Yeay for the Weekend! January 10, 2010

Yesterday was cold, damp, grey. It didn’t feel like we were in Miami, we are just not used to 39 degrees. I know, I know, I’ve been saying the same for the past week…but really! I just can’t get over it. Today I was taking nap with my son covered with two blankets and I was freezing. I’m just happy this cold front should be on its way out. I also have to make a point of saying, that I admit that we are never happy with what we have. A month ago we were still complaining it would be too hot for Christmas (80 degrees).

But back to yesterday. It was cold, damp, gloomy day…but it turned out to be such an amazing day. I had lunch with some great friends at a delicious Middle Eastern restaurant Al-Salam, on University Drive in Broward. The food was great, my son ate so much! He just loves it. Best of all was the company. I have to realize I like having meals with big families, it makes me feel great. I enjoy family more than I care to admit. I haven’t even voiced this yet, but I’m writing it. Only thing that was missing was my sister, then it would have been even better. Have I mentioned how happy I am for the sister I have? I think I have. Maybe I should let her know. So, anyway, I had lunch with these magnificent four women who have become part of my life, and have taught me so many things about life and cultures. Last year I had set out on a quest for faith, and one of the places where I found it was in Farzana, the matriarch of this wonderful tribe of strong, intelligent and caring women. Her love for my son has extended to cover me, and I embrace, with her I feel safe. Just by example she has taught me to let go, to give up control, something that is very hard for me. There is no control, “it is all in the hands of God”, she says and I believe her. As my other faith teacher (my boss) says, the teacher arrives when the student is ready. Her daughters have become my sisters, and even though we are not that close, their love for my son seals my affection toward them. I am lucky to have such wonderful company in my life.
As we were preparing for this lunch, I took my son aside. I told him we were all having lunch together, I told him how he was making all of this possible.
“Papa, you are bringing people, culture and faiths together. You are doing magic.”
I think he understood, because he sat happily at the head of the table, eating and drinking water. Happily looking at what has become his family. Tia and Abuelos were missing, that would have made him even happier.
After lunch we headed to a Pakistani sweets shop. It was all delicious, it all very very sweet. And then we said our goodbyes, as I had somewhere else to go.
I headed downtown to Temple Israel, where Elizabeth Gilbert was going to be reading from her new book Committed. I met my friend Christy, who had loved “Eat, Pray, Love” as much as I had, and was very happy to sit at the warm temple. Elizabeth Gilbert came out, all dressed in black, so simple, so earthly. I thought I was having a deja vu. I was finally listening to this woman, in the same room. No TedTalk (which I will repost at the end of this post), no YouTube Channels, no Oprah or Oprah Magazine. No, we were in the same room. There she was, the mind that had so brilliantly captured my early-mid-life crisis. I hope in this book she has caputred my ten-years-into-it marriage crisis. We shall see. In the meantime, I can say she is brilliant, she is funny and it was a pleasure to hear her read from her book. I know that everyone reads differently, but having read the first chapter of her book and then hearing her read it…was out of this world. Then we lined up to get a signature, and there I was as she signed my book saying “Your book changed my life.” She looked at me smiled, and said, “Oh, that’s so nice.”
It was just weird. Then Christy and I took a picture with her. Very nice lady.
I am about to finish Paula by Isabel Allende, where she says that her first book started as a letter to her grandfather. When I finished reading Eat, Pray, Love, I wrote Elizabeth Gilbert a letter. I still have it. It was more a letter to me than to her…perhaps that is how I should start my first novel. We shall see…time will tell…and its all in the hands of God. Ole!

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Elizabeth Gilbert in Miami January 7, 2010

I am “meeting” Elizabeth Gilbert on Saturday.

K.
So I’m not really meeting her, I’m attending a reading/book signing she is having here at Temple Israel on Saturday at 7:30PM.
To get tickets I had to buy a book. I was on the phone with Books & Books, and I didn’t even doubt for a second. I took out my credit card and bought the book.
How is that for procrastination? Ha! Helena 1 – Pro 0

I can’t wait to hear her speak, and I’m so excited about the book. I want to see how she made peace with marriage. Her previous book touched me so, that I wonder where this new one will take me.

For now, I wait impatiently for Saturday. Yeay!

Procrastination January 7, 2010

procrastinate |prəˈkrastəˌnāt; prō-|
verb [ intrans. ]
delay or postpone action; put off doing something : it won’t be this price for long, so don’t procrastinate.

What?

I just looked up “Procrastinate” and there is no picture of me! Unbelievable.
I am the queen of procrastination, and I am trying to work at beating it. But procrastination is winning, again.

As I was driving to work this morning, I kept on thinking about that call for submission I want to send my stuff to. I still have a couple of days. I’ve known about it for a month. I haven’t touched the essay I want to send. Fear of rejection? Ha! How can I get rejected if I don’t even send the stuff out.

How do I get over it? What is it that stops me? Why do I put stuff off? Perhaps that should be a strong resolution for 2010, stop procrastination and DO stuff.

No Soup for me! January 6, 2010

So its been cold here in Miami for the past week or so. Our low temperatures have been in the 30’s and highs in the 50’s…and I know, that is nothing compared to other other cities, but you have to understand us, as soon as the tempature hits the 60’s the boots and the coats come out. We bundle up. We wear scarfs, gloves, hats…and eat soup.
I have made french onion soup, potato leek, split pea, tomato. But not tonight. Tonight I opened my fridge and saw all these left over soups and I wanted it no more. I wanted arroz con pollo, or some of our hearty and heavy meals…but it just didn’t match the cold weather.
I layered my son with fleece pajamas, socks, t-shirt. I put a t-shirt on my dog. I am wearing sweat pants. My husband tried to turn on the “heater” (ac that has a heating option that does not work). Honestly, we are just not used to this.

So, like my wise friend Adelita said : “Miami, I want my money back”

Mamaaaaaaaaaa termine! January 5, 2010

Hoy estaba trabajando/hangeando en Uptempo con Roger (super amigo) cuando empezamos a hablar de los chamos. Le contaba que anoche con el frio y la cosa, mi hijo se habia hecho pipi y se le paso del pañal a la pijama y la cama. El me vio con cara de que conocia la situación, pero sus hijos ya son grandes y pasaron la etapa del potty training.
Me comento del proceso que tuvieron ellos para quitarle el pañal a los chamos, y lo facil que fue. Asi que ahora en la noche estaba contandole a Abraham, para que fuera escuchando y a ver si se animaba a tomar esa meta.

“Abraham, lo tienes que llevar a que te vea hacer pipi. Y luego le bajas y le dices ‘adios pipi…adios pupu’ ” le conte.
El se me quedo mirando mientras lavaba los platos.
“Bueno eso mas o menos fue lo que hizo Roger y le funciono. No hay que hacerlo igual” le dije mientras recibia la mirada incredula.
“Yo no me acuerdo si a mi me enseñaron” me dijo.
“Ah! es que me vas a decir que tu solito te quitaste el pañal y te sentaste en la poceta.” me rei
“Y como fue tu proceso….?” me pregunto.
“La verdad no me acuerdo de como deje el pañal, de lo que si me acuerdo es cuando me tuve que comenzar a limpiar sola. Cuando terminaba gritaba ‘Mamaaaaaaaa, termine’, y Mamá – mi bisabuela – venia y me limpiaba. Un día ella no estaba, estaba mi Papá, y bueno digamos que despues de ese día me dijeron que me tenia que limpiar el culo sola. Creo que no le gusto tener que limpiarme.”
Nos reimos los dos.

Se me vino claramente el recuerdo de esa tarde en el apartamento del Paraiso en Caracas. El baño al final del pasillo, mi Papi y yo solos. El papel toilette. Y me pregunto cuales seran los recuerdos de mi hijo…ah! que maravilla crear recuerdos nuevos cada día.

My Name is Helena, and I’m addicted to Farmville. January 4, 2010

I have found that a lot of my free time lately is being spent plowing, seeding, and harvesting. I am also collecting milk and eggs; brushing calfs, horses, cats and sheeps. Oh! and about three lost lonely reindeers that showed up on a friend’s farm.
I just paused writing this to go plant some grapes, and I’m always thinking about my crops. Would have to loose them.

My boss was trying to figure out what is so cool about this game.

“So you make money!” he asked.
“Yeah…” I replied, as the coins in my profile kept growing.
“How do you get it?”
“what do you mean?” I asked. “Its right there in my account…I use it to buy more seeds and stuff.”
“Oh….so its not real money?”
“No.”

It seemed foreign to him that I would spend so much time taking care of a virtual farm, when I don’t even get real money in return. I also wonder what is up with me. What is it about this fake game, that takes so much of my time that got me hooked? If you look at my farm, its not even a pretty one. I don’t have all the latest accesories, its just land, a chicken coop, a whole bunch of calfs, and some bulls. That’s it. No fancy houses, nothing. I just want to get ahead as fast as possible, and get a bit of a smile everytime I leave a friend in a level behind me. Yikes!

I go through the Facebook home page looking for bonuses, animals that need to be adopted, and this week : free fuel.

What is wrong with me? I should go back to reading…I would be using my time for better purposes. (Must go now…the farm calls )

NetToy? January 4, 2010

K.
One thing is to rent movies, books or bags (I still have to try that one…) over the internet but a different one is toys. for my toddler.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the idea is genius! Go on a website, choose the toy you want, wait in the mail, have the kid play with it and thirty or sixty days later get new ones. Why didn’t I think of that? Well, ’cause the owners of BabyPlays did.

You pay a membership and get from 5 to 10 toys every 30 or 60 days depending on your membership. I browsed through their website and they have a huge selection of toys for all ages. I saw a couple of toys I would gladly think about renting…but most of them have small pieces, which if lost would have to found or paid for. That turned me a bit off, considering there are blocks in my purse, fridge phonic letters under the washer, blocks in every possible corner of the house…and then there’s my dog.

But where the whole brilliant idea really gets me is, well, with the cleanliness of it. I’m not a clean freak, so I will blame it on my OCD (I have a thing with drool), and I can’t help but wonder are the toys properly cleaned? Who had them before my kid? If you check out the website it says toys are properly sanitized and tested…Let’s say I’m still a bit skeptical.

Anyone out there a member of BabyPlays? What has been your experience?

Easy French Onion Soup January 3, 2010

I had never made French Onion Soup until today. Its been around the 50’s today in Miami, which is very cold for this parts of the world…so soup it was for dinner.

Ariel had some tomato soup, and I made some french onion soup for Abraham and myself. I used what I had, and it turned out pretty yummy.

Here it goes:

1 Big Yellow Onion
1 table spoon Smart Balance
1 table spoon Olive Oil
26 oz Beef stock
Bread
Swiss Cheese

Sautee onion in butter and olive oil, I did this for about 20 minutes until they were soft and brown. Add beef stock (i used Swanson) and let it boil. Serve soup on oven proof bowls, top with bread and cheese. Place in oven and wait until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve a glass of red wine and enjoy!

Visit to Miami Metro ZOo — Priceless January 3, 2010

Drive from Miami Lakes to Miami MetroZoo : 45 minute drive plus $2.25 in tolls
Entrance : $14.99 per person
Photo with Diego at the “Meet & Greet” : 30 minute wait plus $5.00
Feeding the Giraffes: $3.00
Petting Zoo: $5.00
Walking 5 hours with your toddler through the zoo and he at everything BUT the animals: Priceless

Look…look…the elephant…the other way!

Oye! I just paid $5 bucks…don’t run away from Diego

Happy/Feliz 2010 January 1, 2010

Happy New Year! Feliz Año Nuevo!

May 2010 bring you peace, harmony, prosperity, serenity and fun.

On 2009 I asked for serenity, and it was granted. The path to achieve it was troubling, and hard, and at times I still loose it…but I would say that all in all, I am at a more serene place than I was a year ago. Some things seem to be clearer.

This year, 2010, I claim as my prosperity year. I can smell it, feel it, waiting to burst into my blessed life.

And, not that I want to sound greedy…but Universe, could we make my son sleep a little bit later? We stayed up late last night, he went to be later than usual but he still woke up at 7AM, which felt like 5. Can we try 8 on the weekends and holidays?

Happy Happy 2010!