Good-bye 2005!

Usually, I get very sentimental around year-end. I'm sad to see another year go. But this time, I feel quite the opposite. I'm so entirely sick of 2005, that I can't wait to start a brand new year afresh. I'm sure once I look back on it, I'll appreciate 2005 for making me stronger emotionally. But for right now, I can't wait to say good-bye 2005 and make plans for 2006, which I expect to be a million times better.
Looking back there was a lot of good a lot of bad and even more ugly! And since I love making lists, here's some highlights and lowlights from 2005.

The Good

• I started my new blog and made some new blog friends!
• I got accepted and started Graduate school which earned me two A's!
• I finally met my friend Amit in person in NY!
• I went to three concerts with my good friend Raeshel, who I don't get to hang out with very often.
• My doggie's still pulling through after 6 months of remission and over a year with lymphoma!

The Bad

• I suffered straight through 3 months with a full-time job, 2 night classes and a truck-load of homework!
• I got divorced from one of my company's departments. That's where all my cool hip buddies were!
• Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey announced their separation on my birthday! And I who was rooting for them all the way ever since the very very beginning when they started dating. Never again! Celebrities can rot in $&%# for all I care now.

The Ugly

• My neighbor died on the 27th of December.
• My uncle in Alberta was diagnosed with liver cancer.
• I was in two car accidents, both not my fault, the latter affected me emotionally.
• I still have no boyfriend!
• I still don't have my own apartment.

Life Lessons

Now that I got two A's in school, I should really strive for an A where it really matters. Life! I feel that at 25 I'm way behind in my life lessons. There is so much about being an adult I don't know. It's so difficult too. I know that I should sign up for a 401k, yet the big packet of info explaining what the heck it is (I still don't get exactly what it does) is sitting on my chair-side table collecting dust. The only reason I know what a muffler and a bumper is, is due to the fact that they are both damaged parts of my vehicle! Otherwise, I wouldn't know one end of a car from another. I'm also completely clueless about house stuff too. I was reading Bev's entries about her wonderful new home and all the repairs and home improvement projects her and her hubby are undertaking and I feel like I'm reading a foreign language. It's stuff I should know, but don't and it just shames me. I really wish I could step away from school and work and take a year off just to take some lessons from the school of life! I know I need it before I can take the next step.

Give me an "A"!

Actually, give me two A's, because that's what I got for grades for my two graduate courses.

Contemporary British Novels - A
Book Publishing - A

And now my grade point average is 4.0 baby! Yay! I've never had a 4.0. Granted this is based on two classes, but still! I'm allowed to revel in all it's glory!

I just gave birth to my term paper

After a period of gestation, and labor that lasted for 7 days, I am happy to announce that I am the proud mother of a 15-page paper. The paper was born at 8pm on Friday December 16th, 2005. It weighs in at 50% of my class grade. After the paper was born, only a little cleaning up needed to be done before it was in the arms of its mother. In a few days, both mother and paper will receive their final grade and can go home either very happy or miserable.

On the Verge of Tears

I'm way too personally affected by things sometimes. Two people aren't
very happy with me right. Mostly because they don't want to believe me
when I point out one of their errors and instead of investigating it on
their side, they simply chose to wage a bitter back and forth battle
with me. I have to stand my ground and provide proof but two people in
question take things very personally and feel as if I'm trying to hurt
their feelings by making them look bad. And because they take it
personally, I feel like I'm responsible for hurting them. Which in turns
hurts me. I've been so worried about this I barely got any sleep last
night and I'm on the verge of tears this morning. What makes this a
double-edged sword is if I didn't point out their errors and let things
flow, the end result will be people coming back to me telling me why I
didn't catch the mistake in the first place. I don't need any of this
right now. Especially with the damage to my car due to an accident and
school work (3 classes, 15-page paper, a presentation and a proposal),
this is not the time for this kind of crap. Ahh feels good to rant. I
feel a little better now! Yet I still wish I could stop feeling bad
about the situation all together!

If I had a Sugar Daddy, I would make him buy me this! ::swoon::

Bang!

I got into yet another car accident today! I was on the off ramp about to head to the tolls when I had to come to a full stop for traffic. I left a lot of room between myself and the car in front of me. For some reason, I take a glance at my rear view mirror and notice that the car behind me is head straight towards my car at full speed while the driver is looking towards his passenger seat. My jaw dropped and I panicked. I swerved my car towards the left and hit the gas to get out of the way, but he was coming too fast. He hit me smack on the right hand side of my car's bumper! If it wasn't for my swerving to the left, I would have hit the car in front of me because the sheer distance my car flew forward due to the impact would have most definitely closed the gap between myself and the other car (and who knows what else may have happened).

I was in complete and utter shock. My nerves were frazzled, but luckily I wasn't injured. The guy's car was completely smashed in on the front left side. People were stopping to stare, especially since it was morning rush hour traffic. The state police came very quickly since it was part of an interstate highway. The guy who hit me didn't ask me if I was alright and didn't even apologize. What a jerk! The only satisfaction I get out of this is that it's COMPLETELY his fault, that his car is damaged more than mine and that he will have to pay for my damages. Ha ha ha.

What stinks about this whole situation though, is that within the last month I had my car bumper replaced because of ANOTHER car accident I had during earlier in the summer. Now the damage to my new bumper is even worse and my transmission may have been hurt by the accident too. And I'll have to go through all the insurance nightmares again. I'm sure that's the last thing I need with a 15 page paper, a presentation and a big publishing project due in the next couple of weeks. Please pray for my poor frazzled soul!

Quarter Life Relaxation

Yesterday, yours truly turned 25 years old. It was quite an unventful day. I went to watch a movie alone, and a child sitting behind me kicked the back of my chair at least 30 times. But I enjoyed the film (which wasn't Pride & Prejudice by the way) nonetheless. I went home. Ate lunch, watched TV, listened to my new itty bitty teeny weeny itsy bitsy iPod Nano (which now has 300 songs on it) and then ate dinner! Sounds boring, but the best part about it is that it was indeed mundane. I was able to, for the first time in a LONG WHILE, take the chance to relax, take it slow and easy and just enjoy some free time. That was indeed the best part of my birthday and the best present that I gave myself. And I don't mind working hard today and tomorrow knowing that it allowed me my one day of freedom.

Pride & Prejudice; Turkey & 25

I have a lot of nothing planned next week. It will be my first week in a while that I can actually take some time out to relax! I'll have part of Wednesday, all of Thursday, Thanksgiving affectionately known as Turkey Day, and all of Friday, my 25th Birthday, off! No work! Yippee! And since I have school only on Monday and Tuesday I'll have 4 straight days of freedom! I can catch up on some leisure reading, catching up on my favorite bloggers and some ZZZs. More importantly, I can take the time to watch a real movie at a real cinema. Something I haven't done almost all year! Particularly, I am anxious to to see the new Pride & Prejudice movie. I sobbed when I first saw the trailer (watch it here). I thought that I wouldn't want to see it, because that really annoying Keira Knightley is playing the best female character in all of fiction, Elizabeth Bennett. But when I saw some clips, I was in awe. It looked absolutely breath-taking. And it will be a nice change from the 5-hour BBC/A&E mini-series that I'm used to watching incessantly!

In other news, my parents have finally broken down and decided to join forces and buy me an iPod as a present. I gave them the huge sob story of how, year after year, I get unthoughtful presents like cash and TJMaxx clothing (my mom works for the store) while other daughters get REAL gifts, stuff they actually DESIRE! I told them how everyone at work and school has an iPod and how it would save them money if they made it a joint gift. I even offered to buy it online for them (with their credit card of course)! They fell for it, so I'm getting a white 4GB iPod Nano very soon! I'm so excited. I feel more technologically-advanced just knowing it's on its way!

Naughty Naughty

Now that I discovered that I can post to my blog via e-mail to a specific address (that I create), I know for a fact that I'm going to able to make more entries! Just thought I'd share something interesting with you guys (something interesting to me that is, but boring to most I'm sure). Recently I discovered that it is illegal for copy shops to photocopy parts of copyrighted books and in turn sell those copies to college students in coursepacks. The reason for it being illegal is that the copy shop is making money off of the publisher's product and the publisher doesn't make anything off the transaction. This makes sense, but I was confused because as an undergraduate at Northeastern University I would buy coursepacks of short stories, literary criticism, tables/charts/maps, etc. from the school's affiliate copy shop, Gnomon's. The coursepacks were basically photocopies from published books. And I thought to myself, in retrospect, how did Northeastern University and Gnomon's get away with this when my current school cannot?

Well it seems they can't get away with it! And in a recent issue of Publisher's Weekly, it states that a whole list of publishers are suing the same Gnomon Copy that I used to buy undergraduate coursepacks at, for breach of copyright! They are not suing the whole chain of Gnomon Copys rather just the one that works in conjunction with Northeastern. So all those old coursepacks sitting up in my attic are HOT illegal goods.

Favicon

I'm experimenting with Favicons. Let me know if you see the above image in your Favorites if you bookmark it (if you already have it bookmarked 1) thank you! I love you! and 2) delete it and bookmark it again) or beside the web address above if you don't have IE. I don't think blogger is Favicon friendly, but it's worth a shot.

FYI- the image is of Norma Shearer's eye. Hee hee.

Everything's Changing, Nothing Stays the Same

Eveything seems to be changing all of a sudden, and I've had to accept it. The dynamics of my family are changing. When relatives die there is a bit of restructuring. For example, my uncle Joaquim passed away recently and my aunt Noemiah was left alone. She moved in with her son and left her family farm. When ever we visited Portugal, their farm was our mainstay. It was our base. All of our nearby relatives would congregate there to see us. Now that's gone. We also visited family in the Dominican Republic. But now they've all moved to New York to Washington Heights. So trips to that Caribbean island make no sense now since we've got no one to visit. And up north in Canada, my favorite uncle John has cancer. He just underwent major surgery and no one's sure how much time he's got left. If he passes away, my aunt would move down here with us. Both my aunt and my mother are twins and equally psychotic in their own ways. But together they are explosive. If my aunt moves down here, I move out!
Well, I should move out anyways. My parents both drive me up the wall insane! Throw my crazy aunt into the mix and I would wind up in an asylum! And I'm almost 25 and I've got no independence of my own. So plans are underway to move out. I'll have to move near work, which is a very difficult thing to do. The closer you live to the city, the more expensive it is. And I need to move close enough to merit the actual move. I can't live with a roommate either. I'm scared I'll grow dependant on them. I really need to be able to live by myself, on my own with only myself to lean on. At least for a little while, so I can grow up! The gamble in all of this is that, my job's not one that I'm absolutely sure I'll keep for a long time. The company could restructure (there is that word again) with all it's growth and decide that they can split my job into two positions, with me not being in either one. Then there is school, which is becoming a major regret of mine recently. This was the only time I could start, but it's also come at the most inconvenient time ever. I wish I could have put it off for one more year, but unfortunately the school does not accept deferment for that program. So I had to at least start. And now I'm contemplating a leave of abscence for one semester, to give me time to put my life in order.
Ok, so I just spilled my guts. So be nice and pray for me as I'll be expecting some very difficult months ahead.

All Dressed Up for Autumn!

Moment of Despair

Halloween is evil! Pure and unadulterated evil! With so much Halloween candy going around, basically being passed on an imaginary conveyor belt right beneath my nose so I can't escape it, I was led into temptation and I fell! Fortunately not very hard, but I still fell. I had a revolting coffee this morning, which spiked up my insulin requiring sugar to keep a balance. I could have eaten that banana I had on my desk, but no. I was in the throws of heady, psychedlic low-sugar trip and my hand went right for the Mystery Flavor Airhead. I haven't had an Airhead in years!!! (I used to do other people's homework and received big bars of the stuff as payment. Shameful I know!). But the sugary Airhead wasn't enough! I had to go for that snack size Butterfinger Crisp as well! I ate half before complete and utter embarassment and and overwhelming feeling of failure passed over me. ::sigh:: You know, I didn't even enjoy it. I'm so past the point of enjoying sugar, that it's only societal pressure and the obligatory caffeine induced insulin high that make me want to eat sugar. Otherwise, I don't even miss it! I think this relapse is also part of all the stress that I'm enduring. Anyways, that my rant. I'm sure you'll hear from me again once the other commercial holidays pop around the corner, luring me into another sugar-craving frenzy!

Reading

This is all the reading I have to do for school (with the exception of the Chicago Manual of Style, which is purely reference). All of this needs to be digested by December 21! Lovely.

It's Snowing in October!

I'm Drowning in Homework!

I'm literally drowning in homework right now. At orientation, the speaker said that most students re-evaluate their "reasons" for attending graduate school around the end of October. It's when they are hit the hardest with the huge amount of work and responsibilities that's just been laid on their shoulders. I said to myself, "no, that won't be me. I appreciate why I'm doing this and won't be overwhelmed at all!" Yeah, (expletive) right! Today I've spent almost the whole day immersed in reading and only just came up for some air. And now I'm going to dive back into my workload. I'm hopeful that SOMETIME or other I'll be able to find sometime to post about the concert I just went to last week along with a few pics!

Kelly Tagged Me, Now I'm It

Kelly's tagged me to post 20 random things about me. I'll try not to duplicate anything I posted on 20 Really Interesting or Just Plain Strange Things You Didn't Know About Me .

1. I'm obsessed with silver. Gold to me is subpar.
2. I hope to one day have a pet cow. Either Guernsey, Jersey or Holstein.
3. I always cry when I watch The Little Mermaid (1989).
4. The leading literary critic, Harold Bloom, once told me I was pretty. It's a moment I'll never forget.
5. When I was 7, I stole an Alf umbrella from a Bradlees.
6. I like to link things. Hee hee.
7. I wear lots of hats.
8. I love Fossil watches.
9. I love pocketwatches and curse the fact that I can't wear them because I'm female!
10. I once had a house in Portugal as part of my inheritance. Not anymore, though...
11. I secretly dream of being famous in the literary world.
12. Autumn is my favorite season.
13. I love the Oxford English Dictionary. It's a word-lover's delight.
14. I've danced tap, ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical and gymnastic all to countless '80s and '90s cheesy pop tunes.
15. I hate drugs.
16. I really really really want my own apartment.
17. I'm more immature than I let on.
18. I'm convinced that John Henson is the funniest man alive!
19. Turner Classic Movies is my favorite channel (can you see I'm struggling here?)
20. I love to rebel! If you don't rebel against something in your life, then you are just letting yourself be washed away with the tide.

Bev, tag your it!

The Big 25 List

With the big 2-5 lurking just around the corner (actually it's over a month away), I thought I would be inspired by French Toast Girl and do a Big 25 list. These are the things I want to accomplish in my 25th year of life. My goal is to complete all of these before I'm 26. Here's my list!

1. Get an apartment closer to work and school! This is crucial for my sanity and for the ozone.
2. Start becoming financially independent and buy less junk!
3. Shhhh... this one's ultra-personal so I cannot reveal it's contents.
4. Learn how to flirt! hee hee...
5. Travel to Paris, France.
6. Learn some French before I go to France!
7. Celebrate one year of no sugar on April 9th, 2006!
8. Sign up for 401k. And read the huge 401k info packet before I do so I make an informed decision.
9. Keep up reading the New York Times and Publisher's Weekly and listening to NPR.
10. Learn how to rollerskate.
11. Be cool, fork over the cash and finally buy an iPod. Does that conflict with #2 on my list?
12. Get a professional portait taken of myself.
13. Take a self-defense class, or learn some self-defense techniques. Or get a can of mace!
14. Look more people in the eye
15. Make a few friends outside of work.
16. Brush up on my Portuguese. It's really faltering.
17. Travel to Maine (I can't believe I've never been there).
18. Get rid of some of the shame I carry around with me. I hate being embarassed over everything.
19. Brush up on my writing skills.
20. Go see a musical, theatrical production or even some ballet. I have no excuse not to because my school is in the theatre district and I get student discounts. Yes!
21. Read more blogs. There are so many cool and interesting people out there in the blogworld.
22. Go to the beach and have some fun in the sun. Believe it or not I haven't done that in a few years!
23. Watch less TV! (pipe dream)
24. Go to another crazy concert! (I went to one on Saturday, I'll fill you in on the details later)
25. Above all else, strive to be happy!

It's Raining, It's Pouring

I'm starting to get concerned about all this rain we've been having! It can't be good. It's been raining on and off for a week now and it's been raining (not drizzling, but pouring) all day today with no stop! MSN even has an article about it: Hundreds Flee Soggy Northeast. Hey, I guess it could be worse. It could be non-stop snowing and I could be trapped in my own house! Wait. No I take that back. That would be a good thing!

Thinking Big

It's been a dreary and miserable week. I swear I haven't seen the sunshine since Saturday! Or was that Friday? It's been so long I can't remember. We've had non-stop rain and perpetually overcast skies. And it's supposed to continue through the weekend. It's enough to make one suicidal. Fortunately, my thoughts have been towards the more progressive side of things. I've been doing lots and lots of thinking. About my situation in life right now. My 25th birthday is coming very soon and I don't have a lot to show for it. I feel that I'm successful professionally and academically, but in life, I'm a bit of a failure. I really need to get my act together and straighten out of my life. And I'm hopeful that if I do that, everything else will fall into place.

I'm Still Alive, Barely

Shame on me for not posting in almost a week! I've been completely inundated. I feel like I'm buried under a mountain of junk that needs to be sorted and organized. I've literally spent the day reading stuff away. I finally read through the Friday and Sunday editions of the New York Times and am making my way through my stack of magazines. Not to mention all the reading for school I'm doing. It's an incredible amount. I thought my having to read 5 Bronte novels as an undergraduate was tough, you should see my reading now! When I find my digital camera (it's somewhere in my mess), I'll take a picture of the mountain of books I have to read for classes and post it. And it's not just reading, I need to sort through and organize all the physical junk in the house. All the excess clothes, books, cds, boxes, shoes, and other random things that seem to be everywhere! I feel like having a big clear out! A grand purging of the whole house. I want to go through every nook and cranny of every room and just throw stuff into the trash. Just get it out of my house and out of my life!

Good Old-Fashioned Home Cooked Meal

That's what I'm hankering for right about now as I sit eating my cold Bruegger's bagel with onion and chive cream cheese. Because of my new schedule of full-time work, part-time school I've had to change my priorities food-wise. Lots of frozen pizza, frozen dinners, bagels with cream cheese, bagel sandwiches, burritos from the local Mexican place, bagged popcorn, fruit in ziplock bags, etc. Any food that is fast and portable and BORING. And even during the week, it's mostly the same old take-out standby. Which in my case is pizza, pad thai, and Applebee's buttermilk shrimp. Mmmmm, the variety! I've had to start drinking coffee again to keep myself awake enough to work and study. Problem is coffee is a hypoglycemic's worst enemy. It kicks up my insulin levels so when my blood sugar starts to dip the difference between the two is staggering. So I have to drink coffee and follow it up an hour or so later with an orange juice. Now I despise the taste of both. Bleh! Luckily, I have tomorrow off, YAY!!!!, so I'm going to try to cook a homemade lunch and dinner. Hmmm. What shall I prepare? Soup? A classic meat & veg dinner? Ooohh Seafood? Shall I even attempt some kind of low sugar dessert? The possibilities are endless.

Robert Mitchum ::swoon::

I think I'm about to faint. The good folks at Turner Classic Movies (who are obviously my long-lost family, they just don't know it yet), decided to dedicate the month of October to the sexy, hunkalicious, charming and debonnaire Robert Mitchum. They will be showing 32 movies and one documentary throughout the whole month. Did they read my mind or what? Robert Mitchum is my all-time favorite classic male movie star (move over Kirk Douglas!). Not only was he outrageously good looking, but he was a talented actor with a rebellious side. He is highly underrated which is why I'm glad a whole month is being dedicated to the man with the sad eyes! Here are some pictures for you to ogle at:

My Darling Sweetheart!

Stupidly Efficient

Sometimes I surprise myself. I know I shouldn't talk about work, as that's a taboo topic in the blogging world and can get you on the fast track to unemployment, so I'll talk in general terms and not specifics. I have a project that needs to be done in three phases. The first to be completed in August one in September and one in October. I know in the back of my head that the August one is complete. And today I had the sudden realization that it's September 27th and my September portion hasn't been done yet. Now I hate to be late for anything! I have a tremendous fear of failure and that extends to letting people down, showing up late, missing a deadline, etc. I get nervous, my palms get sweaty, and I start to speak in incoherent sentences. Then when I have to face facts and confront my lateness, I start making excuses so that I don't look bad. It's not pretty, it's not honest and it's the opposite of what a responsible adult should be. So when it came to it, I tried everything to save myself from this situation. When finally, I apologized, gave my side of the story and made promises of working on the project right away, I come to see I've already finished the project. In fact I finished it two weeks ago! That's what I call stupidly efficient. I'm efficient enough to do all my work on time but stupid enough to not remember that I did it.

My Two Cents

Here are some of my silly Netflix Two Cents Mini-Reviews that I've written for TV shows and films I've rented on DVD. I'd thought I'd be nice and share with you folks. Enjoy:

• The Darling Buds of May (1991-1993) ~ Ok, my bags are packed and I'm all set. So, when do I move in with the Larkins?
• The End of the Affair (1999) ~ Worth watching for that romantic line about pantyhose and shoes!
• The Office (2001-2003) ~ Oh my goodness, you will laugh so hard that your pants will split. I guarantee. So save up for new pants!
• The Pacifier (2005) ~ Too funny!! The duck stole the show.
• Sullivan's Travels (1941) ~ It wrenches a tear right out of your eyeball!
• Woman of the Year (1942) ~ Keep a fire extinguisher handy, because the chemistry in this movie is EXPLOSIVE!
• Mean Girls (2004) ~ Any movie with pretty girls getting hit by buses is ok with me!
• Titus (1999) ~ If you like blood & guts, mutilation and torture, then this film is for you! Yes you but not me!
• What Women Want (2000) ~ I know what this woman wants, and it's for Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt to never make another movie. Ever again!

Sick Day & 10 Gratitudes

I'm taking a sick day today, because I'm truly sick. I'm physically, emotionally and mentally exhausted and stressed out to the max. I feel like I'm a flame of a candle that's burned through all the wick and wax and has made it's way to the metal ring at the very bottom. My energy source has run out and I need a new candle! Plus, my back is starting to show the tell-tale signs of stress-induced pain (similar to what happened to my neck). So I'm going to relax today and recharge my batteries. I have loads of work to do so I'm hopeful I'll get some stuff done as well!

The lovely Kelly and Penelope posted on their respective blogs 10 things they are grateful for. I really need to step back and appreciate the good things in life and stop dwelling on all the negative. Here are mine:

1. My family, they are my rock, my stronghold. I don't know what I would be without them.
2. God, to whom I pray to every single day and whom gives me the strength I need to get through life.
3. My dog, who's shamelessness, courage and heart full of joy and happiness amazes me every day.
4. Books, my mental stimulation, my career, my study, my comfort, and my escape.
5. Movies, that whisk me away to another world for 2 glorious hours.
6. The Internet, that feeds my insatiably curious mind.
7. Irish Breakfast Tea. Add some milk and honey and it warms both the body and the soul.
8. My bed, in which I lose myself in layers of fabric and travel to the land of dreams.
9. Elena Tverskaya, my red Toyota Corolla, who takes me everywhere I need to go. (Yes I name my cars. Always female, first name ethnic, surname Russian from Anna Karenina and based off the letters in the license plate. My other car was Filana Petrova).
10. New England. My home, my base. The part of the world that I'm the most connected to.

Avalanche

I can't believe I haven't posted in almost a week! I've been absolutely swamped. A coworker told me that graduate school was the biggest expender of time and to make of it what I can. I'm only into the second week and I already feed overwhelmed. This is when my non-existant time management skills should really come into play. My problem is, is that when I have too much on my plate, I go beserk. My inner multi-tasker goes on overdrive and is trying to do everything all at once, and everything ends up getting done at a slower pace with a poor end result. I really want to be able to approach my graduate studies differently. The richer and fuller academic experience is what I'm striving for, but my main problem is find the time to have that experience. I hope I can manage work, study and life in an organized and efficient way while maintaining my sanity. Any idea of how I'm supposed to do that because I haven't got a clue?

16 Seconds in Time Square

My digital camera can take little mini videos, 16 seconds long. And the few I've taken I've been very happy with. Sure it won't compare with the work of Alfred Hitchcock or Steven Spielberg, but I like it.

Here is one called "16 Seconds in Times Square." Click on the picture below to watch it. If the link doesn't work, please let me know. Enjoy!

In Light of it All

I realized my neck injury was more than a result from my fury of cross-stitching. It's compounded by the fact that I've been suffering from high stress these past couple of weeks. Especially in preparation for graduate school and all the work that will come with it. It'll be difficult juggling part-time school, full-time work and a long commute. To add to that my classes are at night so I've been sick with worry over the safest way for me to get home. Boston late at night is not necessarily the safest place to be. And the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina have taken a toll on me emotionally. It gives me a sense that there is no security and that everything you have in life can be gone in an instant. In the end, if this disaster affects the economy, it means I'm in danger of losing my job if my company starts to go under. No job, no school. It's all one vicious cycle.
So I need to do now is take deep breaths, relax, sip on some honeyed Chamomile tea, listen to some Bobby Darin and Chet Baker tunes and de-stress!

Who Knew???

I have this horrible blinding pain in the left side of my neck that doesn't let up. And guess where I got it? From sitting in one position for three hours, cross-stitching. Yes that's right. Cross-stitching! The most I thought I would get was maybe a prick from the needle and some blood. But no, cross-stitching lures you in and doesn't let you go. You say to yourself, just one more line and I promise I'll put it down. A few hours later and you realize you still haven't brought yourself to set the job aside.

So today I went online and Googled the keywords "hazards of cross-stitching" (words I never thought I'd ever type) and come to find out, there is a name for what I'm suffering. It's called SNSS (shoulder and neck strain syndrome).

Here is a quote from the website I visited:

"SNSS, a group of pain symptoms originating with the muscles between the lower neck and the shoulder, is also the most common CTD (cumulative trauma disorder) of the upper body. Who Is Most Vulnerable? The people most vulnerable to SNSS are those who keep their shoulders elevated or shrugged for extended periods of time. Repetitive work with the hands and tucking of the chin to one side add to the vulnerability."

Who Knew??? So if you are a first-time cross-stitcher like me, or your thinking of making this dangerous sport your new hobby. Beware! SNSS may strike on your very first attempt, as I am proof!

Orientation

On Thursday I spent the whole day at graduate orientation in Boston. It was the usual, welcome to the school, here's a tour and some souvenirs. And they toss in lots of droning lectures on financial aid, health and wellness, technology, library services, academic life, etc. I got to give credit to some of the speakers because they did try to make things interesting for us. The technology guy was very chipper, cracked a lot of jokes (at his expense) to keep us awake and attentive. The best part came at the very end, when we got to meet the faculty department of our major. It was cool to see all the students I'll be in classes with for the next 2, 3, maybe even 4 years depending.

On a whole the day was pretty good. I got to socialize a lot with some great people from all over the U.S., and some from other countries too. And during one of our many tours, the most random thing happened. None other than Stephen King, the famous horror fiction writer, walked right by my group as we were headed towards another campus building. I was completely starstruck to say the least. It was a fitting moment since I was going to begin an academic career in something he is so involved in. All in all, it was a good day. Now I'm anxious for classes to start next week. Wish me luck, because I'll need as much of it as I can get.

Before I forget...

If you are an art-lover and a philanthropist, please take your wallet over to eBay and bid on French Toast Girl's painting for the Illustration Friday theme "Wise." All proceeds of the painting go to Mercy Corps' Hurricane Katrina relief fund. It's a good cause and if you win, you'll have a beautiful one-of-a-kind piece of artwork to adorn your home and the good feeling that your purchase helped those in need. The auction ends September 12th!

He's a Love Hound

I've spoiled my dog ever since he was a little puppy. I've always bathed him with lots of love and affection. I spend countless hours playing with him, petting him and brushing his fur. And in my family, he's the center of attention. Now, mind you things haven't changed in the least bit, but he's started to develop a new habit. When I sit at my computer, typing away at my blog or surfing the internet, he gets a bit frustrated and annoyed. I pet him a little while, then my hand falls away to type something on my keyboard. So, he takes things into his own hands. He's developed the habit of brushing himself with the sleeves of a heavy winter jacket that rests on the back of a chair. He cleverly sneaks up underneath the jacket and walks back and forth swinging his hips to get the full effect. When the journey beneath the layers of fabric ends, he's left with one armsleeve resting on his body as though a human hand were patting his back. It's absolutely hilarious and being the shameless and innocent creature he is, he's unphazed by my laughter. Gotta love dogs!

Summer's Lease Has All Too Short a Date

Although the season doesn't technically end for a few more days, summer is truly over. Gone are the luxuriously lazy hot days and cool revitalizing nights. We leave behind the frosty glasses of lemonade, the aroma of cocoa butter from suntan lotion and the warmth of the summer sun. I like to look back at things with a sense of romantic nostalgia. Sure I've complained about the 90 degree whether and the humidity that drenches my skin in sweat and turns my normally tame mane into a fro. But, what I haven't admitted, is that I had been looking forward to summer this year like I never have before and spent my summer days in quiet admiration. Now that it is over, I realize that I will probably never have another summer quiet like it. And as I look ahead to Fall, I see great changes in my life. The road ahead is taking me in a new direction. I'm hopeful all will turn out for the best and that I'll have another wonderful summer to look forward to.

Eternal Optomist

I don't care what people say about how slow we were to action to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, I am still amazed at the generosity of people. So many people, so wholly unconnected with the situation are willing to lend their support to these people in need. And not just people, animals too. I was tremendously moved by this one picture of a young girl, who became homeless after the devastating hurricane hit, yet she saw an abandoned dog in need and took it upon herself to take care of him. She didn't need to do that. Goodness knows she wasn't in any better circumstances, but she found the compassion to help this poor animal. And I hear of people, so desparate to be able to do something. And those that can do and do greatly, sometimes sacrificing their own lives to do so. It brings me to tears. I truly believe that in everyone there is some goodness, no matter what those eternal pessimists think.

9/6/05: If you want to see the picture I'm talking about in the above post, here is a link.

Littera Scripta Manet

I read a very interesting article on NPR.org about authors and the books that changed their lives. And it got me thinking. I've made my career out of books. I've been a bookseller, an editorial and production intern and am now working full time for a book publisher. Books have become a big part of my life. So what books have changed my life? I listed a few below (besides the obvious). If you've got some of your own, I'd love to hear them too!

1. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo ~ Not because of it's anti-war message, which is pretty potent in in of itself, but because of how this triggers the power of imagination. "Johnny" is a war veteran who's lost all of his limbs and 4 out of his 5 senses when a hand grenade exploded in front of him. Yet he is kept alive, a prisoner in his own body. I couldn't believe the power of imagination and that a book could transport you into someone else's life.
2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott ~ Single-handedly gave me an overwhelming appreciation of our past. I have a deep admiration for bygone eras and a simpler way of life. It also made me proud of where I'm from, since the story is based in Massachusetts, my home state.
3. Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy ~ "It's a difficult question for any man to answer... whether to follow his dreams no matter what... or to give in slowly and let life lead him where it will." That's a quote from the movie, not the book, but it sums up the entire novel. Reading this book made me realize that I need to take my life into my own hands and let no one take advantage of me!
4. DK's Guide to Owning a Pupppy (Out of Print) ~ I would read this book for hours and hours, dreaming, wishing and hoping that I would one day own a puppy. That dream came true 13 years ago and this book was my guide to raising my very first pet.
5. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen ~ Simply because Elizabeth Bennett is the model woman. She knows how to behave in society, but doesn't take anyone's crap and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She's a loving sister, daughter, friend and finally wife. What women who reads this doesn't want to be just like her? I know I did, and still do.

Katrina

I am so heart broken over the events of the week. I can't believe what utter chaos and destruction Hurricane Katrina has brought to the Gulf area. It's amazing how in an instant you can lose everything you have. I see images of people suffering so incredibly, and I really wish I could do something! But I am so many miles away and all I can do send money in hopes that it will be used to help those who are so desparately in need of assistance. It's so easy for us to take for granted the things that we have. We should really just take a moment appreciate what we have and who we have in our lives and say a prayer for those who are less fortunate, but not at all less deserving.

Norma Shearer

I needed a break from blogging. So I took some days off! And yours truly has returned. Did you miss me?
I've been horribly behind on my TCM Summer Under the Stars watching. I did manage to tape 4 Norma Shearer movies and am determined to watch them all! I simply love Norma Shearer, regardless of what her critics say. I think she was wonderfully unapologetic and exquisitely glamorous. She had a will of iron and let no one stand in her way. I am the complete opposite which is why I admire her so greatly.
So I had taped The Divorcee (1930), Her Cardboard Lover (1942), Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) and Romeo & Juliet (1936). Her Cardboard Lover was Shearer's last film. She went on to marry a young ski instructor and continue to live glamorously until her death in 1983. It was quite good. The plot was completely unrealistic but that's the poetic license of film is it not? And then I watched The Divorcee which is supposed to be one of the raciest precode films ever. It deals with divorce (of course), premarital/extramarital relations and gender double standards in a very modern way. Unfortunately, I estimated incorrectly how much recording time I had left on my VHS tape and didn't get to see the ending. Dang it! Now I'm left with unanswered questions until TCM's next rotation, which will probably be in a few months. Anywho, if you haven't seen a Norma Shearer movie, shame on you! Go thee hence and rent The Women (1939), which is her best (and happens to be the theme of my profile).

The Kiss

The Kiss

If you are a fan of The Office, like me you know that this ain't no ordinary kiss. It's hard to explain, unless you've watched the series. Writers Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais put the audience through absolute torture as they watch this lovestruck pair NOT fulfill their romantic destiny until the very bitter end. Almost every episode makes their union seem less and less hopeful. Dawn is engaged to the heartless warehouse worker Lee and is reluctant to leave the security of being in a longterm relationship. And poor officemate Tim, whose simply lovestruck with the lovely Dawn knows his boundaries, and only oversteps them when his feelings get the better of him. And even though I know the ending, I still get the same anxiety from wondering if they are ever going to get together (even more so than Mr. Darcy & Elizabeth Bennett's union in P&P). ::Sigh:: L'amour! C'est magnifique!

Obsessive

I have a tendency to be a tad bit obsessive. It's just in my nature. If I really like something, I really really really like it. I live to eat and breathe it. I inundate myself until I'm swimming in it. And sometimes situations just happen to lend themselves to only let my obsession flourish and grow. For the past couple of months I've been completely and utterly obsessed with a particular band, who shall remain nameless. I don't know why. I am not a fan of their genre of music and the lyrics to their songs are really quite, strange. I'm not sure I understand them much but that doesn't stop me from liking/loving/living for them! This band du jour just happens to be up for two MTV Video Music Awards (aka VMA's) and MTV.com has so graciously provided obsessive fans like moi the opportunity to turbo vote for their favorite nominee. Meaning, you can rack up obscene amounts of votes for your favorite band by simply playing a game. Count me in!

Award: MTV's Viewer's Choice Award
Game: Viewer's Choice Moonman Blast!
How to Play: You shoot Moonmen award trophies through a canon aiming it at your favorite artist or band as they whiz by on speedboats. With each successful hit gets you one vote. Watch out for waterbound and airborne paparazzi and various Floridian wildlife.
Personal Goal: 50,000 votes
Earned to Date: 12,733 votes

Award: MTV2 Award
Game: Moonman Airlift
How to Play: You guide your helicopter past several aerial obstacles such as flying manatees (who knew?), hot air balloons, wayward volleyballs and annoying UFOs until you reach a treasure chest full of Moonmen award trophies. Use your giant magnet to lift as many as possible (watch out for dangerous coconuts!) and bring them back to the starting point to deposit. Each award deposited counts for one vote.
Personal Goal: 2,005 votes
Earned to Date: 1,090 votes

Let's just say I hope I don't get carpal tunnel syndrome from this!

What am I?

Miss Lonely Hearts over at LiveJournal had some interesting classic film quiz links on her blog. I took a couple and here are my results:

Which Silver Screen Siren are you?
Which Silver Screen Actor are you?

brought to you by Quizilla

This is indeed a compliment! I love Katharine Hepburn and always admired her spunk and vivacity, although I don't think I'm quite like her. At least not yet!

Which decade are you?

You are the 1940s!
brought to you by Quizilla

I've always thought of myself as very '40s. In fact most of my current wardrobe is '40s inspired. Though I'm partial to the '20s, '30s and '50s too. Hee hee!

If you take one of these quizzes, let me know your result or post on your blog. Have fun!

It's Friday and there's music in the air...

I'm so happy it's Friday and I'm looking forward to the weekend. I'm hopeful I'll get some chances to get away from my brooding self and go out and do some fun things. I'd love to catch a small concert or something. There's been a lot going on music-wise in the area. The big thing right now in Boston is The - Click - Five which is a quintet of Berklee College of Music grads who have literally exploded onto the scene. They are so big, they transcended the city. Quite a good looking bunch. They seem to be a cross between the Monkees and Take That. And that in fact is a compliment, as I love both groups dearly! And in the punk rock scene, Dropkick - Murphys and the - Dead - '60s are tres happening. Saw the Dropkick guys on Monday, they were very loud. But they used bagpipes which makes them old school and OK in my book. Besides the earsplitting stuff there's lots of jazz and classical concerts and festivals and such throughout the area. Such an array of audible delights to chose from. Or then again, maybe I'll just find myself curled up with a nice quiet book.

Hope Springs Eternal

Lately, I've felt like I am drowning. Like I'm under water and can see the sun reflecting in the water but no matter how far out I stretch my arm I can't reach the water's surface. Every facet of my life right now is overwhelming me and I can't find a way out. I go to work, I have 500+ e-mails waiting for me to respond, act or store, which I can never finish as I have to also deal with the 200 new ones I get during my day. All year I've been doing paperwork for school. Applications, essays, financial aid forms, health forms, waivers, tuition invoices, etc. Only to find myself finished days before classes start when I know more paperwork, in the form of homework, is to come. Since December last year, I've seen my dog battle lymphoma. His bravery and cheerfulness through it all made me ashamed of myself because I simply don't have the capacity to deal with things the way he does. And now I found out that unbeknownst to me, I've been watching my neighbor die of liver disease. Financial problems are plaguing me. Gas is outrageous, car payments dreadful and tuition bills unavoidable. My dream of having my own apartment seems farther away than ever right now. And my two closest friends have found their soulmates and are starting to move on, away from me, the third wheel. It all seems unbearable. I know there are other people in more dire situations. I'm not hungry, homeless, bankrupt or in danger of dying. I've been an optimist all of my life, and I'm scared that the way my life is going that I'll be on the road to living in a state of permanent cynicism. So I try to remain cheerful. I don't like writing negative posts on my blog, but I feel like I should really get this off my chest. Hope springs eternal, and maybe someday soon my life will take a turn for the better.

I've been Tagged!!!

I feel so special being tagged. I was tagged yesterday by the lovely Kelly to list 5 of my idiosyncrasies. Here they are:

1. Although I can be a very shy and reserved person with quiet and understated tastes and styles, I have a very rebellious side of me which loves doing the unpredictable, has a penchant for punk rockers with long tresses and a desire to rebel against society.
2. I'm a devout multi-tasker. I rarely ever concentrate on one thing at a time. It's a blessing and a curse.
3. I cringe at the sight of cooked red onions. Bleh!
4. I love the smell of a good book.
5. My favorite show of all time is "Arthur." I've been watching it faithfully for 9 years and I simply love D.W. and Fern!

I don't know very many bloggers (I'm trying to fix that!) and some of the bloggers I know have already been tagged. So I tag Bev ~ Book Yeti, Caesura ~ Aristotle's Melopoeia and Elena ~ French Toast Girl to list 5 of their idiosyncracies!

Happy Tax-Free Weekend!!!

In Massachusetts, it's tax-free weekend. For two days you can buy anything you want (up to $2,500) without paying 5% sales tax. So you can imagine how crowded stores in the Bay State will get this weekend. And today I really needed to go out and buy some new clothes, which is why I headed out of the state to Providence, Rhode Island to do my shopping. For one thing, clothes in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island are tax-free, because they are considered necessities. And since a lot of Rhode Islanders probably headed north to go buy some stuff tax-free, I thought I'd take advantage of shopping at a Rhode Island mall which would probably have considerably less traffic than a Massachusetts one. I went to the Providence Place mall which was as busy as it would be on a weekday. It was so easy to find a parking spot and getting in and out of stores was a breeze.

After going to Providence, I headed down south to Newport (again! I just love that town), to go see my mom's friend's sister's new restaurant. It's called La Baranda (which means "The Border") and it serves Latin-American cuisine. It was very small and quaint. Almost everyone spoke Spanish and the food was very authentic. It felt like I had walked through a portal into a restaurant in South America. I completely forgot I was in posh Newport. I had a really good beef stew with rice and sweet plantains. My mother had lightly fried fish with picked onions, kidney beans and rice. And we shared a plate of complimentary of fried plantain chips. Very good! Well worth the trip. It was great to get away from the shopping madness of Massachusetts and relax the day away in Rhode Island.

GRRRR!!

I'm in a GRRRR!! mood right now. Ever since I graduated from college in December '03 (got my diploma in January '04 and had the ceremony in May '04 ~ weird I know), my alma mater has been trying to get me to join their university fund. In other words, they want me to donate my hard earned cash for the beautification of their campus. Now, I'm very proud of the fact that I went to that particular school. I had the most amazing academic experience there. But I feel what I paid in tuition is enough. But on and off for 1 1/2 years my alma mater keeps CALLING ME with more request for $$$. I was starting to get very perturbed.

So today I get a call, from another university asking me for money. One I never attended but had to fork out thousands of dollars to earlier in the year. It's where my dog went for chemotherapy for his lymphoma. I was drained of all my savings paying for expensive operations, drugs, treatments, x-rays, blood tests, etc. to save my dog's life. And not that they were nice to me and my family during the whole process. They tried to make the experience as negative as possible. It was their way of frightening me about my dog's situation enough so I could go back and spend more money on treatment. So now that my dog is in remission and they know that I refuse to bring him back for more treatment, they are trying to find other ways to tap into my wallet. Good grief people! Don't you have souls? I feel so used and so sad.

Random Thoughts (in no particular order)

1. Requiescat in Pace: Peter Jennings (1938-2005). He was truly a legend.
2. Today, I saw two fawns grazing in a field full of wildflowers. It’s times like these that I wish I had a camera handy.
3. Les Triplets de Belleville (2003) ~ so weird.
4. Happy Autumnal thoughts. Pumpkin pie, multi-colored leaves, indie flicks, back to school supplies, crisp blue skies, barrels full of apples… ::sigh::
5. Wouldn’t it be so neat to be a History Detective?
6. Why in the name of all that is good does Ritz decide to put sugar and high fructose corn-syrup in their Sour Cream & Onion Chips? Why?!
7. I’ve got 954 movies rated on Netflix and my friend Amit has 1,555! I swear one day I will beat him.
8. My alma mater keeps calling me asking for donations to their university fund. You mean to say those tuition fees weren’t enough?
9. Whatever happened to Liesel Matthews of A Little Princess (1995) fame? She was so annoyingly cute.
10. School's gonna cost me an arm and a leg, but I can't wait until classes start. Woohoo!

My Semi-Interesting, Non-Constructive Weekend

I have the worst case of lethargy right now. Even as I write this entry I feel myself starting to doze off in front of the computer. I had a very strange weekend in which I did absolutely nothing that was even the least bit constructive. Friday night my area got hit by a torrential thunderstorm. Heavy rains, wind, lightning and thunder the whole shebang! We even lost power. I took a picture of it. Not that you can tell the intensity of the storm from my very poorly taken photo. The storm put a damper on any plans I had of going out that night.
I really wanted to go see this Italian movie at the MFA ( Musuem of Fine Arts- Boston). I had missed their French Film Festival (#$%&*!!!!!!!!!!), which as you can tell I'm very upset about. And I wasn't really looking forward to the remakes and mindless stuff that the local cinema had to offer, so on Saturday I thought I'd try one of their Italian selections, Dopo Mezzanote (2004), English translation "After Midnight." It was surprisingly good. Most foreign films I see at the MFA are usually very serious and surreal with extremely complicated plots that are very hard to follow. Dopo Mezzanote was both melancholic and light-hearted and had a truly delightful story. It was the story of 2 men and one women, whose lives begin after midnight; a film museum custodian, a late-night burger shop waitress and a professional car theif. The two men are in love with the woman who can't decide between the two and choses not to decide, much to their dismay. I truly wish this were on DVD so I could recommend it to people! It was truly a worthwhile flick.
So after Saturday's high note, I spent most of my Sunday in my current somnambulent state. I did manage, I'm not sure how, to make an apple pie sweetened with Splenda. It was quite good! The apples are naturally sweet and I added extra cinammon so it wouldn't lack any flavor. Yummy! Also, earlier in the summer, when the weather was a lot cooler than it was now, I planted a little garden. And now I have some wonderful ripe red tomatoes, long thick green peppers and bushes of sage, parlsey, chives and a lovey stalk of dill. Lovely! Now I'm off for another nap. ::yawn: Good night!

Hidden Enemies and Parapluies

Sugar is truly evil. At work, I innocently bought a package of Planter's peanut butter crackers at my work's vending machine. I bit into the 1st of 6 crackers and thought to myself, wow this is unusually sweet. I eat two more and then I decide to look at the ingredients. These evil little snacks contained sugar, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup and a few other sugar-like ingredients. Grrr! I ate the whole thing (I was hungry!!!) and afterwards swore never to purchase these little devils again. Even though it was only 4 grams of sugar, I felt woozy afterwards.
Speaking of let downs!, I recently watched a French film called Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (aka The Umbrellas of Cherbourg) on DVD. What a disappointment. All the dialogue was sung. All of it!!! Usually musicals give you a break, but this was non-stop singing all the way through. It's gets on your nerves after a while. It also slows the story down. I could only take 30 minutes at a time, as I was getting a headache from just watching it. Visually it was very stunning. The film was restored for DVD release and it showcases the uninhibited use of color that the '60s was well known for. One interesting thing is that the film stars a young Catherine Deneuve who looks strikingly similar to Gwyneth Paltrow. Don't cha think? (Catherine is on the left, Gwynnie on the right).

TCM Summer Under the Stars

If you appreciate graphic design, please go visit Turner Classic Movie's website. Their Summer Under the Stars month montage is amazing! Each featured actor or actress is set against a summer-themed background. It's a feast for the eyes. Kudos to who took the time to create that! I envy that kind of talent.
TCM's Summer Under the Stars has a lot of great actors/actresses featured this year. I wasn't too happy with this series last August, but then again I wasn't as big a classic film fanatic as I am now. I really want to take the opportunity to watch at least one movie by all of the featured artists. Unfortunately, I don't think that's very realistic. I simply don't have the time to watch 7 films a week. So I pared down the list and am really going to try to watch only my absolute favorites. I feel like I'm being elitist, but if there were more hours in my day, I'd watch them all.

August 1st Lauren Bacall (taped "Young Man With a Horn" last night)
August 3rd Joel Mcrea
August 5th Katharine Hepburn
August 8th Shelley Winters
August 10th Lena Horne
August 11th Kirk Douglas (hubba hubba)
August 13th Cary Grant
August 15th Fred Astaire
August 20th James Stewart
August 21st Maureen O'Hara
August 25th Norma Shearer
August 27th Spencer Tracy
August 31st Humphrey Bogart

Daytrip to Concord

I've had no internet for the past few days. My cable modem went kaput. It was given a formal burial and replaced by a newer model (hey that's life!). Anywho, Saturday was a lovely summer day, so I said to myself "Self, you must get outdoors and bask in this glorious weather! It won't be around for long." What better way to enjoy the outdoors and still get some cultural enlightenment than a day trip to Concord. For those of you not in the know, Concord is a little New England jewel. It was once the home of many great thinkers and writers such as Ralph Waldo E m erson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott and her father Amos Bronson Alcott and Henry David Thoreau. It was also a hotbed of military activity, especially during the Revolutionary War. It's chockfull of literay and military history. And as a town it's very quaint. A bit on the rich side, you have to have a full wallet to own a home there, but it's very tourist-friendly. There are lots of places to stay, tons of free parking, lots of museums and historical sites to visit and for the outdoorsy type there is a lot of biking, hiking and canoing going on in Concord.
I went on Saturday and had a blast. I took a lot of photos and created a fun album of them on Yahoo!. Here is the link: Raquelle's Concord Day Trip. I added some fun captions so it wouldn't be boring. Make sure you scroll down the page a bit so you can read them. Enjoy!

Welcome Back Sidebar---->

I've been trying everything humanly possible to get my sidebar with my profile and links back up to the top of the page. I just couldn't figure out what was making it go down all the way to the bottom. I went post by post and realized by 7/15/05 was somehow too wide and didn't allow the sidebar enough room. Eureeka! So I fixed it and now it's back up. Ok, kind of a boring post, but oh well.
The dark clouds and flashes of light seem to suggest a thunderstorm's a comin'. The skies are angry because of all this heat!!!! So to prevent an early demise for my new-ish computer, I shall bid you adieu.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

I watched this film last night and I was blown away. This has got to be Jimmy Stewart's absolute best performance. And he looked better than ever. I generally stay away from political movies (unless they are historical), but I kept hearing about how great the filibuster scene in this film was so I just had to watch it.

I love the classic patriotic idealism in the movie. Yet even with that it captures the corruption in politics so vivdly, and although good prevails, it's a tooth and nail struggle against the wicked.

If it weren't 96 degrees outside and if I had air conditioning in the office room where my computer is, I'd go on gushing about it. But alas, I'm melting away in the July heat. So I'll leave you with my favorite quote (paraphrased)...

Mr Smith: Either I'm dead right or I'm dead crazy!

Politician: Would the Senator care to take a vote on that?

J'aime le Vache Maigre ~ I love the Skinny Cow

It's been almost 4 months now since I gave up refined sugar. I stopped eating it cold turkey because I was tired of being sick all of the time. I'm hypoglycemic and any intake of sugar (or caffeine) spurs a battle in my pancreas between my blood sugar and my insulin. Having what I call a "glucose attack", when your blood sugar gets really really low, is the pits. First you feel faint, then you get shaky, then your hands start to sweat, then you begin to sweat all over and eventually, if you don't eat anything to bring your blood sugar back up, you can pass out and go into a glucose coma. All this happens when you have too much insulin and not enough sugar in your system. Normal logic would lead you to believe that you should eat more sugar to prevent this. But actually sugar induces your body to produce more insulin which stays around even after your blood sugar crashes.

So I gave up all white sugar, brown sugar and high fructose corn syrup But boy was it difficult to do. We live in a sugar-hungry world and every which way you turn there are sweet temptations just waiting for you. My biggest loss was ice cream. I've tried so many no sugar added ice cream products that were just bleh! I had a particularly bad incident with no sugar added Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl ice cream. Sounded good, but was simply terrible. Recently, upon a co-worker's recommendation I tried Skinny Cow. To my surprise, their products were really good. I love Skinny Cow's Fudgsicles and Mint Ice Cream and Chocolate Cookie sandwiches (see poorly taken picture above). They are sweetened with Splenda (my sweetener of choice) and while they still have sugar, it's the natural sugar of the milk and the cream and not overly refined cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup. What a godsend. Now I don't feel so deprived of my favorite treat!

Baroque in Boston

So last week it was Shakespeare on the Common, and this time it's Baroque in Boston. Actually, it was more like Baroque in Cambridge. I ventured out last night to Sanders Theatre (<-- click to see a pic) at Harvard to go see the Boston Landmark's Orchestra perform some Baroque pieces. And just like Shakespeare on the Common, this was free. I got there early and thus had the most amazing seats! The chamber orchestra was a 20 person set with 11 violins, 3 violas, 3 cellos, a bass and one very enthusiastic conductor. The music was so spectacular that I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. They played Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances Suite II, Bach's Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major (my favorite!!), Telemann's Don Quixote Suite (you could literally envision Don Quixote's horse galloping along the countryside) and a few suprise pieces. I was tremendously pleased.

I can't help but feel a pang of jealousy when I go see these kinds of concerts. I played second violin in an orchestra for four years, albeit in elementary and junior high school. But I remember what it was like, being on that stage with your instrument and playing amazing classical pieces in front of large crowds. It's the most amazing feeling. You get this adrenaline rush that transfers an amazing amount of energy into your instrument which thus creates incredible music. However, my musical talents and ambitions were weak so I left behind my orchestra days and now can appreciate the dedication these professional musicians have to pursue their art.

So if your in the Boston area, they are playing again on July 25th at 8pm on the Common! I highly recommend the show, especially if you are a classical music fan. It's free, it's high quality and it's a lot of fun.

Shakespeare in the Park

If you live in the Boston area and love Shakespeare, you must must must go and see this. The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company shows one play each summer. It's free, it's outdoors on Boston Common and it's simply wonderful. There is nothing like watching a live Shakespeare play under the stars. This year they are doing Hamlet. I went on Saturday and it was a delicious treat. And the actor who plays Hamlet, is very dishy. ::giggle:: So go thee hence, to thine own self be true, listen to the words words words and suffer the slings and arrows to go see this wonderful show.

Get Me OUT!!!

Another Friday night, home, alone with nothing to do. Allow me to correct that. Nothing interesting to do. Double correction. Nothing Intersting AND Exciting to do!

I have a tendency to be an introverted person. Shyness and embarassment overwhelm me and oftentimes people take my reservedness as snobbery, which couldn't be further from the truth. But first impressions are what stick I guess and people don't have the patience and understanding to give people a chance to open up. And thus the friends I have are few and far between. All my closest friendships I've carried with me from high school, when I was a social butterfly (not to be confused with being popular which I was far from being). But now I've lost my magnestism and become more reserved. And even those friends which I've kept and moved away and moved on. They have busy lives of their own. Boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, children, jobs, etc.

So, I'm on my own, alone on a Friday night and I really don't want to be. Which is why I've decided to make a sincere effort to change my situation. Every Friday night, starting next week, I'm going OUT! Out of the house to go do something both Interesting and Exciting. I'll even settle for semi-entertaining if it comes down to it. I need to do this now before I start school and while I still have summer Fridays when I get out of work at 1pm. Now all I have to figure out is where in god's name I'm going to go next week? This is going to be tricky.

Vacation Medley & Newport Cliffs

The scarcity of posts has been due to my having a superb time on my much needed vacation. We recently spent three days in New York City visiting family, sight seeing and people watching. Even with the recent events in London, we were brave enough to take the NYC Subway for the first time and pay our respects by visiting Ground Zero. I got to meet my online buddy and all around nice person extraordinaire Amit which was a definite highlight.
Yesterday, we took a day trip to Newport, Rhode Island. The weather absolutely delightful. It was partly cloudy and a good 70 degrees. Plus, being right by the beach we were wrapped in this deliciously cool ocean breeze. Being an adventurous threesome (myself and the twins- my mother and my aunt), we took it upon ourselves to try the Newport Cliff's Walk. It's a 3.7 mile journey along Newport's beautiful cliffs with insanely gorgeous views of the ocean, the beach and the famous seaside Mansions. The first 2 miles were pretty easy, just a wide paved path. The last 1 1/2 mile stretch was tough with it's mounds of rocks, dark tunnels and narrow pathways. It was well worth the effort. Here were a few snapworthy moments for you to enjoy.

Thérèse Raquin

Whenever I finish a novel, I partake in one of two very strange customs. If I really enjoyed the book, I kiss the front cover in homage to the author for allowing me to experience such a wonderful story. If I was really despised the book, I throw the unworthy tome across the room. (And since I get very emotionally involved with stories, I really don't have an inbetween). And I'm sure from the picture below you can surmise what the end result was from my reading of Thérèse Raquin by Emile Zola.

This novel had a lot of potential. It's a French novel about two lovers, Thérèse and Laurent, who kill the one person in the way of their affair, Thérèse's husband Camille. The book is really interesting up until they commit the murder, which happens around page 70 or so. The next set of 124 pages is just one long and torturous anticlimax. Basically repetitive descriptions of the guilt and endless torment suffered by Thérèse and Laurent that go on and on and on. Also, Zola seems to love delving into the grotesque and he describes dead bodies in great detail. The one scene that really grossed me out was when Laurent visits an open Morgue in which unidentified bodies are on display behind glass. The bodies are laid out on slabs of stone with cold water running over them constantly to inhibit the process of decay. End result? Bits falling off. Eww! If you really want to take a crack at this book, I highly recommend reading through chapter 13 and stopping. By that point, you will have already read all the best parts of the novel (including the Morgue scene). Then just satisfy yourself by knowing that they don't live happily ever after.

Hacker's Paradise

I've just received a double hacker whammy! Yesterday I tried signing into my Yahoo! Email account but my password didn't work! I tried every variation and I even tried their password retrieval service to no avail. I went on to my Yahoo! profile and lo and behold all my info had been wiped a way and someone left a rather naughty cartoon image with the words "HACK" "A" "Z" on the profile page. AHHH!! So I frantically wrote to Yahoo! pleading for my sanity er... my account back.

Still retaining my naivete, I sauntered over to iTunes ready to buy a coveted song for $1, when lo and behold when I went to make the purchase my debit card was declined. Mon dieu! So, this morning I made a few frantic phone calls (do we see a crazed pattern here?) to my local bank and they said that I was on the list Mastercard had of stolen debit card information! ::faint:: Luckily, my local bank jumped right on it and cancelled my card before any of my hard earned cash was swiped. My poor lovely precious debit card, what shall I do without you... (see Financial Dunce Has Epiphany for details of my love affair with my debit card).

This just validates the fact that I really really really need my vacation. Good thing it starts on Friday!

Dum dum da dum... Dum dum da dum...

I watched "Father of the Bride" (1950) yesterday as I lounged in a heavily air conditioned room as the world outside roasted in the heat and humidity. I was sincerely impressed by this film. Spencer Tracy was absolutely incredible as the flustered father having to deal with the "chaos," a word he repeats throughout the film, of his very young daugther's impending wedding. I loved how realistic it was. The audience gets to see all the ups and downs. It wasn't a complete fiasco but it wasn't a fairy tale either.

Lately, I have been taking notes while watching old movies. It keeps my mind active and I like commenting on things that tickle my fancy. Here are some of the things that caught my attention:

"old-fashioned rigamarole" - Elizabeth Taylor says this. I loved the phrase. Wish I could incorporate it into daily life!

Spencer Tracy says to his wife on their daughter's wedding day "You know, you have no right to look like it this. It isn't fair to the bride" - this made me melt into a puddle of absolute goo!

End shot- Camera zooms out as the father and mother of the bride dance amidst the empty glasses, confetti and other party flotsam and jetsam leftover from the chaotic wedding. Romantic yet very realistic!

Way Cool Flowers

So I’ve moved on a bit from my innocent crush on Bobby Darin, and now I’m swooning over contemporary rock/pop-ers Gerard~Way of My~Chemical~Romance and Brandon~Flowers from The~Killers. But I can’t decide which one I like the best? What’s a girl to do? Brandon’s more classically chic yet there is something really naughty (aka alluring) about Gerard. What a delicious dilemma! If your not familiar with them, Mr.~Flowers is on the left and Mr.~Way is on the right.

VS.

It's Starting...

On All Things Considered, NPR did a segment called Top 100 Lists Shape Modern Culture. And it's the beggining of a germ that is about to spread like wildfire. Backlash of all those really annoying list shows on tv. I like myself a good list and I like reading lists. Especially if they serve a purpose (i.e. inform, organize, relieve stress-> that's a biggie for me). But what does a show like The 40 Most Awesomely Bad Breakup Songs do? Kill brain cells in large quantities. List shows are going down like Disco in the early '80s. Crash and burn!

Burn baby burn, disco inferno!

Scrumptiliumptious!

It is such a pleasure making a favorite recipe from scratch. Taking all those wonderful simple ingredients and putting them together to create something marvelous. And when a particular recipe brings back joyous memories and a sense of connection to your heritage, well then it’s even better. Today I made a classic Portuguese recipe called Carne de Porco a la Antejana, which is a pork and clam dish served with fried potatoes. Being half Portuguese myself, my family would take many trips over the Atlantic to visit relatives in Portugal. And I remember when I was 8 or 9 years old, we ate at this marvelous restaurant in Aveiro right by the beach, and had this dish. I can still remember the décor of the restaurant, the sound of children playing along the beach and the smell of the salty ocean water. So today, I revisited this moment in time by creating this dish. And the best part of it is, making it for those who shared that same experience with you long ago who appreciate it as much as you do.

The dish may sound a bit strange, but it’s really quite delicious. It’s make with seared cubed pork loin in a white wine and tomato sauce and you steam the clams over the dish and cover it with chopped parsley. You serve it with cubed fried potatoes, which absorb the delicious sauce. The best recipe I’ve found is Emeril Lagasse’s. Just note to cut the cooking time in half (2 hours is not necessary trust me!) and cover the pan!, otherwise you’ll have no sauce (just dry paste, which is no good).

Bon Apetite!

20 Really Interesting or Just Plain Strange Things You Didn't Know About Me

1. I conjugate French verbs while I drive to work
2. and listen to NPR on the way back
3. I don't get along very well with people my age, but I get along fabulously with older folks
4. I abhor television but can't stop watching it
5. I speak to my dog in 5 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Incomprehensible Gibberish
6. I studied Environmental Science at an Agricultural high school, but graduated college with a Bachelor's in English
7. A notable literary figure once hit on me (shh! my lips are sealed)
8. I am a bonafide mama's girl, if there is such a thing
9. I am militantly against smoking and at the tender age of 5 convinced my dad to quit
10. I gave up refined sugar cold turkey for my hypoglycemia
11. I have a very large collection of Louisa May Alcott books, but haven't read most of them
12. The film Strangers on a Train (1951) creeped me out so much, that I started hyperventilating half way through and had to stop. (I watched the rest of the film a few days later)
13. I have a collection of soil from around the world that I keep in little jars. So far I've only got England and Canada.
14. If I could chose a alternate dream job not necessarily based in reality I would be a costume designer for movies.
15. I dream of getting a PhD and being called Dr. Raquelle
16. I impulsively visit the trivia section of IMDB after watching any and every movie
17. I've never watched Star Wars or Indiana Jones (ducking)
18. I have a physical aversion to Coca-Cola
19. I have watched 22 out of the 29 films that Marilyn Monroe was in, and my goal is to watch them all.
20. I'm happily single but secretly wish I was married

He's a Real-Life Hot Dog with a Cold

It was so excruciatingly HOT!! and humid and muggy yesterday that walking outside felt like waltzing right into a hot oven. My whole family's been feeling the effects of the hot & humid weather we've been having, but none more so than ma pauvre chiot (my poor puppy as I call him). He has his own room (yes it's true, in fact's he's got two mostly all to himself), but only one big fan, which doesn't do this horrid heat any justice. So yesterday I decided to give him a nice cool bath as a treat. You could tell he really enjoyed it. He got very quiet, cracked his famous doggy smile and wagged his tail happily. I dried him off thoroughly and gave him a treat for being so good. But this morning when I wake up all I hear are doggy sneezes, one after the other after the other. Mon dieu! Ma pauvre chiot has got the sniffles! Cute as doggy sneezes are, it worried me. Guess he's more sensitive than I thought.

Financial Dunce has Epiphany

A few months ago, I received some advice from an old friend. He’s a realtor and I told him that after graduate school my next big life goal was to own a home. He told me that if I wanted to take out a mortgage on a house, I need at least 24 months of really good credit history in order to get the best deal on a loan. Well, this made a lot of sense. Two years was a substantial amount of time to show the bank that you are financially responsible. Yet here is the rub for me. I have absolutely, positively no credit history. I abhor credit cards! The thought of owing people money makes me cringe and I just know that being in credit card debt would put me in a perpetual state of anxiety and worry. So what is it that I do when I don’t have the cash on me? I whip out my glorious debit card. Purchasing products or services with my debit card causes me to only buy those things that I can afford as I know that the money I spend will be coming directly from my checking account. Plus!!! (here’s the best part), no bills! So I know all my payments are made on time, because I don’t make them. They are made for me.

But of course, no matter how wonderful debit cards are, they do not give you a credit history. First thing I did, as I was still nervous about getting a credit card, was take out a Federal Perkins Loan (subsidized) for graduate school. Yet, it will not do me a lot of good now, since I won't graduate for 2 or 3 years. So what do I do in the meantime? I apply hesitantly applied for a credit And unbeknownst to me, the financial dunce I am, you need CREDIT to get a CREDIT CARD? I’m sorry but that made no sense to me? So if you need some credit history to get a basic, no frills, credit card, how do people get their very first credit card?

Then it dawned on me. The light switch over my head turned on and shone brightly, angels with huge wings began to sing “Hallelujah,” and I raised my hands to the skies and said “by George I think I’ve got it!” Alright, maybe it wasn’t so dramatic, but for a financial ignoramus, like myself, I was proud to have thought of this. So to answer my question, how do people get their first credit card? The parental units, mayhaps? A loving father or mother may put his or her adorable son or daughter on their account and get them a separate credit card for their own use. And my father, who has the best credit history on the face of the planet, can co-sign a credit card for myself, which I will use, (wisely of course), so I can build a nice credit report of my very own.

I hope this idea works, and that this epiphany doesn’t turn out to be a complete washout. At this point, I can only be optimistic and hope that my dream of a home sweet home all my own isn’t just a castle in the air.

Ma Vie Dans Les Images

This wonderful idea comes to us from Bev of Bev’s Bookshelf. Look up the answer to the following statements on Google’s Image Search and see what wacky and/or cool pictures the internet throws back at you in response! Here are mine. Enjoy!

The place you live:


Your favorite color:



The place you want to get married:



Your first love:



Your favorite vegetable:



Your favorite animal:



The last name of your favorite actor/actress:



One of your favorite songs:



A bad habit of yours: