Sad Anniversary

As you may know (or not), today is the first anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. I have been mourning for him since his death and still tear up when I hear his songs. There will be many tributes tonight in his honor and I hope you keep him in your mind as much as I will.

Baaack

Okay, I guess I went AWOL and took some time off. As I see it, it was a wee bit of time. So unusual for me to just not write something. I guess I have been distracted with work. Learning new things, new people, new politics. You name it. I have to admit that this time is a bit more challenging than usual. Why, you ask? Change of work culture is one facet. The general attitude is different and folks there are a bit more (ahem) relaxed. Relaxed in a different way. Work habits and behaviors are different. Not the hustle and bustle that I am used to. A little bit less business environment. Staff is generally younger and their view of life and work comes from a different direction. More of the what-can-you-do-for-me entitlements rather than working for respect and earning it. Changing work processes is one thing but changing people...well...how much can one really affect change? We will have to see as this is the challenge. I will maintain my corporate business work ethic and just wait for that to rub off and affect change. Time. Tick, tock goes the clock.

I guess I should just lay off for now or I will go off on a tangent.

Happy Hour Friday - Margarita

Getting ready for Cinco de Mayo, so must have margaritas.

Margarita

Rim a tall glass with salt.
Fill glass with ice.

Add:

• 1 oz. tequila
• 1/4 oz. Triple Sec
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• Fill with sweet and sour

Garnish with a lime slice.

Enjoy with lotsa salsa and guacamole.

Happy Hour Friday - Hot Toddy

Sigh. Hot Toddies only because I need them. Been a bit under the weather the past few weeks. Hot Toddies may be an old wives' cure but it works for me.

Hot Toddy

In a heat proof glass or mug, add:

• 1 tablespoon honey, or to taste
• 1-1/2 oz. whiskey (or my fave -- Wild Turkey Honey)
• 1 lemon wedge, juice squeezed
• Hot water

Stir and sip.

Bus Karma

Okay, I admit it. I have bad bus karma.

• I miss the bus by a light...a lot.
• I walk three blocks to the express bus...then end up waiting 15 minutes.
• I wait for a limited because it comes right after the local bus...then five more local buses show up but no limited.
• I take the express in the morning...then it gets snarled up because of an accident up the way.
• I miss the express so I walk up to the next stop to take a limited...then the limited swoops down and I miss it...by a light.
• I get a primo seat...and then an overly scented person sits down next to me.
• I take the local because it is empty as heck...and then the limited swooshes by five minutes later.

Happy Hour Friday - Vodka Gibson

I was talking about Gibsons the other day and now I cannot get them off my mind. Will I have one? Will you have one?

Vodka Gibson

Fill a shaker with ice.
Add:

• 2-3 drops dry vermouth

• 1-1/2 oz. vodka

Shake until very cold.
Strain into a martini glass.

Garnish with:

• Cocktail onions

If you want to make it a Dirty Vodka Gibson, add some of the onion juice to the shaker and blend.

All Cracked Up

Dang it. I cracked my tooth. Broke it, actually. Rats. And get this...I was eating carrots. Sigh. I thought I would be good about my munchies since I have had that weird craving of late for those wafer cookies. Well, that just bit me. I usually buy the baby carrots and then I pick through the different bags for the smallest carrots. I felt the tooth go but thought I just came down crooked. Nope. I think I cracked it. And then I was eating the day after and there it went. I heard a crunch. Ohhhhh ohhhhhh. That did not sound good. Thought I would check on the tooth and felt it. Uhhhh, kinda loose. Oops. There it goes. Wiggled it and half of my tooth is now in my fingers. Well, could have been worse. It broke off on my filling so that half of the tooth just sheered off. Crap. This means another crown and those are not the crowns I usually like to play with. And another unintended expense. I seem to be mellow about it. Growing up, maybe? Ha ha ha...

Easter!

It is Easter today. I went to the market earlier this morning and I saw some kids all dressed up in their Easter wear carrying little baskets. They were so cute! I thought about making Easter eggs this year but ended up just not having the time to get the kit from the store. It would have been fun. Not that I had any parties to go to or special dinner. Just thought about making eggs just for the heck of it. I have a hard boiled egg each morning anyway so why not just make them festive this week? Just to be cute. But I will just enjoy watching other kids have fun. That will be enough for me.

Happy Hour Friday - Chocolate Martini

There are so many versions of the Chocolate Martini. This is just one of them.

Chocolate Martini

Fill a shaker with ice.

Add:

• 1-1/4 oz. vanilla vodka
• 1/2 oz. Godiva liqueur

Shake until chilled and strain into a martini glass.

April Fool's

Tee hee. Today is April Fool's Day. What kind of fun prank are you planning today? But make it fun and not mean. Some people abuse the day to play mean pranks. That is just plain mean. So, if you are going to play a prank on someone, please just do not be hurtful.

Snack Attack

Geez, what is up with me? I am not much of a snacker. That title goes to my sister. But the past week or so, I have been buying up snacks left and right. Not all sweet nor all salty. Both. Like I cannot make up my mind which one I want. More like the female dilemma. Eat some sweet, crave some salty. Sweet in the left hand, salty in the right. Bite left, bite right. Never happy having a lot of one but always having or trying to even it all out. But I am not sure what really got into me. I really am not one into sweets but I have been buying those wafer cookies with the vanilla cream in the middle. And the chocolate wafer with coconut filling. Maybe I am just having another one of those comfort food moments. The reminder of the slight crunch of the wafer. A soft crunch. Light and airy. You must have had these when you were growing up. I think most parents have had them and passed them along to their kids. Many companies make them so tossing out a name does not really bring the brand to mind. Wonder how long this jones is going to last me this time. Seems like I go through a new one every week or so. Oh, well, it sure keeps it interesting and different...

Spock's Turn

Well, it turns out it was Leonard Nimoy's birthday the other day. Live long and prosper, Mr. Spock!

Happy Hour Friday - Appletini

I think I may have tried this...once or twice. It is a popular drink though so give it a try.

Appletini

Fill a shaker with ice.
Add:

• 1-1/4 oz. vodka
• 1/2 oz. Apple Pucker

Shake until cold and strain into a martini glass.

Garnish with:

• Cherry

Spring Sprung

Spring has started off with nice, sunny days of late. Sat outside at lunch two days last week. Trying to get a base tan started. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, so bad but I look good in a tan. I know. Lousy excuse. Bad excuse. I am one who is always cold so getting some good rays makes me feel good/better. Oh, and I am a sun child (Leo) so we just love it out there. The sun is our ruling planet. Can't help it. What can I say.

Sassed Out Teens

Oh, geeeeez. Is it because I am getting older or is it that teens nowadays are so much more sassier? I took the bus on the school run this morning. Just so totally hate it. Teens are so loud, inconsiderate and disrespectful. Oh, not every teen. Just a lot of them. But, y'know, that may have been me when I was younger. Just that I am seeing it differently now that I am older (note how I did not say adult but said older). Teens just have too much mouth. Shut the eff up and get some respect.

About a week ago, a lady was trying to get into an inner seat since a teen gal was sitting on the outside of the seat. The poor woman. She literally had to put her bag down over the gal and climbed over the statue of teen. Disrespect. Get your butt off the seat and let the woman sit down. Think about it, missy. What if this was your mother that was trying to sit down and some teen just sat there not even having the manners to get up for your elders.

Just wait another coupla decades. The word payback will come to mind.

Trek B-Day

Yesterday was William Shatner's birthday as I read from the newspapers. Captain Kirk is 79! Whoa. Hmmm...wonder what that translates to in star date. Nah. Star date does not happen until years and years from now. According to Trek, of course. Not our regular calendar. Well, Captain Kirk, hope you had a trekked out birthday. Live long and prosper!

Happy Hour Friday - Irish Coffee

Probably to wind down from St. Paddy's Day.

Irish Coffee

Place a sugar cube in a coffee glass.

• Add 1 oz. Irish whiskey

Fill with hot coffee

Garnish with whipped cream.

Happy Hour Friday - Irish Car Bomb

St. Paddy's Day. Yipppeee!

Irish Car Bomb

Fill a pint glass halfway with Guinness.
In a shot glass, pour:

• 1 oz. Irish whiskey (Jameson)
• 1/2 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream

Drop the shot into the Guinness.

Whooooaaaaaaa!

Burmese Buffet

I checked out a new buffet. The restaurant (Pagan) is not new but their new offering of a buffet lunch is fairly new. I tried getting in awhile ago but it was too busy and was not in the mood to wait for a table (too hungry; needed to eat). But I made it in this last weekend. I had not really tried Burmese food much so thought I would give this a try.

It was tasty. The food reminded me a little of Thai cuisine and some of the dishes actually were Thai. Maybe this place is a Burmese/Thai restaurant. Could be. They offered a fried appetizer (onions, tofu or squash). They had mainly curries but they were tasty. Eggplant with tofu. And their specialties of tea leaf salad and green papaya salad. I think my fave was the yellow chicken curry. Mild curry with a good taste of coconut milk.

Give the place a try. I am always game for a buffet so I could try different dishes. The place got a good showing of customers. Check it out. I hope you enjoy it.

No More Trottin'

Oh...boo hoo. My all you can eat place where I can get my fix on pig's feet has closed. So, what (where now)? Sigh. I may have to resort to making it. Which means I need to find a recipe. I should be able to find one off the internet. I had one years and years ago but lost it somewhere. It does not have many ingredients (trotters, of course; black vinegar, ginger, etc.) and should be fairly easy to make but, c'mon now, I am not a cook. Not in the blood. Rats, rats, rats. It was just so much easier just to head over to the buffet but times are so bad. I have watched many places close and even just as many struggling.

Even at the big major stores. I was at Nordstrom's the other day and the salespeople were trying even harder to get a sale. Nordie's has always been great for customer service but I can see the desperation in their mannerisms.

I ran into one of the ladies who works at the mani/pedi place. She tells me she works ten hours a day every day of the week. She is a single mom with two small children and an ailing mom. When I hear of things like this it just make me cry. We all have been struggling and wanting to help but being bound by my own struggles is so frustrating. But we all have to keep the faith...

Happy Hour Friday - Cosmopolitan

How about a Cosmopolitan? These were the rage years ago. Oh, well...why not...

Cosmopolitan

Fill a shaker with ice.

Add:

1-1/4 oz. vodka
1/4 oz. Triple Sec
1/4 oz. lime juice
1 oz cranberry juice

Shake until chilled. Strain into a martini glass.

Garnish with:

Lime wheel

Mr. Pot Head

You know who I have not seen for awhile? Mr. Pot Head. Huhhhh? Mr. Pot Head? Yep. There is this dude that gets on the bus in the morning and he reeks of maryjane. Yeah, I know. This guy smokes a joint in the morning on the way to the bus, gets on and carries the smell with him. I guess he can care less if he reeks of pot or not. He is quite young and is a bit ghetto. I thought he may have been commuting to school. Until...I saw him downtown during my lunch hour. The guy works near me. OMG. How can someone smoke pot and then go to work reeking. And to dress like you are hanging out in the ghetto to boot. Sheesh. What has the young generation come down to now. Scraping the bottom, I suppose. Shocking...

Gym Girl

Spotted Gym Girl again this week. I am still trying to figure her out. Pretty much the same thing each time. She gets dressed, gets a cup of hot tea and roams the gym floor. I have yet to see her work out. She did have a cup of ice water the other day and then managed to spill it all over the floor. What a mess. Thank goodness it was only water. Well, let's just say, I think it was water. Now, wouldn't that be a hoot. If Gym Girl goes to gym and chugs fire water on the gym floor. Ohhhh, maybe? Wink, wink...

Chinese New Year Parade

The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade is today. If you do not have any plans and want to see something really cool and exciting, head out to the parade. It will begin at 5:15 p.m. on Market Street. Yeah, you can see it on television since it will be a live telecast but the live experience is so different than watching the telly. It will be crowded so get there a bit early, stake out your space and enjoy.

Happy Hour Friday - Lychee Martini

Howz about lychee martinis since the Chinese New Year Parade will be on Saturday. Yeah, okay, sounds good to me!

Lychee Martini

Fill a shaker with ice.

• Add 1 oz. vodka
• Add 1 oz. Soho lychee liqueur
• 4-6 tablespoons syrup from canned lychee

Shake until chilled. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with:

• 1-2 lychees

Mmmmmm...

Gym-iny

Now, what do you call those people who just hang around the gym but do not work out? You know the ones. The ones who just walk around the gym socializing but only get onto a machine to sit on it. There is this gal who walks around the gym floor with a cup of hot tea and sits on a leg curling machine...for twenty minutes! C'mon now. Get your useless behind off the machine. If you want to relax, head out to the lounge or something. But really. I see her just waltzing around the floor aimlessly doing nothing but sitting and sipping. Maybe she is not aware that a gym is for working out. Once, okay, it would not get too much of my attention but I have seen her more than three times this week already. With a cup of tea each time.

Yeah, okay, gonna clam up right about now.

Another Marathon

Egads. How did I ever let that happen? The DVR is getting full. Aaack. So, since it is a rainy day today...and conveniently a Sunday...I am hosed up at home in front of the telly going through a DVR marathon. Going through as many shows as I can to get it where I am not thinking "holy moley" which means the DVR is about two-thirds full. So, I am here bug eyed going through this marathon. How many Bravo episodes can I go through? A lot, apparently. Almost halfway done but think I am about to take a break from it all. Brain is blitzed from all that telly. I have brain drain...

Happy Hour Friday - Zombie

I woke up this morning feeling like one. A zombie, that is. Groggy and sluggish. But that is a Friday morning to me. Dragged down by the past week's events.

This drink is also known as a Hurricane to some folks. Same yummy stuff.

Zombie

Fill a tall glass with ice.

Add:

• 1 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. dark rum
• 1/2 oz. grenadine

Fill with equal parts:

• pineapple juice
• orange juice

Float:

• 1/2 oz. Bacardi 151 (whoooooooa!)

Beating It Again

I just heard wonderful news. My good friend had a recurrence in her breast cancer last summer and had been undergoing chemo treatment for the second time. The good news is that she did not have to go through her last round since her scans showed no more signs of the cancer. I always admired her and when she beat it the first time, I was exceptionally proud of how she handled it and beat it without too many side effects. So, I was devastated to hear that she had a recurrence this past summer. But, through her strong resolve, she beat it again this time. You can imagine how ecstatic I am to hear this latest news. Keep on rockin'!!

Double Celebrations

Happy Valentine's Day to everybody!! Hugs and kisses...

And Gung Hay Fat Choy...happy Chinese New Year!

This is the Year of the Tiger. My sister is a Tiger so this year should be a good one for her. Cool. It has been rough for her. I hope this year brings much luck, fortune and happiness to her and all her other fellow Tigers.

Happy Hour Friday - Mind Eraser

Hmmmm...not sure why this is called a Mind Eraser. To me, it is a skinnied down Black Russian.

Mind Eraser

Fill a rocks glass with ice.
Add:

• 1 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. Kahlua
• 1 oz. soda water

Forty Lashes

I bought one of those new lash serum/moisturizers that tout growing longer lashes while making them thicker. I started the treatment about a week ago and it recommends that two months of treatment will land results. We shall see. I have a pretty decent length for lashes but they are just stick straight. I am not one to wear mascara which a friend commented on that fact. I guess most women wear mascara. Well, I will have to report back on the progress in a coupla months so we shall see what we get around that time.

Chuckie!

What a crack up. I was on the bus going home at night after a session at the gym. It was a bit late so the bus was fairly empty. So, this chick gets on about halfway through my hood and...she has a Chuckie doll in her arms! Remember Chuckie from the horror flick? Yeah. That Chuckie. It was so cool. I had wanted one years and years ago when the movies were a rage back then. I had watched the movies with my ex (at that time) and he wanted to get one for each of us. That would have been funny cool but he thought it may be hinky owning one and did not want to bring any bad juju on himself. But this Chuckie looked just like Chuckie. It was so cute. The gal put him in the bus seat as if Chuckie were a real child. And she treated him as such. Not sure where she was going since the beach was less than a coupla miles away. She tucked him in and patted him on the head. How cute in a weird way. But...I will not be running out to find a Chuckie. I will leave all of that with this chick.

Super Bowled

Wow. The Saints won. How cool. What a story. Going to the Super Bowl for the first time...and winning in an upset over the favorite. Good thing I did not bet on the game. Or maybe I should have.

Oh, well. I went off to the mall instead figuring it would be quiet. Not that I had any business going there but I wanted to hit up Trader Joe's for some groceries. All turned out well.

Hey, Saints...good for you!

Happy Hour Friday - Mudslide

Pretty popular and tasty.

Mudslide

Fill a rocks glass with ice.
Add 1/2 oz. vodka.
Add 1/2 oz. Kahlua.
Add 1/2 oz. Baileys.

Mmmmmmm...tasty...

Commuter Scents

Okay. This one is probably a common commuter's pet peeve. Too much scent. Like cologne or perfume. Granted that the offender really does not know how much of a scent is being shared. How funny that this man stood near me (I was sitting down) and had probably just shaved. He must have put on talcum powder or some type of cologne that had a powder scent. This is funny but when I smell men's cologne that smells powdery, I sneeze like a cat. (Choo, choo, choo.) So, I try to hold in a sneeze by wrinkling my nose back and forth. What a sight that must be.

What is worse than powdery cologne is bold women's perfume. Do you remember Giorgio? Ha ha. I am totally dating myself but that scent is so distinctive that one knows what I mean by the mere mention of the name. Oh, thank goodness I was not into that when I was younger. (Admittedly, I had a beach bag with their logo though.)

Hmmm...I feel a headache coming on...

Vegging Out

My latest food thing. Grilled eggplant sandwiches. Between toasted whole wheat bread, spread with zesty guacamole dip (it is sold as a dip in a tub and is not really guacamole but it makes a good sandwich spread), topped with lettuce, tomato, sprouts, red onion. That makes vegging out really tasty.

Chick vs. Food

Just for the heck of it, I try eating an entire 1.85 lb. steak. Oh, boy. A bit ambitious but I know I can put away a one pound steak. Actually, not much of a problem, really. I say that with a tad bit of embarrassment. I mean, I am a chick and that is not quite...uh...how much a chick usually eats in a sitting. But I guess I can say that I have a healthy appetite. Hah! Like you do not yet have that figured out. Hoo boy. But what brought this on, you ask. I am not too sure. Maybe because I have been watching too many Man vs. Food episodes. Maybe I was just really, really hungry. Who knows. All I know is that I want to go toe to toe with this slab of beef. Yep. Excuse me now but I think I need to get cozy with my steak.

A New Superstore

Get this. A new superstore is opening. It is called IGrow. Apparently, this will be a superstore, megastore, Walmart, ToysRUs or whatever for pot and pot growing. Yeah, pot. Well, you could grow tomatoes but I doubt customers will be going to this store for tomatoes. Geeeeez, what next? I guess calling it Potmart or Pot4Us would have generated a law suit.

Happy Hour Friday - Melon Ball

I had the martini version - a Cantaloupe Martini. The difference is the glass (martini glass, of course) and the amount of ingredients. And they look different, of course, since a martini is shaken. But the taste is pretty similar.

Melon Ball

• Fill a tall glass with ice.
• Add 1 oz. vodka.
• Fill with orange juice.
• Float with 1/2 oz. Midori.
• Garnish with a cherry.

Yummy!

A New Toy

The big news is the release of the new iPad from Apple. I suppose most people have taken a peek at it by now. My first reaction -- a big iPhone. Cracked the heck outta me. It reminds me of my big giant pen, my old giant eraser, whatever. Not sure it is getting good raves yet since the newscasts seem to be making the comparison to the Touch on steroids. But Apple has a huge following so we shall see what their reaction is to this new toy. As for me...nahh, I will pass. I will stick with my iPhone.

Super Duper

I missed the football playoffs (I was at the mall) but I heard the games were pretty good. So, the not so new news is that the Saints made it to the Super Bowl. This is their first time and I think that is so cool. Best of luck to them!

Happy B

Happy birthday, Ellen D!!

A Law I Would Like To Break

As in Murphy's Law.

This is just too funny. I would start to say that this may be my imagination but, so far, I have been hitting ten out of ten tries. I have been whining all week about the rain just not letting up. Yes, we did have some fierce days but the rain has been constant. All week. There were a few pockets of the rain letting up. A window of opportunity. Make a break for it. But just figures. I am usually a Murphy's Law poster child and it sure did not let me down this time. Every time I put on my sneaks to head out to the gym, run an errand, run to the store, etc. -- it started to rain. Every time. But I laugh it off. It seems that Murphy's Law has made itself comfy around me. Juust figures...

Happy Hour Friday - Long Island Ice Tea

How about an old school drink? Ha ha. Not sure what brought on the nostalgia. Thought it would be fun.

Long Island Ice Tea

Fill a tall glass with ice.

Add:

• 1/2 oz. vodka
• 1/2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. rum
• 1/2 oz. Triple Sec
• 1/2 oz. tequila

Fill with sweet and sour.

Float Coke on top.

Garnish with lemon.

To oldies!

Rainy Day Rx

Sigh. It is still rainy outside. It has been a pretty constant showery kind of day. I am watching Ellen De Generes right now. This gal cracks me up. Some of the stuff on her show just cracks me up so bad it puts me into tears of laughter. Side splitting. There is this one game she has on her show called "Aw Snap" and I can barely get off the floor from laughing so hard. The show is hecka funny. If you need a good laugh, watch her show. You will definitely feel uplifted after watching it. Put a smile on!

The Worst Cook

The Food Network has a new show on this season. It is called The Worst Cook in America. Hmmmm. Now, I wonder why I was not nominated to be on this show. Cook, I am not. I can probably do a bit better than the contestants that were picked but definitely not a cook. More of a dine in or take out kind of gal. Cooking for one can be an ordeal and can take a lot of time. This girl wants to eat. And when I want to eat, I want to eat now. A no nonsense chick when it comes to eating. Quick and easy is me. I microwave almost anything I can get my hands on that is not bought already made to eat. A Microwave Queen. What a crack up, eh? Even my steaks barely make it a couple of minutes in the grill pan. I spend more time washing dishes than eating. Okay...washing dishes is another story and another thing that is not my forte. I am cracking up because I am foraging in the fridge for something to microwave and eat.

Just gimme that darn fork so I can get down to eating. I just like to eat. You do know that, riggght??

Thunder!

It is thundering out today. It has been awhile since we had thunderstorms such as the one going on right now. It has just started and it is expected to rain and thunder more into the night. So far, not too too bad. I know this weather is nothing compared to other parts of the nation but it is something a bit different in the Bay Area. We are in the middle of a series of storms that has/will be hitting. It is expected that tonight's storm will be the worst. I hate rain. I know we need it but I hate it. I hate being getting wet. With big windy, stormy, thundering nights one has to expect to wake up and see what chaos happened overnight. I live near the park (Golden Gate) so I am saddened when I see fallen trees and floods in the park. The park is so beautiful and serene so when it is hit by storms it is so sad to see it weak and fallen. But we shall see. Maybe Mother Nature will give it a break this time.

Happy Hour Friday - Kamikaze

I used to drink these a long, long time ago.

Kamikaze

In a shaker full of ice, add:

• 1 oz. vodka
• 1/4 oz. Triple Sec
• 1/4 oz. lime juice

Shake until cold and strain into a rocks glass.

Skinny Buns

Have you tried the thin buns yet? Both Oroweat and Earth Grains bake them. There are sort of a hybrid between a hamburger bun and pita. Sort of. The buns are round which remind me of a hamburger bun but the bread in thin, thin, thin. It is made from whole grain (I tried whole wheat), is fairly low in calories (100) and has a decent fiber count (4 grams). They are tasty but a bit lacking in the heft department. What I mean by that remark is that they are a bit skimpy. I suppose it depends on what you will be filling it with. I made a turkey burger and these are not quite meant for a burger. The buns have pinholes in the bread so meat juices will soak through. This makes for a quick meal because you will have to eat faster to keep the bread from getting too soggy. They are also not good toaster candidates. Tried it and the buns slump into the toaster so when it is done toasting you have sort of a collapsed oval. Better off not toasting. I think if you limit your sandwich filling to something drier, it is doable. Question is -- would I buy them again? I suppose I may but I am not too crazy about them. They are tasty but the negatives will make me think twice. I will most likely ask myself if a bun or bread will be better. But do try it. It may work for you better than it did for me.

Thinking of Haiti

So, so awful. The devastation in Haiti. I am sure all have been watching the newscasts of the horrible earthquake that hit Haiti. While we had our own big temblor in Northern California, it hits home personally even harder since we all know all too well how much damage a large earthquake can cause. It puts tears in eyes to watch, hear and learn of so much chaos and devastation. Take time to pray for all that are suffering in this chaos.

Scents-ibility

Oh, no. Not another gym thing. Right after another. The gym I go to strongly suggests (and rightly so) that members not wear heavy scents into the gym or class. I know a lot of people who have sensitivities to strong scents and the gym is really not the place for one to work out with heavy cologne or perfume. The kicker about this is the offender was a male. Now, normally, a man's cologne would have worn off by the afternoon. But this guy must have just put on his cologne right before he hit the gym floor. The scent, itself, was not bad but I could see where other members would have an issue with the amount splashed/sprayed on. And, no, this was not the person I was laughing about wearing heavy bling to work out. The gym has its share of characters that is for sure. Not what I would have expected in this gym but others. Oh, well, it does make for conversation and something for me to blather about.

Bright Daze

What a funny incident. I was at the gym the other day and a gal walks in wearing dark sunglasses. And I mean dark lenses. Which I really had to do a double take. It was an overcast day outside but I am talking about this gal wearing sunglasses on the gym floor. No, no, no. These were not photo-sensitive lenses that change from outdoor to indoor. These were dark. Funny thing is this was not the first time I had seen someone wear sunglasses indoors to work out in a gym. First time was a guy but I figure he was one of those flashy look at me types. He had flashy clothes on and was also wearing heavy gold bracelets. Some serious bling. I doubt he was there to work out. Which is strange since this is a serious gym and the people that come here are really into working out. This is not one of those gyms where people come to meet and greet. Well, I give this gal the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she had an eye condition or something. But still, there is a part of the gym which she could have worked out without too much light bothering her. But, oh well...

Happy Hour Friday - Vodka Collins

Let's keep it light and easy for the new year.

Vodka Collins

In a tall glass:

• Fill with ice.
• Add 1 oz. vodka.
• Fill with equal parts sweet and sour and soda water.
• Optional garnish - cherry and lime

Resolutions - Second

Okay, so I blathered about my resolution number one. Here goes resolution number two.

Shape up my shoulders. Yeahhhhh. As much as a fitness nut I may be, I have weak shoulders. I remember my first physicial assessment by a trainer. I had to go through strength machines to determine how much I could lift or whatever. When I got over to the shoulder press machine, I bombed miserably. The trainer kept going down in weight...further...and further...until he hit rock bottom on the machine. I just cannot lift over my shoulders. His comment was, "Wow, you really have weak shoulders." Wahhhh. I really need to work on shaping up my strength.

Why did my sister bring this up? I do not remember exactly what we were talking about but she reminded me of the time when I could not get my carry-on into the overhead bin on the airplane. She started by saying, "I do not mean this in a bad way but...". Yeah. When someone starts off a conversation like that it only goes downhill from there. Then she went on to, "You are not all that when it comes to fitness..." and on and on and on. Well, yeah...duh. I really got away from the fitness addiction when I transferred jobs and the company gym got axed. I never really joined a gym after that being it was hard thinking of paying for something that used to be free. It is just the point. I just got into running in the park. Oh, gosh, that was always so nice and zen running in the park trails. The trees would mask all the traffic and so much more healthier than running in the streets. But I was concerned for my safety after awhile. Apparently, there was a rapist that was attacking women in the park. To boot, an attack happened exactly at the entrance I use to get into the park. Around the same time of day on the same day of the week. I am not sure if the perp was ever apprehended but it was enough for me to not go running in the park.

Long story short. My resolution for this year is to work on shaping up my shoulders. This will be a good thing. I used to be a whole lot more defined in the arms but lost all of it. At least in the shoulders. Okay...here we go...

Resolutions - First

I have not made any new year resolutions for the past few years. Not sure why now that I am thinking about it. Guess I did not want to make any commitments. Whatever.

Well, I did not have to think too hard about making a resolution this year. Apparently, my sister has unwittingly made them (yes, more than one) for me.

First one, stop being too nice. Yeah, go figure. I knew this awhile ago but being nice is just so easy. So what is the issue here? Not so nice people tend to take advantage of nice people. They take advantage of the goodness of someone's heart just so they could get ahead in whatever. That is not nice. Some people mistake too nice for weakness. That is so far from the truth. Nice is just nice. The world would be so much better if everyone just practiced kindness. A few years ago, my friend really put it in to perspective. She has said that I should not change because it is their (those not so nice people) shortcoming and not mine. She was totally right. I would hate to not be nice. But where does this fit into my resolution? I am going at the slant of just putting up more boundaries. I guess sometimes I am just so laid back (not always) that I let things roll off my shoulders. (On the other hand sometimes not at all.) Setting boundaries up front will be an offensive instead of defensive maneuver. Get those not so nice people right up front so they would not even try.

Okay, I guess I should be asking what resolutions you made for the new year.

(Number two resolution set for tomorrow's blog.)

Marathons

Ha ha. Not running marathons. Quite the opposite. I mean television marathons. Admittedly, I have been caught up in series marathons on some of the popular shows.

There is always the good ole standby CSI. But I have mainly been hitting up the Criminal Minds episodes hoping to catch some eppies I missed. I used to watch them live but lost keeping them up awhile ago since I had been taping the CSI cities series. I think I had an overlap and one had to lose. So I am playing catch up with that series. Then I hit the Dog marathon (yes, sheepishly admitting it). I like the Hawaii episodes (not really liking the Denver shows) and I see if I can spot where they are driving. I do not know most of Oahu but it is kinda neat to say that I have been there when it flashes onto the set.

Oh, and of course, there were all of those Housewives marathons. Atlanta and OC. Then watching Tabatha in her Salon Takeover episodes. It actually creeps me out thinking that a salon can be so dirty. Ugh.

Okay, I can slow down on telly now and get back to business. I mean, after all, another year has turned over.

Happy New Year!!

Another year has just gone by. For some, it went quickly. For others, it may have felt like a lifetime. I think it depends on how your life went the past year. Kind of like whether or not your life was glass half full or glass half empty.

For those who had a great 2009, I wish you a fabulous 2010.

For those who could not wait for 2009 to end, I wish 2010 will be the beginning of something new and better.

Happy 2010!!!