Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving for those who celebrate the holiday, and for those who don't, I hope you have many things for which to be thankful.

Thinking about that for which I'm thankful is a yearly exercise and an important one. It seems that the last few years have been the same, I'm thankful for the same things, and honestly, that's a good thing. That means my life is consistently blessed!

For what am I thankful? First and foremost, of course, my husband David. He's my heart, he believes in me, he inspires me, he props me up, he challenges me, he makes me laugh - all of equal importance - in short he loves me beautifully.

Then there are my friends. As I've said before I have several groups of friends corresponding to different aspects of my life - all are important, all are integral to my happiness. As an only child of a relatively small family, friends have always been important - but now they're more important than ever and I'm lucky to have a phenomenal group of people in my life.

My family. Now that both my parents are gone, most of my family are my in-laws. There's loads of them - and I just had Thanksgiving dinner with all of them! And there's also my aunt - my father's sister - and her husband and two kids who in turn are married and have two children each. Coincidentally, because life is like that, they live in New Jersey, about an hour away from my in-laws', so whenever we come for the holidays I see them. In fact we're having dinner with them on Monday.

My job. Yes, it's a painish and I complain, but I know I'm lucky to have a job and even more lucky that I enjoy it. It's a good company with great benefits. I'm definitely thankful for that. lease remind me about this in a week and a half when I have to go back to the office after being on vacation for two weeks.

My health. It's not perfect, there's a lot that can be better, but big picture - I'm so lucky!

Those are the big ones, but I'm also thankful for countless moments of joy and blessings.

What about you? For what are you thankful?

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!

Bah! I have a cold!

Really? Seriously? Four days before I take off on a road trip to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving I get a cold? A road trip when you're feeling like crap sucks - and I love road trips!

Having a cold and staying home sick was so much better when we were kids! Of course at the time I felt awful but looking back now it was great!

I would get to sleep in and watch TV all day. Depending on the time frame there were the game shows - $25,000/$100,00 Pyramid, Let's Make a Deal, Match Game, Joker's Wild, Concentration, The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, Hollywood Squares and so many more.

Then there were the soaps - never mind most of the time I was too young to understand what was really going on. Again, depending on the year there was Love of Life (raise your hand if you remember that one!), Ryan's Hope, Dark Shadows, All My Children and General Hospital - this was before VCRs, so it was the only way to catch up on your "story" until Christmas and Summer vacations. Oh and remember the talk shows? The Merv Griffin Show and The Mike Douglas Show were my favorites!

My grandmother would make me comfort food...of course, depending on what was wrong with me the food varied. If it was my stomach she'd make chicken soup with angel hair pasta, potatoes, malanga, etc. It was very close to this recipe in fact.

But if it was a cold, well then she had to feed me so I could get my strength back to fight the cold - which meant - lots of food! There was still the chicken soup, or sometimes she would make "potaje" which is kind of a soupy stew made with vegetables and meat run through a blender. I might even get my ultimate comfort food fried eggs and white rice!

And later when they got home from work, my parents might bring me a comic book or some other inexpensive trinket to distract me. Sleep, TV, good food and a toy! Such a deal!

But guess what! I stayed home sick yesterday. I slept in, watched TV and Hubby warmed up some left over take out Wonton soup and made me fried eggs and white rice for lunch! I didn't get an Archies comic book, but that's OK!

The Purse

Five years ago (how is that even possible?) I Blogged about a red purse I had bought and how out of character it was for me and how it was just sitting there...taunting me. I wondered if I would ever use it.

Five years later...I haven't. Don't judge me people!!! Maybe when I turn 50 and I can wear it with a red hat.

In the mean time, I have a new purse. See it up there? It's a Dooney and Bourke...the one with the duck logo. The one that costs $387 at Macy's. It isn't tacky for me to say it because I didn't pay for it. I would have to die and be reborn for me to spend that amount of money on a purse. Even if I had that kind of disposable income, there are about 7, 329 things on which I would spend that amount of money before a purse.

Don't get me wrong, the purse is *fabulous*, it's prettier "in person"...soft leather, a bunch of regular pockets and zippy pockets, a thingy to hold my keys so they don't disappear into the abyss that is this enormous purse. It's huge!

The reason I have this purse is because this year is my 15th work anniversary - YAY! For each milestone anniversary (5, 10, 15, etc.) we get a choice of gifts which increase in value as we get older. This time the selection was really good...there were flat screen TVs, jewelry, and even the really cool KitchenAid Stand Mixer.

I called Hubby to verify we didn't need the TV, but we came awfully close to getting the mixer. But I really needed a new "daily" or work purse. As I wrote in the red purse post, I really abuse my work purse but this bag has great reviews and you can tell it's well made and sturdy. I'm optimistic it will survive me for a couple of years at least!

Random Happy Makers

What makes you happy? I don't mean the big important stuff, I mean little, random stuff.

These are some of the things that make me randomly, maybe even only momentarily, happy...but enough to make me at least smile:

• Ladybugs
  
• Thunder and lightning storms when I'm safe at home and don't have to go anywhere
• A cold glass bottle of Coca Cola
• Seeing Hubby smile when he doesn't know I'm looking - he may be watching something on TV, or looking at something on the computer, whatever...
• Santa Claus at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
• A run-away balloon floating along...extra happy if it's red
• The sound of an ice cream truck
• Pop Rocks
• Dragonflies
• Watching a little kid spinning around for no reason
• Colored sprinkles
• Spiderwebs
• Rainbows (cliché I know)
• Watching old Cuban men playing dominoes at Domino Park
• My friend Cris' laugh
• Fair/Carnival Food (corn dog, cotton candy, etc.)
• Lying in a hammock
• Batido de Trigo (wheat shake)
• Craig Ferguson
• Red doors
• Sunflowers

How about you?

What songs would make your Top Ten Worst Songs list?

***Disclaimer: I have absolutely no musical talent and therefore have no business criticizing anyone who does. I do not claim nor believe these are *THE* ten worst songs ever – these are merely the ten worst songs for me. Having said that…prepare yourselves for my totally unsolicited opinion.

Hilda’s Ten Worst Songs List (#1 being the worst of the worst)

10 – Achy Breaky Heart – Billy Ray Cyrus – really people? I mean come on!

9 – I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder – I know, I know, Stevie Wonder! He’s a genius! Yes I KNOW, and I loves me my Stevie, but this song bugs me

8 – Seasons in the Sun – Terry Jacks – Oy! Just kill me now. “Goodbye Papa (pronounced PAH PAH) please pray for me I was the black sheep of the family”. I’m a fan of the tragic teenage death songs but this one…just no.

7 – Muskrat Love – Captain and Tennille – It’s about RATS! Or close enough. I so don’t need to know about Muskrat Suzy and Muskrat Sam jitterbugging in Muskrat Land. (shudder)

6 – Escape (The Piña Colada Song) – Rupert Holmes – This is NOT a romantic song people! It’s about a couple who were going out with the specific intention of cheating on each other! That’s horrible.

5 – We Are Family – Sister Sledge – I hate songs that repeat stuff over and over. This song irks me.

4 – Having My Baby – Paul Anka – Just ewwww. Creepiest.Song.Ever. Let’s look at some of the words, shall we?

“Having my baby,
What a lovely way of saying how much you love me, (What, she couldn’t get him a card?)
Having my baby,
What a lovely way of saying what you're thinking of me” (A phone call maybe? Just sayin’)

and

“Oh the seed inside you,
Baby do you feel it growing” (Do you really want to be thinking about Paul Anka’s “seed”?)

3 – My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion – “Celine Dion” and “Titanic”. ‘Nuff said.

2 – Barbie Girl – Aqua – Worst.Earworm.Ever. Pretty much everything about this song is bad. The lyrics, the voices, the music, the video, the bald guy. All of it.

And the Number 1 Worst Song Ever according to Hilda:

1 - Don’t Worry Be Happy – Bobby McFerrin – OH MY GOD! This song makes me clench. If I never ever ever heard this song again it would be too soon.

***Honorable Mention – And DO NOT JUDGE ME! – Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin.

OK stop.

I KNOW Led Zeppelin is considered by many as the ohmygod best band in the history of everything. Fine. I fully acknowledge their impact and importance and transcendence and influence and the fact they survived the use of unquantifiable amounts of drugs. And I love love love the Robert Plant/Alison Krauss collaboration Raising Sand. But Stairway… is just sooooooo long and pompous and that interminable guitar solo from hell.

I just don’t get it. So sue me.

A Little Catching Up

Before I start, here's an explanation about the image. I Googled in search of an image that would represent "playing catch up". Everything that came up involved seemingly not old enough to drink young adults drinking beer and/or liquor. Apparenty it is some sort of drinking game - I remain clueless. (sigh)

OK, so on to why I've been a dork and not Blogged in too long. No good reason at all. I have written a semi-longish draft about a serious subject, alas, I got over the righteous indignation that triggered it, so I may or may not come back to it.

Sooooo...what else? Well I've been dealilng with health stuff - I've been having constant body aches and general malaise for a long time now, so I finally decided to talk to the doctor. We're exploring several possibilities - none are serious thankfully. The leading contender seems to be vitamin deficiency.

One thing we did determine is that I have tendonitis on my mouse finger (right index finger) so today the doctor injected cortisone right into the tendon. Hey! Guess what! That HURTS LIKE HELL! She said it would be numb or tingly or painful for a few hours. Right now it is numb *and* painful, which I didn't think was possible, but surprise - it is!

Yes - I am typing through the pain - *that* is how devoted I am to you. Stop laughing.

Oh! And I fell on Monday. I actually fell...on the floor...hitting the ground. I hurtish my ankle. I am not amused. I got really pissed off. It was completely stupid. As I was telling my friends, if I had fallen while saving a child from on-coming traffic, or skiing, or parachuting, that's one thing - but really, walking into the kitchen to get some water before I went to work? No - that's just stupid.

So I'm kinda in a crappy mood. And sore. And my finger hurts. BAH!

Hopefully Lola will shuffle up something good for us tomorrow.

Hello, it's me

Remember me? I'm the lying liar who lies. (Hanging head in shame - and even now I'm shamelessly using a picture of a cute little monkey to garner sympathy!)

I know, I know, you have no reason to believe me this time - I'm not sure I believe me! But at this very moment I truly believe I will Blog with some semblance of regularityish.

So...Happy New Year!

What should I start with...oh I know...vacation!

Some of you may know that Hubby and I took a long trip up North (eek!) for Christmas to visit my in-laws in the Philadelphia area, which was lovely except that...IT SNOWED!!! Needless to say, I wasn't happy. I don't really "do" cold weather, much less snow. I do it wrong...I don't know how.

For example clothes. We don't "layer" in Miami, so that entire concept is lost on me. So then I wind up wearing a sweater, because the TV weather person is telling me it 24F outside. That's "sweater" weather", right? Hence...the sweater. Fine. But then I get where I'm going and they have the heater set to 75F which is NOT sweater weather. So now I'm hot and sweaty and yuck.

OK, next time I go out I put on a regular t-shirt and take a cardigan. And the never-ending "put on-take off ballet" begins. Getting ready to walk out of the house, put on the cardigan. Get into the car, take off the cardigan. Sit in the car just long enough for the temperature to get comfy then at our destination. Put on the cardigan, walk 10 feet to the restaurant - BOOM! 75 degrees - take off the cardigan. Now what do I do with it? Drape it over the back of the chair so that it trails on the floor and picks up restaurant floor ick? Put it on my lap so that I can't put my napkin there? Request an extra chair that it can be the purse and coat chair?

See? Complicated. In Miami you put on what you're going to wear and you're set. Magic! (sigh)

That's all for today. For mañana...maybe more. The intention is there. Really. No, seriously, I mean it.

Oooh! Tomorrow is Friday maybe we'll have a Lola shuffle or a Pandora shuffle. Excitement!

Back to School

image source

It seems summer vacation is ending much earlier than it did "in my day" (I'm over 40 I'm allowed to say that without irony). I did however start school slightly later than everyone else. Most people started school shortly after Labor Day, however, since I went to a very Cuban-American grade school (1st-8th grade) we didn't start until after September 8 which is the feast day of Cuba's patron saint La Virgen de la Caridad (Our Lady of Charity).

But my favorite part of going back to school was, of course, shopping for school supplies. Even now I'm a bit of an office supply junkie, but school supplies are so much better. Because I went to a private school we didn't have to worry about shopping for clothes because we had a uniform so it was all about the supplies. I know that today parents usually get a list ahead of time for what to get, but 142 years ago, when I was in grade school, the parents got nothing ahead of time. So before school started we would head off to the now defunct Zayre's, which was sort of like a Wal-Mart only not soul-suckingly evil, and buy general stuff.

General stuff was pencils - I would get 2 packs of pretty yellow unsharpened #2 pencils, a pencil sharpener - the black one with the domed plastic lid, depending on the grade either spiral notebooks or plastic three-ring binders with three hole punched college ruled paper, a wooden ruler, and starting around 5th grade we had to get ball point pens - a pack of blue, a pack of black and a pack of red. Then there was the matter of a carrying method - this was before backpacks and rolling suitcases were an option. When I was little I would get a book bag that looked like a soft sided briefcase with a buckle on the front - I can't find a picture of anything like it. Later on I was too too cool for book bags so I got those elastic book bands with hooks to hold the books together and hitched the pile of books and notebooks on my hip. Oh and there was that glorious time when the Trapper Keeper entered my life - as John Mayer said (although he was talking about the 80s generation it applies to me as well) it was "the genesis of obsessive compulsive disorder for my generation." I never needed a pencil case or pencil box because my mom would get me bank deposit pouches from work.

On the first day of school the teacher would give us the list of specific items we would need - crayons, scissors, and as we got older calculators, protractors, compasses (shudder!), etc. But best of all, we would get our books for the year. Again, because I was in private school we would buy our books, so each year we would get brand new books - people didn't sell used text books back then. I remember the crack sound when I opened them, the smell of new book...they were so pretty and shiny, so full of promise. Later that night my father would cover them, first in clear contact paper to protect them and then with whatever book covers I had chosen for the year which wound up lasting about a week tops. It was awesome.

Then of course, the second day of school we'd get homework and everything went downhill from there as I counted the days to the next summer vacation.

I hope everyone's 2009 back-to-school day is (or was) uneventful and full of promise!

image sources: pencil sharpener, elastic book bands, bank deposit pouch, clear contact paper

Question - When is a Cheetah a Chimp?

^ ^ above is a reasonable facsimile of what I was trying to draw ^ ^

Answer - When I have to draw one while playing Pictionary after imbibing in three "double" Appletinis.

See, it was my turn to draw and I swear I saw "chimpanzee", alas it was actually "cheetah". There were three couples and we were playing guys against girls, so when we were drawing, the boys got to look at the card. I kept hearing Hubby saying "is she drawing the right thing?" and I thought he was just making fun of my drawing skills.

Now I had the girls saying "monkey" but we couldn't quite make the leap to "chimpanzee". They didn't seem to grasp the *obvious* - I had drawn several trees and had the chimp jumping from one to another.

Of course there's also the matter that I don't really know what a chimp looks like. I think Tarzan's friend...OHMYGOD - ***LIGHT BULB MOMENT***! I just realized why I saw "cheetah" and thought "chimpanzee" - Tarzan's chimp was named Cheeta! DUH!

Seriously, I just realized this while I was writing it. I feel so much better now.

And don't "get all up in my grill" that a chimp isn't a monkey or doesn't look like my drawing - nothing I draw looks like what it's supposed to - that's my style. Yeah, that's it...it's a style called "hyper-unrealism" and I am its founder.

Ack! 46! Happy Birthday to Me...

Look! There I am! You know those pictures they take of babies when they're just born? The ones where it's virtually impossible for anyone to look good because OMG you were either just plucked out of a nice, warm, dark, quiet space into a bright, loud, cold room - or you had to go through the trauma of being pushed out of your little home and go through all sorts of unpleasant areas. And then what do they do? They take your picture! A picture that will endure throughout your life. Pretty sucky IMO.

Well, anyway, I don't think they were taking those pictures waaaay back in 1963, but if they were I never saw one of me. So, the picture I posted above is among the earlier pictures I've found.

And then there's this one:

...but I didn't want you to think I was grumpy. :)

So yeah, 46. I was talking to a friend of mine who turns 46 next month and we agreed that it's weird, but somehow 45 seems older than 46! Maybe because it's a milestone number but it sounds kind of matronly. So does 43, but not 41. See this is what happens when I start thinking about numbers. Not good.

I think I'm getting an iPhone for my birthday. Hubby and I are going shopping for it this weekend. Really the only reason I want one is because I'm guessing it'll sync up easily to my iTunes *and* because I want a Smart Phone so I can get that application where you can hold the phone up to the radio and it'll tell you the name of the song and who's singing. That is so cool. Oh, and maybe I can access Facebook from work - that'll be productive.

We're also planning to go for a nice dinner Saturday night. Yay! We're going to go to Flemings - the steakhouse. It'll be nice to get dressed up and go on a fancy date with Hubby.

I'll let you know how it goes...:)

Sidecar Saga

As you may remember, in March Hubby and I went to the Philly area for his sister's wedding. I had decided that my drink for the evening was going to be an old-school cocktail - the Sidecar.

However, when we arrived at the reception the bar had a menu of what they called "Featured Drinks" - various types of vodka drinks. I thought those were the only mixed drinks they would serve, so I *sacrificed* and proceeded to have a few "Appletinis". Then we toasted the couple with champagne, and of course with dinner I had red wine.

It wasn't until after dinner that I found out they made all kinds of cocktails. I immediately went to the bar and asked the nice man for a Sidecar. He gave me a blank look for a minute, then said that he had made them before but could only remember that brandy was involved. I had no idea what was in them, I just knew I liked them. The guy felt bad for me so he suggested a Brandy Manhattan, which replaces the whiskey with brandy. Again I *sacrificed* and had a couple of those.

When I returned to the reception area I immediately went to a friend of the family (one of my favorite people - he's just that fabulous!) who I thought might know the ingredients in a Sidecar. He's one of these people who should have been born in a different era - in his 30s but all about retro stuff...and debauchery. So you see, he was perfect! Sadly, he told me he didn't know. Dejectedly - while sipping on my Brandy Manhattan - I returned to my table and shared my tale of woe.

Suddenly, my brilliant computer god brother-in-law whipped out his...Blackberry (dirty-minded people!). He Googled the recipe! Just as someone at my table was writing it down on the back of the wedding favor engagement picture of the newly-married couple, the guy I had checked with earlier was at my side delivering the drink and a copy of the recipe on a wedding favor engagement picture! It turns out he too had "Blackberried" (is that a verb?) it and had given the recipe to the bartender. YAY!

Talk about synchronicity of brilliant minds devoted to the all important task of helping me get a cocktail. I have the greatest friends and family don't I?

Here's a picture of the hand-written recipe:

Needless to say - several Sidecars were subsequently consumed. That's me at the top of this post in my wedding finery and delicious Sidecar. Don't I look happy?

I Just Want To Be Mad

image source

This song by Terri Clark has been around for a while, and the other day in the midst of a full Lola shuffle (that's where I shuffle all the songs on my iPod and listen to everything) it came up and I was reminded how fantastic a song this is.

I think every woman who loves someone feels like this every now and then. You definitely love your partner - there's no question about that. You know this person is without a doubt the person you want to be with - but damnitalltohell they can pizz you off!

Most of the time it's just a quick kerfuffle, everybody yells, stay away from each other for a bit and then carry on normally. But other times, you don't get over it right away, your angry and frustrated and don't want to deal with your beloved - you just wanna be mad for a while. So, when your partner comes around and tries to be normal, or extra nice you're just not ready yet and sometimes it lasts for more than a day.

This song captures that emotional state brilliantly and in a way validates it. Like, it's OK if you're still angry when the other person is over it - it doesn't mean you don't love them it just means you're still pissed!

Here are the lyrics - seriously how perfect are they?

I Just Want To Be Mad

Terri Clark

Last night we went to bed not talkin',

'Cause we'd already said too much.

I faced the wall, you faced the window

bound and determined not to touch.

We've been married seven years now,

Some days it feels like 21.

I'm still mad at you this mornin'.

Coffee's ready if you want some.

I've been up since five, thinkin' bout me and you.

And I've got to tell you the conclusion I've come to.

I'll never leave, I'll never stray.

My love for you will never change,

but I ain't ready to make up, we'll get around to that.

I think I'm right, I think you're wrong.

I'll prob'ly give in before long.

Please don't make me smile.

I just wanna be mad for a while.

Well, now you might as well forget it.

Don't run your fingers through my hair.

Yeah, that's right, I'm bein' stubborn.

No, I don't wanna go back upstairs.

I'm gonna leave for work without a goodbye kiss.

But as I'm drivin' off, just remember this.

I'll never leave, I'll never stray.
My love for you will never change,
but I ain't ready to make up, we'll get around to that.
I think I'm right, I think you're wrong.
I'll prob'ly give in before long.
Please don't make me smile.
I just wanna be mad for a while.

I'll never leave, I'll never stray.
My love for you will never change,
but I ain't ready to make up, we'll get around to that.
I think I'm right, I think you're wrong.
I'll prob'ly give in before long.
Please don't make me smile.
I just wanna be mad for a while.

I just wanna be mad for a while.
I just wanna be mad for a while.
I just wanna be mad for a while.

How much to bail you out?

[NOTE: I got this from Facebook]

Read the "offense" and if you've done it, you owe that fine.

Keep going until you've read each 'offense' and added up
your total fine.

You don't have to confess your answers, just tell us the total fine by posting it in my Comments section.

My bail is $370!

******************************************

1) Smoked pot -- $10

2) Ever got drunk at work, or went to work while still drunk --$50

3) Cheated on your significant other -- $10

4) Been in love with two people or more at the same time -- $50

5) Said you love someone but didn't mean it -- $25

6) Went streaking -- $5

7) Went streaking in broad daylight -- $15

8) Kissed a co-worker-- $ 20

9) Kissed your boss --$50

10) Been arrested -- $5

11) Spent time in jail -- $15

12) Peed in the pool -- $0.50

13) Played spin the bottle -- $5

14) Done something you regret -- $20

15) Slept with your best friend >-- $20

16) Been in love with a stripper -- $20

17) Went skinny dipping -- $5

18) Been slapped-- $5

19) Slapped someone-- $5

20) Beat up someone -- $20

21) Been jumped -- $10

22) Ever had sex at church -- $25

23) Dated someone you met on My Space -- $25

24) Cheated on test -- $50

25) Vandalized something -- $20

26) Slept with someone in your parents' bed -- $100

27) Crossed dressed -- $10

28) Given money to stripper -- $25

29) Flirted with an officer to get out of a ticket-- $30

30) Been in love with a stripper -- $20

31) Kissed some one who's name you didn't know --$10

32) Hit on some one of the same sex while at work-- $15

33) Ever drive drunk -- $20

34) Used toys while having sex -- $30

35) Got drunk, passed out and don't remember the night before -- $20

36) Had sex in a pool -- $20

37) Masturbated -- $10

38) Cheated on your significant other with their relative or close friend --$20

39) Done oral -- $5

40) Got oral -- $5

41) Done / got oral in a car while it was moving-- $25

42) Woke up in the morning and did not know the person who was next to you-- $40

44) Slept with someone who has been in jail -- $25

45) Made a dirty home video -- $15

46) Plan on making a dirty home video in the near future --$30

47) Had a threesome -- $50

48) Had sex in a public place-- $20

49) Been in the same room while someone was having sex -- $25

50) Stole something worth over more than a hundred dollars --$20

51) Had sex with someone 10 years older -- $20

52) Kissed a teacher while you were still a student--$25

53) Lied to your mate -- $5

54) Lied to your mate about the sex being good -- $25

I'm Home!

Yes, we made it back last night. The drive home was relatively uneventful and loooong.

Today was my first day back at work and I had to move to another floor! That's always a pain, particularly when you;re me and have a lotta crap. As of right now I have stuff at two desks on two floors. Good thing: I got a window - YAY! Bad thing: air conditioning trauma, I'm hot and everyone else is cold - welcome to my world!

Nothing else for tonight, I'm just trying to get myself organized.

Yes, another Meme - 7 Random Things

I got this from Robin. I think I've posted a similar meme before, bit since it's random stuff, it's unlikely the same seven random things will come up again.

Official Rules:
Link to your tagger and list the rules
List 7 random facts about yourself
Tag 7 people
If you’re tagged, play along and pass it on!

My Rule:
I'm not tagging anyone, if you want to use this on your Blog, let me know in my Comments.

1. I need to get my bangs cut - I look like the Shaggy Dog (that was a movie right?)
2. I'm at *my* personal happiest place on earth - the Miami International Book Fair today! I'll post about today (Saturday) on Sunday and about tomorrow (Sunday) on Monday. Well, at least that's the plan.
3. I'm not going to continue watching "Dancing With the Stars" for the rest of the season - it's boring this year.
4. I'm fascinated by the whole Obama picking his Cabinet thing
5. I'm having a bad week of sugar readings...
6. I am way too amused by the "throwing under the bus" of Sarah Palin by the whining loser McCain campaign people. It's wrong, I know, I'm a bad person.
7. I like Rachel Maddow way more than I like Keith Olbermann.

OK, your turn.

Election Night

Yesterday I posted my emotions about Obama's election as President of the U.S. Today I'll tell you about how my night went.

First of all I was a wreck! Actually I had been nervous all day at work just itching to get home and start watching the news. I started watching CNN at around 6 p.m. Then, when CNN announced their first results - they had returns from 1% of Kentucky and McCain was winning! WHAT? I freaked! Seriously, my heart started racing and I was hyperventilating a little. I had just finished eating a delicious dinner Hubby made and I almost lost it.

Hubby looked at me and told me to go take a pill. When I told him I didn't have that kind of pill, he told me to find one. Mind you this was before 8:00 p.m. EST. He said there was no way I would make it through the night at the rate.

Then the stomach cramps started - hello IBS.

We watched CNN all night. Did you see all the cool gadgets and gizmos they had? The new and improved magic map, the exit poll virtual drawers, and the hologram thingy, we got to see a hologram of singer will.i.am! Actually, it looked exactly like the scene in "Star Wars" when R2D2 projected Princess Leia's hologram message to Obi Wan Kenobi! CNN also had an election thingy online where you could customize a page to track races in which you were interested, and they had an interactive map thingy where you could follow along as the results came in - fun!

Occasionally, as Obama's victory was becoming more and more of a sure thing, we'd flip over to Fox News to see if they were committing hara kiri or if their heads were exploding, alas - none of that.

We stayed up until around 3 a.m. We were too wired to go to sleep I guess. Or maybe we just didn't want the wonderful night to end...

Random Dots

• Last night I went to see David Sedaris "in concert". It wasn't a book signing at a book store, it was in a theater where he read from different sources. It was a surprise invitation from a dear friend, who advised that it was "her treat". How nice is that? It turns out to be exactly what I needed, a fun night out with a friend with whom I don't spend enough time. Before going to the theater we had dinner at her house with her 14 year old son who was a blast! We had bratwurst, macaroni and cheese, salad and my friend and I enjoyed a lovely Cab/Shiraz blend. We both realized it was the first time we had ever had macaroni and cheese with wine. It's a perfect pairing! Sedaris was fantastic. While I've read all of his books, except the most recent, I haven't liked them all - but he is fantastic in person. He's funny, irreverent, quirky, crude (but in a good way). If you ever get the chance to see him live, do so - it is totally worth it. and if you can do it with a friend all the better!
  


• While I was watching Sedaris, hubby was watching the Philadelphia Phillies winning the National League pennant and making it into the World Series for the first time in 15 years! YAY PHILLIES!



• Because of Sedaris and baseball, we DVRd the third and final (thankfully) Presidential debate. By the time I got home, watched the last 3 innings of the game with Hubby, watched the post-win celebration coverage and dealt with the plethora of calls from the in-laws in Philadelphia, we wound up watching the debate at around 12:30 a.m.. And then we watched the post-debate talking heads. I fell asleep after 4:00 a.m. - and woke up for work at 7:00 a.m. unable to pretty much move - my brain kept sending the signals to my body to move, but it didn't want to. After much cursing and sighing I finally dragged my caffeine-craving carcass into the office. Thus far I haven't fallen down, so I'm counting this as personal victory.



• Regarding the debate - you all know I'm an Obama supporter, so you know I think he won the debate. I will give McCain props for the first half hour - he looked good, made some good points and even got in a couple of good and fair jabs at Obama. Alas, then he started trying to rattle Obama and when that didn't happen McCain pissed himself off and went downhill from there. All the polls, except probably FOX News (DUH!) had Obama winning the debate handily. YAY!



• So about Joe the Plumber - no relation as far as we can tell to Joe Six-Pack - is not a licensed plumber. Oh, and the plumbers' union isn't happy with McCain's apparent appropriation of plumbers and in fact were the first labor union to endorse Obama. I don't know if that's important, but it amused me. Do you think Joe the Plumber knows about Andy Warhol ? Things that make you say hmmmm...

That's it for now...

My 45th Birthday Celebration"s"

Inspired by my friend Purplepassion I have decided to make the entire month of July my birthday celebration - particularly this year when I turn 45 years old. That's a big one - the ones with fives and zeroes are always big ones. Really.

So the day before my birthday my visiting mother-in-law made me a delicious birthday dinner - yes boys and girls I got Halupki! And homemade macaroni and cheese! Along with roasted asparagus and a diabetic-friendly birthday cake pictured at the top of the post.

Here's Nancy, the royal mother-in-law and Chef extraordinaire - the woman cooked for me on her vacation!

I had the appropriate Birthday Princess regalia...

...which I shamelessly wore and waved! (Note the royal stain on my shirt - halupki splatters a bit!)

Presents...I got presents, I got lots and lots of presents...preseeeeents...(props to David Letterman).

Hubby gave me perfumes and a spa day, in-laws gave me the dinner and $$$, and I gave myself a Passport which arrived just in time the day before my birthday! No, I'm not going anywhere, but I like to know I can.

On my actual birthday we went to dinner at a great all-you-can-eat seafood buffet in Islamorada in the Florida Keys. Here we are in the restaurant.

Here are Hubby and his Dad futzing with the cell phones...boys and their toys!

Hubby and me by the water in Islamorada. Seriously, are we not adorable?

So I've had a wonderful couple of days...and the month is still young...even if I'm not! :)

Meme! The ABCs of Me

What fun! I stole this from a favorite Internet forum.

If you want to play replace my answers with yours and let me know in my Comments!

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A is for age: 44

B is for birthday: July 8

C is for career right now: Technical Writer

D is for day and time you're doing this meme: Tuesday at 9:36 PM

E is for essential item you use everyday: Computer

F is for favorite TV channel: HBO

G is for favorite game to watch: College Football

H is for Home town: Miami, FL

I is for instruments you play: Sadly, none

J is for favorite fruit juice: Mamey

K is for whose butt you'd like to be kicking: No one's

L is for last restaurant in which you ate: TGI Friday's

M is for favorite type of music: Almost everything

N is for your full name: Hilda Ana Alvarez-Strang

O is for last overnight hospital stay: When I had hepatitis over 25 years ago

P is for people you were with today: My Hubby

Q is for your favorite quote: "Don't let yourself arrive at your grave perfectly preserved, made up, with every hair in place! No! Slide in sideways, body completely used up, mojito in one hand, chocolate bar in the other screaming, "WOO HOO! What a ride!" (Anonymous - modified by me)

R is for Biggest Regret: Not going away for college

S is for relationship status: Married

T is for time you woke up today: 9:00 am

U is for underwear you have on now: Panties

V is for vegetable you love: Onions

W is for worst habits: Eat too much

X is for x-rays you've had: Neck and foot

Y is for something yummy you ate today: Chicken Marsala

Z is for your Zodiac sign: Cancer

Why I Would Make a Sucky Polygamist Wife (alternate title: Why Not to Eat Leftover Shrimp Pad Thai with Extra Peanut Sauce after Midnight)

[WARNING: This is going to be a "what I dreamt last night" post, so if you don't like those you should probably "walk on by-y-y-y" (shout out to my girl Dionne!). However, before you leave you might want to consider that the post will include, among other things, Jennifer Love Hewitt and jarring fruit (talk about key word search combination!), just so you know.]

[[DISCLAIMER: This is in no way meant to criticize or mock people who choose a polygamous life-style, as long as everyone is consenting I'm cool with that. It's all about me. Really.]]

So I'm sleeping, minding my own business, when my damned brain decides to make up a dream, where Hubby and I, along with a lot of other people have apparently decided to become Polygamists and live in a Compound. Not a scary, creepy compound like the one that has been in the news lately - ours is really nice and modern and I didn't notice any kids, but then again, that happens to me frequently anyway.

We come in mid-story where Hubby has taken on Jennifer Love Hewitt (JLH) as a second wife. See, JLH is one of Hubby's real-life-never gonna-happen lust objects, and frankly why wouldn't she be - she's adorable, right? So we're in our beautiful polygamist compound house and Hubby is "with" JLH while I'm in our state-of-the-art equipped kitchen attempting to jar peaches to store for, I don't know, the Apocalypse? Whatever, the point is, I of course, suck at it because HELLO!, it's *jarring fruit* - that counts as a craft in my book and I'm not frickin' frackin' crafty!

So while I'm wrestling with the jarring machine (there is a machine for that right? Well, in my dreamworld there is, it's big) and getting all sticky, my best friend Purplepassion (did I mention some of you, my Blogging buddies, are in this dream? Well you are.) walks in - ostensibly to make sure I don't kill myself or the peaches, because well, she knows me.

As she's wiping peach goo off of my super beautiful counter top, she tells me that JLH was mentioned in the Polygamist Gazette because she had sold some ridiculous amount of tickets for the Annual Polygamist raffle or carnival or something. To which I replied "Of course she did!" all snarky and bitchy and sarcastic, like you know I can be. She looked up at me and asked if I was OK, and I said no. I'm an only child - I don't *do* sharing all that well.

So we took a break from the peach torturing jarring (is that the term?) to go out and sit on one of the beautiful Polygamist Compound front porches. When we get there we run into newly Polygamisted Poppymom and DixiePeach (I've never physically met them, but we've known each other virtually for years) who are sitting there knitting, and Purplepassion begins to knit too. Meanwhile I sit there, sniffling and looking at my beautiful cuticles (they have a mani-pedi service at the Polygamist Compound) because HELLO!, knitting is a craft and I'm not crafty dammit!

Poppy, who had apparently just arrived, looks at me and asks me if Hubby had taken on a second wife? I said yes, and they all came and comforted me, by giving me ice-cold Coca Cola in a frosted glass. Then Poppy told me that she had read about it, again in the Polygamist Gazette, and that now that he had a second wife Hubby was highly respected in the community. To which I responded in my dream, I swear I'm not making this up, "Well la-di-frickin-da! "

That's the last thing I remember before Hubby woke me up to start our road trip to Naples.

The morals of the story so that this doesn't happen to you:

• Don't eat leftover shrimp pad thai with extra peanut sauce after midnight


• Don't pause your TV during Jennifer Love Hewitt's bra commercial because you have to do something else for a few minutes and you don't want to miss any part of the show that comes back on right after JLH's commercial


• Continue avoiding the polygamist story on the news

Don't say I didn't warn you!