Halloween

Halloween was fun and exhausting. This year I decided that since I've been apart from niece and nephew for the past two years (that's what happens when you move to another state) that I would take them to the American Museum of Natural History for some trick or treating. We went with our next door neighbors and met up with Dan at the museum.

My niece was ecstatic, but my nephew ended up being a bit bored. I think he might be too old for this. I didn't realize the crowd would be very young, but he was a trooper. I really enjoyed being there, but have to admit that I was a bit overwhelmed. The place was super packed. I despise being in places that are full of people. It gets me a bit anxious. I think that's something I developed later on in life. When I was a teenager, I use to hit those clubs and not care if I could only take baby steps to move forward because it was so crowded.

Unfortunately, we forgot to charge our digital camera and had to settle for our phones. Here's a picture of JJ, Dan, and Jacque towards the end of the night at the museum.


After we dropped of the kids and returned home, we dressed up our furry son. I bought a costume for Louie. He looked so damn adorable. I couldn't keep it on him for longer than a few minutes because the legs part of the costume were too long for his short legs, which caused him to fall repeatedly. But he did stay still enough to snap some pictures. Here he is Darth Louious as Dan named him.

Pros and Cons

I like making a pros and cons list about everything to see what's working for me and what isn't. Saturday night I asked Dan what he thought was the pros and cons of living in New York. We've found a bunch of pros and only two cons. One of the biggest pros was having the means of public transportation so readily available to us. This we enjoyed very much so as we were meeting with some of Dan's coworkers at a bar in the village. We were both in such a good mood that I can't even explain it. Another pro was that we didn't have to worry on who wasn't going to drink because we weren't driving. Saturday night is one of those nights that I'm always going to refer to in my mind when I'm not feeling happy because the smile on Dan's face made my night. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time.

The two cons: 1. Getting stuck on the bridge while going to work (something that has nothing to do with where I live, but all to do with where I work). 2. Pathmark is a drive (it takes us 20 minutes to get there). I don't like food shopping and I hate having to devote 20 minutes to and fro to driving there.

Not bad right? I'm loving it here more and more each day.

The Bronx

My big question is "Why is it called The Bronx?" Then I tried saying to myself that I live in Bronx, and it really sounds weird. You could say I live in Manhattan, but for some reason it doesn't correlate when it comes to the Bronx. So, the Bronx it is.

I'm becoming familiar with the area and have to say I love it. I find the architecture pretty and the people are friendly. Everyone is always smiling at me when I'm walking Louie and the neighbors are also friendly. So far, I've been welcomed home and wished good luck. Can't ask for more.

As soon as we get rid of the fourteen more boxes left (there were a total of 37), it will feel more like home. I'm also readjusting to having Dan around, which after three months of sleeping alone it's a nice welcomed change.

What's even a better change is being alone with Dan for the first time in years. No offense to my in-laws, but I love being alone. The first day I got the keys to the apartment, I was going to begin cleaning. I changed into sweatpants and a tank top. Now this tank top I've worn in public before, but if I'm not careful my boobs will make an appearance. After I put on the outfit, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought that I should cover up so that nobody sees me like this and put on the hoody. At that same moment I realized what I had thought and immediately took off the hoody. That is when I concluded how accustomed I've become to being around people. Now I walk around in my underwear all the time and love it (and so does Dan).

So now you know what I've been upto for the last two weeks. If I take long between my posts, please forgive me. I'm still trying to settle in.

No, I Haven't Disappeared

Sorry folks, I only got internet yesterday.

That said, I have lot's of stuff to write about, which will take me a while to do. In the meantime, keep posted. Frankly, I'm quite exhausted from working, unpacking, and shopping around for housewares. If I weren't so sleepy at this moment, I would tell you about how great our apartment is and how much I love it. But, you'll hear about it soon. Talk to you later.

Complaining

Everyone is entitled to have a bitch fest. Life at times throws curve balls at you that are hard to deal with. We've all been there when things just aren't going our way and we don't know how to handle it. Problems seem to work themselves out whether you like the outcome or not and happier times return.

What I find useless is complaining about minute things. I, myself, use to be guilty of this travesty. Nowadays, I find it quite annoying (although I'm working on not letting it bother me). This ordeal tends to happen often at work. Since we live off of tips, the types of tables we get are very important. Nobody likes waiting on cheap people. For example, I had two ladies that sat for two hours at my table and left me $5 on a $38 check. Number one, they sat for two hours. Number two, that's not even 15%. Now, I could have made a big deal about it, gotten upset, and let it ruin my night. But why? These ladies were going home to relax ignorant of the fact that they offended me. What kind of satisfaction would that have brought me? None, absolutely none.

What I was happy about, was that I waited on a couple, which there bill totaled $57 and left me $15. That's over 25%!! Now out of the two tables, which one should I concentrate on? The one that left me a horrible tip or the one that took care of me? It's obvious to me that the one that took care of me is the winner. Let me tell you, that I made little money yesterday. That one table made the day worth it. I refuse to concentrate on the negative. At times, it is a difficult task to accomplish. It takes a lot of effort to step outside of the situation and look in.

There's a guy that works with me who is nicest guy you could ever know. If you ever need anything, he's right there to help you out. He's a great team player and just plain nice. His downfall--complains way too much. He finds fault in everything to the point that I sometimes walk away. I refuse to surround myself with that negativity. Let's be honest. Waiting tables is not the best job in the world. Don't make it worse by complaining about it.

I keep on telling him that he should concentrate on better things than what kind of shitty tables he's getting or if the kitchen is taking too long with his food or that he's not getting sat (BTW, I'm not the only one that tells him that). His response is that he's very positive with his tables. My response is "Well you're not being that positive if you stand around and complain about it." At which his response is "I don't need to hear that I'm being negative." At which I respond, "Well then stop complaining."

I know he gets annoyed with me and the other people that tell him the same thing. He doesn't seem to understand that by complaining about every little thing that goes wrong, he's annoying others. Waiting tables is the kind of job that if you become cranky, you cause a domino effect. Once the dominoes begin falling, it is very difficult to stop them. You know what? It's affecting his pocket. He doesn't make much money. The days that he does make money, I don't hear a peep out of his mouth.

Maybe next time he starts complaining about the little stuff I'll remind him that on days he does make decent cash, he's not complaining. Maybe, just maybe, he'll see the connection, which will change his outlook. I work on seeing the good out of every situation, whether it's a good situation or a bad one. There are times where stepping out of the situation is impossible to do because of the heat of the moment. As long as you try your best, I guarantee you will feel better.

Names

Dan and I began talking about names we might like for our kids (if we have any and no, we are not trying). I told him that I would love to name our daughter "Xiomara." He was quite surprised by my response. I love my name. The older I get, the more I like it. I admit that when I was young, I wasn't that pleased with it. Most people would mispronounce it by pronouncing the "x" first. It's like someone saying the name Daniel, Dee-Daniel. Ridiculous, but none-the-less they did (and still do). The thought of putting any child of mine through that pain has made me stray away from that thought. But I just love my name.

Years ago, I went searching for my name to find out the origin and meaning. I came across a book that stated my name was Greek and it stood for "hospitality to strangers." At the time I thought it was comical that my name stood for that since I was waiting tables. Great, I'm meant to wait tables for the rest of my life! Not really, but there are a lot worst meanings out there. After the conversation I had with Dan, I was inspired to once again look-up my name. I was pleasantly surprised to find a different origin and meaning to my name. My name has a Spanish origin and it means "ready for battle."

I cannot begin to tell you how fitting that name is for me. Now I don't take as literally ready for battle, but as ready for anything that comes my way. I think that describes me very well. My closest friends might agree on this, also. Now more than ever, I would love to name my daughter, Xiomara.

Just for kicks, I also decided to look up the name, Xia (since everyone calls me that anyway). Xia originates in China and means "glow of the sunrise." How pretty is that? It is also very fitting because I love nothing more than to look at sunrises. I love how the sky, especially when it's full of clouds, has beautiful pink and purple colors right when the sun is coming out. It fills me with a blessed peace that just makes me love the world. On another website, I found that "Xia's" origin is Greek and it's a nickname for "Xenia."

"Xiomara" just became cooler. I'm glad my parents decided to give me this name. It's not common, which makes it more appealing to me. Something to keep in mind if we ever decide to take that step.

Louie

Let me start off by saying that my doggy, Louie, has always been somewhat of a grouch. He doesn't like people petting him, he hates kids, and will growl at you if you're bothering him. When he does something wrong and I discipline him, he answers back by barking really loud. Once left alone, he lays around and pretty much sleeps. It's not that he's super mean or anything like that. He's a loner.

Well, a twenty-five hour road trip changed that real fast. He's just a doll. When he sees us, he runs upto us and puts his paws on our legs so that we could carry him. He gets along with the other two dogs that are in Dan's aunt's house (this is where we're staying momentarily while we wait for the keys to the apartment). He still barks at strangers, but he calms down much quicker. I even left him unleashed last night (which I never did because he would purposely pee on the floor if left unsupervised) and he stayed on his bed all night. No messy floors to clean up this morning.

Dan and I are amazed. We're not sure if this will be a momentary change, but I hope it becomes permanent. I think the fact that he doesn't have to compete with his brother is another factor to his behavioral change. He must also be a bit scared about the move. Unfortunately for him, we haven't settled in yet. I hope this goes quickly for him.

Slight Delay

After all was said and done, we finished everything at about 4:30pm. At that time, we decided to leave tomorrow morning, probably before dawn. We're exhausted from finishing up all of the miscellaneous stuff and it wouldn't be smart to start driving while you're already tired.

Intermission: I saved this as a draft because Dan needed to go online. It's been an hour since that, and I just woke up. Definitely good idea not to leave today.

The good news is that we're all packed up. All we have to do in the morning is shower and jump into the car. Our renewed plan is to leave around 5:00am. This will give us plenty of driving time for the day. Since we're not planning to stop at a hotel, we should arrive early on Sunday. So, talk to you soon.

Off We Go

As of probably 1:00pm, Dan, Louie, and I will be off to our new lives. We still have a few things to do like change the oil in the car, get a new headlight, finish the laundry, and bathe Louie (the groomer never came to the house because of Rita). We pretty much finished all the packing except for the miscellaneous stuff. And that's about it.

The thought of leaving Miami behind has been a blessing that has kept me going while we've been packing (especially in this heat). We're excited about being back north. I think this time around we'll appreciate the more mundane things that go on in NJ/NY like knowing that it's already autumn by the scent of the air. I've been noticing other things as well that I never paid any attention to that I'll blog about in the future.

Well, that's it. Goodbye Miami!

Made it!

Positive thinking attracts goods stuff. As I always repeat to myself when the going gets tough,"Like attracts like." I proved it this morning. I got to the airport around 6:00am (after finding a flight that went into Ft. Lauderdale leaving at 7:35). I asked to be on standby for this flight. Well, without having to pay a cent, I was given a boarding pass. After the flight being delayed for about twenty minutes, the captain came out and said that he was going to try his best to get us into Ft. Lauderdale as best as possible. Worst case scenario, we would end up in West Palm Beach.

Once I situated myself on the plane, I said to myself, "We're going into Ft. Lauderdale." I kept on repeating this until I fell asleep. The flight went fine except for some turbulence (which was expected) and we landed in Ft. Lauderdale at 10:50. This is the best birthday so far because I got what I wished for--Dan. Now, we're going out to celebrate!!!!

Rita, Rita, Rita

After flipping out about my flight possibly being cancelled (Sal you're the best--thank you sooooooo much), I've decided to start celebrating my 30th birthday with a Corona. The flight has not been officially cancelled. My hopes are to see Dan on my birthday. I'm going to sit back, relax, and enjoy my beer. I'm not going to stress out about this anymore.

The malls in South Florida have closed for the day. Families are boarding up their windows. That's exactly what Dan is doing at this moment. He told me that he would speak to me in a few hours. Oh my dear, you won't have to worry about these damn hurricanes any more. Come to think about it, Dan has been doing a lot for the last few days between packing and now preparing for a possible hurricane.

Corona #2 even better than the first one. Dan and I have plans for tomorrow. Originally, we were going to the beach right after I landed. Obviously that won't be happening. Afterwards, we are going out to dinner. The rest of the week is going to be chaotic between finishing up any last minute packing and driving up with our dog Louie. Hercules (our other dog) is staying in Miami. He gets along great with his sister Xena (incest is best) and hates Louie. Besides, Louie is a loner. He likes laying on the couch and watching tv. Reluctanctly, I agreed to the whole ordeal.

Before I know it, all of this will be over with. Dan and I will be sitting on our brand new couch, sipping a Gewurztraminer or a Riesling (Dan likes white wines), and chuckling about our move back north. I plan to be chuckling about this very soon!

Anxiety

My anxiety is building up by the minute. If you haven't read my previous post below, I suggest you do so first. Then you'll understand this post. Anyway, I'm so damn excited about moving that my heart feels as if it's racing. This is becoming very real and fast, which is a good thing. After spending over three months apart form Dan (minus the one week of our second honeymoon), I'm more than ready to resume my life.

The fact that I'm turning thirty in two days has not even phased me. All I keep on thinking about is seeing Dan on Tuesday and our drive up from Miami (I swear, I'm not driving down to Florida for a long time). Being apart from Dan has been hell. Two more days, two more days (I keep on repeating this to myself over and over). My flight might be delayed on Tuesday because of a tropical storm, which is not making the situation any better. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less because I keep on concentrating on the fact that we've been apart too long. Like attracts like. Let me change my way of thinking so that I attract my flight to go as planned.

On a better note, I just made plans for Halloween!!!! I'm taking my niece and nephew (and maybe the baby) to the Museum of Natural History for trick or treats. My best friend, and now next door neighbor, takes her kids there every year and says it's a blast. My niece is so happy about this that I can't even explain it to you. She kept me on the phone for about 30 minutes asking all sorts of questions about it. She is just adorable. Then she found out that her uncle Danny will be there and her response was, "Oh my goodness that is such great news!" She loves Dan to death. I don't blame her, I love him too. BTW, I bought a costume for my dog Louie. He is going to be Darth Vader. I can't wait!!

I've also pretty much made plans for Thanksgiving. Since I'm the one in charge of making the gobble-gobble, I'm having it at my place. I'm not sure if the apartment will be completely furnished by then, but at least it will be fun. I'm not sure if you know, but I make the best turkey in the world. Even my best friend who hates turkey will eat mine. It's yummy. I'm thinking about baking, but I'm not sure yet what to make.

As you can see, my anxiety also makes me ramble a lot. I can't help it. I have to get it out of my system before I freak out. At least this is good anxiety. What I mean by this is that I'm just excited. Nothing bad is going on around me. For instance, I was having anxiety issues when I was teaching. That was not a happy anxiety. At times, I thought I was going to beat the crap out of everyone in front of me (especially when I got physically assaulted by the students). It takes a lot out of you to control that adrenaline. Luckily, I'm just happy.

Update

We've officially found an apartment. After many dead end calls, I hit the jackpot. For a minute, I thought Dan and I wouldn't be able to find a place to live in. But at the last second, things turned around for us. We'll be moving into the Bronx right next door to my best friend (I'm very excited about that one). All of this is occurring October 1st, which is just in time since Dan will be up here by then.

I'm super excited about this right now, but I can't wait until we're settled in. It's going to be so nice to be alone. I love my in-laws to death and I'm very grateful for all they've done for us, but being alone with Dan for the first time in over two years will be a blessing. I've been dreaming about this day for a long, long time.

The apartment building we're moving into is in a great location. The subway entrance is right under the building, which makes it ideal for commuting into the city. The building has a total of six floors with an elevator, indoor garage, and a laundry room. There is also a dentist's office inside the building. The landlord is super nice and very helpful. Did I mention that my best friend will be right next door to me? Literally, right next door. We share a wall.

The apartment, itself, is a one bedroom with a galley kitchen and a dining room/living room. The apartment is fairly large. I have no idea what the square footage is, but it's a nice size for the both of us. The apartment is also bright with large windows in both the living room and the bedroom. We also have airconditioners in each room. They are below the windows (in the walls). So, they have to be installed by the owners.

I'm flying down to Florida on Tuesday (my birthday) to pick-up Dan. We will be driving up and returning by Saturday. Hopefully, the move won't take long and we'll be settled in pronto. It's going to be a hectic month, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll finally have Dan back with me and we'll be alone. Can't wait!!

You Always Learn from Situations You Hate

Very few things get under my skin like condenscending people do. I bartend and wait tables. Unfortunately, some people feel the need to talk down to their servers. HEY ASSHOLE, I HAVE A FUCKIN DEGREE!! And even if I didn't, you should have more manners than to speak to someone as if you're better than he or she is. I had one of those guests tonight that if I didn't need the job, I would have broken every single tooth in his mouth. Then I would have made him swallow his crushed teeth. Instead, I smiled and got him out of there asap. It got to the point that his wife told him to stop. I just laughed to myself because she's the one sleeping with him, not me.

What truly bothered me about the situation is that I let it get to me. Why should I care about how this guy speaks to me? He obviously has insecurity issues that he needs to workout. I hope it made his night. I believe that each situation that is thrown to you is for you to learn from. As I sit here on my bed, I wonder what I learned from this guy. Well, I learned that I need not to take things so personal. If we were both on the street, he might not have been so brave. He chose to pick on me because he knew I couldn't do a damn thing about it. That makes him weak and I have nothing to do with this equation.

What I also learned from this situation is that I got over it pretty quickly. As soon as he left the restaurant, I was in a good mood again. I'm very happy about that. If it were a year ago, I would have let it ruin my night. I know I'm becoming the person I strive to be little by little. And now I'm in the best of moods. I turned a bad situation to my favor and I thank the guy for helping me out. If it weren't for him, I would not have realized my progress.

Hidden Emotions

I finally got to emailing one of my former coworkers from the school I was teaching at in Hialeah. As I was reading her response, she mentioned my favorite student. I'm not going to say her name, but you've heard me talk about her before. To begin with, this little girl looks like if she could be my daughter. In fact, whenever a new teacher would start at the school, she would ask me if she was my daughter. The resemblance was so obvious that the other teachers would refer to her as my daughter.

Needless to say, I became very attached to her. I would often say that if I could ever adopt her I would. She's the sweetest thing you could ever imagine, but she is a very troubled child. From what I've gathered from her mother, she was physically abused by a teacher. I have to add that there has to be a drug problem with the mother because all of her four children have handicaps. Just by having a conversation with this woman you would realize that she's not all there.

This coworker of mine mentioned that my former student has talked about me and told one of my other coworkers that she loves me. When I read this I broke down and started crying. Actually, I'm still crying about this. I figured that by now she may have forgotten about me since I haven't been around. I miss her so much. Even though she gave me such a hard time, I wouldn't trade that time I've spent with her for anything else. She has taught me how beautiful a human being can be. I'm so sad that I can't be around her anymore.

When I go down to Miami to pick up Dan, I plan to visit the school. My first question is going to be about my "adoptive daughter." I hope I could contain my emotions when I see her because I'm not doing such a good job at it right now. I love that little girl and I can't wait to see her.

War Zone in America

I can't put into words how horrible I feel about Katrina. In fact, it doesn't matter how I feel about it because those victims experiencing it feel a thousand times worse, if not more. I'm sickened by the images I see on tv, but worse I'm sickened by the images my mind sees. Let's face it, the news reporters don't get into the mind set of those people who are facing the worst event in their lives. But I know you could put yourself in their shoes and get a feel for it.

My mom and I have been watching the news and she said something that I can't take out of my head. She said that she can't believe this is happening in America. She's right. Why is it taking so long for supplies to get there? The mighty country that we are saving the world. We can't save our own people? That's fuckin great! We have the biggest and mightiest military in the world, but it takes us a few days to get the national guard down to New Orleans to restore order. The only reason we need to restore the order is because help wasn't there. You try living without food or water in the sweltering heat for a few days. Not to mention that you haven't slept in days because you're protecting your family or are too devasted to actually fall asleep because the images in your head are too horrific to withstand. Then tell me how you're going to react.

UNACCEPTABLE!! That's what this situation is. If we could get live coverage of the hurricane, we could have sent supplies before the hurricane hit. Everyone knew this hurricane was going to destroy New Orleans, Gulfport, and Mobile. They should have had some kind of plan ready to be executed. We could do preemptive attacks, but don't count on us to do that to lessen the severity of a natural disaster. That says a lot about us.

Red, Red Wine

For those that know me well, know that I love drinking wine. Some of you may call me a lush, which is fine. I'm not really bothered by the comments. The truth is that I thoroughly enjoy wine. Wine is much more than just an alcoholic drink. Wine sets up the atmosphere the way a great jazz song makes you want to tap your feet or snap your fingers. Wine is perfect when you're having a romantic dinner with your significant other. It transforms dinners at home as great dates that make you fall in love with that person even more. It sheds a light that you may not normally see.

Another thing to add on to the pro side of wine is that you don't have to spend that much money to enjoy a good glass. I've spent ten dollars on a bottle and it tasted phenomenal. If you're interested in becoming a wine connoisseur, then I suggest you start off with a pino grigio or pino gris. These are white wines that tend to be light and fruity. You can't go wrong with wine because it's ultimately what you like (although, I do cringe when I see people drink zinfandel, even though it was my starter wine).

This posting was spurred by the fact that I'm enjoying a nice glass of red wine. Reds are my favorite. What is actually funny is that I use to not be able to drink red wine. I was the tacky one that would put ice in it, even though I knew I shouldn't. I wouldn't do this in public because I didn't want to mortify my friends. Nowadays, I prefer to drink only red with an exception to gewurztraminer or riesling, which tend to delicious white wines. So, here's a toast to you, my friends!

Two Different Worlds

Being back at the gym feels incredible. The muscles in my legs are rekindling themselves with that sore feeling I love so much. The last two nights I have slept through only waking up once. This was due to an extremely weird dream about mice, ants, and lizards crawling all over my body. I woke up wondering if there was maybe a mouse crawling all over me, but to my relief there was nothing on the bed. Although, I thought I heard a mouse nearby, but that could have been my mind playing tricks on me. Anyway, I do suspect that my nights will be spent dreaming about nice things and waking up whenever Dan decides to call me in the mornings.

Speaking of Dan, he is not having a good time. Hurricane Katrina caused no damage to his parents' house, which is a great thing. Unfortunately, they lost power and have no phone line. No fridge or ac in the Miami heat is not fun. Not to mention that all five people are home without the wonderful distractions we like to indulge in like watching tv, talking on the phone, or surfing the net. Needless to say, I think they are all getting on each others' nerves. I know I wouldn't be the best person to be around with in situations like these. Don't worry Babe, pretty soon you won't have to deal with anymore hurricanes!

How I Will Deal With Stress

Stress levels have been steadily rising. I can't begin to tell you how much this whole move compounded with other stuff has been driving me crazy. I've been breaking out (I feel like a fifteen year old) and my insomnia has returned, which has further worsened the situation. My patience levels are slowly depleting at work because of my lack of sleep.

With all of that being said, I need to find a positive outlet for my stress because as you know, like attracts like. I don't need any more added stress. I'm hitting the gym tomorrow!! The fact of the matter is that I haven't worked out since I've moved up here. The thought of taking a bus to the gym really deters any thoughts of doing so. This is especially true since I work mostly doubles. So how am I all of a sudden hitting the gym? Well, I got the idea from Dan. I mentioned to him how I want to workout, but the bus situation just makes me want to stay in bed. His solution is to take the bus to the gym, workout, shower, and take the bus to work instead of Tania taking me in the mornings.

By actually doing this, I will get the exercise that I need, which will help me loose the last 17 lbs. that I need to reach my goal. My stress levels will diminish, which will make me happier and help me sleep at night. The last added benefit of working out is that I'll have more energy at work. I'm going to suck it up for a month until Dan gets here and do it.

Much Going On In My Mind

I think the stress of being up here without Dan is beginning to get to me. I was excited about celebrating my thirtieth (Sept. 20). I was even planning on going down to Atlantic City, and now I'm scratching that idea right out of my head. I'm just not in the mood for it or any type of celebration for that matter. The car situation is now officially bothering me. I hate not being able to drive anywhere. I have to go look at an apartment, but have to wait and see if my father could drive me. I also want my own place so that I could do whatever I want without having to explain myself. Well, things could be a lot worse and I have to be thankful for everyone that is helping me out (especially Tania that is driving me to and from work).

I have to be a bit more patient. Soon things will fall into place and I'll be thinking back at this as a bad dream. I am keeping myself busy. I have to be very thankful about that. I do go out and visit my friends. I'm also reading a lot. Whenever it is that I'm actually home, I relax and read. Anything to keep myself occupied.

Another major thing that is preoccupying my thoughts lately is going to graduate school. I want to get that going. I've wasted enough time now. My ultimate goal is to be a college professor. I can't do that with only a BA. The job market will also be easier once I at least have a Master's degree. Nowadays, a BA isn't enough unfortunately. I hope that teachers all across high schools are conveying this message to kids. The work force has become so competitive that you stack the odds against you if you don't further your schooling. I'm not saying that you won't make it without a BA or a MA. I do know many people that are successful without degrees.

So that's what's going on lately. I hope to see this stagnant situation moving right along soon. I need my own place and with Dan in it. If anyone knows of any apartments that allow pets, let me know.

Back From Florida, Again

As you all know, I was down in Florida celebrating my five year wedding anniversary with my darling husband, Dan. I cannot believe we've been married for five years already. It only seems like yesterday that the big day happened.

So what can I say about being married for five years? I must be the luckiest person alive. I'm not trying to be sappy, but I don't have any complaints. I'm fortunate enough to have a husband that is great. We love each other very much and mutually respect each other. On top of that, we're the best of friends. I recommend that everyone become friends first before dating. You should be able to trust each other before you take that next step.

Back to our second honeymoon--it was awesome. We drove down to Key West and stayed there for three days. It was fun and relaxing. On our way back to Miami, we stopped at a key called Bahia Honda. This place was beautiful. The sand was very fine and pretty much white. The water was excellent. We hung out there for about three hours and then headed back to Miami. The rest of the vacation we spent hanging around and taking it easy.

The worst part was leaving Dan behind. I think this time it hurt more than when I originally left. A week together is just not enough to enjoy each other's company. I am glad that we were able to see one another. It would have really sucked if we were apart for our wedding anniversary. At least I know that the next time I see him will be for good. I hope that day comes very soon.

Warning--Women Only

There is nothing in the world that is more satisfying than getting the perfect haircut (well, you know what I mean). I've been wanting to change my hair style for quite a while, but not really getting across to my hairdresser down in Miami (no offense to her--she is great, but I guess my Spanish isn't the best in the world when it comes to explaining myself). Well thanks to Tania, she introduced me to her hairstylist. I explained to him what I was looking for and he told me he was going to update my look.

Let me just say that while my hair was wet, I was loving my haircut. I couldn't wait until it was dried. This was the first time ever that a hairstylist took longer cutting my hair than blow drying it. The end result--marvelous. I am soooooo happy about my cut that it's insane. Of course I have to share a picture with you.

A Little Bit of Everything

Let's see, what's going on? Well for starters, I'm flying down to Miami to see Dan for our anniversary. We're actually getting away for a few days. Key West is the destination. I love it down there! Dan is making all of the arrangements. I fly down On July 27th and come back August 2nd. I can't wait.

The job search is still the same. Although there haven't been as many job postings this week as I would have liked to see. It is the summer and I guess things slow down. At my current job, I'm making the most of it. I'm also having fun. No complaints there.

My next goal is to find a school to go to for my masters. I still have to take the GRE, which I'm dreading. I need to get my act together on this. Hopefully by the spring I could begin going. Let's see what happens on that.

Other than that, things have been calm. I have been working enough to keep me busy for the most part. My weekends are also busy because I'm catching up with friends that I haven't seen in two years. Well got to go!!!

I Have No Idea What to Name This Post

In my NJ world life has been moving right along. As you know I've been working like crazy trying to make as much money as I can. So far, so good. I've been doing well in that department. Just this week alone on one shift, I've made half of my goal. I have no complaints there. One great thing about waiting tables is that when you need the cash, you make it. What sucks is that you put in a lot of hours. The bad thing about waiting tables is that you get use to the cash flow, which means you end up spending just as fast. Luckily for me I've learned my lesson on that and I actually save. Twenty percent of what I make goes directly into savings. If I make more than my goal, I keep $50 and the rest goes into savings.

When Dan and I worked together, we would do basically the same thing. On top of that we made sure that we made money to cover our bills during the first part of the month. Then by the end of the month we're not scrambling to make cash. The big joke at work was that everyone thought we were loaded because they couldn't understand how we worked so little to make ends meet. We would just smile. We also didn't blow our money on drinking every night either, which helped with our savings.

On a different note, I'm down 10 pounds!! I can't believe how quickly I'm loosing all this weight. My goal is to loose another 15 pounds before I see Dan for our anniversary at the end of next month. The rate I'm going it looks as if I could accomplish this goal. I have to say that I feel great!! This is the thinnest I've been in nearly 7 years. I think I look great, too.

In total, I've lost 38 pounds. It has taken me awhile, but it's worth it. Everyone keeps on asking me how I've done it. I tell them that I eat smaller portions and I do keep active. That's the way to do it. And I'm not saying it's easy because there are some days I want to eat a house. What keeps me motivated is feeling good about myself and not wanting to go back to my heavier self.

And now I must go. Time to get ready for work.

Work, Work, Work

Two weeks in NJ and I definitely feel as if I haven't left. It's very weird without Dan. I miss him terribly, and I'm beginning to get anxious about him coming up. I want it to happen right now, but I have to wait.

Waiting tables, as I have been doing now for two weeks, is like riding a bike. You never forget how to do it. With that, I'm also remembering how wired you get when you get home. I've been up since 8am and I can't go to sleep. I'm exhausted because I worked a double, but it's not happening. I'm getting really close to cracking open a bottle of wine (that my folks have) and begin chugging away. I'll either get drunk or fall asleep. Now I realize why a lot of waiters/bartenders have drinking problems.

Anyway, I have been good about searching for jobs and actually applying to them. The great thing is that I'm finding jobs to apply for, which was not the case in Miami. At least I have the hope that I'll find something soon. Once we both get jobs, I know we'll get back into the swing of things.

I'm also being good about my diet and exercise. Since I've been back, I've lost 6lbs. I'm trying to eat as healthy as possible. Although I haven't been to the gym, I have been walking on Blvd. East and the city. It has been too beautiful outdoors to go to the gym. I rather enjoy the view and not realize that I'm doing it for the exercise.

So that's my update. I'll try to post more often, but to be honest it will be hard. This week alone I still have three more doubles to work. I have now begun my apartment search, which I hope to have a place by Aug. 1st. Wish me luck!! I think I'll go to sleep now.

Batman Begins

Thanks to my best friend Sal, I went to a screening of Batman Begins. What can I say? WATCH IT!! WOW! I can't even begin to tell you how great this movie is. I'm not going to discuss the details of the movie because I don't want to spoil it.

What I will say is that it has all the elements I look forward to in a movie: action, suspense, pleasantly surprising, funny, sad, and just damn good. I am also happy that the movie was not spoiled by the trailers I've seen. I did not expect things to turn out the way they did. GREAT, GREAT, GREAT!

PS: The other Batman movies should be ashamed of themselves.

Back in NJ

My first official day as a NJ resident went well. It is very hot, which for some unknown reason I wasn't expecting. The flight was delayed for an hour and we didn't get home until 1:00am. My poor dad, he was exhausted.

So my feelings--sad and numb. I'm sad for leaving Dan behind and I miss my family down there. I'm numb because it doesn't seem as if I ever left, but at the same time I feel like a stranger. Maybe I'm just tired and since I'm back at my parents without my husband, it all seems out of place. Hopefully, this transitional phase will quickly pass.

Also thanks to my dad's new eating habits, I'm dieting. No junk food!!!! I had turkey breast cutlets with broccoli, which was very tasty. Since both of my parents have to adhere to their own diets, they don't purchase anything that will sabotage their efforts. So if any junk ends up in the house, it's my own doing. No more temptations with pastelitos (for those of you that don't know what that is--stay away; they are too tasty) or any other junk food.

Well that's it for now. I'll keep you posted if anything happens to change.

Goodbye Miami!

This is it--last day in Miami! It's down to the nitty gritty. I'm almost done packing, I ordered internet access for my parent's place, and that about sums it up. I can't say I'm happy because I'm going to miss my in-laws very much and I'm leaving Dan and the doggies behind. This is the worst part about leaving. I know that everything is going to workout for us. I have great friends who are trying to get us jobs and I appreciate them dearly.

This transitional phase will be tough. Once Dan comes up and we settle down, things will go back to normal. In fact, our situation will improve drastically. These past two years in Miami have not been the easiest because all of our friends are up north. For those of you that think that friendships aren't important, never had real friends. I miss my friends tremendously. Now I'll be close to them again and that's a great feeling.

Another great feeling is being close to my family. With the addition of Bryan, I don't want to miss my niece and nephews growing up. Kids are great and they always put things into perspective. I can't wait to see them. Well, this is my goodbye to Miami. Be back soon on vacation!!

Back in the Game

As I told you last Sunday, I fell off the working out wagon. After my nephew was born on Friday, I finally got back into my workouts. I added a different twist to it: water aerobics. My last semester in college I took a water aerobics class (I technically could have declared Sports and Nutrition as my minor, but decided to declare Latin American and Caribbean Studies instead; it went better with my History major). Anyway, I learned plenty in this class. In fact, the class was full of football players who took it just to take it and they appreciated the class the most.

In water aerobics you're in the water upto your shoulders. With 90% of your body submerged, you have the most resistance. You take for granted the exercise because you don't feel as if you're sweating. The truth of the matter is that you're getting a great workout. You also use noodles or dumbbells to increase the intensity and resistance. The pool is also a great place for therapy for those people who have injuries or physical disabilities. There is no impact on your body and the benefits of it are spectacular. Some of the exercises do tend to get challenging because you have to learn how to balance your body. There's this one exercise where you step on the noodle with your foot. Your leg goes up and down as if you were marching. This sounds very easy, but don't get fooled. A very petite and thin lady in my class shot backwards into the water when she tried stepping down. We felt bad for her because she didn't know how to swim and had swallowed some water.

If you have access to a pool, I recommend that you try it. Practically any exercise you do on land, you could do in the water. I especially suggest those of you that don't like even the thought of exercising to try it. You'll have lots of fun and your body will appreciate the movement.

BRYAN

BRYAN
Originally uploaded by XiaDiaz.

Here's another picture of my little nephew Bryan. I just want to bite his cheeks off!!!!!

Operation Move Back

It's official! Operation Move Back is in order. I just finished booking my flight for June 8th. I'm joyed and saddened at the same time. I really don't want to leave Dan down here, but we kind of have no choice. He's not thrilled with the idea, either. I have to find a place to move into before Dan comes up because we need a place for our doggies. My hope is that I find a job quickly and get Dan up to NJ by at least August or September. I don't want to spend that much time away from him. Everyone wish us lots of luck!!!

Correction on the Name

I just found out that my nephew's name is going to be spelled with a y instead of an i. Bryan is doing very well. He weighed 9.3 lbs. and is 20 inches long. So far, he's been sleeping a lot. His older brother and sister are ecstatic about their new baby brother. We're very happy about the new addtion to the family.

Brian 5-27-05

Brian 5-27-2005
Originally uploaded by XiaDiaz.

I want to welcome my new little nephew Brian! He was born about 11:15am. What's funny about this is I was the first one to see him. I actually broke the news to my mom who had no idea that he had been born yet (and she's at the hospital). My sister promised that as soon as he was born that they were going to snap a picture of him and send it right away. Mom and baby are doing great and dad is emotional as you could imagine. I'm so excited about my nephew that I can't stop crying. I can't wait until I could hold him!!!

No Progress This Week

I fell off the working out wagon this week. To be honest, it hasn't been one of my best weeks. Since I don't like harping on the bad stuff, I'm not going to talk about it. In fact I realized how bad its getting when I woke up this morning and the first thing I thought about was the afternoon from hell I had yesterday. Not a good way to start the day.

Enough about that! I do have good news. As of this morning, my sister is in early labor. The doctor told her she was going to have a long labor (her last one was for 22 hours). I hope it's not that long this time around. As you could imagine, I'm extremely ecstatic about this. At the same time I'm very sad that I won't be able to hold him (she's having a boy) for another two weeks or so. She did promise to take a picture of him right away and send it via phone. Wish her and the baby lots of luck!!! Keep you posted.

Paying Off

Weight loss update: 1.5 pounds lost!!!!!
Not only that, but I've lost three inches on back, two around my waist, two around my hips, and two around my thighs. This is my progress in one month. Since I'm loosing inches, I'm not discouraged about the lack of movement on the scale. For the first time, I actually saw my body in a different light. I was trying on some tops at a store today when I came across a very sexy blouse. It was slim fitting and when I tried it on I didn't look like a ten pound sausage in a five pound casing. I didn't buy it because I found it too sexy and don't feel that comfortable in my own skin yet. Otherwise, I would have walked out with on (of course after paying for it)! I probably should have bought it, but I found another top that I wouldn't dream of wearing a few months ago.

At any rate, I'm very pleased with my progress and especially with my determination. My mother-in-law thinks I'm obsessed with working out, which she's probably not that far off. The way I look it is if I'm not keeping track of what I burn or how much I workout, then I'm not going to see the results. This keeps me focused on my task. Everyone has a method to their own madness. I happen to work in this manner.

On a totally different subject, my job search is going well. I haven't been called for any interviews, but I'm very excited that I'm finding jobs that I am qualified for. This is such a relief compared to the jobs available in Miami. What is even more comforting is that I am finding a vast variety of jobs that I wouldn't mind doing. I'm sure once I'm up there my luck would drastically be enhanced!

A Pound Farther Away

Unfortunately this week, I inched up in the scale. I'm not concerned about it because I am weight training, which explains it. Even though you really don't show significance body change for about eight weeks, third week in and I'm getting compliments. At least I know I'm doing something right. I should probably take my measurements to gauge how many inches I am actually loosing. This will keep me motivated and not focused so much on the scale. Keep you posted!!!

A Pound Closer

As I promised, I would keep you updated on my weight loss. I went to the gym this morning and got on the dreaded scale. It turned out to be not so dreaded since I'm one pound closer to my goal. Actually, I did get weighed at the doctor's office on Friday. Since then, I have lost a pound. I cannot even begin to explain to you how excited I am about this. I think I'll start the trend on weighing myself on Sundays to see my success and post it on line.

Making More of an Effort

As you know, I love exercising. I have mentioned this in previous entries. I do have to be honest, though, my workouts haven't been as steady as I would like them to be. It is a combination of being sick every month, stressing out over work, and just plain tired. Even though I have lost a total of thirty pounds since I've moved down to Miami, I've been doing more maintenance than anything else. It would be two years in August that I have been living here. There should be more of a weight loss.

That said, I have to say that my body looks better than it did when I got married almost five years ago at the same weight. The big sacrifice came about this week. In order to loose a pound of fat you need to burn 3500 calories. Easier said than done. My new commitment is to burn 3500 calories a week, which would ensure (unless I pig out every day) loosing a pound a week. Theoretically, if I reduce my calorie intake by 500 calories a day I will loose an additional pound a week. Normally, I take in anywhere from 1200 to 1800 calories a day (at least I try).

I officially did burn 3500 calories this week. My workouts were, to say the least, intense. In fact if it weren't for the fact that I have a mixture of allergies and a cold, I would feel excellent. My goal is to loose another 35 lbs. in order to reach a healthy weight. If all goes as planned, I should reach this weight by October or November. I will also keep you posted on my success. If I blog about this I will be forced to continue my workouts even when I feel like sleeping in.

Monday is Always Great When It Flies By!

I cannot complain about today. It flew!! Before I knew it, it was 10:00am. I feel like the kids do about the school year; I just want it to be over with it. My patience level is slowly diminishing and for that matter, so are the kids. On a better note, I officially resigned from my position at work. I advised my boss that I would not be returning for the next school year. She was sad and told me that I was actually on her good list. She also told me that I'm welcomed back whenever I wanted to. I was satisfied. Now I just hope the weeks fly by like today to start off my new life.

The next big thing I'm waiting for is the townhouse. As soon as that sucker is constructed, we're slapping a "for sale" on it. Hopefully it will still be a seller's market and we'll have the house sold in no time. Then it's off to house or apartment hunting in NJ or NY, whichever is better. All of this will happen in due time.

I guess all of this is pretty official now. I resigned, I'm booking my one-way flight to NJ this weekend, and I've been job hunting for about a month. The wheels are in motion and hopefully will remain that way until both Dan and I are settled into wherever life will take us. The one thing that will be very hard on me is being away from Dan. I really intend to have a job before the summer ends that way Dan will be up with me in no time. Otherwise, we'll be apart for a while and I'm not looking forward to that. I hated it when Dan moved down to Miami while I was still finishing some classes. Anyway, I must remain positive!!

Energy Booster

Dan and I stayed home from work today because Dan woke up with yucky eyes and my right eye was yucky again. I guess it was a relapse on my part. I decided to take some Allegra because my doctor recommended that I do so to see if it would clear up my eyes. I'm very sensitive to medication, especially any allergy medicines. Allegra gets me going and then I crash.

It is a beautiful day here in Miami with a bright blue sky and a breeze that caresses your body to sleep. Needless to say, I chose to take a nap outside in the backyard. I grabbed a throw and fell asleep almost instantaneously. I have no idea how long I slept. I just know that it was a damn good sleep. Since I'm still under the influence of the allergy medicine, I was pretty groggy when I got up.

This is where being Cuban comes into play. And I know once I mention this I'll put smiles on your faces. I prepared soda con leche condesada (except I used diet Pepsi since that's all they drink in the house). For my non-Spanish speaking friends, I prepared soda with condensed milk. I know it doesn't sound appetizing, but don't mock it till you try it. My mom use to prepare it for my sister and I when we were little kids, and it always hit the spot.

The mixture of caffeine and the huge concentration of sugar got rid of my grogginess. Now I feel as if I could go out for a bit. My eye looks spectacular and I think I finally nipped this in the butt. Moral of the story: when you think you need an energy boost and have the above mentioned ingredients mix them together to feel better. Or for that matter, have it just as a treat. I do have to warn you that too many of those will make you gain weight faster than you could imagine.

Exercise

After five days of pink eye, I'm back at the gym tomorrow bright and early (although it's not bright since I'm there before the sun rises). Since the last time I was at the doctor's office, which was last month, I've gained 2.5 lbs. I told the doctor that I had begun weight training and recently had been on vacation, which probably is the result of the scale inching up. Either way, it freaked me out. I've been very careful with my weight for the last 1.5 years. One great thing about Miami is that I worked out a lot and lost 30lbs. I stopped working out after the New Year because my mother-in-law's hours changed at work. I use to take her to work and keep her car. Before we left to work we would go to the gym. She happens to have a membership to Bally's like I do. I began taking Dan to work and that made me loose interest in working out. The reason being that I spend between 3.5 to 4 hours in the car a day due to the new driving arrangements. Yeah, I don't think you could blame me.

Although I hadn't worked out since January, I decided to tough it out and begin my workouts again. This happened after I came back from NJ. Now I wake up at 4:30am to be at the gym at 5:00am. I cannot not workout. It just depresses me. I feel so much better after I hit that gym that totally amazes me. If I'm feeling good that means I'm attracting good stuff. I even have enough energy to deal with the kids and all those hours I spend in the car.

Now I know some of you think I'm crazy, but if you've ever done anything you like religously you know the feeling. You also may ask yourself why I don't workout at nights. The reason: I love spending time at home with Dan. We may not even hangout together, but we're under the same roof. Dan is not up that early in the morning, which means I'm not missing out on him. Not to say that I haven't worked out at nights because I do rollerblade at night (although I fell really hard during xmas and haven't since then). But I do it when I know that he's involved in something and won't be able to hangout with me. I think I'll start rollerblading on the weekends, though. My plan is to lose another 10lbs before I move back up. I have a big goal to achieve, but it will be all worth it.

Public or Private?

Should you send your kids to public or private school? This is a tough question. I remember public schools were shun by my friends who went to private schools. Maybe this was the case because they knew that my parents were poor and had no choice but to send me to a public school. Actually, I did very well in school. I was in a high reading group and for about a year in gifted and talented. I was also placed in gifted and talented for music since I played the clarinet. High school was a different story. I decided to rebel and didn't care about school. Then I realized I was only hurting myself once I became older and began going to college. I graduated Cum Laude from school.

My friends who went to private school did well for themselves, too. So the question comes which is better? I ran across an article in Yahoo that states that public schools outperform private schools when socioeconomic status is taken into account. I guess it depends on what kind of private school you go to. The private school I teach at in no way shape or form compares to the schools I went to. My children would not for the life of me go to the school I teach at. But I'm being biased.

What I believe it comes down to is the parents doing the homework. First of all you can't automatically assume because it's private that your child is getting a better education than he or she would at a public school. You have to remember that public schools run many types of tests on children to make sure that he or she will succeed in the environment he or she is placed in. Chances are if you're not allowed inside the school, your child will not learn much (as is the case in many private schools). If your child is falling behind at a public school, you will be notified. This is not the case in some private schools.

You have to see what kind of programs the private school offers. Do they provide counseling for the students? Is tutoring offered? Are there music classes, arts and crafts, and clubs? These are all very important. Always listen to what your child is saying about the school. Kids like to talk and they will talk about anything. You just have to listen. I find out more about home life than I would care to know. I don't even ask.

I know I sound as if I am against private schools, which I kind of am. That said I cannot say that every private school is horrible because I'm sure there are great ones out there. My concern is that people usually assume that a private school is far better than a public school, which of course is not always the case. So, do your homework. Find out what kind of schools are available where you live. Or if your planning to move, always find out how the schools are in the area you're moving to.

I made the mistake of not finding out about schools in Miami. The fact is that most of the schools don't do as well, private or public. There are A+ schools available so it's not hopeless. Dan and I haven't been concerned about schools in reality because we don't have any children. Now that we're getting older we have to worry about this type of stuff. Within the next couple of years we will be having children. So we have to start concerning ourselves over the kind of schools will be best for our children.

Good News

I know I'm taking too long between posts. The fact of the matter is that I haven't been in the best of moods. When this occurs, I rather not blog. I won't be positive and I'll keep on attracting all the bad stuff. Other than that I do have to say that Dan and I had a blast on our vacation in New Jersey (I can't believe I actually put vacation and New Jersey in the same sentence; things have changed). We even got a snowfall, which was beautiful. It was great seeing family and friends again. We didn't see everyone we wanted to, but the trip was worth it. I definitely didn't want to leave, and for that matter neither did Dan. Since we're responsible adults (I'm not sure why), we decided to come back to Miami.

On that note, I do have to announce that Operation Move Back is in order. We decided that New Jersey is in fact our home, which I never believed it to be true until I left. It caters to the lifestyle that Dan and I love. I'm not saying that Miami sucks because it's a great place, but two years of struggling is enough for me. We need to settle into our lives and live alone. Not that living with my in-laws is horrible because they are beautiful people, but as everyone knows, every couple needs their own space.

The plan is that I will move up first unless Dan gets a job in the next couple of weeks. My last day at work is June 03. I will fly up that weekend and continue my job search. I'll probably wait tables while I'm searching for a job just to have cash on me. Once I'm settled in, I'll find an apartment and move in, and then Dan will come up. By then though, we should have been able to sell our townhouse down here and we'll use the money to purchase some type of home. Just in case things get delayed, we'll rent a place first. I expect us to be settled in by the fall or early winter, which will be in time to enjoy the bitter cold.

Now all of this could happen sooner if either one of us gets a job in the next few weeks. Either way, I'll keep you posted on what's going on. I'm very excited about this. I know Dan and I will get back into the swing of things. Better yet, I just realized that we'll be back in time to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary and my thirtieth birthday. It will be great to be able to celebrate up in NJ with family and friends. With a new decade for me comes a new life and I tend to enjoy it to the fullest!

New Jersey

There's nothing like being in New Jersey and seeing dreary weather! It is very nostalgic. For the rest of the week Dan and I are vacationing in NJ. We're leaving on Saturday. As you could imagine, we already have the week planned out. If there are some of you that we don't get to see, there will be a next time. Unfortunately, we can't stay longer than a week. But, I do plan to come back in the summer to see my brand new nephew!! So, we'll get to catch up then. Besides, you never know when we'll be back permanently.

Sunrises

I love sunrises. They give me an unimaginable energy level when I witness one. The sky looks so beautiful and peaceful. I could stare at the sky all morning long while the sun is taking its rightful place. Dan and I decided to go to Key Biscayne, which is south of South Beach to see the sunrise. We wanted to lay on the beach while the sun was coming up. Well, we didn't make it, but saw it rise while we were driving. Either way, it was absolutely breathtaking. We stopped to get some breakfast and took it to the beach. Once there we sat in our beach chairs, wrapped ourselves in a blanket (it was chilly!), and stared at the bay.

It was such a great morning that I wish everyone could experience this. We talked, laughed, watched dogs play in the water, napped, and even saw a dolphin swimming around. By the time we decided to leave it was around 9:30 am. We spent three hours having a blast. I need to do this more often.

Shakes

One of the great things about living in Miami (or for that fact living in Union City) is the discovery of new favorite Cuban treats. In fact, I should rephrase it and say one of the great things about living with my mother-in-law is the discovery of new treats. Either way, I can't go wrong. My mother-in-law, Marta, loves drinking shakes. If it were up to her, she would drink one every single day, and for that matter so would I. My favorite shake was chocolate. I love chocolate anything, but shakes are the best. Now I would pass on the chocolate shake for un batido de mamay (and I have to say it in Spanish because my Cuban friends know what I'm talking about) Mamay is a fruit that is readily available in Florida. My father use to make me mamay shakes when I was a kid. I remember liking them, but the fruit came frozen. Not much fresh mamay action in Jersey. So the shake wasn't anything out of this world. But here in Miami, you could get mamays practically all year round and damn they're good. Maybe, it's the way Marta makes it, but I can't get enough of it.

Everything changed today. I have a new favorite--batido de trigo (wheat shake). It just doesn't sound the same in English. My father-in-law bought puffed wheat the other day for shakes. I looked at the bag and didn't think much of it until today. Marta decided she wanted to make herself a wheat shake and offered me some. I told her that I never had a wheat shake, but I would give it a try. It doesn't hurt trying new things, which is part of my renewed philosophy. My God was that shake good! I can't believe I never tried this sooner. It's so good that I feel like asking her to make me another. This is better than any chocolate shake I ever had. The best part of these shakes that Marta makes is that they have few calories. They are not made with ice cream. It's just milk, ice, sugar, a pinch of salt, and whatever fruit or wheat product you want to add to it. And if you're really calorie conscious you could substitute the sugar with Splenda and it's just as yummy. In fact, I think I'll be making myself some wheat shakes for breakfast in the mornings before I go to work. At least I'll be in a good mood in the mornings!

Luck Anyone?

I was going to blog about how sick I am again. I began a few sentences, looked at them, and signed out. I felt so drained just seeing what I wrote that I couldn't even deal with it. Yes I am sick, so what? I have to move along. I decided for some unknown reason to search the word luck. So I came across a website called Fast Company. It is actually a magazine. Anyway, the article that I found is called "How to Make Your Own Luck." I found the article to be inspiring.

As you know I've been trying to be on a positive mode. At times I find it very difficult to remain positive. This is especially true now that Dan and I are at a culminating period in Florida. To leave or not to leave? Who knows? At any rate, reading this article reminds me on how to look at things differently. I have to remember not to focus on the negative, which is very easy to do.

Here are four principles that Wiseman (I do wonder if his name is real), head of a psychology research department came up with:

1. Maximize Chance Opportunities
Lucky people are skilled at creating, noticing, and acting upon chance opportunities. They do this in various ways, which include building and maintaining a strong network, adopting a relaxed attitude to life, and being open to new experiences.

2. Listen to Your Lucky Hunches
Lucky people make effective decisions by listening to their intuition and gut feelings. They also take steps to actively boost their intuitive abilities -- for example, by meditating and clearing their mind of other thoughts.

3. Expect Good Fortune
Lucky people are certain that the future will be bright. Over time, that expectation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because it helps lucky people persist in the face of failure and positively shapes their interactions with other people.

4. Turn Bad Luck Into Good
Lucky people employ various psychological techniques to cope with, and even thrive upon, the ill fortune that comes their way. For example, they spontaneously imagine how things could have been worse, they don't dwell on the ill fortune, and they take control of the situation.

I suggest you read the article. Whether you believe in creating your own happiness or not, it doesn't hurt to look at things positively.

Vibrate?

I just ran into an interesting article about masturbation on Wired News. The author of the article, Regina Lynn, states that she has tendonitis on both arms. Due to that, she no longer masturbates by hand. She can't! Pain starts shooting up her arms, which obviously prevents her from using her fingers. She needs to use a vibrator or any other device that would allow her to masturbate pain free.

The point of her article is not that she masturbates but that in the state of Alabama the selling, production, or distribution of sexual devices is against the law. Can you imagine that? What about those poor people that have disabilities? What a violation of your privacy!! This thought may have never crossed your mind (honestly, it never crossed mine), but should people with disabilities not be able to enjoy themselves in Alabama?

Even if you could use your own hands, should you not be allowed to buy a sex toy because the law prohibits it? I personally find it odd. Why should the government care about what you do in the privacy of your house? As long as you're not hurting anyone and there are consenting adults involved, who cares?

Read the article. It makes a great point for sex toys, and how these sex toys should match the need of the person. There are even advocates for sexual rights for people with disabilities. I don't care what you think, but sexual activity is a very important aspect of our lives. The people who decided to make this law in Alabama should have realized this.

Embarrassing Moment

Today we had a field trip to the Miami Metro Zoo. First time I've been there and I thought it was pretty neat. The kids were super excited that they were visiting the zoo (some had never been there). I was walking with another teacher and her students (21 kids and only two teachers, but that's a different story). We stop in front of the Asian elephants. These animals are impressive looking. Their size is a bit surreal. Well as the kids are in awe looking at the elephants, the male one decided to show us his stuff. Yup, totally out so that everyone could see. The other teacher quickly walks towards me and says "Do you see that?" Not only did we notice, but of course the little ones noticed. One of my students runs to me and says, "Mrs. Diaz he's showing us his thing, ill!" Once one kid mentions it, it's like a chain reaction they all start pointing to the elephant's penis. All I kept on hearing was, "Mrs. Diaz his pipi is out!" Needless to say, we moved the group out of there very fast. After the fact, I couldn't stop laughing to myself. But at that moment I wanted to hide.

Get This Off My Chest

Did you know that duck rhymes with fuck? That's what an eight year old told me the other day. An eight year old!! Best of all, he came up to my desk giggling when he decided to share this wonderful knowledge. I didn't slap him because I would go to jail for it, but I scolded him enough to make him cry. After all was said and done he gave me the middle finger and grabbed his crotch. When I spoke to his father the other day because he doesn't do any class work or his homework for that matter, one of the things I mentioned was that his son was caught stealing at the museum the kids went to for a field trip. His father's response, "Oh that's kids' stuff, I though you were going to tell me something more serious." Of course the next day the kid still didn't show up with any homework done.

I tell you that most of the time if the kid is messed up, the parents are worse. I see this everyday at the school. For instance, a grandmother came in the other day screaming that we give the children frozen food and that her grand daughter can't have lunch that way. Meanwhile, her grand daughter eats lunch upto three to four times because the medication that she's on makes her eat. The girl is overweight, but we give her frozen food. I feel as if I live in the twilight zone.

Not Writing Much

My writing is dwindling and that is because I haven't been watching the news much. Not that I'm not aware of what's going on, but not in much detail. As I'm focusing on remaining positive (which sometimes it's hard to do), I find that watching the news does not help. I've also been busy crocheting my brains away. I'm still working on the baby blanket I'm making for my new nephew (who's coming very soon). I'm done making the granny squares, but now I'm sewing everything together. I must say that it is a very tasking project, but it's coming out beautiful. I'm not allowed to buy any new yarn until I've gone through all the ones I have (I'm driving Dan crazy, but he has his hobbies and I have mine). So while I've been making the blanket, I've made a purse and I'm working on a shawl. Throughout all of this, I've been studying my vocabulary for the GRE.

So there you have it, now you know what I've been upto. I actually have only been going on line to check my email. If you don't hear from me, feel free to drop an email. Talk to you soon!!

TGIF

I've never been happier that it's Friday than today. What a week! Between school, the dog incident, and my topper the battery dying in my car, I have to say that I need some rest. Although I can't complain because even though everything seem to be going wrong this week, every situation has worked out. Yesterday when the battery died, I had one of my coworkers give me a jump. I made it to Dan's job and the car died again. But there was a gentleman that had parked right next to me and he helped me out. Dan came dowstairs with his coworker/friend, Tiannie, and she was going to follow us to the auto shop just in case the car died again. As we're making a right onto the main road, the car just stops. Luckily there was a police officer behind us and he helped Dan push the car to the side. He was really nice. Dan and Tiannie left to buy the battery and the officer said he didn't have any flares to give me. But he called in another officer who did and sent him over to me and I got my flares (that way I wouldn't get killed by a Miami driver). At that moment Dan's boss came downstairs to remove the battery. Long story short, the battery got installed. Then Dan and I went to dinner (we both needed a drink).

I have to look at the bright side of things because I would go crazy. So thanks to everyone that helped, our evening turned out to be relaxing. TGIF!!!!!

Only Me

I sometimes wonder if stuff only happens to me. I went to walk my dogs this morning at 6:00am. I reached the end of the driveway when a big dog started running towards my dogs. Now I wasn't so much afraid that the dog was going to attack me, but my dogs aren't the most cooperative little guys in the world. Needless to say, I had the dog on top me while I was trying pull my growling dogs away from her. As I'm pulling the dogs into the house, the big dog runs into the house. At this point I start yelling for Dan and had everyone out of their bedrooms. This dog started running around the house. Dan came down grabbed our dogs and took them upstairs. My mother-in-law stood on the top of the stairs looking as if she was about to freak out and Sandra came down to pursuade the dog out of the house. I ran to grab treats and finally got her out of the house. Now we're waiting for animal control to come and pick up the dog. Exciting morning!

Walmart

Walmart is at it again. The giant super saver store wants to expand from the retail business.
Aside from banking, she lists travel services, healthcare, fuel refining and publishing as a few of the most appealing new businesses for the retailer although some industry watchers say they're skeptical about those growth areas.
That's what we need, Walmart taking over everything. It's ultimately upto the consumer to allow this type of growth. I know I'm doing my part by not shopping there.

Who Reads?

An article that I found did a test on which cities read the most and the least. Here are the winners and losers:

The most literate U.S. cities:

1. Minneapolis, Minnesota
2. Seattle, Washington
3. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
4. Madison, Wisconsin
5. Cincinnati, Ohio
6. Washington, D.C.
7. Denver, Colorado
8. Boston, Massachusetts
9. Portland, Oregon
10. San Francisco, California

The least literate U.S. cities:

70. Garland, Texas
71. Fresno, California
72. Arlington, Texas
73. Long Beach, California
74. Anaheim, California
75. San Antonio, Texas
76. Santa Ana, California
77. Corpus Christi, Texas
78. Hialeah, Florida
79. El Paso, Texas

I figured I would see New York City in the top ten. I guess I was wrong. The best one is #78: Hialeah, Florida!! I love this one. Guess where I work? This explains a lot. Now I know why most of the students in the school cannot write a sentence. If the parents aren't reading, neither are the children. In all fairness, they probably didn't count Spanish newspapers when the survey was done. I have to say that California and Texas aren't doing well at all (except for San Francisco). The bottom ten are all Texas and California except of course for Hialeah, Fl. I still can't fathom why people don't read. I understand if you're working tons of hours a week. You kind of don't have time for any leisure activities. I'm sure this is a factor in the bottom ten. I love reading and can't get enough of it. The good thing is that my students do love reading. Almost every afternoon (unless we're behind on work), the children sit down and read their books. They even read it to each other. And those that don't read well get help from the kids that do read well. There is hope!! I developed the love for reading because my mom read a lot when I was a kid. I would sit next to her and read while she was reading. Kids learn by example. If the grown ups aren't reading, chances are the kids aren't reading. Something to keep in mind.

Quite Busy

Besides getting sick again this weekend and trying to become clutter free, I've been keeping myself busy. I'm crocheting a baby blanket for my new nephew, who will be born in June. It's actually a big project because it will end up being three feet by three. I'm enjoying making it. I'll have to take a picture of it and post it. Other than that, I've been fine. I haven't been up to date on news or anything that's going on. I'm trying to stay away from negativity. I need a break to center myself. I'm doing good with keeping positive except at school. Well, it's kind of hard when a third grader throws a fit and tries to choke you. Yeah that's what happened to me yesterday. I was actually trying to get the kid away from his teacher of whom he was trying to hit. In his fit, he grabbed me by the neck and began choking me. This is while five teachers (including me) were trying to carry him down the stairs without hurting him. Anyway, the kid saw me today and growled at me. Whatever, I can't focus on that anymore. Maybe now that I wrote about it, I'll be able to relax. I'll keep you up to date.

On a Positive Note

Looking back at the past year, it seems to me that there's been a lot of negativity. This is true to me personally. A few of my relatives passed away last year, Miami wasn't doing well for me, being broke, and I could go on. I've decided that this new year, I'm going to look at the bright side of things. I've always been a firm believer of positive energy. I was in Borders the other day and I stumbled upon this book called "Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires" by Esther and Jerry Hicks. I figured I give it a try. The book focuses on surrounding yourself with positive energy. However you feel is what you attract. For example, if you feel that your life sucks, then it will continue sucking because that's the kind of energy you're surrounding yourself with. It made me think on my attitude towards living down here. There's a lot going in this book. I read it in three days and I love the message it sends. So, if you're one of those people that are always looking at how bad things are, pick this book up. You'll change your whole outlook about the way you think. It's great! I recommend it.

Disgusting

The thought of pedophilers attacking children that were left orphaned by the catastrophic tsunami is beyond my realm of thinking. This atrocity is already being reported. Not only that but there are dozens of children that are now missing that are feared to be taken for trafficking.

How could anybody bring themselves and further damage a child after these horrific events? Some people are really evil. I've been extremely upset about what occurred in South East Asia. All those deaths sicken me to no end. I guess I'm very naive about thinking that people would actually kidnap children who have lost their families and use them for their own pleasures. We have many sick people that live among us.

Happy Birthday Dan!

I just wanted to wish my dear husband Dan, a wonderful birthday. I hope all your wishes come true. My love for you grows deeper throughout the years. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Tsunami Relief

Webpages like Google and Amazon are making it easier for anyone to donate money to the tsunami victims. It's just a click away. Please help them out.

What Some Find Humorous

I'm reading through Wired News when I came across this tiny article. The guy, Antonio Casale, deserves to be thrown in jail for thinking that his prank was funny. Please read on:

Bad Call
Practical jokes are often funny only to the prankster, and an Italian tourist's recent idea of a joke is a case in point. Antonio Casale sent a text message to his wife while he was on a flight from Sydney to Vienna, telling her the plane was being hijacked by terrorists. His wife called Italian police. "The Italian police picked up on it, then the Italian embassy, the Australian Federal Police came in on it, and it was quite a big operation," said a spokesman for the Australian Transport Minister. Counterterrorism negotiators contacted the pilot, who was unaware of any hijacking attempt. "Federal police and other authorities over here have got enough on their plate without having to worry about stupidity like this as well," the spokesman said.
-- Debra Jones

Can you imagine how his poor wife felt when she received that text message? What was he thinking? Personally, I would divorce him for being stupid.

WNBA

Check this out ladies, the average WNBA player makes between $46,000 and $60,000 (WNBA). Seems unfair since the average NBA player makes about $4 million. As the article points out, the women players don't get much of an audience, which explains their salaries. Although, they do have a salary cap of $87,000.

I deem this horribly unfair. So, I decided to sign a petition to increase the WNBA's salary. I urge you to do so, also. There are NBA players that suck and are making half a million a year. Our ladies are working out hard, playing around the country making less than some of you do. Please go to WNBA's Petition to show your support.

Holidays

The holidays are always a hectic time of year. You have to buy gifts (if you celebrate Xmas), see relatives you might not normally want to see, and gain a few pounds from all the eating and drinking you'll be doing. The main holidays going on are obviously Christmas and Chanukah. And of course like every year there is an argument over whether we should wish people "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Chanukah". The pc way to go about is to wish people a "Happy Holiday" or "Seasons Greetings."

As I've mentioned before, I'm not really religious. I grew up Catholic and I hold some of those values, but I don't go to church. Obviously, I celebrate Christmas. I don't celebrate the religious aspect of it, but the perfect timing to catch up with old friends and family. I don't really bother with the whole "People might be offended if the Christmas tree is actually called the Christmas tree" crap. Or for that matter if an atheist might get offended if I wish them a Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah.

I use to worry about it a bit when I worked in the restaurant industry. People love letting the server know they are wrong on something. I guess it's the whole servant thing. Nowadays, I think it's rather frivolous. I also don't really get bothered if I see a Nativity scene in the middle of town.

Granted, there are other celebrations going on like Kwanza and the Soltice. But does this mean that Christians and Jewish people can't express what is a religious time for them in the public eye? Do you think I would be insulted if someone wished me a Happy Chanukah or Kwanza? I just feel it is a waste of energy. People get worked up over the weirdest things at times. Get aggravated with the war going on not over a holiday celebration.

Celebrations whether public or private should not be misconstrued as an insult or threat to the separation of church and state. Celebrating the birth of Christ (even if you don't believe it) is not a horrible aspect. Whether you like it or not, Christmas is a federal holiday. Which means that it's an in-your-face type of celebration. Don't be a scrooge. Christmas has become very commercialized, which you could even separate it from the religious aspect of it. I have friends who are just like me that aren't religious and we have the best time during Christmas. This is especially true of the little kids. They are only interested in Santa Claus and what he's leaving under that Christmas tree.

Houdini

Dan and I have nicknamed our dog Louie, Houdini. Our dear little pooch has figured out how to get out of his harness. We leave our dogs leashed at night because they like leaving their mark. Not so much Louie, but Hercules. If he's left alone, he'll walk to every corner of the house, lift his leg, and mark his spot. Very annoying to say the least. Hence they are leashed at night or when we're not home.

Louie I guess feels that he shouldn't be leashed because he backs out of his harness. He really doesn't mark his spot anywhere, but I don't feel comfortable leaving loose all day. If it were my place, then I probably would. Then again Hercules would get jealous. Drama! If Hercules would control himself I would love to leave them loose. They spend their day sleeping when I'm home. Xena is left loose all day, but she's not allowed on the carpet because she thinks it's a giant wee-wee pad. On the tile, she's fine.

So we started to put Louie in a crate, but we feel awful leaving him in there all day. My father-in-law decided to buy a choke chain. I personally don't like it, but we put it on to see if he would stop escaping. He's been wearing it for about three weeks. Everything was fine until yesterday. Somehow, he has figured out how to get out of the choke chain. I have no clue how he managed because choke chains tighten up when you pull. He bypassed pass that obstacle because my father-in-law caught him loose drinking water. So much for the choke chain.

Signs

I have to say that Miami is not doing me any good. I'm broke, my house is still in cinderblocks, I'm sick, and Dan and I are making crappy money. Wow, if these aren't signs than I don't know what are. I'm definitely going for my master's down here. It would only cost me $7,000 as to compared to $30,000 in NYU. I'm going to bang it out and depending on how things are going I might do my PhD down here. If things aren't letting up, I think I'll bite the bullet and pay more for it up north.

Since my PhD will take a few years (60 credits), I have to really think hard about this. PhD is not something you just bang out. I've actually seen some job postings for history professors at the local colleges. At least that's somewhat promising. If I were to find a position like that, than I would work towards my PhD down here.

I think what's most frustrating about living here is that I feel as if I don't have a degree. All the jobs require at least five years of experience, a master's, and bla-bla-bla for 25,000 a year. Can you imagine?

Me and my great ideas. It was my idea to move down here in the first place. I thought it would be great to buy a house and try a new place. At this point we're still living with my in-laws (and they've been great to us) and stuck in limbo. Like Cubans say, nesecito un despojo because man am I having bad luck.

Going on three weeks

By tomorrow I will officially be sick three weeks. I'm back home again because I had an adverse reaction to the antibiotics that I was taking. I'm not going to get into the details (frankly, it's gross), but needless to say I had to leave work after only being there two hours. I called my doctor and told him what happened. He told me to discontinue the medicine and get a different antibiotic. I spent about three and half hours yesterday with an awful migraine that I couldn't even put on my glasses because it hurt. I also had to make Dan pull over because I thought I was going to puke my brains out.

Anyway, I've missed so much work that I'm surprised that I'm not fired. At this point, I could care less. I feel bad for the kids because we have a system going on in class and basically not of that is being followed. They do have work left for them so I'm sure it will be given to them. I feel bad that the first graders are now learning long a vowel words and I'm not there to teach them the sound. Most of the first graders have learning disabilities and it's hard for them to grasp a new concept.

While I was on the phone with the doctor, I told him that I'm not getting any better. I still sound like a frog and I feel horrible. I've lost the sense of taste and I barely have the sense of smell. Unless it has a powerful smell, I can't smell it. Most of the phlegm is out of my system, which is a good sign that my bronchitis is letting up. The doctor is utterly surprised that I'm still sick.

This school is going to kill me. Those of you that know me know that I rarely get sick. What usually makes me feel crappy is allergies (post-nasal drip--gross). I've been teaching for three months and I've been sick twice and out of work a total of nine days. I can't even begin to comprehend this. For God's sake I was in school until last year, and I never suffered any of these ailments. This blows my mind.

I'm still sick

My flu has turned into pharyngitis and bronchitis. I've never coughed up so much junk in my life. I've never had bronchitis, either. I attribute my illness to the lack of ventilation in the school I work in. I can't also forget the fact that the children are constantly hugging me and the majority of the teachers are sick. I've been sick now for about two weeks and I'm not having any fun. My doctor prescribed antibiotics and I'll be taking them until I die. I just want to get better so that when my winter vacation comes up in two weeks I'll be able to enjoy it.

Not to mention that I haven't exercised. I attempted to rollerblade a few days ago. The thought of putting on my rollerblades exhausted me into bed. I haven't even been watching the news. Although, I have been hooked on this yahoo game called bookworm, but even that makes me very sleepy.

I have now thoroughly exhausted myself and I'm going back to bed. See ya!

Hectic in a Weird Way

Thanksgiving was nice and the Turducken was delicious. I recommend you try it next year. I'm still fighting the flu. I have a slight headache and my patience level today was not great. Little kids have a funny way of pushing you. I must admit that I've learned a lot about myself with these kids. I'm not proud on how I sometimes loose my cool. But when you have 13 out 15 students who take medication in order not to be hyper, it's hard not to. They don't mean to be hyper and I always remind myself of this.

On another note, Dan bought me a pair of really nice rollerblades on Friday. Between a bike, jogging, rollerblades, and the gym I have no excuse to workout (although I'm still under the weather so I'm taking it light). So this is the reason I've been off the net for the last few days (in other words--I haven't blogged). My major goal is to be able to wear a bikini this summer and not look like I'm busting out of everywhere.

By the way, I saw pictures of myself from about a year to two years ago and I can't believe no one ever told me how horrible I looked. I still have a ways to go, but I don't look swollen. The great thing is that I'm able to see the difference. Anyway, got to go I must go rollerblade.

Happy Gobble-Gobble!!

I want to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. For those of you traveling, please be safe. This year I will not be making my turkey wrapped in bacon (which if you've had it before you know this is a shocker). Instead, we opted for a ter-duc-hen. If you haven't watched the FoodTV network, it's a partially deboned turkey stuffed with a deboned chicken and duck. The turkey is first, then they put in the chicken. And finally the duck gets stuffed into the chicken.

According to the FoodTV network, it's not a difficult task to debone the turkey, chicken, or duck. We decided to go the safe route by ordering the ter-duc-hen. It already comes seasoned and also with a cornbread stuffing with pork. I forgot the company that we ordered it from, but they fedexed the turkey. It arrived yesterday afternoon. We ordered extra cornbread stuffing (just in case). It looks very good. I can't wait for tomorrow.

Of course since we're Cubans, we are also having pork and a ham (my in-laws are convinced there won't be enough food with a 15 lb. bird--there's 14 of us in total). I'm in charge of making an asparagus rissoto and Sandra (my sister-in-law) is in charge of making mashed potatoes. On top of all this celebration, it's my father-in-law's (Frank) birthday. I'm expecting to have a lot of fun tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a fun filled day tomorrow. I'm not letting my flu (or Dan's--he's feeling like crap) get in the way. I have been looking forward to this holiday season. I guess it's because I miss all of my friends and family from up north. It won't be the same without them, but I'll have them in my heart. Enjoy!!!!!

Flu

Of course I have the flu. Good thing is that I don't have to be back at work until Monday. The bad thing is I feel horrible not being able to wish my students a Happy Thanksgiving. You could expect a lot more entries in my blog. Unless of course I feel so sick from the medication that I spend my time in bed, which is what I basically did this weekend.

Wasted Weekend

Don't you hate it when you have an array of tasks you want to complete over the weekend, but it doesn't happen? I've been sick all weekend. I couldn't bike, exercise, or jog. I did manage to go out to dinner yesterday with my in-laws and we had a blast. Unfortunately when I got home, I threw up dinner. I spent the whole night coughing and I called out of work today. Right now I'm having saltines and 7up for breakfast because I'm afraid if I eat anything else I'll end up in the bathroom. As you can see my day is not starting out to be that great.

Remember the Distribution of Hate Cds?

MSNBC - Hate groups spread message through music
About a month and a half ago, I posted about white supremacist groups making rock music cds filled with hate (White Power Music). Well, here's another article speaking about this.

I think this should get more press coverage than it has gotten. This is a serious threat to all people living in this country. I just don't get it, but I'm finding that people are stranger than normal. Preaching hate to children is disgraceful. It doesn't take much to have a child thinking a certain way. Kids are very susceptible to everything surrounding them. If they are taught bad things, they'll think it is part of the norm. These white supremacist groups know this and are trying to bank on it.

Weird Science

MSNBC - Of mice, men and in-between
If you're into science, you must check this article out. I felt as if I were reading something out a science fiction novel. Animals are being injected with human stem cells in order to produce viable organs for humans. I have to admit I'm a bit creeped out about it. But make you're own judgment about it.