My 1st Attempt at Subway Art

Okay...so I haven't had much to talk about lately, but I've been artistically inspired by some of the Subway Art that this chick does at Grunged, Glittered n' Branded. So Saturday morning, as I laid in bed, I attempted my own bit of subway art using the quote I mentioned in my previous post. I haven't had time to print it and frame it yet...but it's definitely going up in my bedroom sometime this weekend. Have you attempted anything artistic lately? I wish I was more creative. I'm a retard when it comes to the arts. Did you know they're pretty much sucking the arts out of schools in San Diego!? It's a damn shame. My kid has two weeks off in the middle of October, a week off in November for Thanksgiving, and two weeks off in December/January for Winter Break for furlough days! It's fucking ridiculous. I'm a little nervous about how the DOD education system in Guam is going to be. If you're there and you have school aged kids, please enlighten me!

Customer Service: Be All That You Can Be! OR QUIT!!

Yesterday was a crazy busy "day off" of work. It could have involved less running around if some people were more thorough at doing their jobs and more willing to provide people with details that could save everyone some time. I like to think this is why I'm great at doing my job...I will take a few extra minutes with each person to give them more information than they probably want so that the feel prepared...especially if they're coming to turn in applications for an apartment. For example, if someone is on the phone with me, I make sure they have easy directions on how to get to my complex. I tell them to bring a picture ID (because that's required to even look at an apartment). I let them know where they can find information/pictures/etc. about us online (in case they haven't visited us online already). I try to qualify them before they get to the property. If they have a certain breed of dog that we do not accept in our community or if we do not have a dog friendly unit available, then there's no point in wasting the gas visiting a community that Buster can't live at. I tell my prospects to bring their proof of income and credit card because if they like what they see they should be ready to put a deposit down and complete applications the same day...apartments go quickly in San Diego! I expect other people to be on top of their game too, especially if you work for the government! You're supposed to represent the Best of America...not the half-ass of America! And I expect you to know your shit!

So here's what happened: Matty was told by some unnamed person that even though we just received our "civilian" passports in the mail, we are required to have "military" passports to travel on military orders. No big deal. Same paperwork for both.  Well, this would have been nice to know BEFORE we wasted our time at the Passport Office and had my daughter late for school. Matty was just told that we had to go to the Passports Office on base...they didn't say what to bring, just that they accept walk-ins only and that dependents need to be present.  We figured, that since it's the military, all we would need is our orders and Page 2. So we showed up bright and early at 8:00 a.m. ready to get things taken care of. We were "greeted" by a not-so-friendly-bitch who looked annoyed that we'd come without applications. She told us we would have to go to the Fleet and Family Building to use their computers to print out applications (but she didn't bother to tell us where that building is) and that we would need our original Birth Certificates (which we brought even though we were not told to bring...I happen to have them in my Getting-to-Guam Binder along with other important documents) and passport pictures. I was shocked that they don't take pictures there! I mean, you are the PASSPORT office for the military members and their family! You can't help a military family out and take their PASSPORT photos?!! She mentioned some place off-base [which we discovered] that didn't open until 10! (Luckily for me I happened to have extra copies of our passport photos that the NICE lady in El Cajon took of us...but they were 20 minutes away...back at home...in some drawer...)

So we left a little irritated. We drove around and by chance found the Fleet and Family Building. I hollered out the window at some guy that was passing by and he pointed us in the right direction. The Philippine Lady in the Fleet and Family office was SUPER FRIENDLY! She logged Matty and I into the computers so we could print up applications for the kids and me. She mentioned that her husband had been at Guam and we talked about the traveling opportunities available overseas. She kindly suggested that I go to the Fleet and Family Office when I get to Guam so that they can help me with my resume and to find work on the island. She mentioned that it would be a great time to get into a government job which I am excited to hear (even though I still want to take a little time off to spend with my kids)! The kids acted crazy in there...but no one complained. And we got our paperwork printed out.

There's a catch to paperwork....Well, my daughter's biological father lives in Virginia. When I was in VA picking her up at the end of the summer, he went with me to get a Form DS-3053 notarized so that I can get Catalina a passport (this is required if both parents are not present when turning in the passport application of a minor). Well, earlier this month we applied for and received our passports. No one ever mentioned that I would need a separate notarized letter when applying for the military passport...and I certainly didn't think to have Terrence sign and have notarized the same document twice while I was there. On top of that, I haven't been able to reach Catalina's father since August 17, 2011. He hasn't responded to any of my calls/voice-messages/texts/messages-relayed-through-his-family-members. He has recently been subpoena'ed to court for non-payment of child support (real winner) so I have a feeling he's avoiding me until the court date (which I'm trying to get a telephonic hearing instead of flying back east...but that's a completely different story).

Before we left base, we stopped by Personal Property.  and found out the information for shipping our household goods to Guam and got a number for who to call about shipping our truck. I have to say, the guy at Personal Property was SUPER friendly and very informative. He didn't make us feel stupid about not knowing what we needed to do, and he said "Hafa Adai" to us! He looked like a heavy set islander guy...Samoan or something....and just very nice. He talked with us about the island fruits and said our daughter would become a little chamorro girl. You can tell this guy is satisfied with his life and his job makes him happy. He offered stellar customer service...even to the people after us! He let us know that it will take 55 days depending on weather conditions to ship our bulky items and 25-30 for our express home goods items. He'll be sending us an email on how to go online to make the arrangements for our pack-out.

After I signed Catalina back in at school, we had to make a trip to the bank. Since our vehicle is still being financed, we needed a letter from our bank stating that we have permission to take our Explorer overseas.  I was hoping to also have my Form DS-3053 notarized....it turns out that Navy Federals in San Diego are not allowed to notarize documents (very lame)! After Becky, the EXTREMELY sweet older Philippine lady talked with us about her time in Guam back in '86...her husband is a retired machinists mate (so is Matty...well, not retired, but a machinists mate)...after our trip down memory lane and getting our paper for the truck, we went next door to the Postal Annex to wait for the Notary Lady. This is another lady that must not like her job. We waited very patiently for her to finish up with an older couple. We cooed at her baby (grandchild maybe) that was bouncing in his bouncer behind the counter. (Must be nice to bring your kid, his pack n play, and all the baby's stuff to work with you! Apparently, also stressing somebody out.) When it was our turn, she was very snippy about not needing to notarize the document. She said that the section that is supposed to be notarized is ONLY for after the non-present parent signs. I was happy to save a few bucks and for her to not have my business so I left. After that, we went to get an arrangement of balloons to surprise Catalina with. She had a ceremony for being a Star Student and was being recognized by her school for Academic Achievement!

I love my girl! She's so smart and well behaved! She LOVES school!

After her ceremony we headed back to base with a truck full of balloons and returned to the Passport Office. I already knew that this not-so-friendly-bitch was going to have something to say about the Form DS-3053 not being notarized....total gut feeling...so I called the 877 number on the passport application for the Passport Agency Call Center during our drive and I explained my situation with my daughter's father to them and how he had recently had a Form DS-3035 notarized. I  explained that I could show paperwork stating that I have sole custody of my daughter, my marriage license reflecting my name change since her birth, and a copy of her recently-issued-passport. The Passport Guy told me to complete the bottom section of the form and confirmed that I would not need to get form notarized...the notary is only for the non-present parent's signature.

We got there right at 2:40 pm and the Passport Office closes at 3:00, so naturally the not-so-friendly-bitch looked irritated to have to work. (And of course, while she was in the middle of handling our paperwork, four other people showed up needing to take care of passport related stuff! Bahahaha!) Anyway, she starts arguing with me that the pictures are too big and asked where we had them done at. I said, "Oh really, because I had them done at the Passport Office in El Cajon...and these are the pictures that are on our current passports." She replied, "Well, they ain't the right size but I'll go ahead and send them...they might just put a hold on your passports until you get new pictures." She instructs me to write our names on the backs of the pictures. No problem. She takes our IDs and birth certificates and starts putting our packets together. She has me sign for my paperwork and Ezekiel's and then she starts eye balling Catalina's birth certificate. Our conversation goes something like this:

     Not-so-friendly-bitch: "Well where's the father? He's supposed to be present or you'll have to get a Form DS-3053 notarized."
     Me: "I have the form right there. He's not able to be reached. That's why I filled out the bottom portion. I also have a letter attached, my court paperwork showing I have sole custody, and a copy of my marriage license. I'd like for you to make a copy of her passport to send along with all of this."
     Not-so-friendly-bitch: "The court paperwork has to say you have SOLE custody."
     Me: "I just told you it says I have SOLE custody. This is the orders for custody, visitation, and child support showing that I have SOLE custody."
     Not-so-friendly-bitch: "Well they're going to need to see the originals. You can't send these copies."
     Me: "Are they going to send my originals back?"
     Not-so-friendly-bitch: "Yeah, they'll send 'em back. But you can't send these copies."  (Duh Not-so-friendly-bitch, you already said that!)
     Not-so-friendly-bitch: "Well this form here is supposed to be notarized."
     Me: "No, it's only supposed to be notarized after the non-present parent signs."
     Not-so-friendly-bitch: "No, the State requires that this is notarized. See this spot right here."
     Me: "That spot right there in the middle of the page is for the notary to stamp AFTER the signature of the non-present parent. I signed the bottom. It doesn't need to be notarized. I already called to passport office before we got here."
     Not-so-friendly-bitch: "Well the State requires that it's notarized."
     Me: "Ma'am the federal government issues passports. The rules are the same for this document whether you're applying for a Tourist Visa or a Military Visa. I already called and spoke to them about this because I knew I'd have this problem here."
     Not-so-friendly-bitch: "Well the State is going to want it notarized. I'll send it, but they'll just put a hold on issuing the passport until you get it to them."
    Me: "Well, we'll see then. Just send it in along with my letter and all the other paperwork, because I said in this letter that it would be attached. If they want 100 pages of my phone records to prove he's not responding to my phone calls and messages, I'll be sure to send it to them."

Now I can understand that maybe the passport office in DC (Matty assumes that is where our paperwork will get sent off to) might be stricter than the passport office in LA (which is probably where our current passports were issued out of) but do lady, do you have to be such a nasty bitch? If you hate your job, QUIT! Do us all a favor.

The rest of my day was beautiful. We had a great dinner with Matty's buddy Ricky and watched a very lame movie: American Loser. It had its moments but overall it was a flop.  I went to work today with a stronger appreciation for why I do my job so thoroughly. I was even complimented today. One of my prospects told me, "Thank you for your time Rachel. You're very good at what you do." And I have to admit, he's right. There are a lot of people out there that half-ass it through life. I'd like to think my parents raised me better than that. I value my time and I respect the time of others. Too bad other people don't all think the same....

Borrowed from Here. Dededo, Guam
Can't wait to get away to some beach like this!

four books

This is pretty challenging. I'm sad to say that I don't read very often. :( I used to LOVE books so much as a child and as an adult I do not make time for them. So I'm going to put my four favorite books to read to my daughter instead.

1.  I LOVE this book! I wrote a paper about it in college. I really enjoy this book because you can't really say if Big is the mom or dad, if Small is a daughter or son. It's a beautiful story about the unconditional love that a parent has for their child. I think it's a great book for a child who doesn't have both children in their life, whether it be because one parent is in the military, has passed away, or just absent for any reason.

2.  My friend Laura got this book for my daughter for her 5th birthday and I think it's absolutely adorable!

3.  Everyone has to have a favorite Dr. Seuss book. We own this one in pop up! I love all the positive and inspiring quotes from this book.

4.  My Catalina loves when I read to her. Do you remember this one?

Do You Leash Your Baby?

Tomorrow Zeek baby and I will be heading to Virginia Beach to visit with family and to pick up Sister. As much as I can't wait to see my baby girl I am equally dreading traveling alone with Ezekiel. I don't know why. I did perfectly fine by myself with Catalina when she was younger and part of me knows everything will go smoothly... But Zeek doesn't listen as well as Catalina did. And he can't be still. I dread being that mother with the crying baby that makes everyone on the plane miserable. And we have a layover in Vegas. That airport is a nightmare to me. There are all kinds of people...like any other airport...but there are also those trollies that shuttle you around the airport and so many stinking terminals. Anyway, I'm sure it'll be super fun the time of my life okay. I'm a big girl; I can handle this.

Getting ready to travel leads me to my title. My friends and I were discussing baby leashes at Matty's birthday dinner. Personally, I've always been opposed. I look at parents walking their children around the malls and shopping centers with disgust and mentally I spit on them. I know, I know, that sounds so cruel. I have voiced my opinion to several mothers in my day though. At a pet store one time I looked straight at a lady and said, "That's the cutest thing ever! Oh where did you get him? Does he do tricks too?" referring to her toddler. I've seen women ignoring their children as they tug at their "leashes" and I've seen a dad jerk his kid's "chain" and for the most part I just think it's degrading to the child and a sign of a lazy parent.

Ezekiel's Mimi, our friend Michelle, put things into a different perspective for me though. I think about this more now that we're embarking on an international move. There are certain situations in which it child-leashes could be okay and I hope to humor you with explain my thoughts on each:

• Extremely Crowded Places - I'm not talking Walmart people! This is more llike Six Flags or Sea World. Places you might want your child to explore since exploring helps build your child's self confidence and self esteem. Places where you want to enjoy time with family and not worry about someone trying to take off with your kid...not without dragging you too.  
• Airports - I will not be leashing Ezekiel for a flight stateside...though if I see a baby leash at the airport I might take pictures of him in it to send to his dad and everyone in my contacts list...but I am considering it for international flights. Strangers are always walking up to my son and asking to hold him or to take their picture with him - NO CREEPY MAN AT SIX FLAGS YOU CANNOT HOLD MY SON FOR A PHOTO! The thought of losing my babies in a foreign country is just morifying!  
• Near the California/Mexico Border in San Ysidro - Before Zeek came into this world, we were shopping at the Carter's Outlet in San Ysidro and I swear the people down there could not keep their eyes off of my daughter. It was not in a perverted way either. More like a "I will take your baby and sell her for mucho dinero on the black market" sort of way. Either that or they were jealous amazed that my lil beaner speaks such articulate English. I chose not to take my children there any more. 

So anyone who has stumbled across this, what is your opinion? How do you feel about leashing your baby? Have you ever done it? Is there a certain that you do it? Or is it like a babysitter for you while you gab on the phone with your boyfriend? Just kidding! There's no judgement here...well maybe some, but no one will blast you down for it here and I promise I won't spit on you.  I appreciate your sharing.