My 2019 Holiday Rant

Well, the holidays are here and it has been exciting yet stressful at the same time.  I had hoped to get my Christmas shopping done early this year, but the procrastination never fails.  I was at the mall today with a list of things that I had hoped to buy.  Walked into Macy’s looking for Nike sweat bands in the men’s department, but they didn’t carry those.  Went to every cell phone case kiosk asking if they sold Olaf the snowman iPhone 10 cases and NOT ONE did! Hoping for better luck upstairs, I went to Things Remembered to look for an ornament frame which I wanted to engrave with my nephew’s name.  Nope, nada.  I have to say this has to be one of the worse mall excursions I’ve been on for my holiday shopping, to leave with nothing.  Well no, take that back.  I did walk away with a bottle of snowflake scented hand soap from Bath and Body Works for the bathroom! 🙂

So my sister has every collection of Ina Garten’s cookbooks, except one.  Obviously, I was on the hunt for that book.  Found it at Barnes and Nobles, but $35 retail price.  Eh… Can you say, hello Amazon?  Yeah, decided I was going to save myself a lot of time, money, and headache if I just purchased everything there.

The holidays has also been particularly stressful because my sister is due to have a baby in a month and recently tested positive for preterm labor risk.  So she is to take it very easy, not even to take a 10 minute walk or pick up her 2-year old toddler.  I’ve been over more often now to help her with my nephew, who unfortunately is rambunctious and has way too much energy. He makes eating, baths, and trips to the mall a huge challenge!

As I sit here thinking about the holidays, I think about how cool it would be to rent a stretch limousine and do a Christmas light tour around the neighborhood.  I have a friend who rented a limo in Sacramento with a group of 10 and says they do amazing holiday light tours up there.  Will have to make a trip to Sac one of these days to check it out.  A limo would come in especially handy for a New Year’s Eve party in the City.  San Jose Party Bus has been recommended to me by several friends who have had good experiences with them.  I may consider it to avoid driving into SF myself, having to find parking and dealing with crazy drunk people on the streets.  I can also avoid riding in dirty BART trains like I did 4 years ago and having to walk several blocks to the BART station in painful heels, which I ultimately had to take off and walk bare foot in the dirty SF streets. Oh the memories.

My New Job as an RN Case Manager

I’m pretty excited for the fact that I will be starting a new job soon, hopefully in the next week or so.  They’re running drug screen tests, TB skin test, a physical, background check and all that good stuff.  I will be working as an RN case manager for the hospice program at the assisted living facility in Pleasanton and look forward to it as I love working with the elderly.  Unfortunately, the focus will be end of life care, rather than treatment to get better.

I feel truly honored to have the opportunity to be there for the patient and family in this time of need and support and to provide the patient with the highest quality of care and compassion which they deserve.  Hospice is a new area for me so training will  be provided as there is a lot involved because direct patient care.  I have to understand regulations governing hospice, medicare, medicaid and regulations within the assisted living facility.  It will be a great learning curve but I am up for the challenge.

As I mentioned before I have great love and passion in working with the elderly population.  In fact I have thought about running my own small care home for the elderly.  The idea of doing something so rewarding and providing exceptional service is great but there is so much that goes into running a care home besides the care aspect.  First of all, trying to purchase an already existing care home business is difficult and if there is one on the market, it usually has a high vacancy rate.

There is also the option of using a home you already own or purchasing a home and renovating it to conform to code and regulation for a care home.  Obviously it will cost extra money but may be a worthy investment if you run your business long-term.  I have looked into all this and decided that I wasn’t quite ready to take on the stress of managing a care home 24-7, dealing with admissions, residents getting sick and having to go to the hospital, discharges, finding new residents, appointments, etc.  If anybody is up for this it can be a very rewarding and profitably opportunity.

So, the second best thing for me was to find a job that encompassed working with the elderly, but I could go home at the end of the day and not have to worry about my job.

My Mid-Year Rant

So my sister and her family have been in town for a few days with my two nephews who I’ve been dying to see again.  One of whom we will be celebrating a birthday this week and I have his gift all wrapped up and ready for him to rip into.  I’ve got the cake ordered and my sister Kate is making a cute cake topper with his name to accentuate it.  I do feel extremely blessed to have been in the East Coast when he was born and to have visited on his 1st birthday.  Now we are approaching his 2nd birthday and I am beyond joy and love for this little boy.  He is so sweet and special.

On a tangent, I also want to mention a great restaurant in Walnut Creek, CA that we tried out for lunch today called 310 Eatery.  They call themselves “LA style street food”.  It’s basically American, burgers, tacos, burritos with a twist.  Imagine having a burrito with duck fried rice, pork belly, and all the fixin’.  How about a bowl of bacon jam fries.  This is one of their specialties and it is not on their menu!  It’s basically fries with caramelized bacon, onions, and mozzarella cheese on top of crispy fries.  So damn good!

However, the one item that they say everybody comes for is the 405 traffic jam with 1/3 lb of short rib and bacon blended patty with portobello mushroom, crispy onions, pastrami dipped in a lemon-garlic butter and jalapenos on a buttery pretzel bun.  There was also the option to add a fried egg and brioche buns.  Anyway, my mom ordered this dish and surprisingly loved it.  Anyways, it’s a great place to try out once or twice a month to get a taste of everything on the menu!

I ordered the fish tacos because I’ve been trying to be good about what I eat.  I did sample the bacon jam fries and a pork belly taco. Seems every year during the winter and spring I eat whatever the heck I want.  My boyfriend has been working out consistently and trying to eat better and I am noticing a difference in his physique, which motivates me to do the same.  The work out part is what I need to work on.  I tried running last Sat with my boyfriend and playing basketball with the kids, but only ended up feeling more crippled than before the following morning!  I’m not overweight, but would love to be more toned.  We will see how this goes…

On a side note and a plug for my sister and my friend Rob.  My sister, Kate, owns her own Etsy business creating handmade tassles, cake toppers and many other creative things.  And my friend Rob owns a party bus company in San Francisco which is great if you are looking for fun forms of transportation for proms, birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette parties, etc.  You can visit website here.

Do Your Research to Find Right Limo Company

I called several companies looking for a party bus for a trip to Napa for a weekend and couldn’t believe that they were all booked up for prom!  If you are thinking about booking a limo or party bus in the months of April or May, you better book months in advance because this is their busy season.  And according to a limousine company in town, due to the demand around this time, they up their prices and set 4 to 6 hour minimums on the weekends.  This is something to keep in mind if you are shopping around for limos.

Many are in for a rude surprise when they find out about the minimums and find out that most limo companies don’t do simple one-way drop offs for most occasions.  A few other things that I have learned while calling around for prices is that some companies with prices that don’t include driver’s tip and others give all-inclusive prices.  Some give prices that don’t include fuel charge and gratuity.  So be sure of ask what’s included in the price and whether it includes driver’s tip, taxes and fuel.  Sometimes it can be a difference of $100 with the gratuity alone and that is a lot of money.

You should also ask about their reservation and cancellation policies as every company does it different.  Some require a deposit and credit card to hold.  Some of these deposits are non-refundable so be sure to ask.  If it is non-refundable, be sure that you are almost certain you are going to use their services otherwise you lose the deposit.  Other companies may just ask for credit card info and not ask for a deposit.  Additionally, check on their cancellation policy.  Some are one week, others are 3 days, it varies.

You may also want to ask to see either photos of the limo or come to see it in person if they allow.  Some of these vehicles are older models which you may not expect and want.  You can ask what year the vehicle is as well.  Some companies have actual physical locations and offices where you can set up a time to come in to take a look at their limos.  Others don’t have offices and that situation may be more challenging as their vehicles are probably parked in different locations.

I also learned that most companies don’t do simply one-way drop offs unless it’s an airport trip.  If it’s an occasion, like a birthday, prom, or wedding, they have minimums set usually of at least 3 hours.  It may be more on the weekends during peak season, which tends to be Spring, Summer, and Fall.  And they also won’t do split trips.  Many ask if they can just pay for the trip down to the trip down to the event and the trip back, but the limo companies charge even the wait times and all the hours in between.

Anyway, hope you find some of these bits of information helpful when searching for a limo or party bus for your next event. Basically don’t wait last minute to book and due your research and ask all the right questions.

Consider a Limo Company For Your Next Airport Trip

When you have to get to the air terminal, don’t trouble with driving, and disregard the option of relying on your friends or family to get there on-time. Book your air terminal transportation for your next trip with a limo company. They offer the biggest and most regarded system of reasonable extravagance to get you to and from the most-popular open and private airplane terminals around the world.

Cost of renting a limo differs from city to city and relies on the sort of vehicle you will require. By and large, air terminal administration in a car is very little more than a taxi, which can be unusual and offer a lesser standard of comfort. For various gatherings, limousine airport administration is a moderate option when paired up amongst the rest – it can be as low as $10 per passenger! Normal rentals begin at $20 for car administration, while stretch administrations begin at $50 relying on vehicle size, gathering size, area, and separation.

When you experience the elegance and comforts of traveling to an air terminal in a limo, you will never need to make the drive yourself again. Nor will you ever end up asking a companion to get up right on time to take you! You can breathe a sigh of relief, overlook dragging your bags from long distances to the terminal, and take it easy as you give us a chance to stress over getting you there, on time and in solace of the environment of a limousine.

Most limo organizations ask for a base 2 or 3 hour booking to lease the vehicle. This is because of the substantial cost and expense included in securing and keeping up the vehicles’ maintenance. A one-hour rental is just not financially savvy in light of the fact that the vehicle is just in ‘paid-administration’ for one hour; however genuine vehicle runtime may be over 2 hours. Different expenses that make a 1-hour rental unrealistic is vehicle readiness time and driver salaries.

According to a limo service in San Francisco, amid prom or other popular seasons, hourly booking prerequisites may go up to 5-8 hours because of the enormous interest for limousines. You are more prone to get struck by lightning than getting a limousine rental for 1 or 2 hours amid prom or uncommon occasion season. With the circumstances covered, renting a limo for your next trip to the airport can be a treat for yourself, a moment in time where you don’t have to stress about anything and just kick-up your feet and relax.

Don’t Be a Party-Pooper—Get On Board the O.C. Party Bus!

What started as a low-key weekend trip to Anaheim for my cousin’s 30th birthday turned into a spur-of-the-moment decision to rent a charter sized party bus for the celebration. Michelle, her cousins Jenny and Trish, along with myself and 24 of her friends, packed into this party on wheels. It was almost a psychadelic experience.

The interior was gorgeous, very posh and upscale with special green, red, purple fiber optic lighting throughout the ceiling and on the sides to the back of the bus. The black leather lounge-style seats were uber soft and comfortable. Honestly, it was so plush I could have fallen asleep in it. 🙂  The lounge seats were so roomy that all 28 of us ladies were able to sit comfortably with our legs crossed and our drinks in hand! A toast to that!

Speaking of drinks, the party bus was completely decked out with three (yes three!) wet bars stocked full of champagne and wine with sparkling clean glasses to drink from. Our driver was kind enough to restock with clean glasses and fresh ice halfway through our night. Not only that, but the bus came jam-packed with a 42-inch flat screen TV, hardwood floors for dancing, and a 10-speaker surround sound with one of the best sound systems I’ve ever heard. We were able to hook up our iPod to the sound system and dance to the music on our playlist.

This party definitely beats going to a dance club, where it’s overcrowded with weird men trying to pick up on women and terrible music. The ambiance and décor here was so posh that we felt as glam as the housewives of Orange County—just without the drama! Never in my wildest dream would I have imagined a party bus to be as spectacular as this.

One of the best things about renting with this company was that at no point, despite the drinking and fun we were having, did we ever feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Our driver was friendly and funny and attended to our needs. The drive was smooth the entire way and the driver even took the responsible action of checking our ID’s at the start to ensure we were of drinking age. Nothing beats knowing that the company is looking out for the safety of their passengers!

Besides the fun and insurance of riding with a reliable company, one of the major advantages of renting a party bus, which was most apparent after a couple drinks and a buzz, was the convenience of having a designated driver, our bus driver, and not one of us!

Thank you Michelle for a fantastic birthday weekend—it will definitely go down in the books as one of the best birthday weekends ever! The party bus experience is definitely something that everybody should experience once in their life. Anyway, cheers to a great week everyone!