Sunday in Union, NJ that is

Ewa, my friend. Ewa and I worked at a publishing company in Manhattan exactly eleven years ago, for the last time. We were laid off eleven years ago June. She and I worked together for about five years and became friends immediately. She and her family were from Poland, having lived here only a few years when I met her. I had worked in the company first for a couple of years, left and came back as a temp, and she was there when I came back. I left five months later to give birth to Scott and was asked to come back permanent. So she remembers him when he was just days old. On Sunday she almost had a fit when she saw he had whiskers.




All these years later we don't see each other very often, but I think of her so much. We spent every break together, every lunch hour. During that time she taught me how to knit, the European way. She also gave me a lot of advice about being a mother, what to expect out of adulthood and much more. I love her dearly, and though I never call her enough, she is always in my thoughts. Scott and I visited her and her husband on Sunday for the first time in a long time. Her cat, Lola, hid the entire time because we took Boha with us. Boha had the time of his life smelling around for Lola, being spoiled by them, and thoroughly enjoying their gorgeous backyard with the scent of stray cats and skunks...



I promised to go over more often, and it's a promise I mean to keep.

Scott's 15th

Happy Birthday, Honey!

Days Nine, Ten and Eleven of my FLA vacation

Saturday was my nephew, Kevin's, 13th birthday. We spent the day by the pool at my dad's house. It was nice having all of the family together. That doesn't happen very often.

They all loved the Cholcolate cake from Stone Cold Creamery.

On Sunday Scott and I drove to Spring Hill where my brother lives. We visited a beach called Pine Island, very close to their home. It was a great day for the beach and a beautiful drive. But the van was so hot after the two or so hours of being shut up, even with the windows open, it felt like everything was melted inside...


Then we went to a local pizza place they eat at. I'm not a pizza fan, and allergic to most of the ingredients in most of the food they served there, but I was able to enjoy myself none the less. Felisa loves her pizza!

This shot is of the last day, on the way to the airport. It's always so depressing for me because I never want to go back to NY after visiting FL. We spent the day at home with my dad and his girlfriend, packing, watching daytime TV, having lunch - boring stuff. Scott took one last swim. I went to say goodbye to my grandparents for about a half hour. But I really didn't want to do anything special anyway. Our flight was in the evening so we had a day to lounge around. I like that. I just HATE leaving. I had a wonderfully relaxing vacation, and wish I could go back soon. I plan on taking time off in November, but don't know if we will be returning then.

Days Seven and Eight

Drove to Tampa to visit my Aunt Carmen. She's the quilter. I think the photos will say it all:

She collects sewing machines, and has about 7 or 8 of them. Here are 3. This is one of the projects she is working on now. This is all done by hand. No machine work at all. You can see more pics at my Flickr.

Then we drove to another town to see my other aunt, Emi. She's the golfer, as you can tell by her skin color.

Day Eight: My Lamp. We went to a local thrift store. I was carrying around a bunch of stuff and walked out the store with this lamp and book. A total of $3.00. The lamp was marked for $4.00, but I was charged $2.00 because of a crack it had, and a buck for the book. What a find! The problem was that I couldn't bring the lamp home. I was afraid of bringing it home on the plane. I'll bring it home the next time I drive back to NY. My dad's girlfriend plugged it in for me and made sure both sockets worked. I didn't want to do it at their house in case it blew a fuse... I just don't know what kind of shades I'm going to get for it. Now I wish I would have taken a couple of better photos too.

This is what Scott bought. This is the perfect example of his personality:

After that we went to a Super-Joann's. That is what the lady at the cutting station told me. I love that store and it's only half a mile from my dad's house. I bought so much there it was obscene. No photos allowed. Then we drove to Ybor City in Tampa. It's an old neighborhood in Tampa where most of my family and I grew up. It got real run down and has had a rebirth, so to speak. There are a lot of clubs and bars there. The police have such trouble with the nightlife. But when I visit I go for lunch. There is a restaurant we go to everytime, as long as we catch it still open. It's called La Tropicana. I don't know how many years it's been open, but my maternal grandfather used to take me there when he would go buy his cigar making supplies. The food still tastes the same after 35 years. I think that's the mark of a great restaurant. I think Scott is starting to love it as much as much as I do.

Then it was back to the house for another evening at the pool. I decided to take some shots in the back yard.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (#7)

Yes, I gave in and bought it on Saturday. I was going to wait until this coming weekend and give it to Scott for his birthday. He has the previous six books. That was when I knew my son actally knew how to read and learned to like it. But he is reading something currently, which he likes and has two more books to read for school in September. He won't be able to read #7 for weeks yets. That's not a real birthday gift if you ask me. I knew he wanted the video game for OOTP (#5), which I had planned on giving him for his birthday, but he had his own money and he went and bought it.

So with all of the frenzie of the book on Friday, I knew poeple would be spoiling it for others eventually. I hate when people tell me the end of a movie or book. I have a couple of coworkers that have/are reading it and I knew I wanted to talk to them about it. I was online Saturday night about 7:45 PM, at Amazon checking out the reviews, and decided I was going to get dressed and go to the bookstore and get my copy. I was home reading the thing by 9:00 PM. I couldn't put it down! I read until 1:30 AM because I couldn't keep my eyes open. I had finished reading the entire thing on Sunday night at 3:45 AM. I had a hell of a headache Monday morning at work from either the lack of sleep or the intense reading on my eyes.

SPOILER PART: I am really sad to know that it is the last book, but making seven stories for seven years at school makes sense. The first two books were kids stories, but from book three on, they rose to another level in my mind. I am a person that needs closure and I really wanted every single story line in #7 taken care of. But I am happy with the amount of tied up endings she gave us. Yes, I would have liked to have known what happend in those 19 years, but who is to say that she won't get bored and write about them, or is already doing it and not telling us?

Also, I never expected the details she gave us in Snape's memories. I was one of the people, at the end of #6 that didn't realize Snape might have been good, because I was looking at everything from Harry's perspective. Then when I listened to it for the second time (audiobook), I put a few facts together and realized what might be going on. But I had no idea that JKR was going to give us so much detail and make it so intense. Adding Petunia into it was the icing on the cake. When #7 was moving forward and she wasn't revealing to us that he was good, I was getting worried that I was wrong. When he was dying and Harry was not there for him to confess to I was really worried, but then we I read the rest memories I had to have a tissue in my hand. Yes, I cry at the drop of a hat, but that stuff was powerful. There were other things that made me teary-eyed, but that chapter was the most heartbreaking for me.

The death toll was surprising to me. I kept getting more and more worried. I really didn't expect it. As each person died it felt like I might have been closer to the end, but I knew I wasn't because of the page numbers. I was really relieved that Ron was possesed and suspected it, when he left. Because if not, I would have been so disappointed.

There are so many points I could go on about, but it's so unneccesarry. I loved this book. It was worth the headache. My son has been questioning me on and on and I can't wait until he reads it so we can talk about it as he does!

Days Four, Five & Six

SHORT post because I already wrote a LONG post and Blogger just wiped it out:

Day Four: Daddy and his girlfriend left to go camping, so Scott and I had the house to ourselves for a few days. We went grocery shopping, ran some other errands, went to visit my aunt and uncle that were not in town I soon found out, then to an early dinner. After dinner Scott spent the evening in the pool. I read. That's a vacation.

During dinner on Day Four I felt like offering Scott the option of driving to Orlando to go to a theme park. He wanted to go to Epcot. We hadn't been to Epcot yet because I didn't think it would be exciting enough for him. He liked it once we were there. The temperature was comfortable. It was pretty cloudy, no rain, but we still got some sun. He didn't try to spend the whole day playing video games. I was relieved. His favorite place in the park was "Japan". We had lunch there also.




I expected the UK to be my favorite area, but it was actually France. There was rose bush after rose bush, but they looked neglected - and did not inspire me to take photos of them.




Our independence Day was spent eating BBQ chicken, hotdogs, fries, sandwiches and all the fixins' by the pool in my dad's backyard. I am allergic to fireworks unless it is a bigtime spectacle. But then I don't do crowds either so I usually just skip the whole thing or watch it on TV. As long as I'm not in NY I love the fourth.

We haven't been to Epcot yet because I didn't think he would be interested in the learning aspect of the park. I thought he would be bored. He is going to be 15 this weekend. I guess it was good timing because he really liked it, and he didn't waste hours playing the video games provided either. We spent a good deal of time over in "Japan", his favorite part of the park. We had lunch there. I thought the UK would be mine, but it ended up being France.

Days Two and Three, Going to the beaches

On day 2 we went to the beach with my brother and his family. This is the beach my mother always took us to as kids. The pirate ship you see here is a tourist boat that has drinks, music and games. I think the ride is about one hour long.

This is Scott with my nephew, Kevin.

On day 3 we went to Fred Howard Beach in Tarpon Springs. This beach is kept secret from the tourists, and I don't blame them. It is so nice. It's close to local neighborhoods. There are picnic areas, fishing, pet areas, plenty of convenient parking, life guards, showers, bathrooms, no commercial businesses, and it is so clean.

This is my brother, Kevin, with is daughter, Chloe. She had just turned 16 months.

Other movies I've seen lately

We saw Hairspray back in June. I was kind of reluctant to see Travolta in that make-up, and his voice bothered me at first, I have to admit, but after the opening number I was hooked. I think it was after the third song the entire audience was applauding after each song? OK, we saw movie in a theater that seats 650 people and about a third we from the press, but they are still people too. It was a very mixed crowd. Mixed race and bank accounts - everyone had a ball! I loved seeing Travolta and Christopher Walking singing and dancing together!!! Tracy was amazing too. I have to give him credit not only for dancing in a fat suite, with make-up and hair, but with heels on, and line dancing!?!?!

John Water and Rikki Lake both have cameos. I love when they do that.

http://www.hairspraymovie.com/

Live Free or Die Hard (4)
Yes, another Die Hard movie. We had fun at this one too. It was action packed and very funny. Bruce Willis was true to form. Justin Long has been typecast as a college nerd but as usual he was very good with the comeback lines. He does the Mac commercials. Timothy Olyphant surprised me as the villain. The movie was very enjoyable, and even more because I was on vacation and the company I was keeping.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337978/


Rescue Dawn
We saw this the week before Independence Day. It's about a Navy Pilot during the Viet Nam war, who becomes a POW. What a story! Christian Bale is amazing, but Steve Zahn lost 40 pounds for this role. He deserves to be nominated for something. Seriously incredible acting, and in a war movie. It was a little gruesome, but it is real life. It was opening in NY & LA on the 4th, and the rest of the country later on. I hope the movie did well.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462504/

Hot Rod, a lot like Napoleon Dynamite

We saw this movie at an advanced screening last night. It was sooo silly. But it was clean humor. This guy thinks he is a stunt man, but he is an idiot. He gets hurt so much. I didn't plan on staying having left the dentist's office to get my son into the theather. The don't let kids under 18 in without parents no matter the rating into advanced screenings. But Scott's friend was a no show so I stayed to keep him company. We had so much fun watching this crazy movie. I love Ian McShane. I can't believe the actors on Deadwood couldn't keep to their contracts. He and Sissy Spacek where the only known actors in this movie and they were very funny in a straight way. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a good laugh.

http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0787475/HR06396R.jpg.html?path=gallery&path_key=0787475&seq=3

Day One - Flying in to Tampa

We arrived in Tampa to smell the clean air. That is the first thing I notice when I leave the airport. I love that smell. It was not raining when we got there, but it rained a lot the rest of the day. But I was not disappointed. My dad belongs to a Hot Rod Club, but the meeting was cancelled due to rain. It gathers in a parking lot where passersby can see the gorgeous cars and trucks. My dad and his friends hang out, talk about cars, eat a meal at the restaurant they are parked by - not all at the same time. It's nice. We've done this with him before. But like I said, it was rained out. Scott and I were disappointed about the meeting, but not the rain. I was just happy about being out of NY and with my Dad and his girlfriend. They were great. So hospitable to us this visit. They are always like that, but this time, they really went all out. We went to see Die Hard that night. My dad hadn't taken me to the movies in over 25 years. I felt like a kid again. I know my son loved it too. No, no beach, no Disney, just family bonding.

Back from vacation, saw Harry Potter last night

I am back in NYC. I have a ton of pics to show you. I have been downloading them on Snapfish.com and Flickr.com and so on. We flew in Monday night and I had to be at work Tuesday morning. I have also had a great ordeal going on with Scott's school situation. The stories all to come...

HP 5 was great! I missed the free passes on Monday being away and all, but it was worth paying $11.00 each. Scott and I had a wonderful time. They did a great job streamlining this story, considering the audiobook is over 25 hours long. I didn't feel cheated at all. Thank you for not changing major story lines!!! The two hours flew by. We will probably go see it again in two weeks - for Scott's birthday.

Vacation is 2 weeks away

I'm going to Florida in two weeks for fun in the sun, and family visiting. My father's parents are deteriorating slowly, but both around 90 years old so it's no surprise. I don't want to miss any opportunities to spend any time with them. All of my mother's family is down there also, so I take the time and try to see someone almost every day. Two or three hours at the beach each day and visit a loved one later on. It lowers the chances of getting sun burned. Her parents died when I was a teen, but everyone else is still alive. I love being able to see them all, and since they are all retired, they are all at my disposal. This time I am going to have my aunt that quilts give me some sewing lessons - I hope. I want to do so many things when I get there, and I plan things to death, that I actually do 95% of them.

Again, I love Florida. I just can't move down there because the job I have here doesn't exist down there. I would have to work for years and years to earn down there what I make here now. I have to stop using this as an excuse and just move already.

Well, I plan on going to the Flea Market at least once and shell picking as much as I can. We are not going to Orlando this trip. This is a beach trip... and a family trip. I am staying near Tampa, and I'm going to try and collect copies of old family photos if I can. These relatives of mine won't part with them, not even for you to copy them. But I am going to try.

Lastly, I can get a lot better summer clothes down there than I will EVER find up here, especially for someone my size. It's hard enough to be plus size, but the ugly stuff I have to pick from is depressing. But down there I always find the cutest stuff. So I am only taking one bag and planning on coming back with two!!!

Hunter's latest article

http://www.nypress.com/20/23/news&columns/feature.cfm

Last week there was another article in another paper, The NY Press, about Hunter's situation. Just yesterday he had another very serious operation. He came through the it fine and will go home tomorrow for recooperation. This kid and his parents are real survivors.

LOST finale

The best episode ever. They've made up for everything. That's all I have to say.

This gluten-free thing is getting out of hand

OK, I'm hispanic and all, but rice every meal and snack? I'm using Rice Dream on my Rice Krispies. I'm having white rice with beef stew for lunch right now and will be having tilapia fillets with rice and beans for dinner. This is pathetic. Oh and a Rice Krispies treat for my dessert after lunch, and a caramel rice cake after dinner.

I will be having potato tomorrow for dinner, and the other half of this lunch again. But if I make eggs for breakfast, how do I reheat them when I get them to work? They'll taste terrible. I love rice, but I don't want to get sick of it either. I'm already getting sick of potatoes. I can only eat so many plantains, ripe or green. And we eat those fried most of the time. I don't want to eat all of that oil. I've never been big on fried foods, believe it or not.

I have coworker that has a son who is allergic to wheat also. She has given me lots of suggestions. There is a Whole Foods store that has just opened up real close by, but it is so expensive. I have to sit down and really rethink this whole menu thing. I wouldn't mind buying one or two expensive items a week. I can handle that if it will get me through this, and not make me disgusted by foods I love.

Jalissa's First Wholy Communion

One of my oldest friends, Wendy, has a daughter named Jalissa. Her daughter's first wholy communion was today. Boy has Wendy been waiting for this day. That dress, what a drama!!! The gloves, tiara, the hair, shoes, OMGoodness... but I really enjoyed the ceremony. It wasn't boring like my nephew's. This one was performed to music. The explanation of communion was done by song, by the priest, some women parrishoners and the children. It was very interesting, and kept you attentive to what was going on at all times. You didn't realize you were there for almost two hours. I was very impressed. Most of Jalissa's family and close friend's were at the church to support her.

The kids looked so cute. All of the couples. Little ones and big ones. I wasn't able to take many photos in the church because there were just too many people in the way. Jalissa, is 14 going on 40. But believe it or not, she wasn't the tallest. I was surprised. Afterwards we took photos in front of the church then went out to eat close by. I think it was very tasteful to do it that way. No big to-do. I think "parties" are better saved for other occasions. She's a ham in front of the camera, can you tell?

I took these shots on Elizabeth Street between Prince and Spring in SoHo near where I work.

Fast Lane?

What fast lane? It took me twice as long to get home today. The traffic going up First Avenue, into the Bronx, is so bad, that at this time, 8:48 PM, it's still bad. When I was trying to get home at 5:30 to 6:00 it was horrendous! Then I was exhausted when I finally walked through the door. By that time I'm too tired to cook or clean, much less craft...