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.