But in the end...

I did not have a BAD vacation. I was annoyed at times (hence the previous posts), but at least I was with my friends and family. The best times we had were just chillin by the beach/on the deck/in the stateroom/in the hot tub, sipping on our choice beverages, and shootin the breeze. No worries. Just party time.

And I am goin to do it again next year if I can.

OH YEA!!!!!!

Stranded on an island?

Doesn't this look like a page from Robinson Crusoe? Well I thought so.

Day at Sea

This was one day when we are cruisin along on the way to port of call. I was so mesmerized at the color of the ocean. Even now when I look at the picture, I can just lose myself in it. 

My vacation in a minute.

Day 1 – Leaving port

Day 2 – At sea – I won some free art, a small bottle of tequila, and a shot glass.

Day 3 – Grand Cayman – I think GC is not worth putting on the Caribbean port of call route for a few years. Then maybe these people would learn to appreciate the good thing they have with all the tourists coming through their town. They like your $$ but don’t want to have a good attitude about it. If I did not go there again, my feelings would not be hurt.

Day 4 – Costa Maya – love the little pueblito Mahahual. We went to la escuela and saw all the little ones. Cute kids. Then we all chilled on the beach, knocking back pina coladas and cerveza. Could everyday be this cool? Quite possibly the most relaxing day ever!!!!

Day 5 – Belize – Nana did not get to go to Belmopan, but she did get to see Miss Jean and another one of her friends. Everyone got the real Belize City tour. We went to Brodies and got some goodies. Only thing, I let the taxi driver lead me to believe that I could get a better deal down by the pier. Against better judgment, I listened to him. At Brodies the item cost $5 BZ. At the pier, same item cost $5 US. Same difference? No. $1 US = $2 BZ. So down at the pier, I had to bargain them down to the Brodie’s regular price! I did get a nice Coach in Belize, so I can't be too mad at them.

Day 6 – Cozumel – We rented jeeps, which turned out to be a minor fiasco. Some people don’t know how to drive with people following them AND they don’t know how to use signal lights. On the plus side, I did get to go to the beach. Oh yea -2.5 words- Carlos n Charlies. Always a fun time to be had, drink as much as a you want as long as you stay with your group (that is where Natalie Holloway made her fatal mistake)

Day 7 – At sea – Very choppy waters. I did not do much. All of us just laid around and watched movies in the room on the DVD player. Over the Hedge and Ice Age 2. Over the Hedge was very cute – I give it 3.5 stars. Ice Age 2 was not as funny as the first – I give it 2.75 stars.

Day 8 – return home – Debarkation process was hell. Enough said about that.

Keep posted, pictures will be loaded later in the week...

You say “Royal Caribbean” – I say “BOOOOOO!!!”

Why I will never sail RCCI again.

1. The mediocre Customer service – the cabin stewards were slack all the time. And that was when you could find someone. The first sign that there would be problems was on day 1 when we were waiting for our luggage. Stuff was sitting at the end of the hallway, while the stewards were chatting and shooting the breeze with each other. We ended up going and getting our luggage ourselves. I have friends who had their “do not disturb” sign on their door, and subsequently did not receive any of the daily newsletters. But they did receive the flyer about tipping guidelines, which was slid under the door. The dude left information when he wanted to get his tips, but no other time. They did not even get the information about the disembarking process. Interesting. In my opinion, he did not deserve anything at all. I don’t know what my friends did, but I would not have given him anything.
2. The stale bread – Okay everyone knows that I am a bread lover. I saw all the pastries and I was in heaven, or so I thought. The first few days, I chomped away. The bread was a bit tough, but I thought it was me. Then Levee complained about her toast was better used as croutons. Again, I thought it was an isolated incident. Then Dave mentioned none of the bread was fresh out the oven. I did not have an answer for that. Once again, giving them the benefit of the doubt, I said maybe they put bread in the refrigerator. Well the final straw for me was…MOLD!!!!! Yea I said it. MOLD. I was eating a cheese Danish. After one bite, I saw what looked like pepper. I was a bit confused because what would pepper be doing in a cheese Danish. Upon closer inspection, it was mold spores. I could have thrown up right there. I almost did , I was so disgusted. I went to the supervisor of the Windjammer Café and showed it to him. He was like “Thanks for finding it.” He got my name and room number. I thought that something was going to be done about it. WRONG! I did not hear anything else about it. I guess if I got very sick, they would at least have a record that it was because of something I ate.
But at least one question was answered. Is the bread fresh? Absolutely NOT!
3. The obviously rigged casino – Not that I am gambler, but I do like to go to the casino and see the players play. Well RCCI will make sure you leave all your $$ in their casino with nothing to show for it. I saw a woman playing and she got the bonus round on the slot machine. That in itself is nothing spectacular. Well, I supposed she was making too much noise for the Casino manager. He came and looked at her machine, watched her play for a few minutes, and then he punched something in on his little device (it looked like a calculator). After that, she did not win another dime on that machine. And she played at least $25 more dollars (50 cents at a time). It was obvious to me, that the Casino manager did something to the odds of the machine so that it would not pay out any more money. I think that is just wrong. And if they would do that in the Casino, I know that they would not mind trying to get over on me in other ways too.
4. The slow Internet – Considering that they were charging 50 cent a minute for Internet, you would think that RCCI would have invested in a faster connection speed. One time, I logged on and it took 5 minutes for Gmail website to come up. Then it locked down. Leaving me to look at a white screen. I ended up disconnecting. But I was still charged the 5 minutes that I was logged on. I complained at the Purser’s desk (no one was stationed at the Internet Café- I think they need some one there to handle problems like that). The dipwad at the Purser’s desk, said “Try later in the evening, there are probably too many people online right now.” I looked at him, bit my tongue, and walked away. That was the most asinine statement I had heard all day and I did not want to ruin my cruise by getting put off at the next port of call. However, in my mind I questioned his parentage, and called him all sorts of names (none of which I will print here at the risk of offending those of delicate sensibilities)
5. The in-room entertainment – Granted, I don’t go cruising for the in-room entertainment, but when I am looking for a little down time, it is nice to know what movies are playing. And it is a little annoying when the same movie is playing for 3 days.
6. Formal night is too serious – this was the first cruise that I have heard of someone being denied entry to an event because they were not dressed in formal attire. That soured the Captain’s reception for me.
7. Late night is 1 AM!!!!!! - When RCCI say some thing is open "late", they mean it closes at 1. It was 3 in the morn and we were looking for food. Everything was closed. When I complained to Nana about it, she said that was because we should have been in bed at that time. That did not mean much to me considering her idea of bed time is 6 in the evening. I say, they should be open 24 hours. So we had to order room service and wait another 45 minutes. We were all grumpy about that.

Kramer's' Racial Tirade

Incidents like this is how people start to get paranoid, thinking all
people are racist.
With those statements, he might as well have put on a triple K outfit
and started burning crosses.
If he had not been a closet racist, he would not have even thought to
say that stuff.

-----Original Message-----
From: Turman

I was amazed shocked and saddened. Just goes to show what true colors
come out under adversity. I thought part of the comedy "game" was to
come back at hecklers and beat them at their own game.Not do all and say
all to belittle a person mercilessly. I'm not really hurt or offended by
this as much as I am shamed. Ashamed that a "professional" had to resort
to that level of offense to "win" the arguement. So put him on the same
shelf as Mel Gibson as someone I will never be entertained by again and
save the apologies for someone else

-----Original Message-----
From: Nicole

No more Seinfeld for me. (If you are at work, turn your speakers down or
put on your headphones because this is loud.) . . . . . . .

I'm sure everyone has heard about this outrageous display of racism by
now. Click on the link below to see it for yourself. I can't believe I
used to watch Seinfeld. Maybe this explains why minorities were so
underrepresented on that show. This is absolutely unreal.

'Kramer's' Racial Tirade:
http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?pmmsid=1772645

NYC trip part II

****unfortunately there are no pics because I left my camera****

I wanted a Coach bag and I still had to buy jewelry. Well my budget for
jewelry was $1 per set. After a few stops, I was beginning to think that
I was being unrealistic. Then I realized that I was not looking in the
right places- because I hit JACKPOT on Fordham road. There was this
wonderful little shop that had ALL the goodies I was looking for. I
ended up buying more than $20 worth of stuff. Gifts for everyone.

Then I went downtown to find my find my next purchase: COACH bag. I
found a nice brown bag that was to die for. It looked like it would be
the sister to Gina's bag. Que lindo! It is at a good price since it is
last season style. Still quite fashionable to me. :)
Then David and I walked down Broadway and checked in the shops along the
way.

Note for future reference: Across from Crate + Barrel on corner of
Broadway, there is a subway station with the D line. It makes it very
easy to get the Manhattan. One train all the way from Bronx. Woooohoooo.

What I love about NY: FOOD
I had Dominican breakfast (eggs, bacon, papas, y pan), arroz con
habichuela, arroz con frijoles, tostones, platanos maduros, oxtails,
Jamaican chicken patties, and a sausage dog with everything.
What I missed having: gyros from 170th and pizza from Fordham Road (When
I went to Fordham, I just had breakfast).

Sunday ~~~~ Time to Go ~~~~~ saying until the next time and not good bye

I went to Grandview Cong meeting at 9.30. That was nice. I saw so many
old friends. This time I got email address and phone numbers so that I
can keep in touch. Everyone asked how long I was in town. I felt bad
that my answer was "I leave this afternoon". So next time I will call
people and let them know that I am coming around.

Isn't this delicious? Yummy. 

NYC trip

I had to go to NJ for a 2-day meeting this week. So I took off Friday and headed to NY to see Lillie and David. Well on Friday, I wanted to go to the Chocolate Show (www.chocolateshow.com) in Manhattan. It was awesome. But before I get to the show, let me talk about how we (David and I) got there. Well, we took the A train to 59th street. Then we had to take the 1 train to 18th avenue. We made it to 59th okay. While we were waiting for 1 train, the policeman said that there would be no 1 service downtown. So we were going to wait for the A train to come back and take to 42nd street. So then the policeman made another announcement saying that there was NO downtown service with the station. Funny sidebar: A lady asked the policeman why, as if she was going to get the policeman to change his mind. So since we had to leave the station, David suggested that we walk down to 18th. So we walked alllllll those blocks. It was not like we could not take public transport. But we were feeling fancy free. Well, by 34th street, we were tired. We went to the Manhattan mall. We finally made it to the chocolate show. It was great. People were giving truffles left and right. I made myself sick eating so much chocolate and drinking wine.

This is how you know you are know you are in LA. I would have stayed so that I could get in the video and be on TV...Nana and Aunt Norma were rushing me.

Why does everyone see that napping is a good idea but my boss?

WebMD

The Power of Napping

Ready, set, sleep! WebMD offers tips on how to snuggle up for a quick
snooze.

By Heather Hatfield Reviewed By Louise
Chang

Napping is a proven way to clear out the cobwebs and pave the way for a
more productive afternoon --whether it's Wednesday or the weekend. In
fact, in today's hectic world, as our lives get busier and the amount of
sleep we get at night gets shorter, counting sheep come midafternoon can
be an important way to recharge your battery.

"The majority of Americans are sleep deprived -- they aren't getting
enough nighttime sleep," says Bill Anthony, PhD, author of The Art of
Napping. "Since most people can't rearrange their lives to get more
sleep -- with two jobs, child care, elder care, long commutes, whatever
it happens to be -- we recommend they learn how to nap."

Experts describe to WebMD the power a "power nap" can have on your life,
and offer tips on how to snuggle up for a quick snooze.

Know When to Nap

"Naps are one of the most powerful alertness strategies," says Mark
Rosekind, PhD, president and chief scientist at Alertness Solutions. "It
is the only strategy that gets directly to the 'sleep debt' we rack up
at night when we don't get the amount we need."

So one of the most important components of napping is knowing when to
lie back and relax.

"What people should do is develop their own signs and symptoms
checklist: What are the things you do when you know you are at your peak
performance, and what are your individual signs and symptoms that
indicate you are tired," Rosekind tells WebMD.

For some people, it's mood; anything sets them off. For others it's
memory; they can't remember where they put their keys.

"You need to identify signs for you that you are off your game, and
those are cues that you should use to indicate you need a nap," says
Rosekind. "When you're not getting enough sleep, it can degrade all
aspects of who you are -- affect your judgment and decision making. It
can reduce your reaction time, your memory, your communication skills,
and these things can go down 20%-50%."

Even NASA Likes to Nap

Napping is a good solution to achieving optimal performance. So when
you're ready to catch some ZZZs come 1 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon at
work, how can you get your boss on board with you sleeping on the job?
Tell her even NASA agrees with napping.

"When I was at NASA we gave the pilots a planned nap in the cockpit,"
says Rosekind, who is a board member of the National Sleep Foundation.
"While two pilots flew the plane, the third would have 40 minutes to
nap. We found they would sleep for 26 minutes, which boosted their
performance by 34% and their alertness by 54%."

In less than a half hour, the pilots were able to increase their
performance significantly, and better yet, explains Rosekind, the
effects of a short nap lasted for two to three hours.

Control Your Environment

"If possible, lying flat when you're napping is a good start," says
Rosekind. "Control the environment, which means dark and quiet, and that
can either be shutting windows and doors, or potentially earplugs if
needed, and sometimes a mask is good for daytime naps. Create as much
comfort as you can get, give yourself enough space, control the
temperature with a blanket or a pillow -- [and] any other things you can
do to get comfortable."

Get Out Your Blankie

"Gather your 'napnomic' devices," says Anthony, who is director of
psychiatric rehabilitation at Boston University. "It's a word we made up
meaning devices that assist you in napping. As infants and toddlers we
had teddy bears, bottles, pacifiers, crib sheets -- all these things to
help you nap. We do this as an adult, as well, although it might be a
favorite blanket, or opening a window, putting on music, various things
that get you in a napping mood."

Anthony explains that in addition to your own napnomic devices, napping
is an individual unconscious activity. You should nap according to what
works for you. Some people need to eat before they nap; others do it on
an empty stomach. Some people need background noise, others prefer dead
silence. How you nap, explains Anthony, should center around your own
napping style.

Sleep Inertia

"Another important tip to napping is to understand and be prepared to
deal with sleep inertia," Anthony tells WebMD.

Sleep inertia, he explains, is that groggy and disoriented feeling some
people get when you wake up from a nap.

"The trick is to find out what nap period works best for you that
doesn't produce that feeling," says Anthony.

For some, 10 minutes is just right for a nap, while for others, 20
minutes hits the spot. Whatever your nap number, if sleep inertia does
set in, you can easily spring back into your afternoon, explains
Anthony. Splash water on your face, have a glass of water, go for a walk
-- something quick to wake yourself up.

Nappers beware, however, that you can overdose on the afternoon snooze.
When your nap starts creeping upward toward 25 minutes or 30 minutes and
beyond and you fall into deeper stages of sleep, you can hinder your
ability to fall asleep when it counts: at night.

'Nappus Interruptus'

Also important when you hit the hay midday is to do it uninterrupted.
"You need to have control over your napping environment and make sure
you have privacy," says Anthony. "We call it 'nappus interruptus': if
you are going to get interrupted from your nap it's not going to be a
good nap."

Set Your Alarm

"Ensure that you have a way to wake up on time," says Anthony. "Either
an alarm clock, a wrist watch, or a colleague that will wake you up on
time. A lot of people lie down and they don't know if they're going to
wake up or they worry they're going to sleep too long, and it winds up
ruining their nap."

Stay Regular

"Just as you should have a regular sleep-wake schedule at the same time
every day from Monday to Monday, including the weekends, your napping
should be regular as well," says James Maas, PhD, professor of
psychiatry at Cornell University.

While napping once or twice a week might feel good, it can throw your
internal clock -- what experts refer to as circadian rhythm -- out of
whack.

"You shouldn't just nap once or twice a week; you have to do it on a
regular basis or you'll screw up your circadian rhythm," says Maas.
"It's like playing ping-pong with your sleep habits."

Sleep at Night

While napping is crucial to getting the sleep we need when we're burning
the candle at both ends, it's also important not to undervalue the sleep
we need at night. The amount of sleep each person needs may depend on
different factors such as age.

"Try to avoid all naps as a general rule, unless you can't meet your
daily sleep requirement," says Maas. "If a person is having adequate
nocturnal sleep at night he should never feel tired during the day."

While some people never nap and feel good all day long, others are
constant nappers. Why the discrepancy? It probably has something to do
with the fact that the first group is well-rested, while the second is
just plain pooped because they stay up late and get up early.

"If you do have that tired feeling after lunch and have a dip in
alertness, that should be a signal that you are not getting adequate
sleep at night, which means you need to nap during the day to make up on
the sleep you miss at night," says Maas.

Enjoy Your Nap Time

"Revel in your nap," says Anthony. "You are unconscious, but you should
be enjoying it. Tell yourself or your colleagues that napping is good
for you and it's going to help your mood and productivity -- and that's
a fact. So remind yourself of that and get over the guilt and enjoy it."

Published Sept. 25, 2006.

SOURCES: Bill Anthony, PhD, author, Art of Napping; professor, Boston
University. James Maas, PhD, professor of psychiatry, Cornell
University, Ithaca, N.Y. Mark Rosekind, PhD, president, chief scientist,
Alertness Solutions; board member, National Sleep Foundation, Cupertino,
Calif.

This is why I hate rich people.

MotherJones.com / News / Exhibit

A Look at the Numbers: How the Rich Get Richer How the rich get richer.

Clara Jeffery --- May/June 2006 Issue

IN 1985, THE FORBES 400 were worth $221 billion combined. Today, they're
worth $1.13 trillion-more than the GDP of Canada.

THERE'VE BEEN FEW new additions to the Forbes 400. The median household
income has also stagnated-at around $44,000.

AMONG THE FORBES 400 who gave to a 2004 presidential campaign, 72% gave
to Bush.

IN 2005, there were 9 million American millionaires, a 62% increase
since 2002.

IN 2005, 25.7 million Americans received food stamps, a 49% increase
since 2000.

ONLY ESTATES worth more than $1.5 million are taxed. That's less than 1%
of all estates. Still, repealing the estate tax will cost the government
at least $55 billion a year.

ONLY 3% OF STUDENTS at the top 146 colleges come from families in the
bottom income quartile; only 10% come from the bottom half.

BUSH'S TAX CUTS GIVE a 2-child family earning $1 million an extra
$86,722-or Harvard tuition, room, board, and an iMac G5 for both kids.

A 2-CHILD family earning $50,000 gets $2,050-or 1/5 the cost of public
college for one kid.

THIS YEAR, Donald Trump will earn $1.5 million an hour to speak at
Learning Annex seminars.

ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION, the federal minimum wage has fallen 42% since
its peak in 1968.

IF THE $5.15 HOURLY minimum wage had risen at the same rate as CEO
compensation since 1990, it would now stand at $23.03.

A MINIMUM WAGE employee who works 40 hours a week for 51 weeks a year
goes home with $10,506 before taxes.

SUCH A WORKER would take 7,000 years to earn Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's
yearly compensation.

ELLISON RECENTLY posed in Vanity Fair with his $300 million, 454-foot
yacht, which he noted is "really only the size of a very large house."

ONLY THE WEALTHIEST 20% of Americans spend more on entertainment than on
health care.

THE $17,530 EARNED by the average Wal-Mart employee last year was $1,820
below the poverty line for a family of 4.

5 OF AMERICA'S 10 richest people are Wal-Mart heirs.

PUBLIC COMPANIES spend 10% of their earnings compensating their top 5
executives.

1,730 BOARD MEMBERS of the nation's 1,000 leading companies sit on the
boards of 4 or more other corporations-including half of Coca-Cola's
14-person board.

THE BIDDER who won a round of golf with Tiger Woods for $30,100 at a
2004 Buick charity auction could deduct all but about $200.

TIGER MADE $87 million in 2005, all but $12 million from endorsements
and appearance fees.

THE 5TH LEADING philanthropist last year was Boone Pickens, in part due
to his $165 million gift to Oklahoma State University's golf program.

WITHIN AN HOUR, OSU invested it in a hedge fund Pickens controls. Thanks
to a Katrina relief provision, his "gift" was also 100% deductible.

LAST YEAR 250 COMPANIES gave top execs between $50,000 and $1 million
worth of wholly personal flights on corporate jets.

THIS PERK is 66% more costly to companies whose CEO belongs to
out-of-state golf clubs.

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT spends $500,000 on 8 security screeners who speed
execs from a Wall Street helipad to American's JFK terminal.

UNITED HAS CUT the pensions and salaries of most employees but promised
400 top executives 8% of the shares it expects to issue upon emerging
from bankruptcy.

UNITED'S TOP 8 execs will also get a bonus of between 55% and 100% of
their salaries.

IN 2002, "turnaround artist" Robert Miller dumped Bethlehem Steel's
pension obligation, allowing "vulture investor" Wilbur L. Ross to buy
steel stock and sell it at a 1,000% profit.

IN 2005, DELPHI HIRED Miller for $4.5 million. After Ross said he might
buy Delphi if its labor costs fell, Miller demanded wage cuts of up to
63% and dumped the pension obligation.

10 FORMER ENRON directors agreed to pay shareholders a $13 million
settlement-which is 10% of what they made by dumping stock while lying
about the company's health.

POOR AMERICANS spend 1/4 of their income on residential energy costs.

EXXON'S 2005 PROFIT of $36.13 billion is more than the GDP of 2/3 of the
world's nations.

CEO PAY AMONG military contractors has tripled since 2001. For David
Brooks, the CEO of bulletproof vest maker DHB, it's risen 13,233%.

AT THE $10 MILLION bat mitzvah party Brooks threw his daughter last
year, guests got $1,000 gift bags and listened to Aerosmith, Kenny G.,
Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks, and 50 Cent-who reportedly sang, "Go shorty,
it's your bat mitzvah, we gonna party like it's your bat mitzvah."

FOR PERFORMING IN the Live 8 concerts to "make poverty history,"
musicians each got gift bags worth up to $12,000.

OSCAR PERFORMERS and presenters collectively owe the IRS $1,250,000 on
the gift bags they got at the 2006 Academy Awards ceremony.

A DOG FOOD COMPANY provided "pawdicures" and other spa treatments to
pets of celebrities attending the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

ONE OF MADONNA'S recent freebies: $10,000 mink and diamond-tipped false
eyelashes.

PARIS HILTON, who charges clubs $200,000 to appear for 20 minutes,
stiffed Elton John's AIDS benefit the $2,500-per-plate fee she owed.

ACCORDING TO Radar magazine, Owen Wilson was paid $100,000 to attend a
Mercedes-Benz-sponsored Hamptons polo match. When other guests tried to
speak with him, he reportedly said, "That's not my job."

-- Clara Jeffery (Ed.)

Ohio Cult leader

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/10/24/ohio.execution.ap/index.html?eref=rss_
latest

This is why you don't follow a cult. He get upset and everyone dies.

Need help parking?

http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/10/16/lexus_self_park/index.html
And then you friends call you a goober because you can't park your own
car.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/10/people.johansson.ap/index.h
tml

She says she is not promiscuous. No she is just a ho (and I am not
talking garden tool).

Los Angeles Trip...part one

Los Angeles trip

First of all this trip has been a series of adventures and
misadventures. I should have known it was going to be an interesting
weekend when I was without power Thursday night and had to pack by
candle light. Then I left my Ipod in the car. Why was that so
memorable? Because I was at the gate waiting with Nana to board the
airplane! Thankfully we arrived at the airport in good time, so I had
enough time to go BACK to the car, get my Ipod, and return to the
gate. It took me an hour of walking to get my little mp3 player. In
retrospect, I am glad that I did. However when I went through Security
the second time, they threw away my lip gloss because it was not in a
"plastic bag". Nana said those heifers fished it out of the trash
after I left. I believe that. Well once on the plane I could not get a
comfortable position to sleep. So I was tossing and turning the whole
4 hours. My side and neck hurt from the way I was contorted at times.
And on top of that, I had stomach cramps.
Well when we got to LA, we got to the Dollar car rental place without
a hitch. I was happy about that. And I even got to rent a 2006 Jeep
Liberty. I was saying "SWEET!!!!" because I knew that I looked ultra
cool. Also we arrived at the hotel without a hitch. I had directions
on my email, I did not have a chance to print them out. But I was not
stressing, I was too tired for that. I had been up since 6:30 am, so I
was not in the mood for anything but a shower, check my email, and go
to bed. Well I could not check email because internet is $10/day!!!! I
was very conflicted with those prices. I could not bring myself to log
on. Screw that. This is LA. Surely there is a free hot spot somewhere.
On the first day of our vacation, I took Nana to Aunt Norma's house.
Aunt Norma was so happy to see us. She could not believe that I got
there without calling her first for directions. I was on top of the
world, quite pleased with myself. It is funny that I had been so smug,
because I would not have believed what was going to happen within the
next few hours.
I left Nana at the Aunt Norma's because they were going to a funeral
at 2. One of their Belizean sisters had passed and so they were going
to pay their respects. I told them I was going shopping. Well, I was
going to the swat meet on Slauson. I decided to make a detour at
Walgreens. I needed to refill a prescription, buy some hair products,
and get a memory card for my camera. Yeah, I said a memory card. ALL
the memory cards I have at home and not a one in my possession now
that I am thousands of miles away. Well I got everything but the
memory card and I was about to go across the street to the CVS. When I
got in my Jeep, the b*stard would not start. This was not supposed to
happen. This is a 2006 JEEP!!!! WTF?!?!? So I breathe in and out to
calm myself. There has got to be a simple explanation. I turn the off
the car and try again. Nothing. So I call Dollar rental.
I want to scream "TAKE THIS POS AND BRING ME ANOTHER CAR!!!!"
But instead, I politely ask, "Is there a reason it won't start?"
The chick on the other end does not know. She said she will put in a
call for jump start. Ok. It will be about 45 minutes. Ok. Meanwhile, I
am glad that I am in the shopping center. I go to Goodwill. Nothing of
interest there, but a small bag on sale for $2.50.
Then I go across the street to the CVS. I needed to walk anyway (or at
least that is what I tell myself). I am still looking for a memory
card, so it is not like I am wasting time. Well CVS employees seem to
be quite inept. I thought it was a simple question, "DO you have
secure digital memory cards?" Something must have been lost in
translation because took 3 people to help with that one. Then they
found one. Just one 128MB card for $40. I was like, "Ahhhh, no. See ya
later losers."
So I head up the street. Not like I am driving any where any time
soon. There was a Rite Aid. On the walk over there, I get a phone
call. The jump start guy will be there in 15 minutes. My day was just
about to pick up. And in Rite Aid I found a 128 MB card for $10. Yes,
things were picking up. I was feeling good again.
Well, I leave Rite Aid and arrive at my POS the same time at the jump
start guy. He asked to me to pop the hood and he used his equipment to
give it a jump. Nothing. So the jump start turned to be a no start
waste of time. I was bummed out at this point. So I called the rental
people back and told them I needed another car. They sent one in an
hour and half. I waited in Starbucks – which I thought was a free hot
spot but was NOT! If you buy T-mobile minutes then you can connect. So
I listened to my Ipod (glad I had it) and chilled with my frappacino.
I figured that I had to buy something since I was there for so long.
Well then they guy came with the new car and I was on my way. Hurrah.
I made it to the swap meet. But alas, no decent looking purses to take
my breath away. I did get a couple of nice blouses. Actually they are
HOT! I cant wait to wear them. People will ask "Oooo, where did you
get that?" And I can say Cali.

But the trip is not over yet. To be continued...

Are you ghetto????

You know you ghetto if you thought putting a window air conditioner in your 78 cutless was a good idea
 

More wedding pics

I had a good time at the wedding. See Kathy with her pretty dolled up face. She is such a cutied. Her sis looks just like her. And K. finally admitted as much last week. I told her she was late cause everybody been telling her that for a long time. And my two Rachels were there too. I was too much fun to be with everyone that I have not seen in a long long time. I will have a to a better job of keeping in touch.  

Labor Day weekend in Charleston

We went to Charleston, SC Labor Day weekend. It was a lot of fun. As you can see Soria caught a crab. No not from a skanky ho, but he dug up the beach to find it. Funny thing is that crab pinched him. But in the crab's defense, dude did dig a hole deep enough to reach his WHOLE ARM while he was laying on his stomach.
Other than that excitement, we were just chillin, soaking in some rays. Sweet! 

His last thoughts?
"I should have tried to rob the little lady down the street"

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/08/nurse.intruder.ap/index.html

Want an iPod? Read my review

I bought my iPod off of Ebay and I want to share what I have learned
from that experience.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Buying a used 4G 40GB iPod iPod comes with its ups and downs.
It is great to have all that memory space to listen to hours and hours
of music.
Don't expect to have 12 hours of battery life with a 4G. I am finding
that my 4G iPod might last 5-6 hours. Not that I am complaining, but
that is half of what I thought I would be getting.
But be careful that you don't erase all the music off the iPod when you
connect to iTunes. Better yet, find another program to manage your iPod
music collection. There are plenty of them out there. Just google it.
You will find it will be better for you in the long run.
There are also programs that will allow you to use your iPod for all
sorts of things. Making good use of all that hard drive space has
allowed my iPod to become like a Palm Pilot of sorts for me.
And if you are buying off of Ebay, make sure that you note if the vendor
shows an picture of the iPod or a stock photo. A stock photo means that
it is a picture of what the general new iPod looks like. So you should
not base your buying decision on that. You want to be sure that the iPod
does not look too beat up. The hard drive is very sensitive. If there
are lots of scratches you might be buying a ruined hard drive which will
die on you as soon as you get it.
And when you hear the hard drive running, keep iPod completely still.
Like I said before, the hard drive is very sensitive.
You might want to invest in a decent docking unit, preferably one that
will allow you to listen to music while it is charging.
Treat your iPod with care and you will be glad that you have it. Drop or
shake it, and you will probably be looking on Ebay to buy iPod parts.

Animal-Rights Protests Get Personal

I read this article and I think that Pharmaceutical companies R&D should
perform their testing on the animal rights activists since these people
want to bully firms into not testing the animals.
I know that if the choice was between me and lab rat, I rather the lab
rat try the drug first. I got more to live for.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Animal-Rights Protests Get Personal

Some animal-rights activists have stepped-up their protests, targeting
pharmaceutical companies-and, in a few cases, their employees-in an
ongoing campaign to end the use of animals in biomedical research.

As animal-rights activists have stepped-up their efforts to protest
animal testing, even a few Pfizer colleagues have felt the effects. A
small number of colleagues have received e-mails and letters, according
to Judy MacArthur Clark, who chairs the Pfizer Animal Care and Welfare
Board, and there have been a handful of isolated incidents in which
activists protested outside colleagues' homes.

"Thankfully, no one has been hurt or threatened with harm," she said.
"Nonetheless, we are taking these incidents very seriously. Colleagues
have every reason to be concerned that these groups are disrupting both
their business lives and their personal lives."

Despite the necessity for animal studies in R&D to develop life-saving
medicines, animal-rights groups insist that all animal testing be
stopped, MacArthur Clark said.

"We provide humane care for all laboratory animals and insist on a
compassionate approach to their use," she said. "Our facilities,
personnel and practices meet or exceed strict regulations protecting
animals. We work hard to refine our procedures so that they are
minimally invasive, to reduce the number of animals used in studies, and
to replace animal studies with other technologies wherever possible."

Many activists have singled out Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), a
contract research organization (CRO) which serves the pharmaceutical,
biochemical, veterinary and food industries. Accusing HLS of animal
cruelty, the activists recently expanded their protests to include major
firms who they believe are clients of HLS. During the week of August 14,
protesters picketed and chanted outside the Washington, D.C. offices of
several pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer.

"The animal-rights groups involved in these demonstrations are
specifically attacking us for using contract research organizations
which they are determined to undermine," MacArthur Clark said. "What
they do not realize is that we carefully audit all CROs before placing
studies with them, and our veterinarians ensure that this audit covers
the standards of care and welfare in addition to the quality of
operation. We are confident that the CROs we use practice similar high
standards of care and welfare as ourselves."

John Theriault, Pfizer's vice president of Global Security, explained
that, while recent protests aimed at Pfizer have not been violent or
gone beyond the legal bounds of free speech, some activists have been
known to be physically aggressive in the past.

"As a result, we are monitoring activities directed at Pfizer and our
colleagues, and we are in regular contact with law-enforcement
authorities," Theriault said. "Our objectives are to protect colleagues
by raising their awareness of the problem, providing guidance on how to
deal with protesters if they encounter them, and ensuring that law
enforcement takes prompt and decisive actions if protests turn violent."

The worthless music industry

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/ptech/08/21/itunes.holdouts.ap/index.html

I would almost pity the artist. But if their songs were worth anything,
people would not mind buying the album.

Prohibited Items

I hate terrorists!!!!!!!

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/prohibited/new-items.shtm

95% of my cosmetics fall under the list of now prohibited items. Do the
terrorist care that now I won't be so soft and smooth and so fresh and
clean after my journey? I guess not. They should realize not everyone
wants to to smell FUNKY like them!

Animal activist looking like retards to me...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/14/foie.gras.ap/index.html

Soon they will tell us we can't eat chicken.

Charleston

I went to Charleston, SC to go to the beach. It was cool. I slept most of the weekend. I enjoyed relaxing. Well you know anytime that I am able to sleep, I am having a good time. 

WYFF4.com - News - Dead Mouse Found In Restaurant Customer's Salad

http://www.wyff4.com/news/9608370/detail.html?treets=gs&tid=265557567581
3&tml=gs_7am&tmi=gs_7am_1_06000108022006&ts=H

Do you agree or disagree?

So a few weeks ago, I sent out this message to all my friends for them
to describe me in one word. This is a portion of how my friends
described me.

Melissa said I was "Luminous"
Abby said I was "Strong-willed"
Gustavo said I was "Amitosa" (friendly)
Hector Luis said I was "Amorosa" (loving)
Stephany said I was "Trustworthy"
Jorge said I was "Alegria" (Happiness)
Seraphin said I was "Alegre" (Happy)

Dave Chappelle is a comic genius!

I was going to try to boycott the lost episodes of the Chappelle show
since it was sans Chappelle. But the lure of his
oh-so-funny-all-the-time comedy was too great.

I know that I have made myself a pawn for Comedy Central in the
meantime. But at least I am not going to buy the DVD that they put out.
I have already seen adverts for it. That is where I draw the line.

THIS IS FOR YOU CHAPPELLE!

Yea I said it like Chappelle is going to Google his name and my posting
will come up. Who knows? Dave if you are reading this, how about doing a
show in Clemson, SC again? Or maybe even Charleston, SC? If your tix are
not too high, I will try to support you best I can.

Exercise machines

We have a internal trading post where people post the items they have
for sale.
I saw this

"Nordic Track CX 925 Elliptical Machine. Less than 2 years old $475
with Delivery available. For details call x **** or 803-***-****. "

My question is "Why is this person trying to get the $$ they put into
the exercise machine?" Don't they know that all exercise equipment
depreciates faster and greated that an automobile driving off of a car
lot.

If I am paying that kind of money for a exercise machine it will be
brand new. And here is another thought. For that kind of money, if I
wanted to work on used machines, I would just join a gym.

Tripped me out so much that I had to share.

Looking GLAM!

Zoila and I went to a Mary Kay party. It was fun. We put on a lot of makeup and complimented one another. Good day. But I could not wait to get home a wash all that stuff off. Made my face itch and you know I don't like to touch my face anyway. I did buy some perfume, so it wasn't a total waste of time to go. And Reyna was happy that her first Mary Kay party was a success. 

She is a cutie

Ana is such a cutie for 2 reasons.
1. She is a doll.
2. She is generosa (I asked for a piece of her candy and she gave it to me!- you don't find many kids that will do that) 

ATL Aquarium

So last weekend, I went to the aquarium in Atlanta. It made me reminiscent for Charleston aquarium. It was okay. I was a little miffed that there was no rate for students. I had my college ID all ready. But all in all, we had a good time. The piranahs were the freakiest(top far right). So still, as if they were waiting for something to fall in the water so they could tear it apart. And the jellyfish were mesmerizing. They look too delicate to be so hurtful (their tentacles sting, if you did not know). 

Learning Italian

I have decided that I want to learn another language. And I am going to help all my friends by posting some of what I am learning....

For now I want to learn some Italian phrases. I am also trying to learn Portuguese.

I tried French, but it seems difficult to me (and that is with a CD).

And to all my friends out there: If anybody has learning Italian/Portuguese CDs, let me know. Maybe I can burn it or you can e-mail me the lessons in MP3 form.

---

Blue font is for the polite form that is usually used when you don't know the person or to a person that you respect (teachers ….)

Sometimes the blue font is used for the feminine form, either way you will find the reason between parentheses.

English Phrases	Italian Phrases
Greetings:
Hi!	Ciao!
Good Morning!	Buongiorno!
Good Evening!	Buona sera!
Welcome! (to greet someone)	Benvenuto!/ Benvenuta! (female)
How Are You?	Come stai?/ Come state (polite)?
I'm Fine, Thanks!	Bene, grazie!
And You?	e tu? e lei? (polite)
Good/ So-So.	Bene/ così e così.
Thank You (Very Much)!	Grazie (molto)!
You're Welcome! (answering "thank you")	Prego!
Hey! Friend!	Ciao! Amico!
I Missed You So Much!	Mi sei mancato molto!
What's New?	che c'è di nuovo?
Nothing Much	Non molto
Good Night!	Buona notte!
See You Later!	A dopo
Good Bye!	Arrivederci!

 

I need to start drinking more

Hearty Drinkers Have Healthy Hearts

Less Heart Disease in Women Who Drink Most, Men Who Drink Daily

May 25, 2006 -- The more women drink -- and the more often men drink --
the healthier their hearts.

The new findings, based on the self-reported drinking habits of some
57,000 middle-aged Danes, confirm a previous report that the lower risk
of heart disease in men who drink alcohol depends more on how often they
drink than on how much they drink.

And for the first time, the study finds that alcohol's heart benefit for
women doesn't depend on how often they drink -- just on how much. Study
co-leader Janne Tolstrup, PhD, is a human biologist in the Center for
Alcohol Research at Denmark's National Institute for Public Health,
Copenhagen.

"For men who drink alcohol, the most healthy way they can do that is to
drink frequently, but only in small amounts," Tolstrup tells WebMD. "To
get the beneficial effect, you don't have to drink very much."

It's a different story for women.

"What we see with women is a beneficial effect on heart disease, but
this seems associated more with amount than with frequency," Tolstrup
says. "This is a different message than for men, because the women
drinking the most have the lowest risk of heart disease. It seems to be
independent of how often they drink."

Tolstrup and colleagues report the findings in the May 27 issue of the
British Medical Journal.

Uncorking Bottles and Heart Risk

The findings don't mean that immoderate drinking -- let alone binge
drinking or alcoholism -- is good for your overall health. Doctors won't
start telling teetotalers to be tosspots.

"What also should be remembered is, here we study heart disease and see
a beneficial effect for alcohol drinking," Tolstrup says. "But alcohol
has a lot of disadvantageous effects on other diseases, such as breast
cancer. There are other health outcomes where drinkers' risk will be
increased."

Moreover, the heart benefits of drinking apply only to middle-aged or
older people.

"If we had studied young people, we would not see this beneficial effect
of drinking -- just the detrimental effect," Tolstrup says. "This is
because people in their 20s and 30s are not at risk of heart disease
yet. So this drinking benefit is confined to postmenopausal women and
men over age 50."

That having been said, the heart benefit is real. Over nearly six years,
men who drank every day cut their risk of heart disease by 41%. Women
who drank at least once a week cut their risk of heart disease by 36% or
more.

Women who drank the most -- 14 or more drinks per week -- generally had
the lowest risk of heart disease: as much as a 73% decrease in risk. For
this study, a drink was defined as 12 grams of alcohol. A 12-ounce
bottle of beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof
distilled liquor has between 11 and 14 grams of alcohol.

Men who drank 21 drinks or more a week, and drank every day, had the
lowest risk of heart disease.

A Grain of Salt on Rim of Drinking Benefit

Annie Britton, PhD, worries that people will use the Tolstrup team's
findings to justify their dangerous drinking habits. An editorial by
Britton, a public health researcher at University College, London,
accompanies the Tolstrup study.

"We really need to interpret this with a great deal of caution," Britton
tells WebMD. "It's a good study. But people will hear you have to drink
every day, and young people will see this as an excuse to increase both
the frequency and volume of their drinking."

Britton points out that too many of us drink too much -- a problem that
is getting worse, not better. Many diseases, as well as driving deaths,
are directly linked to alcohol consumption.

"We need to consider the societal implications of drinking before we
encourage people to pour the next glass," she says.

And Britton worries that people who drink every day may become
alcohol-dependent without realizing it.

"I think you can drink every day and be moderate. A glass or two of your
favorite drink doesn't sound like risky behavior," she says. "But having
a few days free from alcohol seems healthy, just to make sure you are
not addicted -- even in a mild way. To make sure you're not using
alcohol as a crutch would certainly be a sensible thing to do."

Note to would be robbers...

 

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/31/veteran.robbery.ap/index.html

 

All you would-be robbers out there, ROBBING CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH! At least that is what some unsuspecting robbers found out when they tried to jack a ex-Marine. Oh well, hope the ones who survived learned their lesson....

Are you an original Star Trek fan?

Today is is not a good day. It is 3:01 on a Sunday May 28, 2006 and I still at work. :(
I am so tired, hungry, and not in a good mood. I was frustrated on Friday. Now I am just feeling depair. Right now I am waiting for the guys in the warehouse to finish loading the truck so that I can get OUT of here. I wish they would hurry up...

Feeling frustrated...

Okay. I am at work and I am feeling very frustrated with other people. It is that time of the month again: MONTH END
That in itself does not present that much of a problem.
Situation: The people who are the powers that be have decided what the numbers should be. But I have a problem with the fact that they WAIT until there are only 3 days left in the month period to want to rush everybody into working double time to "make the numbers".
My question is "Why did they wait until the end to say 'lets make this happen'?" and "What happened to demand planning?"
They are supposed to be forecasting for the WHOLE MONTH not just month end. I mean that is the whole reason those guys make the big bucks.
I asked that question to the manager who is supposed to be in charge of demand fulfillment that question and he said "Well things have been slow all month".
I wanted to scream "AND WHY DID YOU THINK THINGS WOULD IMPROVE WITHOUT HELP?"
I am just a peon in the grand scheme of things. Unless told differently, I think that things are going well. Then at month end I hear "Oh we not going to make the number unless YOU jump to it." And being at the end of the process in Shipping means working Sunday to do "my part". So all of a sudden, what I do is important. But it is the kind of importance that means, if I don't jump through their hoops...well they will tell the VP "We would have made our numbers, but AH is shipping was not a team player."
Therein lies my frustration, I hate working Sundays but it seems that people are doing nothing until the last possible moment - meaning that my job will depend on me working at least one Sunday a month.

I NEED A NEW JOB! :(

You would think she old enough to know better...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/05/23/homeless.scam.ap/index.html

Just goes to show, Grandma might be old but she still cunning and wiley as she wanna be!

I have to try to cheer myself after that last post. I think I will do a little Bible reading too.

The pain and sadness from reading the news...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/05/23/koinange.rape.war/index.html

This is so sad. I really feel for all these innocent women and children who are treated in such a sadistic manner. People are doing unimaginable things, inhuman things, to others. It makes you realize that we are so close to the end. 

Despedida (con't)

And here are some pics of the dancing that was going on. Everyone was sweating from all that dancing. It got really hot in there. But no one took off their clothes (thank goodness). I had my fill of dancing for the night. And it was a good diversion for a Sunday evening. 

Despedidas

Yesterday (Sunday) I went to a going away party for Yanet and Tisha. Both of whom I met yesterday. I went because my friend Dynika invited me. We were always saying that we should get together. SO finally we are making steps in that direction. The association was so nice at the party. See all the happy faces. And I saw old friends and made some new ones. We need to have more parties like this one. It was a happy time for all. 

Springtime Soiree/BBQ

Dave decided to throw a BBQ and I am so glad I got invited. It was great. The food was awesome. On the menu was pork shoulder (slow cooked for more than 13 hours), spicy beef brisket, and fried turkey. Along with salad, arroz con andule, and Dominican potato salad....I ate SOOOO much. And eveybody else did too. Can you see all the full stomachs poking out. It rained off and on, but not deterring us from having a GREAT time. And we all can wait until the next time Dave decides to do it again. 

Baby shower

One of the guys at work has a very pregnant wife. Their baby is due in June. We decided to throw a baby shower last Friday. It was a small affair, but nice. It is the first child for the couple, so they are very excited. A happy time for all. And most importantly, we still got out of work by 4:30 (no overtime, ha ha). 

Terrorist punkin' out

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MOUSSAOUI?SITE=SCGRE&SECTION=US&T
EMPLATE=DEFAULT

So I have been laughing ever since Moussaoui was sentenced to life in
the SuperMax prision. Why? Because I figured he must feel frustrated
that he not going to get to go out of the world a martyr for his
religion. And then I read the latest news. Now I am ROTL because he want
to take back all the junk he was talking for the last year. Maybe he is
crazy. Maybe not. Who cares? I don't. Funny thing. People go to jail and
then convert to Islam. Dude is already Muslim, so to which religion will
he convert?

Just sharing a nice picture. This is my Nana and uncle Des. He came down for a few days and I took some pictures. I was experimenting with the different features on my camera (hence the black and white). I want to enhance my photography skills. But more on that later. 

Remember "Knight Rider"?

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/09/film.knightrider.reut/index
.html

If they make this movie, would you go see it? I think I would. I used to
watch the show all the time when I was growing up.

She is so cute?

Emily is one of the hardest babies to make smile I know . But she is too cute that I had to take a picture of her anyway. 

Last weekend

Group picture time! Can you tell how much fun we were having by the smiles on our faces? My fave part of las asembleas is getting together at the restaurant, eating with good friends, and having a great time. This time we went to Carrabas. It has been a while since I went there, I had forgotten how good the food is. I had the marsala chicken. Que rico!!!

I also made some new friends this time too.

I can't wait for June-July and we can do it again. 

Mexico may allow some cocaine, heroin use

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MEXICO_DRUGS?SITE=SCGRE&SECTION=U
S&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

I guess Mexico is about to get really popular tourist destination for
some people if this law is passed.

Poor Egypt

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/26/egypt.blasts/index.html

Why are the terrorists blowing up Egypt these days? Yet another example
how Muslims don't care for their own people but try to somehow blame the
West. I don't get it. So sad that so many people are losing their lives
over nothing.
On paper Islam is such a peaceful religion. I know the same is said
about Christianity. I don't have much good to say about mainstream
professed religions. But at least the wannabe Christians are not blowing
themselves up to "prove a point".

China and Iran...what a relationship

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/27/iran.nuclear.reut/index.html

This article talks about the fact that China is telling the world
leaders (U.S. and E.U.) to slow their role in dealing with Iran. I
guess that they can keep threating U.S. and other the UN because they
know that China got their back. And Iran is not stupid enough to blow up
stuff in China yet. I often wonder why is China and Iran so close.
Logically those conservative Muslims in Iran should be fighting with
China too because China is not the greatest place for religious
freedoms. But then again, money does talk. And China has a lot of it.
What would be interesting if Iran got their nuclear bomb and then bombed
China to show the world that they were not playing around. Then the U.S.
could just sit back and watch the melee that ensues.

WYFF4.com - News - Woman Accused Of Throwing Acid On Wedding Guests

This lady sounds crazy to me. I know a beware of a women scorned, but
this is ridiculous!

http://www.wyff4.com/news/8762664/detail.html?treets=gs&tid=265557567581
3&tml=gs_7am&tmi=gs_7am_1_06000204172006&ts=H

CEOs say how you treat a waiter can predict a lot about character - Yahoo! News

I know I would make a good CEO...i treat waiters really well.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060414/bs_usatoday/ceossayhowyoutreat
awaitercanpredictalotaboutcharacter

Vindication. . . When will it come?

Today I am feeling a little bit pensive. This morning I found out that
there is a chance that a very close friend of mine will be facing some
difficulties in the near future. I have always been very optimistic.
Meaning, no matter what happens, I have believed that good eventually
conquers bad, manipulative people get what they deserve, and even though
for the most part that life is not fair the good are vindicated in the
end.

Yea, that is what I thought. But it seems that I have been waiting for
vindication for my friend which is not coming. I want to think that I am
not patient enough. And that his time will come when everyone will see
that he was right all along.

It just weighs heavy on my heart that he might be in for more anguish
and anxiety. All the while his tormentors continue to have a joyride and
maintain their blemish-free reputations. He has a good heart and I think
that is why I wanted so much for him to be vindicated.

Its not fair. Yea I know that for the most part life is not fair. BUT
WHEN TO SOME PEOPLE GET A BREAK?!?!?!?

Aventura

There are more pics to come concerning this concert. But I wanted to share the experience with you all. It was great. 

Movies - Thumbs up or down?

I saw an entertaining movie last night. "A History of Violence". I
really really liked this movie. It had main man Viggo Mortensen as the
lead role. He was a nice, family man until a "heroic act" put him in the
limelight. Suddenly really bad men from his past came looking for
him...Or was it a case of mistaken identity? The suspense was killing me
too. I won't tell you all how it ended, but this movie is certainly
worth it. And in my opinion worth buying. -- 2 THUMBS UP

The other week I saw "Ice Harvest". That was not such a great use of my
time. Nor was it a great use of film. I did not really like any of the
people in the movie. John Cusack and Billy Bob Thorton were the leading
men. They both stole a lot of money from their mob boss and needed to
stay in town 1 night in order to get away with it. The catch was that
the one night was Christmas (or Christmas eve) I was not really sure
which. In the end, Cusack ended up with the money because he had a
faster gun than everyone else. But he was such a sniveling punk doing
it. Aggrevated me to no it. I wanted to slap him and say "Be a man!".
-- 2 THUMBS DOWN (and make that way down)