Immature Book Review #1:
The Fifth Mountain, by Paulo Coelho
Immature Book Review #2:
Devil Wears Prada, by Lauren Weisberger
Immature Book Review # 5:
Ugly Americans, by Ben Mezrich
Almost French, by Sarah Turnbull
The Birth of Venus, by Sarah Dunant
Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson
Immature Book Review # 6:
Killing Pablo
Front Row: Anna Wintour
wow- you thought i was going to be away forever and ever? eh?! haha nooooo I need a little breather from all the beach and relaxing that's going on over here....
its been how many days?? don't know, cus guess what, i don't know what day it is!!! We are in Tamarindo, Costa Rica and already have had time to get really beached! I'm so black! No really, SO black!
Kaya, my friend that i'm traveling with, is here, and is commemorating EVERYTHING we do on camera. When I come back I want to write down everything that happened day by day so I don't forget and keep everything straight.
All I gotta say so far is that here in CR we wake up to the natural alarm clock of the sunrise... we know when noon hits by the hungry feeling being ready for lunch... we know when its 6pm because the sun sets, and we can tell when its 8pm because we're hungry again! I threw my watch awwwway, no need for it! what a concept!
Tamarindo is kinda "wild" by my standards, the dirt roads, the wild beach. It is HIGH season here, but still, if you walk just a bit oway, you have the entire beach to yourself! It really is much different here than anywhere else I have been!
Hot Guy report:
a. 4 sexy scandinavian boys
b. 2 sexy brasilian brothers... ohhhhhh
c. 3 sexy argentinian friends (forever attached to their surfboards)
another words... looking good from overhere...
food report:
a. Coffee!!!! cafe con leche
b. Ceviche!!!!!! I looooove, its white fish marinated in lemonlime juice.
c. other seafood
d. FRUITS!! the best, passionfruit is my love, papaya, watermelon, cantelope - it all has a very real taste- unlike the plastic fruits we eat in NY--
drink report:
a-x,y,z - IMPERIAL beer- so wonderful! smooth, refreshing... just YUMMY!
ok, time to go email my mommi and daddi.... :) and than off to watch the sunset.... hmmm heheheh
if no talk, have a great new years!
bessotos grandes!
SP HQ wishes you all to have an EXCELLENT holiday season!!! Have fun, be safe (as always), make new friends, and give hugs to your old friends. I will see you all in the new year!! January 3rd to be exact. Make me proud do good things over the holidays!
When I come back I will go day by day and write out what happened in Costa Rica. After all that's why I have this blog to keep an account of all the fun things that go on.
Big HUGS and Kisses to all and to all a good night!
PS. Yes, they'll be good things comming out of my mouth in regards, to Catalonia.
PSS. Nicholas and I exchanged phone numbers so who knows maybe they'll be some SMS lovin' going on for me this holiday season.
PSSS. STILL don't have my suitcase from stupid iberia!!!!!!!!!!!! So i have to go to Costa Rica with a bunch of plastic bags!
Good night
kisses!!!!!
I'm so pissed! Unbelievable.
Well, I officially can't stand IBERIA Airlines! ALL OF MY FLIGHTS WERE DELAYED!!! AND on my flight back they made me check my little carry on suitcase only to NOT PUT IT ON THE SAME FLIGHT AS ME!!!!! Besides the regular joys such as delays and misdirected luggage, their attitudes were unbelievable! They seemed to be under the impression that they were doing us a favor. "Oh you'd like some water... well... ok....I suppose... there you go."
Iberia SUCKS, there's no reason for their delays when the gates around you are pumping out flights left and right! Iberia has delays because all her workers stand around catching flies in their mouth!!!! Also, many Spanish people fly Iberia, and I don't know why, but they just love to bring ALL OF THEIR BELONGINGS with them when they travel. I know I'm about to get in trouble again with Spaniards, but its true! I've never seen so many OVERSIZED duffel bags and SUITCASES the size of WARDROBES! So of course there's not enough room for luggage on the plane.
Oh, and the food sucks too.
AND they have about 2.5 tv screens for the entire section of the plane and their earphones were cheapy.
Needless to say, I did NOT get to sit next to any hot guys, I didn't even see any hot guys, I did follow Viking's advise and have requested the emergency exit row... which was great for my legs, but not so great for my ears, since families with BABIES also had similar ideas. So besides, hating Iberia, I now hate babies... and their parents... Honestly, WHY would you ever want to subject your baby to flying!? Please, really, what makes it so necessary. Its not like the babies would actially be able to enjoy the places they'll be visiting. Leave them home, and if you have no one to leave them with, then don't travel.
Don't mind me, don't listen, I'm just jetlegging, going to sleep immediately.
One the happier note: My trip was unbelievably AWESOME, got lots of stories and some good pictures... Here is a preview.
- Skinny dipping in the middle of the night
- Cow dung
- Jamon Serrano
- Cafe' umb lait
- Beers, cava, mojitos, beers, cava, mojitos, repeat, repeat and repeat...
Peace out cub scouts!!!! eheheee
enjoy the transit strike my fellow new yorkers!!! and my non-fellow new yorkers please congradulate my fellow new yorkers on the possible transportation strike to happen starting tonight at midnight.... hmmm when was the last one like 20 yrs ago??
ciao ciaaao!
Ok, I have some beef to discuss today...
First of all, my flight is Wednesday evening. Did I ever mention how much I LOVE flying!? Just like Pavlov's doggy would salivate at the sound of a bell, I go nuts at the first sight of an airport!! Everytime I drive by an airport I feel niiiice, you know what I mean? Like, aaaahh. Airports represent a promise that there IS fun out there, even if its an 8 hour plane ride away. (Away from New York that is!) Just knowing that someone is on their way to fun is a good feeling, of course better if that person is YOU!
I do have one complaint about flying. Why don't I EVER get to sit next to a HOT GUY!!?! OK, just once, when I was flying back from visiting a friend in Brazil, I set next to this cute blond brazilian boy. It was so romantic... we listened to music on his CD player each sharing an ear piece (yes it was 7 yrs ago, BF I-Pod era). We both drank tomato juice... But he was 17! (I was 20) And he was really worried about finding car service that would take him all the way to Connecticut where he went to boarding school, before the curfew!!!
The point is that I never get to sit next to hot guys (my age). So I'm hoping you guys can just put your heads together and collectively wish that I'll sit on a totally hot guy next week!!! (ooops, Freudian slip...) I mean, sit NEXT TO a totally hot guy... ON the plane, next week.
Plus, the flying prognosis are absolutely favorable! I made sure to be flying alone. My coworkers are actually on a different flight, hehe, it pays to be friends with your travel agent. ;) There is something so absolutely relaxing about being on a plane, on a transatlantic flight. Just knowing that NO ONE can reach you!!!
Lesson kids: when flying, be sure keep your arms and legs inside the aircraft at all times.
GOOD NEWS!
Barcelona will get ONE more chance to impress me!!! (I know, I'm so generous...) Well, I just got fun news that I'll be heading out there next week for some work meetings as well as some holiday festivities!!! I'm super excited. We are also going to be exchanging "secret santa" gifts and I must come up with something creative (male, around 40, with good taste, gift around $25.) Any ideas???? Oh, and I've never met this person so I have no idea what he likes...
Hey, hey! This is purely for entertainment purposes... Maaaan, I'm so freakin' talented, I just scare myself sometimes- ;)
Here is another sketch I drew. As I mentioned before, I just love drawing people and specifically faces. For some reason though, all the girls or women I draw look like hookers...? I don't understand why it happens.... but I have definitely noted the trend. Also, not only do they look like hookers, they look like angry/upset hookers! Well, I don't know you tell me.
(Maybe I should stop using the girls in Vogue magazine as my models.)
Here... lets examine the close up--
This is just Staten Island covered in snow... Maybe the hooker was running through the forest to catch her train so she is not late for "work"? ---nevermind...
Here at SPHQ (Sempre Primavera Head Quarters - of course!) we secretly don't like Mondays! Why secretly? Well, because SPHQ stands for happiness overload, and good vibes force feedings... and admitting that there is something sucky in your life (like Mondays) is just not in accordance to the SPHQ policy. Well there you have it. So instead of whining and crying about a supposed negative, we COMBAT it.
So this Monday we bring you TREATS!!!! Yey!!!
Treat #1
Last week Shakira's new CD, Oral Fixation Vol. 2 came out! Here at SP we condone all Shakira related activities, and what's better than extend you a FREE LISTENING PARTY invitation!!! Yes people, you can listen to the ENTIRE CD online! She's got an amazing voice, and I believe this is the first time that her English CD's lyrics are as good as the Spanish ones. She really has a way with words, and in this CD the English songs are not just translations, but were specifically written in English from the very start. Enough talk, go to Shakira's website and there will be the link to "AOL Music free listening party".
Treat #2
This one is a very different kind of treat... and is JUST the thing to cure those Monday blues... There is a certain very handsome blond Scandinavian that has bared it all!!! Go visit our very own Rune in Norway. Don't worry, you can click, even though there is nudity... its very tasteful I promise! Thank you Rune for making our Monday!
Ciao people
Ok, so talking about "Shopaholic" behavior...
I totally went shoegasming at lunch! I got 2 pairs of sketchers active wear shoes!!! (don't call them sneakers.)
What cuteness!!! Don't you just want to hug them and kiss them and squeeze them!!?!!!
Oh! And the other pair is like this- why stop at just one pair right!? They'll cry... the shoes want
nice friends to play with too! So I got them both. I think I should send Nico boy the pictures. We were just discussing winter jacket purchases the other day. Also, I was explaining to him that the weather in NY is really back and forth right now and that its really messing with my "wardrobe" schedule... He commented that it must be a "woman's" thing, since he doesn't have a problem with scheduling his outfits. ;-) He so wants me!
Lesson kids: (we haven't been learning in a while... so we'll outline a few lessons for today)
1. Too much of a good thing, only leaves you wanting more!
2. Intercontinental relationships CAN truly blossom, with the help of photo exchange. (even of shoe purchases.)
and the most important lesson of today...
3. If you're planning to be "active" in the near future, it is always a good idea to PLAN and PREPARE ahead of time - Make sure you have good active wear!!!
And with these happy thoughts, I wish you all a great weekend! And be safe.
Ciaoooo!
So tell me I don't feed Nicholas' image of me being a dumb blonde...
Today he mentioned that he is going to visit some friends in London for the weekend.
I said: "Waw, cool! I've never been to London... but I feel like I know a lot about it... I've read all the 'Shopaholic' book series!!!"
*Just a side note: For those of you that were snoozing, I have seen his picture, and he is actually THE blond! He is SO blond that his hair could light up a small to medium size town...
Oh yes, I have magical news to share today! You know how I always complain about public transportation in New York, and how the coffee on the Ferry is simply heinous... WELL, no more complaini
ng!
There is a brand new bakery right in the Staten Island Ferry terminal. They've got a real serious looking espresso making vehicle! Oh no, its not a machine... it IS a ve-hi-cle! Too bad they're on the Manhattan side and not on SI side, because I buy coffee to drink while on the ferry to Manhattan. But you know, just the mare KNOWLEDGE that good coffee is NEAR is enough for me!
So you see. What do I always tell ya, ANYTHING is possible! Good coffee installed in the SI Ferry terminal, this is pure INSPIRATION people. I say lets go for world peace next!
Side note:
I had a delicious cannoli from that bakery yesterday. I don't really like sweets, but when it comes to treats from Napoli and Sicilia, like sfogliatelle and cannolies- I forget my head!
I'm about to reveal something to you that will make you love me forever and ever!!!
You remember my plans of going to volunteer at an orphanage in Dominican Republic? Well that broke up- the site where the building work is going on got flooded so all trips are suspended at the moment... so I looked into my second choice, which was an orphanage in Mexico... well a big group was already signed up to go there and there was no more room for other volunteers. At some point in the process my friend Kaiya suggested we try Costa Rica, and we looked into a few orphanages there but apparently there is a WAITING list to volunteer at a CR orphanage since its a popular volunteer destination! I will definitely adress this issue later and much more indepth because I learned that the whole non-profit world is one big interconnected mafia! (TRUST me I WILL go into details a bit later.) But this isn't what I'm going to tell you that you'll love me for.
Basically Kaiya and I were left with no more options so we just booked a pair of tickets to Costa Rica last weekend and decided that we're going no matter what!
What we didn't realize is that apparently the ENTIRE COUNTRY gets booked up for the end of December. Not only is that time considered the "high season" it is the HIGH SEASON OF the high season, where not only a ton of tourists show up, but all Costaricans go on vacation as well! Ooops.
Well, nothing is impossible at SP (unless the non-profit mafia is involved) so I stepped up. As the result last week I've been doing some creative work... and I bring you:
The 5 STRATEGIES TO Getting RESERVATIONS AT A BOOKED UP HOTEL
First of all lets discuss a couple of givens:
- always use polite, happy tone - smile, they want happy people staying at their hotels
- be empathetically- "Yes of course I understand you hotel is completely booked, right, I imagined as much..."
- and don't take NO for an answer!
OK, here we go:
"The Confused Act" - just act really confused, your tone will throw them of and make them pay attention.
"The Repeat" - Ask for availability naming each date individually. After you're done with the cycle, REPEAT. Ex: "Do you have December 27 available?" -No- "December 28th?" "December 29th?" "December 30th?" ... "Ok, yes I understand, what about December 27th?" etc.
"The Call Back" - If the confused act and repeat didn't get you anywhere, hang up, and call back in about 20 minutes. Lead in with a story how you just booked a different place for some of the dates and have new dates you want to check with them. Than proceed: "The dates I now need are: December 27th, 28th and 29th"
The good old "Bait and Switch" - This one is good because it gets the owner to start saying "yes".
Ex: "Good morning, I'd like to book a room in December..."
"Yes, Ok, what dates do you need?"
"I need 27 through 30th"
"Oh, sorry ALL booked"
"Ok, well which dates you do have?"
"Lets see we have 21, 22, and 25 ONLY"
"OK, I'll TAKE IT!"
Feel free to call back in 20 minutes and say: "Oh, I need to change my reservation... There was a full week available somewhere else, so I'd like to change the reservation to Dec 27th, 28th and 29th"
The "Add on" -
You might have caught that I left out Dec 30th when booking earlier... that's because we can always perform the "add on". Book your reservation, if you still have a few days before or after the booking, feel free to wait 20 minutes and call back. Say you called everyone and you just need the one more day.
Now mind you, its possible that these worked because they all are boutique hotels and when you call you're usually talking to the owner or at least someone related. Not sure if these will have the same effect on large hotels...
I will tell you this. All hotels always keep an "emergency" room available. Even through the high seasons. I'm not exactly sure why they do it... but there is always at least ONE room kept open, its just a matter of being that person who will be awarded the "emergency" room.
OH, and there is always the sixths strategy for booking hotels during the high season... YOU CALL IN ADVANCE!!!
So, yeah, how was your Thanksgiving? :)
OK, so the doctor guy was a shrimp. He was short.
BUT its not really about the actual height, its that he LOOKED short. I do not discriminate against short guys, in fact, I had the biggest crush on a guy was was really short, but when you looked at him first thing you thought was "HOT!". The doctor guy.... first thing you think is just "short".
He did NOT have a plan of where to go! (So I suggested a tapa place near my office.)
That was basically it for me at that point. So yeah, I laughed really loudly and had my fun. Had two glasses of wine and ordered everything that had garlic in it. Olives with garlic, shrimp with garlic... etc...
Overall I had fun, and he seemed to have had a good time too. He dropped me off at my house, kiss on the cheek, and ciao.
See, eventhough I did have a good time, and it was a nice dinner... I still see the whole outing as rather pointless. I couldn't stop thinking that I was missing The Amazing Race!
Most importantly he is not someone that I would want to bring to any weddings with me... so as far as I'm concerned there would be no use out of this guy for me!
NEXT! (Get it? a little "doctor office" analogy.)
Lesson kids: shrimp and garlic is a delicious tapa for ANY occasion!
I would write a tortured post about hating Mondays... but... this is the THANKSGIVING week! And lucky me is off starting Wednesday, so its only today and tomorrow for me!
So tomorrow night is my date with the doctor guy that grandma has set me up with. I reported how I already talked to him last week and that he seemed pretty nice. I didn't mention the fact that the city he is from and his name is exactly my very first boyfriend's. He was a cutie my whole family was pissed that we broke up because he was cute. Especially Grandma, her words I believe were: "You SILLY silly girl! DON'T break up with him! He is so CUTE. Keep seeing him, maybe you'll meet a friend of his that you'll like better and you can date him instead!" Yeah grandma, or maybe I can just date BOTH of them! I'm sure they won't mind!...
Anyway, Grandma called me the other day to make sure I'm on track...
G: Ale dear, have you picked out what you're wearing?
A: Yeah, my red ski looking pants with my of the shoulder black sweater and my cowboy boots.
G: Oh you always kid around! Seriously now..?
A: Ok, fine, I'm wearing my gray skirt, knee high black boots, and a pink cashmere sweater.
G: That's better... Now, don't eat with your hands, and don't laugh too loud...
A: Can I make out with him after the date?
G: NO! but a kiss on the cheek will be fine.
A: Yes, Grandma--
*OK, I'm SO wearing that first thing I said, I'm so eating with my hands! and I'm SOOO going to laugh really loudly!!! But I love the fact that Grandma and I have fun stuff to discuss, I seriously think that if Grandma was a web surfing gal, she would not be reading my blog due to lack of sex!
Nicholas update: He has a picture of me in the office... and he said that the views in my office are incredible- hehehe- Yes I know--
What a CRAZY BUSY week this has been! But definitely GOOD crazy busy. Lots was accomplished at work and I was out every single night almost.
Have you ever wondered why all the great things like waves, do not happen alone but all roll one right after the other? Well SP wondered about it and came to a conclusion that "if its good, ask no questions, just ride it". Ride the good wave that is. Because life is a balance and sooner or later the wave will wash you ashore, hopefully not via smashing you on a jagged rock, but ashore you will end up. You'll have to grab that surf board and paddle back out to the sea. So why not just ride the waves you do catch to the MAXIMUM!? Again, STOP with the questions and just RIDE!!
So here I ride....!
This Nicholas thing is progressing in an interesting way. First I have to report that I SAW his PICTURE! Ha! He is BLOND!!!! His hair is blond, his eye brows are blond, his eye lashes are BLOOOOND! And I not into blond guys!!! Just not my usual type. HOWEVER, I love the way he looks. What a very open yet mischievous smile he has. I like, I like!!!
GG the all knowing Guyal from Guyana, said yesterday: "Ale, I had some 'esp thing' that you fell madly in love with the new toy, I mean, boy."
Funny enough how right GG is! Just the other day I was really getting a fuzzy feeling about Nicky boy!!! He has been throwing out suggestions to come out for a little European visit...
PS: It is FREEZING in NY! And now I'm dead tired and going to bed. Four hours of sleep every day this week...!
Buona Notte~
My coffee cup is FAMOUS!!! It is now part of the "Experiment"! (Top left corner)
I go there every day for a fresh cup of coffee! ~Enjoy~
Yes, that's right. I am.
I was standing in the waiting terminal this morning with my coffee and my Financial Times... I was waiting for the ferry which was LATE today, anyway, I was standing right next to the big glass wall and decided to look up and admire the turbulent seas, since this morning was a bit overcast and rainy. As I calmly looked up... I saw right in front of my face... a HUGE, UUUGLY, COCKROACH!!!!!!!!!! I could not BELIEVE my eyes, it was moving his long antennas... EEWWWWW!!!!!!
I SCREAMED. It was one of those SOUL PIERCING screams that if some horror movie director was around I would definitely be receiving an immediate sign-on bonus to be the official screamer girl in his next movie!
The rush hour ferry terminal crowd turned around and after it was clear that I was not being robed, murdered or bitten by aggressive killer aliens... they all laughed! Yeah, thanks people, I want to see you face to face with a cockroach of such high caliber of ugliness!!!
Anyway, I think I made their morning...
Matchmaking Grandma update: The guy that grandma is setting me up with called last night. He sounds like a very sweet boy. (Which may be fun for me and bad for him. I'm cute and adorable here on the blog, but in real life...) I usually like guys that are rough and tough. My family is convinced that the guy I will eventually end up with will be the guy that drags me around by the hair. (If he is looking HOT in his leopard loin cloth... I'll let him drag me around by my hair.) Well, he called and we had a nice little chat. We set a date for next Tuesday, because I actually have plans for everyday this week, and he is not good enough yet to get the "prime time" of Friday or Saturday night. (That's why mostly I DON'T have any plans on Friday and Saturday nights.)
Nicholas update: I've been SUPER busy at work and haven't had much time to play with him last week... but we've exchanged plenty of emails apologizing for our busyness. :) He also sent me a card from his home town and it arrived last night! Now I have a sample of his writing and can analyze it to pieces!!!! hehehe (Thanks Handwriting wizard!)
Kids instead of a lesson, we have Concept of the day: "Force feed happiness to yourself and soon enough it will start sliding down your throat like a piece of raspberry JELLO!" - i love jello-
What a cute hat no?!
Just the other week we changed our clocks and now around 5.15pm it gets dark outside and wolves start howling at the moon... 5pm people!!! That's just persposterous! Though this is nothing new, however every year this change bites in a surprising way, and NOT in a good playful way. (SP child disclaimer: Biting is rude kids, and unsanitary.)
I'm sure most of you are familiar with S.A.D, Seasonal Affective Disorder, where you feel sleepy all the time with the arrival of shorter days. (Unless of course you live in the vicinity of the equator where there is perpetual fun in the sun... YOU all, in fact, are excused from reading this post, nah, stick around we may need your input.)
Maybe you have experienced some "symptoms":
If you said "yes" to some of these, don't worry, there's some hope left! :) Actually, if you experience these symptoms to a certain degree, it doesn't mean that you have mental problems or that you are "depressed", it just means you are TOTALLY normal! Because these symptoms are nothing more than a natural reaction to a decreased exposure to sunlight. (congratulate yourselves.) 
With decreased sunlight, we loose intake of some important vitamins that we naturally get from the sun, (vitamin D) we start getting tired and sleepy early, wanting to eat more, which will add to your feeling sleepy. We eat more, and than sleep... a formula for "winter weight". Yeah, did you really think we were any more evolved than the bears??
All of the above makes us annoyed and we feel...um SAD. For no APPARENT reason too! This starts to frustrate us and enter the feelings of incompetence in managing your emotions, which in turn frustrates us further making us even more upset. (Makes us want to dip our hand in honey and get undercovers to suck on it for the rest of the winter.)
To avoid all these unpleasantries, the experts suggest:
This is all very good advice, of course, but what if you ALREADY do all these things!? As you should be all year long by the way. Fear not!! Sempre Primavera is here to instruct you! We're diving deep into the psyche to combat those winter blues. Drinking water is all good and dandy, but SP doesn't take any chances, we're bringing out the big guns!
Here is the official SPHQ (HeadQuarters) mandated list of procedures to be executed immediately upon discovery of foreign "symptoms" associated with seasonal blues. With the diminishing of sunlight our senses loose a lot of stimulation that naturally comes at them during the summer... flowers, colors, scents, light! So here's what we do:
1. Aroma infusion - get a new perfume, new candle scent... some orgasmic shampoo! This will help stimulate the sense of smell which can't go outside and smell the flowers anymore.
2. Lights - turn on the lights, light up every corner of the house, candles! (Kids, review fire safety.)
3. Lingerie!!! Get creative people, get something super sexy and naughty! There is just something absolutely energizing knowing that your bra and underwear are HOT eventhough you have like 50 layer of clothing on and a coat. And this includes guys to. Get some armani brief/shorts or something vulgar like black silk boxers. Its a well know fact that subconsciously nice underwear is equated with being prepared to jump into bed with someone at the very first opportunity. (figuratively speaking. right... of course)
4. Going along with #3 get your manicure and pedicure perfected. Eventhough no one will see those toes, (except for that hypothetical sexy stranger you'll be jumping in bed with) ready toes will lift your mood.
I've included some lovely photos for inspiration. (They're from the seasonal catalogue of Sax 5th Ave.) The blue sky is all mine though.
Funny how the guy is naked! But the girl let him borrow her furry hat, he'll be ok.
Lesson kids: Sexy lingerie is the answer to all your problems. Yeah! Now, go out there and do 1-4 and report to me later.
Ale: So what's the story with this guy you want me to go out with?
Grandma: He is a doctor!!!
Ale: Yeah, yeah... yeah...what else?
Grandma: He just bought his own house!!
Ale: bla..blaaaa...yawn...yawn... what else?
Grandma: Oh, um, he is doing some work on the house on his own.
.......Pause.....
Ale: Oh yeah... what kinda work?
I don't know how I get into situations like these... but just now I allowed my Grandma to set me up on a date. Why do I do this to myself!!?!
Anyway, she caught me during a weak moment.
This Saturday we, my grandparents and I, went wine tasting to my beloved Long Island Wine country, and had the most lovely day! Picnic at Laurel Lake Vineyard... a bottle of their delicious Reisling... beautiful sunset! We just had such an awesome day. (This was the continuation of my Island Hopping weekend, by the way.) Maybe it was this nice time we've had that I couldn't say no to my enthusiastic little Grandma! That, and I believe she mixed in a good dose of jewish guilt, and statements like: "You are giving me a heart attack!!!" "Why do you insist on making me unhappy!?" "All I want is to die knowing that you'll be marrying a doctor... (well, that you'll be marrying period)" You get the picture. And it is true, my romantic stories are not fitting for the frail of heart, or citizens over 65.
So I went island hopping Friday night! I love saying that, sounds so exotic... so Sempre Primavera ~esque!!
Well, to make this even more exotic, it was an Ethiopian party that I went to. A friend had a super idea to have a party for no particular reason. Brilliant! No need to tell me twice... I'm there!
Dulce came along, and we started out the evening with a nice walk to 59th street to take the tram over to Roosevelt island. It was both of ours first time doing that. Funny thing was that last year I lived on 59th street and my windows faced the tram... so every morning and evening the nice people on the tram got a show... Hey! I'm sure it rose their morale as they proceeded to the office!!
Anyway, now I got a chance to be on the "other side" and boy it IS fun to look into the peoples' windows as you're gliding 250 feet in the air! I say, everyone should take 5 minutes and go on the tram, its very beautiful and gives you a whole new view of the city. Feels very different... I felt like I was in Japan or something! (Ok, maybe Japan, because of the Japanese tourists that were joy riding the tram...).
Roosevelt island is TINY, with mostly residential buildings and some parks, Dulce said it reminded her of a college campus. I agreed.
The party was in a lounge of my friend's building with large glass doors and a look out onto the patio. She decorated with lots of candles, and there were plates with grapes, and many wine bottles. Very nice. Everyone was super friendly and international. There were people form Ethiopia, of course, South Africa, Bermuda, Trinidad... it was a fun crowd. The Trinidadians brought a BIG bottle of home made rum drink... Let me tell you- sweet delicious and strong, but you don't feel it. In fact they called it "Rum Punch", even thought it didn't look like punch, they assured me that the "punch" will come later!
We danced to all kind of beats and I learned that Ethiopian dancing is all about the shoulders as opposed to Brazilians being all about the butt for example. What a freakin' awesome time! It was just really great, and reminded me of crazy international parties my Brazilian friends used to throw back in Chicago... aaahh.... Even though the Fire department didn't show up this time, the party still had a deliriously HAPPY vibe!!
What wasn't so grand is the island hopping back to my own island, Staten Island. It involved a quick hop to the island of Manhattan... and than a ferry boat ride to SI. But thanks to "Rum Punch" it was all good in the hood. I guess I do live on exotic islands... and don't even realize...
You Are French Food |
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Ok, so addicted to these tests. (Saw this one on Cousin's blog.) I think that's part of the reason I used to job hop is because I love interviewing. Talking about myself for 2 hours! But I also like to know random things about random people... that's why I like blogging, gives you an excuse to ask anyone anything! And of course talk about myself some more!!
I need a substitute boyfriend... Nicholas is out and I need a distraction!
PS: Honestly I've never had French food, nor has it ever appealed to me... Does this mean I wouldn't get along with myself if I met me?? Hmmm... maybe not... but I'd for SURE make out with myself! I'm so hot!
HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!
All day today I've been having flashbacks about my time in Italy. The aroma of cafe latte, cornetto di cioccolata, whinny Fiorentinas gossiping about each other and giving foreign girls evil looks. (Don't worry ladies, we won't take your men for ever, we'll just play and give'em right back.) Aaaaa I enjoyed everything when I lived in Italy. Even silly mundane things felt new.
As I mentioned before I studied and worked there for about a year. Even though it was five years ago, that time period was so highly concentrated with experiences that it took me a good two three years to digest... Ok, fine: to RECOVER! One year for complete return culture shock, one year hating everything Italian in sign of "protest", and one year to finally get enough strength to look at and organize your pictures.
Coincidentally enough "Il Piu Bello" text messaged me today. We text once in a while and call on all major holidays, birthdays etc etc. I guess for me, checking up on him is a way of remembering that I really did have this "Italy" experience. (And making sure the foolish boy didn't get married yet... well, not until he serves as my date for the wedding in Italy!!)
Seriously, I may act all tough and sarcastic like I don't care, but the truth is that this Italy thing really threw me for a loopy-loop. I made a decision 5 years ago to leave Italy and go back to the US and have a "real" life; only to find out there is no such thing as "real" life. We MAKE our life.
I thought choosing to stay in Italy... working at an internet cafe and being in love with an italian boy (not il piu bello, a different one actually) would not be grown up, would be like ESCAPING real life... NOW I realize that leaving Italy to come back to the States was in fact exactly that, an immature escape. Do I regret not staying there? I did (year 1-3). Now I know that with my "brain set" back then it would have been a total mess anyway! If I was as "smart" as I am now, I could have done great things but I definitely was not at that time, so regrets are not needed.
The good thing is that I learned my lesson...
1. Always have a GOAL!
2. Always have a PLAN of how to achieve that goal.
3. Keep that Plan FLEXIBLE!!!!! (Realize that there are more than one way to get there!)
4. Listen to your instincts, even if they tell you to do wacky things.
5. Get plenty of exercise and drink lots of water! (To keep those instincts sharp.)
I sure hope I don't mess up again...
Kids: Lots of notes today, I know. Have them memorized for tomorrow, and don't forget to bring me an apple!
PS: Talking about messing up... Nicholas is going away on a long weekend, who am I going to play with at work!
**Check out more pictures that Mr. Christopher took in Florence, they're awesome!
This Saturday Dulce and I drove out to Pennsylvania again for a lovely and civilized "ride in the country" like proper young ladies ought to do. The weather was gorgeous and the trees were having their peak color. Good boys!
We picked a nice little mountain to climb which turned out to be called Flagstaff Mountain on top of which there is Flagstaff banquet hall (logical). Took nice pictures from the top:
We had lunch on the bottom of the "Mountain" in a little town called Jim Thorpe. My beer was flat, it was annoying. We walked around a bit, the town was pretty sad. There were a bunch of senior citizens and many young couples on their "sex weekends" I wonder what were they even doing outside of their hotel rooms...? Anyway, Dulce and I had a great time discussing everyone, their choices fo make-up, boyfriends, and clothes. (Not many approvals were granted by the way.)
I must mention something that was HORRIBLE! I really hope people would google it and read my bad review. Cyber Cafe, is the WORST PLACE I have EVER been in my ENTIRE life!!! Places like that remind me that competition in the business world sure is a GOOD thing. First of all, my latte was COLD. After asking the lady to reheat it for me, she disappeared with it for about half hour only to come back with a slightly warmer version. It took FOREVER to order, FOREVER to get our pumpkin cake. Which by the way was STILL FROZEN so much so that the ICE was CRUNCHING in the mouth!!! I don't know why we didn't just walk out... maybe because we couldn't even believe such horror was happening! The lady had 2 customers!!! Us and these other people and she kept running up and down the room looking all flustered. The whole experience was just so horrible that I had to write about it in hopes or saving another human being from undergoing the same torture. DON'T GO THERE!!!
Ufff... ok, I feel better now.
Dulce and I were talking about what we would do if we HAD to live in Jim Thorpe. Well, she would have worked in the famous Asa Packer mansion (who was a rail road tycoon, and now the mansion is a B&B.) For some reason I said I would have worked in an insurance office... don't know why... I did claim as my boyfriend the guy that gives rafting lessons on the Leigh river! Dulce agreed that he would have been a good choice... I think she was even a bit jealous that I thought to pick him. We almost got into a fist fight over him!! (haha just kidding)
I don't know is it just me that always wonders who and what I would be like if I lived in a different town...? I am always thinking what it would be like to live say... in Guyana! on a very small island... or .... you name it! (That's what I wonder when I read all of your blogs!) Plus, I just can't stop being fascinated why "the grass always seems to be greener"? Why is it like that? I'd love to hear what country(island) would you love to see yourself live in and why?? (Of course amazingly I know that some of you have already asked yourselves this question and made the move!!)
And just to leave you with something inspirational... here are more pictures of PUMPKINS!! Come-on! What's an autumn day without some friendly pumpkins!?
FALCON EYES
You have Falcon
Eyes!
Positive Traits: Adventurous,
Brave, Creative, Kind, Loving
Negative
Traits: Apathetic, Carefree, Indifferent,
Distant, Withdrawn
Your eyes are the windows to your soul. What type of eyes do you have?
brought to you by Quizilla
Just a few comments about the above picture... firstly that girl needs some brow-threading IMMEDIATELY, she also needs to use some Visene (to get the red out)- actually, I personally prefer Bush & Lomb brand. I do like the sparkles...
I found it on Caribbean Colors blog.
Updates: This weekend was awesome though, I went to this little town in PA took pictures, saw more pumpkins! (Took MORE pictures of the pumpkins) I'll be putting it all up soon. Happy daylight saving time I guess, hope no one forgot!!!
Update on the Orphanage trip: I FINALLY received my volunteer info from this organization in Dominican Republic. I'm getting pretty excited. By the way, do you know how hard it is to track down these directors? Its crazy, people don't return your calls or emails... but I'm glad I didn't take it personally, because they're busy since these non profits are pretty small and the directors have full time jobs somewhere else. I love how all the applications are very lengthy with a full page dedicated on listing all the terrible things that could happen to you on the trip (death and dismemberment included)- wow. I realize there are risks to traveling, but I live in NY, there are probably more of a risk of death and dismemberment during my daily rush hour commute than anywhere else in Latin America.
Ok, this may seem trivial... but I LOVE my citrus flavored toothpaste!!!
Read more...The ever so sexy Mr. Highcontrast was in town yesterday, which is always a great treat! Jazz and I met up with him at a Pipa's. It's this super cozy tapas restaurant.
The food was great, and the portions were perfect to share!
We had:
1. GAMBAS AL AJILLO - shrimp with garlic, olive oil, paprika and chiles
2. SAUTEED BABY CHORIZO - with sherry, olive oil and chiles
3. PULPO GALLEGO - octopus sautéed with calamata olives,
roasted potatoes, and smoked paprika
4. PIQUILLOS - sweet peppers stuffed with crabmeat and shrimp
5. Little "Buffalos" -I forgot what they were called... but they're on the picture above!
6. A Huge mound of various olives!!! - I LOVE olives (with pitts of course)
and for dessert...
COCONUT TREMBLEQUE - coconut custard with passion fruit gelatin, tapioca sauce and mint oil
(The dessert was very delicate, but I was not crazy for the tapioca sauce.)
Funny thing was that this turned out to be a CATALAN restaurant!!! (And we remember how I used to have "issues" withCataloniaa.) I loved the place though, I'll definitely be back.
Besides the food the atmosphere was nice and cozy big dark woo tables and benches with red pillows. The place was really busy with the afterwork crowd, and of course a large percentage of that crowd were girls in their early twenties in their first jobs, happy to be in doing the "manhattan living" constantly looking around with their huge eyes and flopping eyelashes, for a guy to take back to their tini-tiny room and make some dents in the limp footon mattresss.
That's manhattan for you! The girls are nuts because there is a clear shortage of men. According to City-Data: male population is 3,794,204 (47.4%), female is 4,214,074 (52.6%). I gotta move to Kodiac ALASKA!!! Males: 3,379 (53.3%), Females: 2,955 (46.7%). Another curious fact: average commute to work- 9.8 minutes!!!!
Read more...
Can two people from two different cultures really communicate?
Ok, how about this question:
What do you consider a "different" culture??
I don't like to ponder upon things. As you are aware, I'm pro-action, where "thinking" is NOT an action. So we are going to take a look at a practical situation.
Nicholas...Oh Nicholas, is giving me some reason to think that he is trying to STEREOTYPE me!!!! ME! You CAN'T stereotype ME! I pride myself on learning about different cultures and having friends all over the globe. Sure its fun to say things like: oh, Latin people are always late, Italian boys are attached to their mamma's, Scandinavians are ALL blonde, Barcelonians are... well, never mind, and Americans are all geography challenged.
"Geography challenged" is the one I'd like to address. Today he tried to explain to me that MUNICH was towards the south of Germany in a region called Bavaria... "Noooo REALLY!?... But wait... where is Germany again? Near Mexico??" AND he said that he was giving me credit by assuming that my knowledge of Europe was better than the average American who would not even know that Munich was a city in Germany. Come on dude, here in America we all know Munich... that's where you drink those HUGE beers, how can we not know!?! Right?!! So yes, I would have much rather preferred the stereotype of the "beer drinking Americans" than those that do now know their basic geography. (And I did mention to him that I like to travel a lot.)
This is just one example, there are other. At first I guess I was annoyed, but than, I began playing into it ... like I asked him if Zurich was also near Munich... and by his answer I realized that he was actually serious, (because he graciously explained that Zurich was in fact a "bit" east of Munich... than he suggested the distance in kilometers, of course including the equivalent in Miles for my benefit). Little does he know is that I'm not "totally"American and even though I've been living here a looooong time, I still think in meter, letters and centimeters.
Yes, I love to act blonde-like, but that's all in good fun. So basically, with Nicholas I now take every little chance I get to feed his "American" stereotype of me. He is now effectively convinced that I'm "blondly" dumb, would be completely lost if dropped of somewhere in the middle for Europe... and, please, go ahead add on all the other stereotypes Europeans come up with to describe Americans. (I know them all very well, because I MADE UP half of them myself!) Its always strange to be on the OTHER side.
This seemingly negative picture that he has of me, has NOT however prevented Nicholas to put forth an invitation for me to come out to Germany and that he would like to show me the "real and fun" Germany. (That cat!) I think here probably lies the real question. What CULTURE do men belong to??? Because judging by the way they ALL behave, they seem to all come form the SAME nation. Or planet? I know he is making fun of my supposed "handicaps" yet the invitation to show me around has still been put forward... (This phenomenon of men liking dumb women is just surprising every time.)
I realize for now it is just a "matter of speaking" invitation, but in case you are wondering I, as a "matter of speaking" I'm not terribly opposed to the idea of a fly by in Germany...
So you tell me; the question above asks: can two people from different cultures really communicate? Furthermore do men and women in general belong to the same "culture"??
PS: Above I chose a picture of the great BB, Bridgette Bardot, who perfectly embodied the "girl-woman" way of being that is apparently what all men have been going crazy over since the beginning of time...
Dining
Pipa Tapas Restaurant near Union Square
5 9th and Gansevoort Hotel in Meat Packing District
Sushi Samba in the Village
Cats Cafe in Brooklyn on Emons Ave
Going Out
Le Souk and Chinese #1 near ABC city
Turkish Restaurant near Le Souk
City Wedding
West Broadway - Diva bar -cheering the Brasilian team - world cup 2006
I was going to post something else, but we have BREAKING news here! Today is the birthday of our beloved Staten Island Ferry! 100 years! Sure I complain about the commute and the coffee all the time, but the reality is that the ferry puts me in a good mood. Something about watching the waves calms you down (medical fact) and just in general boat rides are fun!
So this morning there were these ladies dressed in last century outfits (and I don't mean the 1990's, like the beginning of last century) and they were giving out the wonderful commemorative post cards that I have graciously scanned in for your benefit, please see above.
I almost charged right by them, as I usually do by anyone who tries to give me a pamphlet, which many politicians and their staff do. "Come on! Do you NOT see me juggling my book, my umbrella, my steaming hot coffee!??! Do I look like I have six hands!? More importantly- do I look LIKE I CARE???" Ok, today however, I doubled back and sweetly told the lady to kindly stick the postcard under my free armpit. "Thank you, you have a good morning!"
Glad I did, because it was pretty amusing. The little history lesson about the very first ferry ride, on inside the postcard was a nice little read.
Here it is if anyone has a magnifying glass and would like to zoom in.
It basically describes the "first voyage" and how one of the boats was called "old lady", don't know why since it was the FIRST voyage. Apparently ferry fits 2000 people, that's nuts! What's funny is that the back then mayor promised "to break down the barriers of Nature" to unite New Yorkers bla bla. And then he went on to congratulate the people on being part of the "greatest city in the world" bla bla, crowd applauds for 2 minutes. That's a LONG time.
Anyway, cute, I enjoyed it. I saw people also setting up stuff in the terminal... maybe they'll give out free food for the trip back! I'd go for a sweet little marzipan replica of the orange ferryboat...
I can't stand Mondays. I wish the week started with a Tuesday (still ending on a Friday of course). I need some new music... any good CD's out?? I love anything, plus I'm up for something different, but I don't know what. This was really good and different Aria.
Nicholas (my new cross borders romance boy) is not at work today. I think I'm really begining to develop this unhealthy obsessive attachment. But it feels so GREAT though, gives you that extra "umph". Unfortunately nothing "umphs" my Mondays... Hmm- I'll have to work out a plan to fix that later.
Also Tacit is doing something super awesome!!!! Its a sort of tag story, each person continues and adds to the last thought... and its comming out really good so far! International intrigue- go check it out and write in your part!
Waw this is very overdue, my book reviews are piling up... So here is a partial list of the books I read this summer. Some I liked, some pissed me off, but you decide for yourselves.
This book is AWESOME! Young guys, straight out of college, in Tokyo making lots of money. Supposedly its based on a true story of these ivy league kids that exploited hugely the boom that took place in the mid 90's in Asia. Actually, better to say that they were there for the beginning of the boom. Very interesting; elements of life in Japan, the ex-pat world, ruthless finance, seduction... Excellent stuff!
"Almost French" was fun. It's about this Aussie gal that goes to visit this French dude in Paris and ends up staying! I figured this book would be hilarious because I don't like French dudes. (OK, to be fair I don't know many, but the one's I know have a bigger ego than the Italians even! And while the Italians are playfully about their egotism, the French are dead serious.) Whatever, makes a fun book watching the girl go through the "adjustment" period. It actually explains a lot of things about why French are considered rude by many other Europeans and Americans. I don't know if after reading the book I am convinced that there is a legitimate reason in deed for such "behavior".
This book just annoyed the HECK out of me!!! I was just so appalled by the main character. Even though she has my (nick) name, Alessandra, her actions just pissed me of! I'm not saying the book was bad. It was great in fact. It puts you right there in Florentine Renaissance. Talks about the religious and cultural happenings, the Medici Family and of course art. The story is about this girl who is secretly an artist, who falls for an artist... She was supposed to be an example of a strong woman, one of the first to stand up to societal labels placed on women and to paint in spite of it being unacceptable in these times. However, to me she just seemed weak, naive, and just pathetic! Don't ask me why such a hostile reaction, but I just could not associate with her. I think its just a jumbled up rip off the REAL BOOK about the "first" woman artist accepted in those times, Artemisia. Read that one instead. There is also a movie which is really good too.
This next book was a riot. "In a Sunburned Country" the author travels and makes his observations. Even though its a TRAVEL book, all he does is continuously make fun of Australia. Hey, that's my kind of book! Ok, but if I was an Aussie, I'd be rather annoyed because the author literally digs up material to fuel his fun making. Its OK though, no one wants to read a 300 page commercial anyway describing how perfect everything is. And maybe this book will inspire more curiosity in people to want to see for themselves. I liked the book a lot, lots of facts and history, but in a really fun and relevant way. It's great for anyone that wants to travel to Australia with intentions to do more than just dive the Great Barrier Reef and snap a photo of a kangaroo. Very funny too.
And there we have it. I guess there are some positives associated with my 2 hour commute. Now I'm reading another book about the Caribbean - so great!
Lesson to all young boys: Watch out for little girls, they could get very aggressive!
Last night I was at Dulce's new place, here in Manhattan. (Wallstr and I went over there to "christen" it, and have a KICK ass dinner!) Anyway, this morning it felt like an episode of the Twilight zone because upon leaving Dulce's apartment it took me exactly 23 minutes to arrive at work!
!!!??!? (Excited bewilderment expressed.)
I'm used to having at least an hour and a half commute each morning, involving 4 modes of transportation across both land and SEA! It was so strange that I didn't even feel awake yet as I came into work...
I decided to have a "yummy breakfast" to ease into the day. The inspiration to share it with the world comes from our Cousin, who documents yummy lunches everyday.
So above you see a cheese omelet with ham and a little bucket of American coffee. (Who said quality is better than quantity!!?) Usually I have a pempernickel bagel but today I felt I needed something more complicated. I declined the home fries, otherwise it would have been a very typical American breakfast.
I also learned something very interesting... Those sweeteners, like Equal and Splenda, are REALLY sweet! I never use them in my coffee, I usually rip up half a dozen sugar packets, but today I decided to be a responsible adult. Well, you can imagine my surprise that after just 2 little packets of Splenda my coffee was sweet! Of course than I read the INSTRUCTIONS on the back and it explained that 1 packet of Splenda = 2 teaspoons of sugar. I never new that.
I think I'm going to use Splenda from now on, plus they have really cute commercials with fairies and elves.
What did you have for breakfast?? That's why I love blogging, its just like googling people and finding out all kinds of unrelated information on them!!! Like zooming in on random houses on the other side of the world trying to tell what color are their curtains!!! With blogging, nice people TELL you about their lives and share PICTURES of their houses, cats, the food they eat... etc... etc... its PURE HEAVEN! (oops... I think that's a slogan for Splenda.)
PS: I'm working on an ultimate Bloggers list which I'll put up soon...
kisses and HAPPY FRIDAY!
| Your Power Color Is Indigo |
 You are on a fast track to success - and others believe in you. At Your Lowest: You require a lot of attention and praise. In Love: You see people as how you want them to be, not as how they are. How You're Attractive: You're dramatic flair makes others see you as mysterious and romantic. Your Eternal Question: "Does This Work Into My Future Plans?" |
Hmmm, interesting.... Whether true or not, I just love those silly personality things...
I was psyched when for one of my jobs I was told I'd have to take 3 different personality tests. But they were sorta a let down, they just kept asking the same set of questions over and over again, just slightly switching up the scenario.
For example: apparently if you never take yourself out for a drive, you're a very aggressive/depressive person! Well, good thing I take myself out on plenty of drives all the time. Or wait... is that bad too?
As for the above test, agree with most of it. But I don't like being called romantic though. What a cliche word. Its much better to be practical. I don't like surprises, because they cheat you out of anticipation which is half the fun! The last one however, is RIGHT ON. Always thinking how something or someone "works into my future". Seemingly a great way to think? But sometimes very counter-productive, because we can't always see how a certain situation, or a person will fit into the big scheme.
Well, enough philosophy! Nicholas told me what town he lives in... so of course I googled the heck out of the situation... and! I am now the proud owner of his home address and phone number, I'm contemplating using google satellite maps to zoom onto his house!!! Yeah, yeah, I don't need this info, but its fun to FIND it! Still, I don't know what he looks like. Oh no, what if he is not cute!? What if he is blonde??? (I like tall, dark and handsome.)
Kids: tricking your boyfreind's grandmother into telling you his social security number, and than running a full report on him... is borderline illegal.
Read more...
I'm so crazy.
Ok, I'm going to tell you a secret and you can't tell anyone. (Right- because immediately after reading this you will call all your friends and tell them.)
My company works on certain projects in conjunction with this design and engineering firm in Germany. We basically bring the concept and they draw the blue print and create it. I personally have been working with one of the engineers, Nicholas, for a few months now. We exchange a few emails daily and have spoken on the phone a few times. I think I've developed a bit of a crush on him. Plus he sounds really cute when we have conference calls, but of course that could be very misleading.
We do have some very important things in common, like the love for travel, chezch beer, and scuba diving.
I don't know what it is that makes me be so attracted to guys that are FAR away, the farther away the better apparently... Also he is very technical and serious, which I'm not, but I LOVE! His english is pretty good, but I overlook this imperfection. So you see kids, when I say I'm "in love" it doesn't really mean much. Actually I think saying "I love" you in a foreign language means more?
Whatever, I think I'm crazy... He is in Germany, there isn't any chance really for us to be at a meeting together or anything... But STILL I can't help to wonder... I just have this "sempreprimavera" feeling that all will work out perfectly... whatever that means.
I told you, I'm crazy.
P.S: and remember...I still need a date for a wedding in Germany... Ale thinks of everything, who said I wasn't technical! haha
The day was gorgeous! After 8 days of continuous rain, the sun was out and it felt like early fall should feel like. Wallstr and I met with other friends that were driving in from Jersey at a lodge for breakfast. (Coffee!)
First of all I must come clean and say that these are not my original pictures, because I forgot my camera!!! My only excuse that It was 6.30 in the morning and we were already on the road. However, I found these pictures on the web, and they could as well have been taken by me.
These both are along the Delaware River.
Pennsylvania is a very pretty state. I remember when I lived in Chicago, I have driven to NY a couple of times; PA was always the highlight of the trip. After the flats of Iowa and them other in between states, reaching PA was like driving into a new country, with great views of the mountains, lots of greens and glimpses of rivers. Driving through there you feel as if you are borrowing (the road) from Nature. Once I got caught in a rain storm that made driving over 5 mph impossible. I think that was a "friendly" reminder.
We saw a few farms along the way. I've never actually lived on one, but I've mentioned it before, for some reason I feel it would be the most idyllic lifestyle. I like getting up super early in the morning. Manual labor is totally refreshing and gives you a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. I think I should go on one of those "experience" vacations to a farm, maybe I won't feel the same... but for now it remains an exotic dream. (Along with a HOT farmer boy husband... who got two sexy brothers... remember Bananza...dumdarrarum-dum!)
We also stopped by a nice market where we saw cute and friendly pumpkins. Actually, everything in PA is nice, cute and friendly! 
On the drive back, (pretty late) we totally made sure our car doors were LOCKED. For some reason, being in the middle of dark farm lands is more scary to me then driving through some areas in the city in the middle of the night. This is the type of behavior that my friends exhibit when they visit me in NY. I guess it takes some time for city girls to get used to this whole nature thing...
Lesson kids: there's is NO shame in constantly checking your car's back seat for ghosts and monsters as you drive through PA in the middle of the night.
I just have to share this wonderful moment with all of you!
It's Friday, 6.00 pm.
I'm still at work (A project JUST came up, so I'll be here for another hour...)
It's raining. It HAS been raining here since last Friday! Which actually makes it more acceptable to be working and not be on my very happy 2nd Amaretto Sour (yes, I like em' paralyzingly sweet).
Why am I happy!? I'm crazy. I'm Primavera eventhough its Fall. I think I'm in love again...! (I think.) But most importantly, I'm going to Pennsylvania tomorrow to go climb a mountain (OK, a hill)!!!!
Kisses!
Ok, so here is the dilemma: I have THREE very different weddings to go to and I must find three adequate dates for each! But this story has complications...
Last week my beautiful friend Lacy was in town, because her HUSBAND had an interview with one of the fancy-shmancy lawfirms. The word "husband" is in caps, because its just so weird for yet another one of my little friends to be MARRIED! (Seems like a minute ago we were pushing fully dressed boys into the pool at camp.)
A bit of a background story: Lacy is from the South (hence the cute name I picked out for her). She is two years younger than me. Was voted "best legs" in our lovely New England summer camp that we attended each summer, (Wallstr and I were tied for a very close second.) Anyway, she played soccer on her high school team, and was also a homecoming queen donning a YELLOW dress. She spent much time in France, walked across Spain (with her HUSBAND who was just in the stages of pursuing her at that time...). She spent time in Prague (where I came to visit). She lived in DC, and let me crash on her couch during one of my brief job hops.
Two months ago she got MARRIED! I didn't go to her wedding. I wanted to see her get married, but I didn't want to go to the wedding... Ok, I've lived through my wild cousin getting married, two of my childhood best friends getting married... these are just the people whose weddings I absolutely was required to go to. I HATE going to weddings. How very annoying. And I'm sorry, I'm only 27, how is it that my YOUNGER friends are now getting married.
Don't get me wrong. Its not that I'm anti-marriage. I'm sure its a wonderful thing, especially logistically! You can share the mortgage, some one is always "automatically" there...(to share dinner with), it's all good. But when your friends get married, logistically that's NOT a good thing. Because:
1. You can ONLY see them in conjunction with the husband/wife
2. You can only see THEM (friend and husband/wife) if you have a date of YOUR OWN to bring along
3. You can't crash in their apartments/houses for no reason anymore...
4. You can't invite them to visit your place unless you have a guest BEDROOM to dedicate to the friend and the husband/wife.
5. You can't even have a decent conversation on the phone with them because no, they "don't know what I mean"... because apparently when you're married and have "on deman" sex every night, VERY LITTLE ELSE carries any meaning anymore!!!!!
Alright, so I have "beef" with my married friends... but this isn't really the point of this post. I've come to a resignation that when a friend gets married, you can kiss her goodbye! (well unless I myself get married and our husbands get along.) HOW annoying!
The relevant point is I have three weddings to go to next year, that I absolutely can't skip, and of course I have to have dates to all of them. I must go because one is a client of mine (the largest client) and being invited to her wedding is a great thing not only for my current job but also for my career - bla- blaaa. Second is one of my really close friends from Germany. She's a bit tricky, she may have her wedding either in Italy (her fiance is Italian) or Germany. If its in Italy, I'm ok, I have a guy to invite. If it's in Germany... I'm in trouble. The third person whose wedding I absolutely cannot miss is one of my best friends in Chicago. I simply don't want to miss hers.
The dilemma is getting perfect dates for all these three events! Who the heck is going to fly overseas with me? (That I WOULD LIKE to bring, I should add). Even the party for my client here in New York is difficult also, being that it is formal and I can't have someone act foolish. (And most boys that I like are young and foolish.) I MUST find appropriate guys to bring to these weddings.
Maybe I should put an ad in the paper?
Ad: Hot guys needed to attend weddings with hot girl (please pick one of three on the calendar attached).
Requirements - Must look good in a tux, not afraid of air travel, be able to handle windy conditions.
Those with heart conditions or asthma may be submitted to additional testing. (Hey, this isn't for the feint of heart.)
A free copy of Financial Times will be provided upon request.
Oh... and during "free time" please be prepared to strip because I may want to sketch you as a part of my newly revived love for art...
Please proceed to sumbit photos to SP HQ. Due to unusually high traffic of response, we will contact you only should interest arrise. Multiple applications will not increase your chances of being selected. Thank you.
It rained ALL weekend, which was ok, but I didn't do anything constructive... so lets talk about last Sunday.
Last Sunday morning I decided to drive North from NYC along the Hudson River and check out some sights.
Anyway, I keep trying to leave NYC, but somehow I just keep on staying and staying, so I guess I'll have to arrange (temporarily) for some sort of semi-permanent residence. So, since Beach season is definitely over, I'll be going to check out various neighborhoods to see where it could be good to insert myself.
This Sunday I went to Nyack, NY. It is SO GORGEOUS there. I'll have to go back and take more pictures. The one above was taken from a private pier of this new condo complex that is being built. Than I went into town to browse some boutiques and it was such a lovely day that I broke down and went into Starbucks for their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Late. ($4.46!!!!!)
Bottom line I would LOVE to live there, but see, the median salary for the town is about $250K, not to mention the median age is 48. Perhaps not really for me.
To console myself, I came home and made a yellow fin tuna stake, seared in sesame oil, with spinach! I've never made this dish before but I love ordering it when out.
Of course I commemorated the moment via photographic medium!
It turned out great, and the sauce was good too. Just one mistake on my part. It wasn't rare enough. I left it on the pan for an extra minute (while getting the plates and stuff) and it sorta cooked further. I will provide the recipe next time I cook it, with sesame seeds, ginger and the whole shabang.
Lesson kids: eat your spinach!! It complements the yellow fin sesame oil seared tuna stake perfectly. Al bacio!
PS: enjoy and relax, because tomorrow we will be doing 2006 SP's Social Calendar planning and plus, I have major "issues" to discuss...
I can't believe what she's wearing!!!
Haha!!! My first doodling! Seriously, I forgot how to use color pencils. As you can see, I got lazy and didn't finish the boat.
I drew this from an advertisement in last year's Vogue. OBVIOUSLY! I mean look at what she is wearing!? Uggs!? So last year. And her color choices left me wondering... I mean, purple, red, and BROWN!? (Sorry, that was not in Vogue, I just had to try out the pencils.)
Also, why is she smiling? Obviously, with such choices of clothes she must have gotten dressed VERY hastily. Plus, she is alone in a boat rowing towards some forested island on a day that does not promise very pleasant weather conditions... I hope its not that she has an abusive boyfriend she is running away from...
I made her face and legs orange to illustrate another important point: Self Tanning creams if not used by an expert will make your skin orange... she needs to stick to solariums.
Poor girl, but at least she has nice hair!
Ok, I broke in my pencils, so I'll draw something for real tonight.
I killed an artist long ago.
An artist in me that is. Well actually, I didn't kill, more like strangled or suffocated... I just kept pressing on that pretty little neck till it was OVER!!!! Ok, a bit overly dramatic, but really, that's what happened.
So I loved to draw. I started as soon as I was able to hold a pencil (according to la mamma). I would draw anything and everything. Ladybugs, monsters, illustrations to stories mom read to me, grandma, grandpa... ice cream! When I was 8 I took art classes two times a week, the other two days a week I took tennis lessons. Two completely different activities but I just loved them both.
I remeber especially during the competitions the feeling was incredible. There were moments in which the world stopped. The blood just rushed to your head drowning out any noise around giving you this moment of complete FOCUS. And than BAM, you slam that ball already knowing and visualizing where it will hit on the opposite court. You're airborne and every muscle in your body obeys your commands even before you have a chance to think them. You just KNOW your win is inevitable, you also know how to visualize that win, and there is NOTHING that can make it impossible.
I can say the same experiences took place as I held a pencil or a paint brush standing in front of a paper. I couldn't hear or see anything. All I would be able to do is visualize the painting before making that first stroke... It was like seeing who you really are. In these moments you were completely sure of why you are here and what for... And that's not the knowledge to take lightly.
But even then... to get to my art class I had to pass by the tennis courts. I would look over to see the game, and I couldn't help but feel that if one day I have to choose, I would chose sports over art.
The actual "killing" took place when I turned 14 and planned the rest of my life...
I was going to have a career in International business and there would be no room for art.
I wish I could say "I'm such a dumbass!" start going to therapy and blame my parents for everything. But no, it was my own decision and I honestly can't say I completely regret it. I chose "sport" over art. I chose to go into a career that is a constant competition, a constant training camp. As much as I complain about this and that, my previous job hopping and my forever whining about wanting to spend all my days on a beach, the reality is that I can't live without the challenge. After a week of laying on a beach I'm sure I'd sit up and start thinking about where to get a boat and organize a scuba-diving school.
Ok fine, so I don't regret choosing my career, but why is it that I have not touched a pencil in something like ten years... why have I stopped going to art museums? Why was the immediate necessity to pee the ONLY reason I walked into the great UFIZZI Gallery during my entire 9 month stay in Florence? Why have I not ONCE gone inside the Sistine Chapel during the very many times that I visited Rome? Apart from the liking to project an airy blonde, it wasn't because I'm not interested. Its because, I don't want to think about it, I don't want to even doubt that I might have made a wrong choice. And if it really was the right choice to make, why do I still feel such a strong pull after all these years of completely ignoring all things art?
But enough of this analytical nonsense! Feeling sorry, doubtful, unsure... and all those other useless little feelings does NOT happen at Sempre Primavera! Here we take action. We eat adrenaline with a spoon, then lick it clean, and ask for seconds!
So very simply: yesterday I went to Pearl Paint the most famous art store in Manhattan, the glorious 5 full story building right on Canal street in China town; marched up and down the isles, grabbed:
1. colored pencils
2. a brush set
3. a watercolor paper pad
4. a huge gum eraser
5. and an HB pencil
Then I went up to the counter... got mistaken for a student, played along, GOT a student discount!!! And walked right out. DONE!!
Ok, I won't lie it was very painful in the beginning, but somewhere between the water color paper pad and the gum eraser the pain went away and was replaced by pure excitement. I could not wait to draw. Most importantly I realized I still have it; that ability to visualize the victory until its in your hands.
Lesson children: Entrance ticket to the Uffizi gallery is 6 Euros. A damn EXPENSIVE place to use the toilet!
Here is the info: www.pearlpaint.com shop on line and world wide delivery
And in NYC: 308 Canal Street near the intersection with Broadway
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