a two-hour wait, so I know they were extremely busy yesterday morning. I paid $50.00 cash for the visit with three Twenties. They barely had $10.00 cash in the drawer to give me change! So then I went to Sav-On to fill the prescription. It was a big deal because I wasn’t in their computer and I wasn’t using insurance. When I went to pick up the prescription they wanted my insurance again. I told them my insurance is so screwed up that I’d rather pay cash. They still insisted I use my insurance because the antibiotics where going to cost $57.99. I still paid cash. What’s the big deal? If I can’t afford A little over a hundred dollars when I get sick, which is usually twice a year, then there’s a problem. I choose to use my insurance incase of a major illness or accident. If everyone did that prices and doctor care would be so much cheaper. Just my opinion.

I better go rest again. I refuse to watch soap operas, those Jerry Springer type shows, Divorce Court, and basically most of daytime TV. Have you ever seen the ads they run during the daytime TV? That should tell you right there who is watching these shows. All the ads are aimed at the unemployed, weight-challenged, and people who may need an Attorney for a worker’s comp claim. Give me a break! If you see these commercials, turn the channel, you are watching “loser” TV. Come on, they assume you are stupid, fat, and unemployed. I have all the movie channels and there still isn’t anything worth watching. I can’t read because my neck is killing me and I start getting a headache. So I’m stuck with TV after the Rush Limbaugh show. Hey, he’s funny, I like his show.

Here’s an interesting e-mail holiday greeting I received, it pretty much sums up all the stupidity this society is swimming in:


Have a safe insane... ;)

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes
for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress,
non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice
holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious
persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with
respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of
others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions
at all...and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically
uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted
calendar year 2004, but not without due respect for the calendars of
choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make
America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any
other country or is the only "America" in the Western hemisphere), and
without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability,
religious fait!
h, or sexual orientation of the wishee.

This wish is limited to the customary and usual good tidings for a
period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday
greeting, whichever comes first. "Holiday" is not intended to, nor shall
it be considered, limited to the usual Judeo-Christian celebrations or
observances, or to such activities of any organized or ad hoc religious
community, group, individual or belief (or lack thereof).

Note: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This
greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal, and is revocable at
the sole discretion of the wisher at any time, for any reason or for no
reason at all. This greeting is freely transferable with no alteration
to the original greeting. This greeting implies no promise by the wisher
to actually implement any of the wishes for the wishee her/himself or
others, or responsibility for the consequences which may arise from the
implementation or non-implementation of same. This greeting is void
where prohibited by law.

Back to laying in bed watching countless stupid movies that I’ve never heard of.

We just get all the excitement in California! A 6.5 earthquake yesterday in the center of the state. I didn’t feel the quake because I was driving in my car at the time. It’s weird how you don’t feel them when you’re driving unless they are right under you. I certainly feel for those people going through this right before Christmas, how terrible.

Well, I’m re-sick. I don’t care if it’s not a word, I just made it up. I had the flu, now I have strep throat I think. I tried to get an appointment at the doctors—yeah right! They told me there are no appointments available and if I want to walk-in, I will have wait at least two hours. Wonderful. I only spent half a day shopping for Christmas this year and it looks like that was all the time I had. I’m basically just angry about being sick now; I don’t have time for this! I still have a New Year’s Eve party to plan! Oh, and don’t even mention all the paperwork, the year-end stuff, payroll, and can I just scream? No, I can’t because I have no voice! I can barely talk, so every time I call someone they think it’s a prank call and hang up. Terrific. I really sound like I’m in the Christmas spirit, don’t I? Well, our party was Friday and I was in the “spirits” then anyway.

We are open on Christmas of course. deva’s never closes; open 365 days a year! JJ will be coming in at 6pm for the night crowd.

I guess I better go wait in line at the doctors with a few good books so I can get antibiotics. It will be so much fun sitting there in a room full of sick people, coughing and sneezing all over the place for two hours! Maybe I’ll get really lucky and catch the flu again. This is so ridiculous to have to go through this procedure. Now I understand why so many people buy their antibiotics down in Mexico. I have to go pay the doctor to look down my throat and tell me if they a culture it will take several days to get the results and so he will just prescribe me a Z-pack and I’ll go wait in line at a pharmacy with more sick people in the back of a Sav-On Drug Store for another hour, only to pay a fortune for the medication I should just be able to go pick up somewhere! I know, I know, we are not smart enough not to abuse antibiotics; we must be protected from our own ignorance. Can you tell I don’t like going to the doctor? I only go if I need antibiotics, something is broke, or I think I’m going to die. Okay, I’m really going on about this aren’t I? This is where I procrastinate. Okay, I’m going……..

Today is deva's Christmas party! Too much fun all day and all night! We are having food, fun, shooter specials, presents, etc............. I even wrote out cards for almost all our patrons. Lots of work! All the presents barley fit in my car! I just love Christmas!

I went to the Christmas Chamber mixer last night. I actually had a good time there ( what a change from the boring mixers of the past). The Chamber is going in a much better direction than it was previously. They have a good group of people invloved now. Who would've thought? A chamber that is friendly and actually promotes business! Amazing! I can't believe no one came up with the idea earlier!

I did attend the Grand Opening of Rosario Marin's Campaign Headquarters on Monday evening. She is just an awesome individual! I can't say enough about her! I spoke to her briefly, she is so down to earth and easy to talk to. Some of the Republican Federated Women where there as well; it was nice to talk with them as well.

Well, better get to work! Gotta find the holiday costume to go with my 7 inch, red leather, platform boots! I'll be singing "Santa Baby" all day long!

Too much to do before Christmas! What a crazy week!

One of my employees ex-husband, and father of her chidren just passed away the other day. Another employee is at the hospital with her young child who is having difficulties breathing. And one more employee just got back from Indiana after taking care of his sister who was in the hospital. What a terrible time for everybody!

Anyway, I need to prepare for the Christmas party so I'm back to work...........

Okay, I’m back! That flu was just nasty! Seems like everyone is sick, even Barry’s doctor was ill. Lot’s of good news to report!

They captured Saddam! Yeah!

He looks like crap. Living in a little 6' by 8’ hole in the ground? Looks like the $750,000 he had with him was doing a lot of good. Just proves that money isn’t everything. The wimp didn’t even put up a fight. This is the guy who urged all his people to fight to their deaths? They should torture this idiot for the rest of his pathetic life. I'm extremely grateful that no one was hurt capturing him. Great work Military!

We went to Barry’s doctor on Thursday right before the OCFRW Biennial Convention, honoring Anna Bryson, President 2002-2003. Good News! The “hot spots” that the doctor was so sure were a return of his cancer, were only areas of dead cells killed by the radiation that Barry underwent. Yeah! The doctors still can’t believe how well Barry is doing! Every time they basically hand him the death sentence, they end up being wrong. I always stay positive and keep Barry positive because there is always HOPE that the doctors are wrong. And in Barry’s case, they usually are! Now if we can get him through this flu season safely, he’ll be doing okay.

Back to the convention on Thursday………… it was a really nice event. I ran into Brooke Adams, and met her father, John Adams for the first time. I should say Orange County Superior Court Judge John Adams, who won his position as a write-in during the run-off election of 2002. They are both extremely nice people, Brooke even mentioned she may go work in Washington D.C. Good for her, we need more intelligent young people there to make changes. There were so many people there I couldn’t see everyone when they were recognized. I’m still trying to put names with faces. In no particular order: OC Supervisor Tom Wilson; Mayor of Tustin, Tony Kawashima (he was actually the photographer as well); Stan Freberg (really, if you don’t know who he is go to: http://freberg.8m.com/ ) ; and of course the main guest, Paul Shanklin. I didn’t get a good look at the many other wonderful people that were in attendance. Paul was so funny! He does most of the humorous songs you hear on the Rush Limbaugh show. We had such a good evening seating with all the wonderful people from the TARWF.

Tomorrow is the Grand Opening of Rosario Marin’s office headquarters. I will be there after work for sure. If you still haven’t visited her website, I suggest you do so at: www.rosarioforsenate.com . I plan on doing whatever I can to help get the word out to help Rosario Marin beat Barbara Boxer from Marin County ( funny huh?)

I’ve had the flu all week-yuck! Barry has been sick as well. We are both getting better thanks to my vegetable beef soup, vitamin C, and Theraflu. Anyway, not much to write about since not much has happened.

There have been a few editorials about Rosario Marin. I think the word will spread quickly that Boxer better beware!

Tomorrow night is the fundraiser where Paul Shanklin will be the guest. I better get some more rest so I will be able to go!

I received a letter from a High School student, Joanne Caritan, from Terra Nova High School in Pacifica, California. She was assigned to research a candidate in the recall Election. As closure to her project she had to write me a letter, a critique of my campaign. Joanne was pretty accurate, citing the fact that backing Arnold probably didn’t help me in getting votes. She describes herself as a “rather cynical and disenchanted Northern California Democrat,” that isn’t sure Arnold is worthy of the Governor’s job. Although she does give him credit for marrying “into one of the most famous Democratic families in the world….” I wrote back and even sent a recall calendar to her. She adds that the “amateur bikini model” part helped keep the boys awake during her speech to class about me. Anyway, she sounds like an intelligent student. I’m just happy there are students like her out there actually learning!

My back is much better now; I just needed to get some rest. I got plenty of rest at the Neighborhood Association meeting I attended last night. Boring! I thought we as a group could actually get some things done to improve our neighborhood. Looks like it will take a long time to get anything accomplished. We haven’t appointed a leader officially, everyone has a different complaint (of course), and we only meet every other month. Well, I guess we have to start somewhere. A representative from OCTA spoke with us about the “light rail project,” Centerline. It will be going down Bristol Street through Santa Ana from the Civic Center to John Wayne Airport. Of course it will make a quick underground pass right where the Orange County Performing Arts center is located on Ave of The Arts. I used to live on that street, glad I moved before all the construction between that and the new Segerstrom Hall they are building. The rail project will cost about 100 million dollars per mile to build and is currently only 8.5 miles, down from the original 87 miles they had planned. Not too many people were happy about at the meeting since it is so close to some of their homes. It was in the paper yesterday that the project will wipe out a small strip center where a nice restaurant and bar are currently doing a good business. (Avo’s Bistro and Corner Office) I would certainly hate if that happened to deva’s! We are right next to the freeway, hope they don’t intend to widen it where we are!

12/2/2003 12:35 PM

I tweaked my back on the giant pot of Turkey Noodle stew I made for the bar the other day, so I’ve been out of commission for a couple of days. Didn’t know cooking could be so dangerous!

Well, SB60 was voted on by the Assembly 64-9 to repeal it! Arnold will sign it soon. Now we just have to worry what Gil Cedillo comes up with next. That’s good news! Rosario Marin is going to officially announce her candidacy for U.S. Senate today. There was a nice article on her in the OC Register today, with the “Adios Boxer” sign behind her. I certainly hope she wins! She is a pro-choice, fiscal conservative, moderate Republican. We need more of these types running for office here in California. To top it off, she is a Latina, a hard working immigrant who comes from a difficult background. Her mother a seamstress, her father a factory worker and janitor. She is just the sort of candidate that scares the extreme left! The thought of a hard working, educated, intelligent minority is just what puts the fright into these liberals. She is an example of how anyone from any background can prosper here in this great U.S.A. if only they work extremely hard for what they want. Go Rosario!

December already, I can’t believe it! I just love the holidays, except for trying to shop at South Coast Plaza. Good thing they have the Club House, and Claimjumper! I just changed my “Recall Calendar,” and Cruz Bustamante is December 2003. I don’t come up until November 2004! I don’t think I can look at him all month; I’m going to have to get creative with this calendar. It’s funny, I really haven’t heard or seen a picture of that guy since the Election.

End of the month…………..what a day. Just finished payroll for November. I cooked, and re-heated food for deva’s today and dropped it off before starting paperwork. Lots of people there today to watch football. I think we serve more food at deva’s than most restaurants close by. Only thing is we don’t have a kitchen so it’s all free to the patrons; they’re spoiled!

Well, I’m exhausted, not much exciting going on right now. Good night.

I’m sitting here doing paperwork, paying bills, the usual. Tonight is different because I have “live” entertainment to accompany my work. There’s nothing quite like hearing” When the Saints Go Marching In,” performed by a Mariachi Band. My neighbors are currently having yet another birthday party. They invited us and the other neighbors so we wouldn’t call the police on them. What’s funny is, I really like Mariachi Bands. They remind me of being in Mexico. My favorite place in the world is Cancun at the Camino Real. Can’t wait to visit again someday! One of my neighbors told my boyfriend he had to go next door and talk to their other neighbors because, “they are white people.” What’s even more hilarious is that I was just singing “Perfidia” last night at deva’s during karaoke. For some reason I can sing in Spanish probably better than in English. I even had all the music for that wedding I had in my backyard that I mentioned way earlier in this blog. They couldn’t believe it when I pulled out Vicente Fernandez, and every Gypsy Kings CD that they’ve come out with. For some reason when they have a party, my neighbors like to throw things over the wall. The question is, how many chorizo’s, lemons, and plastic bottles will I have to pull out of the pool in the morning. There must be 40 people next door, there’s no parking out on the street, and by all the hollering and whistling; the tequila consumption must be on the rise!

I’m cooking turkey noodle stew with those “Grandma’s Noodles.” The house smells so good right now. It’s going to be cozy evening since Barry put up all the Christmas decorations, the tree, and I’ll be right in front of the fireplace watching a movie with a big bowl of stew. A perfect evening when the temperature drops. Now where are my comfy Victoria Secrets flannel PJ’s?

Looks like they are repealing the illegal immigrant license law (SB60)! Whew! Arnold is following through on his promises so far.

The grocery strike is getting ridiculous. Now the teamsters quit deliveries from the distribution centers, right before Thanksgiving! I’m so glad I bought almost everything last Saturday. I have a lot of people to feed at deva’s; give me a break! There isn’t an alternative grocery store close by where I can purchase what I need. It’s so frustrating not being able to just stop by the store, my store, my Vons; right down the street. I refuse to go to those dirty, bag-it-yourself, and smelly alternatives. Trader Joes is great, but they don’t carry important items like junk food! Forget about Costco or Sam’s Club; I have a BMW. I can’t walk out of one of those stores without a truckload of stuff! It just pisses me off when I read or hear about the strikers yelling and cussing at people with children. There’s no excuse for that behavior! One of my patrons got so frustrated that he now makes several trips to Vons daily to purchase one item at a time. Yesterday he showed me a receipt for a bag of M&M’s. Another customer, “Recon Bob,” (everyone has a nickname at deva’s) was ready to get into a verbal confrontation with some strikers the other day. What stopped him was the fact an elderly couple in front of him stopped in front of the picket line, and the little old man pulled down his pants and mooned them! Now that’s funny!

Wow, time is just flying by this time of the year, as always! Thursday night I went to a Chamber mixer of several City Chambers, at the Santa Ana Performing Arts & Event Center. What a lovely building with a mahogany staircase, wood floors, and ballrooms lit by crystal chandeliers. What a wonderful meeting place, just a bit difficult to get to and find parking. I talked to several people who asked what does a company called “deva’s” do? I just smiled and gave them my card and told them to stop by when you feel like hanging out in a “dive bar.” Of course the next question was, “What’s a dive bar?” I just explained it was a friendly little neighborhood bar with pool tables, dartboards, no food, and no windows. People all react so differently it amuses me. I think the “dive bar” thing is catching on and is becoming more popular. It’s no longer so taboo, it’s just plain fun!

Friday night was our fundraiser for the Tustin Area Republican Women Federated group. Rosario Marin was our guest speaker; she is always such an inspiration to listen to. She is so down to earth; I spoke with her briefly and took a picture with her. Rosario even autographed a few new twenties I had brought with me. I made sure they were new from the bank because I had heard there were fakes going around already. How embarrassing would that be to ask the former Treasurer to autograph a fake bill? Then I thought, if a treasurer signs a fake bill, does that make it legal? Anyway, I’m sure that doesn’t happen, but just the strange thoughts of a bar owner who constantly watches the mostly cash income closely for fakes. Back to Rosario, I hope she tramples Barbara Boxer in this upcoming election. I put the “Adios Boxer” bumper stickers all over the place at deva’s. I met a few people from Bill Campbell’s office that were really super, I look forward to seeing them again at future events. In fact I met one of our Federated members that recognized me from the mixer the night before and we hit it off well. It’s a small world, can I say that enough? I had a great time at the event; it was at the Tustin Ranch Golf Course. The food is always excellent there, especially the desserts! I can’t believe I’ve been to that golf course more times for meetings than to actually golf! I need to get out there; I haven’t golfed since deva’s tournament in September.

I’ve already purchased everything I need for Thanksgiving. I always cook a big turkey dinner to take to the bar for people that don’t have family to go to. I thought I might have to work since I won’t force my employees to work on a holiday, but JJ said she wants to work. We will have a good holiday at deva’s; I’ve got a huge smoked turkey to prepare-yummy! I’ve also started shopping for Christmas; I have all the decorations for the bar except for a tree. I’m doing red, white, and blue again this year with really neat flag inspired tree ornaments. Our troops need all the support we can give! Speaking of our Troops, I received an e-mail from Bart from the 82nd Airborne! They received at least one of my packages already, I can’t believe it! Here’s his e-mail:

Reva,

It was such a pleasant surprise to receive the well wishes and great box you sent! My paratroopers and myself certainly do appreciate all the support and kind words. I followed the gubernatorial race with great pride and enthusiasm. You did well and though we do not get much news here, I know that you represented us all well.

I went online and checked out your nightclub, well done young lady! It looks like my kind of place; Lord knows I need a beer, whiskey, my Harley and some beautiful women (other than ones that are cover up with sheets and smell).

I am in Ar Ramadi Iraq. This is my second combat tour with the 82D Airborne. Before that I was in Korea for a year. So I have been home about six months in the past three years. It has been hard, but we are doing the right thing. I will forever remember the children and adults throwing flowers on our HMMWVs as we liberated each town, it was amazing and horrible all at once.

Take good care of yourself and each other. We will continue to take care of those that threaten our freedom. Keep the home fires burning, don't forget about us.

AIRBORNE! ALL THE WAY!

Live it Well,

Barton J. Rice
Captain, 82D Airborne Division
Ar Ramadi, Iraq

(AKA Bart, Shonda's little brother..6'4 220, not so little anymore, haha)

Don't open anything from Paypal! There's a lovely Paypal virus going around that really messes up your computer! I, of course, found out after trying to open an attachment that appears to be legit. I had to do a full system restore to finally get rid of it.

Off to meeting..........

Okay, the game was great! The seats were directly behind the Lakers bench! Kobe, Shaq, Rick Fox (looking so cute in his street clothes,) and Malone………..all right in front of us! We were in the second row on the floor, Shaq is huge that close up! What a view; it was so exciting to be so close to the action. A friend of mine called me the next day to say the camera caught me in a close-up after it followed Shaq back to the bench in the 3rd quarter. I could see us on the Trinitron, right behind the Gatorade cooler. Barry was definitely shocked at where the seats were. Lakers kicked serious butt on Sunday night; Miami Heat just couldn’t keep up. It was nice to see Phil Jackson talk to the team during time outs, reminded me of watching my father at the away games when we sat right behind the team. Nice memories, I was attending basketball games since I was a baby. I was the mascot one year, and had my own little cheerleader outfit; I think I must have been about 3 or 4 years old. My father would’ve been 62 tomorrow; I still miss him so much! I know he’s up there watching over me and all my crazy stunts! Anyway, I can’t wait to witness another game on the Staples Center floor!

Big news today is about Michael Jackson and the search of his “Never Land Ranch.” His father was mentioned in the OC Register, citing an interview he did with the BBC saying he never beat Michael. The funny thing is that they mention Majestik Magnificent, Michael’s personal magician in the column. It’s Majestik the Magnificent, and that is his real name. I know because I used to assist him on stage sometimes up in Hollywood at a place, which no longer exists, called Carlos & Charles. At least I’m pretty sure the place is no longer there. That’s why I was at the Jackson’s house on Havenhurst the one time that I mentioned. That’s where I met Tony Whitehead who in turn hired my roommate and I to work the party for Luther Vandross at A&M Records, where we met James Worthy. See, it’s just that simple. LOL! It’s a small, small, world! Actually, Majestik, as I knew him, was a really nice person. He introduced me to Michael one night at a party I think I mentioned earlier. Majestik was completely against drugs, did not even drink, and was really close to Michael. Guess he still is, according to the paper. Last time I ran into Majestik was in Las Vegas at some nightclub probably 8 or 9 years ago. He doesn’t like living in California because he’s afraid of earthquakes. Weird, the stuff you remember about people.

Well, Arnold is taking action and the vehicle fee is back to where it was! Maybe I’ll check into buying a new car now; mine is getting a little old. Old convertible BMW’s are not cheap to fix! He is taking a look at the illegal immigrant license bill, SB60. Let’s hope he does something with that one!

I heard back from Assemblyman Todd Spitzer today. I had e-mailed him, asking for advice. Todd said to “read the newspapers, get involved, attend meetings, and work hard!” Guess I’m on the right track for now.

I just scored tickets to go see the Lakers tomorrow night! Supposedly the seats are 2nd row from the floor, right by the Laker’s bench! We shall see! Barry has never been to a Laker game so we’re going to do it right! Last game I attended was the NBA Championship, final game in 2000 that the Lakers won. The seats were 5 rows back on the floor, right behind Magic and Diane Canon! What a game that was! I don’t think any other game will top that one; my friends and I had a blast! We were right behind LeVar Burton (Star Trek,) who was friends with Shaq, so Shaq went to talk to him a few times and we got a close up on him. I saw Andy Garcia, Whopee Goldberg, and I had better seats than them! Don’t have to be a star to get good seats, just lucky! After the game we couldn’t get out of the parking lot so we joined the celebration in the streets…………uh, I mean riots. It was all fun until a trash can flew over my head on fire and they started jumping on a news van along with a limousine. It got quite scary at that point! No place for a mini-skirt, high-heel wearing female! We made it out of there safely but it took awhile. People (idiots,) were hanging off of telephone poles, streetlights, anything they could climb on. Well, at least inside the Staples center I had the best basketball game experience of my life! Nothing like being covered in purple and yellow streamers as the Lakers won! Okay, being covered in red and white streamers signaling the Angels had won the World Series in the final game last year was a close second! And yes, there’s the Stanley Cup Finals this year at The Pond, suite center ice (my first hockey game!) Only in Southern California. Look for me on TV!

That rain we had was horrible in certain areas! It actually hailed in Watts! They were making snowballs on TV, well; I guess it would actually be iceballs-ouch! Crazy things continuing on in California! Floods damaged homes; electricity went out, what a mess. Luckily where I live we only received a little rain.

My friends are having their BLT party again (Black Tie, Lingerie, or Toga,) but I’m so tired and have so much paperwork to do I just can’t make it tonight. Hope they understand; Jeff and Gary are just two of the nicest people! Gary actually just got back from flying injured soldiers out of Iraq over to Germany for medical treatment. He’s a commercial pilot as well as an Air Force Reserve. I received a letter from Gary last month from Germany; I didn’t even know he was there. I usually get postcards from all over the world, but this was a well written, heart felt letter about how happy he was to safely get those injured soldiers to safety. Nice guy.

Well, back to searching for the surface of my desk!

I just turned on the news and now we are being flooded out here! Well, not me, not yet, I’ll keep my fingers crossed! It’s funny to watch the news; they are explaining to southern California how to act in a thunderstorm. Being from Ohio, I know what a thunderstorm is, and this isn’t anything close! The Red Cross is telling people to stay away from the windows (duh!) A little bit of rain out here just sends everything out of whack! The streets are flooded because we do not have proper drainage, power is out in some places, and people are walking away from their cars on flooded streets. Amazing! Now there are flood watches for the burned out areas from the wildfires. What next? Nobody say earthquake! Southern California……………what we put up with to live here!

http://www.jacquielawson.com/viewcard.asp?code=1483260750

Thankyou to all the Veteran’s out there! Thankyou to all our Soldiers!
The previous link is to a wonderful animated card that I received; check it out if you have time! Marine Corps birthday was on Monday, the Marines aat deva’s had a good time! I’m sending several packages to the 82nd Airborne today. I hope they get them by Christmas! You can read some of the letters from my friend Shonda’s brother Bart at the following address:

www.wpfx.com

Back in Ohio they are really trying to get people involved to send the troops much needed items. I’m sure there are many people trying to help all over the country, unfortunately this is the only drive I know about at the moment.

I’ve started reading a book that I received during the campaign from Archer Muncy, the curator of LST Brothers Library and Museum. He also has joined with the American Museum of Military History, which is planned for presentation in one of the WWII blimp hangars, which stand at the former United States Marine Corps Air Base in Tustin, (actually, not too far from deva’s.) Anyway, the book, “Total Power of 1 in America,” by Fred Holden, is so interesting! I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to get involved and be a good citizen, learn about economics, government, politics, and business. I’m not very far in the book, but it looks like I will learn a lot! What a nice person to send the book, Archer even signed the book, thanking me for being a caring Orange County citizen.

I have to go shopping, I’m cooking all day tomorrow for deva’s dart banquet. I always make rigatoni with chicken in a spicy tomato cream sauce, with mushrooms and broccoli. I’m getting hungary just thinking about it! I’m off to Smart & Final!

The meeting was terrific! Todd Spitzer had a great message in his speech for to the group. He even pointed me out as he suggested that there is a new sort of politics evolving in California and we need to get more young people involved. I talked with him briefly afterwards, reminding him that we had met a few years back at the charity golf tournament. Todd is a real down to earth, funny, intelligent guy. The other speaker was Rosario Marin, recent Treasurer of The United States. She gave a wonderful speech about how she came to America at the age of 14 and didn’t know any English, and worked very hard to get where she is today. Rosario also told of her experience on 9-11, as she was only about a mile from the Pentagon. There weren’t very many dry eyes in the room by the time she was finished. Rosario resigned as Treasurer in June so that she could run against Barbara Boxer. I have several of her bumper stickers that say, “Adios Boxer!” Hey, we had the “Hasta la Vista Davis,” stickers, so it sounds good to me! Rosario will be the main speaker at our Tustin Area Republican Women Federated fundraiser on the 21st of this month. I hope she kicks Boxer’s butt in the Election!

Well, I haven’t heard back from the Chuck DeVore campaign, maybe I’m not conservative enough for them? Maybe they are just really busy, after all one of his staff asked me to join their team. We shall see, there’s a fundraiser for Chuck on Veteran’s Day on Tuesday, I’m not sure if I should go or not.

It’s Marine Corps birthday tomorrow! Happy Birthday! I’ll have to do something to honor the Marines tomorrow at deva’s.

I went to a baby shower yesterday for my best friend’s daughter, Courtney. It was cute, with all the games and baby stuff. Of course I didn’t come close to un-scrambling “baby” words, and it was worse when it came to naming the foods in the baby food jars! Oh well, at least there was plenty of Chardonnay and good appetizers! Courtney did get a lot of needed baby items, so it was a successful shower. She is naming the baby Shamus (I’m sure no one will tease him in school!)

One of my cats is driving me crazy! Either she is going senile, or there’s going to be an earthquake in California soon! She is 16 years old, so I’m guessing that she’s losing it. We almost always have an earthquake when she acts like this; she yells continuously and wants me to go hide in a closet with her. Today she wants to hide in draws and boxes mostly, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

I was listening to the Secretary of State of Ohio, Ken Blackwell, today on the Rush Limbaugh show. Sounds like Ohio is waking up and voted against Governor Bob Taft’s plan to issue up to $500 million in bonds for high-tech business companies. The people want tax reductions and fewer regulations on business; sound familiar? Spending is out of control everywhere it seems.

I am attending a meeting tomorrow where Todd Spitzer will be speaking. He was an Orange County Supervisor, and is now an Assemblyman. I met him several years ago at a TGIFridays golf tournament. The restaurant in Orange used to put on a tournament every year benefiting Orangewood Children’s Home. It was so much fun, I didn’t miss one year of it. Actually their first tournament was the first time I actually played golf. On the way to the course I stopped at a golf shop and they were laughing because I walked in and asked, “What do I need in order to golf other than clubs?” They asked when would I be golfing, to which I applied, "I have a tournament in 20 minutes!” Anyway, I got shoes, tees, balls, and a glove and I was all set. I guess that’s just me; the best way to learn something is to just jump right in! Back to Todd Spitzer…………My first impression of him back then was that this guy wants to be President someday. Who knows, it could happen. I’m looking forward to listening to him tomorrow. I’m going early for a demonstration on the new voting machines. I’ll have a full report tomorrow.

I offered to volunteer for Chuck DeVore’s campaign for 70th district Assembly. He is a well-qualified, intelligent man, with incredible public speaking ability. I hope I have enough time in my busy schedule to actually help out and see how a real campaign works.

It’s off to bartend again today. The fires, and now the rain are making everyone and their children sick. I have a feeling I’ll be working a lot more this month. I don’t mind, saves me money, but leaves me less time to really involve myself with politics. I’m sure I’ll find time somehow to stay active. I had three new customers come in yesterday asking about my run for Governor, people are so fascinated by the entire event. It’s fun to meet all these new people; I think they get a kick out of a gubernatorial candidate serving them a cocktail.

It’s so cold now; overnight it seems to have turned into winter. I turned the heat on in my house for the first time this season. I’m always so cold; I don’t know how I lived in Ohio for so long! I keep the house at around 75 degrees. Anyway, I better get to work and serve up those drinks!

I’ve been so busy, not enough time to write. I attended a meeting yesterday where four candidates all running for the 70th Assembly were speaking. The candidate, Dr. Alexandria Coronado was there as well; she is running against Loretta Sanchez for Congress. I like what she had to say, she will need to raise a ton of money to beat Sanchez! Good Luck to her! I may volunteer to work on one of these candidates’ campaigns. Then I could see how a real campaign is run. I’m still learning so much every time I go to one of these meetings; it’s so interesting.

After the meeting I had to bartend till 6:30pm, then run home and get dressed up for Halloween. I was a biker chick, no time to try to come up with something original. Then it was back to bar where I made sandwiches and put out appetizers for the party. We had a blast!

I finished payroll today and am working on all the other month-end paperwork. I’ll never catch up so I can relax it seems. I think I’ll go watch a few movies and forget about finding the bottom of my desk!

They finally have some progress on some of these fires! The weather is helping out, with a few showers here and there. I saw the sky today for the first time in awhile. Right now it’s cold and looks like it will rain soon-good news!

Busy day tomorrow with Halloween, work, and I have a meeting to attend for the Tustin Area Republican Women Federated. Alexandria Coronado will be speaking; she is running against incumbent Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez for the 47th Congressional District. It would be nice to see her win; Sanchez is so annoying.

These fires just keep getting worse! I’ve been watching TV all day; I can’t believe how bad things are! It is now up to over 1600 homes destroyed! A firefighter has been killed, and others injured. My bartender JJ just called because she has a friend who is here fighting the fires in San Diego from Vegas. He said the fires were all merging in San Diego and were 0% contained! He also said that Big Bear Mountain was going to be wiped out. Apparently they can only fight that fire from the air, it’s too dangerous on the ground. It’s just amazing watching the firefighters save homes, and battle these fires. Firefighters from Oregon are being sent in to relieve the ones down in San Diego because they are just exhausted. They are bringing in military planes from Georgia and Michigan. They just said on the news that the fires are unmanageable! Arnold is in Washington asking for Federal help. We need help from God at this point! I’m thinking lots of rain or snow in the mountains would be necessary at this point!

I’m receiving several e-mails from back in Ohio, friends and family worried about me. I’m okay so far, just breathing bad air and have a lot of cleaning to do! Orange County isn’t being threatened at this point. There was a small fire that broke out earlier this week in San Clemente, but they put it out real fast! We just have all the smoke and ash hanging around in the air.

I better get to the store, I need to buy food for deva’s big Halloween party. I just love Halloween, its so much fun dressing up. It will be spooky for sure with the air like this!

Okay, the 50,000 hits were only on the RevaReneeRenzforGovernor.org website. I have no idea how many hits devasbar.com received, but it has to be way more! Wow!

These fires are relentless! Several of my patrons and friends own homes up in the mountains that are currently a blaze. One customer lost his house on Saturday. He went to work and they called to tell him his house was gone. He had to go shopping the next day to buy clothes so he could go to work. A good friend is currently waiting to see if his house is still standing. He spent $7,000 just ten days ago to have 14 dead trees removed from around his home. He brought me down some firewood that burned quickly in my fire pit out back. I can see why entire mountains of these dead trees burn so fast. There are 10 fires going right now, and over 1100 homes burned so far. What a disaster! A lot of people are going to need so much help. I’m 40 miles away and my eyes are burning, my house has ash all over, and I can smell the smoke. The people close to the fire must be miserable!

The wedding was nice, not too ashy! First time I had Philippine food, the bride is from the Philippines. The sunset was amazing; the sun was bright neon red. These fires are so bad! I just heard that over 600 homes are burned. Gray Davis was on the news earlier declaring a disaster area. The guy is actually forming a bit of a personality now, it’s like he’s happy he got recalled. My eyes are burning, I can’t breath well, and I can’t imagine what the people closer to the fires are going through. My pool is now unusable; it’s black with ash. The Santa Ana winds are kicking up and it’s making it worse. This is so devastating, these poor people losing everything. About a dozen people have died as a result of this disaster. I have to clean the filters on my air cleaners every day now, they get dirty so fast.

I received an e-mail today from a person I went to high school with; actually he was a year ahead of me. Dan e-mailed me a few weeks back really upset about what was going on in Ohio with the sales tax being raised without a vote. He was so upset and felt he could not do anything about it. Dan asked for my advice and said how he was proud of me for running for Governor. He sounded so helpless. I wrote back and encouraged him to do get off his butt and do something about it, anything, or quit complaining. I told him that you don’t have to be a career politician to get involved, just look at us here in California! Anyway, a few days went by and Dan e-mailed me to let me know he started circulating a petition t repeal the sales tax increase of 1%. He sounds so excited now, and I think he’s getting somewhere! Here is the e-mail I received today:


Good things are happening here finally.........

I brought a petition for repealing the 1% state tax to a fish fry last weekend at Bruce Zitkovic's house and wow were people jumping to sign.

They were asking when I am going to run for mayor or a council seat. { MY GOD }
I reply that I have a good 7-12 years at ------- yet before I can get a decent pension but tell them I'm thinking about it.
The wildest thing is when I tell them I am a registered Dem. and I am in favor of conservative issues. They just crap themselves.

I had over 40 signatures by nights end and everyone was talking about getting something done to help out.
Stunned by all the excitement I e-mailed radio stations in the area and in Toledo sending this letter below to the courier last Thursday morning.

It must be a hotter topic than I thought because the courier printed it the very next day in the letters to the editor section Friday Oct. 24.

I'm having fun and feeling good about myself for a change. You are right it is like an awakening and people are listening to me like I am some important voice.

Are most people really this damn dumb?? Can't they see what the government is doing to us all???
I am truly amazed. I will do my best to keep people on their toes here. I just have to be a little careful on the job of what and how I mention these topics

I'll keep you up if anything wild happens.
Take care,
Dan

-
---- Original Message -----
From: Dan Helfer
To: letterstotheeditor@thecourier.com
Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2003 6:37 AM
Subject: repealthetax.com

repealthetax.com


Registered voters who are ready to make the state of Ohio accountable for the over spending and fantasy politics that we are engaged in can make a difference today by signing on to the petition for the 1% tax repeal.

We are and have been on a course of uncontrolled spending up 70% in the last ten years. That is more that any state around here.
Our manufacturing jobs are leaving as well with over 118 thousand gone last year alone.

What is happening? We have a chance to repeal this state imposed 1% tax that has been applied to us Ohioans with out us first having a chance to vote on the issue.

Luckily for everyone a difference can be made by getting the word out about this petition and making sure our leaders in all areas act responsibly in the future with our hard earned tax dollars.

Please take the few minutes to review the information and petition at www.repealthetax.com and do what you can as a responsible voter to give our over spending people in the state house a message of reform.

A petition can be down loaded from this web site for use by any registered voter who has the resolve to make a stand. I myself have engaged in this effort and have had great response by all who have signed asking me to please keep it moving and fight for what is right.

Respectfully,
Dan Helfer
Findlay OH

Good for Dan! It’s great to hear that people are getting involved! Never thought I could influence politics in Ohio! I just hope this catches on all over the country!

I also received an e-mail today from Mike, the friend who helps me with my website. It looks like devasbar.com received close to 50,000 hits over the last couple of months! The report even lists all the different countries of visitors on this site; there were 55 different countries! Can you believe it? The UK and Canada were at the top of the list after the USA. Amazing!

It’s snowing ashes outside! The fires are so bad right now all over Southern California! Outside looks and smells like a giant ashtray. Everything is covered in ash; my pool has an entire layer of the junk. I’ve never seen it like this before, even when the fires have been closer. We’re supposed to go to a wedding today, outdoors. I’m not sure if I want to go stand outside in this, it isn’t good to breath in all of this smoke. I can’t imagine what a mess it’s going to be for the wedding couple. If she has a white dress, it will most definitely be gray by this evening. Hopefully things will turn out well. It was originally supposed to be up to 101 degrees today, I thought I might actually get some sun. It’s more like 70 degrees because the smoke and ash have completely blocked out the suns rays. It’s really weird; the sun looks like a neon pink fireball.

I’m watching the Breeder’s Cup on TV today, first time. It’s so interesting, I can’t believe I never paid attention to horse racing before. That female jockey, Julie won her race today, which they said was the first time a female won in The Breeder’s Cup. Good for her! They just had the first ever “dead heat,” just now. How exciting, the winners get to share two million dollars.

I better get ready for the wedding; wonder if I have anything gray to wear?

I just took a refreshing swim in my pool! It had been a while, but the weather is so nice for October, the water is 82 degrees! I just love Indian Summer (yeah, so does Bustamante-JK!) I can’t ever remember it being so nice at the end of October, it’s wonderful. A helicopter made several circles over my backyard, I’m sure that was just coincidence, but I may have to start wearing my bikini (no way, it’s just not the same.)

That obnoxious candidate Bill Wyatt (William Tsangeres,) is running for President. I got an e-mail from him today that proves he’s on the ballot in Missouri, the “Show Me” state. Then I thought hey, the “Show Me” state would be perfect for me! Think of all the jokes that could come out of that one! Anyway, I think it’s great that he is showing that anyone can run for office. He’s right about the fact we tell our children, as we were told,” You can be anything you want when you grow up, even President.” After we grow up a few years we realize that would never happen. I thought about running earlier before the Governor’s race was over to keep the momentum going. Then realized, I need to get back to work! Besides, people would really think I’ve gone off the deep end and consider me crazy (now, now, I know some of you may already have gone there.) Anyway, I have decided to look into the Santa Ana City Council. It just so happens that there is a position available for 2004. I’m going to check into it soon. Who knows?

I received an e-mail today from Curt Renz, in Illinois. It started with “Hi Cousin!” I don’t think we are related, but it is fun to read all the e-mails from possible relatives. My closest known relative that I keep in contact with is in Indiana!

I just spent the entire day cleaning and doing laundry! My place was such a mess; I couldn’t stand it any longer! I still haven’t found the bottom of my desk yet. I have so many papers and campaign related things lying all over the place. I need to sit down and organize everything, put together a little book. I have received all the sample ballots from each district, all 80 of them! I was expecting one sample ballot, I didn’t realize because our names were in a different order in each district, that they were going to do this.

I had a good day at work yesterday trying to get back into the awing of things. Most people walked in and joked that “Hey, there’s a new bartender!” Things are getting back to normal. The jokes will be endless I can tell. I gave the change back to the wrong customer once and I heard,” That’s why Arriana got more votes than you.” Then there’s the standard question I only hear a dozen times a day,” Has Arnold called you yet to help him out?” It’s all in fun; we have a good time with it.

I can’t sleep! I’ve been awake since 3:30am for some reason. Monday was back to normal, that’s for sure. My new credit card terminal is programmed wrong, I had the wrong ink ribbon for the cash register, an employee quit but didn’t tell me about it, etc………….it was a Monday! If I could just quit worrying about everything! That’s why I can’t sleep; I lie there and think about all the things that need to be taken care of.

The Anniversary party was a success. We had a busy evening; everyone had plenty of food thanks to Barry, Leisa, Allen, Dino, and Caren. A couple of Effen vodkas, along with a shot of Jagermeister and I was feeling just fine. It was funny, about a dozen new faces walked in all at the same time around 10pm. Apparently they were from L.A. and took a bus on a pub-crawl, we were stop number 5 in Orange County. How fun!

Sunday I didn’t do much, still tired and trying to catch up on everything! Barry and I did go shopping, crossing two picket lines at Albertson’s and Ralph’s. If you’re not from here let me explain: The three major grocery stores are either locked out or on strike over the fact that their companies want them to pay for some of their health care. Most people have to pay some or all of their own health care; I pay close to $500 a month for Barry and myself. I’m not too happy about not being able to go to my favorite store, Vons, which is right down the street. All the delis are closed, so no good lunchmeat for Barry. I didn’t want to go to the store where I know everybody; it would be too uncomfortable when (and if) this strike ever ends. They had coupons for free eggs, pumpkins, and sodas, along with a $20 off of a $100 purchase! We put out food during parties and Monday night football at deva’s, and I needed to go shopping! Anyway, it wasn’t bad; I think because Barry had a crutch they were nicer than usual. They even have security guards on duty because of the problems they’ve had. I don’t think anyone should have to worry about violence when shopping for food at a local grocery store! Good news is that one of my patrons got a job as a cashier at Vons, paying almost $18 an hour. That’s pretty good!

Well, I’m going to try to get some rest, looks like I will be working today.

What a great day to go to the races! We went to Santa Anita yesterday out in Arcadia, it’s beautiful there against the mountains. This was my first experience with horse racing. It didn’t take long to figure out how to bet. What takes longer is figuring out how to actually win some money! Luckily, “Jazz Ya,” in the 6th, and “Lucky in Love,” in the 7th came in first so I won a little under $100.00! Never mind I bet a little more than that before hand. It was a fun experience to see the horses live right in front of you. They are such amazing creatures to look at! We went with several friends, which made it more entertaining then if we had gone alone. There really weren’t many people there, I guess since you can bet on the horses from so many locations; people don’t actually show up at the track. We did see a famous trainer there; he was posing with a winning horse, of course. Bob Baffert, with his all-white hair, isn’t hard to spot. I’ve just been reading up on him, wow! I didn’t realize he has gone for the Triple Crown so many times, the last time being in June 2002, when "War Emblem " stumbled out of the starting gate at the Belmont Stakes in New York. Sounds like a nice guy from what the reporters write about him. I did catch his eye for a moment, probably because I was dressed up in high heels and standing right in front of the winner’s circle! People seemed a little surprised to him there, I didn’t know who he was until Barry explained it to me. I hope he does well in the future, sounds like he’s had a lot of tough brakes!

I was standing there watching a race and I hear from behind me,”Hey, we voted for you!” It was two reporters that had interviewed me from the Purple Cow before the Jay Leno Show, while we were in the park. Once again, small world!

The guy, Dave, at the window where we were placing our bets was thrilled to meet a candidate! He was so funny; he suggested we come back next weekend when all the stars would be there for the Breeder’s Cup. It took forever to get out of there, I can’t imagine going when the place gets full! I bet it would be a crazy day!

We are having deva’s 5th Anniversary Party today. The Anniversary was officially on Election Night, but one party at a time! Barry is cooking Indian food, and it smells wonderful! It’s so spicy, I love it! Now I’m really hungry………..maybe I’ll just go sample it to make sure it’s hot enough!

I find it amusing that Arianna Huffington dropped out but her campaign just sent out 29,000 e-mails asking for donations to cover the bills she racked up! At least according to the OC Register today. Isn’t she the one that was going on and on about campaign-finance reform? She owes $235,000. Good thing she didn’t win, she couldn’t even stop spending herself into debt! What do you think she would’ve done as Governor?
President Bush was here in California today, good to see him and Arnold together! Hopefully we will see more of President Bush out here since apparently the state is gaining support for Republicans! Okay, so not in San Francisco!

Tonight is dart night at deva’s; we have an in-house league that is a lot of fun! Gotta run!

The world just keeps on getting smaller! I wrote earlier about the 82nd Airborne in Iraq because my best friend’s nephew came into the bar and autographed a flag for me. Well, I also wrote how my friend Shonda had a little brother named Bart who is a Captain in the Army stationed in Iraq. It turns out they are both from the same 82nd Airborne!

The nice people from Effen Vodka sent me a package today full of T-Shirts, cards, and neat pens! That was so nice of them; they thanked me for mentioning their Black Cherry Vanilla vodka earlier in my Blog. It’s definitely my new favorite drink, not too sweet like most flavored vodkas.

My entries are getting shorter I know, not as much happening since the Election is over with. I’ll have to start writing about the crazy things my bar patrons are up to! Well, I’ll have to think about that one.

Barry seems to be doing better this week. He knows he needs a knee replacement. He needed one a year ago but he’s trying to hold onto as many original parts as possible! The pain must be terrible for him to finally admit he needs to go through this operation. At least we can go from there and relieve some of his discomfort! Everyone I’ve talked to that has had this surgery is so happy with the results. You can only numb the pain for so long with pain pills before it starts taking a toll on your mental health.

It’s been a week already from the Election! I can’t believe that it a week has gone by already! I still have a ton of work to do to catch up on my business. Davis signed a bill that bans the sale of products containing ephedra, good thing I lost a lot of weight during the election. I’m putting it back on already since I actually have time to eat now. Today I have been bad, I had roast beef, green beans, and mashed potatoes for breakfast, M&M’s and a hotdog covered with habanera mustard with jalapenos for lunch. Quite a change from living on Yogurt Whips and Sugar Free Red Bull!

I received an e-mail yesterday that just made me tear up. A wonderful lady, Shirley Fritz, sent me her diary excerpts from when my parents got married, when I was born, and until my family had moved away. Her husband, Keith, was my father’s good friend and High School buddy. Apparently a few days after I was born there was a big funnel cloud and my parents, my grandma, and aunt Mary all hid in the cellar of these good friends of my father. My poor mother wasn’t very comfortable sitting on cement waiting for the tornado to go over. We lived in a mobile home at the time in an extremely small town. I sent the e-mail to my Aunt Mary who then filled in the details because she remembered it very clearly; she was touched as well. Amazing things have come out of this recall election. Who’d of thought it would lead there?

I am still trying to catch up on everything! I’m doing laundry now, only three weeks worth! Paperwork from deva’s has piled up! My worker’s compensation just went up again! My landlord is trying to charge me an increased rent from 1999! He actually sent me a bill for over $8,000 the other day! Guess I need an attorney. Landlords are so difficult to deal with; I hope someday to own the property where I eventually have my restaurant/ bar! Life would be so much easier. The last words my landlord said to me were, “You women are all a like, you’re so emotional.” You bet I’m emotional when it comes to my livelihood! Nice guy huh? Guess I don’t have to say anything else, you get the idea of how he feels towards women.

It’s the end of the quarter, still working on all that paperwork as well. I bartended on Saturday for the first time since I flied papers to run for Governor. It was good to be back, but what a change! Much different than only a week ago where every time I walked in the bar I was trailed by a camera or reporter. I’m going to have withdrawals! Two older gentlemen came in deva’s and asked if I was Reva, they were from Findlay, Ohio, my hometown. They wanted to meet me and they bought T-shirts and got bumper stickers and buttons. They were so cute! They said” We were Trojans before they were condoms!” (Findlay High School’s mascot is the Trojans.) They had a couple of beers and told me I was the most famous person from Findlay. I gave them both a big hug and they went on their way, nice people!
My best friend, Leisa, had her nephew come in on Saturday night; he is home temporarily from Iraq. He signed a 82nd Airborne Division (hope I got that right) flag thanking me for all the items Leisa sent to him over in Iraq (autographed postcard, calendar, T-shirt, etc….) We had a fun evening. Leisa’s husband Herb was off deer hunting up north this past weekend. Poor Bambi. Hopefully the only thing he will kill this time is a bottle of Jack Daniels! We like to make fun of him because one time Herb went hunting for some type of bird and didn’t kill a thing. In the meantime, I was on the golf course and killed a bird on my drive off of the 10th tee! I felt so bad, I was ready to take it to the vet but it died quickly. That was the worst day of golf ever! Anyway, so we teased him I killed more birds than him and I didn’t need a gun.

I guess I’m going to have to change the name of this blog here pretty soon. I have no idea what to rename it, but I’m sure something will come to mind.

Let me finish up on what happened Wednesday. I know, I know, it’s Friday already, but I have paperwork for deva’s to catch up on! Okay, so after we left the interview at the hotel we drove down Melrose to find a place to eat. Melrose is a great place to visit; the streets are filled with little shops, boutiques, and cafes. We ate at GoodFellas, they had the exact same picture hanging in there that I have at home on the wall. The difference being, mine is actually signed by Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta (my favorite, I have a story about him too- a cute one,) Robert DeNiro, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Sorvino! It’s right next to my Al Pacino autographed Scare Face photo, you know the scene “say hello to my little friend!” Anyway, after lunch it was 6:30pm so we started home. We were driving by the Improv and they had a line outside so I told Barry to pull over. It was a bad time to get on the freeway so we just went into the Improv. It was open mic night, where anyone could go up on stage and try out their material. It’s fun to see the new comedians risk bombing up there, takes a lot of guts! I know because at one time I had two minutes prepared for stand-up and I was too afraid to go on stage. I’m a much better heckler! I talked with a few of the comedians and for some reason they thought I was there to get up on stage. One of them asked me if I was going on and I said I just finished a two-month gig. He asked where and I said “Running for Governor!” That got a good laugh! Afterwards I told the host of the show the same thing and he was disappointed he didn’t know earlier so he could really make fun of me. I didn’t say anything because I wanted to hear all the Governor jokes without them knowing. They do not like Arnold up in that area! Too bad. Anyway, we stayed for about four hours and laughed our butts off! I needed that!

On a sad note, Wally George passed away earlier this week, or last week. I read something about the services in the paper today. He was a nice guy; I did some advertising on his show here locally a couple of years ago. He interviewed me briefly about deva’s on his show, I had almost forgotten about that. Wally actually came to deva’s and we sang karaoke together! Then he signed autographs for everyone. I need to dig that picture out and hang on my wall.

Another sad note, Rush Limbaugh ending his show today announcing that he was addicted to pain killers. I wonder if that’s why he lost his hearing a few years ago? My Uncle has a bad back and he was on medication for so long that he lost most of his hearing. I was a little surprised listening to Rush today, but I hope he gets better. There are so many people addicted to prescription pain medication, I know several people. Barry was on Morphine for a year after they removed his bladder. He eventually got off of the medication even though his doctor told him to keep taking it. He was taking pain medication for his recent knee surgery but quit a few days ago, and I see what he’s going through, it’s not easy. When you have chronic pain I don’t see much of an alternative to medication. I know personally, I injured my neck and I was in pain for several years at one time. Chronic pain is the worst! It’s also extremely depressing. I didn’t become addicted to any medication but I could see where someone else might. The medication just made me feel sick, it never seemed to actually work so I stopped taking it and just wondered around in pain for a long time. Well, I hope Rush will come out of this okay!

The interview went great yesterday up in West Hollywood! It was “live,” but I felt good about it. The BBC World (cable news channel 24 in the UK,) went from coverage of Arnold’s press conference to ask me about him! I told them I was thrilled that Arnold won and that I thought he would do a great job bringing both sides together so that there would be unity in California. It’s funny, because after the first interview the reporter told me that Arnold had just said that he would bring both sides together in his press conference that she was listening to in her earpiece. It was beautiful up there on the roof of Le Parc Suites Hotel off of Melrose. Apparently that’s a popular spot for newscasts because of the scenic backdrop of the Hollywood Hills. We were standing on boxes during the interview so that the Hills would show behind us. Not an easy task when you’re wearing high heels! I think my knees were shaking together during the interview! The BBC is such a group of lovely people; they have all been so pleasant. I had mentioned about the mistake in their article on the BBC Online website where the headline over my name said “Porn Star’s Platform,” and the fact that my bar is spelled “deva’s,” not “diva’s.” I also told them I am not in LA, but in Orange County. The reporter made one phone call and it’s fixed:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3169600.stm

Thankyou!

It’s still not the best article on me, but at least they got the information straight. I never spoke to the person who wrote the article, she obviously watched the news story that Tom Carver did. I find that if I actually speak to the reporter myself, that the story is more positive. I can understand if you haven’t spoken to me directly you could get the wrong impression. Bar owner, deva’s, blonde, short skirts, etc…………..never judge a book by its cover!
I also did an interview yesterday with Jeff Fitzgerald from WLIO TV Station in Lima, Ohio. I hope it turned out okay considering we were driving up the 405 in the bumpy car pool lane.
I only received 284 votes. That’s fine by me! Day one after I flied my nomination papers, I did my first interview on TV and said I wanted everyone to vote for the front runner when it comes down to wire on Election Day. I went on Fox news nationally and told people to vote for Arnold if he is the frontrunner on Oct.7th! Not that I could take enough votes away from any Republican to change the outcome in this election, but what if it had been closer? What if the 10,110 votes that Mary Carey received actually made the difference in who would become Governor? What if all the Votes that the so-called “other” candidates received actually took away enough votes from Arnold so that we ended up with Cruz Bustamante? Cruz would’ve been worse than Davis! His platform was basically following along with Davis did and doing even more of the same! What a dumb idea that was. Anyway, I didn’t know what a big deal everyone was going to make over the amount of votes! Most of my friends and supporters voted for Arnold because we believe that any Republican is better than Davis or Bustamante! So, while I didn’t finish anywhere near the top vote- wise, I finished at the top in getting the word out for the Republican Party! I hope that Tom McClintock is forgiven by certain groups for not getting out of the race, and therefore, possibly splitting the vote. I have not heard a bad word about McClintock other than this. Most say he is a stand-up, straightforward guy. Even Bill, a Democrat doing a documentary said he really respected McClintock even though he didn’t agree with all his views. Hopefully we will see him as our Governor one day in the future!

On another, somewhat amusing note:
I was writing about James Worthy the other day, a funny little story about how my roommate at the time, Whittney, and I met him in Hollywood. Well, I received an e-mail from someone who claims that he is a close friend of James and that James doesn’t remember me and has never been to my bar. Then he went on to attack my looks, calling me a “5 ½” out of 10, and maybe a “6 or 7” after a few drinks! He wrote that I’m just trying to make a name for myself! That’s funny! I think running for Governor and getting national as well as international attention has done that! I am replying to this person so if he really is James’ friend we can set the record straight:

Of course he doesn't remember, it was in 1991! If you are a good friend of his then you probably shouldn't attack me on my looks---that's low. I'll have to go into more detail on my blog I guess. I was trying to be nice and keep it light, it's not like I said we had sex or anything. I'm sure there will be plenty of that in the book his wife is writing.
He drove a silver-gray BMW at he time, I know because we talked in the parking lot at A & M Records after a B-day party for Luther Vandross. Magic Johnson wasn't with him because he was under the weather (it was right before he announced he had AIDS.) Mario Van Peeples was there, he asked out my friend, Whittney, as well. Sounds of Blackness performed. We were there catering the party, working for Tony Whitehead (I think he is a cousin to the Jackson Family, or so I was told when I met him at their home on Havenhurst.) Plus, I do have an autograph made out to the Cypress College Girls Basketball Team from James Worthy! Anyway, I really don't think that mentioning someone called my roommate and myself 12 years later is "trying to make a name for myself!" I think running for Governor of California pretty much took care of that!

People are funny. James certainly didn’t think either one of us young, blonde girls was anything less than a “10” on that evening. I was just excited about meeting a basketball player because at the time I was playing basketball for Cypress College. It was actually quite funny how we started talking that evening. I was serving the food, hot licks, fried chicken, and mussel greens. James came up to me and asked how he could get some more chicken. I (being the forever smart-mouth) said he would have to smile first, and then asked him how tall he was. I then proceeded to tell him that he should play basketball because of his height, while he laughed. All the while Whittney was poking me in the ribs with her elbow, trying to tell me who he was. Of course I refused to listen to her and kept giving him a hard time. James told me he did play basketball. I said “oh yeah, what team?” He replied “The Laker’s,” and then I was so embarrassed because I didn’t recognize him in a nice suit without the glasses he always wore when he was playing. Anyway, it was a fun evening for Whittney and I!

I woke up early this morning and opened the back door to six friendly faces. No, not reporters or fans, ducks! I went out by the pool with the paper and my Earl Grey tea (with a spot of milk of course,) and my two cats to relax for the first morning in a long time. Unfortunately the friendly ducks made a mess of my pool, but it was refreshing to see them. The Election Day diary was there on page two, noting what an unpleasant experience I had at the polls. A little further into the paper was a picture of me doing a shot of Jagermeister-Of Course! I told the OC Register photographer that as soon as I take a drink, that the photo they always seem to use. He agreed and sent it off via laptop. The LA Times was there as well trying to beat the deadline. I don’t know if there are any pictures of me or not, I haven’t seen today’s paper yet. I did see the two he sent in, one was of a “fan” giving me a bouquet of flowers, and the other was of me holding the Join Arnold sign as I gave my concession speech. Hey, at least I conceded prior to Bustamante or Davis, I knew Arnold would win easily! Okay, I hoped he would win so California doesn’t turn into Mexifornia! Yeah Arnold! I’m thrilled he won! Not much of an election night, at about five minutes after the polls closed Arnold was declared victorious! Good thing my party started at 5pm! Barry cooked all day so that we could serve around 200 tacos! I had a blast as usual. I had students from Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton there to interview me and take pictures; it was fun for them as well. The customers were starting to get dizzy with all the camera flashes going off!
Guess who won the “deva’s poll?” Okay, it was I! I only voted for myself three times. Arnold came in second and the “Yes” on Recall won by a landslide! It helped that Caren, one of our wonderful regulars bought the bar a round of kamikazes! We all had a good time!
Well, I’m off to yet another interview with the BBC in West Hollywood. BBC World is broadcasting from the roof of a hotel up there. I’m so tired, but I promised so off I go!

It's Election Day!
I just voted for myself for Governor! Like I ever thought I’d write those words! It was sort of strange going to the polls and actually seeing my name there on the official ballot. I do have to say I am deeply upset about my voting experience today! It was the worst voting experience I have ever had! Usually everyone is so nice and accommodating at the polls. Instead of voting in a neighbors garage this time I had to go vote at Royale Health Care Center, on Warner Ave, in Santa Ana. My boyfriend came with me to take a picture of me voting at the polls. I was standing outside by a sign that said, “VOTE,” and had an arrow pointing to the entrance. My boyfriend took a picture and some woman from the nursing home came out and yelled that we could not take pictures within 100 feet of a polling place. So my boyfriend turned off the camera and stood off to the side on his crutches. A few women started looking at him and then went and got another person in charge to come and ask him what he was doing there! He replied he was waiting for me and they asked if he was from a film crew. He told them no, and continued to wait. I was in line and the first rude woman that had yelled at us came by and knocked into me, hitting my purse in the air, then gave me a nasty look. I was so upset that I called the Registrar of Voters and they informed me it was okay to take a picture as long as I wasn’t interfering in the voting process. I told them I just wanted to take a picture of myself by the sign out front. She told me that was just fine. In the meantime the Health Care Center had shooed away two news camera crews. So I went back out front and Barry proceeded to take my picture. Another extremely rude woman came charging out and yelled at us that we could not take pictures. I explained to her that it was only of me and that the Registrar of Voters said it was okay. She then said, “No it is not! This is private property and you do not have permission to take pictures!” She then turned to Barry and yelled, “This is the second time you’ve been told!” Then she motioned for us to leave, so we did. What rude people! These are the people in charge of an elderly Health Care facility, I feel sorry for the elderly stuck in that place! Okay, I’ll calm down now, but I’m really upset about being treated so rudely when we weren’t doing anything except taking a picture of me! I have watched Arnold, Cruz, McClintock, and many others on the news today voting!

That will probably be in the paper tomorrow. A reporter from the OC Register is calling the candidates throughout the day to find out what’s going on during Election Day. He first called to ask what I had for breakfast. The next call, as you can imagine, was me being upset about the voting ordeal. Oh well, on to more important things. I have to get my “deva’s poll” board ready for tonight. Depending on which shot you order we are considering it a vote for the certain candidates. I’m Jagermeister! “Yes” on Recall is a Kamikaze (like Davis’ career,) Cruz is Wild Turkey, Arnold is Jack Daniels, Tom McClintock is Gentleman Jack, and Peter Camejo is Grasshopper (Green). Well, we need to put the finishing touches on the food for the open Taco Bar, so I better get busy! Party starts at 5pm!

The BBC has a story online today, you can view it at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3169600.stm
Only thing is, above my name they wrote: Porn Star’s Platform! I have e-mailed them hoping they will correct this! The article does mention that it is questionable whether or not Arnold can beat Reva Renz! Ha Ha!

It’s Sunday evening and I’ve been here at my desk again all day! I have to get bills paid and deva’s paperwork, banks, deposits all ready for Monday. Can’t the rest of the world just stop for a few days so I can catch up? Wishful thinking!

I am in the Toledo Blade today, back in Ohio:

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031005/NEWS05/110050122

It’s funny because they allow you to send my picture as an e-mail greeting on their website. It’s kind of neat, I sent it to my brother in Ohio. We’re getting down to the wire now! I’ll be campaigning the best I can tomorrow. I am almost out of campaign materials! I thought I would have a ton of stuff left over, that’s not going to be the case. I even had to re-order a few things because of all the requests I have been getting. Everyone wants a piece of this historic recall election! That includes the Secretary of State! I received a letter requesting memorabilia to be preserved in the Golden State Museum.

Election Night will be a blast! Deva’s is having an Election Night Party starting at 5pm. We will be having shot specials, our own “deva’s poll,” and an open taco bar! You vote for a candidate by ordering the drink I have listed next to their name. Here’s a list straight from the flyer:

Reva Renee Renz Jagermeister
Arnold Schwarzenegger Jack Daniels
Tom McClintock Gentleman Jack
Cruz Bustamante Wild Turkey
Peter Camejo Grasshopper

Recall Davis Kamikaze

“No” on Recall (oh yeah right! Reva is Queen at deva’s, not an option to vote for this one!)

We will then place a mark by the candidates when a customer buys one of those shots on our “deva’s poll” board. Hey, if Taco Bell can do it, so can I! So stop by if you’re in the area on Tuesday!

I’m thinking I’ll be in for a surprise after this is all over. It’s been so much fun, but I need to rest. Then I’ll have to think of something more exciting to do! How can I top this run for Governor? This will be tricky! I’m sure something will come up. Us “other” candidates may need to start a support group, just kidding! It will be quite a change though. The only thing I’ve got lined up for Tuesday press wise is a radio station in L.A. that will be coming by deva’s during the party. ABC and the L.A. Times called but have not confirmed that they will show up. Oh well, it’s going to be a nice gathering regardless because I will be with the people who have supported me and that’s what’s important! I was going to go up to a big party in L.A. but I think staying here is the right thing to do.

Barry called relatives in London to tape record the BBC interview tomorrow night. They were a bit surprised by the reason he was calling! Anyway, I should get a copy as soon as they can transfer it so we can play it over here. I didn’t know they have different machines then we do when it comes to VCR’s. I thought it was just the electrical outlets. Barry is still waiting to hear from the doctors about his test results! Isn’t that ridiculous? Not knowing is driving us crazy! I hope that means no news is good news!

I heard from my best friend from 6th grade today. Shonda (Rice) Berry was my best friend back then and we always had so much fun at her slumber parties! A bunch of kids holding séances, playing with an Ouji Board, and pulling pranks on her little brother. More nice memories of Ohio. I even remember that we used the Ouji Board to ask at what age we would die. I think I was the only one who dared that question though. And after all this time, I have never forgotten the answer; 69. It’s weird what sticks with you. She informs me that her little brother, Bart, is over in Iraq right now on his second tour, and he is a Captain in the Army. Wow! I remember we would put his hand in a warm bowl of water when he was asleep trying to make him wet the bed. How funny! I certainly hope he kicks ass over there in Iraq and comes home safe!

I almost forgot, here's a little piece in the Washington Post today:


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42356-2003Oct3.html

Just a little "light" bio!

Well, let me start by saying I walked a couple of miles campaigning (wearing high heels, ouch!) today in Tustin. I walked the Tustin Tiller Days Parade route all the way from deva's and to the Tiller Day's event. A filmmaker doing a documentary on the recall followed me. Bill Thill and I spent most of the day together as he followed me around the carnival event. We played a few games, Bill even won a goldfish. It was a fun time. The basketball games are fixed! I should’ve made a few shots and they flew right back out. It was a little difficult in a suit, heels, and wearing a mike with wires attached. It was a lovely parade, with marching bands and cheerleaders. I almost felt transported back to a small town in Ohio. I talked with several people and shook hands, handing out buttons and bumper stickers. I received a very warm welcome from everyone today. It was yet, another wonderful experience. I really felt a sense of closeness in the community there today. Bill is quite a remarkable person himself and I can’t wait to see the finished product of his work.
There were McClintock supporters urging people to vote their conscience, and the Join Arnold people had a booth with petitions to save our license. There were even a few Reva supporters wearing my buttons and T-shirts. The recent allegations reported by the LA Times about Arnold’s groping, and Nazi ties didn’t seem to make a difference around there. I noticed the younger people were still behind Arnold 100%. This is the first time a lot of younger people are voting, either because they just turned 18, or registered to vote because they're Arnold fans. One young man working a game took down my postcard after another girl put it on top of their display because he said he was for Arnold. She put it back up and started yelling to vote for Reva. I didn't hear one thing all day about either incident other than back at the bar when several patrons wanted to know if Arnold had "groped" me yet. I joked that I was still waiting. The Nazi stuff people sort of shrugged off as gutter politics and figured it was a bunch of BS. The people I know are more angry with the women being dragged forward after 30 years to tearfully tell their horrifying stories. Sort of like when Kobe was first accused and people were mad at his accuser. They feel that it's all a democratic ploy perpetuated by the L A Times and NOW and it's ridiculous. One guy said, "How about all the groping Davis has done to our wallets? What about Bill Clinton? Gary Condit? NOW is re-victimizing these women after all these years by parading them around as these poor helpless females that weren't strong enough to stand up for themselves 30 years ago. At the Join Arnold Rally the people were 100% behind him, and I heard nothing about either things except from reporters asking me if I thought Arnold should be forgiven. I haven't talked to one person who has changed their mind about voting for Arnold because of these stories. Then again, most of my customers and friends are either men or women that would love it if Arnold groped them! I haven't found it yet, and I may have deleted it, but I received an e-mail at the beginning of this campaign asking me if I had come into contact with Arnold or knew anyone who had. Then it requested I reply or give them names of women they may have had a bad encounter with Arnold, or heard that he had miss-behaved in any way. Apparently it was a mass mailing to try to get dirt on Arnold. My customers aren't surprised that this came out at this time. Democrats.

I can’t wait to see the interview and me singing on the BBC TWO in the UK! It’s on at 10:30pm in the UK on Monday night on a program called Newsnight. I’m probably repeating myself, but I’m so wonderfully exhausted I’m too tired to care. I had so much fun last night; there were so many patrons and friends supporting me. Everyone had a blast! The website is at:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/default.stm

There may be a way to actually watch it on your computer. I just watched the story on Siegfried & Roy in Las Vegas, where Roy was attacked by a tiger on the BBC website. Great site! I feel horrible for Roy; I hope he makes it through ok. Their show is amazing; I’ve seen it a couple of times several years ago.


I am watching a story right now on 48 Hours Investigates about Kobe Bryant. They just did a segment on James Worthy and how was unfaithful to his wife, even arrested for soliciting prostitution. I mentioned way earlier in this blog about the e-mail I sent to the Game Show Network about a certain Laker that kept asking out my roommate and me. Well, that was James Worthy. He called and left several messages on our machine back then. I even gave his phone number to my brother back in Ohio so he could call it and hear that it was really James. I have his autograph around here somewhere, I’ll have to dig it out and frame it somehow to add to my collection. I guess I never really paid attention to the fact that he has since been divorced.

Looks like I am having a party at deva's on Election Night. So far a radio station, photographer, and possibly ABC, will be there. I better get busy planning!

Last night went wonderful! Tim Overdiek from the Netherlands, NOS was there at 7pm as scheduled and we did an interview, which he will translate for back in Holland. The BBC News Night was right after him at a little past 8pm. They did an interview and then taped me singing “La Isla Bonita,” and “Hanky Panky,” both Madonna songs. It was so much fun, and they were all such nice people! The BBC interview will run on Monday evening in the UK at 10:30pm, and depending where you are, I’ve been told you can see it on your computer at the BBC website which I will try to find for you later on. I just got a call from a good friend
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/04/national/04CAND.html?hp

I’m late for the Tustin Tiller Day’s parade and I need to meet up with a person doing a documentary on this Recall! I’ll write more later!

Tonight the BBC will be at deva’s at 8pm to interview me for News Night, the UK’s version of our Night Line News show. Wow! I will be seen all over the UK! Doesn’t get me many votes here, but how fun! I thought it was for radio, but it’s actually TV! At 7pm the NOS from the Netherlands will be there, Tim Overdiek is the reporter. Looks like it’s going to be an Effen Vodka evening! It’s a really good vodka that just became available here. The black cherry flavor is excellent! I mention this because it’s a product of Holland. Should be a fun night! I better go get ready!

I just got back from the Join Arnold Rally. I could barely see him! There was a ton of press covering both Arnold and the coalition of candidates on their bus tour. They have rented a big red bus and they are following Arnold’s bus all through the state. It’s a great idea; I wish I could’ve gone with them. They have press and photographers riding along with them as well. Some of the “other candidates,” have their own buses, such as Paul Walton (I’m trying to put some pictures up on the site today from the rally including Paul’s bus.) It was nice to meet him today, he owns Castle Creek Inn, Resort & Spa, down in San Diego. That’s where I’ll need to go after this whole thing is over for some R & R! I talked with Gene Forte; he’s driving his gorgeous convertible behind the bus. It was good to see everyone all pumped up and positive! Jim Vandeventer, Cheryl Bly-Chester, Jon Zellhoefer, Badi Badiozamani, and so many others! We all taped our pictures and signs to the bus. Everyone leaving the Rally had to walk past us and that’s when we had an opportunity to campaign and it was a good experience. The citizens were free to come and ask us what we believed in and where we stood on the issues, and several of them did just that. A young man started asking me questions and a reporter came over and recorded this young man interviewing me. That’s really getting out there and talking with the citizens! Representatives from Taco Bell were there as well encouraging us and the people to go to there website and view the candidates answers. There were two reporters from Australia in the parking lot looking for a ride to catch up with the buses; apparently they got left behind accidentally. Luckily I just happened to know the local taxi numbers, several of my patrons are smart enough to not drive drunk! Hope they caught up! I also talked with a reporter from the London Times today. He wanted to know what I thought about the allegations against Arnold that he mistreated women 30 years ago. There’s a big story in the LA Times today about how Arnold grabbed women. Arnold actually apologized today if he offended anyone and said he is a different person today and respects women. When is the last time a politician came out and apologized the same day as the story broke? Did the nation demand Bill Clinton apologize for what he did in the Oval Office? So three decades ago Arnold was a young body builder and actor and was living a wild single life, people do change! We all grow up (well, most of us) and change, it takes a long road to become who we are. I am certainly not the same person I was 10-15 years ago! Back then I walked around college in tiny skirts, dressed like Madonna, wore a ton of makeup, jewelry, and always high heel pumps! The girls on my basketball team at Cypress College used to do a cheer where they referred to me as “Kelly Bundy” from Married with Children because they thought I looked like her. I remember breaking a nail (long fake ones of course,) in the middle of a game and running over to the coach so he would hold them for me so I could glue them back on after the game! I’d say I am much different today (well, I still like shorter skirts). Life experience molds you into whom you become. Back then I just wanted to go to Hollywood to all the parties and hang out with celebrities. I used to be a manager at Wet Seal when I first moved out here and one time Cory Feldman came into the store with some friends to pick me up for a party. I didn’t even know who he was until the other employees started freaking out. Funny thing about Cory is that I ran into him years later on a flight back from London. We hung out the entire trip home, well most of the trip. He was in First Class, I was in Business class, and so they would make me go back to my seat once in awhile. The American Gladiators on that trip surrounded me; they were heading home from a show in London. Virgin Atlantic is the best!
In Hollywood I met so many people, and I had a guardian Angel watching over me because I did not get involved with any of the drugs or prostitution that goes on up there. No one tried to drug me or harm me in any way, which is amazing. I had fun, but always tried to use common sense. I met Tony Curtis one evening on Rodeo Drive at a fundraiser where Lyle Alzado was the guest. I have been to the Jackson’s house on Havenhurst, where I met Jermaine and several other family members and friend’s of theirs. I actually met Michael Jackson at some event at Universal Studios. Some one from the Heidi Fleiss organization actually tried to recruit me back then to work for them. Like I said, I had fun, but stayed away from trouble and those people!
Well, enough of all the Hollywood stuff, but I think you get the picture. I am no longer so star struck, trying to hang out and meet celebrities. I did a few pageants back then as well, Miss Garden Grove, and Miss Cypress. I had no luck in winning but I did learn from the experience. It’s funny, I always wanted to get involved with television in some way, acting or broadcast journalism, and I had given up completely to focus on business. I tried to buy a restaurant/ bar in Tustin back in June down the street from deva’s. The people that bought it paid $50K more than I thought it was worth or offered, so I was upset; I really had my heart set on that place. Everyone said, “Things happen for a reason.” I guess running for Governor was it! I never dreamed that this election would put me right there in front of the camera’s, reporters, and right where I always wanted to be………on television. Well, for now anyway, I know it will all be over soon. But how fun to be in the spotlight even if it’s short-lived. Strange how things work out sometimes.
I just received another Google Alert, there’s something about me in Toledo, Ohio:

I have an interview on Saturday with a person who is doing a documentary on this recall at deva’s after the Tiller Days Parade. These last few days are getting hectic. The UK channel 4 just called to apologize that they won’t be able to come to deva’s tonight as planned. They will try to get there tomorrow. It could be a crazy evening tomorrow at deva’s. The BBC and NOS from the Netherlands are still confirmed. I actually have to go play darts tonight; it’s deva’s dart league night!
I am still getting e-mails from Ohio. I even received an e-mail from a former Findlay resident who is retired in Arizona that said I actually waited on him at the Frost Top root beer stand. He said he knew and respected my father. Wow, I hope he’s not the one I spilled all the root beer on! I heard from my High School Principle Mr. Celebrezze, my health teacher, Doug Coates, several classmates, and people who live in Ohio that I don’t even know. Again, amazing!
I know my website is taking some of you a long time to load because of the size of the pictures. Check back later tomorrow, my friend Michael has offered to fix them for me so you can see everything more quickly!
Barry came with me today and has been a big help despite being on crutches still. He’s resting now before we have to go to deva’s. We are still waiting for word from the doctors on his condition. Not knowing is driving us crazy!