Making The Office My Space

I have never really done a blog on home redesign or anything like that. I am not a DIYer but since this COVID-19 deal happened I have had to teach via "Distance Learning" and my office at home has become my classroom.

To be honest, I am not the neatest guy in the world and clutter is my middle name but with having to move to teaching through Distance Learning, I am spending a lot of time here. So, I decided to make it my little world.

School officially ended June 2nd but I am finishing up teaching Extended School Year and the regular year begins in mid-August.

I must tell you that before the office had nothing on the walls and the bookcases were cluttered with junk. Also, I must tell you that I watched no shows, no tutorials or anything, I did what flowed inside my baby brain. Also, I used stuff that I had here at home for the most part. I did have to go out and buy frames for the pics on the wall but that was about it.

Also, I did not watch any home decorating shows or anything. I did everything on the fly.

So here we go.

I found I had an extra bookcase in another room and put it in a corner her and really went though my books. All of the books on these two shelves are autographed except for the last seven books on the right. Finally, put them together. The cool thing is that by putting the overflow of books here, the other bookcases became neater:

I then put these bobbleheads on top on the bookcase

Then I had all of these used plastic cups from sporting events and such plus some stuffed animals around so I arranged them on top of another bookcase:

It may look goofy but hey it is me

Then I started on the walls:

Sorry about the glimpse into the kitchen but I believe you need some James Brown and Major League 

Above a book case are these on the  left is my son when he played high school baseball and on the left is a 1968  picture of Roberto Clemente (l) with Maury Wills (c) and Matty Alou (r)

Above the desk looks like this:

An autographed Super Bowl 50 picture from Hall of Famer Jonathan Odgen:

I took these three pictures I had with me and my kids with the A's World Series Trophies over a 12 year span and put them in one frame:

This piece I found at the Oakland Museum White Elephant a couple of years ago and translated it means "Keep Your Crap":

A 1974 U.S. Navy Recruiting Poster:

The final touches on this wall are these caricatures of my kiddos done when they were like 10 and 11, I found them in a box. So glad that I still have them:

On the last wall, I went football coaches:

On the top is this old picture from the 1920's  of one of the first great college head coaches- Glenn Warner better known as Pop Warner:

This next one I love because I think that Bill Belichick is amazing and I got this signed after he won his first Super Bowl:

And if you have Belichick you need his good friend Nick Saban, what is cool about this signed pic is that it is from when he was at LSU before all of his success at Alabama:

Finally we are at the desk which was a huge mess, it is still a mess but less of one. I usually would dump mail and anything on it but I needed it kind of clean to work:

It is still messy but I try to pick it up everyday when I am done

Here is the top in better view:

Got to have Jobu (from the movie Major League) and a pic of me and kiddos with Rollie Fingers from 2008 (they have so grown into adults). It is very bad to steal's Jobu's rum. Very bad:

And you always need this reminder (I know I do) along with Dillon the Pickle from the Portland Pickles Baseball Team:

The last thing I added to the office was a mini-fridge, a lamp and a garbage can:

As I said I am not a home decorator or anything, just a simple person with simple tastes. It it took a while and with my son's help, I have turned my office into my little space and I think it represents my weird, goofy self.

Sacramento River Walk

Just some pics, I took while walking around the Sacramento River Walk:

The Tower Bridge (above and below) built in 1935.

Bell from the gunboat USS Sacramento (PG-19) 

You can stay on the river at the Delta King Hotel

I Street Bridge built in 1911

After walking along the Sacramento River, a little food was in order:

Which was good and had outdoor diningon the river:

And the food was good:

Crab Cakes

Shrimp

Chicken Noodle and Sausage soup in a bread bowl

The walk along the Sacramento River Walk was nice and fun and relaxing with not many people around.

Music Monday: Music and Sporting Events

Music Monday: Just some songs that are played at Sporting Events



New York Yankees great reliever and Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera would always enter to Enter Sandman by Metallica for 17 years. When he retired, Metallica honored him by playing at his retirement ceremony

If you are an Oakland A's fan like me, "The Bernie Lean" is our jam.

Back in the 90's when the Chicago Bulls where winning six championships Alan Parsons "Sirius" was their intro song:

Another Oakland A's song, that is our jam. It is played at every game and I can't do the hand moments:

The University of Wisconsin has played "Jump Around"right before the fourth quarter at every home game since 1998:

Hope you enjoyed this little look at Music and Sporting Events

Happy Fourth of July 2020

I was at a local park and saw this, if you can't read the words it says "Without darkness there can be no stars". To me that pretty much sums up where we are this Fourth of July holiday.

But hold the presses, we need to remember that 244 years ago some of our forefathers told the English to "Kiss our Behind" and declared their Independence from the British. They were branded as traitors, the highest possible crime.

Statue of Ben Franklin in San Francisco

So they struck out on there own and here we are 244 years later, 50 states and the 48 contiguous states which are about 3,300 miles long from ocean to ocean. Basically that is like going from London to the Russian border.

Somehow we have kept it together for these last 244 years. We have had our problems and still do. 2020 hasn't been a great year with COVID-19 going around and with our country facing our racial issues and past. But I am seeing a glimmer of hope as individuals are opening dialouge with each other and taking care of each other during the health crisis. Yes, there are Jacks running around acting the fool but it will be us as individuals to band together and make this country better, not the government which on both sides of the aisle have shown that they would screw up a two-car funeral.

With all that being said Happy Birthday to United States of America and please remember our troops this holiday:

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July.

I Think I Am A Hoarder

A Navy Foam Head Piece

I have been cleaning up my Casa Patrick lately and I am finding out that I hoarder somewhat. I am finding boxes with crap in closets and places. Here is my latest finds:

It is an eching of the clubhouse at the famed St.Andrews golf course

Found a ton little bags like this

Did not know that lizards can write books

My son made this mini-blanket for me when he was in Cub Scouts 15 or so years ago

This next one is from high school. It is my track hoodie from high school (over 30 years ago) with my high school nickname on it:

And a couple more of those mini-sports towels:

This one is in the shape of a hockey jersey from the 2019 All-Star Fan Fest in San Jose

From the 2019 College Football Playoff

Go CSU-Monterey Bay

Go San Diego Padres

Who knows what I may uncover next at Casa Patrick