Comments

I've gathered that not everyone knows their way around the blog. Specifically, some have had a hard time writing comments. Some may not even know they can leave comments. So here are some quick tips on writing comments for a post...




Above you will see a picture of the information commonly seen at the bottom of each post. You can see the Labels, the time of the posting, and the number of Comments to that particular post. The 'Labels' are the topics or subjects mentioned in a post. When I assign labels to a post, this goes on the right hand column. If you look at the list of Labels you might see your name and, in parentheses, it will show how many times you were mentioned and Labeled in a blog post. As I mentioned earlier, we will cover the Comments in this post.

To post a Comment, click on 'Comments'.




A new window will pop up, and you will see a box like the one above. Inside this box you can type any message you want. Type in some words, then you are ready to move on to the next step.




Right below the box where you type your comment, you will see options for your identity. You can choose how you will be identified with your comment.




If you choose 'Anonymous', your comment will show up as 'anonymous said...'. So, if you don't want to be identified and want to leave a comment, choose 'Anonymous'. However, you may still identify yourself in the comment you type.

When you are ready to go, click 'Publish Your Comment'.




You may also choose to identify yourself, or pick a name to go by. As shown above, you can enter your name, or you can pick a fake name. If I were to put 'The Herd SB' in the Name box, the comment would show 'The Herd SB said...' If I were to put my real name, it my comment would say 'David said...'

You can leave the 'Web Page' box blank. I suggest you do.

When you are ready to go, click 'Publish Your Comment'.

You will then have to close that 'Comment' window.




In order to see your comment show up on the blog, you will have to click the 'Refresh' button at the top of your screen or browser window. The Refresh button looks like a circle with an arrow at then end, much like a recycling symbol (see the blue button in the image above). This will re-load the blog page. Once this is complete, you should be able to see your comment on the main blog page.




Once you have refreshed the page, you will be able to see your comment. Look above for an example. The number of comments will change to show your comment has been added. As in the example above, there are 2 comments to this post.

Click on 'Comments' to read the comments. A new window will pop up, showing the comments.




As you can see, the 2 comments will show up. The first comment goes at the top, and the later comments show up at the bottom. You can scroll down in this comment window to read the later comments and to get to the comments box where you can type in your own comment.

Follow the instructions outlined in this post to add your comment to the list of comments.


If all goes well, y'all should be able to write about a post. I hope you do, because it makes the blog even more fun.

How Many Sisters Does It Take

So, one Auntie says to the other, “I went to that new store on State and Anapamu…”

And it was downhill from there.

Insisting she knew the store’s name, the Auntie repeated it again and again, even after being called on it.

“The name of the store is Navy Blue!”

Then, another Auntie had to correct her. “It’s not Navy Blue—it’s Blue Navy!”

Oh, lordie…

Finally, a third Auntie said, “Both of you are wrong. The store is called OLD NAVY!”

And laughter broke out in the room.

One-third ain’t bad……… I guess……… I hope……. *gulp*

hehehe... ;)

Good times... good times...

Third Saturday: November '07 Edition

So it looks like Saturdays are a hit. We had 10 people at the table, but there were a lot more family members who showed up.

Junior, Peggy, Natalie, Sara, Isaac, Jesse, and the two boyfriends, Jason and Marcos, also happened to be there for breakfast by coincidence.

Marina, Ronny Chackel and Ruben hosted their own table with Matt, Reina, Victoria, Jessica and David.

At our table were Ronny, Danny, Renee, Robert, Raquel, Wolf, Bosco, Joseph, Gabriel and myself.

So there were 24 family members (Wolf is family), plus two more, at the restaurant. Three separate tables, but it’s good times all the same.


Here’s some of the funnier moments of the morning:

• - I don’t know if this is true. Wolf and Danny went to see a movie. Mind you, they’re about a decade and a half apart in age. The movie didn’t work out, so they went to Sharkees, a lower State Street bar, instead. Not like Sharkees is next door to the theater, either.

• - Matt was on his route on Friday when the earthquake struck. He called the UPS Center and told them he had to get off work early to check on his stuff at home—cuz a 3.4 earthquake is violent, right? The response from the Center: “Finish your route!”

• - Robert was miffed because he hadn’t had a mention in this blog. I told him that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He’s a straight and narrow guy, not too up, not too down. He’s like his favorite drink—a glass of milk. There’s your mention, Rob. Now buck up, buttercup.

• - Bosco looked at his watch and said “It’s 11 already. It’s late. You should start drinking by 9.”

• - We saw Cousins Yolie and Linda (Borrayo) at the bar. At the bar. Interesting. They asked if Bosco’s two boys were twins. The responses from the group:
• - They’re just a year apart
• - They’re 9 months apart
• - They were born at the same time from two different moms.
  

• - Someone asked Marina if she was sitting with us. She said no, because it was for the cousins. The she pointed to two of the little ones and said “They’re cousins, they’re sitting with you guys.” And Matt had to correct her: “Mom-- Danny and David are brothers, not cousins.”

• - Someone reminded Wolf that his movie came out this week. Wolf said “Which movie?” So they told him: “Be A Wolf”. The movie is actually “Beowulf”, but they told Wolf he should ask to get in free since he is, you know, a Wolf.

New Pics: San Jose Visits

Err'one. I got a new batch of pictures from the Nor Cal Contingent.

Can't exactly remember the date, but it must have been 2 or 3 months ago that The San Jose Hernandez's'z's' came for a visit. They camped out at Rufugio State Beach, and a few of the fam made it up there for a day trip.

Look here at Uncle Vic and Auntie Gina, using the VW to put a nice twist on Grampa Sal's old school sensibilities.

Can't hardly tell these guys apart, can you? ;)

And here's one of all them kids, the ones to carry on the traditions.

Here's the whole album.

Good times!

It's Official: Gramma's Lompoc House for Sale

So the papers have been signed and now Gramma's Lompoc Estate is on the market. In a few days, I'll have a link so people can see the details.

• 505 North 1st, Lompoc Ca 93436
• Listed at $325,000

As I said before, Dolly's the Realtor on this one, so if you have questions, give her a call:

Teresa Arellanes
805-252-0347

Didn't Take Long

By Popular Demand, we're changing the Third Sunday Breakfasts to the Third Saturday of each month.

So now people will have money for breakfast AND get to sleep off the hangover on Sunday. What a deal!

See y'all on Saturday.

Update on Ronny

Arrests have been made. Read below from the Santa Barbara Daily Sound, a local daily newspaper...


Arrests Made in Stabbing at Local Strip Club

Santa Barbara Police have arrested two men who they say stabbed a man three times in the parking lot of Spearmint Rhino in October, after the man they originally attempted to assault escaped...


Click on the headline for the rest of the story.

Third Sunday Breakfast

Cousins, don't forget. This Sunday is the Third Sunday.

See y'all at Mesa Cafe @ 10am.

CORRECTED: Marina's Surgery, Part II

Thanks for the comment, Modlins. Here's the corrected post:

I posted about Marina and her aneurysm a while back. She’s been doing well since then, and the doctors have continued to monitor her health and the other possible aneurysm.

She goes in for a second surgery on Wednesday November 21, the day before Thanksgiving. I don’t know if she’ll be well enough to attend the Dinner and Dessert on Thursday, but hopefully she will. Wednesday December 5.

Let’s wish her well, and keep her in our thoughts and prayers.

Danny Takes Care of Gramma

Danny takes care of Gramma Connie. He's already dressing her.

At least, I hope it was Danny. She didn't do that on her own, right?

RIGHT?!

Laura's Baby Shower

As you all know, Papas and his girlfriend Laura Rodriguez are having a baby boy. This Saturday November 10, Laura had a Baby Shower.

She's due some time in January, a month before Renee. But if that's true, Renee must be having triplets (smile, cousin... smile).

And what's Rosie doing? Was it her party too? Kidding, Rosie! :)

Here's the album.

Cheers!

The Cleaners

I heard a few Aunties were going over to Gramma Connie's house to clean up yesterday. Though we continue to fight the stereotypes every day, we have to admit that Mexicans are good at cleaning house.

I'm not sure if they were working, or just having fun. But from the looks of it, I think hazard pay is in order-- either from the many views, or the stress.

At least Gramma looks like she was enjoying herself. And that cup of coffee. And checking her mail....

Here's the few pictures from that day.

Good times, y'all.

Updated November Birthdays

I'm glad word is getting out. It means the Birthdays on the Calendar will be more accurate. If we took all of our family and averaged the birthdays over a year, we'd be celebrating twice a week for the entire year. Wow.

Here's November's Birthday list, updated to include Louie Hernandez and CJ Hernandez:

• Carmen Garcia, November 3

• Meagan Berendt, November 3

• Louie Hernandez, November 10
  

• Lizzy Cook, November 5

• Eric 'Lil Eric' Garcia, November 19

• Christian James 'CJ', 'Ceej' Hernandez, November 29

Good times, folks.

Leah's Wedding: The Date is Set

Alright, y'all. Here it is, word from Uncle Vic himself.

Leah's Wedding will be held on Saturday August 30, 2008 in Morgan Hill, California.

As Uncle Vic says, Morgan Hill is 45 minutes closer to Santa Barbara, so the drive will be easier for us. The time allows us to get our planners and calendars out so we can schedule everything WAY ahead of time. Invitations, he said, will be coming soon.

Uncle Vic guarantees we'll all have a good time, even if he has to get on stage and perform 'Reasons' by Earth, Wind & Fire to make sure...... kidding about that last part, but we know it'll be good times.

Mark your Calendars, folks!

New Poll

How's things, y'all?

There's a new poll up on the right. It asks:

How many times have you traveled outside of California?

I'm not counting Las Vegas because it's like going to Canada and saying you've been to a foreign country-- it's really not that out-of-the-way.

I'm trying to gauge our level of travel, to see if it's true that, as a whole, we tend to stay at home where things are nice and cozy.

If we took it back to early man on the plains of the Serengeti, back when we were hunter-gatherers living on piles of grass, we wouldn't be the ones to look out over the horizon and wonder "What's over there?" We'd have thrown some more grass on the pile, picked a root to gnaw on, and lounged under a tree until the sun went down. Then we would have gone to sleep, to have the energy to do it all over again the next day.

Just kidding, folks.

Cheers!

Thanksgiving Update

Y'all, I've got the word.


November 22, 2007: Thanksgiving Dinner is going to be at Monica's house at 1119, with dessert to follow at Gramma Connie's house at 2210.


When I get the menu, and the list of cooks, I'll be sure to post that too.

Three weeks to go (check the Calendar). See everyone then!

Vegas Pictures

So remember I said something about Monica's friends loving their martinis? Look here for proof!

Lots of nice photos from the trip. I'm glad they all had a good time. Here's all of the pictures they took in the album Las Vegas October 2007.

And here's the group, looking all glamorous and stuff...

So, who wishes they would have gone? ;)

How Lucky Are We

I was reminded by a comment Salene left in the 'Update on Ronny' post. She said:

"we are the luckiest family i know. very fortunate and protected."

That statement is, pardon the pun, dead-on.

We are truly the most fortunate family I know. There are over 100 of us, and we defy the percentages that say we should have been hit with tragedy at least dozens of times. The population of California, the US, and the world sees heartache more than we do-- by far.

Though we have lost loved ones, they left us with indelible marks of love, respect, and an assurance in their goodness. By whatever means-- Gramma Connie's prayers and God's protection, knowledge to take caution and care, or by pure chance and happenstance-- we have been proven fortunate.

Just in case you needed a story to accompany this, here's a little tidbit on one of us who happens to walk in the shadow of angels...

• Ronny is more lucky than we realize.

• When he was an adult for nary a couple years, he drove to work at 3am from Lompoc to the UPS center in Goleta. One morning, Ronny, tired from the odd hours, dozed off and fell asleep at the wheel. Word is he woke up on a stretcher, after his car overturned, and with Ronny thrown from the car.

• A few years later, when Ronny was working for a tree-trimming company, a bad combination of chain-saws, branches, and height caused him to fall. As his brother Matt tells it, he fell from the tree, onto the roof of the house. And then from the roof of the two-story house onto the ground below.

• As we know, Ronny was stabbed three times in an unprovoked attack just a few weeks ago.

• After all this, he is otherwise healthy. No lost limbs, he walks, and there's not much left besides a few scars to serve as a reminder.

I'd say we're lucky. And some of us are more luck than others.

November Birthdays

Here's what I have of the November Birthdays. Wish well on another trip around the sun, y'all!

• Carmen Garcia, November 3

• Meagan Berendt, November 3

• Lizzy Cook, November 5

• Eric 'Lil Eric' Garcia, November 19

Here's the Calendar as well. If you have any events, let me know and I'll put them up.

San Jose Speaks

Y'all. Here's a few notes from the Nor Cal Contingent of our Fam. Thanks to Leah for the info!

• My little brother CJ is currently living in San Francisco with our uncle and cousins. He seems to like it but plans to come home late November.

• As for myself, David and I are still on the hunt for a ceremony/reception location. I'm looking for a simple ceremony like the SB Courthouse, and a really nice reception like at the Double Tree Resort. That would be ideal but I don't know the expense for that. So I ask you and the family for your help. If anything comes to mind please let me know. We want this to be a special wedding by visually acknowledging our heritage on both sides telling our story. Any suggestions? I found a wedding location near San Jose that will work for us, and my parents' budget. However, if you or the family think of something in SB please let me know ASAP!

• Happy Halloween!! Today my mom, Gina, and her work team dressed up as cowboys in memory of Uncle Bob :). She looked cute with Uncle Bob's black hat and belt. Her team at work were all very supportive during that rough time. At work meetings my mom always talked about Bob in a positive way.

• My dad, Victor, says he looks forward to seeing everyone at Thanksgiving dinner. Also, his van is a tribute to Grandpa Sal and he's having a lot of fun with it.

• I hope all is well with the family. Love and miss you all!

There you go, folks. Good times on all accounts! Nor Cal, we'll see you all for Thanksgiving, if not sooner.

Cheers!

Happy Halloween

Hey, y'all.

It's not Halloween until tomorrow, but they've been partying in IV since Friday, so what the heck.

If anyone has some good Halloween pictures, feel free to send them to me and I'll put them up.

Also, there's something about Halloween I'd like everyone to know...

There's no poison candy. Kids get sick, people get sick, but it's not from the candy. How many times have we known of anyone to get sick from the candy, as a result of poison? Do you think it's because we check everything? Or is it simply because poison candy doesn't exist?

Relax folks, Halloween is all about fun. Happy Halloween, y'all!

Junior in the Hospital

Uncle Junior is in the hospital. We don't know why as yet, but it may be related to his liver and his struggle with Hepatitis.

Though he has asked for no visitors, keep him in your prayers. Family is family.

What's a Latino?

So, I'm on my way to dinner at Carlito's and I get a call from a family member, that I won't name, who asks "Are Cubans and Puerto Ricans Latino?"

Which brings us to an interesting discussion. What is a Latino/Latina? What is a Chicano? What does Hispanic mean?

Latino/a refers to people from Latin America. Latin America refers generally to all countries south of the US-- Mexico, the Carribean, Central and South America including Brazil. These countries speak Spanish and Portuguese, as a result of the conquest of these areas by Spain and Portugal in the colonial era. If you remember, or just in case you missed that day of school, Spanish and Portuguese are Romance languages, meaning they are derived from the language spoken by the ancient Romans. And what language was that? Latin. Thus, in region where these languages were spoken in the North/South American land mass is referred to as Latin America. That's how we got Latinos and Latinas.

Chicano/a refers to Mexican Americans. It's origin is speculation, but the theories often attribute the word to the way the 'x' is pronounced in many native languages-- much as the 'ch' sound in English. So, if you were to say 'Mexican', it would sound like 'Meh-chee-cun'. If you referred to someone as 'Mexicano' it might sound like 'Meh-chee-kah-no'. Take off the first part and you get 'Chee-kah-no.' It is used by Mexican Americans to describe themselves, and political and ethnic ties to Mexican culture. Political movements in the 1960's by Mexican American activists pushed use of the phrase-- and the word is still used with political connotations, rather than just cultural themes.

Hispanic is a term used by the US Census to refer to a sub-group of the population. The term is relatively new, and was first used in the 1970 US Census. As the the incomplete history goes, Hispanic was used to describe individuals who come from Spanish-speaking lineage, or who have genealogy originating in Spain. Thus, Brazilians and Portuguese-speaking persons from South America, or French -Speaking populations of the Carribean would not be considered Hispanic. Because of this, the Census often has both a 'Hispanic' category, and a 'non-white Hispanic' category-- you can be Spanish, which is essentially white/European, and be Hispanic, but this isn't what most people think of when they hear the term 'Hispanic.'

So, there is a little bit of what I know, a little bit of the history and meaning behind these words. It may be incomplete, but it's the gist of it.

Back to that phone call. Yes, actually, Cubans and Puerto Ricans are Latinos because they originate in Latin America.

The funny part was when I heard someone in the background ask: "Okay, that's fine. But are WE Cholas?" And laughter ensued on both ends of the phone call. Good times. Good times.

Update on Ronny

Ronny was released from the hospital last Tuesday. He's doing well.

He is recovering, and if you see the zipper of staples on that scar the doctors gave him, you'll see why he's not quite 100 percent.

He'll be out of work for a bit, and Cal Trans has been accommodating to him.

As of a couple of days ago, no arrests have been made. But they are building evidence and, according to the Police and Mayor, have a list of suspects.

Wish him well, y'all.

What Happens in Vegas...

So after trying to get some info out of those few who went to Vegas last weekend, I could only get a few things for y'all.

• -Monica, Dolly, Renee and Monica's friends (the wives) stayed at the Bellagio

• -Renee is a few months preggers and still had a good time-- she's a trooper!

• -Dolly says Monica's friends can hold their... they drink like... well, let's just say they enjoy martinis and stuff.
  

• -They all had a great time, and no doubt they'll be going again.

Oh, and when Dolly started taking pictures, she was told, by the ENTIRE GROUP, that "What happens in Vegas..." You know the rest. It's all innocent fun, so no worries. But still, only a couple of pictures have been released... hehehe.