#Eloise and Anne helped her get ready

[myokk]

Imelda was so nervous to ask Poppy to the Yule Ball😇

[someguyscaliforniavoterguide]

Select L.A. County Races - November 2018

Select L.A. County Races

Broadly speaking: vote for the Democrat. I am not going to give super detailed explanations for a lot of races unless they are warranted. Where they are, I have footnoted them. I live in the East Valley so a lot of what I looked at was Valley related. I also looked into Santa Monica because Measure SM is a big deal.

State Board of Equalization 3: Tony Vazquez

In 2017, the State Board of Equalization was largely stripped of its powers and duties and gutted from 4800 staffer to 400 staffers. Still, it remains a constitutionally mandated agency that administers Property Taxes, Alcoholic Beverage Taxes, and Taxes on Insurers programs. The point of the board is to ensure that taxes are assessed fairly statewide. Yeah, it’s weird. Anyway, the GOP candidate in the race has used his platform to attack the SB60 Gas Tax (more on this later). Forget that. Tony Vazquez is a former Santa Monica mayor and while his platform for the BOE is thin, it’s better than actively destructive.

Los Angeles County Sheriff: Alex Villanueva

I’m not thrilled about either candidate in this race, to be honest. Both have ties to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD) but both pitch themselves as reform candidates who will address years of endemic abuse and corruption within LASD. Neither seems to be up to the job. I’ve heard some people say that Jim McDonnell, the acting sheriff, should be given a chance to put his mark on the department. I have also watched as rank and file have swung to Alex Villanueva as McDonnell has tried to enact reforms. McDonnell has ties to the former sheriff, Lee Baca, who was convicted of obstructing an investigation into jail abuses by the LASD. McDonnell has endorsements from politicians but Villanueva has the support of the local party clubs. It’s really a coin toss for me, but since I’m picking, I guess I’ll go with Villanueva - he’s the slightly more outside candidate for now, and I’ll keep an eye on this for 2022.

Los Angeles County Assessor: Jeffrey Prang

Jeff Prang is endorsed by Kamala Harris and is the incumbent assessor. His opponent is literally listed with the name John “Lower Taxes” Loew on the ballot and couldn’t even get a website together for this election. This is a pretty easy call.

Justice, California State Court of Appeal; Second District

Electing judges is dumb but since we do it, here’s some thoughts. Look: these are all qualified and smart jurists. I base my endorsements here on a mix of reviewing various endorsements with a critical eye to judges who score too high on conservative groups’ questionnaires about judicial philosophy. The L.A. Times endorses “yes” on all these candidates as a show of judicial independence, but I don’t hang with that. Judges make political choices and while I believe we shouldn’t have the power to vote on them, if we do then we might as well use that power to vote for judges who reflect our Democratic values. Certainly the GOP votes for judges that will enact their visions.

Division 1

Helen Bendix: No

Victoria G. Chaney: No

Division 2

Elwood G. Lui: Yes

Victoria Chavez: No

Division 3

Luis A. Lavin: Yes

Hamlin Dhandina: Yes

Anne Egerton: Yes

Division 4

Thomas Willhite: No

Nora Manella: No

Division 5

Lamar W. Baker: Yes

Carl Moor: Yes

Dorothy Kim: Yes

Division 6

Arthur Gilbert: Yes

Martin J. Tangeman: Yes

Division 7

John Segal: Yes

Gail Feuer: Yes

Division 8

Tricia Bigelow: No

Los Angeles Superior Court

Personally, I feel too often we see prosecutors elevated to judgeships, it’s like a pipeline from the DA to the Superior Court. To me, it’s best that a candidate have some sort of judicial experience before they get the post - as a Judge Pro Tem or as a mediator of some kind. All respect to my prosecutor friends out there, but being a judge is a different job. That said, if nobody in the race has that experience - a not uncommon event - it’s worth looking at what else they bring to the table.

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 4: Veronica Sauceda

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 16: Patricia “Patti” Hunter  This is the one judicial race that I really want to highlight. Hunter’s opponent - Sydne Michel - has a lot of ties to the gun industry. Her kid and her dog are both named after guns, her husband is an NRA lawyer, and the pro-gun website calguns.net made it clear that voting for her was important to advancing their interests. Vote for Hunter here folks. We don’t need pro-gun voices packing our courts.

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 60: Holly L. Hancock  I like that Ms. Hancock is a Public Defender - we don’t see enough PDs become judges. 

Los Angeles Superior Court, Office 113: Michael Ribons

California State Senate

SD 18 – Bob Hertzberg  Sen. Hertzberg was officially reprimanded by the California State Senate in March of 2018 for his habit of hugging colleagues and constituents. In accepting the reprimand, Hertzberg stated ”I understand that I cannot control how a hug is received, and that not everyone has the ability to speak up about unwelcome behavior. It is my responsibility to be mindful of this, and to respect the Rules Committee's request to not initiate hugs." SD 20 – Connie Leyva SD 22 – Michael Eng SD 24 – Maria Elena Durazo SD 26 – Ben Allen SD 30 – Holly Mitchell SD 32 – Bob J. Archuleta SD 34 – Tom Umberg

California State Assembly

AD 36 – Steve Fox AD 37 – Monique Limón AD 38 – Christy Smith AD 39 – Luz Rivas AD 41 – Chris Holden AD 43 – Laura Friedman AD 44 – Jacqui Irwin AD 45 – Jesse Gabriel AD 46 – Adrin Nazarian AD 47 – Eloise Reyes AD 48 – Blanca Rubio AD 49 – Ed Chau AD 50 – Richard Bloom AD 51 – Wendy Carrillo AD 52 – Freddie Rodriguez AD 53 – Miguel Santiago AD 54 – Sydney Kamlager AD 55 – Gregg Fritchle AD 56 – Eduardo Garcia AD 57 – Ian Calderon AD 58 – Cristina Garcia AD 59 – Reggie Jones-Sawyer AD 62 – Autumn Burke AD 63 – Anthony Rendon AD 64 – Mike Gipson AD 65 – Sharon Quirk-Silva AD 66 – Al Muratsuchi AD 70 – Patrick O’Donnell

U.S. House of Representatives

CD 23 – Tatiana Matta CD 25 – Katie Hill CD 26 – Julia Brownley CD 27 – Judy Chu CD 28 – Adam Schiff CD 29 – Tony Cardenas Post-2016 I have often wondered what it would take for me to vote to give a seat up to a Republican - is there a figure as odious as Trump in the Democratic party? This is the race that currently comes closest for me. Tony Cardenas - my rep - has been accused of rape and is facing a civil suit from a Jane Doe; he has denied the charge and asked for a House ethics investigation. I’m begrudgingly going to vote for him, but I am hoping he either a) clears his name in the next year, b) steps aside, or c) is faces a legitimate primary because the Dems have to do better than having an accused rapist on the ballot in 2018.  CD 30 – Brad Sherman CD 32 – Grace Napolitano CD 33 – Ted Lieu CD 34 – Jimmy Gomez Kenneth Meija is a longshot Green candidate in this district - I don’t like his take on SB1 and his call to repeal it, but I would imagine a lot of people I respect might disagree with me on him overall.  CD 35 – Norma Torres CD 37 – Karen Bass CD 38 – Linda Sanchez CD 39 – Gil Cisneros CD 40 – Lucille Roybal-Allard CD 43 – Maxine Waters CD 44 – Nanette Barragán CD 47 – Alan Lowenthal

County Measure W: Yes

This is a 2.5¢ per acre parcel tax on impermeable land (i.e. the parts of land that doesn’t absorb water) to raise funds that will be used to fund projects to capture stormwater, clean it, and percolate it into underwater aquifiers. This money would double the amount that the County Flood District (if you’re in L.A. county you’re almost definitely in it, unless you’re north of Palmdale) captures and help us reduce dependence on water from outside sources.

L.A. City Charter Amendment B (Public Bank): Emphatically Yes

This charter amendment would give the city the power to establish a public bank. A public bank is a government owned bank that holds the city’s deposits and can be used to make loans to projects the city supports. North Dakota has a public bank that is extremely profitable and which funds public works projects throughout the state. Additionally, debt service payments and institutional fees can be reduced when the city has its own bank, saving us all in the long run. To be clear: Amendment B would not actually establish a bank - this would take legislative action and involve a lot of detailed analysis and rulemaking. This is just the first step in a long process, but a necessary one.

L.A. City Charter Amendment E (Realign City Election Dates): Yes

This amendment would realign the city’s primary dates to match state primary dates, lowering costs and reducing voter fatigue. We should do this.

LAUSD Charter Amendment EE (Realign LAUSD Election Dates): Yes

This amendment would realign LAUSD’s primary dates to match state primary dates, lowering costs and reducing voter fatigue. We should also do this.

Burbank Measure P (Sales Tax for General Fund): Yes

The city will experience a $20M revenue shortfall, this is a 0.75¢ sales tax to close that gap. Yes, sales taxes are regressive, but until we address Prop 13 its one of the few tools cities have to close budget gaps in California. Vote yes or get ready to see local services cut.  

Burbank Measure QS (Parcel Tax for Schools): Yes

A parcel tax differs from a property tax in that the parcel tax is applied based on a characteristic of the land while a property tax is based on its value. Here, Burbank proposes to tax each piece of improved land at 10¢ per square foot to raise $9M for schools. On a side note, this will require 2/3 of voters to confirm.

Glendale Measure S (Sales Tax for General Fund): Yes

Much like Burbank, Glendale proposes a 0.75¢ sales tax to generate about $30M annually. Vote yes or get ready to see local services cut.

Santa Monica Measure SM (Require Supermajority Council Approval for Floor Area Ratio and Height Limit Changes): NO NO NO NO

This Charter amendment would require 5 of 7 council members to approve any changes to the downtown community plan for ten years. Folks, this is slow growth nonsense. The city charter already requires a majority vote to approve any changes, requiring a supermajority simply makes it more difficult to address any projects that might be slightly out of compliance. Don’t make it harder to build things.

Santa Monica Measure TL (Term Limits for Council Members): No

This would limit any council member to three terms, whether consecutive or not. I just fundamentally disagree with the idea of term limits, and encourage you to vote no on this.

[secret-rendezvous1d]

Think about single dad Harry apart from yn over the holidays (because it’s too soon to spend together and all) and when it’s like Christmas Day or eve and Harry excuses himself but takes really long and then Gemma or Anne go looking for him and he’s on the phone with yn and they’re like ;) and so endeared

He sneaks away from Anne’s Christmas Eve dinner, leaving behind his plate of cottage pie that he’d doused in gravy and covered with pepper, excusing himself to go to the toilet and brushing his fingers through Asher’s hair on his way passed his little boy. His two nieces, Eloise and Jemima, sitting either side of him as Gemma fed mashed potato to his nephew, Jack. Both Anne and Gemma looking at one another, whilst Robin took to helping Jack cut up his vegetables, when they catch a glance of him staring down at his phone, thumb entering a number as he disappeared around the corner.

He’s away from the table for a good twenty minutes… so they know he’s not in the toilet. And it’s Gemma who offers to take a nosy listen. Using the excuse of grabbing clean clothes for her son to get him out of a t-shirt that was splattered with mash and dribbled with gravy that had missed his mouth and fallen from the spoon. His voice getting louder and louder as she got closer and closer to his childhood bedroom, the door ajar and light slithering through the gap, enough of a space that allowed her to see him spread out on his bed with his phone cradled to his ear. A smile on his face as he cackled down the line.

“It’s a deal then. Me and you, New Years Eve, down the pub. Don’t make any plans. We’re going to bring in the new year together,” he grins widely, “I’ll have my mum look after Asher and we’ll spend the night, just the two of us, surrounded by drunks who are completely shitfaced.”

Gemma smiles softly as she dips into the room opposite, rummaging through her bags to grab a set of pyjamas to change her son into. 

“Don’t have to do anything, you know? We can always just stay in and order a curry and share wine or something. I have Netflix,” she hears his muffled voice come through his door, “I know a good curry place. Asher loves it, as well. Does all kinds of curries.”

She stands to her feet and decides to sort out her twins’ pyjamas so that they were ready for bedtime.

“Well, you’re back in a few days so we’ll meet and organise something, yeah? I still have a present to give to you,” there’s a pause before he continues, “of course. I’ll make you a cake and you can pop over and have some. Yeah. That sounds like a deal. Coffee and almond cake?” He snickers at her response. “Wicked. Asher will love you for bringing hot chocolate over. Won’t tell ‘im anything though. Surprise him.”

There’s another pause before they’re saying their goodbyes to one another.

“I’ll see you in a few days. I’m looking forward to it. Have a good day tomorrow. I’ll check in a few times and I’ll call you in the morning, as well. Just to bid you a Merry Christmas and stuff,” his laugh muffles through the door, the creak of his bedsprings being heard to signify that he was about to hang-up and head off downstairs to finish his dinner, “I’ve got a plate of cottage pie waiting for me on the table but I’d much rather have been talking with you,” there’s another pause as he snickers softly, “sweet dreams tonight. I’ll see you soon.”

Gemma flicks off the light and steps out the room, just as he does the same. His cheeks flushing pink. 

“Who was that on the phone?”

“Oh, uhm,” he rubs the back of his nervously and smiles sheepishly towards his sister, “it was YN.”

“Ah, yeah?” Gemma coos, “how is she?”

“She’s good. She’s with her family back home for Christmas but she’s back in a few days. Would’ve loved to have her here, you know? Would have loved to show her off,” he hums in a gentle hush, “what are you doing?”

“Oh, Jack was being a mess so I popped up to get his pyjamas. Your food is getting cold, by the way,” she smirks, starting her descent down the stairs, “mum wants you to hurry because she wants to get pudding out before the soaps start.” xx

[sunflowerhead-lavendardreams]

Calling all mothers! Answer these questions about your 1st born (not 2nd, 3rd, or 4th), the one who made you a mother.🤰🏻

• Epidural: No

• Pitocin: No

• Caesarean: No

• Gender reveal: No party, but we knew 😊

• Breastfeeding: Only 2 weeks, I had no idea what I was doing. It seemed like she wasn’t getting enough milk and my doctor just kept saying it will come. I cried a lot not knowing what was best. I didn’t seek extra help and wasn’t recommended any and gave up 😞

• Due date: February 17, 2014

• Birthday: February 4, 2014

•Nauseated: For the first 6 months 😓

• Cravings: Fruit and buttered toast were the only things that didn’t make me barf for a while. But I had random cravings all the time, nothing consistent.

• Heartburn: None.

• Swollen: in the last month.

• Sex of baby: Girl 💖

• Place of birth : Marion

• Hours in labor: 12 hours probably? I didn’t realize I was in labor since the morning. I gradually felt worse throughout the day and my pelvis region hurt worse and worse and I was trying to sooth myself with a yoga ball, squats and lots of walking because it felt good when I did that. Dusty got home from work at 9pm with a chicken finger sandwich and a chocolate milkshake instead of the vanilla I asked for and I was in so much pain I didn’t care. And I was just sitting there trying to eat and dying and dusty was like, should I run you a bath or something? And I was like omg yes plz that would be perfect. Then I uncomfortably sloshed around in the bath while dusty squeezed my belly and hips and tried to convince me to go to the hospital. Finally around 11 I agreed and he hurriedly packed our hospital bag (because she was 2 weeks early I was not expecting that shit yet) and we hopped in the car. Dusty stopped at motomart to get drinks and snacks and then we screamed for 45 minutes until we got there, what I was experiencing was her head pushing my pelvis apart, just ready and willing to slide right out. We called our family as soon as we got there. The lady was like oh girl you’re a 9, we’re having a baby. And I delivered her in the emergency room with a bunch of random people I don’t know. It was a lovely experience. Dusty’s face turned white and I didn’t realize until I became a Doula and thought about it, how he was my only support and was just as not ready as I was 😆and I didn’t tear at all 👍🏼 Our family arrived about 45 minutes after the birth and we got all that time alone with her💕

• Hours you pushed: 15 minutes

• Name of your baby: Violet Eloise Ann-Marie

• How old is your baby: 6 in 4 days! 🎉

[yoursongmaker]

Using Names in Song Lyrics

Using someone’s name in lyrics you write can be powerful. And I probably don’t need to tell you that there approximate 8 million names of females who men have written about. There are female artists who write about names as well, but ironically, they are mostly woman as well. Joline by Dolly Parton, for example is about her begging another romantic rival to leave her relationship alone with her “man”. There are quite a few songs with male names in them, but by far more famous songs with female names.

This can be tricky. Because lyrics with names can get cheesy. The cheese factor is big. It needs to be written correctly and musically composed correctly. Here are some things to think about when writing lyrics with names in them.

When using a name in song lyrics sometimes it takes relatability out of the song for the listener. Except of course whose name is the same name in the lyrics. Think about it, I bet you can think of a song, a famous song, that sings your name. Because you think it could relate to you…even if it doesn’t at all. If it does it makes an even greater impact.

Using name in lyrics can be very loving and romantic. It shows the person you care enough about them and thinking enough about them to put their name in to a piece of artwork. That’s pretty cool.

Names in lyrics are fun and can have a great impact for the person you are writing it for. If the lyrics and song are good enough, they can have a very wide appeal – as you can see from this ridiculously long list of names from the website flashback.com:

1. Eleanor Rigby – The Beatles

2. Cecilia – Simon & Garfunkel

3. Suite Judy Blue Eyes – Crosby, Stills and Nash

4. Martha My Dear – The Beatles

5. Along Comes Mary – The Association

6. Lola – The Kinks

7. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) – Looking Glass

8. Mandy – Barry Manilow

9. My Sharona – The Knack

10. For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her – Simon & Garfunkel

11. Aimee – Pure Prairie League

12. Michelle – The Beatles

13. Beth – KISS

14. Gloria – Them

15. A Rose for Emily – The Zombies

16. Ruby (Don’t Take Your Love to Town) – Kenny Rogers

17. Billie Jean – Michael Jackson

18. Lovely Rita – The Beatles

19. Layla – Derek and the Dominos

20. Sarah Smile – Hall and Oates

21. Sheena is a Punk Rocker – The Ramones

22. Rhiannon – Fleetwood Mac

23. Josie – Steely Dan

24. Help Me, Rhonda – The Beach Boys

25. Cara-Lin – The Strangeloves

26. Sally G -Paul McCartney

27. Melissa – The Allman Brothers

28. Lucille – Kenny Rogers

29. Peg- Steely Dan

30. Aubrey – Bread

31. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds – The Beatles

32. Come on Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners

33. The Wind Cries Mary – Jimi Hendrix and the Experience

34. Rosanna – Toto

A tribute to Rosanna Arquette – sadly, she wasn’t impressed.

35. See Emily Play – Pink Floyd

36. Lucille – Little Richard

37. Fanny (Be Tender with My Love) – Bee Gees

38. Roxanne- The Police

39. Matilda Mother – Pink Floyd

40. Sweet Jane – Velvet Underground

41. Victoria – The Kinks

42. Wendy – Beach Boys

43. Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond

44. My Cherie Amour – Stevie Wonder

45. Jennifer Juniper – Donovan

46. (Love Song) For Annie – Kaleidoscope

47. Maggie Mae – Rod Stewart

48. My Maria – BW Stephenson

49. Angie – The Rolling Stones

50. Valerie – The Monkees

51. Angie Baby – Helen Reddy

52. Peggy Sue – Buddy Holly

53. Candida – Tony Orlando and Dawn

54. Bernadette – The Four Tops

55. Annie’s Song – John Denver

56. Charlena – Ruben and the Jets

57. Fannie Mae – Buster Brown

58. Jennie Lee – Shuggie Otis

59. Jessica – Allman Brothers

60. Linda Lu – Ray Sharpe

61. Sheila – Tommy Roe

62. Darling Nikki – Prince and the Revolution

63. Sheila Take a Bow – The Smiths

64. Mary Ann – Link Wray

65. Rosalie – The Searchers

66. Barbara Ann – The Beach Boys

67. Sylvia’s Mother – Dr. Hook

68. Ophelia – The Band

69. Mary Lou – Buddy Knox

70. Suzie Q – Dale Hawkins

71. She Sheila – The Producers

72. Rio – Duran Duran

73. Candy-O – The Cars

74. Emily – Frank Sinatra

75. Jolene – Dolly Parton

76. Sara – Fleetwood Mac

77. Windy – The Association

78. Wake Up Little Susie – The Everly Brothers

79. Barbara Ann – The Beach Boys

80. Elvira – The Oak Ridge Boys

81. Amanda – Waylon Jennings

82. Carrie Ann – The Hollies

83. Think of Laura – Christopher Cross

84. Christine 16- KISS

85. Delilah – Tom Jones

86. Sherry – Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

87. Eleanor – The Turtles

88. Nadine – Chuck Berry.

89. Sad Lisa – Cat Stevens

90. Mustang Sally – Wilson Pickett

91. Jamie’s Cryin’ – Van Halen

92. Caroline – Status Quo

93. Oh! Ma Jolie Sarah – Johnny Halliday

94. Denise – Randy & The Rainbows

95. Rosie – Joan Armatrading

96. Alice Long – Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart

97. Pamela – Toto

98. Sorry Suzanne – The Hollies

99. Jeanette – The English Beat (UK The Beat)

100. Eloise – Barry Ryan

101. Runaround Sue – Dion & The Belmonts

102. Alice’s Restaurant – Arlo Guthrie

103. Lady Samantha – Orange Bicycle

104. Sweet Lorraine – Uriah Heep

105. Charlotte the Harlot – Iron Maiden

106. Jenny Artichoke – Kaleidoscope

107. Suzy Creamcheese – Frank Zappa

108. Izabella – Jimi Hendrix

109. Oh, Candy – Cheap Trick

110. Anna (El Negro Zumbon) – Esquivel

111. Ballade de Melody Nelson – Serge Gainsbourg

112. Roberta – Billy Joel

113. Cinderella – Sonics

114. Tracy- Cuff Links

115. Hello Mabel – The Bonzo Dog Band

116. Sweet Rosie Jones – Buck Owens

117. 867-5309/Jenny – Tommy Tutone

118. Daisy Mae – The Seeds

119. Jennifer Tomkins – Street People

120. Jennifer Eccles – The Hollies

121. Margorine – Tinkerbells Fairydust

122. Hallo Susie – Amen Corner

123. Fade Away Maureen – Cherry Smash

124. Sara Wells – Stone Circus

125. Caroline Goodbye – Colin Blunstone

This is the list, from the website and here are some others in the comments section… it’s literally almost never ending!

Walk Away Renee - The Left Banke

Carmelita - Warren Zevon

Marie - Randy Newman

Polk Salad Annie - Tony Joe White

Middle to lower:

Thoughts of Mary Jane - Nick Drake

Alison - Elvis Costello

Corinna - Taj Majal

Visions of Johanna - Bob Dylan

Maggie's Farm - Bob Dylan

Queen Jane Approximately - Bob Dylan

Angelina/Zooma Zooma - Louis Prima

Mona Lisa - Nat King Cole

Hadie Brown (My Little Lady) - Roy Rogers & the Sons of the Pioneers

Angie - Rolling Stones

Blue Jean - David Bowie

Venus - Shocking Blue

Molina - CCR

Sandy - Bruce Springsteen

Candy-O - The Cars

Candy's Room - Bruce Springsteen

Are you ready to write your lyrics with someone’s name in them?