waiting on the world to change.

right now, this very moment (which will, of course, change before i post this) i am 36 minutes from 28. nitpicky, i know. i always get a tiny bit (ok, a lot) nostalgic on my birthday. i was thinking back today while i drove on I-71 about birthdays gone by. something interesting usually happens on my bday, and there are a few in particular that stand out. here's a recap:

1981 - I am born. nothing unusual except that i almost kill my mother in the process.

1985 - my parents divorce is finalized the day before my birthday. happy 4th birthday to me.

1986 - skippy manages to wreck her car about 1 hour prior to my 5th birthday party. my great-grandmother ends up entertaining 5 5-year olds until skip makes it home. grandma is not thrilled. i am.

1989 - i turn 8. i have pneumonia. as in missed 2 entire weeks of school pneumonia. awesome.

1991 - skip manages to fall ill with chronic fatigue syndrome the week prior to my birthday. i participate in a car wash the morning of my 10th birthday (a saturday). i have my party at the roller skating rink.

1994 - i turn 13. i celebrate my first birthday with a broken leg. this will not be my last birthday with a broken leg.

1997 - an exchange student arrives at our house two nights before my bday. i turn 16 on a sunday. i celebrate by going on a bike ride because i am too chicken sh!t to get my driver's license.

1999 - i sprain my ankle in what can only be described as a dancing with the stars type leap in the hallway of my dorm. i go to the emergency room, where they actually call my parents and make them drive 70 miles before they can treat me because i am not yet 18 (this was at about 2 am on the day before the bday).

2001 - i go to dinner with el nene. i get a phone call from my father and spend the rest of the night in the hospital because he thinks my stepmother is going into labor. the next day, i play driver to a bunch of college freshmen on a field trip. i am henceforth christened mrs. robinson. oh, and i turn 20.

2002 - i turn 21. i celebrate by having a hotel party where, miraculously, no one gets hurt.

2003 - i turn 22 while living in boston. i celebrate by driving to maine. miraculously again, no one is injured in said trip.

2006 - i turn 25. we celebrate with a trip to canada, which sounds exotic but is really only about an hour from where i live in michigan. this is also my first trip to a casino. i lose $40 to a penny slot machine called the dam beaver lumberjacks. not kidding.

2008 - i turn 27. this is the year i graduate from law school. this is also the birthday i spend hopped up on painkillers, as i have recently made a tumble down an entire flight of stairs. this marks the third time i have spent my birthday in some kind of cast on my leg.

2009 - TBA.

that's it for the trip down memory lane. now for a brief schmoltzfest.

as with many of my more recent birthdays, i have spent the time leading up to 28 reminiscing in a melancholy sort of way. and, being who i am, i have to share this with the blogosphere at large. granted, my blogosphere consists of about 8 people...but still. i'm sharing. to begin with, i am quite unsure as to how i arrived at 28 without noticing. i had big plans for myself by this age - i mean BIG. many of those plans have not been achieved thusfar...but i have to say, i have done a lot of things in my life that i am pretty damn proud of. i graduated from high school, college, law school. i went and lived for a time in another country, and managed to do so with relatively little incident. i have people in my life who love me, unconditionally, without asking too many questions. they are patient with all of my issues, my hangups, my idiosyncracies. god, i hope i spelled that right. i guess where i am going with this is that i am so goddamngrateful to be alive that i don't know how to handle it. there are many things in my life that i would like to see change, but nothing i can't live with (or without). the past 27 years have taught me to enjoy who i am, where i am, and the company that i have on this wild ride - and these people, for the most part, know who they are. thank you for being in my life, for supporting me in just about everything i do, and for never giving up on me, even when i gave up on myself. i know i still have a lot to learn - but so far, it's been an amazing adventure. here's to 28 (on the 28th, no less!) - may this next year be as much fun - or more! - as the others have been.



8 minutes to my birthday. don't forget to send gifts. :-)

Love to those who listen.

waiting.

when i was home for a year and doing community theater, we did a show called i love you, you're perfect, now change. there was a song called waiting...and now that i am doing just that - waiting on the bar results - all i can hear in my head is that song playing over and over. in a word? this sucks. i took the test in july, it's highly annoying that the results don't come out until november. i'm tired of getting the questions, i'm tired of everything being on hold until the results are here.



AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!


i feel better.

sometimes the waiting is the worst

the tension of not knowing and waiting are beginning to take their toll on everyone - at home, not at home, all of us. will this sneeze be her last? what if she goes into a coma again? is she in transition? is hospice necessary? is she going to be with us tomorrow? next week? next month? will she live to see my children? will she live to see the baby grow up, take his first steps, talk, say I love you? is she in pain? is she not in pain? is this it? is this just the beginning? y si esto es el principio del final? Dios, que vamos a hacer sin ella?

ay abuela. una cosa yo la tengo bien clara...yo te extran~are.

nunca.

que quiere decir "no te voy a ver nunca mas?" esa palabra nunca. esas 5 letras son pocas en comparacion a muchas cosas, pero representan un cisma, un vacio que no se puede cubrir. y si la ultima vez que te vi la cara fue de verdad la ultima vez? de verdad no te voy a ver nunca mas? hablando con mami esta noche me di cuenta de que todo esto puede ser un vistazo al futuro para mi. en pocas palabras, no queriendo disminuir la situacion pero no sabiendo que mas decir, mi abuela se esta muriendo. tecnicamente le estan fallando los rin~ones, sufrio un derrame isquemico en el lado izquierdo del cerebro la semana pasada y sufre de la diabetes cronica. se nos esta yendo, poquito a poco. yo se, la vida es una enfermedad terminal, pero escuchar que mi santa abuela se va dentro de la nada me duele. ella ha sido mi conexion con mi madre, la conexion umbilical que nunca tuve porque mi existencia no fue (es) consecuencia de una relacion sino que la consequencia de las ideas y del deseo. mi abuela es (y siempre sera, viva, muerta, con nosotros, con alguien mas) mi Ursula, mi antecedente, mi precursora a lo porvenir. yo he pisado este camino antes pero nunca de esta manera, nunca con un ser que queria tanto sin estar con ella mas de unos cuantos meses en mi vida entera. no se como vivir esta nunca que anda por ahi. no quiero que se acerque. no se.

t-minus.

let's set the record straight before i even begin here. i love this island. love this island. i am distraught over the fact that i actually have to leave...but i know that this is my temporary hiatus. call it what you want, but i'm coming back. period.
at the same time, as much as i love this place, and as much as i love me in this place...te extran~o. me haces una falta terrible. extran~o la casa tuya, tu cara, tu voz. extran~o la manera en que me miras y me dices buenos dias, princesa cuando estoy bajando las escaleras de casa y apenas puedo abrir los ojos porque todavia estoy media dormida. te extran~o tanto que me duele, fisicamente. dammit. i just miss you, period.
i can't wait to see you. 4 weeks seems like an eternity, but it's going to fly. i have to pack up my entire life in those 4 weeks. i have to baptize my godson in those 4 weeks. i have to say goodbye, if temporarily, to all of the people who have helped me and accompanied me in this brief but awesome escapade on la isla bonita. this is my own road of bittersweet.

oh, and i cannot WAIT to see your face when i walk through that door. that's a moment 27 years in the making.

love to those who listen.

for s.

whiskey y lagrimas.

va a ser una noche de whiskey y lagrimas.
va a ser una de esas noches inolvidables, como tantas otras que hemos vivido. vamonos por ahi, a donde nos gusta ir, en el viejo San Juan...a beber, a vivir, a gozar como bien sabemos hacer. vamos a cantar, a bailar, a reirnos de esta maravilla de vida que estamos pasando aqui en nuestra querida isla del encanto, pais adoptivo para ti y para mi, las potorras inventadas. va a ser una noche estupenda, como siempre.

pero va a ser una noche de whiskey y lagrimas, porque te vas man~ana, y eso simplemente no es justo.

quiero desearte lo mejor en tu aventura de vuelta a Boston, que ese espiritu que vive en ti nunca deje de ser tan bueno y tan decente como es. la vida no sera igual de ahora en adelante sin tu generosa sonrisa aluminando los dias boricuas.

we shall miss you, my dear richard.

bendiciones,
l.

chez moi.

well, not really. but i did want to show you something...without further adieu, je vous presente...mon bureau. (that's my office, people.)




and my monkey in my office:



and the view from my office:



...and that's all for now.

special congratulations go out to my pals J & M, who just met their little girl, S., in China for the first time. This was a long time coming for you guys, and I for one am thrilled for you. Welcome to the crew, S.!

Love to those who listen.

epicurious.

allow me to start out with this: i love living alone. love. there is just something about it that is hugely attractive to me. i may grow out of this stage - in fact, someday, i hope i do...but for now? i'm young and unattached, and i love living alone.

however. it has its downsides.

i hate cooking for one person. it's a constant chore to have to be the one every night who decides what is going to be for dinner. cooking for one is not a fun job most of the time, because you're the one who has to do all the work. just you. the cooking, the eating, and the cleaning up. highly annoying.
because i hate cooking for one person, i don't do it as often as i should. i'm a big fan of the heatitupandeatitrightthen sector of food - aka frozen crap in a box (or bag, as the case may be). also a big fan of takeout. i'm trying this week to eat my lunch "in" because food is downright expensive, and i'm spending too much on takeout. AND frozen crap in a box is not, shall we say, the healthiest of alternatives. this undertaking is harder than you might think...in addition to planning dinner, i have to plan lunch, too?!?!?!?!? whose idea was this, anyway???? i know, i know. mine.

the point of all of this useless drivel is to present to you my most recent culinary adventure, inspired by a lunch brought by one of the secretaries last week (stuffed peppers with salmon) that i swooned over whilst trying to enjoy my carboard subway sandwich. this is one experiment that actually turned out QUITE tasty.

I present to you:

Stuffed Tomato Salad

1 can garbanzos (chick peas, gringos.) - drained
1 carrot, chopped
1 can tuna (I prefer in oil)
1 large tomato, top cut off, insides scooped out
herbes de provence


dressing:
1 tsp. grey poupon
red wine vinegar
salt
pepper
olive oil

Mix garbanzos, carrots, tuna, and any of the insides of the tomato (chopped) that you want. Sprinkle with herbes de provence (this is the secret - I am not kidding).
Make vinaigrette using dressing ingredients (if you need directions, tell me. it's not hard). toss garbanzo mixture in dressing.
Spoon salad into tomato, packing it in as you go. Let the tomato sit overnight in the refrigerator - it takes on the taste of the dressing, and it holds together really well.
I had enough stuffing for 2 tomatoes, possibly 3, depending on their size.


This, along with some cottage cheese, was one of the better lunches I've had in awhile. And everyone at the office was jealous. True story.

My next stuffed tomato adventure (I'm on a big tomato kick, can you tell?) is going to involve avocado...stay tuned.

Oh and suggestions for lunch are most welcome.
Love to those who listen.

descubrimiento.

discovery.

or, more specifically, self-discovery.




if it was always only as simple as discovering your own reflection in a mirrored closet door...

grateful.

i know that i'm usually marginally witty in my blogging, but for the last 2 days i've been feeling sort of...off. So you're just going to have to suck it up, and wait another day. i'll be back to my usual bitingly sarcastic self soon.
until then, consider yourself forewarned.


grateful. this is a word i've been thinking about a lot today. i spent the day floating around the apartment, balcony to sofa, to bed, to sofa, to fridge to sofa again. you know, big traveling. i stood at the balcony this morning and looked out over the landscape (and it's a nice landscape - i'm on the 9th floor). and i couldn't help but feel...grateful. blessed. grateful to be in this spot. grateful that a firm in san juan chose me for my externship and i didn't have to stay in the state resembling a sneezing walrus (or, if you prefer, a mitten). grateful that i didn't have to deal with the howevermanyinches of snow and ice that fell in my home state during the last weeks. just...grateful. SO grateful that the end of this wonderful and at the same timy horrifying ride called law school is drawing closer. maybe i'm getting a little too reflective, but i needed a day like this. a day to be completely alone with my thoughts...and grateful.

i'm even grateful i don't have a tv tonight. normally on super bowl sunday i would be glued to the TV. i LOVE football, anyone who knows me at all knows this fact. not having a tv forces me to do other stuff, like reconnect with old friends i haven't seen in more than 5 years, and listen to music on my ipod, and enjoy the sounds of this island, that are so different than the sounds from where i came from, but that are strangely familiar and comforting at the same time. grateful. crazy, hypothetically speaking, but grateful. i'm even considering not reconnecting the tv. ever. note that i said considering.

on a lighter note...i love that i have blog groupies. tell your friends. join up. every once in awhile i may come up with something intelligent to post. thanks for boosting my ego, peeps.

ok enough of the schmoltzfest. let's get back to the wit, shall we?

i want a peanut butter sandwich so bad, but i'm afraid to eat peanut butter for fear that i shall get salmonella and meet my untimely demise. i'm further afraid that should said incident occur, my tagline in the times-gazette would read: Gringa en Guaynabo, 27, died eating a peanut butter sandwich. Sancho, please make sure this does not happen. I'm leaving this task in your capable hands.

in the spirit of gratefulness, i am going to try to upload a video i made to the blog, to share with you what i see when i look out my balcony. note again that i said try. my internet connection is hopelessly slow, and sometimes it's faster to wait for the second coming than try to upload anything. true story. and since i don't see Jesus around here...yet...

i think i shall venture into the kitchen for a diet coke and the dreaded peanut butter sandwich.
love to those who listen.

Re.

Regurgitation.

Or, at the very least, the overwhelming urge to as I sat on the sofa this morning and floundered over the decision as to whether or not I was going to check my grades. Even though the voice on one side said no, let it wait, enjoy your weekend...the voice that said yes won out. And so I checked.

Re-examining.

The one class standing between me and the end of law school, the bane of my existence, my kryptonite...the class that was a "re-do." The class that robbed me of the little sleep I usually partake in anyhow. Anything less than a C, and the world comes crashing down.

Redemption.

Higher than a C. Hallelujah. As long as the last grade is not an F, this is it. The journey be all end all is over - I will be a lawyer.

Reflection.

Strange that the same weekend that I will walk across the stage in my Juris Doctor getup and have them hand me my piece of very expensive paper is the same weekend last year that I fell apart. Strange how the dates coincide. Strange to remember things like that.

I told my advisor a long time ago that I had made up my mind that I would leave law school when one of two things happened: they handed me my diploma, or they pried my cold, dead fingers from the revolving door of the Cooley Center lobby. Law school has a high attrition rate. Many of my friends and classmates went the finger route. Me? I'm glad it's not the second option.

Redemption. and, of course, celebration.

love to those who listen.

by request.

L. asked me to post more on my blog, so here you go, L. Another blog by yours truly.

One of my favorite parts of Puerto Rico (ok, there are a lot of favorites...but you know) is the radio. I love music, I love music in Spanish, I love music in English, I love music. On my favorite radio station on the way home today, they were discussing a woman who was married, and living with her in-laws. Out of the blue, the father-in-law professes his love for her, she separates from her husband...and goes and lives with her former father-in-law. Huh-larious. Only in Puerto Rico.

Let's see. OH one of my favorite moments so far in PR happened last week. I take my iPod to work every day along with the portable speakers, and listen to a *wide* variety of music. SO I had the iPod on shuffle last week, and the best cultural moment ever happened along. I was typing in English, having a conversation in Spanish, and listening to a song in French on the iPod. True story.

L. says that Puerto Rico is shaped like a guinea pig. I like this analogy, since L. described my last state of residence as a sneezing walrus. Let's stick with the animals, mmmk?

And last but not least, I'd like to thank the folks at Skype for their invention. It has made it onto Auntie Laur's Top 10 List of Greatest Inventions Ever. Seriously, people, Skype is up there with coffee, the iPod, and drive-thru pee. It's WUNDERBAR.

Back to working, and waiting for Prima #3 to get here for happy hour.
Love to those who listen.

scenes from the beach.

the view

this was taken from the conference room window this afternoon.
if you look to the left of the picture, you can see the ocean.

you may be jealous now.

NOT ME!

So over at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/, MckMama has created this MAHVELOUS blog carnival, NOT ME! Monday! Pop on over there after you're done reading here and check her out.

This blog carnival cracks me up, week after week. And because I'm not inclined to do anything else tonight, I'm participating.

This week, I definitely did not go to Macy's in Plaza Las Americas on Thursday after work because I knew if I didn't, I wouldn't have anything to wear to work on Friday. I definitely would not have done this, because I would not have left packing for a move to another country until the last minute, and DEFINITELY would not have packed with a 101-degree fever and the intestinal flu 36 hours before my plane took off. Not me.

I definitely did not start the best. externship. ever. this week. I am in no way pleased with my placement and do not like my office at all. I am not at all intimidated by the fact that I will be graduating from law school in a mere 4 months. Not me.

By the way, there is no way that I am completely and utterly head over heels in love with my tiny godson. So much in love, in fact, that I didn't even mind when he vomited all over my work clothes on Tuesday. No, really. He is not the cutest baby I have seen in quite some time. He is not a tiny little ball of love. And I am definitely not smitten. Not me.

I did not give my Titi Number 2 the business this week. I did not put my big honking gringa foot down and lay down the law. And she didn't respond positively, when I put my gringa foot down and laid down the gringa law. Not me. Not us.

I did not find my way to my office today without the aid of the GPS. I was in no way proud of myself for doing so, even though I have now been going to my office for a week. And I did not celebrate my newfound sense of direction by encountering a spot on the street in which to park. Not me.

I have not been enjoying the 80+ degree weather in my new home. I have not had to turn on the air conditioner to sleep every night, nor have I opened the balcony doors to a glorious breeze every evening when I come home. Not me.

Oh, and I definitely can't see the ocean from my new office. Not me. And even if I could, I certainly wouldn't rub it in. That would be cruel.

LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST...

I did NOT copy/paste this from my hometown newspaper:


SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Saturday
9:02 a.m. -- A Township Road 803 resident reported that someone had backed into his mailbox overnight.
3:32 p.m. -- A Township Road 523 resident reported that the mailbox had been knocked over.
7:15 p.m. -- It was reported that an injured deer needed to be dispatched in a yard near U.S. 30. Apparently the deer did not need dispatching too badly. It had left before a deputy arrived.
Friday
9:36 a.m. -- Richard Y. was arrested on a charge of domestic violence.
Thursday
9:55 p.m. -- Dewain C., 43, and Lisa G., 41, were cited for disorderly conduct on the 300 block of U.S. 42.
Wednesday
12:19 -- It was reported that a storage tote containing hardware and tools was lost on U.S. 42.
HIGHWAY PATROL
Thursday
3:05 p.m. -- Richard Y. was cited for failure to control on Ohio 511.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Friday
2:09 a.m. -- Alina T., 18, was issued a summons for underage consumption at Ashland University's Clark Hall.
2:54 a.m. -- Brian G., 22, of Hudson was issued a summons on the 1000 block of Claremont Avenue for disorderly conduct.
10:31 a.m. -- Campus security at Ashland University reported that a wallet was turned in. Security handed it over the city police.
Thursday
11:50 a.m. -- John G., 33, of Mansfield was arrested on the 1400 block of Claremont Avenue on warrants for contempt of court our of Loudonville, failure to appear out of Wayne County and bad checks.
4:45 p.m. -- Joshua R., 27, XXXX Troy Rd., was served a warrant for failure to appear from Ashland Municipal Court at the same address.
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Saturday
10:59 p.m. -- A burning mattress pad and quilt were extinguished at 1025 Overlook Drive. The fire was started by a short circuit in an electric mattress pad heater. Two people at that address got out safely.
Friday
8:12 p.m. -- Firefighters provided mutual aid to Mifflin and Richland departments for a working structure fire on Crider Road in Mansfield.
Thursday
11:54 a.m. -- Firefighters responded to a report of a carbon monoxide detector going off at 1013 Troy Road, and found low amounts of the gas with testing equipment. They advised to homeowner to have a furnace technician examine the furnace at the home.
1:34 p.m. -- Firefighters responded to a report of smoke at 503 Center Street. The smoke was caused by a plastic pan catching fire in a microwave. The fire was extinguished before firefighters arrived.
5 p.m. -- Firefighters responded to a report of a unusual odor at 303 Ashland Avenue. A resident there said he'd have his drain pipes cleaned to combat the problem.

Nope. Not me. I did not copy/paste that, and I shall not now comment on certain sections henceforth.

First of all, let me just say that I erased all last names from this to protect the, er, guilty.
Second....Richard, you just had a bad week, didn't you? I erased the last names, but the Richard Y. that appears twice is the same person.

Next...apparently the deer didn't need dispatching because it had left? Oh goodness. "You see what had happened was..."

Also...if you're going to fail to appear, chances are the cops have your address. Why would you just stay home? Ugh.

And of course...if you leave the leftovers in the styrofoam container from the Lyn-Way, your microwave will catch fire. Take note.

The funniest one for me, however, is the last one. Seriously? Seriously.


So those are my Not Me's, and a few jabs at small town life. Don't get me wrong, A-town was a nice place to grow up. Most of us border on insane...but everywhere has its quirks, right?

What haven't YOU done this week? Love to those who listen.

wow.

So the Skipster (mi abuela) had surgery a couple of days ago on her sinuses...again. She sounded a little funnier than normal for a day post-surgery when I called her yesterday, so I called her again today just to check on her. And again. And again. And nobody answered. So finally, exasperated, I called the house phone. And this is how the conversation goes:

Skip: (in a hushed whisper) Hello?
Me: Uh, hi. Are you ok?
Skip: Yes, why?
Me: Cause you're whispering like someone's holding a gun to your head.
Skip: Oh, it's cause we're watching TV. Aren't you watching the President?
Me: Uh, Skip? I don't have a TV.
Skip: Oh yeah...

It's worth me pointing out that even if I did have a TV, chances are I wouldn't be wasting my time on that drivel. That's like an hour of your life that you can never get back...true story.

Tomorrow's Friday, and that means that I will have *officially* survived my first week as a working girl. I'm muy happy.

This weekend is the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian here in San Juan. I hear this is a bigger party than Mardi Gras...and I'm hoping to con at least one cousin into going. Cross your fingers.

And on that note...time for bed. Love to those who listen.

by the light of the monitor

It’s nighttime in Guaynabo. I opened the balcony doors to feel the breeze and hear the sounds of the city. The coqui are singing with a vengeance tonight. The humidity in the air is almost palpable. I’m tired tonight, more tired than I have been since I moved here. I’m not doing anything this evening except sitting here and vegetating. Unless, of course, I decide to do some work later…which is possible, of course, but not likely.
This apartment is so peaceful. I’m sleeping better than I have in YEARS, and that’s not an exaggeration. I haven’t woken up during the night save one time since I arrived here, which is highly unusual for me. My habit used to be to wake up at least once a night, if not more. I’m either blissfully happy or hopelessly exhausted…or a combination of the two. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this to all my readers or not, but the apartment doesn’t have a TV. I thought I would miss it…but really? I don’t. I watch shows on iTunes if I really want to watch something. I also brought a few DVDs with me. Everyone I have shared the no TV information with thus far immediately says POOR YOU, YOU MUST BE SUFFERING. Truthfully? I’m not. Really. The silence is strangely comforting, and it’s nice to rediscover my iTunes library.
Oh, and a little sidenote for those who are calling me. I’m one hour ahead of you, and I’m usually in bed by 11:30 my time. Take note.
Je vais au lit. Ouais, a 9,30 de la nuit. HAHAHAHA you didn’t know French was showing up on the blog, did you ???
Love to those who listen.

the first day...

...went awesome! i'm really too tired to post much in the way of details, but let me just say that i'm pleased with my placement, i enjoyed my work, the info is interesting, the people are wonderful and very helpful to the new kid, and i'm really proud of myself for making it this far. not to toot my own horn, but toot toot.

and now i'm off to bed, cause i can barely keep my eyes open. love to those who listen. more details soon, pinkie swear.

vispera

this was it, my last day of freedom. tomorrow i become a working girl and join the rest of the masses in the rat race. what did i do on my last day, you ask? not a damn thing. ok, that's a lie. i woke up around noon (going to bed at 6 am will do that to you), cleaned some in my apartment. i went to the pool for a hot second this afternoon and watched the cute little old ladies in the building next to mine laugh at the gringa in the pool, because even though i am baking here (although i have to confess, today wasn't too bad), the majority of puerto ricans think it's cold. yes, you read that right. cold. and these little old ladies thought i was certifiably nutty. but i wasn't wearing my giveadamn hat, so it's cool. but other than that, nothing was pretty much the theme of the day.

the emotion of moving finally caught up with me after the pool, and i cried it out. i like crying sometimes, i feel like it's a great release for pent up frustration, and today was certainly no exception. thank god i got it out so i don't look like a big blubbering fool at my office tomorrow, no? HA! i feel much better, though, seriously. i hadn't given myself the chance to realize where i was, emotionally, and that's important - at least for me. i think my psyche caught up with the rest of me, and we've all arrived on la isla bonita now. woo, rather pschizophrenic, that thought was...but whatev. i sniffled into my charmin, and i'm good to go.

i still have to iron my suit for tomorrow, which i have been avoiding doing absolutely all day because i loathe ironing. other than that, i'm pretty much ready. i made myself a little lunch for tomorrow just in case, must remember to take it with me. that's usually where i fall off the wagon. i'm starting to get a little nervous, but i think that's to be expected. not only am i starting a new job, it's my first job in a long time (l-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-n-g time) and as if that wasn't enough, it's in a place that i am not familiar with. but i picked this, and it will be fine. let's all just pray that i don't make myself look like a total tool tomorrow, mmmmk?

enough blogging (read: avoiding). i think beer will make the ironing more fun...and since i have several cold in the fridge, i'm in the money. Love to those who listen.

well THAT was zero fun...

...and by THAT, I mean accidentally kicking a hill of fire ants whilst getting into my car to return the Middle Child to his mother. I've never been bitten by fire ants before, but as soon as my feet started to tingle I knew what had happened. Special thanks go out to A., who immediately got on Wikipedia and made sure I wasn't going to die in the next 5 minutes while driving the car barefoot, and R., who assured me that what A. had told me was indeed true, having been a resident herself of the deep south and having experienced the fire ant curse on more than one occasion. A word to the wise - fire ants are unpleasant. As if that wasn't blatantly obvious by the name fire ant. Duh.

And with that, I'm off to enjoy my first Friday evening on la isla del encanto. Love to those who listen.

Of bathing suits and toaster ovens.

So this morning, I ventured out on my own - ok, with the help of my trusty sidekick, Florence the GPS - and headed for Plaza Las Américas. For those who don't know, and that's most of you, Plaza Las Américas is a huuuuuuuuuuuge mall with about a gazillion stores. It's heaven for girls who love to shop. I was looking for a number of things, including but not limited to a bathing suit, because I forgot to pack mine, a new beeper for the gate to the apartment parking lot, because mine is busted, and a toaster oven, because I want one. 2 out of 3 of those things later (no toaster oven), along with two bonus tops from the Macy's one day sale, and I headed home.
Now I'm camped out on the couch, ice on my foot - it's still cranky from the fall down the stairs - and enjoying the breeze swinging in from the balcony doors. It's a rough life. Later I think I'm going to try to convince my people to go to the pool with me.
To all of you in the Midwest, etc. - enjoy the snow. :-) Love to those who listen.

The first post

Two days in Puerto Rico, and I'm baking already! I've started this blog (obviously you know this, or you wouldn't be here - duh.) about the life and times of me (again- duh.) while I embark on this newest adventure of living and working in a country that is not my homeland...and yet strangely is.
Puerto Rico is, as the Golden Girls would put it, an odd duck. It's an odd duck in that it's under US control...and therefore is not technically a foreign country...but I think many would agree that PR is decidedly different than the rest of the US. This place has a je ne sais quoi that resonates everywhere you go. It's one of the reasons I was drawn here...among many others, as we all know.

Well. I am discovering many things about living in the Caribbean that are definitely not the same as living in the Midwest. Today's lesson, courtesy of la Ursula (sidenote: I'm choosing not to use real names on the blog itself, but if you want to know who the people I'm discussing are, just email me and I'll probably tell you...if I know you, that is.), was about cleaning the bathroom. It seems that there is a special kind of "dirt" that grows here, and me being an asthmatic little allergic pretzel and her knowing this, she informed me that the only thing that will kill said special dirt is a combo of Clorox and Ajax. Let me tell you, that bathroom smells like a dream and I have never seen a cleaner tub. True story.
The second thing I am discovering is that in order to combat the dust that lives in the air here, I have to sweep ALL THE TIME. OK, in all fairness, this is not a discovery. I have known this for quite some time now, having visited here several times prior to moving. I guess it didn't dawn on me somehow, though. Whatever. I can be Martha Stewart on my off days.

I forgot to pack about a million things, but I did manage to remember to pack a suit that wouldn't wrinkle on the ride down here so that on my first visit to the office I wouldn't look like a total dolt...and I didn't. That visit was today, and I'm pleased to say that I like it! The people are very nice, and they're ready for me! There's not really much for me to say yet, just thought I'd throw that little tidbit out there.

Now, for the technical specs. This blog is about me, my life, my times, my adventures...ME. Let's try to refrain from yelling at me too much on my own blog. Also, let's keep the biting comments to other commenters to ourselves. Save it for the personal email, kids. Biting comments, sarcasm and dry, witty humor director towards yours truly, however, are welcome...as per the usual. Let's all try to have a little fun and get along, mmmk?

A final note...even though we all know my final notes are never final. At times, I'm sure, there will be things that appear here in Spanish. This is only natural, seeing as I now reside in a country that is primarily composed of Spanish speakers, present company included. If I see one comment along the lines of "No comprendo", "We're in 'Merica" and "Speak English, dammit," I will not only delete said comment poste haste, but also proceed to publicly humiliate you, and more than likely privately tell you what I think of you, too. I mean it. This area is not negotiable. I will be more than happy to tell you what I'm saying if you don't understand.

If you're still reading, congratulations for having made it this far. I'm off to crack open a Medalla and watch an episode of Weeds on the ol' iPod. Buenas noches.