I Didn't Love the 80's

I stayed home today because of my brain fog. I've been alternating sleeping with watching episodes of I Love the 80's. I watch this show and I wonder, where the hell was I during those years? I literally came of age in the 80's. I turned 12 in 1980, graduated high school in '85 and was finished with college by 1989. I remember the movies and SOME of the music, mostly the New Wave stuff, but I hardly remember any of the fads.

Oh yeah, I remember now. Most of the fads from the early '80's involved spending tons of money on crap designer clothing with large and obvious labels - money my family just didn't have to waste. Most of my parents money went to giving me musical training on flute and piano, which in retrospect was fine with me, but boy those other girls could be so cruel. I used to get made fun of for not having designer jeans and for being studious and for practicing music. Amazing, isn't it?

The other fad - music videos - was completely lost on us because my parents chose not to spend money on a cable connection for their house. My mother's philosophy was that we were watching enough TV without it - why should she make it more tempting. My parents were ahead of the times. But it would have kind of been nice to fit in just a little bit with the other kids.

I didn't have '80's hair until '85 when I went from ass length hair to a modified Flock of Seagulls haircut above my ears. I missed all that early 80's hair feathering and excessive hair spray use - always disliked hairspray - intensely.

They just a showed a segment from '85 on neon colored clothing. I guess the closest I ever came to jumping on that trend was fluorescent eye shadow in 1986. I recall trying to be very counter culture in the 80's. I never wore shoulder pads because lord knows my shoulders were big enough. But I LOVE wearing army clothes. I used to wear those draw string army pants where you could draw them at the waist AND the ankles. In the late 80's I never shopped in a regular store, it was always thrift stores and army surplus.

But after a couple years of that, I realized that being counterculture was becoming fashionable but that didn't stop me. I continued to dress unconventionally all the way through college. It all came to a crashing halt when I moved to New York and had to find work. At first, I didn't think it mattered because I was working for a caterer and then I worked as a waitress. But when I started moving into retail jobs and then eventually office jobs, I had to improve my wardrobe.

That was no easy thing. I didn't know how to dress at all. Dressing counter culture for five years for me meant dressing in clothes that really stood out. I learned eventually that sometimes it's okay to fit in and that dressing differently from everyone else isn't the be all and end all of self expression.

Tuesday

This morning I feel like I was hit by a truck. My body aches, my stomach is queasy, my mouth and ears feel dry. Yuck.

But I am selling this wonderful pair of shoes on ebay. Check them out. Maybe it's something you absolutely, positively need? By the way, this was not an easy picture to take.

Only 3 More Weekends Left in 2005

The weekend is over and it's time to go back to work. Although, I was considering calling in sick due to a sinus headache and the aches and pains that come from exercising. But what's the point, the city is doing some unnecessary and unspecified road repairs on our street so the apartment will be noisy all day anyway. Not too much relaxing you can do with jackhammers going off every 15 minutes.

So, instead I'm sitting at our desk, eating a light and delicious strawberry 8 oz., 120 calorie yogurt. If I'm lucky, I'll burn those calories within the next 5 hours but who knows. My body burns through calories like fire through water. Soon, I'll be soaking in a hot bath and donning clothes, initiating my weekly routine.

I worked out both Saturday and Sunday and while I am proud of myself, the old familiar aches and pains of working out have replaced the old aches and pains of atrophying muscles after a day of trying to hold up my head. I'm pretty stiff but it's that good kind of stiffness where you know exactly why you are stiff because you pushed yourself a little too hard at the gym.

It was a productive weekend. I put my kitchen through another revision - condensing, reorganizing, throwing away stuff we no longer need. I also reorganized our filing cabinet. It's amazing the things you find once you start looking. I found things I completely I forgot I had - like postcards I bought from the St. Joseph's Oratory on our trip to Montreal last year. I also found a charming certificate with a raised seal signed by the people who witnessed my birth.

We got back the pictures from the table cameras at our wedding. Amazingly, the same people keep showing up in every pack which leads me to believe only a few people realized there were cameras at the table.

I didn't mention that Jon met with our photographer last week and received the proofs for our wedding. Here is why I love our photographer. He printed every black and white photo he shot in his darkroom to provide us with proofs and they are all beautiful and we get to keep them. This is a great photographer and good person. My advice to anyone considering photographs for their wedding or any big event, is to practice some different smiles. I consistently have the same stiff smile in every photo - although if you saw the pictures you would probably just think I look happy.
Last night, before seeing our friend in a play called Ban Republican Marriage, we went for dumplings at Rickshaw, a great little dumpling place on 23rd St. between Bway and 6th. It's wonderful. Here you can see Jon enjoying one of nine shrimp dumplings which he ordered with Peanut Sate soup. At this restaurant they have a choice of 6 varieties of dumpling (in quantities of six or nine) which you can order with a choice of 6 salads OR 6 soups. So, I had six chicken/basil dumplings in the peanut sate soup and Jon had the shrimp.

A.M. Snowflakes

The weather report told us to expect snow. I woke up this morning and looked out the window like an excited kid. And sure enough, 2 inches of snow fell over night and it was still snowing. I gathered the laundry, got ready for the gym, packed up my camera and went out - early. Because I knew it wouldn't take long before the beautiful white snow turned into slippery slush.

It was exciting. It's the first snow of the season (well for New York City anyway).

Normally, I find the X-mas tree stand annoying but this morning it was transformed. Some of the trees looked like they were growing right out of the sidewalk. It was a beautiful morning until all turned into mush.

Up and Almost Ready

I've fully accepted that I am going back to the gym. I'll be going in the mornings to start - trying to get back into that habit. Also, I dread going to the gym. If I do it first thing in the morning, at least I won't have the whole day to talk myself out of going.

The only problem now is actually putting on the gym clothes and facing the icy cold blast of arctic air that seems to have covered New York City like a blanket over night. My apartment is warm but not hot - comfortable. The super finally got the heat situation under control. Instead of feeling like summer in the middle of August, it actually feels like an apartment heated economically in winter time.

If I could get into the habit of NOT smoking every day; of eating three meals a day; of drinking 2 liters of water a day then surely, I can get back into the habit of going to the gym. After all, that's good for me as well and I know within a week my back and neck are going to feel much better - but boy, do I NOT want to go this morning.

5 minutes later

Deciding what to wear is always a challenge, so I've been very careful lately to fill my drawers up clothes that I just LOVE to wear. This is the case with the T-shirt I'm wearing on the left.

Yes. That is a photo of me taken just moments ago at 7:30 in the morning. I decided to wear a t-shirt I bought on honeymoon as inspiration for facing the winter like weather in order to work out for an hour or so. You can see how utterly thrilled and awake I look. If you examine the photograph not so closely, you'll see the puffy darkish circles under my eyes (which are always there but moreso in the morning).

Okay. You didn't happen to see where I put my sweater, did you? It's the big gray one with the white snowflakes that I bought on ebay for $10 like three years ago. That's another one of my favorite items. It's working. . .I really want to put on that huge warm sweater and head out doors.

I'll let you know how it went later.

Today is Friday

Today is Friday, Friday, Friday.
It will be a fun day, fun day
All day long.
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My body is literally aching to go back to the gym. I've got familiar old aches and pains in my back and neck which plagued me for years until I started working out seriously. I checked my measurements last night and for the most part they are a smidge smaller than before my wedding but still, I would hate to gain back wait or lose some muscle tone which I'm probably doing as we speak - my muscles are most likely losing their ongoing battle with time and gravity.

Instead of going to the gym last night, I cooked up a storm. Because of my schedule I have to choose between activities I enjoy because I can't do everything. If I go to the gym after work, I don't cook hot meals. It's just too much for me. Anyway, I cooked something wonderful.

I used my new food processer to turn a pineapple into mush. I threw that mush into some well sauteed onions and after cooking the onions and pineapple together for 10 minutes or so, I threw in some chicken thighs that had been boiled in a stock pot to remove some of the fat. That worked out really well. I then cooked some macaroni in the light broth and after cooking the macaroni, threw some barley soup mix into the stock pot - which I haven't yet taste, so I can't speak to the results of that concoction.

The chicken turned out great.

Psychic Tarot Card

Somehow, yesterday's post about my experiences with psychics diseappeared entirely. So, I'm sorry if your comments have been lost. I don't know why this post is so important to me that I need to make sure that it's read but I guess I'm just proud of it.
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The Anonymous Blogger posted an angry letter to a psychic that gave him bad information. This reminded me of a time in my life when I was lonely, sad and vulnerable to the charlatans that claim they can help you solve all of your problems with a simple cure.

There was one who really got to me when I was in my early 20's. I was so naive, I believed everything she told me. It started with an initial reading. She was able to read my life in the cards. She figured out that I was unhappy, lonely and lacking direction. At the time, I had just graduated college and moved in with a girlfriend into a cheap apartment on the upper east side - a ridiculously cheap apartment. The job that had been promised to me by my friend's brother-in-law the summer previous to graduation was gone. I found out by going into work and seeing someone sitting at the front desk, my desk - no one had bothered to tell me that I had been replaced even though they knew I was moving into the city and coming in. So there I was - living in the city because I thought there was a job waiting for me. Anyway, I ended up working for her sister instead as a caterer's assistant because I guess her dickhead brother-in-law and the rest of the family felt sorry for me. I was so green.

Also, I had little to no self-confidence. I didn't know what to do. I felt alone, so alone in the extremely intimidating big city, three or four companies had just let thousands of employees go (early 90's) because of cutbacks making finding a job next to impossible and I had made such a strong stand against my parents to be on my own that I just couldn't go home. In addition, these people, this friend and her family whose "care" I fell into had this way of making me feel like I had no natural talent or ability, like I was this alien who fell to earth from the planet "average" - they were all uber artists and lived in some strange world where normal people didn't even register on their snob meters. I must have reeked of eau-de-pathetic.

It was under these circumstances that I went to see a psychic to see what my future held for me. She read my cards and told me that there was a curse on me, but we had to do some work to figure out what kind of curse it was, who cursed me and how we were going to remove the curse. She told me to take a tomato and hide it in my apartment for several days and then bring it back to her. For a few more dollars she looked inside that tomato, at the rotten core, and knew what needed to be done.

When I was a small child, unbeknownst to me, someone had taken a piece of my hair and locked in a dark place. This was how they placed the curse. The curse was that I would never be able to see what life truly had in store for me; that I would never be able to see my ability or know what my place was in this world and this life. That sounded very serious to me and like exactly what was happening to me. I didn't know who I was or what I could do or where I was going. I thought for sure it must have been true.

But it wasn't until after she proposed the antidote for this curse that I realized she was in it for the money and that was she was saying might not be true. To figure out what was to be done I had to sleep with a rose under my pillow for a few days. I brought it back to her. For every petal that fell off the rose I was to give her $100 toward payment for a remedy to the curse. She offered to put some piece of me - hair or nails - in a gold box. She told me that she would burn candles around that box for days on end and have people pray for me. She also told me that she could make a representation of me in wax and burn candles around that. (side note: if anyone ever offers to make a representation of you decline. That is some seriously dark magic and if you don't believe in it, don't agree). This was supposed to ligthen my aura which was presumably mud-like and clear my vision.

I told my friend's brother-in-law about it and here is reason #300 why I hate these people in retrospect. He never said "WAKE UP. THESE PEOPLE ARE CHARLATANS." He never advised that she might be a phony or took the time to talk to me to see what might be bothering me. These f-ing people who told me they cared for me and made me believe it never looked out for me. Instead, this brother-in-law asked me if I really thought this cure was going to make a difference and that no one could decide that except for myself. In other words, he left me hanging.

It was also at this time that I developed a dislike for armchair therapists. Anyway, I finally realized I was being rooked. I envisioned myself as a fly on the wall for these "consultations" and saw how ridiculous I looked. I never gave that woman another penny although I did continue getting readings with other readers here and there, for some time there after. When you're lonely and you don't know where to turn to for advice, a small fee of $5.00 - $10.00 doesn't seem like too much money for some tea and sympathy.

I learned to read tarot cards on my own. I became quite good at it. I do believe in the mystical and the unseen. I also believe that life is for the living and that if you want to communicate with spirits, they'll be plenty of time for that in the afterlife. I don't read cards anymore.

The lesson here is to live your life, make your mistakes, take risks and rely on your gut instinct. Trust yourself and if you like how you were raised, trust your upbringing. Eventually you become more polished and even your gut starts maturing a little giving you better instincts on which you can rely.

Most people know how to solve their own problems. They just have to face them and solve them. That's the hard part. You have to be ready to tackle the big life issues but it's you that has to do it. That's what it means to work on yourself. But it's work.

Can't Edit My Previous Post

Like most writers, I want to go in and edit my last piece of writing but for some reason, that last post is listing in the "edit posts" function on blogger. I want to correct the spelling of wreaked. The word is spelled correctly but it should be reeked. Also, I want to add three little words to one of the closing paragraphs. They are important words and will change the meaning or clarify the meaning of that little section.

1 minute later

I went in to "edit posts" to see if I can edit this one and wouldn't you know it, I could see it but the Psychic Tarot Card post was missing from the list.

Is it possible that the post was just too long?

Bury Me In This Dress

I would like to welcome a guest to my blog this week. Please visit her site. It's Bury Me In This Dress.

You know me. I like those slice of life blogs and I just really like hers. The young woman in question lives in the Philipines and from what I can tell she seems interesting enough.

Her recent purchases on Ebay have me convinced I should try to sell her my other pair of sexy shoes, but I personally don't want to have to deal with international shipping.

I managed to sell my other shoes for a whopping $18.00. I don't think it's possible to get rich off ebay.

Haunted House

Arrived home around 6 to the not so dulcet tones of my caterwauling neighbor who practices her opera singing three hours a night - Mozart no less. Boy she sucks. Every night between 6 and 9 our apartment sounds that old Halloween screensaver that was so popular in the 90's - you know, the noisy one with the haunted house.

Post 4-Day weekend Depression

I'm feeling a little down this morning having to return to work after a wonderfully relaxing four-day weekend.

Thanksgiving Day
Rode a crowded LIRR train out to Long Island to celebrate my brother's first Thanksgiving in his new house. My brother and his wife were kind enough to extend an invitation to a friend of mine, who joined us in the celebration. There was the mandatory turkey, mashed potatoes, string beans with portabello mushrooms, brussel sprouts (I passed on those). My mother brought one of her delicious soups. For dessert our plates ranneth over. My sister-in-law baked an apple pie from scratch. She also served us cookies, a fruit platter, a chocolate pudding pie with piles of whipped cream and coffee.

The Day After Thanksgiving
I kind of did nothing the whole day. Except for the following:
Introduced Jon to the wonders of that so-bad-it's-good movie Zardoz; took all of our beautiful China out the boxes it came in and put it away; threw away three whole sets of dishes; opened and seasoned our new wok; read a little bit more of Wicked. I'm exploring fiction influenced by the Wizard of Oz, in case you were wondering.

Saturday
I posted an outrageously sexy pair of shoes on ebay with a description that was so raunchy, ebay took the listing down. My original post referred to the shoes as PATENT LEATHER BDSM shoes given to me by a friend of mine that was a dominatrix, that wanted to adopt me as one of her submissives. (Of course, this is all made up so if you are my mother-in-law and reading this, the above NEVER HAPPENED so don't worry. I am still and always was a nice Jewish girl.) Apparently, my original description violated some kind of decency clause or the other - here is the link to the current listing. As you can see, my new copy isn't as exciting and probably won't generate much interest at all and possibly no sales.

After that, I laid around until late in the afternoon when I decided that I needed to do something else, anything else but lay around so I went food shopping. After the food was delivered I started getting really bad cramps and had to lay around some more. This time with a heating pad and two motrins in my system. By the time Jon came home later that night, I was feeling better and we went out to my favorite restaurant for a late dinner. Then we watched Hero - one of the most beautiful movies ever made. Gosh that movie is sooo pretty and soooo interesting.

Sunday
I woke up around 6 with such bad cramps that I had to get out of bed and lay on the couch with a heating pad until the motrin took effect but after it did, I slept until about 11am. Jon and I had great day out and about New York City. When we got home, I cooked up some pepper steak in our new wok and just chilled out with my hubby.

It was a good weekend overall.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving.

I like that the holiday celebrates immigration and imagination. The holiday IS tainted by the sad history of what the original settlers ended up doing to the Indians. But before all that there was the hope that the two cultures (Europe and Native American) could combine and make a greater civilization. Imagine what the country would be like had the Europeans decided to work with instead of against the Native Americans. I'm sure given the opportunity they would have chosen not to be wiped out.

But if the two cultures did blend would we be as techologically and medically advanced as we are now? Probably, but I'm not sure. Would a Native American influenced culture have agreed with sending a man to the moon or even conceived of it? Probably, but I'm not sure. Would this culture be warring and able to defend itself against other nations and compete in the global economy of today? Probably, but I'm not sure.

I see the downfalls of this theory as I write it. This theory assumes that the Native American healthy respect for Mother Nature would have slowed down the murder of the planet but who am I to say that given the opportunity they wouldn't have evolved into the same greedy people we are today. These weren't stupid people. They didn't really have an idea of land ownership but they would probaby have come around and they probably would have become the same as we are today had they been given the opportunity to evolve sociologically, techonogically, politcally, etcetera without the constant worry of being killed.

Or maybe the original settlers would have become nomadic instead of settlers. They probably could have integrated themselves with the Native American tribes they ended up protecting themselves against and we could all have cool names like Running Deer Smith and Runs With Rabbits Smith.

Either way - if the two cultures had combined instead of clashed we would still probably be celebrating this holiday.

If anyone knows of any essays, fiction or non-fiction, that also shares this historic speculation, please feel free to suggest it, to point me in that direction.

Waxing Mnemonic

Does anybody remember that little mnemonic device for remembering the planets?

It goes like something like this.

My Very Educated Mother Just ___ ___ Nine Pizzas.

I can't remember the words for Saturn and Uranus.

Can anyone help me? Is it Sent Us?

It's Raining; It's Pouring

This rain reminds me of that weather we had in October, where it rained and rained and rained and rained and rained e - except it's about 20 degrees cooler. Supposedly we are having a Nor'Easter - why can't it just be bad rain? Does it have to be named and qualified? I like weather as much as the next weather geek but I don't agree, necessarily with the marketing and promotion of it. There's been a lot of that lately - especially with this miserable hurricane season.

Weather doesn't need publicity. We can't package it, sell it, buy it, trade it or commodify it in any way.

So - let's just call today's weather what it is - a fall thunderstorm.

Xmas Culture Fatigue

Yesterday, Jon and I walked from the Woodside station at 61st and Roosevelt Avenue in Queens to our home in Astoria. We stopped at CUP along the way and met up with my good friend Dave. That's a long walk but can be done in less than an hour if you don't stop at Best Buy or Old Navy or any of the other fun stores on Northern Blvd.

It is soooooooo quiet in my office that all I hear is the tapping of reluctant fingers against eager keyboards. I just turned on my phone's music/radio function. We can listen to the hold music but we can not change the channel It seems that 106.7 FM is playing Christmas music - already.

Two seconds later

I just turned off the music because Christmas music makes me kind of crazy. Santa Clause is NOT really coming to town. We all know it - yet that song is going to be thrust upon me at least 3 times a day until Christmas comes.

Now it's quiet again. I wish the phone would ring or somebody would say something, say anything (and not in the John Cusack kind of way).

Happy Birthday Matthew

I rode the Long Island Railroad this weekend and caught these men actually at work on the renovations at Jamaica Station - the LIRR platform. It's very rare to see people actually working after hearing conducters claim construction as an excuse for train delays.

So, I took the train into Long Beach (photo on the left is a picture of L.B. on the approach from the train) this weekend to visit with my folks. Earlier in the day, my mother and I drove out to Fortunoff to pick up the vegetable turine from my China set - a gift from my mother's cousin. We got it home and alas it was the wrong piece. My pattern is 4397 and Fortunoff sent a piece from 3497. So, that trip was kind of in vain. My mother and I spent a nice afternoon together running errands and catching up. We made a delicious chicken dish for dinner. Rather I prepped the vegetables that she used to make our delicious dinner. Potted chicken with haricots vert, small peas and baby carrots. Quite yummy.

We headed out to my brother's house afterwards to help him celebarte his birthday. There were two cakes: A cheesecake

and a cake from Carvel.













After Matthew ceremoniously blew out his candles (and I ceremoniously just missed the shot) we all shared coffee and cake - my brother's mother-in-law is in from Florida - it was nice to see her and catch up with her. We'll be seeing more of her on Thanksgiving. My nephew had long been in bed. That baby sleeps like a log - 12 hours a night. It's amazing.













Here is a gratuitous shot of my very pretty mother, for your enjoyment.

Aisha Taylor

Does anybody remember when Aisha Taylor was the host of the late night show TalkSoup on E Television? She took over after Hal Parks and John Henson.

Since then, she's been a regular on Friends, CSI and now she's co-starring in the Ghost Whisperer with Jennifer Love Hewitt. More power to her.

I always liked her, always thought she was funny.

Just wish they would bring back TalkSoup. That show was great.

Sniff

Anybody sniffling yet?

As the weather gets cooler my sinuses are filling up. Last night, I had to walk in the rain which didn't help either. Not that I don't like walking in the rain. I do. I like it. It's one of the remaining memories that can transport me back in time and make me feel like a 12 year-old. But it also seems to have increased my sniffling.

I'm getting older. You know how I can tell? I'll tell you.

Last night, Sarah went to a party, a benefit for her job and it looks like she had an amazing time. There would have been time, when I would have read that and felt sad that I couldn't be a part of it. But all I could think when I read her post was "A party in the middle of the week? That's crazy. I would rather have stayed home."

But seriously, if you want to read about a great party and see some really great pictures of a really good person then check out Finishing The Hat.

Lunch time

I chose the meatloaf platter special from Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop or should I say it chose me. When I saw that meatloaf was the special for Tuesday, the meatloaf spoke to me - from down on 5th Avenue. It told me it was delicious and that I must eat it. It lied. It wasn't delicious although it was filling. Sometimes you just need something in your stomach to fill the hunger void.
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This morning's train ride was crowded and uncomfortable. At every stop, it seemed people only got on - not off. This is not unusual except for one fact - I rode the train between 9 and 9:30. It wasn't too long ago when a commuter could ride between 9 and 9:30 in relative comfort with lots of elbow room and sometimes even finding a seat. But lately it's been crowded. It's like when I used to ride the train between 8:30 and 9 in the morning, which leads me to conclude that 9 - 9:30 has become the new 8:30 to 9.
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The weather - overcast with rain looming in the near future. The temperatures are still not too cold. In the upper 50's you can still get away with NOT wearing a coat. It's pleasant. I like the drama of expectant rain.
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Morose Monday

Facing Monday morning is becoming increasingly difficult. I know I'm not alone. When I got to the subway this morning, I walked into a crowd of about 20 people - all with that thousand yard stare. We walked weakly as a group to the turnstile and together trudged up the stairs to the platform. No one was smiling. No one seemed motivated or happy about going to their jobs. I don't even recall making eye contact with anybody.

I withdrew into a book, listening to Howard Stern on my headset. It's been a while since I've listened to Stern. I remember first listening to his show, sitting in my car in the parking lot of Nassau Community College in 1985 - my first semester. And now - a little more than 20 years later - he is retiring bits that I and so many other fans have been listening to for years. It's weird that he won't be on the radio anymore - I'm so used to his show being on the air.

I really don't see myself buying a portable satalite radio and then buying a subscription just so I can listen to Stern. It's not practical and I'm not THAT big a fan. But still, it's a shame and I'll miss Stern and his crew.

Roosevelt Island

Jon and I joined at least 30 other New Yorkers on a Forgotten NY tour. I've been looking at the Forgotten NY website for a couple of year now and I was excited to finally take a tour with its founder Kevin Walsh. He started the tour at the base of the Roosevelt Island Tram on 59th St. and Second Avenue. I learned that there used to be a trolly that ran over the Queensboro Bridge between Manhatten and R.I. The next time your at the NY side of the bridge look for the little kiosk that looks like it's being dismantled. That was the first time I'd ever heard of that.

Anyhoo, once we got to the island Kevin brought us over to the Blackwell House - the oldest house on the island. It does have an interesting history but you can read about it on Kevin's site.




Before the tram and the subway, if you wanted to get to Roosevelt Island you could take the trolley or you could drive over this beautiful bridge.



My favorite part of Roosevelt Island is the north end where this beautiful lighthouse is. The last time I saw it, it was a mess but since I've been here last it's been renovated.

At the end of the tour, I caught this seagull in the act of admiring the view.

Chiseled Products

Apparently if you use these products you will look like an Adonis or so they name would have you believe.

Look What I Found

Here is a giant snowglobe on display for the holidays at RiteAid.

Poor Little Manaquin

This poor manaquin has been standing like this all week.

Harry's Burritos House Red

Here are some notes I took at dinner last night before going to trivia.
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I'm sitting in Harry's Burritos at a table by myself.

Across from me is a woman - also sitting by herself. She's wearing too much makeup, too much hair spray, too much shiny clothing. She's a white woman. Her hair is four shades of blonde. Her eyes are lined both top and bottom with thick black liner. Her poofy hair is held together with at least a quarter can of hair spray. Her lips are caked with lipstick and she is drinking the house red at Harry's Burritos.

Her outfit - black sequined pants and a gold/black lamay mandarin collar jacket.

She's talking on her cell phone and dropping names like Dr. Brown and Dom Deluise. It sounds like she's planning some event.

This is where my notes stop. My dinner came and I put everything aside so I could enjoy my BBQ Burrito with chicken, jack cheese and pinto beans.

I couldn't believe it when she asked the waitress about the winelist because she also asked for a recommendation. Face it. She looked out of place there. She looked like a cross between a southern belle/beauty queen about 25 years past her prime and an event planner that's kind of lost her mind.

The waitress was sweet. She told the woman that Harry's has two wines - a house white and house red - and then she recommended the white because she liked it better. Naturally the woman chose the red.

I was utterly fascinated by her. She was still talking on the phone and dropping names loudly enough for everyone to hear when I left the restaurant.

France - State of Emergency

Tonight marks the 13th night of violence in France. Although accounts of violence are slightly down, France is imposing an old state of emergency law from the 1950's to help in some areas.

Maybe other countries are looking down their noses at France but it's not only in France where poor immigrants have been so disenfranchised that any excuse will do to riot and wreak havoc. It should be a wake up call to all countries that have big cities and bigger immigration problems.

The problem isn't the immigrants per say but a country's abiity to absorb immigrant populations and provide jobs and housing for its unemloyed residents and aliens alike. Poverty in all it's guises is a bad thing - dehumanizing at its worst.

The same thing could easily happen New York City - except our disenfranchised are most often citizens - born and raised here and many of them stuck in an endless cycle of poverty. The inequalities in our system are many and great.

Cake Space

I found this site procrastinating this morning, instead of getting ready for work.

This person makes beautiful cakes.

Check it out.

Cake Space

Processing Food For Thought

Tonight I used my brand new Cuisineart blender - one of the many cool appliances we recently received as gifts. (This model also doubles as a food processor which I'll probably try out tomorrow.)

Look at that thing.

It's awesome, sexy, clean, new, easy to use.

I used it to make my first soup of the season - potato/tomato soup. I can't say this was my best soup ever but I'm going easy on myself being that it is the first of many to come over the cold months ahead. Potatoes, tomatoes, onion, heavy cream, salt and pepper combined together made a creamy yummy concoction but the soup was a little too heavy on the potatoes.

Is it wrong to enjoy cooking so much?

Are women still allowed to enjoy taking care of a husband and house?

Women receive mixed messages all the time.

So, I'm willing to take a stand here and now. If that is what you enjoy doing as a woman then go for it. If you don't enjoy it then don't.

The Women's Liberation movement was about giving women choices and equal opportunities.

Monday Mourning

This morning, I am mourning the loss of free time. Heading out to work after a beautiful weekend takes discipline.

The weekend was wonderful.

My mother came by Saturday morning. Our new refrigerator was delivered Saturday morning. I spent Saturday afternoon doing absolutely nothing and the evening with a good friend I hadn't seen since the wedding.

Sunday was wonderful. Enough said.

Sweet Reunion

Last night, Jon and I went with Sarah to St. Andrews on 44th Between 6th avenue and Broadway, closer to 6th. St. Andrews is a great Scottish type pub. Most of the bartenders and waitstaff are Scottish and everyone wears a kilt. The food was great. I drank a beer which I hardly ever do. But it was Scottish beer and therefore better than most beers available on tap in American bars and restaurants.

I went over to Sarah's house a little earlier in the evening to catch up with my friend Zoey. Zoey is sporting a fashionable fall hair cut. She looks great and seemed and happy to see me. I love that little Lhasa. She's so unbelievably sweet.

We headed over to St. Andrews with the intention of meeting Jon after his work shift. While waiting Sarah and I perused the menu.



There were so many good dishes to choose from. I was torn between the New Zealand Rack of Lamb and the Hazel Nut Crusted Sea Scallops. I resorted to eeny meeny miney mo to make my choice and ended up with the Hazel Nut Crusted Sea Scallops.

Here is what we ended up with in the end.

Crispy Calimari for the table. Sarah went with the Scottish Smoked Salmon on a Warm Potato-Chive Blini. Jon after joining us had the Pan-Seared Shetland Isle Salmon and I had the above. For dessert we ordered something absolutely out of this world - like nothing I ever had before. Sticky Toffee Pudding with caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream. Just wonderful. Absolutely delicious.

I recommend this restaurant highly.

Cheers.

Serpentine Aviation

You're probably like me. You have blogs that you like to check every day to see if something new has been posted. Some are by random people and some are written by your friends. Well, I go through my blog roll mostly every day to see what's happening in the lives of my friends.

Several weeks ago, one of my friends wrote about Snakes on a Plane. I thought it was an amusing post because Chico Bangs is a good writer - I generally like everything he writes because he writes well. But sometimes it takes me a few reads before I really get what someone is writing. My reading comprehension is good but not what it used to be. Maybe stress or age or whatever have contributed to my intellectual decline but I didn't get it until now just how ludicrous an idea it is to make a movie about snakes on a plane.

Here is the plot. (found at blackfilms.com)
On board a flight over the Pacific Ocean, an assassin, bent on killing a passenger who's a witness in protective custody, let loose a crate full of deadly snakes.

So - if we are to suspend our disbelief, an assassin (presumably a contract killer) is going to try to kill someone on a plane with snakes. So someone who is smart enough to be a murderer for hire without ever getting caught is killing someone on a plane. Instead of waiting until he gets to the final destination to kill him with something conventional like one of those rifles with the laser site from a rooftop, he is going to go through the time and expense of getting a license to transport snakes, getting a false I.D., figuring out how to get the snakes into the plane from the cargo hold, etcetera.

It's possible that this movie is being made as a combined spoof of airplane disaster and horror films and if that's the case then the premise is just perfect.

But if not, the producers could be going for some kind of "worst movie ever made" award.

I don't know. I know I'm late to the game on this one. That people have been taking pot shots at this movie even though it hasn't yet been released.

But that's what I felt writing about.

A Boring Thursday

Today was a good day but a dull day.

Work. Dull. Administrative work in the morning. And invoicing in the afternoon. The monotany was broken by a quick visit from Jon and sending out a press release via email.

This evening. Well. Let me tell you. I had to be home early so I could let in the super so he could look at our broken refrigerator and let in the exterminator.

The super came at 10 to 10 tonight. Three hours later than I thought he would be here. So. . .I basically spent my evening waiting for the late super and an exterminator that never came.

But that's okay. I had my reality TV friends to keep me company.

First there was the ever fun Survivor and second, there was The Apprentice.

What is about these shows that has me in their grips?

Horse Play

Jon and I went on two different horseback riding excursions while in Jamaica.

The first time was in Negril at Rhodes Plantation. Here I am mounting my steed - Screwface - named for the bad guy in a 1990 Steven Segal film called Marked for Death.



This was my first experience on a horse. Our route was to climb up the mountain property that is part of the plantation - which we did. We saw beautiful trees and flowers and bamboo growing to 300 feet tall. I struggled with my horse a bit because SCREWFACE kept putting his head down to eat but we finally made it to the top of the destined peak and EVANS, our riding instructor/tourguide took this picture for us. Aren't the bicycle helmets adorable?



Jon took this nice shot. He was in charge of the camera because he was just a better rider than me and I had to focus on keeping my balance and not falling off of the horse.


The ride ended on the shore. Down by the shore, we saw the crocodiles the Plantation keeps as pets and we got to take our horses in the water - though only just for the sake of this shot. When we went over to the swamp or pond or whatever it was to see the crocs all of our horses took a simultaneous piss.


The second place we went riding was at Pineapple Stables.

Here is a picture of the nice horses we had to choose from. They were younger and fitter than the horses at Rhodes.


Here I am petting the second from the left (see above).


And here is JON on the back of BRAVE DANCER. We stopped in this nice area (with a breeze) so the instructors could take pictures of everyone. And wouldn't you know it - all the horses started pissing. It turns out that when one horse pees, they all pee. That is quite a sight - unfortunately one I did not catch on film. But anyway, here is Jon on the back of his horse after Brave Dancer took a big piss.

Back To Reality . . . TV

It was interesting riding the subway this morning after being in a country that has virtually no public transportation. To get around in Jamaica, you either drive your own car or get driven in a taxi. I didn't even mind that the train was crowded because I was actually thrilled to be on the train. Go figure.

I returned to work today to a clean, neat and inviting desk. My boss was nice in that he kept all of the work he had for me at his own desk. It was a pleasure to be given the luxury of easing my way back into the busy life. However, I did leave work with piles on my desk. I got home around 7, plunked down on the couch, looked at my mail, caught the tail end of Jeopardy.

I just had a cheeseburger and fries for dinner while catching up on the Biggest Loser on NBC. Have you seen this show? It's a very emotional program. What they put these contestants through . . . my goodness. Somehow, the producers of the show have found a way to make the American tradition of exploitating fat people simlutaneously entertaining and motivational.

Now is the time for all good brides to write thank you notes. Jon and I powered out almost half of our thank you notes last night. We split them down family lines and we'll be writing notes to our friends together. So, I basically have to finish my own family and whatever cards Jon started from our list of friends. We should have them done by Friday at the latest. We're trying to be real prompt. Of all the books we've read the consistent piece of advice has been to send out thank you notes promptly. The AMAZING RACE is on the TV right now. I'll wait until the show is done so I can really focus.

Going to Negril

Jon had our new travel arrangements taken care of by early the next morning. And we couldn't get out of Kingston soon enough. Look at this sky. It was a dangerous sky.

I was frightened that all the roads leading to the airport were going to be flooded and we would be stuck in that crummy weather.

But we made it to the airport with no problems. When we got to the airport in Montego Bay, we signed up for our transportation and two hours later, we were there. Our driver thought it would be fun to mess with me. He took pleasure in demonstrating complete darkness by turning off his lights while we driving around hairpin turns. When he turned off his headlights, it was pitch black outside. I almost kissed the ground when we got to the resort that night because people drive crazy in Jamaica.

But imagine my delight walking into this beautiful and spacious lobby. It was such a relief after the earnest but dingy Mayfair.


Granted the above was taken the morning after we arrived but I just didn't have the wherewithall to take pictures upon first arriving. Especially since we were greeted with hugs and handshakes by the staff. I was completely thrown by the first hug but understood it later when the hugging bellman put his hand out for a tip at the NO TIPPING NECESSARY resort. That's okay. He deserves a tip - I just would have preferred it if he wasn't such a phony.

Anyway, it didn't take us long the next morning to get into the ALL INCLUSIVE resort swing of things. Our room had a free minibar which the resort refilled every other day. This included four different liquors, all the beer you could want and mixers like tonic water and Pepsi. Pepsi is really big down there. They must have SOME fantastic contract worked out with the RIU organization.

Here are some shots from our first day at RIU.



Here is a picture of the pool which was ridiculously lavish with a jacouzi and swim up bar. You could have your drink at the bar or bring it back to your seat where staff came around and collected your empties, making it SO easy to just sit and relax.


Here is Jon having fun in the pool. Later in the week, he would use that volley ball in a vicious game of Water Polo - a matchup between guests and staff which guest won. It is our suspicion that the extremely skilled staff may have let the guests win - Jon's effort not withstanding.

Happy Halloween!!

We are home.

I'll be posting pictures slowly with little anecdotes from our trip.

So. Let's get started.

We arrived in Kingston on October 18th during a torrential down pour. We were informed while on line for immigration that our Yoga retreat was inaccessible due to land slides but they had made alternate arrangements for us at the Mayfair Hotel. We got a cab and drove over the broken down and partially flooded road to get to downtown Kingston. When we got to the front desk, no one at the Mayfair knew anything about our arrangements but after about an hour or so, we worked everything out and we were shown to our room. This was probably the lowest point of our trip because when we walked into the dimly lit and dank little room my heart sank. The room was run down.

There were two beds that we eventually pushed together.

There were stains on the floor and the air conditioner looked to be about 30 years old.


There was an amazing view beyond the hotel pool which made the room seem a little bit nicer. We got our first real glimpse of the lush Jamaican vegetation from here.


Jon's spirits were a little higher than mine so he went out for a walk, to check out the immediate area. He took this amazing shot of Devon House which was built by the first ever black tycoon in Jamaica. And according to people who live in the area has the best ice cream on the island. You can get an idea of just how bad the weather was from this shot.


On his walk he photographed some GREAT signs and captured a glimpse of how truly bad the roads are in Jamaica.




That night, we didn't really have anything to do, so we went downstairs to the almost pitch black hotel bar and had a couple of drinks.


You can see how utterly thrilled I am to be caught in the storm. Jon as usual fared better than me - he is generally a happy person. My husband changed our travel arrangements and we headed over to our first resort two days earlier than originally planned.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

The booze cruise was fun. We sat at the front of the catamaran and I laid on my back and watched the sky as the crew took our "vessel" out onto the open sea. We talked to an engaging couple. He was a marine biologist and she was a resident at a hospital in Kingston (and by resident I mean studying to be a doctor). While were talking to Dane and his wife Dr. Tandy, we saw a rainbow which seems to be an every day occurence down here. Toward the end of the trip, we dropped anchor in this little cove with warm, clear turquoise water where we were supposed to swim around a little bit.

I was hesitant at first because salt water aggravates heat rash. When I looked out into the water and saw the other guests swimming, it looked like the final scene from Titanic. But then I saw that Jon was having such a nice time and Dr. Tandy encouraged me to come in saying that it wouldn't bother my rash - much- so I joined the shipwreck survivors and floated around the cove with a yellow foamy thing around my waist.

It was a nice outing.

Today. Today. Today. We are coming home today. We will be travelling for a long time. We are leaving our hotel at 1:15 for a 6:15 flight. Originally we were going to leave at 2:15 but the taxi company moved it back to allow more time for bad weather and roads. If you look at the map below you can see that Jamaica is adrift in a soup of bad of weather. We are that little blip of an island under the eastern end of Cuba covered by the Weather Channel logo. Yes. We are going to be flying in and out of those gathering storms and into the beautiful weather expected today in NYC. Our flight comes in later tonight.



I figure it's only fair to give the mosquitoes here a rest. If I stayed any longer I would probably exhaust the entire mosquito population as every night they have feasted on me since we've been in Ocho Rios. I woke up with 3 new bites this morning - and yes. I was wearing bug repellent. I just couldn't reapply it while I was sleeping.

Once home, I'll be able to upload my pictures and show you some of the fun we've been having.

This is the Misanthrope, signing off for now.

Still Here

Yesterday Jon and I went on a shopping trip to the Taj Majal shopping center in Ocho Rios. The shopping center had about 6 jewelry stores and 8 shops that sold T-shirts, postcards, shot glasses and other knick knacks. We bought T-shirts, postcards, shot glasses and other knick knacks.

In the afternoon, we visited Noel Coward's Firefly - the former home of the bon vivant playwright, painter, lyricist, etcetera. You would not believe the view this guy had. When he passed away, he gave the property to his companion who then turned the property over to the government which then let it fall into a complete state of disrepair while simultaneously maintaining the beautiful gardens.

Last night we had dinner at the French restaurant in the resort.

Today, we walked up Dunn's River Falls. Our guide smelled like alcohol so I was a little nervous about making it up the 945 foot climb but somehow we survived it. I was focusing so hard on not slipping that some of the romance may have been lost on me. That is not an easy climb. You are climbing against rapids up slippery rocks. But from time to time you get to rest in a calm pool of cool water and you can take in the beautiful surroundings.

I was pretty wiped out when we were done.

Unfortunately, I had to back off of fun in the sun activities due to my rash but last this afternoon Jon and I are going on a - you may want to sit down for this - a booze cruise on the resort's catamaran with about 40 other people.

Of course, the ever present storm clouds are looming on the horizon so we'll see what happens in the hour or so before we're scheduled to leave.

Green Flag At Last

Today at Couples Ocho Rios they flew the green flag indicating that all water activities were a go.

After our great nature walk led by the head garderner of the resort, we received our fantastic couple's massage in a private little house they have set up on the property which you could probably rent for about $1000 a day and we signed up for snorkeling at 3pm. We basically spent the day putzing around the resort. We took out a kayak. We played in the ocean. We played in the pool. We played ping pong and then we went out for our snorkle.

The boat took us out in spite of the fact that an enormous storm was moving in. Jon and I both went into the water at the same time but I had to get out almost immediately. The water was rough, visibility limited and I kept looking at those huge storm clouds looming in the distance. After 10 minutes, I asked the boat operator to help me back in the boat and I sat there and watched the storm move in. Within half an hour it started to rain, Jon came back into the boat and then it started to pour. By the time we reached the dock it was raining really hard.

Soaking wet we returned to our rooms, washed up, dried off and played a game of Scrabble.

We had dinner, played some more ping pong and then turned to the piano bar for further entertainment where Jon is now, singing No Woman No Crime at the Kareoke sing along. He also performed a great rendition of Brandy. I was quite proud of him. I couldn't stay for No Woman because I just don't like that song. I know it's not very supportive of me but hey. I'm still me - right?

Did I mention I've had a delicious case of prickly heat across my chest since Sunday? I've been treating it wrong by putting Zinc Oxide on it. I also had this foolish belief that the salty ocean water would heal my skin. Turns out both of the above increase the itching and redness (at this moment it feels like my skin is ON FIRE). So tomorrow on our shopping trip to Ocho Rios proper, I'll be picking up some other remedies to see if I can get rid of this rash once and for all.

Another Go at Horseback Riding

I'm not going to complain about the weather in Jamaica because the weather in New York is cold and miserable and my friends wouldn't appreciate that. With that said, there has been a red flag waving everyday we've been here indicating that all FUN WATER activities that take place at Jamaican resorts are cancelled. The water is not and has not been safe.

Such was the case AGAIN yesterday. We went horseback riding again. This time as part of our all-inclusive deal with the resort. We went to Pineapple Stables in the White River Valley high up into the surrounding Jamaican mountains. TRIBUTARY TO A RIVER: This was yet ANOTHER challenging taxi ride as the mountain roads have been reduced to rocks and dirt due to the torrential rains that seem to plague this country. Our driver was making hairpin turns on a one-lane two-way road which had mountain on one side and 300 foot drops on the other. While it was beautiful, I don't think there was one person in our van that wasn't struck silent by the sight of an oncoming semi with full load attached. Somehow, the drivers made it work. We both fit. This didn't happen only once.

Anyway once we got to the stable all was good. This stable provided better instruction and I think I learned more on our one hour ride up to the top of a mountain. This time our horses had better names. Jon's horse was named BRAVE DANCER and mine was named ONE DROP. When my instructor/tour guide (Jeremy) told me my horse's name was ONE DROP I asked "Why? Because he's only dropped one person?" Jeremy laughed and pointed out that one of my horse's ears dropped lower than the other and sat a little crooked on his big head.

Starting out, One Drop gave me the same problem as "SCREWFACE" by stopping and eating and stopping and eating but I was really mean to the horse (as instructed by my instructor) not letting the horse's head drop (which was very difficult) and I could feel the horse's strong will slipping as he gave me the respect I was earning by being so mean. Of course, I wasn't really being mean. I was just disciplining the horse and letting the horse know that someone decisive was on his back.

I felt a little more successful as a horse back rider. Jeremy gave me good and consistent critiquing which helped improve my form and increase my confidence. Of course the views were spectacular and I actually learned the name of some really beautiful tropical plants I've never before seen. Like the FLAME OF THE FOREST. This a beautiful and incredibly tall tree with beautiful orange flowers on the top. I also learned about the Wild Pine which is a small plant that grows on the top branches of very, very large trees. Its purpose - catching and providing rain water for the birds and small creatures that live in the canopy.

Today Jon and I are getting massages in the morning, going shopping in town around 4:30 and in between who knows? Perhaps we'll get lucky and water activities will be offered and we'll finally be able to go on the ever elusive snorkeling outing.

Still Here

Rhodes Hall Plantation
Here is something I forgot to tell you about horseback riding at Rhodes Hall Plantation. We rode the van over there with another couple named Brenton and Elaine from Oregon. Both were lovely and had had previous experience riding horses. Their horses were named Splinter and Silver. Jon and I adversely have little to no experience riding horses and we had a pair named Fireboy and Screwface. Go figure.

Flooding
Getting from Negril to Ocho Rios took some doing. Normally a driver will take people from Negril to the Montego Bay airport via the coastal road. This takes about an hour and a half. Because of rain, however, there was extensive flooding on the coastal road making parts impassable. So, our driver took Jon and I (plus a van full of incredibly happy, loud, and chatty vacationers) via the mountain route which took 2 and a half hours - 9:30 to 12. The mountain route was beautiful but we were sitting in the back of that van FOREVER. Parts of the road we travelled were incredibly flooded. Parts of the road we travelled were narrow hairpin turns that overlooked 50 foot drops. All of the road we travelled were incredibly wet. The road leading in and out of the airport - flooded.

Add to this equation my dislike for Reggae music because for the entire ride, the driver played Reggae-fied versions of American Top 40 hits. That was absolute torture.

Well...at Montego Bay we transferred to the van that was taking us to Couples. That was another very long ride with flooded roads and roads under construction. The difference was that Jon and I were the only two in the van, the driver was interesting and he LOVED Air Supply and other cheesy American music. He didn't play one second of Reggae.

Our Driver
He became most animated and passionate when we brought up the country's infrastructure (flooded roads) and Jamaica's leader P.J. Patterson who is nicknamed, as our driver informed us, CHI CHI MAN which is a derogatory term used here to describe gay men. He told us that PJ Patterson is completely corrupt and in spite of raising taxes to an incredible 65% has done little to nothing to improve the quality of life for his constituents.

We also learned about his VEHEMENT views on people addicted to drugs. A musical discussion led to Marvin Gaye's disgracing his family by using drugs - our driver sided with Marvin Gaye's father and said that he would kill his own child should she become addicted to drugs (I know that's harsh but keep reading). So Jon mentioned that he heard HANGING was coming back as a form of capital punishment and asked what he thought. I think Jon and I were both expecting him to say that hanging was too severe and that perhaps the Goverment should reconsider. Instead, he told us that drug addicts should be incinerated - ALIVE.

We were in the middle of an intense discussion on the vocal talents of AIR SUPPLY by the time (3:00) we pulled into our resort which of course is just fantastic. Having been here only half a day, we've already been to the beach, the Jacuzzi and an elegant restaurant offering continental cuisine. We're signed up for Horseback riding this morning - which I plan to do everyday if the resort allows it and who knows what else. This place has a bajillion activities avaible including our free couple's honeymoon massage.

Rhodes Hall Plantation

This morning we went horseback riding at Rhodes Hall Plantation. This was my first long ride on a horse - about 2 hours to be inexact. It was amazing. We rode up a hill and looked down on Negril. Just gorgeous. My horse kept stopping to eat grass on the side of the trail and no matter how hard I would try, I could not get that head up to get the horse to continue. At some point, as we made our way down from the highest peak, our tour guide had to grab the reins of my horse - affectionately named Screwface - to get me down. After that, I was able to regain control and Screwface and I got along a little better. My butt sure did hurt by the end of the ride.

Jon rode a horse named Fireboy with the skill of William Shatner in the Star Trek movie with the Next Generation crew. In other words, he was very good - a natural. He had no trouble controlling his horse but considering I'd never been riding before, I think I did okay.

Now, we're back at the resort and really warm so we're going to hit the pool for a little while. Still enjoying ourselves - still in that honeymoon frame of mind.

Nudge, nudge - wink, wink.

Saturday in Jamaica.

Well. We are having a wonderful time. Fun and sun and all that.

Yesterday morning, Jon and I went into downtown Negril to do a little shopping and get our laundry done. At the hotel it would have cost us upwards to $75.00. In town, it was about $10. While there we had some authentic Jamaican food in the form of Curried Goat. Jon drank a Red Stripe beer, while I had pineapple juice with ginger. The meal was delicious.

Yesterday afternoon, Jon participated in a water polo tournament - guests vs. staff. Guess who won. That's right - the staff let the guests win. I watched like the supportive wife than I am but only for the first 45 minutes.

This morning, Jon and I participated in a Bacci tournament on the beach. Jon's team won. Then we sat in the jacuzzi. We're about to play ping pong poolside. and tomorrow we'll probably go on a tour of the Jamaican rain forest canopy.

HONEYMOONS ROCK!!! I recommend them highly.

A Break From The Rain

Whatever i said about rain during our honeymoon - just forget about it.

This morning we woke up to sunny skies but a choppy ocean.

The resort isn't willing to risk people's lives in the angry brine but tomorrow we're taking a scuba lesson at 2:30 in the afternoon.

We laid poolside until 11:30 when I started to feel my freckles baking. We each got massages at 1 and I received a manicure after that. My deep tissue massage was the best yet. My wedding manicure just didn't last so I had my nails done too.

It's about 4pm on Thursday afternoon. I just ate the Jamaican breakfast of Acki and Saltfish (codfish) for lunch. The sun is just beaming. It's easily 85 degrees with about 79% humidity - way better than 100% humidity.

I am so happy the clouds cleared up. Sadly clear skies for us means that Wilma - which is so big it has two eyes - is moving up to the Gulf and then in and around the Redneck Riviera. I'm hoping that Cuba, Mexica and the southern states of the US don't experience too much damage.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. I just got my own key to the room, enabling Jon and I to break our hiplock long enough to experience the resort in our own unique ways.

Hope your having a good day.

Category 5 - Wilma

After spending a hectic day, cleaning up, packing, reorganizing and saying goodbye to our house guest Mark, Jon and I left bright and early Tuesday morning for our final wedding destination, Jamaica. We flew into Kingston while the outer bands of Wilma continued its pummeling of the entire island. So bad is the storm that Kingston closed schools today.

We were scheduled to stay at the Starlight Chalet - a yoga retreat in the Blue Mountains but alas, landslides prevented any chance of that happening. Starlight was gracious enough to put us up at the Mayfair Hotel in Kingston. Let me put it this way. The quality of the hotel was nothing compared to the hospitality of the staff. What I'm saying is - this was not a great hotel but it kept us warm and safe for the night. But the woman at the front desk was so helpful, I wrote her a warm thank you note and gave her the bottle of wine given to us by the Starlight Chalet - which they gave to us with apologies. We spent the night warm and dry in our clean but sparse room listening to the worst rainstorm I've ever heard in my life.

One weird thing about yesterday and last night were the barking dogs. Apparently the dogs that live in houses near the Mayfair Hotel have a complicated system of communicating. One dog barking started several different and musically barked conversations throughout the wet night.

Jon spent the morning changing our arrangements. Instead of flying out on Friday to Montego Bay for our second destination Riu ClubHotel Negril, we flew out today. What a difference a couple of hundred dollars a night makes. This place is an unbelievable sprawling playground of indulgences. I'll try to get some pictures up in the next day or so - but computer time is precious at $18US/hr.

So - if you were concerned because of the news you've read or heard, know this. Jon and I are not only safe and sound but we are also in a luxurious resort with all-inclusive services.

We are spoiling ourselves rotten and don't we deserve it?

Yes. I think so too because from what we see - it's not going to stop raining the entire time we are in Jamaica.