Stuck in Arizona

Higher

2010-01-14T06:38:00.003-07:00

Picture taken from Weehawken, NJ - Empire State Building sporting the Hanukkah colors

Just finished listening to the audiobook version of Higher, by Neal Bascomb, and truly enjoyed it. It's the story of the race to build the highest skyscrapers in NY - The Chrysler Building, The Manhattan Company Building (guess who owns it today, it has a different name, sadly) and the Empire State Building - can you spot all three in the picture above?

The book tells the story of the architects who designed it, the people who commissioned it and the obstacles they faced throughout the construction. These buildings were done in record time - had I been around at the time, I would not have set foot in any of them because today I don't think any such structure can be built in such a short time and still be safe, and yet, they still stand and will probably still be there long after I'm gone.

I found it funny that when I started to read the book I was totally unaware of the Manhattan Company Building and actually thought the book was about the other two, but I won't say anymore, don't want to spoil it for you. Of the three I have to say that the top of the Chrysler Building is my favorite, I find it to be a masterpiece in design, but that's my opinion - I think it makes up for the overdone interior, to put it nicely. The one that has always stood up, though, is the Empire State Building and mainly because of the lights display that change depending on the occasion.

Picture taken from the Hoboken Pier, with the Empire State Building sporting Christmas colors.

As you can see, I'm obsessed with the NY skyline, as seen from the NJ side. It is so beautiful at night, and it has a calming effect from the stresses of the day - for me at least. During my holiday visit to the family I brazed the elements, climbed through fences, froze my behind trying to catch all the different light displays at the Empire State Building as possible - first pic is for Hanukkah, the one above is for Christmas, the one below is during the daytime - not as calming, and the last one is for Nascar.

The colors here are for Nascar's 4th consecutive Sprint Cup, click on the picture to admire the details closely - the colors are blue, white and yellow.

** All pictures are my property, please ask for permission before using them.

10....err.....5...no, umm.....2 Things I love About Phoenix!

2010-01-05T07:00:00.001-07:00

LEFT ONLY LANES (Suicide Lane on 7th Street and 7th Avenue)

These are the center lanes marked by yellow lines that are used only when you want to make a turn, thus allowing you to get out of regular traffic. What's not to love? with the crazy drivers here in AZ, you risk your life every time you try to make it out of any establishment onto a busy road. As for the reversible lanes - suicide lanes - on 7th street and 7th avenue, well, I haven't used them ever since I got that speeding ticket two years ago.....heck, I avoid these roads during peak hours altogether!

WINTER

Did I tell you that this whole week is going to be in the 70s? Don't hate! I love snow, and I love winter coats, hats and boots but I really, really love driving around with my windows down. Winters here are like Spring or Autumn in the East, love it!!

Today's Weather Report

2010-01-03T17:39:00.003-07:00

Don't hate people, especially my cousins to the East, but today we had wonderful weather here in hell....

Could it be Segregation?.........

2010-01-03T16:56:00.004-07:00

And now, a controversial post:

enforced separation of groups: the practice of keeping ethnic, racial, religious, or gender groups separate, especially by enforcing the use of separate schools, transportation, housing, and other facilities, and usually discriminating against a minority group
segregated state: the state or position of somebody or something kept separate from others
act of segregating: the separating of one person, group, or thing from others, or the dividing of people or things into separate groups kept apart from each other

I've always maintained that Arizona is a segregated state, and they are open about it, everybody actually seems okay with it - you stay on your side and I stay on mine, their unspoken pact. Coming from the East I forget about this until I realize that I'm the only Hispanic in a restaurant and people are looking at me funny. Don't believe me? Try it out yourself - go to a restaurant in Scottsdale and tell me how many Hispanics you see - not counting those actually cleaning or cooking your food. Drive north of Thunderbird Road and do the same, let me know what you find.

I got a haircut this morning and decided to stop at a restaurant for breakfast because I was too early for my next appointment of the day. They were actually very nice and as I sat on the table to wait for my order I decided to engage in my favorite pastime, people watching. First I checked the wait staff, all young and able but none Hispanic or American Indian, which I found strange since I would venture to say that these two groups represent 50% of Arizona. The only Hispanic people I saw where the one cleaning the tables and the cooks......this made me sad, specially for the girl cleaning the tables and busting her ass just as hard, if not harder than the other ones, but who would probably get very little money for her efforts. Then I decided to scan the crowd and realized that I was the only Hispanic in the restaurant - not that anybody was giving me evil looks, which has happened before, but it made me wonder why "my people" don't venture this far North. Is there an unwritten pact? is it non-visible, but palpable intimidation? somebody?

Then I started wondering, what is it that makes people think that they are better than others because of the color of their skin? is it the fact that we have always, since God knows when, associated white with good and black with evil? As I scanned the crowd I saw people who would definitely make it to the "People of Walmart" website, yet I knew these people thought they were better than me and any other Latin speaking person.....not because of their intellect and education, but because of their skin color.

I wonder how Obama really feels about his accomplishment as the first black president of the US - is he really, innocently enjoying it, or does he look at the crowds around him and wonders if they guy without the law degree and the missing teeth thinks he's better just because he's white?

My father is white, and I never saw skin color until I moved to the US and somebody told me I was not white, as if it was a crime not to be. I hope for the sake of humanity that we change soon, for the better.

Up In The Air

2010-01-03T15:56:00.007-07:00

It's been roughly a year since I updated this blog, and I won't lie, I missed it, but as I said once to someone....I just couldn't find anything bad to say about Arizona. Now, if you know me well then you'll know that's just a lie....a big one...plenty wrong with Arizona, particularly Phoenix, but I'll have plenty of time to tell you about it - I've just been busy.

Today I want to briefly talk about the movie Up In The Air, with George Clooney (love him!.....this guy can't do anything wrong). I went to see it on New Year's day and it made me think - we just don't communicate anymore. We have substituted the personal touch for the electronic one, and we are okay with that. Now instead of cards you get a text message wishing you a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year, Happy Birthday wishes on Facebook from all you so called "friends".......and we're okay with that. I often find myself lamenting the fact that this or that friend doesn't have a Facebook account, so that I can wish them a happy holiday without having to actually call them and waste an hour of my life.......yet I have no problem wasting hours (3+ at a time) reading posts on the internet from people I don't know, and reading comments from friends on FB. Realizing this made me so unhappy and sad that I've decided to close my Facebook account, albeit temporarily, until I become a REAL friend to my friends, and give them the time they actually deserve.

Don't get me wrong, FB has been great for finding long lost friends, ex-colleagues and even relatives, but it's not a substitute for a real friendship. I love technology and don't plan on giving it up any time soon, but I don't want to depend so much on it either. Technology has made the whole world accessible to me, but at the same time it has isolated me from the real world and that's no good. I pledge that from this day forward, and I hope I can keep this, I will personally call my friends on their birthdays instead of sending them a message, and I will send cards more often. As for my FB account, well, that's up in the air......

Public Service Announcement

2010-01-01T07:37:00.001-07:00

Yes, I'm back!! and what better way to ring in the New Year than with a public service announcement! Introducing.....

POO-POURRI!!

Yes, you heard me right - their tag line is "Spritz the bowl before you go and no one else would ever know" - and believe me, this shit works!!

Let's face it, everybody' s___t smells - I'm sure that if somebody had really ever made the claim that theirs actually do smell like roses, she (it would definitely be a she) would be very famous by now, probably selling the crap - no pun intended - on QVC and making tons of money; the rest of us should thank our lucky stars and kiss the feet of the genius behind Poo-Pourri. I'm going on my 2nd bottle - the first one lasted over a year - and I love it! The first one I bought was their original scent, smells like an orange grove - pretty nice, and it really, really works. The one I'm using now is their Heaven Scent (with every flush an angel gets its wings!) and I find it to be even stronger than the other one, so I only use a couple of spritz - trust me, it's very strong.......not too crazy about the smell....like patchouli....but it gets the work done. The people at work love me, and my mother and sister-in-law are forever grateful since I introduced two of my brothers to it! a marriage saver! So do us all a favor and buy yours today.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T00:01:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year to all, may you have a healthy and prosperous one!

I was celebrating at my friend parents' house and by 11:30 p.m. everybody was rushing home before the "shots started". After almost five years in exile here in AZ, I finally realized that the reason I couldn't see the fireworks from my apartment window was not because they were probably far away, but because the sound I heard was not of fireworks but guns being shot in the air.........suddenly, living on the third floor didn't seem like the safest place to be.

Adios 2009 (miserable year!), hola 2010 (full of promise)!

Yogi Cat

2008-12-26T08:14:00.002-07:00

Hope you're resting from all the partying and cooking of the holidays, and hope Xmas was good to you. Here's something funny to spice up your day.

My cat used to climb on my back the same way if I ever was on all four on the floor, usually looking for something - the stupid cat would then start bathing herself while I patiently waited; it was funny then, it's still funny now.

Merry Xmas to All

2008-12-23T12:05:00.002-07:00

Here's a little something to put you in the mood!

And just for fun, here's one from my favorite site, Fail Blog.

(have to admit that this, um.....guy, sings better than I do)

San Diego - Part II

2008-12-14T21:38:00.009-07:00

I love San Diego!! It's just beautiful, diverse, and the people are so nice! I've been sick for a while, so a trip to the beach was in order and this trip was great, the weather behaved somewhat, and the universe and I were aligned because God granted me every little wish I asked for!

I stayed in an apartment/hotel near La Jolla, close to Encinitas where I needed to be all of Saturday. It was nice to have a kitchenette in the room, and the location was perfect - not too far from downtown San Diego, in a safe location and within driving distance of everything. This trip I skipped the Coronado and downtown areas since I had spent plenty of time there on my last trip.

I arrived late at the airport and opted not to check my luggage in because they were charging me $15 for it and I already had to pay $5 to secure a window seat - I know, small change, but I'll be damned if I was going to give the airlines more of my money. The only reason they started charging extra in the first place was because the cost of fuel was so high; what is their excuse now that the costs of fuel have reached an all-time low? Anyway, back to my trip. I was concerned that they would send me back to check-in the luggage because I was carrying full size hair products, and that would certainly make me miss my flight, so I pray for it not to happen and wouldn't you know that they didn't even look at my bag!? Big deal you say, but last time they made me walk all the way back just because I had a 4oz tube of sunscreen, so there!!

Next, I went to pick up my rental car and prayed for an upgrade, since I had reserved a compact and had visions of me driving around in a hatchback. Well, their computers were down and they had to do everything manually. When the lady at the counter started reading the list of cars available I couldn't resist and got this (for the price of an economy one!!).

Alright! A Mitsubitshi Eclipse! Never mind that I was left in the dust by all the California drivers since I insisted on doing no more than 70 mph and everybody else must have been doing at least 90 mph; I'll forget the fact that the car had such blind spots that trying to get out of a parking spot meant there was a 50/50 chance I would get hit by approaching vehicles......heck! I'll even forget about driving down their undulating highway and with the car being so close to the ground (hello!! sports car!) I felt like a James Bond Martini, shaken, not stirred. I was driving in style and God had made it happen - credit where credit is due, but next time be careful what you ask for.

At the hotel I decided to look out the window and caught a glimpse of the planetary alignment I've been secretly wishing to see, but thought I had missed because of poor visibility back in Phoenix. God really, really likes me! And I had finally figured out how to photograph the lights at night without them looking blurry.......well, not that blurry. What a sight! I love looking at the sky.

On Saturday I had to attend an all day Sketching and Watercolor class at the California Center for Creative Renewal in Encinitas. What a beautiful and inspiring place!

The owner, Ellen Speert, has slowly created this peaceful sanctuary with views of the mountains, beautifully landscaped, a haven! I wish I had a backyard like this! Saturday turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day. The weather stayed perfect the whole day, too bad it's winter and by 5pm it was already dark and I couldn't run to the beach. But this place was worth spending the whole day sketching, just lovely!

On Sunday I headed over to the beach in Encinitas, but it was already cloudy and very cold, brrrr! The surfers were out, but I opted for a walk around town checking out the architecture and enjoying the landscape. I liked the people in Encinitas, they were young and friendly.

These are two houses in the shape of a boat, pretty cool, but I wonder how they are made.....I think they are real boats turned houses, but couldn't tell for sure.

After Encinitas I headed to La Jolla, since the hotel was in the vicinity and I was getting ready to check out. These condos have a view of the ocean, I wish I was there now. How wonderful it would be to wake up every morning and have a cappuccino while watching the ocean....how relaxing. La Jolla is an affluent neighborhood and you can tell just by walking around - the buildings, the manicured lawns, the cars....this is where I want to retire!!

It was less humid than Encinitas, but still cold - that didn't deter the surfers, who were out in full force. All I kept thinking was ....where are the sharks? These dudes look like seals in those outfits, very tempting if I were a shark.

After La Jolla I went over to Old Town (sorry, no pictures) and had lunch at Acapulco, ending with this lovely dessert - upside down pineapple cake with ice cream and caramel sauce, diabetic shock right after you take the first bite. I took a walk around Old Town afterwards, to feel less guilty.

And the final gift from God - two empty seats next to mine on the flight back home, so that I could spread and read a book while everybody else was boxed in their seats. As far as I could tell, I was the only person with two, yes, two empty seats next to her. God loves me, the Universe has an open line for me!

**Okay God, I'm putting this in writing. Since we have an open line I want to take this opportunity to request something very special. I know of two families that are going through some uncertainties with their pregnancies and I want to ask that you grant them each a healthy, problems free baby. These two families, like many out there, are good loving families so pretty please, give them both a healthy baby. And while we're at it, can we bring some stability to Africa? Thank you God.

Do You Have $10 to Spare?

2008-11-25T16:17:00.005-07:00

Image "lifted" from Kelly's blog - I'm sure she won't mind

Not for me, no, but for a deserving family and a great cause. Let me explain, I was reading one of my favorite blogs by Kelly Rae Roberts, the author of the motivational book "Taking Flight" and she's having a contest in order to raise money to rebuild a home for a deserving family in Rwanda, Africa. The minimum donation she's asking for is $5, but why am I asking for $10 you ask? Well, in reading about this family' situation I also learned of another blog asking for donations that are used to help not one, but many people in a particular community in Africa for things that you and I take for granted in this wonderful country of ours, things like medical care, medicine, etc. I spend just about that at Starbuck's any given day, so why not put it to good use this Holiday season. I don't know you, but doing something for somebody else always makes me feel better. Don't you want to share some happiness?

Please read their stories here, and here, and have a wonderful holiday season. And remember, we can change the world one act of random kindness at a time. Do your part!

**Edited to add: It is my understanding that they raised $4,200++, thank you to all who donated. Doesn't it feel good to do something nice for somebody else? Thank you!!

3.5 Hours

2008-11-18T07:23:00.004-07:00

No, the title does not refer to me being stuck in traffic, nor is it the countdown to a fabulous vacation in Greece; it just refers to the fact that for the first time since my teenage years I read a book in one sitting! I know, this is not exciting to you, but to me it means so much - you see, I have a collection of books to read, some I have even started, but none have I finished. This just means that I can still get into a book and enjoy reading it so much that I can finish it in 3.5 hours!! Hopefully it also means that I can finish all the other books I have bought. Now for the book in question:

Laurie Perry is a blogosphere personality whom I discovered about a year ago through somebody else's blog; "We" clicked from the start, since she is very much like myself and I suspect like many others out there. Through Laurie's blog I learned that there's a lot of us out there with the same insecurities, fears and sense of humor (I thought I was unique!). She wrote a book about life after divorce and taking up a new hobby, how it saved her from spiraling down into hell (oh heck, she was in hell already, she just managed to get out). I finally read an excerpt of her book last week thanks to Amazon's preview feature and knew I had to get it. Well, it arrived yesterday and let me tell you that once I picked it up I couldn't put it down - it was just funny in true Laurie fashion. I believe this is a keeper for me. Thanks Laurie for sharing your life with us, and making it funny!

The Art of Breathing

2008-11-12T23:22:00.003-07:00

I once heard that the reason babies die in their sleep is because they forget to breathe. I always wondered about that - the body is an automated machine, and breathing comes naturally, I was sure alarms would go off if your air intake somehow stopped or diminished.

Then my "under control" asthma got out of control, and I found myself reminding myself to breathe. Yes, you do forget to breathe....your air intake goes down sharply and your body goes into a kind of hibernation, and before you know it, you're not breathing!

For the last two months I've been battling to keep my asthma under control - guess who is losing this battle? It all started with a weekend trip to Sedona during the summer; it was humid and I found myself having difficulty breathing the whole time I was there. I assumed that it would go away once I got back to Phoenix, so I ignored it. Save the occasional cough, things seemed normal until I started exercising. I was getting up super early in the morning and walking on the treadmill for about an hour before going to work. I was so proud of myself, I was actually enjoying the exercise and then fatigue set in. At first I thought it was because I was going to bed late and waking up super early, but within a week I couldn't keep awake - I would crash into bed the minute I got home from work. Soon I stopped exercising because I simply didn't have the energy, then the chest pain started. I went to the doctor and they were concerned about my blood work, but an xray showed that my lungs were clear, so they didn't see any problems and sent me home with indications to come back in a couple of weeks for a follow-up. Within a couple of days my breathing went down to about 50%, my chest started to really hurt and I was experiencing all the symptoms of a possible blood cloth. Next thing I know I'm in the emergency room! Eight hours later I'm back at home with prescription for acid reflux, and extra medication for asthma.

Fast forward two months later, the acid reflux is long gone but now I'm having a bad asthma attack every f_____ng day!! I have visions of dying at the office and falling under the desk not to be discovered until I start smelling. Yes people, just like babies, adults do die of asthma. This is slowly robbing me of my life! I have no energy to do anything at all! I'm sorry if I sound bitter, I'm just tired of not being able to breathe, tired of people asking me questions in the middle of an asthma attack and expecting an answer (??!!), tired of being tired, really!!

That's it for my anti asthma rant - and to think that I'm in the one state where people go to "cure" their asthma problems - ha, ha, ha.....funny, very funny!

Excellent Adventure

2008-10-13T20:47:00.004-07:00

I had no plans today other than to go out for a big breakfast and then the park, but while enjoying the fresh air and blue skies, I got the itch to drive.....take the open road. So I got in my car and took off - first stop, Starbucks, because it was past 1 p.m. and I was kind-of sleepy. When I was near the pie place - I forget the name - I saw a sign for Prescott.......just 51 miles away, beckoning me.....so heck, I kept going! That's how my excellent adventure started. By 3 p.m. I was parked in Prescott and walking around the city, admiring the houses and visiting all the shops in town.

During my leisurely walk I turned the corner into these lovely and colorful houses (please forgive the pictures, I had to use my cell phone because I forgot to bring my camera along......remember? this wasn't planned):

They reminded me of houses in the Caribbean, always so colorful. The pictured doors below, had I been in the mood to carry anything I would have bought the one on the left to use as a table top; it's a distressed blue in real life...can't appreciate it from this pic, sorry.

Then I stopped at one of the stores to buy some goodies for home and the office!

Notice something peculiar here? For somebody like myself who's not a drinker, I do love buying items with alcohol as an ingredient: Spirited Peaches, Tipsy Caramel Sauce and Mulling Spices that I will be using with that bottle of red wine that's been collecting dust on my shelves.

I also found these lovely items: a book made of bamboo sheets with leaves for a cover, pen and pencils made out of wood, and of course, one of my favorite things......

peanut brittle with coconut! You should try it, yummy!

By 6 p.m. I was ready to go home, but not without stopping by the casino first and wasting $20 in the hopes of striking it rich......obviously it didn't happen. On my way home I managed to get lost again, or as I like to say, be delayed..........I drove by a sign that said "Phoenix, 51 miles" - and I thought to myself "I'll be home in an hour"......20 minutes later I drove by another sign that said "Phoenix, 71 miles" and I did a double take.......did I miss something? Should I turn around or keep going? It was dark, and there was no way to turn around so I kept going. Finally got to route 17S, at which point it was more like "Phoenix, 64 miles". Oh well, at least I was on my way home.

But not without stopping for pie, like tradition dictates. I cannot remember the name of the place, and God help me if I don't take the wrong exit there EVERY TIME, but I always end up there for a slice of their delicious Tennessee Lemon Pie...yum!!! Not sharing!

More pictures later!

and Here's to Happy Endings!

2008-10-12T18:39:00.004-07:00

I was so distracted while fixing this:

that I forgot about this:

and this:

and ended up having to clean this:

but in the end got to enjoy this:

Happy endings!

I Feel Bad Karma Coming My Way....

2008-10-08T21:01:00.007-07:00

I was very, very bad last night. I came home to find somebody parked in my spot - quite annoying, specially after a long day at work. I honked for a while, waited and got no results; then I drove around and couldn't find a nice spot to park, so that made me even more upset. I waited about an hour, checked, and the car was still in my spot, so I called the towing company to have the car removed.

The towing company took about two hours to arrive, but did the job in less than 15 minutes. The driver told me it would cost$105 + and I actually started to feel bad - I was punishing somebody for parking in my spot, such an insignificant thing, but by then it was too late to change my mind.

Today I stopped by the rental office to inquire about the unlucky person from the night before. I learned that it was a girl who usually parks next to me, but since somebody had parked in her spot she decided to park in mine. She understood that it was her mistake, and wasn't upset - and although she was in the wrong, she admitted to it.....the fact was that so was I. I could try to justify my actions by saying that 1. she should had towed the car parked on her spot, or 2. should have parked somewhere other than a spot she knew belonged to somebody else, but that didn't make what I did better.

To make things worse, her cost was more like $200!!!! What she did was stupid, but what I did was wrong. I'm not a vindictive person, and am always level-headed; what in God's name took over me that I didn't even think of the consequences my actions could have on another human being? I'm always thinking of all the consequences of my actions, but yesterday I just wanted that car removed from my spot and that was simply wrong. I must find a way to make amends with her and the Universe. I am truly saddened, and truly sorry.

Me Time

2008-10-05T20:27:00.001-07:00

Today I went to the park - it's pretty much the only place in Phoenix where you get to see some greenery and pretend you're somewhere other than the desert. The weather was just perfect; the sun was out, but there was a cool breeze blowing. Had I planned it better I would have brought a book and spend the rest of the afternoon there, but all I had was my iPod, a pen, and notecards. Thankfully, I had downloaded a few podcasts from Michael Neill' show, You Can Have What You Want, so it was just me, Michael and my thoughts.

It was great having the park pretty much all to myself - no kids running around...screaming, no loud music, just a very quiet park, full of green trees, with a cool breeze and the open skies. Since it was just me and my thoughts, I got to do a lot of thinking - not that it will change much.

I like this part of Arizona when the weather changes and you can actually enjoy the outdoors without freezing or frying - there's only two seasons here in AZ, Winter and Summer. But when it's like this, you get to admire the beauty of this hostile terrain. Wow! I just realized that the trees are so tall and full of leaves that you can barely see the mountains!....but I digress - these are the days when I wish I had a house around these parts so that I could just sit in the backyard, maybe with a pool or fountain trickling in the background - just me and thoughts, open to the universe, shouting "I'M HERE!! WHERE TO NOW?".

Everybody could use one of these today...

2008-10-04T22:21:00.002-07:00

This is a couple of years old, but still valid. I'm sure you could use one today, so consider yourself hugged.

Mango Madness

2008-10-01T00:16:00.003-07:00

I'm a tropical bird, and I love all tropical fruits......pineapple, coconut, bananas, guava, and of course, mango - the topic of the day. I haven't been able to get a tasty mango at the supermarket in ages! they are always picked too green and taste too bland - if you've ever tasted a mango from the caribbean you would know the difference. Last weekend I stopped at the supermarket and found that they had huge mangoes on sale for $1, but the catch was that they were all green - super green, not even good enough for mango salad. I gave into temptation and bought a couple, but since they were greener than green I would have to device a plan to get them to ripen quickly. I opted not to use my old method of putting them in the refrigerator and forgetting about them for a couple of months, because, the end result was not desirable. I tried something new....how about if I just leave them outside? Maybe the warm Arizona air (ha!) would speed the process. And so I forgot about them for a couple of days, and guess what? A miracle happened!! Four days later I had the juiciest, tastiest mango I've had in the last 20 years!! Don't believe me? See for yourself!

I bet that if Eve had gone for the mango instead of the apple, things would be very different.

Which Jane Austen Character are You?

2008-09-05T20:17:00.007-07:00

Apparently, I'm Alan Rickman........if I had to be a man, I'd rather be Mr. Darcy, he's richer and I liked his house better.

I've always found him sexy, but the hat is kind of.....distracting....

You are the true hero(ine)! Sensible, steady and mature, you are the lynchpin of your circle of friends and family. You are Elinor from Sense and Sensibility! Wise beyond your years, you are all too aware of the folly of those around you. You are "sense" personified, and without you, things would certainly fall apart.

I took the quiz here, go ahead, try it!

Just for Fun...

2008-08-31T12:18:00.002-07:00

This morning I was greeted by the following piece of news and have been laughing about it since, what a way to make your debut - talk about egg on your face:

Did she sound drunk or was that just her accent? somebody? And based on the newscaster's reaction I guess it's safe to assume that Miss Solange will not be getting much more airtime unless, of course, she's doing something stupid......like in this video.

But frankly, as if it wasn't enough that every time I turn the TV on (ahem, the new TV) I'm greeted with news of Britney and her new body, Lilo and her "girlfriend", Jennifer Aniston and her now ex-boyfriend, that attention Ho, what's his name..............somebody? anybody? and of course, if we mention Jen, then we have to bring up Brad and Angelina and their baby factory.......and where is Suri, she's adorable, I love seeing pictures of her - Tom and Katie I can do without, but Suri is just the cutest baby of them all; and let us not forget (I wish I could) Heidi and Spencer, and Jennifer Lopez and her marathon "training" (J-lo, WHO CARES!!!). Thank God for cable!!

Retail Therapy.

2008-08-31T11:02:00.008-07:00

When you're sad, nothing better than Retail Therapy to make you feel better, works every time. Since my vacation was ruined by mandatory "Traffic School" for a truly undeserved speeding ticket (I was just passing a bunch of slow moving vehicles!! and no, it was not a funeral procession!), I decided to cheer myself up by buying this:

And this:

It was about time I bought a TV, since the one in my bedroom was a 13" and was ruining my eyesight - it was a necessity (that's the story I'm sticking to).......maybe the insurance company should pay for it? hmmm..... as for the iPod, well, I tried using my MP3 capable phone, but unfortunately it didn't have enough memory for all, if any of my many podcasts (the other story I'm sticking to........have to make stories, they make me feel better about spending money). I went for red because it's for a good cause, and I went for the shuffle because it doesn't make sense to spend money on a larger one when I'll be getting an iPhone when my contract with tMobile is over in February, which will take place of both phone and iPod.

Little things make me happy!

Pierce Brosnan

2008-07-27T09:02:00.005-07:00

Let's talk about Pierce, since he's been in my head for the last week..........ever since I went to see Mama Mia. I always thought Pierce was a very handsome man, in a distinguished kind of way. I liked him as Bond, better than that other dude, what's his name........Timothy something. Anyway, I refused to go see Casino Royale with Daniel Craig because I didn't agree with the way they went about firing Pierce............but then I saw this....

...and not only did I forget about Pierce Brosnan, temporarily, well.......but I was kicking myself for not going to see this movie on the big screen. Why didn't anybody mention this part, where was I!!! I'm a big fan of Daniel Craig now, but I digress, we're talking about Pierce here.........moving on. Oh, if only Pierce had looked like this on that bathing suit scene he did for The Matador - lucky you I couldn't find a picture, because it's been in my head ever since.....and now I have background music to go with it. Enter..

Why didn't anybody warn me? I knew it was a musical, but I didn't think anybody would expose themselves to ridicule like this! I have to admire the man, because I'm sure he knew how bad he sounded by the pained expressions on the faces of all those within hearing range, but he charged on and now it's on film for posterity. The thing is..........I have not been able to get that one last song from my head ever since I saw the movie. I hear it in the morning when I wake up, when I'm in the bathroom getting ready, I sing along as I drive to work, the damned song is in my head! along with the image of him in a speedo with black socks and shoes...........somebody put me out of my misery!!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, it was cute and I'm willing to ignore it's inconsistencies.........but that song!!! Here's a hint of things to come if you haven't yet seen the movie......

DO NOT PRESS

2008-07-19T08:16:00.009-07:00

This is such a big waste of time, but I just couldn't stop myself......and neither will you! Try it!!

The Gods Are Laughing At Me

2008-07-08T19:05:00.004-07:00

I had to, once again, bring my "new" car for service. The thing is actually growing on me, but I'm still not fond of it, especially if it's going to spend too much time at the shop. So, to prevent the rental company from giving me the same thing they gave me last time, I, in what I thought was a very slick move, went ahead and reserved this:

I was actually looking forward to driving it, pushing it to its limits.........but when I got there, the very apologetic agent showed up with this:

This is a punishment from the Gods, because it's the one car I said I would drop dead before I drove. They're laughing at me right now, but for the love of God, did it have to be white? It's like driving an ambulance! And the thing doesn't have tinted windows, so I cannot hide!! I would rather be driving this:

The God's are laughing at me, definitely!

It's Only Skin Deep

2008-06-22T10:29:00.004-07:00

It was love at first sight! Beautiful skins - art to decorate my laptops, iPod and soon-to-be-acquired iPhone (as soon as I can find a way to unlock it so I can use it on the T-Mobile network). You can check them out here, they have so many to pick from, I may need more gadgets!! This is my newest infatuation, and so girly too.....who would have thought!

I'm Too Cool For This......

2008-06-16T19:33:00.004-07:00

Today I dropped this off at the dealership for some minor repairs (more about that later):

And was given this as a loaner - trust me, it looks better in this picture. The lady kept refering to it, enthusiastically, as a cross over between a minivan and an SUV.....the one I got is white, no tinted windows or rails, and boxy black seats....quite uncomfortable.

It felt more like I was driving this - the interior is sooooo boxy and stiff. I kept praying that none of my friends or co-workers would see me in it.

Frankly, I would rather drive something like this, with a little more personality.........I guess I'm just too cool for minivans.

* No offense to all people driving minivans, I just have a thing for cars.

Love Story - Geico Style

2008-05-19T23:06:00.002-07:00

This is tragically funny - I must warn you, there's a bit of blood involved, but I just can't stop laughing. You tell me what you think.

The Peace T-Shirt Project

2008-04-30T21:32:00.005-07:00

Meet African Kelli, she's a modern day Mother Theresa, and I want to be just like her when I grow up. Kelli puts many of us to shame - when I'm planning on how I will spend the money the government will send me, you know, to stimulate the economy (I'm doing my part).....dreaming of flat screen TVs, iPods, trips.....Kelli is taking a couple of trips abroad to bring much needed help to third world countries.

The Peace T-Shirt Project

Kelli is requesting that we donate tees which she will bring to one of two countries: Nicaragua or Mozambique (Africa). She asks that you send her the tees with a card - you can opt out if you prefer - stating your reasons for helping out. Please read her blog, www.africankelli.com, and get to know this wonderful lady and see if you care to participate in this project.

Bialetti Mukka vs Krups Espresso Maker

2008-04-23T21:16:00.008-07:00

This morning my internal clock had the cojones to wake me up at 4 a.m., and God help me I tried so hard to go back to sleep, but it kept waking me up every half hour until I finally gave up around 6 a.m. After taking a shower and washing my hair I decided it was time for a cappuccino and why not work on the first part of my test and document it for all of you! So here it is:

First we brew some coffee. This is coffee beans especially ground for espresso - I used the fresh beans and machine at the supermarket. A little more expensive, but not really that much and totally worth it. The Krups espresso maker does an okay job, the coffee tastes fine but it's not as strong as an espresso should be and has no crema - nevertheless, for this purpose it does a good job. You can use a Moka pot, which was my choice before the hard water at my other apartment ruined it - totally my fault, I left it soaking in water for two days and the calcium deposits and lime ruined it. Oh well, lesson learned.

And with the aid of some pretty handy "gadgets" we proceed to foam some milk. First you heat up your milk, no need to boil it - just hot enough for your drink. Enter the $1.99 IKEA frother - the best item I have ever purchased! Use it to froth the milk, fast little sucker!

See it in action:

Final Product: Picture on the top is the one made with the Mukka, picture on the bottom is from Krups plus gadgets. I like the Krups one because the foam stays white, I know, I know.....it's my preference.

Findings:

Krups/Moka pot - Slightly more work, but worth it. I like to sweeten my milk before frothing it, makes the foam at the end kind-of a treat. The coffee made this way also tastes better - not that metallic taste I've been getting from the Mukka. Hands down my favorite, not to mention cheaper. Moka pot $14.99, Frother $1.99, enjoying a cappuccino at home and not having to spend money or time at Starbucks, priceless.

Bialetti Mukka - My first two tries didn't taste good. So after making my cappuccino this morning using my Krups, I decided to use the same water to coffee ratio and that produced similar results on my Mukka. The trick is to use two scoops of coffee, with water slightly lower than the level on the provided cup designed for gas stove. Use this wether you're using a gas or electric stove, trust me! The results were more to my liking, but the foam is still brown and the cappuccino is not hot enough. That said, I'm quite happy that I was able to figure out how to make it taste more to my liking, because the machine will definitely get some use being that it's kind-of a one step setup. I can prep it, put in in the burner and go get ready for work.

Conclusion:

Skip the Bialetti Mukka, buy the Moka pot or use whatever you have a home. Invest on an IKEA frother and you too will be able to enjoy cappuccinos at home. If only I could get my Krups to produce some crema!

Note: I read somewhere that the Mukka designer prefers the Moka, at that's what he has at home. Go figure!

Sun, Surf, Siesta & Fiesta in San Diego

2008-04-14T23:41:00.016-07:00

This weekend I was busy falling in love with San Diego. Before my trip everybody told me "bring a jacket, it's going to be very cold" so I packed a couple of heavy pants and sweaters and arrived in SD ready for my weekend and mocking all the other tourists who were wearing shorts, t-shirts and sandals.........the fools were going to freeze, or so I thought; but the joke was on me - it was 86 degrees outside and I looked like Johnny Cash all in black, sporting a turtleneck. I kept asking everybody if the weather was going to change and get cooler which prompted a couple of "this crazy tourist from Alaska" looks, but there were also those sympathetic people who would try to humor me by telling me that it may go down to 75 degrees......ahh.....everybody is a comedian. So I ignored everything and proceeded with my plans. First, a two-hour boat tour of the harbor.

Beautiful downtown San Diego on a clear day.

See something familiar in this photo? Some of you may be too young to remember this. On the park, to the left, there's a statue of a famous magazine cover with a marine kissing an unsuspecting lady - pretty cool.

San Diego harbor is a Navy dock. That big ship there, right next to the pristine white medical ship, is the Bob Hope; pretty big, but it needs some painting.

These guys know everything about Siesta, that's all they do all day...what a life!

And this is the bridge to Coronado Island, my next stop - right after stopping at Old Navy and purchasing some shorts and t-shirts because I was roasting. Two years in Phoenix and I was still looking pale, two hours in San Diego and I looked like a Flamingo - even managed to burn my scalp!

Ahh, lovely Coronado Island, full of greenery, beautiful flowers and lovely homes - when I win the lottery I'll buy a house here.

Of course, you can't go to Coronado Island and not stop at the Del Coronado hotel for a tour.

And then there's the beach......the main reason I came here, to see the water, to smell the salt, to feel the breeze......

......and to see the good looking boys para-surfing. A few hours at the beach taking it all in, what a perfect ending to my day.

Next day, a trip to the San Diego Zoo - it was hotter than the day before and none of the animals wanted to come out for pictures.

Except these guys who loved to pose for the camera - I looked just as pink, especially my nose.

Marvin here knows everything about taking a Siesta.

And Leroy was just dreaming of escaping one day.......I feel you Leroy, I feel you!! I must admit that I looked into the options for poor Leroy to escape, but there were none..........sorry old boy, I tried.

Look who's having and grand ole Fiesta! Momo here was the only one having fun, but that's because he had a nice cool pool all to himself. All the other animals in the Zoo were plotting against him.

Then it was time to go home - what a great way to spend a weekend, I'll be back San Diego, I'll be back.

The Answer To The Question

2008-04-14T22:21:00.008-07:00

Ta Daaaaa!! Drum roll please! Introducing the Bialetti Mukka Cappuccino Maker!!

Oh, I'm sorry.......did I give you the impression that I was not going to get it? By now you know me better than that, I had to!! and what's best, I got it at half the price, can't beat that!!

And here is the first test try - I have to tweak it a bit; I followed instructions and what I ended up with was close to professional grade......unfortunately I prefer the homemade kind. Have to make it less strong and get used to the fact that the foam will not be white. Once I get it to taste the way I want, it will be goodbye to Starbucks. Little things in life make me really happy!

Road Trip!

2008-04-11T19:18:00.016-07:00

Like I said before, not everything is ugly in Arizona. I took a little trip into Williams and the Grand Canyon this weekend, the kind of trip that everybody should make once in their lifetime. The weather was wonderful - not too cold, not hot at all, just perfect! The wildflowers were in bloom, adorning the landscape as I drove - I wanted to stop and play but that would have been downright suicidal, especially here in AZ.

These are the San Francisco Peaks, looking all majestic in the background. For a second there I felt the urge to start singing.........The hills are alive with the Sound of Music.....

I started my trip by driving into Williams, which is a small town along the legendary route 66 where the train station happens to be located at. Williams is quite small, but charming - the whole town is about 10 blocks scattered with a few shops and restaurants. It took me about an hour to do some shopping, taste some delicious Prickly Pear ice cream at Twisters

and explore the town. I left with the suspicion that the Coca Cola company owns most of Williams because their signs are everywhere, even on the train - but that's fine with me since it's my drink of choice - that and Starbucks.

If you ever visit Williams you must definitely stop at this place - the staff is friendly, the food is good and they have a store adjacent to the cafe that sells the coolest stuff!

This is Burt, looking very tired and fed up with life. I felt really bad for him and hope his owner comes back as a horse in the next life!

Before boarding the train to the Grand Canyon you get to see a short "Wild West" show - a shootout at the corral, one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. They should make it into a sitcom.

Throughout the train ride we had entertainment - I wonder if this is how these guys make a living........kind of like those singers that roam the NYC Subway and earn quite a lot of money entertaining the masses. Somehow I don't think these guys make the same amount of money, but the singing was good.

The scenery changes as you pass through - from barren, dried out landscapes to not so lush "forests". I loved seeing the cows (no more than four) running away trying to escape from the train, even though they were about a mile or two away - really cute. We saw some deer......well, maybe one, and even saw a dead cow! I thought it was a prop, but later at lunch I was quite sure that was the cow they used for the burger meat - it tasted quite old.

And finally!! This is what I came here to see - nature's wonder. The pictures don't do it justice - look across, I can't even imagine how far these must be. It takes your breath away.

And look at these fools......no amount of money would make me get atop a mule and ride that close to the rim without a fence in between. Did you know that the mules don't really want to go down, but they come back up because there's the promise of a treat waiting for them?

What is there to say that one of these mules will not get itchy and try to get you off their back so they can scratch themselves? It just a matter of time before they revolt and start throwing people off the cliff.

And then it was time to get back to the train and on our way home - perfect ending for my weekend getting to know Arizona.

Some days you feel like Espresso, some days you feel like Cappuccino

2008-04-03T23:24:00.011-07:00

To buy or not to buy.......I think I know the answer to that question.

I grew up in a country where coffee is an important part of your daily life - not the watery coffee they drink here in the US, but more like espresso made from a percolator like the Italians make. During the 90s I pretty much gave up on coffee and started drinking tea, but thanks to Starbucks (I am a Starbucks junkie) and the fact that designers have come up with all these wonderful new coffee & cappuccino makers, I'm back in love with coffee.

For someone that only drinks specialty coffee - Starbucks or Cappuccinos, I own quite a few coffee makers. Let's see.....

Machine #1:

Krups Il Caffe Bistro - cost: approximately $150 USD. I've had it for about, uh....I don't know.....4 years? Has been an ornament in my kitchen since I bought it, used mainly to tell the time. Started using it about 5 months ago when my favorite percolator bit the dust and I didn't feel like using the 4-cup one for just one cup of espresso. I haven't used the regular coffee maker side, just the espresso side; have not even bothered with the steam wand - the $1.99 IKEA frother works just fine for me, less cleaning to do. The espresso works okay, but I get no crema. I've been tempted to buy a Francis, Francis machine just so I can get the crema, but my consumption does not warrant such purchase.......have to learn to control my impulses (repeat).

Machine #2:

Moka Coffee Maker - Cost: approximately $25. Trusty and simple to use. Had two - a 2-cup and the 4/12 cup. Left the 2-cup in the sink filled with water for two days and ruined it. Have not used the other one because it's too much coffee for a single person - waiting to have a party so I can use it.

Machine #3:

Mr. Coffee Pump Espresso Maker - Cost: approximately $65. Had it for about 3 years and just opened it two weeks ago to inspect because I was thinking of putting it on e-bay for sale. Decided against it because 1. the machine is hard to find now, 2. I wouldn't get any money for it, 3. it's a pump! as opposed to steam like my Krups........I cannot give that up! The coffee is supposed to be better with a pump!

But why am I telling you this, you wonder? Well, because I'm lusting after two other simpler machines and it's time to give one of these up - most likely Mr. Coffee (sorry, no brand name as far as I'm concerned......besides....it was a gift).

I was walking through the mall today and stopped to window shop at Crate & Barrel and they had this on their display:

The Bialetti Mukka Cappuccino Maker - Cost: Approximately $90. It was love at first sight, but I controlled myself and didn't even enter the store - went home empty handed....had to do some research first. After some research I'm convinced that I must own this little piece of machinery, check out what it's capable of!

And of course, her sister:

The Bialetti Brikka Espresso Maker - Cost: approximately $50. Yes, I know it looks like my percolator, but this one makes crema!!! (wish you could see the stars in my eyes). Check out the video and you'll be buying one for yourself too!!

Now, here's the plan.....so I don't look too greedy or crazy. I'm sure mom could use a new percolator, so we'll send that one to her along with some jewelry (mom loves bling) and I'll be the favorite child until one of my brothers comes up with something better. I'll keep the Krups - you never know when guests will show up and ask for watery coffee; I'm sure one day I'll get to use that side of the machine. I'll sell the Mr. Coffee and use the proceeds towards the purchase of these two, because some days you feel like an espresso, some days you feel like a cappuccino - at least I do! I'll also stop buying Starbucks, besides, they've been on my brown list ever since they went healthy on me and substituted regular milk for 2% milk without telling me - that's just plain wrong, so out they go.

Little things in life make me happy. Happy shopping!!

Mac Update #1 & #2

2008-03-30T14:36:00.002-07:00

Update #1

About two weeks ago I figured out that by using both fingers on the pad, I can scroll through the screen. Pretty much like a scroll button on a regular PC.

Update #2

Today I figured out that by tapping those same two fingers on the aforementioned pad I can bring up the menu that right-clicking on a mouse brings up on a PC.

All these happened by pure accident. I still refuse to read manuals, will learn as I go.........still so much to learn......

Where's Downtown!!

2008-03-30T14:10:00.003-07:00

I miss having a downtown, and it's one of the things missing here in "lovely" Arizona. I was checking out a few of my favorite blogs this morning, decor8 and through it, creativethursdays; here she was talking about a day in her life, and when I came to the part when she takes a walk to the post office it made me homesick, very homesick. I miss my downtown(s) - yes, back East my house was situated in a part of town that gave me access to the downtown of two different towns - get it? Every Saturday I would drive to one downtown to pick up my mail at the P.O. Box and chat with the ladies there, who have known me for over 10 years, same faces, same smiles; then it was off to the "Happy Market" - I'm not kidding you, that was the name of it, with the picture of the smiley face and all. It was the Korean version of a 7-11 and their machine dispensed one of the best tasting fake/generic cappuccinos I have ever had, Starbucks notwithstanding. Then it was off to the other downtown to pick up bagels and humongous muffins of exotic flavors - could never settle for just one. And finally, a trip to the library to pick up either a movie or a book, they already had suggestions for me because they knew me so well - the joys of reading have been all but lost to me for the past couple of years, thank God for books on tape!

I miss my little ritual on Saturdays! I miss all the green trees, the smiling faces of those who knew me from the neighborhood, the food, the people..........I miss the East, snow, humidity and all (gasp!). Here is just dust, strange, mistrusting people, a brown landscape and NO downtown! The towns run into each other, there's no clear border between them and NO downtown! They all have a strip mall, and I guess for some that would be the definition of a downtown, but not for me....... after two years, it is still all so alien. I guess this is what Hell must feel like for those who think that they're just passing through.

The Big Mudanza!

2008-03-08T08:33:00.006-07:00

Mudanza

(cambio) change
(traslado) move, moving
(figura de baile) figure, movement (in dance)
(inconstancia) inconstancy, fickleness

Thank God for cappuccinos, because the way things are going, that will be my sustenance for the next couple of days.

I'm moving!! No, no.....not out of state, yet.........but I'm still plotting my escape; no, just half-a mile up North, to a smaller, cozier (i.e. cheaper) apartment. Still on the third floor - don't worry, I hired movers for that part of the move. But where, oh where are my three fairy godmothers and their magic wands to make all my stuff pack itself while I sit at my computer blogging, oh where! Okay, if not fairy godmothers, how about a couple of household....err...pets, I wouldn't mind a few mice if they were going to do the packing, really. This is where having a man around would've come in handy. Note to self: find a boyfriend before next move, ideally two months before so he doesn't suspect that you're only dating him so he can help you pack. Buy beer and pizza just in case.

Well, I better go back to packing, while I wait for something magical to happen.

What's In A Clock

2008-03-02T07:56:00.004-07:00

I've been putting off buying an alarm clock ever since my trusty one, which had been with me for about 15 years, was stolen during the move to Phoenix (I'm still baffled by the stuff they took). It was a Panasonic model, and we had developed a relationship through our years together. The Alarm wasn't loud, the thing was old after all but that's how I liked it. I knew not to put drinks on top of it because it would trigger the radio, and then I couldn't shut it off........oh, I miss the thing......we had some good times together. But the time had come to let go and find a new replacement, which wasn't going to be easy because, you see........I hate rude awakenings; I've been traumatized by the loud alarm that makes your heart jump and your brain think there's a 5 alarm fire in your building. Granted, you realize it's the alarm right away, but your heart takes a bit to calm down and the feeling of dread lasts a bit longer.

I've been looking for the perfect alarm clock for some time now, not that I needed it since my internal clock wakes me up at the same time whether it's a holiday, weekend or regular day.......I'm working on fixing that. I've gone through quite a few clocks on my quest, from the

$0.99 Ikea Alarm Clock - this little thing works great! I had one in my bathroom, to remind me of the time so I wouldn't be late for work while getting ready; and one right on my beside table to wake me up. The problem was that this thing is so loud that I could hear them both throughout the night, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic.......and sometimes their timing was off, tic, toc, tic, toc......with both clocks situated within 20 feet of each other is was like listening in stereo - that was short lived.

I've also tried the Vintage look. I bought this Coca Cola Alarm clock through Avon; fell in love with it the moment I saw it and it brought back memories of times gone by. It looks great, but it ticks loudly and boy, talk about a rude awakening! When that alarm went off and I found myself jumping off the bed, hitting the ceiling, falling on the floor and then scrambling to shut the thing off, I knew the love affair had ended. It was packed away never to be seen again.

I've gone without a clock for sometime now, relying on my cell phone alarm function or using my old palm pilot as an alarm clock. Well, this week I decided it was time to get a real alarm clock and a trip to Target proved fruitful. Introducing

The Emerson Research Alarm Clock. Ah, technology has finally caught up with the times (and the needs of certain people). This thing is amazing!! From the fact that it sets itself, yes people, you don't have to tell it what time it is, just plug it in and let it do its job - and it's accurate!! Then there's the usual dim feature that lets you determine how bright you want the display to be, thus preventing you from seeing those red numbers even when your eye lids are closed.....one of my requirements. But the best part is that the alarm is graduated!! No more rude awakenings!! Graduated just means that it will start low and increase in noise level gradually, allowing you to wake up at your own pace. Yes, yes....I know this specific function has been around for some time now, but I've never encountered a clock that wouldn't rush through the process - this one allows you to wake up without rush, quite pleasant if you ask me. Emerson, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

All Clear!

2008-03-01T21:13:00.006-07:00

I was window shopping when I came upon this at IKEA, and it was love at first sight. These are brand new and each cost $89, a bit more that I would normally pay, but when you're in love nothing else matters. So I kept "exploring" and came across this wonderful round glass top table that matched perfectly; they had the ugliest chairs with it, but I took matters into my own hand and dragged my new love over and voila!

Aren't they perfect together!! Great for my limited space, and once I move to a house it can fit perfectly in the kitchen, don't you think? I know, I know.....I sound like I'm trying to find a good excuse for shelling out $500 for plastic from IKEA. It should be clear to everybody that I was blinded by love!

Help fight hunger in America for free!

2008-02-28T22:33:00.009-07:00

Barilla is donating $1 to Second Harvest every time we download their celebrity cookbook titled "Celebrity Italian Table". It's a beautiful book behind a wonderful idea - I'm all for the desserts featured, especially the Lemon Tart. So help fight hunger in America by downloading this book now!!

Mac, PC and Me

2008-02-28T20:42:00.007-07:00

I just bought an iBook - no, no.....I have not gone to the dark side....yet....just got frustrated with my laptop and decided to try something different.When I bought my laptop a little over a year ago, I was looking for two things - a 17" screen and a full keyboard, like a regular desktop. It was difficult to find, but I found it, fought for it and got it. The day I opened the box I got an inkling of what life with my new laptop was going to be like - the thing was HEAVY. But I was in love, it had a huge screen and I had a full number keypad, so I was happy. Okay, so I had to compromise and stop carrying it with me everywhere, because the thing was a back breaker - still is. I even bought a special backpack WITH wheels and handle, so I could carry the thing around more comfortably. We've lived together for over a year, but lately the relationship has soured a bit. The thing has become extremely slow - I was told that spyware can do that to your PC so I followed everybody's advice and installed software to remove it, bought an external drive and moved all my files to it, yet......the thing is still very, very slow.

My Mac user friends are no help, they keep hinting to their superiority because they don't go through these things with their superior equipment - surely made by the Gods (have you noticed how all Mac users drive Volkswagens?........but I digress). Those who know me understand my addiction to electronics (I can give up chocolate and soda, but not my gadgets) So, it didn't take me much - I decided I needed to try out a Mac and opted for an used one (heck, I wasn't about to shell out $2k for a new one, that's for sure!) so I logged onto e-bay and bought myself an iBook - I need to point out that what I paid for the used iBook would have gotten me a brand new laptop or desktop (PC).

Nevertheless, I apparently got myself a pretty good deal, for Mac standards. The new laptop came loaded with everything I need - let's compare:

PC Pros:

Lots of software

17" Screen

Full Keyboard

Easy to use

Did I mention software

PC Cons:

Heavy

Susceptible to viruses and spyware

Battery heats up rather quickly and stays very hot f.o.r.e.v.e.r!

Mac Pros:

Small (half the size of my PC - I purposely bought a 12")

Light (like carrying a book, my shoes are heavier!)

Doesn't heat up as much

Mac Cons:

Not easy to learn - couldn't figure out how to connect to the internet, where are the instructions!

Where is the forward delete?

Why can't I use the control key to copy and paste?

Where are the Home and End keys?

Where are the instructions!!!

Did I mention blogging is not as easy on a Mac? It's doing stuff I didn't ask it to!

It's only been a day since I got it, so I'm still learning - my Mac friends stopped returning my calls, but that's okay......I'll find somebody else to harass. Now I have to come up with a good excuse as to why I need two laptops - perhaps....one for home, one for travel?

Sedona

2008-02-23T04:50:00.004-07:00

Not everything is ugly in Arizona. When I finally erase AZ from my map, I intend to leave a couple of areas......the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Prescott....maybe even Flagstaff, but definitely Sedona. I was there yesterday scouting the area for an upcoming event and although it was cold and very, very wet, it was still majestic. The picture does not do it justice, you had to be there. If you ever visit AZ, you must definitely take a trip to Sedona (skip Phoenix).

Do YouR ParT!

2008-02-21T20:56:00.005-07:00

Disclaimer - I do not believe Al Gore's nonsense about global warming, he's an alarmist, but that doesn't mean that I cannot take advantage of the trend and look good doing my part. Aren't these cute? I don't know if they are practical, specially the water bottle - looks hard to clean. The mugs leak if overturned, but who cares.....they look good!

I got one of each, under the excuse that I had to get one set for home and one for the office......I think I need one for the car too since I spend enough time in it. Didn't like the "Fern" design, but the Poppy is just beautiful and the "Do Your Part" is brilliant........one complaint though.........why do they make these for left handed people? Why can't the put the print on both sides? I'm right handed and already know what the message says...I bought it after all; I want everybody else to see that I'm doing my part! I spent the whole morning holding the mug on my left side just so others could appreciate it. I know, sad.........but I looked good.

Get these at Pottery Barn - don't bother trying their website, mostly sold out. Go to the stores while supplies last!

BTW

2008-02-20T21:34:00.002-07:00

I still hate those *&^%$ emoticons!

I'm sorry if I seem frustrated, but....

2008-02-20T20:58:00.006-07:00

Today H told me that s/he had read my blog and I seem a bit frustrated - I must admit that I've been in a bad mood lately and it's apparently reflecting on my blog; for that I apologize to all, specially to H, but I have good reasons; let see.......I'm stuck in Arizona, where segregation is alive and well, and where everything tastes like Mexican food, even at the Chinese restaurant. I'm home sick and just when I was planning to visit my family for longer than 3 days, I get sick enough to merit some tests which force me to cancel my plans and stay put. One of my doctors told me nonchalantly that I would have to get used to the "discomfort" because another surgery was not an option, since the first one was a difficult one to begin with. I'm waiting for the results on two more test, and although these took place two weeks ago, my doctor is apparently too busy to call me to discuss.........I'm glad to see that business is booming. My asthma is getting worse, I'm sure not because of the quality of the air here in lovely Phoenix......surely not because of all the construction going on, no, no......I'm sure it has to do with my lungs being underdeveloped. To top it off, I'm under a lot of stress at work and if that was not enough, today I missed the lunar eclipse because it's cloudy outside. And if that wasn't bad enough, tonight I find out that my ultimate fantasy about Gene Simmons has already been enacted........without me! At least it wasn't with Omarosa, that would have caused some serious trauma. So you tell me if the forces of the universe have not conspired against me! So H, my apologies to you, but I think I've earned the right to be in a bad mood; besides, didn't I warn you not to read my blog this month? (I know I'm going deeper into the levels of hell for this one.......what am I at? level 6.....7?

Those &%^$*# Emoticons

2008-02-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

Can I tell you how much I hate Emoticons? I hope that those heavy emoticon offenders are reading this and learning something. Why, oh why, must you insert a *&^%$ emoticon to make a point!! WHY?!! But..........do you want to know what bothers me more than emoticons? Well.........do ya?! I'll tell ya, Forty (40+) year-olds USING THEM!!!! I have two friends over forty who both feel the need to insert one of those &%*#$ emoticons every other word when communicating with me via MS Messenger - *&%$!# annoying! I particularly hate that one with the rose........where did they find that?........what are they trying to tell me??? If we had been on the phone I would have hung up!!!

Emoticons are so over, so please give it a rest!!!! And you know who you are!!

Very Good, but Depressing Movies

2008-02-02T23:59:00.000-07:00

The movie makers have all conspired to depress me to the point that I don't want to leave my house. When did I become such a fatalist!

Let me explain, I finally decided to go see "I Am Legend" a few weeks ago, and the whole 'end of humanity' story left me very depressed, because let's face it, it's possible (well, maybe not the vampire part, but the rest is quite possible). So, I decided I should cheer myself up by watching a comedy and went to see "The Bucket List", which was quite funny, but just as depressing - bittersweet if you will. I was very sad after that weekend, thinking of my own mortality and all.

Ahh, but TV is not far behind - did anybody see that show telling you the 10 things that could destroy life on earth? Well, in short, if Yellowstone blows, we all go. So what's the point of going on living then!!! Where am I going to go when it happens.......they said it's due, overdue........oh well, I better go see Old Faithful before it blows so I can at least say I saw it all before it was destroyed.

And, as if that wasn't depressing enough, today I went to see "Atonement" - more death and sadness. At to make things really, really bad, I also saw "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". This last movie being the most depressing of them all, because although it was a great, excellent movie, I stopped eating my popcorn within the first two minutes because what happened to this man is one of my greatest fears. I've since been wondering, how could you prevent the doctors from keeping you alive in that state.......do I carry a note inside my pocketbook with instructions not to resuscitate me if I die? Would they find it in time? Would my family contest it? At one point in the movie the man says he wants death and the speech therapist gets upset with him, "how dare you" she tells him - my question to her would be, how dare YOU!! you're not the one trapped in a dead body with the ability to see and think, but at the mercy of those around you, how dare YOU! Easy to say when it's not happening to you! The thought of that happening to me terrifies me! And yes, there are those who would say - "But look at it this way, had the doctors not saved him, he would have never written that book" - well yes, but then he died two days after the book was published, so in truth, he never benefited from it other than to get his story out for posterity. Then I would have to ask, aren't we being selfish by wanting a man to stay alive in a vegetative state not only to make us feel better that at least he's "alive" but that he wrote a book for US to read and benefit from HIS experience. No thanks, let ME die - my body, my decision.

Phoenix, Arizona

2008-01-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

After living in Phoenix for the last 2 years, I'm still surprised by it. I have not been able to get used to the way of living in Phoenix, this barren desert scape. When I hear the word forest I expect lush trees, not a couple of Saguaro cacti sprinkled through the landscape - it's still alien to me. I won't lie to you, I miss the East, the architecture, the trees, being able to go for walks in my neighbourhood without feeling like I could be assaulted at any minute, or that the neighbours are going to call the police on me because I look like I don't belong - there's no in between here in Phoenix. Don't get me wrong, Phoenix has beautiful places, and the historic districts are just amazing to behold, I really love the architecture - things you definitely would not find back East. I love driving around and "discovering" these little gems hidden in the chaos that is Phoenix. I still can't get used to the fact that you could be driving through a main street and not know that a block away to either side there lies a beautiful neighborhood of houses that's just about 10 blocks long, surrounded, of course, by ugliness. And I have proof, in pictures, to show you.

I've always liked heading home through 3rd Street because some parts of it is lined with beautiful trees and reminds me so much of home, but yesterday I happened to look to the side, as opposed to up ahead (quite dangerous if you're driving and the car is in motion at the time). I saw something interesting, and since it was daylight and I had nowhere else to be, I decided it was time to explore. Here's what I found:

Driving North on 3rd Street on a rainy day (it does rain in Phoenix, although not often). Nothing special about the neighborhood, right?

Turn right and Voila! the landscape starts changing. Beautiful palm trees line the street - big deal, you say, there were palm trees on the previous picture. But you're missing the bigger picture here! Look closely.........there are other kind of trees here, luscious trees.......and the grass actually looks like it belongs, but wait!

At this point I was dreaming I was back in New Jersey! (that would be the Garden State, for y'all). I had to resist the urge to park the car and get out for a walk because, 1.) It was raining, and 2.) I'm sure the neighbours would not appreciate it - people would not appreciate that in these parts, but more about that on another post.

And here are the houses that share this neighborhood! I really like this house, but the volleyball net up front kills it. I'm sure the neighbors don't appreciate the eyesore. But look at the details on the balcony rail, love it!This is across the street from the previous one - don't let the picture fool you, it's pretty big. That red car looks so out of place, though.

Look at this beauty!!! I want it, I want it!! Look at all that vegetation, can you believe this is Phoenix!!

Look at all this greenery!!

Wait a second......what is this house doing in Phoenix? So out of place, but so beautiful!! For a bit I can feel back home again!

Ah, but wait........the landscape is about to dramatically change. Let's say you turn left instead of right on 3rd Street.....what would you find?

How dramatic is this? And no, I'm not exaggerating, not even picking the ugliest picture......this is truly at the end of that street from the picture above it. So we cross the street to find.....

This.......not bad, huh?

Keep going.........

How is this for a rude awakening? Ahh yes, I am in Phoenix.

I'm on the pill.....

2008-01-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

Another Year Older, None The Wiser

2008-01-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

It's a new year and today I'm one year older. Time for the new year resolutions, and of course, time for a theme for the year. I've decided that this year is still "All About Me", but we'll making it even grander - the 2008 theme is........"It's all about me, and I don't give a damn!". No, no.....I'm not in a bad mood, actually, I'm in a great mood, after all......it's all about me, and I don't give a damn. I don't give a damn what others think, I don't give a damn about what others want me to do, I don't give a damn that people think I'm too old to follow my dreams, I just don't give a damn!!! So this year I put all my plans into action, because it's all about me and I don't give a damn anymore!! It's time to live!!

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T22:00:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to wish you all a happy new year, full of happiness, health and money - you do need the health in order to be around to spend the money that will make you happy, everything connects. Happy New Year!!! See you in 2008, let's see what that year will bring!

One of these three is luckier than the others..

2007-12-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

What do these three people have in common:

Genarlow Wilson

Wendy Whitaker

Jamie Lynn Spears

Do you give up? Two of them are not celebrities - well, maybe in their home town, and not the kind of fame they would like. Do you see a double standard here? I do - let's refresh our memories, shall we:

Genarlow Wilson: Spent two years in jail out of a 10 year sentence - the crime? Receiving oral sex from a 15 year-old when he was 17 years old himself. Here's the killer, the girl and the prosecution both agree that SHE was the one who initiated the deed, yet, because of an archaic law in Georgia he's sentenced to 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Read the whole story here. Next......

Wendy Whitaker: She is on the Sex Offender's Registry for - take a guess - Georgia, the crime? Eleven years ago, when she was 17, she engaged in oral sex with a boy then 15. She was charged with sodomy, read more here. And finally....

Jamie Lynn Spears: She engaged in teen sex with another teen, she's 16 and he's 17 - now she's pregnant and flaunting it to the world. Yet......social services is not involved, the other boy is not in jail for statutory rape, and the story is being SOLD to the tabloids - somebody out there is making good money out of the fact that these kids had sex and are about to bring another kid into the world. So what's different in these stories? Well, for one JLS engaged in actual sex and there's proof of it, well, the definite proof will materialize in a few months. And of course, the other two don't have the last name SPEARS. But just in case, I heard that the baby daddy is hiding.

I'm just glad I don't have any kids, what is this world coming to!!

Weather Today

2007-12-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

Today's weather for Arizona (The West) and New Jersey (The East) - not much of a difference, just that here in The West we're having a "Freeze Warning". I thought they were joking when they said that in the news last night.........this is Arizona.....Arid Zone, get it? They are all freaking out because apparently, it's supposed to go lower as the week progresses - better get that long winter coat out!!! (actually, saw a couple of people wearing those yesterday.......they've never been to NJ in Winter). Ah yes, all we need is snow now. Good thing my car is in the garage, because I don't have an ice scrapper.........I don't think they sell those here. I wonder if people are taking advantage of the post-holiday sales and stocking up on de-icer?

P.S. I Love You

2007-12-23T09:28:00.001-07:00

Sometimes there's only one thing left to say.........don't read the book before the movie! I have painfully learned this lesson with both P.S. I Love You and The Kite Runner. Both movies were done well, but the book was so much better. I understand that if they stay faithful to the books they would have to do sequels, but then again......that didn't' work for Harry Potter, did it? I'm a big fan of books on tape (or CD) and when they get the right narrator you can see the story unfold in your head like a movie. For P.S. I Love You the narrator was Bernadette Dunne and she did a fantastic job, able to portrait each character distinctively, accents and all. Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing the movie, it was cute and the truth is I only saw it so I could see Gerry on a big screen, but....it really bothered me that they took such creative licenses with the book..... and the casting, well.........it was not all that good. Let's start with:

Harry Connick Jr. - He can sing, he can sometimes act, but this time he came across as retarded and I'm sure that after the premiere......when he saw himself on the big screen....he painfully realized this. Harry, stick to singing for the time being, and if you feel like acting just go Broadway. Let's move on to:

Hilary Swank - this is a comedy/drama, a dramedy if you will, and it's very difficult to pull both at the same time. She managed to do it most of the time, but sometimes it was overacted and it felt utterly fake. They also concentrated too much on her outfits and at times I felt like I was watching Anne Hathaway in "The Devil Wears Prada" - don't get me wrong, the outfits were really, really cute and she looked very, very stylish, but totally, totally wrong for this movie. Moving on to:

Lisa Kudrow - based on the previews everybody thought Lisa would steal the show, but she did not - she was totally miscasted as far as I'm concerned. And they should fire the person in charge of her makeup for this film, probably the same person who did Julia Roberts for "Charlie Wilson's War" - she looked old, and at times even decrepit.......and the hair.......the hair just doesn't work for me. Lisa, go back to healthy-looking flat hair, this style makes it look like you got electrocuted! And lay off the eye makeup!

Kathy Bates - Kathy, don't listen to the nay-sayers who think your time has passed and you should be happy to have supporting roles in comedies such as these. They are wrong! Look for parts that really suit you..........this one was not it, you pretty much killed the movie for me!

As for Gerry, well....he can do no wrong in my eyes, and not because I love him, but he did a great job with what he had to work with. Albeit, I'm afraid that it will not do much for his career because, although they sold this movie to us claiming he was in the lead role......he was just a supporting actor for Hilary's movie.

And finally, what's his name........James Dean something.......ah, Jeffrey Dean Morgan - well, I went to the movie not too thrilled about him and came out pleased. For one, he finally shaved - he was starting to look sickly; overall I was pleased with his acting, well done Jamie....err....Jim? Jeffrey!!

Bamboo Fabric - Who Knew!

2007-12-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided to do a little (just a little) research on Bamboo fabric and here's what I found out:

Bamboo fabric is a natural textile made from the pulp of the bamboo grass, has many unique properties and is more sustainable than most textile fibers. Is light and strong, and is to some extent antibacterial. It resembles cotton in its unspun form. It is very soft and can be worn directly next to the skin - I can attest to that, but it still shedding on my clothes. Bamboo has many antibacterial qualities, which bamboo fabric is apparently able to retain, even through multiple washings. This helps to reduce bacteria that thrive on clothing and cause unpleasant odors. It can also kill odor causing bacteria that live on human skin, making the wearer and his or her clothing smell more sweet - oh yeah, that describes me truly. In addition, bamboo fabric has insulating properties and will keep the wearer cooler in summer and warmer in winter.

There you have it, the virtues of Bamboo Clothing!! They just need to figure out how to make it washable, and how to stop the shedding.

* Hmmm, I just had a thought - what if, in the not-so-near future, somebody decides that we need to exterminate the pandas because those pesky creatures cannot stop eating the precious bamboo? I'm depressed now.....will not buy any more bamboo products, don't want to contribute to the annihilation of the pandas.

Not So Green After All

2007-12-22T09:28:00.001-07:00

Oh Crap! I've just been informed that "Bamboo fabric products are just Rayon with a new name". Don't know for sure if this is true, but it took a load off my shoulders. I've been unable to sleep just thinking that I may be deemed an "environmental wacko" just because I liked the softness and the color of a blanket, which happened to be made out of bamboo fabric - which by the way is shedding all over my clothes..........really visible on my black ones, quite annoying actually.

Don't get me wrong, I love this Earth, and think we have to do something to be less dependent on fuels and take care of our environment, but I don't subscribe to the Al Gore camp of doom - sorry, well...not really....I'm not sorry. I think this planet of ours is a living one and will take care of itself, and these climate changes happen all the time - we simply haven't been around to notice it before....ask the dinosaurs, oh crap.......they're not around anymore. I guess we are next on Earth's list of "things I need to get rid of". Evolution people! If only Earth could be more selective about the order of disposal......I think Politicians should be next.

As Green As I'll Get

2007-12-18T00:32:00.000-07:00

I refuse to carpool, switch to a hybrid.....well, maybe when they perfect the Lexus......and do not recycle (it's not mandatory here in Phoenix, apparently). But I'm trying to do my part, and if it comes in the form of luxury, the better. I bought this lovely throw, just because it looked soft and it was my favorite color. Imagine my surprise to find out that it was made of bamboo! Yes, bamboo!! Of course they added other synthetic fabrics to make it usable, but it's 100% bamboo. I didn't even know I was going green!!!

I should go buy myself something just for being good.......a reward of sorts for "going green". I wonder if they make towels.

Noche de Las Luminarias - Phoenix Botanical Garden

2007-12-16T13:12:00.001-07:00

This Friday I finally made a trip to the Phoenix Botanical Garden to enjoy La Noche de Las Luminarias. It was freezing!! Super cold, but I was happy because it reminded me of the East - yes, yes, yes.....I know, only I can miss that this time of the year. Anyhoo, it was a clear and beautiful night and I thought I would practice my night photographing, since it never worked for me in the past. I think the pics came out okay, you can enjoy them all by clicking on my flickr link.

About The Luminarias:

They close the Botanical Garden and convert it in this wonderful candle light park, featuring music and food. It's very romantic and I felt kind of funny being there by myself, but it gave me the opportunity to take as many pics as possible, without interruption. They feature all kinds of musicians, from a holiday appropriate Handbell Choir - I spent about an hour listening to them, it was the closest I could come to a white Christmas here in the desert, to a Latin group called Cascabel - loved their music, it was quite enjoyable. They had many other bands I didn't get to hear, but I was enjoying the Handbell Choir, indoors....warm....all that was missing was the apple cider, the fireplace and the snow.

Loved this tree! It's just a dry branch painted white and decorated with lights, and silver leaves, quite pretty. May do one for my house to keep all year 'round! Check the rest of the through my flickr link, enjoy!!

Southland Tales

2007-11-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to give a heartfelt thanks (and hugs) to Ata and Rocky Johnson for producing such a fine specimen, their son Dwayne Johnson (The Rock - and he rocks). I have a thing for Dwayne (can't you tell?) to the point that I would go see whatever movie he's in, regardless of whether it's a Disney movie - The Game Plan - or an obscure movie like Southland Tales. I can predict that ST will follow the path of Donnie Darko, but I have to admit that I wasn't too impressed with Dwayne's acting. I blame the director, I'm sure D was only doing what they told him to. And besides, I only went to see the movie so I could see him on a big screen......I wasn't really concentrating on the dialogue, really. I drove about 20 miles to the only movie theater in Phoenix showing this movie, just to see him......I know, I know..........I can't be helped. And that smile of his! He should be doing Orbitz commercials, because when he flashes those pearly whites I go blind! I wonder if he needs a personal assistant......D, call me!! I'm available.....sort of....

I Never Saw It Coming....

2007-10-18T23:25:00.001-07:00

Just when I was saying (and thinking) good things about Arizona, something happens to bring me back to reality. Would you believe that somebody stole my license plate today - and yes, that's a singular, one license plate. Arizona only issues one license plate, it saves a few millions a year. Anyway, back to my one license plate, the one I refused to commit to memory.....too many numbers already stored in my brain. Yeah, the same one which the officer asked for, same one I couldn't find any record of on my insurance card, at which point I wished I had memorized it....yeah, that one. Dear God, please let this be the end of the bad luck, not the start.....I have places to go this weekend!

Beware of "The Hub"

2007-10-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

On my recent trip to Florida I asked for a window seat at check-in. I was told the only one available was on "the hub", and I, not thinking, said "okay". Well......I'm writing to warn you about "THE Hub". The hub is nothing more that the first coach seats right after what they consider first/business class - row 10. What's bad about it? It's like going from a three lane highway onto a one lane dirt road. They fit three coach seats where two big business class usually fit. The arms don't move (this usually helps when sitting down and trying to find your seatbelt) and the space between the back of the seat in from of you and your face is about 6 inches. Quite bad for a 5-hour flight, but my seat companions and I took it all in stride and spent the whole flight making fun of the situation. The dingy curtain they have separating both sections added to the hilarity of the situation. In all fairness, I have to say that on the next flight I got a few more inches to my face to back-seat ratio. Got to love AirTran, but more about that on another post....got plenty to say.

Tea Time

2007-10-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

On my last day in Florida, as I frantically searched for a store where I could buy typical food from the Caribbean to take home with me, I came across the most unusual place. And I say unusual because it seemed so out of place in this humid, Caribbean-like setting...........a British Marketplace. Yes people, Ft. Lauderdale has a British Marketplace full of wonderful chocolates, teas, creams.......even a tea room in the back!!! For such a thing I would consider moving into a humid, roach infested climate......for good tea and clotted cream. I, of course, had to venture in and buy stuff, mostly chocolate and cream....yes, glorious clotted cream. Let me tell you people, that for this cream I endured hell at the airport and had to go through the line twice. Yes, because I tried to take my luggage on the plane, but because it contained liquids they wouldn't let me.....unless I forgo such items. I was ready to give up the bottle of perfume and the water, but not the clotted cream.....no siree, so back to the check-in counter I went, praying that my cream would make it through the next 8-hours journey back home. And it did! and here I am enjoy a piece of heaven! Oh well, what can I tell you, little things make me happy.

That Swamp They Call Florida

2007-10-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

Just came back from my trip to Florida, the swamp state. I want to know why they make fun of the swamps of NJ (my home state) but give Florida a pass? As you arrive to any Florida airport the view from above shows that there's very little land, just swamps - it always brings back memories of Flight 800, accompanied with panic attacks. Florida is one big swamp, roaches and all! Very humid too.......I asked the - apparently - stupid, but - as far as I'm concerned - logical question..."sooo, how many months does this humidity last?", "Twelve" was the nonchalant, with a hint of sarcasm answer - yeah.....who in their right mind would move there? Have a couple of years in the dry heat of the desert made me forget what it was like in New Jersey during the summer? Apparently. I have to tell you, three days in Ft. Lauderdale and my much maligned Arizona was starting to look good! Yes! This trip was that bad!

For the love of Chocolate

2007-09-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

You go on a diet and is a cue for everybody to come up with all these wonderful recipes with chocolate! Evil!! And I love all the strange combinations....things you wouldn't normally think of pairing (except the tuna, cauliflower and beets dinner from yesterday......that was weird and plain nasty....but I digress). Here are links to two recipes that look and sound yummy, even though I would not have thought of adding chocolate to them. Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread. Do you love me now?

By the way, have you tried www.clipmarks.com? It allows you to clip things from the Internet and save them in a centralized location. You can clip anything from articles, pictures, recipes (hint, hint). You don't have to save links to your "favorites" anymore when all you want is a specific article or picture. Brilliant!!

God Must Be a Man....

2007-09-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

.....because if God were a woman she would not give men faster metabolism. How is it possible that men and women share the same diet and the men lose 10+ lbs while women only lose 2 or 3? Have you seen "The Biggest Loser"? Week after week, all men lose 10+ lbs while the women lose 2, 3 at the most......pathetic!

I did this 3-day diet that promised I would lose 10 lbs, and only lost 2.5, while my male friend lost 14!!! Come on!!! Okay, so some of you will say that 2.5 lbs is a sensible weight loss for 3 days of dieting, but I wasn't looking for the sensible diet.....I was looking for the miracle diet! I want to clap my hands and be skinny again, like magic! And to think that for 2.5 lbs I ate more vegetables in three days than I have in the last 20 year!! If I see another beet I'll gag! Who can eat two cups, TWO CUPS of beets!!! And no, I still don't like broccoli, nor cauliflower......the Devil invented those two vegetables!! They stink and taste funny! The only way they taste good is if they're fried and eaten with marinara sauce - anything that's fried tastes better (now we know why I need to diet). Nicole from Pinch My Salt tells me that if I try her broccoli recipe I would learn to love them, and I have to admit it looks good.....but did you notice that they are what I call "oven fried"? with all that oil? Ha!! Like I said, anything fried tastes better!

That said.....I will do the diet again next week, because after all, I do understand that 2.5 lbs is not bad and they add up. Before long I'll be skinny again!! And who knows, I may develop a taste for those two nasty vegetables.........nah! I give myself another week before I try coming up with alternatives for beets. Can't someone come up with an all cake diet?

Conspiracy Theory

2007-09-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

Whenever you're on a diet everybody conspires against you! Cake and junk food just about everywhere! And those tv commercials, make you crave a different kind of food every minute....pizza, hamburger, ice cream sundaes, french fries, etc., etc., etc. But today even in the Novelas (Hispanic Soap Operas) they had delicious cakes, for crying out loud! I think is a message from God telling me that I'm not meant to diet, don't you think?

I started this 3-day diet a couple of days ago, and day two is so far the hardest; but....as the name says, it's a 3-day diet so I can go back to eating normal soon. Yes, you're skeptical, and so am I, that's why I'm doing it. Everybody who recommended it has lost weight, so why not try it? Only bad thing is the amount of vegetables they make you eat - I haven't had these many in the past 10 or 20 years combined!! Thank God we live in the age of diversity in foods and I've been able to find vegetables that I would consider eating without gaging. I truly hate, HATE green beans, but wouldn't you know it? they make them pickled!! Yes, and they taste good, not like vegetables at all, so of course, I bought those. It was hard eating one whole cup, but I managed without getting sick. Broccoli and Cauliflower have proven a bit more difficult, I hate those just as much but thanks to Mrs. Dash butter flavor flakes - it saved the day! I know I'm breaking a couple of rules here, but I can feign ignorance......they were not specific!! One big, not quite pleasant, surprise was cottage cheese. I thought it would be sour, but it was okay. Downing a whole cup of the stuff was very trying, but I managed and survived. We'll see how much I've lost once this diet is over, and I'll let you know the results. No more vegetables!!!

3:10 to Yuma

2007-09-17T00:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, I gave in. I've forgiven Russell Crowe and he's back on my beige list, not quite on the white one yet. The man can act, there's not two ways about it. He's really good, so I've decided to ignore his tantrums, his "strong" personality, the phone throwing and all that.....we're back in good terms. If you haven't seen this movie, you must. It's packed with action, and the one surprise for me was Peter Fonda. I knew he was on the movie, but didn't recognize him until half way through - not that he has changed much, it's just that I have this romantic picture of him in my head and he kind-of deceived me - I was looking for the long hair and not facial hair. He's pretty good too, and they're talking Oscar contender, hope he gets it. "3:10 to Yuma" was a nice surprise, right up there with "Death at a Funeral" - speaking of, one of the actors from this movie makes an appearance at "3:10..". A must see. I give it an A-.

Need Not Apply

2007-09-06T00:53:00.000-07:00

I always joke that when I die I will definitely go to hell, because it's more fun....better music, no angels singing a chorus all day long keeping you awake. I used to tell people that just in case I was working on my resume so I could apply for the devil's right hand position, just to enjoy some privilege - I think I'm good for the job. Then I landed in Arizona and learned what hot really means. Humidity or no humidity, it's still hot! And it has made me realize that maybe, just maybe, a job in hell is not the best thing........it's bound to be super hot, probably hotter than AZ........those singing angels are starting to sound good to me now.

Death At A Funeral

2007-08-27T00:22:00.000-07:00

No, no........nothing like that happened to me recently, knock on wood, I'm talking about the movie! This weekend I went to see this wonderful British comedy and I highly recommend it. It was a laugh fest from beginning to end. Of course, since it's not a commercial film it will be limited to specific theaters, but if you have the opportunity to see it and are in need of some good laugh, by all means, go see it! It will not disappoint.

And while we're at it, last weekend I went to see "Goya's Ghost" and "Becoming Jane". Liked them both very much; "Becoming Jane" the typical Jane Austen film, a "chick's flick" if you will, but I was in the mood for that kind of movie - right up there with "Miss Potter". As for "Goya's Ghost", I liked it very much, surprised that Javier Bardem was the actual star of the movie and not Natalie Portman like they led us to believe with the previews, that was a happy surprise - nothing against Natalie, just a pleasant surprise, that's all.

There's something wrong with my Universe

2007-08-22T23:40:00.000-07:00

Now I understand what my Brazilian friends used to say about Brazilian Novelas translated into Spanish. They used to laugh because the voices sounded funny to them, but I didn't understand because it sounded okay to me. Well, this weekend I got it.

I love foreign films, Asian ones in particular. Chinese movies are full of drama and action, but the one thing I love the most is the details, the scenery, the colors.........every mood of the characters changes with the colors, just lovely. I had rented this movie called "The Promise", and based on the previews it promised to be spectacular! When the movie started I was a bit taken aback when everybody started speaking English - I thought to myself, "wow, the Chinese are now catering to the American market and have actually made a whole movie in English, how interesting". As the movie progressed I found myself kind-of disappointed, it was not what I was expecting, what I was accustomed to. Maybe I was too tired, but this movie was going to be a big disappointment - nothing was making sense, the words didn't fit the mood of the characters and frankly, it was too Americanized. Then something quite funny happened.............one of the characters started sounding like Sean Connery.....hmmm........then, another one of the characters used the "b" word and that's when my Universe turned up-side down. That definitely couldn't be right, and that my frieds is when I came to the realization that maybe this movie was dubbed and I needed to change the settings on my DVD player. Well, that's exactly what I did, and after changing the language back to Chinese, and adding subtitles, my Universe was right side up again. I, of course, had to start the movie again because now everything was back to normal and the characters were making sense.

Why couldn't the English translators be a little more faithful to the original script? Why did they feel that by using American words people would relate better? It truly made a difference when I changed the language, the movie went from bad to really spectacular, because now the voices went with the characters and the appropriate words were used - Chinese movies don't use the "b" word, and Chinese swordsmen certainly don't sound Scottish, that's just wrong! But all is back to normal in my universe.........but why is Sean Connery dubbing (badly) Chinese movies? Is he in need of funds? Did he think we would never find out?.....hmmm.......

Pillow Fight!

2007-08-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

I was driving on highway/route 51 heading north on my way to the mall to pick up a couple of things when I hit a bit of traffic just 3/4 miles before my exit. As I was thinking how much the forces of the universe like to toy with me by making me hit traffic when I'm almost at my destination, I came upon the most bizarre, yet wonderful scene.

(click on the pics to better understand what I'm describing)
It was like a pillow fight in the middle of the highway! And I found myself wishing I could legally stop the car, get out and run through this cloud of feathers!! These hasty cell-phone pictures don't make justice to the scene - it was like snow! I actually heard the angels singing and time slowed down when I drove through this cloud of feathers. This goes back to my post about strange things you find in the middle of the highway here in AZ - can only imagine how these "fell" out of the truck. This afternoon I drove the same stretch of road and there's about three pillows on the side of the road, and feathers for about 5 miles! Brought a smile to my face.

El Cantante

2007-08-14T19:41:00.000-07:00

I went to see "El Cantante" over the weekend with a friend, and to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. I wasn't planning on seeing it, but when my friend called late Sunday afternoon, I was in the mood to get out of the apartment, so I said yes and I'm glad I did. I'm not a fan of Jennifer Lopez, and was not a fan of Marc Anthony after he divorced his wife - whom he had married twice (some girls love punishment) - in order to marry Jennifer. I was totally disgusted with both of them, but heck, the critics said they had chemistry on-screen and I wanted to see if it was true....especially after Jennifer's couple of fiascoes with Ben Affleck. Well, the movie was good, I really enjoyed it and even forgot that it was Marc Anthony I was watching on the screen. The music brought back memories from my childhood and made me proud to be Hispanic and be able to dance to the beat. I even learned a couple of things about salsa that I didn't know before. That said, I was a bit dissapointed on the fact that they focused too much on Lavoe's drug addiction and not enough on the music, which was sad considering that Lavoe was a salsa music pioneer. They also didn't do a good job translating the Spanish parts, which I don't have a problem with - the perks of being bilingual - but an English speaking person would be lost. This movie caters to Hispanics, and Hispanics only - mostly those from the Caribbean and salsa buffs. All in all, I truly enjoyed this movie, might even buy it when it comes out on video. Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez have somewhat redeemed themselves in my eyes.....somewhat.

You Know You've Hit a Milestone When.....

2007-08-09T23:40:00.000-07:00

.....your doctor tells you that you need more fiber in your diet and recommends pills. I have to admit I'm a bit traumatized by the visit - when you see these fiber commercials, the people they feature don't look anything like you (or maybe my delusional mind tells me so). All I know is that of late, every time I visit the doctor I go home feeling older, depressed and wondering when did I get here? I have to admit that my doctor is very smart, she practically told me I'm old and decrepit and convinced me to get more fiber in my diet by telling me that another patient of hers lost about 30 pound by simply adding fiber to his diet, not changing anything else........that's all a woman needs to hear in order to give anything a try! Very slick, doctor! It took me about 5 hours to realize that I had just agreed to take fiber and that it pretty much means I'm not as young as I used to be. I'm just waiting for those dreaded words that I'm sure are coming soon...."have you had a colonoscopy yet?".

Coyotee Cowboy

2007-08-08T01:52:00.000-07:00

I was window shopping in Old Town Scottsdale and came across Dusty here. He's just hilarious, check out the pose - the person who made him has a wonderful sense of humor......I wonder if the other coyotes find this an undignified way to go.......I wonder if he's for sale.....

Could this be the reason why.....

2007-08-08T01:39:00.000-07:00

.........I find so many things, big things, in the middle of the highway - odd things like, oh...I don't know......couches, trailers......unusual kind of stuff. Imagine being behind one of these at the moment they're dropping their precious cargo in the middle of the highway.......and just in case the Forces of the Universe are in a bad mood today, let me get out of the way!

Just Plain Nasty!!

2007-08-07T00:12:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to start my diet to lose those extra pounds, and this product nearly ended that resolution. I had picked this up at the pharmacy over the weekend, all excited because it was lactose free and gluten free - a plus - not to mention that it was coffee flavored, which would substitute Starbucks....or so I thought. I was so excited up until the time I opened the can and the most disgusting, foul smell assaulted my nose! This was just plain nasty, and I didn't need to taste it to figure it out! IT SMELLED LIKE TUNA for heaven's sake! If you want to get people to vacate the immediate area, open one these and wait. Heck, I can still smell it - it has permanently penetrated my nostrils. The people at Slim Fast should remove this from the market, just plain nasty! Evil, I dare say!

Hmmm, I think the forces of the Universe are sending me a message.....

2007-08-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

I was reading Crazy Aunt Purl's entry for August 1, 2007 and it hit home. In it she talks about making a house a home, de-cluttering and living for today. As I read I realized she was talking about me......then, after reading some of the 200+ comments she received for that post I realized that there's quite a few people like myself out there. I don't know if this realization should make me happy that I have company or sad that there's so many people like us. It gave me an incentive, albeit small, to start de-cluttering my home and my life. And as I write this I'm laughing at myself, let's see how long THAT's going to last! You see, I have a bunch of stuff that has been in storage for years. I've been carrying it around with me, not doing anything about it, collecting more and more, but finally this year I decided it was time to part with it - if only the planning wasn't so exhausting I would have finished this project already!! I spend so much time thinking about what I'm going to do and how to do it that I end up not doing it! Exhausting!!

Well Laurie, I think I'm going to challenge myself, and if you can do it so can I!! I'll give myself a deadline and see what I can accomplish - I'll try to keep the planning part to a minimum (yes, I'm already making to-do lists and putting everything into action.....in my head, I'm telling you, it's exhausting!). I think 10 weeks sounds good, so I'll try it and see where it takes me. Check back with me in 10 weeks, I'll take before and after pictures.

And as I try to figure out how to get started I ponder.......how did she get that many people to read her blog? I'm so easily distracted.......

Say it isn't so, Al!!

2007-08-01T12:53:00.001-07:00

I just can't help myself! This is funny, check this link out http://www.theonion.com/content/news/al_gore_caught_warming_globe_to

Now you see it......now you don't.......

2007-07-31T21:26:00.000-07:00

Finally decided to clean my desk! Here is the before picture:

And here are the after shots:

And you're asking yourself......how? Well, it was very easy, I simply took an empty box and put everything in it......then I attached a note to it that says "TO DO LATER" and put it away. There! Easy isn't it?

Read This (if you're on Al's bandwagon)

2007-07-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to say much on the subject, I'm just open minded and hope that so are you - there's always more than one side to everything and this is America...........Al is sure making a lot of money by scaring a lot of people......just check this out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNK2Z825BXD9PWVP, and that's all I'm going to say...........for the moment.

I know, I know......

2007-07-29T21:32:00.000-07:00

I know I said I was throwing in the towel as far as cupcakes were concerned, but the other day we held a bake sale to benefit a charity and I couldn't help myself!! These look absolutely beautiful, but I have to admit that because I was watching TV I ended up leaving them about 10 minutes longer than desired, but they still tasted good and sold, which is more important.

More pictures please!

Bottled Water vs. Tap

2007-07-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

There's an underground movement urging Earth citizens to stop buying bottled water and just refill a water bottle with tap water when needed. Cheaper, convenient and saves the planet. I don't know you, but I'm already doing my part - I don't buy bottled water (yes, even here in AZ.........NY water was sooooo much better; thankfully, I have Britta). But for those of you who need some encouragement, check this out:

PepsiCo Inc. is the latest company to offer some clarity about the source of its top-selling bottled water as it announced on Friday it would change the label on Aquafina water bottles to spell out that the drink comes from the same source as tap water.

Aquafina is the single biggest bottled water brand, and its bottles are now labeled “P.W.S.” The new labels will spell out “public water source.”

“If this helps clarify the fact that the water originates from public sources, then it’s a reasonable thing to do,” PepsiCo spokeswoman. Michelle Naughton said Friday. Aquafina water is taken from public sources then purified in a seven-step process.
So you've been paying for the same product that is readily available at your house for free? I wonder if people will stop buying it now? But wait, PepsiCo is not the only one.....

The corporate accountability group is also pressing for similar concessions from The Coca-Cola Co., which owns the Dasani water brand, and Nestle Waters North America, seller of Nestle Pure Life purified drinking water, which gets some of its water from municipal sources.

Dasani’s Web site says that Dasani comes from local water supplies, is filtered using a process called reverse osmosis and enhanced with minerals.

Must pause here to let you know that "Reverse Osmosis" is readily available for in-home installation - it's widely used here in Arizona; Don't be fooled by processes you haven't heard
about before, they're not really doing something radical here, you can do this at home.

“We don’t believe that consumers are confused about the source of Dasani water,” Coca-Cola spokeswoman Diana Garza Ciarlante said. “The label clearly states that it is purified water.”
Show of hands! Who here knew that "Purified Water" meant tap water? At least Dasani doesn't have the picture of a mountain on it's label, to mislead the consumer that it comes from some spring somewhere in Colorado (that's what I always thought..........and from France! Dasani is a french word, isn't it?)

Anyhoo, you can check the whole article here: http://http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19985269/

And for the fun of it, check this out (found while looking for the meaning of the word Dasani)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dasani
Make sure to check the reaction of the UK consumer, and furthermore, check out the References and Footnotes section, it's just too funny! (poor Claire and Brad).

Rainbow Bridge - the shot that almost killed me.

2007-07-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

People, I almost died getting to this place just to take this picture! Next time I'll simply buy the postcard! That said, Lake Powell is the best vacation spot so far! You get to see nature art at its best, and get to swim in a lake without worrying about sharks getting you from below. Highly recommended, and if you can afford it, rent a boat house. Do skip the trip to Rainbow Bridge, unless you're doing it late in the afternoon when it's not that hot; definitely avoid doing it at noontime like I did.

About the Trip:

You take a four our tour through the lake, wonderful scenery, refreshingly cool "ocean" breeze - very deceiving, since it was over 100 degrees. Once you get to the destination is when they decide to inform you that in order to get to Rainbow Bridge you have to hike 1.5 miles - then they challenge you by telling you that a 93 year old woman did it before you, so of course, you have to try it. Well, half way through I was sure that 93 yo woman was dead and buried somewhere in this canyon! Man was it hot! They tell me I looked like a tomato, for real, and then I get there, take this picture and........????......that's it!? Should have stayed on the boat and bought the postcard! Frankly, the natives are missing a great opportunity for income here. I say they put misters throughout the path to the bridge, with a couple of parasol and water stands - I would have paid $20 for a bottle of water!! Dude, it was hot!! And not even a tan for my troubles, I'm just as pale as ever, except for my arms which did get burn a little. Hope you enjoy this pictures that almost killed me.

Not even Africa hot

2007-07-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

The weather for today says "112 degrees, mostly sunny" - what do they mean mostly sunny? It's 112 degrees!! I need them to be more specific, is it one lone cloud that's going to grace us with it's shadow? How big is it, and at what specific time of the day will it go by my house so I can go out and see this miracle. They must be kidding me, and on Wednesday it's going to be 117 degrees (click on picture to see larger version).....I don't remember last Summer being this hot, but they tell me that I may have blocked it out....a traumatic experience indeed. New Jersey's humidity is not looking so bad right now.

The other day I was coming out of the movie theater and happened to look down and see a penny embeded into the asphalt. I remember thinking that it must be really hot for the asphalt to melt and that penny to get there. Well, really, it's hot in here. How do people live in such conditions? When it gets this hot you really don't want to leave your house; the heat comes at you from both the top, via de sun, and the bottom, via de hot asphalt..........you feel like you're getting an instant tan. God forbid you leave any kind of aerosol can in your car, because the heat will turn it into a projectile. Whose idea was it to build this city in the middle of this oven? I know, they were copying Vegas, but Vegas doesn't feel this hot. Heck, my African friends tell me that it's not this hot in their country, and I believe them! Anyway, just thought I'd mention it because I have to head out and am not looking forward to it. No wonder the roaches here have that "crispy" look to them......they're toasted!

It's all about the weight!

2007-06-20T23:30:00.001-07:00

No, I'm not talking about human weight, diets or anything like that. This is an update on the tire situation. You see, like any savvy shopper I decided to check out all the deals available to me before spending $500 on the purchase of four new tires, so I went to Sam's club and this is what happened:

Me: Hi, I'm here to price some tires, here's what I need.
Tire Guy: Okay, the cheapest ones we have are $65 each.
Me: I didn't ask for the cheapest - I actually want Dunlop, the same ones that came with the car, I don't want cheap because that's what got me in trouble to begin with.
Tire Guy: What do you mean?
Me: They told me that the fact that I have one different tire is what's making the car shake so much.
Tire Guy: Well, not necessarily. Let me take a look at your tires, you may not need to buy all four.
Me: Are you sure? They told me that they were not good and I should replace them.
Tire Guy: I don't work on commission, like those other guys. Regardless of whether you buy tires or not, I still get paid the same so I have nothing to gain by scaring you into buying new tires.
Me: Okay, I'll pull over.
Tire Guy: Hmm, they look fine to me - let's check the weights, I have nothing to do right now so let me balance them and check the weights. It will cost you $15 and if the problem persists and you need to come back for the new tires then we'll deduct it from the price.
Me: Okay!

So I went shopping while they did this, which too less than 1/2 hour.

Tire Guy: You're all set, the weights were off in a couple of them and I cross-rotated them. You should be fine now, plus you have a least 6,000 miles to go before you need to replace these tires.
Me: And you don't think I'll have a problem.
Tire Guy: Drive it today and if you still have a problem come back tomorrow and we'll change the tires.
Me: Okay, thanks for your help, here...
Tire Guy: No Ma'am, we're not allowed to accept tips. There's no need for that, thanks is all I need.
Me: But take it, you've helped me immensely and nobody is looking!
Tire Guy: No Ma'am, thanks is all I need.
Me: Well, thank you very much then!

And guess what? I've been testing the car and it's back to normal! So I didn't need new tires after all! How sad it is to be misinformed and have people take advantage of you. Good thing there still are honest people out there.

It's the tire, stupid!

2007-06-17T15:55:00.001-07:00

My car was a couple of months old when I moved from New Jersey, the Garden State, to Arizona.....dusty Arizona. Shortly after moving here I started having problems with my car. When the car started shaking I assumed I would probably need an alignment - the car had been like that since I had one of my tires changed a little over a year ago and I had pretty much ignored it. You see, my tire blew out in the middle of the highway on my way to a job interview. The car was in such good shape then that I barely noticed the problem, I just heard a bang and a loud noise that continued for a couple of miles, but since I was in some sort of raised highway and the noises do change as you change road types, I simply ignored it........what?, the car didn't move! I didn't feel a difference at all, and I was going over 70 mph! Anyway, by the time somebody caught up to me and was able to point at the problem, the tire was useless so I had to replace it. Ever since, my car has been shaking a little, specially when I go over 70 mph, but I assumed I had done some damage by driving with a bad tire for a couple of miles so I just ignored it until I could afford to go to the mechanic. Well, it's been a little over a year and ever since the brakes were changed a couple of months ago, the situation has become increasingly worse until I finally decided to do something about it. Took it to a trustworthy mechanic whom, after thoroughly checking the car in my presence pronounced the problem to be the tire. Ha! I was so skeptical! The tire? What does that has to do with the alignment? But heck, he's the mechanic, let's humor him. As he explained it, the fact that the one replacement tire was different from the other three, although the same size, it would make a difference, so I was better off by buying two matching tires and replacing the mismatched ones. So I went to the tire place to inquire about price and that's when I found out that I had one tire not like the others, and I'm not talking brand here. Who knew that there's more to size than what's actually printed on the tire?

Tire Guy: Who sold you these?
Me: hmm, you did...
Tire Guy: Well, my guys didn't pay attention because they gave you a D tire when this car clearly needs H tires
Me: Uh?
Tire Guy: Different type, it would make a difference
Me: I did notice that the car started shaking right after the new tire was installed!

A pause here to ponder.............why the heck didn't I go back and mention to them what was obvious to me from the start? That the car started shaking the minute they put a new tire on? Ah, because I trusted them to know what they were doing it, and I blamed myself for something I imagined I had done to the car, the way I drive, the Arizona dust, you name it! The lesson here, again, never assume anything!! Would it have cost me anything to go back and have them check it? NO, but I was afraid to look like I didn't know what I was talking about so I let it go.

Tire Guy: Let's go inside so I can give you some options
Me: Okay
Tire Guy: Two of your tires and in bad shape, and that other one you have to replace - we can use it as a spare tire
Me: So I came for two tires, now I need three.....we may as well just put all four tires and save me similar problems in the future, don't you think? Get me the same, Dunlop or Michelin.....I won't take anything else, this is Arizona after all (ha! how quickly I would change my mind!)
Tire Guy: Okay, here are the prices
Me: Is that just for one tire?!
Tire guy: Yeap
Me: Hmm, can you get me something good a bit less expensive but not as cheap as the one you got me before.....the one that got me in trouble?
Tire guy: for the H type we have these.....we don't have them in the lower quality, like the one they sold you before
Me: The one you guys sold me before......okay, what's the total for all four?
Tire guy: With replacement guarantee, installation, for four tires.....
Me: We're talking here almost $500!!
Tire guy: We can have your car out in 45 minutes
Me: Dude, do I look like I have $500 spare change in my pocket? I would have to think about it, do some research and get back to you!
Tire guy: That's all fine, but I don't recommend driving any longer on those tires
Me: Don't jinx me, scare tactics will not work on me - I've been driving fine with these up until now. They need changing, but it's not happening today.
Tire guy: Thanks for your time, here's my card, call me when you're ready
Me: Will do

What can I say? If you car starts shaking, would you know that there's a possibility that you have one wrong tire? Wouldn't you promptly assume the alignment is off or the tire pressure is low? Well, you learn something new every time and I'm passing along the knowledge.

Throwing in the towel

2007-05-30T01:28:00.000-07:00

I give up! I will never be one of the "Daring Bakers" - this cupcake thing is not working out. After trying a couple of them, the one that "did me in" was the rum cupcake - my supposed favorite. Everything went wrong midway through the process, the cakes came out fine, but when it came time for the frosting, my stubbornness got the better of me. I insisted on the Meringue frosting, furthermore, I made a double batch. It was wrong from the start, but I'm not one to give up that easily so I pressed on - and although I knew it was wrong from the moment I started whipping it, I kept at it and somehow convinced myself it would work. Went ahead and piled it up on top of my beautiful cupcakes - at this point my brain started mocking me by reminding me that I had paused in front of the already prepared frosting at the supermarket and had opted not to buy that $1.79 container.......the same one that would have saved me all the trouble just now. But I was overly confident, super optimistic that this would work out in the end.....hopefull???........so I went to bed and woke up early in the morning to what I knew was hopeless.......the "meringue" was kind-of melted on top of my beautiful cupcakes. What to do, what to do! I had to bring the cakes to work, and I just couldn't show up with that mess, so I had to get ready, run to the supermarket to buy that container of frosting I should have bought the day before, run back home to fix the cupcakes and go to work - all in 20 minutes! Done, and I learned both my lessons - 1. You will never be a good cupcake decorator, 2. Just in case you decide to try, always keep a can of frosting at hand.

Cupcakes!

2007-05-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Don't know when it happened........perhaps when I saw the Bobby Flay Cupcakes throwdown, but by the end of the episode I had 4 or 5 unique - or so I think - cupcakes recipes. Introducing Tres Leches Cupcakes!! I'm sure I could do a better job with the aesthetics, but the idea is pretty good, or so I think, and this first batch tastes good too!

This is my second foray into cupcakes........last week's "specimen" is worth not mentioning, a disaster as far as I'm concerned. Execution was all wrong, although people were impressed with the use of my "not-so-secret" ingredients. The meringue topping was all wrong though.....good thing I discovered Meringue Powder this week, because you see, I insist that all my cupcakes be dressed in Meringue because that's what I remember growing up with, so there! Anyway......I think a new career is being born here! Maybe the psychic was not wrong after all when she predicted that I would be working in the food industry - notion I dismissed right away, right after I started wondering why I was paying this person to tell me nonsense. We'll see where this takes me! Next week, Rum Cupcakes!!

Temporarily Out of Service

2007-04-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

The title refers to me, since I'm on medical leave due to surgery - therefore, temporarily out of service. For those of you who know the circumstances of my surgery, all is well, I'm recovering and trying not to depend too much on pain medication. Still not 100%, but getting there...albeit slowly, but surely. Thanks for all your good wishes and words of encouragement, they're much appreciated. If I don't pick up your calls is not that I don't want to talk to you (well, maybe yeah), it's probably because I'm either sleeping or in pain (Mom keeps waking me up, but I keep answering her calls because she's a Mom and she's worried). I'll be back posting soon, in the meantime have a happy and safe Easter - time for reflexion.

What the *&^%$?

2007-01-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

What's up with this crazy weather? And no, I don't want anybody quoting Al Gore. I'm talking about the fact that it's been freezing here in Phoenix......ARIZONA! Yesterday and today in the morning was 35 degrees!! 35!!! I was freezing and looking for my long wool coat and gloves. The funny thing is that everybody here, including myself, is in denial! We're all running around in short jackets, or just sweats - because we're in denial, don't believe that it can be so cold here in Arizona. Yesterday morning, as I was leaving my house around 8:45am - complaining of the weather and wishing I had put on my long coat, I was somewhat relieved that I had decided instead on a short leather jacket - even though I was FREEZING - but at least I didn't look out of place, because everybody else was freezing as well, nobody was wearing a coat. Heck, the day before I was wearing a sweater with a hood and flip flops.........freezing, but at least I looked good! I fit in! I'm just hoping that the weather will warm up because I didn't move from lovely New Jersey, the Garden State, to freaking Arizona so I could freeze my butt off!

29 Again!!

2007-01-14T11:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had a shared birthday celebration with a lady that works at my firm and all our co-workers. She said she was turning 29 again, and I thought it was a grand idea since I don't remember my 29 birthday, so again it is!! We had a grand celebration and I got a chance to talk to a lot of people about things that don't usually come up at work, but more about that later. We had great food, great company, home-made birthday cake and a great time. Added a few New Year resolutions to my list, but again, more about that later. Happy birthday to me!!

I Love Lemons!!!

2007-01-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

Lemons, lemons, lemons!! Put them on everything!! I simply love lemons, and don't ask me when the love affair started, I don't know.......I was born loving lemons! Mind you, yellow is definitely not my favorite color, but that's a conversation for my therapist. Lemons! You make lemonade, squeeze them on meat, chicken.....yes, trust me, it just gives it a different flavor. Mango salad with lemon juice, yummy!! Of course, there has to be salt to compliment the lemon, but we'll talk about my love of salt some other day. Did I mention that chicken with a sprinkle of lemon and salt tastes delicious? Try it sometime! And these, these beauties were given to me by a friend who heard of my love of lemon and send me these from her grandmother's house, directly from California..........not only do they have happy cows, they have the best looking lemons I've ever beheld! Que vivan los limones!!

Happy Birthday To Me (and my twin brother)

2007-01-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's January 7, and yes, it is my birthday, and I'm not celebrating. It's the big one, as far as I'm concerned, and from now on I'll count birthdays only every 5 or 10 years - it's been all downhill for a while now.

Birthdays have not been happy ones for me in a long time. Today, after reading somebody's blog about it also being her birthday and the anniversary of her father's death I realized why. My father died a couple of months before my birthday and before Xmas, a time that he cherished. For the first time since I left home, that year, understandably, my mother didn't call me to wish me a happy birthday. No birthday cards, no calls, no gifts......just silence. I remember wondering how could she forget, since my twin brother lived with her and would surely serve as a reminder. But I guess the death of my father was still fresh in her mind and she simply forgot to call me and wish me a happy birthday. I never knew how that had affected me until today, when I read that other post and realized that ever since his death I no longer cherished the holidays and my birthday as I used to. It used to be a magical time, the birth of Christ, the holiday decorations and specialty foods, the Christmas songs my father would listen to all day long while my mother and the maid would prepare the feast. He would sit in the terrace sipping our version of eggnog and singing along, happy memories. My birthday would be a day after Three Kings day, the date when we give gifts to the children in celebration of the day when the three wise men visited Christ and brought him gifts. It still a magical time for me, but without my father around it has lost some of it's magic. Happy birthday to my brother Amaury and myself, wishing for happier times with my family.

San Francisco Trip

2007-01-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

It seemed like a great idea at the time, but things have a tendency to go awry when it involves me. I wanted to see the New Year fireworks from a spectacular place, and Las Vegas was out of the questions because it gets too crowded to walk and I get claustrophobic, so San Francisco was the next best thing - I had hoped to see the fireworks framed by the Golden Gate bridge. I made all the plans, invited a friend to come at the last minute and got sick about 3 days before leaving. My first error was to assume that I would get better in time for the trip - in fact, I didn't get better until a day before coming back from SF. My second mistake was to assume that because it's warm and sunny in Arizona, it would be so everywhere else - no, in fact, it's Winter everywhere else and I realized it fully during this trip. My third mistake was to invite someone along - as bad as I was feeling, it would have been better to be alone than to pretend to be feeling fine for the sake of a companion who is not sympathetic to your plight. This is all I'm going to say about the bad aspects of this trip, from this moment on I'll share only the good ones.

Fisherman's Wharf - the main touristy area in SF, by the bay area. Whether you like seafood or not, it's the place to go. The small shops, the small restaurants, which I found surprisingly affordable for SF. The place makes you forget you're a visitor and don't really have a house in town to bring all the stuff you want to buy.......everything to please any gourmet! I was having a lot of fun going to all these litte shops, as sick as I was feeling. The smell of the ocean, the food - I'm allergic to seafood/shell fish, but boy, was I tempted to eat the crabs, the shrimp, the clam chowder.....all looked so yummy!!

And then, there's the well known spots: Ghirardelli's, where you must have a sundae or hot chocolate, you simply must!! Forget about buying the chocolate, they sell that all over America. Just go into the restaurant and have a Sundae! A great experience, but be prepared to wait in line - very crowded place. And of course, we must mention the Buena Vista cafe - affordable food and famous for it's Irish Coffee and seating family style. By that I don't mean that you sit and share with your family, but that you sit wherever there's an empty spot and share your table with total strangers who become friends by the end of the meal. I must say that SF has one of the friendliest people I have ever met! Everybody so nice and helpful, quite a pleasure. I of course, had 3 of the infamous irish coffees before stopping because I knew I wouldn't be able to walk to the bus - a must for anybody visiting SF!!

I must stop briefly to speak of SF's transportation - you really don't need to rent a car since transportation is readily available, affordable and the city is easy to navigate. All you need is a pass for whatever days you're in town, it will grant you access to all forms of transportation except Taxis. We bought a 3-day pass for $18 dollars and didn't need to bother with looking for exact change for buses and such, great idea. You should also get the SF Go Card, a great value for your money. It will grant you free access to most of what SF has to offer, and you'll get more that what you paid for with just a couple of uses.

On our second day there we went on a wine country tour through Sedona and Napa, included in the SF Go Card we had purchase. This was a 9 hour trip, visiting 3 wineries and learning about wine tasting, which I new nothing about. I learned that I definitely don't like red wine, dry wine, and absolutely love sweet wine which I was delighted to find out indeed existed - Riesling from Madonna Estates being one of my favorites. On our way there we stopped a this cute country store to buy snacks to fill our stomachs before tasting wine so early in the morning, and I fell in love with everything they offered - Garlic Artichoke Tapenades, Lemon Olive Oils, things I cannot find here in AZ, I was in heaven! Definitely a place to visit whenever visiting SF, or even if you live in the area.

On our third day, New Year day, we had to decide where to go in order to see the fireworks - the main purpose of this trip. My friend decided it would be nice to get on a boat to better see the fireworks, since they would be shown from the Bay Bridge as opposed to the Golden Gate. Although I new the fireworks would be just as visible from the pier, I agreed to this crazy idea - and a crazy idea it proved to be for Arizonans to be in the middle of the bay at midnight with only a jacket for protection, because you see, it's WINTER! Did I enjoy the fireworks? Don't remember, I was too busy trying to keep warm and trying to figure out how to work my new digital camera so it would capture nice shots - which didn't work, as show by the only picture I'm willing to post, the best of the lot. A word to the wise, if you ever go to SF to see the fireworks, do fall for one of those short trips on a boat to see them up close, because it's not the same as going on a big one, you end up on a dingy with questionable company and after the fireworks are over - around 12:15 am, you're still stuck in the middle of the ocean freezing and wishing you could swim over to shore. A miserable experience in fact. When I got back to the hotel around 2 am, my body was radiating cold as opposed to heat. This must be about the time I caught that cold which I brought with me to AZ.

All in all, it was a good trip, one which I must repeat my myself when I'm not sick.

Thanksgiving Trip - Part Three: Canal Street

2006-12-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

If you've never been to Canal Street/Chinatown in NYC, you must make an effort to go! It's a lot of fun, you can get a lot of stuff that you would find in regular stores at unbelievable prices! You'll find yourself haggling over prices with merchants for things that are already half or less of what you would pay at a regular store! It was cold and I needed a scarf, and they had these beautiful ones that I've seen at stores for $25 and up, and here they were selling them for $8 and I was haggling!!! Got it for $5, and no, I don't feel bad about it!! They sell lots of counterfeit bags, and you must be careful because it's illegal and the police is all over the place doing random checks, but it's a lot of fun nevertheless. You must, must go sometime! Make sure to sample the food they sell in the umbrella carts outside, chicken kebobs and my favorites, roasted peanuts, coconuts, etc. Love it all!!

Thanksgiving Trip - Part Two: The Food

2006-12-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

Ah, the food! Moving from the NJ/NY area to Phoenix has been a traumatizing experience for me, in terms of food. I cannot find any of the foods I'm used to, not in the supermarkets, not the same kind of restaurants.......a forced diet if you will. So this trip back home had to involve food - heck, I had an itinerary involving the kind of restaurants I would visit and what food I would bring back home - yes, I did bring food back home and it travelled well, even though it took 12 hours to get home this time.

Let's start with Thanksgiving Dinner at my cousin Maritza's house - oh, she made these traditional dishes in a different way, and it was just fantastic. For those of you not aware yet, I'm Hispanic, and we have a dish called "Pasteles" which is similar to Mexican Tamales, but totally different flavor. They, as the Mexican dish, are made in individual portions, but my dear cousin is a genius! She decided to make a whole pie thing instead and it came out great! I ate that all week! I also took the opportunity to make Cranberry sauce for the first time in my life, from scratch, and it was delicious....and so easy to make! My boss gave me the recipe for a glorious cranberry w/figs and port, she got it from epicurious.com at http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/105836, you must try it sometime.

Now let's talk about one of the things I went purposely to NYC to get, Tres Leches doughnuts from the Doughnut Plant - oh, it was worth waiting for!! You must go there, the place it's not anything out of the ordinary, it's very, very small, but God! Those doughnuts are to die for! The combination of flavors, it's amazing!! A must if you're ever in the tri-state area.

I also went to a restaurant in North Bergen, NJ, called "Mundo Latino" - doesn't really look like much, but the food is very good at a very reasonable price. My favorite thing though, was the Cafe con Leche - a Latte, our style. Oh, I've been dreaming about it since!! Which I could find a place that makes it here in Phoenix!!

But I'm saving the best for last!! My first day there cousin Michael took me to Rockland Bakery in Rockland County NY - right on the border with NJ. If you're in the area, this is a must!! Check out their website, http://rocklandbakery.com/index.asp, it's an experience suitable for the whole family! The storefront is only for desserts and for paying, you get your bread directly from the racks in the back! For those of you not familiar, Rockland Bakery supplies all the bread for all the restaurants and stores in the tri-state area. When you go into their "store" you get to pick your own bread right from the racks, fresh from the oven........and they have so many different kinds!! I was able to get Irish Soda bread, which it's quite impossible to find here in Phoenix - needless to say I brought some home and it made it okay! Great concept, great bread, lots of fun! A must see!

Thanksgiving Trip - Part One "The Departure"

2006-12-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a long one, so I'll separate it in segments to make it easier to read. I've already written about my ordeal coming back from New Jersey. Today I'll give you the story on how it all started.

I should have known from the start that the forces of the universe had it in for me, I should have known. It all started inocently enough; I didn't go to bed because I had to get up at 3am, leave the house by 4:30am in order to park my car at work - safe location - and wait for the cab who would pick me up at 5am and take me to the airport. Flight was leaving at 7:30am, so it left me plenty of time in case anything went wrong, which of course, it did. All went according to plan until I got to the airport; during the cab ride I was kind-of car sick and concentrating so much on not throwing up in the cab that I didn't realize I had left my carry-on bag behind when I got out. This is the bag with gifts and the most important thing of all, my digital camera. Let me pause here to make those of you understand the seriousness of the situation. Those who know me know how attached to my camera I was, it was the third in line - 1. the car, 2. the laptop, 3. the camera, 4. the cell phone, and 5. the palm pilot. When I realized what had happened, about 10 minutes later, it was already too late because according to the cab company, 1. they would not search the cab while a passenger was using it, 2. nothing was found once the passenger got out - I hope whoever has my camera enjoys it well - also hope they trip, fall and break something while using it. Yes, mean spirited, I know! This whole camera situation marred my whole holiday because I had to use one of those disposable cameras to take pictures - no zooming, no review and delete, no instant gratification! Thanks a lot pal! Materialistic? yes, I know, but cut me some slack here........I'm still mourning my loss.

United for Ted

2006-12-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

I always wondered who Ted was and why he had his own airline. Always thought he had such a big ego, naming the airline after himself....Ted....the planes looked like FedEx ones and nobody would tell me who the heck Ted was. I wondered if it had anything to do with good ol' Teddie Kennedy or even Ted Turner - but this Holiday I found out, it's none other than United. But I still cannot see the logic of naming the airline Ted, although "United for Ted" does sound funny.......makes me think of Ted Kennedy for whatever reason, so I'll just pretend that he owns it. I have to admit that although my experience with United was not a pleasant one, Ted does have a nice fleet with newer planes than United and plenty of leg room for everybody. Recommended!!

Hell is being stuck in Denver Airport

2006-11-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

It all started fine......boarded my plane in NJ, due to stop in Denver where I had about an hour to board the second plane that would take me to Phoenix. Ah, but the forces of the Universe had other plans for me..........in fact I think they tried to kill me this week, let me count the ways:

1. The plane from NJ arrived late leaving me with 10 minutes to run from gate 54 to gate 15 - both at opposite ends of the airport. Let me pause here to wonder why the heck they do this? Why would the airline give you connecting flights with such short time in between knowing full well there's a possibility that the first flight will be late thus leaving you very little time to board the connecting flight which may be in a gate located a mile away. Jesus H. Christ!

2. So, of course, I had to run through the airport only to have the door closed in my face thus missing my connecting flight. Ah, but this is just the beginning of my ordeal, because all that running triggered an asthma attack - mind you, I haven't had an asthma attack in about two or three years, and my doctors cannot decide if I have asthma or not. But this time I didn't need the doctor to tell me, I was sure I had asthma - the coughing, the wheezing, yep........asthma.......and I had no medication for it.........while stuck in freaking Denver airport. So I found a Hudson News store and bought some Benadryl, which took effect about an hour later, calming me down a bit.

Allow me to take this opportunity to give thanks to both Doctor Moon, the specialist, and Doctor Meisel, the general doctor, for not diagnosing this two years ago when I went to them with a chronic cough and a couple of bruised ribs after coughing non-stop for about six months and all they could do is keep changing medication every two weeks. The doctors in Phoenix took a second to come up with a diagnosis, confirmed by my own research on WebMD - my bible. Thank you Doctors, very much!

3. Now I'm on stand-by for the next flight to Phoenix, leaving at 7:45pm - about the time I would have been home had I made the first flight as planned. Well, we didn't start boarding until 7:50pm, which should have been my first clue that things were not going to be fine.........but I was busy worrying about Asthma to think too much. Well, luckily for me Benadryl makes you drowsy, because over three hours later I was still stuck inside the flying coffin on a runway in the middle of Denver airport. Yes, thanks to the snow and freezing temperatures the plane didn't take off until 11:20pm that night. I was supposed to be sleeping at home at that time. Now, let me be fair to the airline - United for Ted (more on the name later) - this particular plane was quite comfortable, seats with plenty of leg room and to make things sweeter, I was sitting on the aisle with an empty seat between me and the other passenger......sweet!

4. Get to Phoenix a little pass 1:00am, get a cab and head to the office to pick up my car, only to get there and find out that the elevator to the underground parking lot is locked. Thank God they had a guard who came over to open the door to..........the stairs!! So I had to drag my heavy luggage three stories down to the 3rd level - I was ready to ditch the damned thing at that point.

Finally made it to my car and got home at 2:00am - only to wake up at 6:00am to get ready for a doctor's appointment at 7:45am (same doctor who diagnosed my Asthma). What an ordeal!!

Up Yours!!!

2006-11-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

This is for the person who stole my camera over Thanksgiving weekend. I hope that you trip while taking a picture with my camera and break something, you *&^%$#!!