people watching...

People watching… it has come to fascinate me… to look at their total appearance and how they react to their surroundings. I also find it interesting to see people’s different facial expressions and how sometimes you can read their faces while with others you never know what they might be thinking. You get to see people from different races (Latinos, Asians, African Americans, Europeans, East Indians, etc.). People wearing different outfits from business suits, fur coats, work uniforms, regular clothes (different styles and fashions) to dirty rags.

In the beginning, I used to hate riding the train. I would feel very uncomfortable.
If you would find a seat that was not by the window, there is really no other place to look around but what is in front of you. I didn’t know what to do. And it was embarrassing to me knowing that people might think I was staring at them. Or to find someone staring at you, it’s kind of weird and creepy. So I kept trying to look around… here and there… avoiding eye contact.

And depending on the time you catch your train, if you caught the morning rush or the afternoon rush, it would be crowded which made it difficult to look around. So I would stare at my feet instead. Oh, and not to mention the body odor or bad breath! There are times when man…oh man…I thought I would puke! Not to mention when some of our homeless ride the train. P.U!

I soon began reading books on the train to keep me entertained. But then, I would get so engrossed in my book that I would miss my stop. I often wondered how people who fall asleep on the train would automatically wake up at their stop. I couldn’t see how that was possible. Sometimes you find people taking two seats because they actually put their feet up and fall asleep. Others would sit by the window and rest their heads on it. And yet, others just close their eyes and can stay asleep sitting up, while others keep bobbing their head trying to keep it up. Other people fall asleep with their mouths wide open and sometimes even drool. And believe me we even have some folks who snore and LOUD!!!

While I wait for my train to arrive, we have several street performers. Some guys are pretty good. They have great voices but would probably never make it in American Idol… too bad! Others play different musical instruments and they too are good. There’s even a guy who draws sketches of people. When he sees me he tries to encourage me to have my sketch done but I never carry any cash on me. Maybe one of these days, I’ll get the nerve to stand there and have him draw a sketch of me (embarrassing as it may be…as people stand to watch you and him while he’s sketching!)

One of the street performers (who happens to be a blind Hispanic) was singing Spanish music. There are times when he sounds pretty darn good. In fact, not only does he get a few dollars and change but also he’s had several people tapping their feet to the beat of his music. Yesterday, another Hispanic guy who was listening to our guy sing was also singing along and out loud in tune to the music (he was signing and snapping his fingers!) And today, there was a guy (African American) who was listening to our guy sing and began moving and dancing to the rhythm of the song without having a care in the world about what people thought of him. I truly admire that.

Over time, I've seen many different people come and go. And during that time, I have made a few friends. And yet I ride the train with the same people every day and we may never come to meet.

But there’s no doubt that people watching can be fun and quite interesting.

Only in Chicago...

Only in Chicago the weather could feel like fall, winter, spring & summer all within a matter of days. Let's see.... we've been having very few sunny days, lots of rain, an occasional snow fall and some fog.

Last Saturday we had a beautiful sunny day. It was warm compared to other days. On Sunday by late morning it was snowing like crazy and continued to snow all through the night. Friday, I think it was drizzling but it didn’t feel as cold.

Yet today, it was so foggy in the morning that it looked like London fog. By the afternoon the mist and fog cleared up and the sun came out again but it felt real cold.

I remember a few years ago, my sister-in-law came into town on business. She decided to stop and visit with us. This was sometime in April or May, I believe. Since that day my daughter had a softball game, we invited her to come watch her play. According to her, she had checked out the weather via the Internet which indicated warm weather and only brought summer clothes. She showed up to the game wearing a light blouse and I believe she might have even been wearing capris pants and sandals. I bet she didn’t expect it to be that cold… weather during April and May still tends to be cold at times! She exclaimed, “I thought it was going to be warm! When I checked the weather it said it was going to be in the 70’s!”

Yeah, 70’s… the 70’s in Chicago can feel like a nice warm day, cool day, windy and cold day or cloudy and rainy day. And to her amazement, that day felt like it was in the 50’s but as it got windier throught the day, it felt like in the 40's... and it was cold! Brrrr!

In order to know the appropriate way to dress for the weather, just look out the window and up at the sky... you'll even feel it as you walk outside...you'll see... sometimes, even the weather forecaster's get it wrong.

Yep! That's Chicago weather for ya!

twins...

My hubby’s brother is coming into town in a couple of days.  So in preparation, I have been busy cleaning up the house.  It’s been a total mess especially since we had our bathroom redone.  There was (and still is) dust everywhere!  

This past weekend, I spent most of the time cleaning (sigh…the story of my life!)  

My hubby tells the few people he’s gotten acquainted with during his “coaching career” that his “twin” brother is coming into town.  

Yes he said twin…but of course, he has no twin!  But those people don’t know that.  Ah, that’s my hubby… with him, you never know when he’s serious or when he’s just pulling your leg.  

There were a few people at the meeting, including some of the softball girls’ parents.  And one of them said, “You mean there are TWO of you? Good God!  I bet the girls would love to see this!”   She said that only because my hubby is a very tough coach but he’s also a damn good one and that’s why they stand playing for him.

I can’t wait to see their faces when they get to meet his “twin” brother!  

My hubby has features of an “Indio” or Native American Indian.  His brother (not really blood brothers but grew up together as such) is light skin, light hair and blue eyes!  

Yeah…they will definitely see the resemblance!

always teasing...

My hubby and I were having a discussion about him and how he likes joking around with people and pulling their leg.  “They never know when you’re joking or you’re serious,” I said to him.  “You should try to keep a journal of all the things you’ve done and experienced.  Some of the things are interesting and others are pretty funny!  You definitely should consider writing about it.”  To which I jokingly said to him, “Who knows, maybe someday they will make a movie about you.”

We kept talking about his witty remarks and his teasing and a thought came to mind.  As Forrest Gump once said, “Life is like a box of chocolate.  You never know what you’re gonna get”.  So I said to him, “You’re like a box of chocolate, with you, you never know what you’re gonna get!”

He says to me, “Not just any chocolate…Hershey’s.  Since I love Hershey’s”.  

“Oh you mean, you can either be plain and simple, a little nutty or a bag full of kisses?”

He replies with a grin, “Oh yeah… and I’ll have to find someone to play your part!”

fish fry...

Last Friday, my hubby and I went to the grocery store to pick up fish to have for dinner.
Even though I hate to admit it, I don’t really know how to cook. My mom tried to show me when I was growing up, but I don’t have “el sazon” or the flavor that my mom gives to all her cooking. Nowadays, and sadly to say, I’m pretty much learning as I go.

I, especially, have never cooked fish before. So I immediately called my mom on the phone and asked her, “Mom, I have two fillet of white fish” “How should I make them?”

She laughs and says, “Ay hija, que nunca te vas a enseñar a concinar?”

“Por eso le estoy hablando para que me enseñe!”

So for an easy way to cook fried fish, here is the recipe she gave me:

Ingredients:

2 Fish fillets
Cooking oil
Flour
2 Eggs
Lemon pepper
All purpose seasoning Adobo Goya
Garlic powder
Two slices of lemon or limon

In medium heat, heat the cooking oil in a deep pan until it is very hot. (Mom says, “You can test the oil to see if it’s ready by putting a tortilla in it and it immediately becomes a tostada.”)


Rinse fish in cold water and set aside on a plate.
Beat a couple of eggs in a bowl.
In a separate plate, mix flour, lemon pepper, Adobo Goya and Garlic powder. (or you can substitute to condiments that you prefer)

Dip the fish in egg batter
Set the fish in the flour mix (flip to cover both sides)
Put the fish in the hot cooking oil and leave it there for a few minutes until it becomes brown from one side and flip over to cook the other side. Fish will be done when both sides are golden brown. Set on a plate splash a dash of lemon juice and you have yourself a fried filet o’ fish!

When I began frying my first fillet, I didn’t realize I had the heat set on medium low, so the cooking oil was not hot enough. By the time I tried flipping the fish over, it crumbled to pieces! What a disaster! Oh, well, guess who got to eat that fish fillet?

The second fillet came out perfect. I couldn’t ask for a better fish fillet. I served it to my husband with mashed potatoes & gravy, corn, green beans, a side salad (oh yes, let us not forget the salad) and buttermilk biscuits.

I must admit, I was very proud of myself. I’m becoming a little Betty Crocker over here. What made it even better was the fact that my hubby actually liked it! Yes, he liked it! He really liked it!!!!

train delays...

After the 9/11 attacks in NY, the CTA has been practicing daily security checks on their trains. The conductor will announce on the intercom, “Attention all passengers, this train will be stopping for a couple of minutes due to a security check. We’ll be moving shortly and we apologize for the inconvenience.”

We definitely want them going around doing security checks. It’s only natural with everything that’s been happening not only in this great country but also around the world. I’m not saying we have to become paranoid and start looking over our shoulders, but this should remind us that we are still vulnerable and can’t be too overly confident that nothing can happen to us.

And yet, now that things have settled down a bit, everyone appears to be back to “business as usual”. We are always pressed for time and rushing to get to work on time. So when we hear the conductor announce the routine security check, you can see people rolling their eyes, hear heavy sighing and an occasional “shit!” or “fuck!”

I know this little delay is an inconvenience for some people. But as far as I’m concerned, if this delay is used as a preventative measure to help stop another disaster from happening… then, I don’t mind it at all!

...

“There ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”

  ---- Mark Twain

expectations...

For the past few years, my husband has been coaching a girl’s softball team.  And as baseball season began, I’ve volunteered in helping out with the organization whether it was by working the concession stand, cleaning up, etc.  My husband coached two teams.  My daughter only played in one of the teams but I would go see the other team play just to show my support.  

It was a little hard on me being the coach’s wife.  During that time, I became acquainted with some of the girls’ parents.  But when parents would get angry at the “coach” for whatever reason, they would say certain remarks about him, which would make me feel uncomfortable and sometimes it would hurt.  I would have to either ignore it or try to explain it.    

Now, he’s serving as president of the baseball organization, which is even worse.  I believe he’s doing a wonderful job with the program and people are beginning to see good results in the way the program is running.  I am very proud of him!  But that’s just it… it’s his thing.    

The other day someone says to me, “I want to ask you something.  People want to know what have YOU done for the program?”  

I was a little hurt by that question.  And yet I knew this was coming only because I didn’t join the board and I haven’t been showing up to every meeting, event, etc. as much as I would like or used to.

“You know, I really haven’t done anything…zero… nada!”   I answered, to which my hubby immediately came to my defense and said, “Just because you don’t see her around doesn’t mean she’s not doing anything.  In fact, who do you think sends out the e-mails and works on typing the documents?”  

I didn’t feel the need to explain myself but I turned to that person and replied, “Since my husband is already putting 100% of his time to this organization, I believe that one of us has to stay at home to take care of matters there.”  

Why do people always expect too much?  

That’s just the thing.   All my life has been that way.  When I was growing up, I had a very strict father.  And if we did anything wrong, my mother would never hear the end of it.  I always felt I had to do “the right thing” for her sake as well as ours.  I also lived in the “barrio” where people were always gossiping.  And even though I was walking the straight line, they managed to come up with some gossip about me.  What would hurt me the most was that my father believed them!  But that’s another story.  

The same thing happened when I married my husband.  There was a different expectation of me because he was involved in certain political and other organizations to which I had to watch what I said or did.  

People expect so much from you but no matter what you do, you can never please them.  I’m tired of trying keep up and always worrying about what other people are going to say or think.  I’m already worried about having this in my blog.  

There so much I would like to say and talk about but I know I can’t at this point.  

I just want to be ME and do my own thing.  I don’t want to have to answer to anyone except myself.  

Since that question was brought up, I have to admit, I haven’t done anything to change their opinion of me.  In fact, I haven’t been around as much either.  I don’t want them getting used to it.

I’m not saying that I won’t be helping out, but when the time comes around, I’ll gladly volunteer and put in the time.

I'm a nerd, so what...!

My brother came to the house the other day and we began talking about our high school days.  Of course, me being the oldest of six, I was considered the “nerd” in the family.  The reason they think of me as a “nerd” or a “dork” is because I was always getting good grades in school, never dated in high school, and basically never did anything that I would regret later in life.  I was always the “good girl”.  

Now that we are older, I have spent more time with my brothers and sisters.  We seemed to be getting along more and they actually come to me when they have questions or problems.  And in doing so, I have learned a lot of things from them that I didn’t know before.  I can’t get into those things as this blog is only about ME. (Boring…I know!)

But anyway, getting back to my story.  If you know my brothers and sisters, you come to find out that they always have something to say (when there’s an opportunity, they always end up making fun of themselves or others).  And they especially love to make fun of me!  It just amazes me at times, how quickly they can come up with some remarks…

As I was saying, my brother and I got into a discussion of me being the “nerd” in school.  I wanted to tell him that there was nothing wrong with being a “nerd”.  “In fact.”  I said to him with pride.  “Just so you know, when they asked the senior boys who would they pick to be with if they were stuck on an island (and to my surprise) they chose ME!”

And without skipping a beat, my brother says, “Yeah, that’s because you had the most meat on your bones and they knew they wouldn’t go hungry!”

Grrrrr!   I could never win…!







.

...

Saturday, we went to pick out some stuff we needed for my daughter’s birthday party.  We were looking for CD’s that we could play to sing karaoke.  The store we were shopping at did not have a good selection.  

My daughter saw a CD she really wanted and begged me to buy it for her.  I told her I would get it for her later.  We were just picking up stuff we needed for the party.  My daughter was like, “Please!  I really want this CD!”  “Can’t you get it for me as a birthday present?”  So of course, I gave in.  We paid for everything and left the store.

While on the way home, I was looking at my receipt and realized that I had not gotten charged for the CD.   “Oh, no!”  Since they didn’t charged me for it, I assumed that it was because they didn’t put in my shopping bag.  My daughter kept bugging me, “So you didn’t buy me the CD?”  

“I don’t think so.”  I said.  When she checked the bags, the CD was there.  I basically got the CD for free.

This hardly ever happens to me. I always end up being overcharged.  Even though I usually try to be honest, I was already home…and there was no way, I was going back to tell them that they didn’t charge me for the CD.  In fact, that really made my day!

This morning I stopped to buy bagels for a friend’s birthday.  Since I was running late, I didn’t check to see how much I paid for it. By the time I got to work and checked my receipt, I realized that I was overcharged!

Funny, how things work out.  I began to laugh…just as I thought I was getting away with it….I end up getting overcharged on bagels which came out to almost the same amount as the friggin' CD!  Yada neh!

party...!

My friend’s birthday was on Saturday so we decided to throw a party for her at work on Monday.  

Of course, of all days, we woke up late and were running late for work and school.   I had a bottle of champagne, which I was going to take for the party and forgot.   That meant, I had to buy another one.  

I stopped to pick up some bagels and realized that they had overcharged me.  I was so upset.  And I had been busy over the weekend that I had also forgot to pick out a gift for her.

My day at work ends at 2:00 p.m., but they were nice enough to start the party a half hour before so that I could join them.  And lucky for me another friend and co-worker bought a couple of extra bottles of champagne for the party.  

There were quite a few people who showed up for the party. We had several snacks and everyone had a glass of champagne.   By the second drink, I had to call my hubby and ask him to go pick up the kids from school.  There was no way I was going to make it.  Lucky for me, he was kind of enough to do so.  

I ended up staying an extra two hours at work celebrating my friend’s birthday.  By the time I walked to the train station I was feeling mighty happy…!

slumber party...

Saturday was my daughter’s slumber party. Since my sister came up with the idea, I told her she should host the party.

She had 12 girls sleep over.  Ages were between 7 to 13 years.  The back room was set up with a dollhouse, karaoke machine and twister game for the younger group to play with.  And in the front living room, music was playing and she had a big screen t.v. to watch movies too.  

This slumber party ended up being not only for the girls, but also for the “big girls” too.  My sisters and a couple of friends were over.   We had a good time having a “girls night out!”  

The teens were playing and dancing to their favorite music, the little ones were playing with the dollhouse, singing karaoke and playing the twister game, while the big girls were chatting away and drinking beer.  

Later that night, we all ended up watching scary movies!

By 3:00 a.m. my sister had set up two queen size inflatable mattresses for the girls to sleep in the backroom.

I was beginning to get tired.  I was thinking of sleeping over, but I really wanted to go to sleep in my own bed.  So I left the party.

The morning after, my sister calls me at around 9:00 a.m. sleepy and tired and asked me to go and make them breakfast. “Are you kidding?”  I told her.  “Why don’t you make them breakfast?”  “It’s your daughter’s slumber party, so you come over and make them breakfast!”  My sister tells me.

I wasn’t going to go.  But after finishing washing the dishes, I started thinking… after all my sisters do for me, I better get my butt over there and make them breakfast. By the time I got there, my sister had already started making pancakes with bacon.  “Mmm… !   I’m starving, where’s my breakfast?”

My sister told me the girls went to sleep at around 5:00 a.m. and couldn’t believe that they actually woke up by 9:00 a.m.!   When I got there, apparently my sisters and friends also spent the night.  

You could tell she very tired.  I told her, “now you see why I didn’t’ want to do it at my place?”  

“Never, again!”   My sister says.  Yeah, right, I told her.   “If you do it for one, you have to do it for the other.”  “You have to start planning on my son’s birthday slumber party!”  

Ahhh!  She screams!  “No Way!”

Teen angel...!

Last Thursday was my daughter’s 13th birthday.  My God, I feel old!  

We spent the week watching her baby video clips.  I can’t believe it!  Time does fly!  My little girl is a teenager! Yikes!

We asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday and she chose to go to dinner at Oliver Garden.  Why there? Who knows… but that’s where she wanted to go.  

We ordered our dinner.  But by the time it was served, we were already stuffed with the salad, bread sticks and appetizers!  

I had also mentioned to the waitress that it was my daughter’s birthday so by the end of the meal, a few of her co-workers came by our table and sang happy birthday to her. My daughter was enjoying every bit of attention she was getting.  My little teenangel!  

It was a nice family dinner… she enjoyed it as much as we did.

strange people...

While I was on my way to the train station, a man (who happens to be African American) walks past me and starts shouting out, “Goodbye nigga’!  Hello white folk!”  And laughs out loud as he kept shouting out the same words over and over.  

While riding the train, there was another homeless man who kept talking to him self while standing near the doors.  He then says out loud, “I better get out of here…too many crazy people!”  Just then the doors open and he walks out.  

thirteen...!

Today is my daughter’s birthday!  She’s officially a teenager!  She’s 13!   I can’t believe it!  Just the other day we were watching her baby videos clips.  How time flies!  I miss my little baby girl!  She’s growing up so fast!

what the ....?

Yesterday evening my husband calls me on the phone and asks, “What’s for dinner?”  

“I don’t know.”  “There’s only chicken legs.”  I replied.  

“Why don’t you fry them?”  To which I respond, “Oh, I don’t know.”  “I’m not sure if I know how to make fried chicken.”   “Make that with mashed potatoes and corn.”  He suggests.  “Alright, I’ll see what I can do.”  I said without enthusiasm.  “Do we need anything from the store?”  He asks.  “Yes.” I say, “We need milk.”

I’ve never been a good cook.  And for some reason, I could never really cook chicken.  But I had no other choice.  I went to the kitchen and lucky for me I had a can of seasoned breadcrumbs.  Good!  That’s what I’ll use for the chicken.  So I cleaned out the chicken legs, dunk them in the egg batter and rolled them in the breadcrumbs.  Easy!  Now the hard part is frying them.  How can I do that without burning the chicken and myself?  Or what’s worse, how can I fry the chicken without leaving it raw inside?  

I was trying my best to make fried chicken.  I burned one, the other was undercooked and the rest were beginning to look like real fried chicken.  Mmmm.  Looking good!  While the chicken was frying, I proceeded to make mashed potatoes.  By that time my husband came home, I had almost everything ready.  “Is dinner ready?”  He asks.  “No, but just about!”

I soon served him a plate of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn.  “Where’s my tortillas?”  He asks.  “Tortillas?”  “Don’t you want bread with butter instead?”  I responded.  “Are you going to toasted it?”  He asks.   “Yes.”  I said.  I took two slices of bread and put them in the toaster.  In the meantime, I began to wash a bowl in the sink.  I don’t know what was going through my husband’s mind but I could tell he was a little agitated.  He suddenly raised his voice at me and says, “Why are you doing that?”  “How am I supposed to eat this?”   He then picks up his plate, puts his face on the plate and begins to eat his food…like an animal.  

I was about to tell him that his bread was in the toaster and then realized what he was doing.  OH, NO HE DIDN’T!  

He was in fighting mood.  So it was either:

1. Go along with his mood and get myself agitated and start a fight;


2. Get upset and begin to cry; or


3. Just plain ignore him!  

WTF!  So of course, I chose option 3.

He also began to complain because I did not give him a salad with his dinner.  How can I not make salads and blah, blah, blah…

I continued washing dishes and completely ignored him.  Within a few seconds, the toast popped out of the toaster, I picked them out and set them on a plate and placed it next to him.  I don’t know what his problem was, but I wasn’t about to allow him to get to me.  Nope!  If he wants to act like a jerk, then that’s his problem.  

When I finished with the dishes, I turned around and saw that he had stopped eating.  He really didn’t eat at all.  He had placed his dish aside and was holding his head.  I could tell he was pretty upset.  

I kept thinking to myself, stay calm…just stay calm.   I didn’t allow myself to get angry.  It’s just not worth it!

I went downstairs, finished folding my laundry went upstairs and went to bed.  

Today, it was as if nothing had happened.  What was that all about?  I still don’t know.  Hmmm, I’m sure I will save this little episode for discussion at some point in time…in the near future!

...

On my way home, the train ride was almost empty. There was a lady a few rows down in front of where I was sitting facing me. I turned around and saw another lady sitting two rows down on the other side facing away from me.

The train stops and picks up another lady who sits two rows in front of me. At the next stop, a man walks in and sits where the lady was sitting behind me. I heard him saying something to her, which I couldn’t really hear. I assumed she knew the man because when I turned around he was sitting in the front seat facing her. He was talking to her and smiling. Then I heard him ask, “What’s your name?” But the lady didn’t seem to respond, or more like she was ignoring him.

Next thing I knew, the guy gets up and walks past me. He begins to yell out something like, “Man, you must be on your period or something bitch!” He turns to the lady in front of me and yells out something to her, “Don’t be looking at me bitch” “Y’all bitches!” As he’s getting off the train, he kept cursing and shouting, “Bitches!”

As soon as the guy walks out, the women begin to laugh! One of them turns towards me and says something and kept laughing.

I just smiled. Ah yes! Yet another fascinating train ride…

...

“Here’s regular popcorn and caramel popcorn that’s left over from the party.  Why don’t you take some home for your kids… this is expensive popcorn, you know!”   As my friend proceeded to tell me exactly how much she spent on the popcorn.  “Are you sure?”  I asked.

I know my kids love popcorn, so of course, I accepted the bag of popcorn she gave to me.  

As I was riding the train on my way home, I saw a homeless man walking slowly down the aisle of the train.  Once he got near to where I was sitting, he stops and just stands there.  I wasn’t sure what he was up to, so I kept an eye on him.  He kept getting closer and closer to me.  I soon noticed that he was looking at the bag I was carrying and with a raspy voice says to me “Is that food?”  

“It’s popcorn, do you want it?” I said to him.  He shakes his head yes.  I gave him the bag of the “expensive” popcorn.   (I wonder what my friend would say if she knew I had given it to him?)  The old man proceeds to walk over to the back and sits down.  He quickly opens the bag and I could hear him munching on that popcorn.    

After the old man had finished eating his popcorn (I noticed he saved some for later as he puts the almost empty bag in his pocket), he gets up and begins to walk towards the front seats.  He approaches another woman who was reading a book.  I could tell he was asking her for something.  The lady says something back to the old man and then I realized she was giving him her bottle of water.  

I know it wasn’t much, but the homeless man looked content in having gotten a little something to eat and drink…

...

Last Thursday, we celebrated a birthday for one of my friend’s boss.  We each pitched in to buy munchies and food for the party.    My friend also bought a few bottles of champagne to celebrate this special occasion.  We arranged everything by his office so that when he showed up, he would be surprised.  

Well, the surprise was on us!  Later that morning, my friend’s boss calls her to say that he was not going to make it to the office and was not planning on coming in on Friday either.  

Too bad… all that food and champagne couldn’t go to waste!   Monday was a holiday, so we had no other choice but to party without him!  We made a toast, “Here’s to him—Happy Birthday!”

Mmmmm!  Champagne and strawberries…delicious!

Twister...

One day, out of the blue, there was a rabbit laying on the grass on our side yard. My husband looks at it and yells out. “There’s a rabbit on our yard!” The rabbit didn’t even budge as my husband got close to it. He picked it up by the ears and brought him inside the house. “Guess what?” He said to me. “We have a new pet, it’s a rabbit!”

Of course, the kids immediately fell in love with it and named him Twister. When we let him run around the back yard, he would run, stop, jump, twist and do summersaults. He was the cutest thing.

Last night I let our pets, Coque & Chiquis, out in the backyard to pee. Since it was too cold, I didn’t stick around to keep an eye on them. Instead, I went inside the house to do something. I had forgotten that my husband had let Twister out in the backyard too so that he can stretch out its legs.

When I came back out to let the dogs in, I saw Chiquis carrying Twister by the neck. Twister looked like a rag doll. I totally freaked! I kept calling Chiquis to let go but she dragged Twister even more. The rabbit is a little bigger than she is so she kept having a hard time bringing him towards the door. She finally let go and I managed to grab Chiquis and got her inside the house.

In the meantime, poor old Twister was lying on the floor as if dead. It was still breathing but it wasn’t moving. “Oh, no, not again!” “Is it going to die?” “Was I too late?” Twister survived summer, rain, cold and Beau and now I may lose it to Chiquis! Unbelievable! This can’t be happening!

The top of its head was missing fur and you could tell it had two puncture wounds from Chiquis’s bite. It also had another small wound by its ear. Me and my animals…!

The kids and I took him to the vet this morning. Thank goodness… looks like Twister is going to make it. He gave me an antibiotic cream to apply on its wounds every day. Twister will be fine after all. I have to take him back for a check up on Monday.

I also mentioned to the vet that Chiquis was getting a little vicious, especially around Coque. He recommended that I get her spayed. Yep, she’s going in on Monday morning.

So the animal saga continues…

...

When I first got my digital camera, I didn’t take pictures right away. I continued to use my disposal camera. My son, who is also taking an interest in photography, asked me if he could borrow my camera. I showed him how to use it and explained the features it contained. He took a couple of pictures and even figured out how to do video clips. He was excited! Of course, he now wants his very own digital camera. He and I took several other interesting pictures.

When our pet, Beau, got sick, I took pictures of him days before he passed away. My daughter also made a video clip of him with my digital.

Now, I come to find out that my son had taken my camera (without my permission) and somehow ended up erasing all the pictures. I can’t believe it! I’m so upset!

He was wrong in taking my camera and I told him so. But it is my fault for not taking better care of it and for not having the pictures downloaded before something like this could happen. I kept telling myself to do it but I would either forget or kept leaving it for another day.

It’s so typical of me, whether it’s my camera, clothes, food, or anything else. Always waiting until the last minute and that’s why things like this happen. The other day, I bought some fruits and vegetables so that I can eat them instead of junk food. Every time I saw the apple or salad, I would think to myself, “I’ll eat it tomorrow”. Well, tomorrow never came, because by the time I actually wanted to eat one, it was already spoiled!

Last night, I was folding my clothes and found a five-dollar bill. I knew if I put it down, I’d probably forget about it so I put it in my pocket instead. Later, and of course forgetting that I had in my pocket, I put my pants in the wash. Fortunately, I found the $5 again in the washing machine. Since it was wet, I picked the bill out of the wash and, I thought I set it down to dry, but then again, I thought I put it back in my pocket. Well, as of yet, I still can’t find it….! That’s what I get for not taking the time in doing things the right way.

I hate doing things in a rush. But it seems like I’m always rushing. I have a hundred things running through my mind and I'm not really paying attention to what I'm doing.

As far as my pictures go, I know they were just pictures but it hurt to lose the little memories I had of my beloved Beau!

Pues ya ni modo!

Exercise Part 3

Monday night, my sisters came over, again, to get me to exercise. This time, I didn’t complain, made any excuses and completed an hour and 20 minutes of exercising.

It’s hard! By the time the hour is up I’m struggling to keep up! My legs begin to feel wobbly and I am tired. The feeling of soreness doesn’t come until two days later. And man do I feel sore!!!

I think it's a good idea for me to begin keeping track of my exercise routine, even if it's minimal. I ask myself, how much exercise do I really get during my day? This is what my day consist of:

1. In the morning’s, I’m usually running late. By the time I get to the train station, I end up running down the ramp to catch my train. I consider that a quick cardio. When I get downtown, I have to walk a few blocks to get to the office. (it’s usually a brisk walk, not only because I’m running late but also because it’s too damn cold!)

2. At work, I’m on the computer…too busy and not enough time to get up and move around. So I need to learn to take a couple breaks even if it’s just to stretch my out legs.

3. In the afternoon’s, after work, I have to walk back to the train station (which is about a 10 minute walk). When I get off the train, I have to go up the stairs to get to street level. Today, I counted to see how many steps I had to make and counted a total of 40 steps. So that should count for something right? What I have noticed is that now I can quickly go up those steps and still keep my steady breathing. Before, I had to hold on to the railing and by the time I made it to the top, I was panting and out of breathe.

4. At home, I’m usually washing dishing, sweeping, doing laundry (which requires me to go up and down the stairs to the basement).

I appreciate my sisters for trying to help me and keeping me motivated. I know the hard part is getting started and I have to make a BIG effort to do more. But I also have to make an effort to eat well too, instead of eating fast foods, sweets, junk food, bread, and pasta… Mmmmm….

I mean, no, no, no! Must STOP thinking about food!

But I'm definitely NOT going to go on a diet! That has NEVER worked for me. What I WILL do is TRY to continue making an effort of keeping active and to eat in moderation.

...

Heal the past; live the present; dream the future.

--Author unknown

Ejercisio parte 2...

Thursday night, my two sisters came over to my house.  They came over to get me to exercise.  Apparently, they’ve been exercising everyday.  “Come on fatty, let’s get to it!”   My sister AC tells me.  “I’m still sore from last time!”  I exclaimed.  “Oh, come on!” says my sister GC.  “Girl, please!”  “Quit over exaggerating!”

“O.k. o.k. fine!”  My sister GC brought an exercise video with her and some 5 lbs weights.  “This video workout is really good.  It’s called “The Firm”.  

Since it wasn’t a DVD video, we tried hooking up the VCR.  But for some strange reason it wasn’t working.  “Well, it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to workout.”  As I thought to myself, “Yes!”  

“Oh, this sucks!”  AC said.  “We should just go over to my house to work out.”  “No, Gris has the Demand channel and we could choose any exercise video we want.”  GC explains to AC.  “Oh really?”  “You mean you had this all along and you didn’t do anything with it!”  

“Well”… as I begin to try to make up an explanation, “I guess, I don’t like to exercise alone.”  “You could have told us!”  “We could have been exercising all this time!”  AC yells at me.

We started with the 10-minute workout.  AC said, “That’s nothing!”  “That’s not going to do anything for you.”  “That’s what you think, just watch”, said GC.   After 20 minutes into it, AC says, “Shit”  “You weren’t kidding!”  By then, all of us were breathing hard.

At one point, we had to raise our leg and keep it there for a minute without losing our balance.  None of us could do it.  We finally held on to each other to be able to keep our balance.  We looked like three hippos trying to do the “Can-Can”.  It was so hilarious!  Glad no one was around to take a picture.  

I so proud of my baby...!

This school year, my daughter has been struggling.  The reason…she’s having trouble with taking tests.  

We had her try different study methods, but nothing seemed to work.  

A couple of months ago, we met with her teacher.  He went over her tests with us and discussed different ways in which we could help her.  In the end, we both had a better understanding as to why my daughter might be having difficulty with tests.  

Last Thursday she had a major exam. I knew she needed time get ready and prepare herself.    My husband’s approach was to write the Q&A from a study guide several times to improve her ability to memorize and learn what she was studying.  I thought that was an excellent idea, but one which was not as effective.  She definitely required more than that.  She worked so hard in studying and yet her grade only improved a bit.  It was not enough to give her a boost in confidence that she desperately needed.  I could tell she was getting very frustrated to the point that she was beginning to dread over it when it came down to it.      

One day, I saw her watching a TV show from her favorite channel.  She began to repeat word for word the conversation that the two characters were having and I soon learned two things:

1. She’s watching way too much TV; and


2. In order for her to be able to learn and memorize everything, she had to use her ability to listen and learn.  

I began to work with her and took a different approach in helping her study.  First, while reading the chapter, she went through each paragraph and discussed what the paragraph was about.  She then filled out the study guide.  Once she completed the study guide, she wrote the Q&A’s down a couple of times.   Finally, She read the Q&A’s out loud.  She did this several times.   This required her to listen to herself speak, which meant she was also memorizing and having a better understanding of what she was talking about.  

Friday, came and she was ecstatic.  She said, “Mom, you’re not going to believe this!”  I know she had been working real hard these past few days.  And by the tone in her voice I knew she must have gotten a good grade.  “You got a C on your test?” I asked.  She cried out,  “Better than a C, mom!  I got an A!”  She’s practically screaming in my ear, “Yes, mom and A!”

Wow!  My daughter did it!

“You see!”  “You can do it!”   “I’m so proud of you!”  

Maybe she was not using the proper method of studying.  Maybe she was not giving herself enough time to study. Maybe she was just too insecure (probably gets that from me!).  Or maybe…it was because I spent more time with her.  

But the fact of the matter is that she passed… and with an A.  And it proved to her that she CAN do it.  

I’m SO happy for her!  I know that grade was more… way MORE than she expected and one that gave her a new self-assurance.  I believe now she finally has a different outlook in the way she approaches studying and taking tests.    

exercise...

Man!  Do I feel like a stiff board!

My sister came over to the house the night before.  Since the kids were doing homework, her and I decided we should do something instead of sitting around doing nothing.    

“Why don’t we exercise?”  My sister suggests.  

“Exercise?”  Ugh!  I hate exercising!  But after giving me this look, I say, “O.k., I guess we should.”  

Oh, oh!   I can feel them coming…. Yep, here they come…!  

“Our old treadmill broke so we got rid of it.”  “The stationary bike is downstairs in the basement but it’s too cold and too boring!”  “I don’t know where any of my exercise videos are.”  

“Boy you are full of excuses aren’t you?”

“Well, I do have cable.”  “They have exercise programs on “Demand” channel.”   Me and my big mouth!  

I flipped to the channels to look for a good exercise video.  We came across “10-minute workouts”.  My sister says, “Let’s try that!”  “10 minutes sounds good to me!  That should be easy!”  I said.  We moved our living room couch and the table aside and began with our 10-minute workout.  

Before the end of the 10 minutes, I was ready to give up!  “Come on!”  “Stop being a wimp!”  She yells at me.  “Alright!” “Alright!” as I’m huffing and puffing.  We finally finished the 10 minutes.  “That was the longest 10 minutes ever!”  I said, barely breathing.  My sister just shakes her head.

She suggested we do another 10 minutes.  This time we worked on our “abs” (or more like our big guts!)  I hated seeing those skinny girls on t.v.   But hey, they work at it.  What do I do?  Nothing!!!!

“Stop hating and keep moving!”  My sister again yells at me.  Gosh!  What’s gotten into her?  

We finished that part of the routine and continued on to the next.  We did a 10-minute work out on our “buns” (or more like our wide loads!)   Man, why does it have to be so hard!  

And just as I started getting into the routine, my sister begins to complain.  I can tell she was getting tired but it was my turn to yell at her.  “Oh, no you don’t!  You’re not giving up on me now!   You started this.  Now let’s finish it!  And after this, we’re working our arms!”  

I couldn’t believe that we actually completed 40 minutes.  I checked the channels and we came across belly dancing.  We looked at each other.  Hey, why not?  

So here we were trying to do a belly dance.  We had to move our hips in the form of an eight.  Then we had to thrust our hips and bellies back and forth and every time I tried doing that, my butt would giggle like Jell-O.  No, not J-Lo, Jello!  We kept looking at each other and couldn’t stop laughing.   In the end, it was quite a work out.  I was amazed at how much effort it takes to do a belly dance.  

And for the grand finale… we did 10 minutes of yoga.  My sister was not too comfortable doing this part of the exercise.  I thought it was great.  In fact, it felt good!  I was completely relaxed.  I need to start practicing yoga!

Yesterday, I was beginning to feel a little sore and my husband told me I should exercise.  So… I ignored him.  

Today, I’m having a bit of trouble moving.  Every time I try getting up from my chair, I feel like an old lady.  Ay! Ay! Ay!  It hurts!  I could actually feel muscles that I didn’t know I had in my stomach and butt!  Ouch!  

You would think I get my big butt to exercise today.  Hell no!  I’ll have to put it off until tomorrow.

Yeah, let’s see…

Out of Service

 

taking pics...

I hadn’t realized until now how much I love taking pictures.  

The problem….

For one, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not good at it!  In fact, I know I have to admit… I suck!  

Everyday, I run into something that I think would make a great picture.  But what my eyes see and what my camera captures are totally different.  

The reason… could it be my camera?  I have been using a disposable camera since they first came out.  Sometimes, I’ve gotten one or two good pictures out of them.  But most of the pics would have definitely been better if taken with a good camera.  I recently bought myself a digital camera.  As of yet (since my computer doesn’t recognize the camera and I can’t download my pictures to my computer), I haven’t taken my digital camera to Walgreens to download them to a CD.  I don’t know how well those pictures are going to come out.

I would like to invest on a good camera.  But I think to myself, what for?  My pictures aren’t that good anyway!    When I see the beautiful and creative pictures that people have taken, I admire them and wish I had that kind of creativity and eye for it.  

And yet I come across another little problem…I’m very insecure about myself.  What does that have to do with taking pictures?  Well, just today for instance, I wanted to take a picture of this huge tractor taking a pile of dirt up a dirt hill in the middle of downtown.  It looked like it would make an interesting picture.  So I pulled out my little disposable camera and just as I’m about to try and take the picture, I turned around and saw that someone was looking right at me!  That’s all it took…I felt stupid and embarrassed and I put my camera back in my purse and left.  Another time, I saw a couple of luggage on a window display.  It just so happened that the sunlight hit the window in a certain way and created a shadow of the word “travel” stretched across both bags.  I thought that was pretty cool.  But again, I was too embarrassed to stop and take the picture.  

I see many people (whether they are tourists or not) taking pictures every day.  So why do I feel uncomfortable doing what I like to do?  Maybe I’m embarrassed of my little disposable…I don’t know.

Then again, I guess it’s just me!  

Age gauge...

These events occurred and these songs were topping the charts when my age was:

32 years old at the time of the 9-11 attack on America;
30 years old on the first day of Y2K;
28 years old when Princess Diana was killed in a car crash;
25 years old at the time of Oklahoma City bombing;
24 years old when O. J. Simpson was charged with murder;
23 years old at the time of the 93 bombing of the World Trade Center;
21 years old when Operation Desert Storm began;
20 years old during the fall of the Berlin Wall;
16 years old when the space shuttle Challenger exploded;
14 years old when Apple introduced the Macintosh;
13 years old during Sally Ride's travel in space;
11 years old when Pres. Reagan was shot by John Hinckley, Jr.;
10 years old at the time the Iran hostage crisis began;
6 years old on the U.S.'s bicentennial Fourth of July;
5 years old when President Nixon left office; and
2 years old when Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace was shot.

Me and Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin: 1;
ABC TV premieres In Concert: 3;
Time in a Bottle, Jim Croce: 4;
I Shot the Sheriff, Eric Clapton: 5;
Silly Love Songs, Wings: 6;
Elvis Presley Dies: 8;
Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, Rod Stewart: 9;
Another Brick in the Wall, Pink Floyd: 10;
John Lennon is shot to death: 11; MTV makes its debut: 11;
Who Can it be Now, Men at Work: 13;
The recording of We Are The World: 15;
Walk Like an Egyptian, Bangles: 17;
Didn't We Almost have it all, Whitney Houston: 18;
Back In The U.S.S.R. is released exclusively in Russia: 19;
Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O'Connor: 20;
Emotions, Mariah Carey: 22;
Fleetwood Mac perform at Bill Clinton's inauguration: 23;
The Sign, Ace Of Base: 24; and
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opens: 26;

These movies were released in the U.S. my age was:

The Godfather: 2;
American Graffiti: 3;
Jaws: 5;
Star Wars: 7;
Animal House: 8;
Star Trek: The Motion Picture: 10;
ET: 12;
The Terminator: 15;
Top Gun: 16;
Planes, Trains & Automobiles: 18;
Steel Magnolias: 20;
Home Alone: 21;
Wayne's World: 22;
Jurassic Park: 23;
Forrest Gump: 24;
Fargo: 26;
Saving Private Ryan: 28; and
Toy Story 2: 30

http://www.frontiernet.net/~cdm/age1.html

...

"If you want to get anywhere, open a new path.  Don't walk down the path that already exists.  Everybody does that."
     --R. Baker




     

...

“There are no bad days only bad moments in the day, so enjoy each day and be happy and grateful.”
Author unknown

just another day...

This morning I woke up with a sore throat and a stuffy nose. I didn’t feel like getting up to go to work, but I knew I had to. It sucks!

The sun was out and the sky was blue with lots of cotton ball clouds. It looked very pretty actually…I got the feeling that it might be a nice day.

But later that afternoon, on my way home from work, the sky completely changed. It was gray…. and it looked gloomy! Ugh! Looked exactly how I felt! What happened to the blue sky? These past few weeks have been gray, cold and drizzling. Oh, how I wish Spring was here…!

As I was looking out the window from the train, I kept hearing two teenage boys playing and goofying around. They were a few rows down from me. They kept getting up from their seat and began punching each other in a playful manner. You know how that goes…the play fight could become real…

They started getting a little too loud and a man, who was sitting behind them, got up and came to sit across from me. I’m sure he too was afraid that he was going to get hit as the play fight continued…it sure was getting a little too rough.

Another lady got up and moved further away from them. After each stop, the train became almost empty, which is pretty unusual even at that time of day. The boys were still playing around. I was beginning to think that I was going to be stuck alone on the train with those two and began to get a little worried. But luckily for me, a few more people got on at the next stop.

About five months ago, I was on the train sitting next to the doors and having a conversation with a friend of mine. There were kids on the train goofying around. As they were getting ready to get off the train, one of them punched me on the face and ran out the doors. I never saw who did it. It happened so quickly…I got scared but at the same time it pissed me off! Thank God, he didn’t hit me too hard. Otherwise I would have gotten a big bruise on my cheek.

So I knew I had to keep an eye on these two clowns. Finally one of them had to get off. While he was waiting for the doors to open, the other boy got up and pulled out a lighter. He lit what looked like a cigarette (which turned out to be a joint). The older kid gave it to the younger kid and the kid inhaled. As the doors opened he walked out and kept trying to inhale. When the doors closed, the older kid yelled out to the younger kid, “Keep taking a hit! Don’t let it go out!”

I can’t believe it. They looked no older than 13 –15 years of age.

Do you have a dollar...?

Every morning, I run into people who either are homeless, crazy or sick asking/begging for money.  

On my way to work, I always run into a little old lady who’s always asking everyone in a shrilly voice, “Do you have a dollar?”  

Is spare change no longer enough?    

She goes around to each person asking for a dollar.   Even if you do give her a buck, she will continue on asking the next person.  Only on a few occasions, has she asked for money “to get something to eat” or “a cup of coffee”.  

One morning, I saw the little old lady standing there.  I looked at her and immediately knew something was up.  Maybe she didn’t take her medication or something but she had the crazed look in her eyes.  When we got on the train, she seemed pretty quiet.  Maybe a little too quiet…that’s when you have to be on alert!  

Surprisingly, she didn’t ask anyone for money.  She stood quietly in front of two ladies that were seated.  Suddenly she tried snatching away the book that one woman was reading.   The woman managed to take her book back and got up and left to go to the other end of the train.  The second lady figured she was not going to stick around to see what this crazy old lady was going to do next so she got up and left too.  There were two empty seats and the little old lady did not sit on either seat.  She just stood there, not saying a word.  When the train stopped to pick up passengers, another lady walks in and sees the empty seats and she goes to sit down.  Just as she is about to sit, the little old lady screams, “Don’t sit there!”  “You can’t sit there!”  “Get out!”  The lady was about to get up and move and took a good look at the little old lady and decided she was not going to let the lady bully her.  So she just ignored her and continued sitting.  

I kept trying to keep my eye on the little old lady as she was behind me and I could tell she wanted to start trouble.  I was afraid she was going to come up to me from behind and try something.  She kept looking around at people and actually went over to a guy that was sitting across from me and got on his face.  She continued moving on.  She then decided she wanted to pick a fight.  There was a young girl sitting further down from me and the little old lady grabbed her by the blouse and tried to hit her.  The girl yelled out “Stop it!”  “Stop it!”  And she soon called for the conductor.  The little old lady finally released her from her grip and left her alone.  She walked back to where she was previously standing.  I didn’t see what happened next.  But when I turned to look back, I saw the top of a coffee cup fall to the floor.  I believe the little old lady tried either knocking out or taking away someone’s cup of coffee…and that someone was a BIG guy.  She soon began to apologize, “I’m sorry… I only wanted a cup of coffee.”  The guy must have felt sorry for her and gave her his cup.  My fear was that, as crazy as she was acting, she could have easily thrown the cup of hot coffee at someone.  She continued to apologize and then out of the blue she began cussing to no one in particular.  

Riding the train every day, you come across some strange people.  And yet at the same time, you run across the same people and never know who they really are.

I don’t know where this little old lady goes every morning.  Does she go to work?  Or is she really homeless?  But every day you can expect her to ask you, “Do you have a dollar?”

No!  Do you?

I still can't believe...

February 5, 1992 to January 28, 2006


I still can’t believe my Beau is gone.

Beau has been with this family for many years. In a week, he would have been 14 years old.

He was doing well and then one day, I don’t know what happened.

About two weeks ago, my little sister called me and said, “Is Beau doing o.k.?” I said “Yes, why?” She said, “I’ve been having dreams that Beau died”. I said to her, “No, don’t say that. He’s doing fine.”

Little did I know… a week later, out of the blue, so it seemed, Beau had trouble getting up. I knew he was very old, but it happened so suddenly. My gosh! Within a matter of days, he lost the use of his hind legs. But with a little help, he would manage to get up and walk a little. I called my sister back and told her, “I think your dream may be coming true. Beau is not doing well.”

I also had a dream that Beau was dying…I woke up and I could feel it in my heart that this was going to be it.

Friday night, I noticed he was not looking too well. He looked very sad and did not want to eat and drank very little water. I could not make him take his medication.

Saturday morning, he did not look any better and when I moved him, I could tell it was painful for him. I looked into his eyes and I knew it was time…

My husband came home from work around noon. I told him I had spoken to the vet and he had recommended that we take him in. I could tell my husband did not want to do it. We even had a fight over it. I think he was having a harder time coming to terms with this than I was. I told him that Beau was in pain now and he needed to be put to sleep.

I had to take charge and reluctantly, my husband managed to get Beau in the back of his truck and drove him to the vet. Surprisingly, Beau lifted his head (breathing in the air) and he almost looked normal again. I think he needed that.

When we got him to the vet, he explained the procedure and told us it was going to be painless. “He is an aging dog. There’s nothing more you can do for him. Don’t try to prolong this any longer, as it will only get worse and he will suffer.” I kept trying to be strong for the kids, but the tears starting pouring out. This was it….this was really it!. We were actually going to do it…

We said our goodbyes and cried. But in the end, we knew it was necessary for Beau’s sake. I didn’t think we would be able to handle being there but the kids insisted they wanted to be with Beau until the end. So we did…

I kept talking and rubbing Beau…until it was over. Even though it was painful to watch, my heart felt lighter… I knew it was the right thing to do.

Beau gave us some wonderful years.

Goodbye my Beau… We will miss you! You will be forever in our hearts. :(

Goodbye Beau...

Sad day…

My beloved Beau has passed on…

Sniff…. :(

What's for dinner?

I haven’t been myself lately.  I guess I have too much going on right now.  

The kids were hungry.  “What’s for dinner?”  

Friday nights are usually family night, which consists of pizza and movies.  But these past few weeks have changed.  My hubby has been too busy with work and meetings.  So we broke our routine.  

Tonight, I didn’t feel like having pizza.  In fact, I’m sick of pizza!

Checked the freezer… pork chops!  Ugh!  Not again…!     My dad had bought us a box of pork chops and I have been making them in different ways but still…I’m getting tired of them!  

O.k.  I have beans… so I put beans on…but they won’t be ready for a while.    

I’m pretty much out of everything else and I haven’t gone grocery shopping.  I really need to make the time to do it this weekend.  

Well, it was either pork chops or fish sticks.  Hey, fish sticks… not a bad idea…!   So I put the fish sticks in the oven.  I found a few potatoes, which I peeled and put to boil to make mashed potatoes, found a can of corn… good that will be our vegetable.  There… that’s our dinner…!  Right?

Wrong!   I don’t know what happened, or what I was thinking.  But it happened within a matter of a few minutes.  I went downstairs to put a load of laundry and to check on the fish sticks.  When I came back upstairs, I realized that I had covered the potatoes with a glass cover (which I have done before, especially when I want the water to boil quicker) and what do I see?  The freakin’ cover shattered!   There were chunks of glass inside the boiling pot of potatoes and all over the stove.  I didn’t want to risk having some of it falling inside the boiling pot of beans too.  So I had to throw away both pots!  

There went our dinner!  Fish sticks anyone?

Update on Beau... still hanging on...

I got home from work tired and depressed.  Had a hard and busy day at work as usual.  

I’ve been trying to deal with my Beau’s condition.  I have also been trying to keep him as comfortable and clean as possible.  Didn’t realize, how much work this was going to be.    

Yesterday, my sister came by the house.  I had told her about Beau and she wanted to see him for herself.  She got so upset when she saw Beau.  She couldn’t believe that Beau was not able to move on his own anymore.  

When she went to pet Beau, he seemed happy to see her.  It was almost as if he came alive again.  My sister loved Beau and she spent a lot of time with him when she used to babysit the kids for me.  “What happened to him?”  “The week before last, I had seen him and he was fine.”  “I just can’t believe this!”

It’s been 8 days since he started having problems.  My poor Beau… he’s still hanging on…!

e-mail...

 
My hubby received an e-mail which he thought was hilarious.  It’s called “his & her diary”.  So he forwarded it on to his best friend.  See below.

This is the response he got back from his friend…


“Get serious.  When were you ever that sensitive?”

 

his & her diary...

1. HER DIARY: 
"Tonight I thought he was acting weird. We had  made plans to meet at a bar to have a drink. I  was shopping with my friends all day long, so I  thought he was upset at the fact that I was a bit  late, but he made no comment.  Conversation wasn't flowing so I suggested that we  go somewhere quiet so we could talk. He agreed  but he kept quiet and absent.  I asked him what was wrong; he said nothing. I  asked him if it was my fault that he was upset.
  He said it had nothing to do with me and not to  worry.  On the way home I told  him that I loved him, he  simply smiled and kept  driving. I can't explain his behavior;
  I don't know why he didn't say I  love you too.  When we got home I felt as if I had lost him, as  if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. H
  He just sat there and watched TV.
  He seemed distant and absent.  Finally, I decided to go to bed. About 10 minutes  later he came to bed, and to my surprise he
  responded to my caress and we made love,
  but I still felt that he was distracted and his
  thoughts were somewhere else.  He fell asleep - I cried. I don't know what to do.  I'm almost sure that his thoughts are with
  someone else. My life is a disaster."
  2. HIS DIARY:
  "Today the Bears lost, but at least I got laid."

Beau...

This morning, Beau wasn’t looking good. He appeared to be sad and did not want to eat. I was beginning to get concerned and wondered if this was it. But with a little coaxing, I finally managed to get him to take his medication.

I know he has not been feeling well. And it must be hard for him, especially because he used to be such an active dog. He loved going outside and playing in the snow. Now, he can’t even do that. In the last few weeks, I noticed that when we would let him out in the backyard, he would cry for us to let him back inside. He can’t handle the cold weather anymore.

When I got home later this afternoon, I tried to feed him his regular canned dog food and he kept pushing it away. He reminded me of a pouting child. He looked more alert and yet, he looked upset. I almost got the impression that he was mad at me for leaving him for a few hours. He kept looking the other way as if to tell me that he wanted to be left alone.

I put some soft music and began to rub him. I can tell he was starting to feel much better and he finally began to eat. He even managed to sit up on his own.

Is he getting depressed when we are not around him? Is that what he’s trying to tell me? Or is it that the medication finally kicked in?

update on Beau...

Yesterday, my hubby picked us up from school. On the way home, he was telling us how he had “a little talk” with Beau and said to him, “Beau, I don’t want to have to do this to you, but if it is time to let you go, let me know.”

He had already made up his mind about taking him to the vet to put Beau to sleep. Even though Beau hasn’t shown it, we know he’s at that age and might be suffering. We did not want that for him.

The kids and I were heartbroken. I told my hubby, “Are you sure we are not rushing it?” “I had a dream that Beau got up and walked.” “What if we are not giving him enough time?” “My heart tells me it’s not time and yet when I see him struggling to get up and not being able to, just gets to be too much for all of us.”

When we arrived home, I was trying hard to suck in the tears that threatened to run down my cheeks. I did not want to upset the children by seeing me cry.

As we walked in the door, Beau somehow managed to get up and slowly walked around all the way to the kitchen and went to lie down by the door.

We were in shock. He did it!!! He managed to get up and move on his own.

We were all so excited to see him move.

Today, he seems to be doing so much better…although having wood floors doesn’t help. I had to buy a matt to help him when he tries to get up so he has a better grip with his feet. To bad it’s still too damn cold outside and his hind legs are too weak to be going up and down the stairs to let him go for a walk.

Realistically, I don’t know how much longer Beau will be able to hang on. But when I look at his face, he seems content to be around us and he’s eating and drinking lots of water.

There is still some hope for Beau. I just pray when he’s ready to go, he’ll go on his own.

Last night, Beau seemed pretty depressed. He did not want to eat. He hasn't cried out or anything, but I know he's desperate to get up and move around but he just can't.

My poor Beau!

These past few days, have been very emotional for us. Just 7 months ago, our puppy passed away and he was only 5 months old. That was very painful for my kids. And now this...

I have been talking to my kids about what may happen to Beau in the next couple of days. Our Beau is very old and doesn't have much energy left.

Since he can't get up anymore, he has been losing his bowels and urinating on himself. I've been taking care of him and trying to keep him clean.

Last night I spoke to the vet, he seems to think it's that time...!

My kids and I sat around Beau and we cried for him. I don't want this to be too painful for the kids but I feel that it is better for them to know and to prepare them for it.

We began telling little stories of things Beau used to do. By the end of the night the kids felt better. Hopefully when the time does come, it will ease their pain a little.

This morning, Beau woke up and he seemed to be in good spirits. He ate and looked alot happier. But am I really kidding myself?

Beau has been such a good pet, guard dog and most of all a best friend to this family.

This is scary for me... Is it really time? Or is it cruel for us to keep hanging on to the hope that he might get better even though he no longer can move on his own anymore?

My beautiful Beau...

Last Thursday, I noticed my dog Beau walking like a very old man. (Next month he will turn 14 years old). I could tell with the cold weather it was getting harder for him to get up and walk around. Yesterday, he was just lying around not moving at all. I called the vet to let him know about his condition. He wanted me to bring Beau in to see him.

But my husband insisted that we not take him to the vet anymore. “If it’s time for him to go, I want Beau to pass away at home.” My poor Beau is too heavy to be picked up and carried to the truck so it’s even harder for us to move him around.

I picked up some arthritis medication for him, and it’s helping a little. He’s eating and seems to enjoy the extra attention given to him. But he can’t pick himself up and he’s having a hard time with that. I think now, he pretty much lost the use of his hind legs.

My beautiful pet Beau. If he’s not better within a few days, the vet recommended we put him down.

Oh, how my heart is aching! :(

open 7 days...!

Sunday, January 8, 2006, we had a late start heading back home from our little mini-vacation. But before starting our road trip back, we decided to stop at Metropolis, Illinois since it was just a few minutes away from where we were staying. Although we were in a bit of hurry to get home as the kids had to get back to school and we had to get back to work the next day. When we arrived, the kids quickly jumped out of the car and I began to take a few pictures.

I was a little disappointed because I wanted to get some souvenirs and go see the museum but the whole place looked deserted. It was actually kind of eerie. After all it was late Sunday afternoon and no one seemed to be around. It was as if we were the only ones there. Soon after I finished taking pictures of the kids with Superman, we got in the car and left.

When I finally got the pictures developed, and as I was looking at them, I realized that the museum and the gift shop were open 7 days from 9 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We were there around 4:30 p.m.) That meant we could have gone to check it out! I was so busy taking pictures that I never focused on the BIG sign that clearly indicates the days and time. (How did I possibly miss that?!) And it never occurred to any of us to go inside. Duh!!!!

Truth--Justice--The American Way!

Super kids!

a vision of beauty...

This morning I woke up to warm sunrays flowing through our bedroom window.  Yay!  The sun is out!   It’s going to be a gorgeous day!

My hubby and I got up and went downstairs to the kitchen to drink a cup of coffee.  As we sat there enjoying our coffee, my hubby begins to look at me.  I’m feeling happy because the sun is out.  I look back at him with a smile.  He continues to look at me with loving eyes.  

Oh, I’m feeling good.  I asked him sheepishly, “Why are you looking at me like that?”  He says to me, “I’m looking at a vision of beauty.”    

Ay, que lindo!  What a sweet man!  He’s saying that about me!   Even though I just got up, my hair is a mess and I have no makeup on.  

“Me…a vision of beauty?”  I asked thinking how romantic he’s being so early in the morning.

And he replies with a twinkle in his eyes, “No, not you!  My reflection in the microwave oven behind you!”

Road trip...

Every year we try to go to New Mexico to spend Christmas with my hubby's family. My kids love going to NM because they get to spend time with their cousins who they hardly ever see. But, unfortunately, things did not work out for us this year. And we didn't go. The kids were very disappointed!

My sister had mentioned to me that she was going with her boyfriend to visit her boyfriend's family over the weekend. They live near the border of Illinois and Kentucky. She had asked us if we wanted to go with them. At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to travel 5-1/2 hours by car. But after seeing the kids getting excited about it, I decided to go. My mom and my little niece also joined us. You know how that goes...where one goes, all follow! And it became our first road trip of the year!

At first, we all became a little restless, after all it was a long drive. Secondly, my sister took her bulldog Wrigley. And, as you may know, bulldogs tend to drool at lot. We were in the back seat and for whatever reason, Wrigley would get right behind me and sneeze or whatever it was and spits all over the back of my head! Ewww! It was so gross! And he would only do that to me! Yuck!!!

When we arrived, we began to look for hotels with an indoor pool. We had to go to four different hotels to eventually find one that had a swimming pool. The kids kept yelling out "Swimming pool! Swimming pool!" We found two hotels with an indoor pool. "Sorry no no rooms available, they are all booked!" O.k., we kept looking. Another one had an outdoor pool (too cold for that). And yet another one had an indoor pool but it was under construction. "Are we ever going to find a hotel with a pool?"

And then...finally we saw the sign... "Indoor Pool!" The kids yell out "Yay! We get to go swim in the swimming pool!" The kids were ecstatic. They wanted to go to the pool right away and were disappointed to find out it was closed! "What? Why is it closed? You mean we will not be able to swim? This sucks!" Hello! It was only 12:30 a.m.!

My mom, kids and I stayed at the hotel while my sister and her boyfriend stayed with his family.

By 7 a.m. the kids were up and ready to go to the pool. They didn’t even want to waste time eating breakfast. I told them they should eat something before so that they can spend the day at the pool and not miss our free breakfast. They went reluctantly.

Finally, they hit the pool! And they LOVED it! They were in the pool the whole morning and part of the early afternoon. My mom and I had a hard time getting them out of that pool!

Snow drops are falling on my head...!

When I woke up this morning, I thought it was 4:00 in the morning because it was so dark outside. My hubby checked the time on the clock and it was already 7:00 a.m. Again, we will be running late if we didn't jump out of bed! I hate it when it's cloudy and raining. I just don't want to get up!

Just yesterday as I got off the elevator at work to go home, I ran into a co-worker who was coming back from lunch and she said, "You don't need a hat, it's warm out there!" I had my hat, gloves and a thick scarf. When I walked outside, it felt like it was the begining of Spring. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day! It's been awhile since we've seen the sun and you could tell that everyone appreciated the sun and the warmth!

And now it's been raining all day and when I was getting ready to go home from work, another co-worker said to me "Have you seen how it looks outside?" "It's snowing!" And sure enough, I walked outside and it was definitely snowing. The kind of snow that it's so heavy they feel like rain drops. When the snow hits the ground, it becomes liquid!

By the time I got to school to pick up my kids, it was snowing even harder and you could feel the drop in temperature. It became very cold and windy. I had to keep moving my umbrella towards the wind or else I would have lost it!

When the kids and I got home, we were sopping wet, cold and hungry! Brrrrr!

Thank God I had taken out chicken from the freezer which was already defrosted! So I decided to make a nice homemade chicken soup!

Ahhh! It really hit the spot! It was... Mmmmm good!

KC's recital...

I had been talking to my brother over the phone and I could hear my nephew saying, “Let me talk to her, let me talk to her!” in the background. My brother said, “O.k.! o.k! Here, KC wants to tell you something.” KC got on the phone and said excitedly, “I’m having a recital.” “I’m going to sing!” He sounded so happy and proud that he was going do it.

I haven’t been able to attend any recitals for my niece and nephew due to me being at work, so I was happy that I was off the day of the recital. I called my sister who was also off of work and asked her to go with me.

My two sisters, mom, my brother, his wife and I got together to go to the recital and we arrived at the same time. When my nephew saw us come in the door, his face lit up with surprise and yet joy that we were all there. I don’t think he was expecting us to show. He was so happy!

The recital was a success! The children did a wonderful job singing their X-mas songs and performing for us. I was proud of little KC for being such a big boy (he’s so shy!)

THANK YOU!

THANK YOU KRISTY FOR CREATING A NEW LOOK FOR MY BLOG!

:)

stop...!

http://www.chicagosuntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-stop10.html


When they say stop, it means STOP!!!

happy new year...!

Why does it take having a party to clean out the house? It took me almost three whole days cleaning and clearing out the basement alone. And it took my husband a whole day to clear out the junk room.

While cleaning, I kept finding more and more junk that I had to get rid of! And well, I finally did! I feel so much better. I wanted to start the New Year with a different attitude and set of mind… NO MORE CLUTTER!

There are a couple of rooms I still need to spend more time clearing out. It will take me some time to do it but at least we’re getting started.

Since we didn’t go anywhere while on vacation, we decided to have a New Year’s Eve party. We invited a few of our friends and family. It turned out to be a great party. My sisters helped me decorate the basement. Everyone brought a covered dish and drinks. We had different kinds of food and lots of booze! My sister’s boyfriend was the DJ and we even had karaoke. It was nice to listen to the ones with good voices but others… (including me) OMG…can somebody take that microphone away…please!!!

And boy did I dance! I can’t believe I’m still sore from all that dancing. That’s what I need to do to get my exercise… dance! It’s something I enjoy… so why not practice it, right?

Everyone had a good time. But the next morning…. ugh! No, I wasn’t hung over (I didn’t want to start my new years with a hangover). I was tired because two nights in a row we’ve been going to bed really late. And our New Year’s Eve party lasted until 5:30 a.m.! It was 9:30 a.m. when I woke up so I only got four hours of sleep.

When I went downstairs to see how things looked… Yikes! All I can say is that we worked so hard in cleaning and clearing out the place and now I have to do it all over AGAIN! It was a mess! (Even though I had cleaned the tables and got rid of the beer cans and bottles before I went to bed.) It was more a mess because of all the confetti! It was everywhere! I swept and swept and I’m still finding it. I need to give it another sweep and mop but not anytime soon. I’ve had it with cleaning!!!!

Today, we got up late and ate breakfast about two hours ago. Since the day has been yucky (it’s been dark, cloudy and raining all day) it’s a good time to snuggle up on the couch with the fireplace going and watch movies.

This year, I didn’t make any resolutions to keep or to break.

I’m just hoping and looking forward to better year!