The thought that they would be putting the money right in to their pocket didn’t really cross my mind to be completely honest.

Today the Signal reported that 3 people were arrested in Stevenson Ranch for doing just that.  They had clipboards and looked official, but really they were getting gas money.  Somehow someone had the instinct to call the Sheriff and sure enough, they were arrested.

Regardless of the possible scam factor, I still like the idea of using cash versus a credit card or check in these situations. I guess some good advice would be to:

• Check to see if they have a badge or any documentation from the organization they say they are representing.
• Get a receipt.  Hopefully the receipt has a phone number on it that you could call.

Or the best choice…

Don’t make eye contact and keep walking.

It was a weird site to see McBean closed off when I drove to the mall yesterday at 3:00.  According to the Signal there was a fake bomb found in the McDonalds at the Promenade Shopping Center.  The arson/explosive team actually detonated it, but it was a dud.  There are investigators reviewing surveillance tapes to see if they can determine who left it there.

Now on the other side of this.  See the picture above…This was at 3 and the report was called in at 1:30.  You can’t tell from the picture, but the sheriff’s were sitting and standing around the vehicles.  There was no traffic patrol, people were just on their own for the most part.  What the heck guys, couldn’t one of you have gotten out and waved people through to make the u-turn?  Did we really have to sit and wait for that light? Some didn’t, but oh some did.

Anyway, the damage reported hasn’t been too bad in comparison to some of the others like Haiti, but it is a good reminder for us to get our Earthquake kits in order.  Things like having a gallon of water a day for each adult, batteries, flashlight, blankets, transistor radios, canned food, toilet paper, etc. in a central location.  You don’t want to have to be running around trying to find these things.  Take it a step further and get a burner that operates on propane.  You may not be able to use your stove and canned food can be pretty gross cold.

I know we always think it won’t happen to us, but it could.  Take some time and get some things together.  Just do it.

The connector will take you from the 5 all the way to the 14 via Newhall Ranch Road, then on to Golden Valley.  It is really a TRUE time saver and a long over due welcomed addition to Santa Clarita.

Now this was a smart move, unlike those dumb round abouts in Castaic.  Ya, I’m still baffled by that.

Luckily for me, my kids have already graduated from junior high, but I would be PISSED if they would not have gotten the graduation that their friends had gotten before them.

In my opinion, it’s a drop in the bucket.  There is no way you can convince me that six schools can’t come up with a way to raise the money needed to make this happen. I mean it’s only about $7,000 per school.  Ummmm can you say fundraiser? How about selling the tickets to graduation?  That is usually a problem anyway, people always want more.  So if they gave the parents and siblings free tickets, then sold the rest for a reasonable price ($5-$7) I’m pretty sure they would come up with the funds to pay for the ceremony.

I hope this isn’t over yet.  Parents will step up and hopefully somebody out there will find a way to figure this out.

I drove to a friends house in Castaic yesterday who lives off Hasley Canyon Drive.  I was not particularly happy to end up in a roundabout.  Seriously? A roundabout off the 5 at Hasley Canyon.  Why?  Why not just have a regular old intersection?

The thing with a roundabout is that you kind of have to be used to using it.  Merging in and out of them can be tricky if you are in a full size SUV with less than the best visibility.  I mean whoever came up with this idea must have also had a hand in taking away the left turn into the post office off McBean and forcing us to make a U-turn, taking away a lane on Decoro and adding a bike lane and let’s not forget back in parking in old town Newhall.

I mean seriously, what are these guys smoking? How much more will it cost to take away the roundabout after they realize it was a dumb idea? Ummm excuse me traffic people, can you stop trying to change things up and just make it better please.  A simple intersection with a long left turn lane and arrow is nice.  Is that asking too much?

This particular home is in a very prestigious part of town and is valued at around 1million dollars.  True it’s much less then it was 3 years ago, but still.  This is basically a million dollar home and this is the ONLY patch of lawn and these people can’t even mow it. Give me a break.  Every home on the street has beautifully manicured lawns and then they have to look at this.  You could trim this with scissors it’s so small.

So don’t be “that” house.  Spend some time and have some pride in your home and your neighborhood.  Small things you can do will add value to your already depreciated house.  Don’t make it worse by letting everything go to hell.

Burrtec Waste is currently offering a free bulky item pick up.  Please check their website or call them for information on what they pick up and when (661) 222-2249.

I feel bad asking the baggers at the market to use them.  I know they are clumsy and it’s much easier for them to just fill the plastic bags, but oh well, everyone else is doing it!  So there you go, I’m trying to be a little more green.  These actually hold what would’ve gone into five plastic bags so I guess over time that’ll make a difference.

Not only that, but I’ve been hearing that law makers are throwing around the idea of charging .25 per bag.  That’s about $125.00 a year for these things that are falling out of my kitchen drawer.  So anyway, I hope I encourage at least a few of you to join me in being green.  It feels pretty good so far.

Like I said I normally always go local, but this guy was so kind to save me from having to pay him to come up to the SCV. 

How did I fix it? He told me to jiggle the sensor that was dim until it was a solid light again.  Took about 10 seconds.  Why didn’t LiftMaster tell me that? I have no idea. 

Rainbow over Santa Clarita, CA.

In case you ever wondered where the “end of the rainbow” is. Today it appears to be somewhere around Central Park.