¿Qué pasa, ese?

It has been a few days since I wrote anything. It’s a combination of several things but since I was scolded yesterday (just kidding, JF!), I decided to write a little. Actually, I have been thinking about an entry that I will be posting soon, just getting the ideas and everything together.

So, what’s new? Plenty, I would say but mostly worthless stuff. Everyday stuff. The wife is doing fine and the pregnancy is in the 14th week.

I have been testing myself to see how I would react staying away from JS for one whole day. I was tempted to go and take a peep but I did not allow me to do that. It’s been almost 2 days! The last time I stayed away for such a long time was the last time I went away on vacation. It almost feels like detox, except for the guilt of not checking out my friends and faves. I am already falling asleep, so I don’t think I’ll swing by there tonight.

There was a huge earthquake back home today. Actually, the whole Caribbean basin was shaken and stirred. My Mom got 5.5; other places, they felt the power of a 7.5 quake shaking their houses. It does not seem that there are any deaths, but I am not quite sure about that. No tsunami either was announced which was excellent news.

In other great news, hurricane season is just about to be closed. One headache gone, although they got their predictions all wrong again. I’m not complaining! I’ve had enough crap for this year, so that is pretty good news to me.

I’ve got to stop this. I keep drifting in and out of sleep. I should take advantage of this and hit the sack right now. More should come tomorrow.

Till then…

Christmas 2007

Well, here we go again! Time to for the Christmas tree and decorations and the beginning of the festivities. We set up the tree and everything else, except for the outside decorations. I will take care of that tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a picture of our tree:

Happy holidays, all!

Till then…

Shifting energies

I am done with Journalspace.

I had backed up my layout the last time I changed like every other time, in case something would happen and I could restore it right away. Except that the last 2 backups are worth nothing and I found that out the very hard way.

I was deleting something and was not really paying attention to what I was doing and messed up my layout. I tried several things to fix it and I was not getting anywhere so I turned to my backup. “File corrupted”. Wha? How could it be corrupted? Tried the backup prior to that one. Same thing. So right now, my blog looks retarded, with a layout that I used 3 years ago.

But when I come to think about it, it’s not such a bad thing. Since I am so disgusted and tired of that place, that means I will focus more here, to the chagrin of some JS users who find it tedious coming here. Sorry my friends, but I have taken too much abuse from people that I paid for terrible performance and service. What a joke…

Till then…

Zen Sarcasm

 A little fun I found here:

Words to live by…

THESE ARE GREAT Sayings

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone.

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

3. It’s always darkest before dawn. So if you’re going to steal your neighbor’s newspaper, that’s the time to do it.

4. Don’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted.

5. Always remember that you’re unique. Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

7. If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you’re a mile away and you have their shoes.

9. If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.

10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

12. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.

13. Some days you’re the bug; some days you’re the windshield.

14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

17. Duct tape is like ‘The Force’. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren’t learning much when your lips are moving.

20. Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.

21. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night

Till then…

Yeah, right…

I had said loud and clear that I was not going to be spending any time in the kitchen this year for Thanksgiving.

Yeah, right…

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Till then…

Match off

A couple of posts ago, I was talking about a funky situation I was more or less involved with. All weekend long, it was on my mind although I had already decided it was none of my business and I should forget about it.

Today, I found an e-mail in my box saying that she had resigned from her position and she’ll be gone in 2 weeks.

In the end, and not for the same reason for all, it seems we all agree she made the right choice.  And although she was a pain in the butt, I sincerely wish her well.

Till then…

Here we go with the insanity again…

It seems that businesses will not allow consumers to breathe. One celebration barely gone that decorations and merchandise is already up the shelves. Barely out of New Year’s, stores are all up with Valentine’s Day stuff. The tons of chocolate ingested are still moving around our bowels that Easter is already following. And so on, and so forth. You go out there and you see it everywhere.

The latest thing has been promoting Christmas the day after Halloween! Never mind Thanksgiving, let’s get the carols going and start advertising heavily on TV! People have to be reminded that there’s lots of money to be spent now!

But what absolutely infuriated me was to see a house in the neighborhood all lit up with Christmas lights and decorations. Thanksgiving is still a week away!!! Why can’t people wait? Is there a secret competition going on to see who will be the first to have their stuff up?

I do go out the weekend after Thanksgiving to get our Christmas tree but I absolutely refuse to join the madness. Resist the temptation too!

Till then…

Holding the lit match

There are times in life where you wish you’d be kept away from some things. Times where you become the involuntary accomplice in something that could have so many consequences for a whole bunch of people.

I recently got caught in the middle of a conversation where a young and attractive woman has been under heavy scrutiny and pressure lately that it almost seems as harassment. And I feel very tempted to add, sexual harassment. All the ingredients are there: the young subordinate woman; the older, married and respectable superior and a certain tension that can end either nastily or by some way of defeat.

Very unfortunately, she seems to be clueless of why she is being submitted to such a harsh treatment, especially since it is absolutely not her fault if things are not quite working out smoothly. She does not even seem to realize that it does not have much to do about her performance at work but maybe she is too naive to believe that he, being an older, married and otherwise man of trust, would have such views and ideas about her. Or, maybe it’s just my imagination running wild. In any case, I do not know both parties well enough to know who’s right and who’s wrong, and quite unfortunately, I am pretty good in reading people’s intentions.

On one hand, I want to talk to her and make her open her eyes, but on the other hand, is it really my business? Should I be doing something about it or should I just STFU and let things be? She does have an opportunity to move elsewhere and be unhappy because loves her work, but I think it’s admitting defeat. On the other side, it means peace and quiet in a new place, it can be beneficial but that also implies making some sacrifices. Those choices are up to her.

Still, I am very undecided on what to do.

Till then…

 

 

 

As if I didn’t expect that to happen…

A while ago, I signed up for a MySpace account. One of my faves from JS talked about it and I joined, not really knowing what I was going to find there. Obviously, I didn’t find it appealing in any way but I kept my account anyway.

Then, my wife, who was also on MySpace told me she closed her account there to go to Facebook. So I went and opened not one but 2 accounts there; one being for Aliti and one for the real me.

I did not quite get it, wondering what I was going to do there and realizing I don’t have a gazillion billion friends out there. I was even able to find and get in touch with a long lost friend who disappeared for a decade from my life.

This very same person was complaining about Facebook and she was wondering if she should keep her account and I convinced her to stay. Tonight, I visited her page and I had to rub my eyes twice to make sure I was in the correct place. Her Facebook page looks now like a MySpace page!

Maybe it’s time to get rid of my computers and go back to the pre-Internet days where I would read, listen to music and write on paper.

Maybe I should quit this and go to sleep right now…

Till then…

Innocence lost

I was with my daughter tonight, getting her ready to go to sleep and as usual, she asked me to tell her a story about when I was a little boy. That’s one of the things she enjoys the most, hearing about her parents’ past.

Anyway, I was telling her the story of a Christmas where I asked for a big yellow Tonka truck. I asked Santa for it and I was eagerly waiting for Christmas to come. It also happened that my father had decided to leave the United States to go live back home in the Dominican Republic, but before moving there, we would go and spend some time with my mom’s great aunt living in Guadeloupe and we would be spending Christmas there.

One day, in all the excitement of packing stuff, I walked in my parents’ room and into their closet. And what did I see there in all its glory?

A big yellow Tonka truck.

I got excited. I went looking for my mom and asked her about the truck and she told me it was not mine, but some toys my dad had there for some charity. I was doubtful but then why wouldn’t I believe her?

A few weeks later, we left Chicago and its cold, snowy days for the warmer Caribbean. I was surprised when I did not see a chimney and asked the great aunt how would Santa be coming in the house since there was no chimney? She told me Santa had the keys to all the houses. And that, I did not believe. She and my mother tried to convince me, but I never saw any keys in any pictures of Santa, plus, that would be a lot of keys that he’d have to carry!

A few days later, Christmas came and we got our presents. Mine was quite big and I was absolutely not surprised to see the same Tonka truck I saw in my parents’ closet a few weeks earlier. I was happy I got my big yellow Tonka truck, but that was also the end of Santa for me.

I didn’t tell her the part of the story when I discovered the truth, though. She is too young to lose her innocence.

Oh, and I was 7 years old.

Till then…