yo ho ho

why yes I do love this city

2011-04-20T10:35:00.000-04:00

also time change which allowed for this:

more pictures

2011-03-25T06:34:00.003-04:00

and more blogging
I love this photo. It's ethereal.
I wish I could take credit for it.
And happy birthday mom!

well 011

2011-01-13T22:07:00.002-05:00

I'll talk about that later.
Meanwhile ... KFC still has sporks!
Or Foroons?

Also loving the George Foreman grill ...

and a quick story.
B wants to start making seed jewelry.
not seed bead, like green organic jewelry from seeds.
So I have had my eyes peeled around town.

Saturday we're by some kind of tropical plant and I pick up a haylike ball that I think is going to house seeds.

B says, let's get in the car, baby, while mama hopes to get lucky with the horse poo. I look at him and say you would know, Bostero (shit collector), and he says, you don't have to be a collector to recognize -it when you see it.

er, hi ...

2010-12-30T21:30:00.002-05:00

I guess I'll try this thing again?
I forgot what I was going to say.

It was this bloggiversary a couple days ago.

I don't have a hard job but somehow have no idea how I'll actually work five entire days next week!

I wonder if this will start a rush of real posts?

polite

2010-03-09T20:10:00.004-05:00

I've been chewing sugar free gum to keep from going totally insane. A friend at work mentioned that "you don't smile any more." I know it's because of the sugar. Absence of sugar.

So, the Orbit, the one with the flecks of flavor or whatever bursts. I found a Watermelon version. Sometimes you know though gum can be too soft or too chewy, and I may still believe that it has to do with shelf life rather than the flavor but ... digression.

I'm sitting today second seat in, and don't want to bother the woman next to me, nor do I want to get up at all because I'm a little tired and also always wear heels so I'm going to make a lot of noise to get up and throw my gum away.

but it has lost all of its elastic qualities and is basically putty in my mouth. ick. How come this isn't capitalizing? Yes it is. user error. So for as long as I am able I shove it under my tongue. But it is now becoming gritty and beginning to pull completely apart. I try again to store it between my cheek and teeth, but still it is losing continuity and then ... sort of accidentally ... I swallow it!

I felt mealy watermelon gum in the back of my throat for the next hour at best. But I didn't disturb the woman next to me or stomp across the room.

2010-02-26T18:41:00.003-05:00

Happy FIFTH! Birthday to my little blueberry, I am so happy you're here!
Things I am loving right now
+the other night in the gym, people cheering on the US Olympic team
+cole slaw
+this movie
Not so much loving
-keeping my promise not to eat sugar/corn syrup until Easter
-the un Caribbean temperatures, winter, El Nino or not

Money money money money ... MON-EY!

2010-01-25T19:06:00.002-05:00

I made this at the suggestion of "Hope," who used to take care of Cele. She said these are the items to eat on the first of every month, not just January first, to bring more money into the household. I had learned about the kale and blackeyed peas in South Carolina but it seems like in the Caribbean the idea is lentils. The additional items here are fried plantains and (also fried!) sweet potatoes.

At least it's vegetarian?

kind of contradictory

2010-01-02T20:21:00.003-05:00

So this year ...
I'd like to make some headway on the debt.
Yet,
I want to take a real trip. It doesn't count to move 3,000 miles again!
Same old, same old: more patient mother?
Go from temporary to permanent at work ... I always have one about work!
The same old ... excrement ... curse less!

up date

2009-12-08T20:12:00.002-05:00

y'all, I have a lead on Gina!
so far, I love my new job.
also, obsessed with Jiffy Corn Pudding
amazed at people's kindness,
oops and I have a letter to write in return.

This old thing?

2009-11-30T16:16:00.002-05:00

So, what have you been doing for all this time away from your blog (select all that apply)?

a) moving 5 times in the same number of months
b) recording an album
c) working as a secret agent
d) being hospitalized
e) having a marital crisis
f) going on a comedy tour across the US
g) experiencing un and under employment
h) losing the ability to write English
i) total monetary breakdown

excuses, excuses.

Howzit

2009-06-12T14:28:00.001-04:00

I’m eating a yogurt dated April 10 (I love you Tizzy) and just sent of resume/cover letter number kazillion. How are you?

Currently I am convinced that I am in no control of my moods, and neither are my hormones, even. It’s got to be 100% planetary.

This blog’s been neglected because, other than working, how do I say this with even a modicum of kindness … well … B is not, and I’m kind of afraid to post without a picture and the Flicker’s sent me this full message.

Blah blah.

I guess I just feel like being honest.

Or the planets are telling me to be honest.

Tell me something good ...

jueves amor

2009-04-02T16:34:00.003-04:00

I finally have a love thursday!

We went to breakfast this morning, or more like lunch, it's been months since we've been to this place. There was a woman hand preparing tortillas there, her daughter (7) was with her, probably on Spring Break.

We were the only people eating outside, with the woman working and her daughter, it's a little cool today, for having to work outside.

B had milanesa (when doesn't he?) and I had carnitas (actually ... when don't I?). The little girl must have liked the look of his milanesa and asked her mom to get her one. Not awkwardly, it became obvious that, though the woman worked there, her food wouldn't be covered. Even though her tortillas were so delicious!

I was thinking how I would like to pay for the girl's meal ... we talked the whole time and B joked with her and she asked about Celeste and looked at a picture of her on my phone ... it was as if we were friends.

B went in to get a recipient for my unfinished carnitas (I haven't let it all go to pot, even though I didn't get the job I absolutely wanted) while he was in there he paid, and for a split second I was disappointed because I didn't want to go without doing something for the little girl.

We said "nice to meet you" to the mother, the daughter was in the bathroom, and B said, "I took care of the girl's milanesa ..."

I kissed him all the way to the car in the parking lot and told him over and over again, "that was exactly what I wanted."

Not bandwagon

2009-03-19T17:39:00.003-04:00

While I have wanted to learn how to better organize my finances for some years now, it does feel more important now than before.

I regularly read books and blogs about personal finance.

I'm on my third attempt of a daily spending notebook. I got a gold one this last time to counterbalance the negative numbers I'm always writing down. At the end of March I plan to make a three month spreadsheet to reflect on where the money is all going.

So, why did I start this post?

Oh yeah ... here are two things I've started doing this year that have either environmental or financial ramifications in my life (or both!)

>Saving cans and bottles.
B was against this. He thinks it creates a mess and it is so much easier to just toss them in the "recycling" dumpster in the apartment complex.
>Buying the cheapest heavy duty tinfoil and reusing it.
Last night's asparagus cover is tonight's chicken thawing receptacle. Then I'll throw it away, I draw the line at salmonella. If it is for bread or vegetables or something I think is "safe" I use it more than twice.

Howzit?!

2009-03-12T17:20:00.002-04:00

I now love pinkeye. Three days off!

We made a cake yesterday and I probably shouldn't tell the internets this (I didn't tell B or Celeste). I needed a little more butter but we were out so I used bacon fat.

Yes.

Who am I kidding? Celeste doesn't give a rip!

So the cake formed this kind of crust. I kept testing it while it was in the oven but it seemed to have the crust but be raw inside. From one minute to the next it cooked.

I am waiting until we get our tax return to upgrade the Flickr so no more pictures until then. I guess. There was a warning the last time I logged in telling me I was close to the 200 limit.

Another new love? Acupuncture face lift.

I told several people I'd never put needles in my face but it's surprisingly not scary, in fact, Dr. G remarked, "this girl isn't afraid of needles at all."

I'm not if he's the one weilding them.

So there's the only place you're likely to hear, "Lift and pin" or "I'm threading your wrinkle with this long one."

Sheesh!

Book Review

2009-03-04T14:27:00.005-05:00

Hey, happy March!

It blew in like a lion up at my cousin's house but I understand more like a sweaty lamb down here.

Probably I should be sued for the image. But I have nothing!

Okay, I really liked this book. I don't know why authors that begin with the ending and then write filling in all the details really appeal to me. The story is that a woman from China is hired to take care of a little girl adopted by American parents from the same country. It was great to escape into the trials and tribulations of her life back in China and in the large scale of New York.

The ambiguous real ending also kept me thinking. In fact I'm not entirely sure I believe the logical conclusion, that the girl is returned to her mother. But, and I'm sorry for that, the premise is that the nanny loves the little girl so intensely that she takes her, is not fulfilled by the line of the story.

All the feelings I as the reader sensed in the nanny add up to more interest in the mother, perhaps another minor character. I did not feel love for the little girl in the nanny's experience.

Anyway it was still well written and worth the time.

sexy weights

2009-02-13T19:43:00.001-05:00

shiny view
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

My first homemade gift from B.

He thinks my 5LBers are too small (he's surely right).

I need both hands to lift just the one of these.

The heavier one.

Don't laugh!

Tried comparing them to items around the house, but still can't figure out how much they weigh. More. than. ten.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

Because otherwise I'm a sissy.

And they're only slightly different weights!

corruption

2009-01-31T19:59:00.001-05:00

corruption
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

at an early age!

this is almost my only vice left, and it is beginning to make me sick-!

somewhat relevant

2009-01-26T21:36:00.003-05:00

The day that W. Bush was inaugurated the first time, I happened to be in two weddings. It doesn't matter but one of the brides voted for him and the other did not.

Emphatically.

I had given blood the Friday before and was tired. I smoked a lot.

The first wedding started at 11 am. I was the Maid of ... no the Matron.

I had really hot silver shoes I had gotten at Wallmart.

The second I hadn't been to the rehearsal since they were held the same day, and was slightly nervous. I spoke in the second.

I had a firey painful sore throat and hoped I sounded raspy and sensuous.

How I came to want to see Hellboy and after 5 years of marriage have no effect on my husband

2009-01-23T12:10:00.004-05:00

Or is is affect?

We returned a vending machine movie to the wrong machine, so B called "sorry ... sorry" went his conversation and they waived late fees.Plus we had to call the vendor where we returned it and the grocery store that housed the machine (now that makes me laugh but the day it happened? NO)

So B stops by the grocery store and they hand over the movie and he returns it to the appropriate machine. Except! It wasn't the actual movie he had rented, they have multiple copies with different barcodes in there. Yes you are correct that means someone made the exact same mistake we did all the way down to the movie.

So when the movie doesn't disappear from the queue B calls back, hey I returned.the.movie so he goes back to the grocery store and looks through the stack. Literally he said it was a hundred of movies returned to the wrong machine, and they give him another copy of the one we had rented and, at last, the reason for this rambling story, Hellboy 2.

B returned home to watch the movies instead of returning them. Not what I would have done. I have consistently urged him to return them, but he has no sense of urgency in the matter. In interpreting his train of thought the Hellboy 2 movie never pertained to us officially and he already documented returning of the original movie.

Oh well, Hellboy 2 was good. I cannot make other large second language speaking people do what I want them to. So whocares! I've put in a request for Hellboy 1.

Later that day I ended up calling him "red" which is what they call Hellboy and B found the comparison rather accurate, and, thought I, in turn, was very much like Hellboyz female counterpart, a pyrotechnic.

Can't wait to see Hellboy 1!

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T14:29:00.001-05:00

chilaquiles!
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

since so far none of the things I wanted to do I have done I thought at least I could blog about food with a picture, as I always wanted.

These came out quite well for my first time unsupervised.

Thanks cousin!

choclo II

2008-12-31T12:02:00.001-05:00

choclo II
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

and for the last day of the year a post about food.

bye bye '08 ... good riddance!

I tried again with the corn filling and just sucked it up, making the roux and the corn in separate steps. It was worth it!

I think in '09 I'd like to post more than I post in '06. Or whichever year it was I post the most.

a whole hour!

2008-11-17T12:38:00.002-05:00

literally, it was 8:23. I did nothing, and suddenly when I looked at the clock it was 9:31! Where did all that time go?

I should be getting ready for work.

I'm having a green and white tea (no Tizzy, I probably won't finish it). What are you doing?

That Kung Fu Panda movie? A must. Also these cornmeal pizzas we've been getting at the discount store.

I'm rereading Kafka on the Shore since they didn't have his latest at my local library. It's scary how comfortable I feel when I go in there. Confidence comes back, sort of ... a little bit?

I'm so glad I missed it

2008-11-11T20:27:00.004-05:00

If I've seen you lately, and when I hugged you it felt like I were hanging on for dear life, I am!

I have had some really hard days in this lifetime. Somehow, right now, feels harder than ever before.

True, I see balance better than I once did, and there's Celeste and all. Or maybe she's the reason it is so hard? I want to be able to engage with her.

I was going to lay off the fashion magazines and the reality and gossip shows because I let them get in my head and razzle me. I fell off the wagon, and yesterday, due to sheer luck, I ended up missing the first 40 minutes of that take a real chance mess because I was reading abran paso a los patitos to Celeste.

I had planned to do something unhealthy and then something worthwhile just got in the way.

Lucky me.

hair

2008-11-10T11:57:00.001-05:00

part one
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

I love the way her hair is parting.

There was a place. Actually it was the place we had breakfast before we got married, on Ringling Blvd. One of the women who worked there did this kind of part to her hair. The zig-zag, and yesterday for a few hours missy's hair stayed like this.

She wore sweaters yesterday which pleased me greatly.

Sigh. Other than liking the sweaters I don't know what I'm doing here.

Ten working days to some time off.

Yes I have resorted to counting. and I've already started this one, "09 has to be better than '08" too.

hope

2008-11-08T16:03:00.001-05:00

cheap
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Oh my word
it is bathed in a thin film of chocolate.

at the store, "where we all have the right to save" there are two more flavors, marble and cherry filled. It's one of those cakes that shows its information in seven or eight languages.

two dollars.

I don't remember what it's like to shop in the regular grocery store anymore. In fact, we went to an Albertsons a few months ago and I felt like Rip Van Winkle, wandering around, "cheese costs THAT MUCH now?!"

By eating these semi-expired and otherwise regularly unsellable items, I am surely missing out on some important nutrients.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T12:35:00.001-04:00

minature mouth
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

last night was a party at school. There are more photos @ flickr (ie click on this one to go see more).

It is amazing to me how much she looks like Bjork.

I know she resembles him much more but she's got my freaky elbows. I can totally recognize them.

She liked the party so much she cried on the way home. Little does she know we're going to the mall to get more candy tonight!

I am NOT a very NICE PERSON

2008-10-29T19:12:00.003-04:00

And that is even if you don't count what I think about the presidents.

B (I'm calling him Cacique, "Chief" since we came West but here he will remain B. I'm hoping he will live up to to Chiefdom and yes that does have to do with why I am not nice, as well) didn't go to school Thursday or Friday ... I was sick Monday and he decided to stay home then, too.

No, me, I went to work.

Yesterday being Tuesday I think he went in for a few hours. Boca was playing at 9 this morning so he stayed home for that, opting not to go in for the afternoon later.

When I left this morning I couldn't hold it in any longer, and I blurted, "I hope you have ANOTHER nice day." I emphasized the another but I hope it didn't sound as loud as it looks here.

If Dr. Dyer is correct about the balance then I'm coming up on extended time being supported.

I know I should apologize but I kind of meant it.

eggs ... flour

2008-10-17T17:47:00.001-04:00

it's like
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Cake from a box is not only acceptable now, it's encouraged!

Coconut, and it rose so high in the oven some dripped over the pan edge, and, in turn, burnt on the oven floor.

Several hours later, fan going, windows open, the fire alarm for the entire apartment complex starts to sound. Loudly.

I was so afraid the firemen would come in and smell the evidence!

cleanly beautiful

2008-10-01T00:06:00.002-04:00

That's what Tina said today after waxing my face.

Yes I still feel like talking about it and I still get it waxed.

Pricetag today: $13 lowest ever

square inches of my face waxed: most ever

ding ding ding ding we have a winner!

they're still not quite as thin as I would like them to be but that seems to be a theme in my life.

Wachyoudoin?

2008-09-09T13:15:00.002-04:00

me, well I hate my hair.

I loved it the day I had it cut but only after she had silly straightened it. There's no time for me to straighten it and even when I try those little flips in the back keep bouncing back up.

something good, or at least funny.

got to talking to a woman I've met but never had a conversation with, and partway through, she says "you have an accent don't you?"

she follows up with, "I new you were Mexican!"

Like her.

I consider that a compliment. Looking for similarities.

okay.now

2008-08-26T18:28:00.002-04:00

it.is.time.to.stop. with. the. nuts.

they have become meal replacements for me, and while they're not as bad a meal, or replacement for that matter as it could be, it is not good for someone like me

silly hair

2008-08-15T11:44:00.001-04:00

silly hair
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

straightened within an inch of it's life.

today ... new cut post wash sans flatiron ... not so cute

I am aware that the cut quite resembles silly spice. These things can't be helped.

pelos parados

2008-08-07T23:18:00.001-04:00

pelos parados
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

apologize to Tizzy who has already seen this.

more at flickr!

Hi, I'm

2008-08-07T16:46:00.003-04:00

frosting
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Celeste and I eat lots of carbs.

Many of these posts seem to involve the ingestion of baked goods.

Actually donuts are fried. Well, both?

Upstairs, there's an ejercito.

It's true. But beast loves them for saving money. I wake up to their alarm. If it weren't an hour before Beast's, I wouldn't have the opportunity to run at all.

Silver lining. I am all about that these days.

What is with the state of beautification practices here?

2008-07-31T19:01:00.002-04:00

The weekend before I started work I went to a lady who left my eyebrows too thick, thick enough that I’d rather just take care of them myself. She then proceeded to clean my face with a wet mop of toilet paper and left little bits all over my cheeks and forehead.

I just got back from a lady who said, “Your eyebrows already thin.” Thin!? I feel like I’m 12 again … and Tizzy was worried about my eyebrows in particular coming out to California.

I do not care if it’s in style to leave them thicker I want them like I had them before!

So I just got back from a lady who applied this greenish (green?! maybe yellowish ... but still) wax to my face with literally, a straw. Because she did not have any control over the skinny stick, she could not keep the wax off my lips.

Ouch.

Now my skin smells kind of bitter and rubbery.

Dude, if you are going to depile (depilate?) get the proper tools.

I am going to find a depilator (depilor? what?) with gang affiliation to take care of these things next time.

Northgate cooky

2008-07-24T19:41:00.001-04:00

Northgate cooky
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Hi, I look about 8 ft tall in this picture.

I think we're in a Wallmart parking lot but had gotten the cooky at Northgate.

I (the other I) have no memory.

Thank you Tia Zizi for the dress!

somewhere in the middle

2008-07-17T09:05:00.001-04:00

somewhere in the middle
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

of Mississippi B left his wallet like this ... overnight ... and no one touched it!

I would move there but he's convinced we're going to "make it" in California.

He's been to church twice since the incident.

That particular day there was a rainbow as well. But I can't figure out yet how to retrieve pictures all the way here from my phone.

That's a thoroughly modern problem!

Poor California

2008-07-15T12:46:00.003-04:00

It has so much to live up to in my little mind.

Also when I hear other people saying negative things about it I want to hurry and jump to it's defense, even though I have been a little disappointed by it.

We are currently getting used to California microbes. Boy I love a whopping headache, firey sore throat, and runny nose the second week of a new job.

Makes me feel like a productive and energetic worker.

not

coco or cocoa?

2008-07-09T11:53:00.002-04:00

very confusing for me.

I once spelled the latter with two a's and my ex-husband laughed for two weeks. I prided myself on my spelling. Previously. It was in reference to the color of my aunt's house.

So we're on the other coast now.

For good?

I loved B this morning for saying, "this little rock (he picked it up at the beach for good luck?) is bugging me but I need to have it."

There have not been an abundance of those kinds of feelings on my part.

So that's good.

And Celeste likes "schew-el."

day not off

2008-04-05T12:42:00.002-04:00

dear Horse Racing Digest man,
I’m not trying to be over exuberant about AA, but I really think you should try laying off the sauce. Let’s start with your opener, “you look nice tonight” in a library at 10:15 on a Saturday morning is not an auspicious beginning.
Then, moving on to your question, which having to do with the loss of your wallet, where you were carrying a prepaid Visa and your Social Security card, do not bode well.
Thirdly, while I search for the eight hundred number so you can contact your credit card company, please do not continue talking to me. Also refrain from jumping to and from the desk flailing your arms mimicking the “bass playing” you’re going to “film for Led Zeppelin.” Ah yes, you’re going to aim the camera at a mirror, and the specs about your speakers, yes, I see.
I’m not judging your “bass playing.” It’s how you’re going to set up a studio and burn DVDs that creates my skepticism.
Forgive me, only that it is nigh on physically impossible for you to type a number into a square on a computer screen to claim your reservation, the visual of you setting up a complex computer aided recording system does not come easily to mind.
At first I kind of liked you, no, not in that way, just that we both prefer California, and the races, and all.
But the fact that you had almost memorized the telephone number to your credit card company? The bouncing? The painful, recent, sores on your feet and your decibel level, have caused me to put you on the least favorite patron menu with Mr. “help me copy these obituaries” and his offensive scarf, and, to use Tizzy’s moniker, Ms. “waistband at copier.”
I’m sorry HRD man but your tour ends here.
Sar

off today

2008-04-04T21:22:00.002-04:00

dear day off,
why did you have to go so quickly? Didn't we have fun? There are so many more things we can do together. I promise. Things that we can accomplish, and things that can be ongoing. I wish it didn't feel like I had to sell my soul to be together.
don't be such a stranger,
lovin' you,
s

three's company

2008-04-03T21:43:00.001-04:00

one second ago this wasn't fun
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Dear ride operator,
It's cool that you were in my place of employment asking about the FAFSA the other day. Tables are turned on you now though, what if I asked you how to make this ride work?
Also, it's a little unfair because I can't drink a beer on my break, or even eat a funnel cake. And I have to have permission from the Lord Allmighty to kick you out of my place of employment, fill out forms, and such. But if I so much as look at you the wrong way you can shut this puppy down and make me descend real slow.
Thanks for not recognizing me, or at least pretending you didn't,
me

letter two

2008-04-02T19:08:00.001-04:00

Dear ronzoni,
I appreciate the whole wheat version of your pasta, and that it doesn’t ruin my stomach like the Barilla Plus+. I even forgive you (or is it my Publix?) that there are only two shapes and one noodle from which to choose.
However, ronzoni, the last time I boiled that thin spaghetti? The cooking time was way off. I believe the package directions instructed boiling the noodles for 8-10 minutes. Ahem.
They were done. And I do not mean al dente done. In 6 minutes. That is too large a gap in time to “account for taste.”
Good thing I checked them!
I’m not going to stop buying you, though I did experiment with a different brand last time.
Nothing personal,
Sarah

Southern California manicure

2008-04-01T13:46:00.003-04:00

dear Gina,
I miss you. I am curious as to if you are, as they say at your place of employment, “still on vacation?” B. is very kind so he won’t say it, but I think he’d appreciate your return as well. If I am to believe your co-workers, which I probably should, it's about time I take something at face value, I must continue to call to find out if you have returned.
Don’t get me wrong, Candy and what was that girl’s name with the ear bud? do a fine job. But you, you make me look like all are questions? Like I could sear a human being with the slightest lift of a brow. There is no one like you, Gina.
Sincerely,
the Wookie I have become in your absence
I went here for the picture

snapshot

2008-03-29T13:34:00.002-04:00

Reason not get the large, other than it's more expensive:

-I'm really not tasting it any more after I finish the amount in the small

-My hand span can touch the top and bottom of the small, in case it's piping hot and I can't hold it around the middle

on the way back, I saw a sign in a she-she shop that said "timeless forever"

bwah!

unpopular opinion

2008-03-26T19:04:00.011-04:00

I heard the Prince song "Raspberry Beret" on the radio the other day, and then I heard "1999" the next. I thought, I'm not sure which one of those is my favorite Prince song? But it's one of those.

I realized that either one would not be most people's favorite, and I decided to write a post about not-so-popular favorites. Then again I often think the song with the most radio airplay from a CD is the best.

So maybe I have no idea where I'm going. These are my most favorites

11. kind of weather: severe, especially thundery lightning rainstorms.

10. flavor of those Emergen-C packets: Black Cherry (current obsession, sorry Tizzy)

09. dish to cook: short tib tagliateli.

08. thing to avoid: 800# telephone calls.

07. procrastination move to avoid work: wander around in the 158s.

06. item of clothing: Sistah's pimpstripe skirt

05. new habit: black coffee (that was a bat-tle, let me tell you!)

04. guilty pleasure: currently "Rock of Love 2"

03. random movie B brought home: Evan Allmighty (gets a rating of 2 tiny stars from allmovie)

02. Haruki Murakami novel: The Windup Bird Chronicle.

01. Prince song: Raspberry Beret (it was close!)

Saturday

2008-03-18T20:52:00.002-04:00

<

What?

what just happened to my post with the picture?

my free time is over now.

shame on you flickr!

So, what do you do when you have writers (blogger's) block?

2008-03-13T07:35:00.003-04:00

Me, it's often 1) make another coffee. Sometimes I decide that I'm actually hungry, and depending on my self-esteem at the moment, I may 2) get a glass of water since I read somewhere that hunger can mask as thirst. I wish I could mask as thirst. Or if I decide I'm actually hungry 3) prepare something to eat. At those especially OCD times (hi, internets!) I usually think it's more important to 4) pay bills. As I have noted everywhere my deep resentment at my work, I have also been known to 5) troll for jobs. Another of my favorite things to do when I am "blocked" is to 6) read other people's blogs. Unfortunately after that my next post usually has to be deleted because my mind is so, um, absorbent the post comes out like theirs. When it's really bad I occassionally 7) call a friend. I may end up anywhere on a webpage especially 8) the weather or 9) a podcast. I used to 10) go to the gym, but now I'm part of the housing crisis so we don't belong anymore. There are moments when I realize 11) I've been sitting here staring at the wall for some time.

Royal Rajah Ruby

2008-03-11T17:17:00.001-04:00

DSC01237
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

A few of my favorite things ...
-this pedicure
-a haircut
-a sunny day
-not working

oops

2008-03-08T07:56:00.002-05:00

I fell into bed last night and didn't make a requisite post.

We watched one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It was called September Dawn. Someone remove B from the netflix cue!

Here are some of the others, in no particular order

-Dias de Santiago

-Welcome to Woop Woop

-Caro Diario

-Bitter Moon

I'm going back really far now ...

It's about time

2008-03-06T19:59:00.003-05:00

I posted a picture. That's my girl, eating ravioli like miniature sandwiches. I much prefer to eat with my hands.

So, related list?

Top favorite foods of Celeste

1. sugar
2. chocolate
3. coke
4. cookies
5. milk
6. cereal
7. peanut butter
8. bananas
9. brown and serve maple sausages
10. juice "red"
11. ravioli

4 More Years

2008-03-05T06:26:00.002-05:00

Today B and I were married, four years ago.

I think we went to breakfast first. Then we drove around looking for the place I had called about the tattoos. We ended up in a White Supremacist place. It wasn't the number I had called. The guy who did B's had a swastika on the middle of his bright shiny forehead. The guy who did mine had Charles Manson on his bicep. He had a bit more of a tan.

I don't think it's because they were just sitting around with all that ink and had nothing to do. No one had been there when we arrived. They still went outside for a smokebreak before they would do our tattoos. Or maybe they were considering how to prevent our union?

We laughed about it when we got in the car and went to find some Champagne for our afternoon guests. We ended up with sparkling wine, still tasty. Our two witnesses and my (in minutes to be) FIL showed up and we drank some wine, hauled into my romantic 1998 saturn and went to the notary's office. One of our witnesses decided she'd like to film so my FIL stood in; he signed in the wrong place and she ended up filming the floor.

We took 75 pictures in the parking lot. We went back to our place (laughing again in the car) for more sparkling wine, and headed out to dinner as it got dark. When we got to dinner it turned out there was a small army of Argentines working there, who anticipated the need for a copious amount of bread (I am regularly astounded by the amount of bread B and his father can eat) and soccer snark. They gave us Limoncello to celebrate.

And to this day, even when I "hate" him, when there's no money in the bank and he just scratched me with a toenail, when he laughs and throws his head to the left, really laughs, his eyes crinkling into half their size, I melt.

There is a list at the end of this. The places we have eaten on our anniversaries:
0 Blue Dolphin
1 Selva Grille
2 Some place looking at water on the highway
3 Rae was here-better days
4 We're going to Roy's tonight. I am an obedient little bype listener.

second

2008-03-04T20:00:00.003-05:00

Today I got the second installation of my hair cut above my shoulders since ... 1991?

I guess the correct word is a trim.

So, reasons to have short hair (you knew it was coming).

No particular order:

-As my fellow South Carolina, Calfornia, and Wisconsin survivor says, "I would like hair that takes approximately 90 seconds to style without looking like Jimmy Hoffa."

-The reappearance of curl. Maybe wave is more accurate.

-Earrings show

-Curvy eyebrows show too(I think Gina is gone, by the way ... that's another post).

-Dries in less than an hour.

-Takes 10 plus ears off. my. face.

Sorry I'm a little distracted Celeste and B are "dancing" but he got tired and sat down. She continued and I guess shuffled near his, um, family jewels. I had to pause because I heard him saying "if you trod on that mom will give you ten million dollars. She'll be your best friend for life."

Just a regular Tuesday chez B.

thanks again Vh1

2008-03-03T21:22:00.003-05:00

I just put Celeste to bed. Her hair had an odd sweet smell, like maybe hairspray? It made my eyes itch and her pink apple shirt was dirty on the inside left sleeve.

What? Happened? At? Daycare?

Okay so the list for the third ...

the reasons why after this, I'm going to watch that third horrible installation of Flavor of Love:

3. I am a closet sociologist?

2. I don't drink anymore

1. It's fun to watch B's reactions

1a. sometimes I laugh?

Would you rather?

2008-03-02T22:35:00.002-05:00

The things I would rather do than what I do forty plus hours a week:

This is pie in the sky, by the way ...

5). travel

4). write

3). study

2). cook

1). nothing!

Now I know why my dad found Sunday nights so difficult.

Maria Orgullosa

2008-03-01T09:07:00.002-05:00

I am joining the madness of posting a list every day for the month of March. Lists might be my favorite kind of post. After I write this list I’m going over to to register.

So today’s list is about the best moments in my life somehow related to the song Proud Mary, and here they are, with background!

4. In the I, Tina movie when Angela Bassett was spinning around in that gold fringe dress, rocking Proud Mary, my ex-husband started chuckling. When I looked at him with a puzzled expression on my face, he whispered, “I could never move my body that fast in my life.” I think I missed the next 3-9 minutes of the movie doubled over laughing.

3. When we lived in South Carolina, there was this group of couples we gathered once a month for “drink of the month.” One of the women, who sometimes spoke a little too honestly, was named Mary. “Drink of the Month,” as you might imagine, often led to hangover of the week, never mind behavior of the night. I don’t remember which drink it was, mudslides? Where I had imbibed just enough to be on the makeshift living room dance floor and Mary had dropped something and bent over to pick it up. Yes, yes I did spank her, not hard but exaggeratedly. I think the song “Cowboy” by Kid Rock was playing.

The hostess, who I admire to this day, I think was a little sick of Mary’s frankness, and was delighted at the joke I was playing. When she saw me spanking, she went clapping and running to her room and found a hat, with which she “crowned” me “cowgirl.” Even though it wasn’t a cowboy hat. Later when everyone had left and the only couples were the hosts and us, the hostess said to me, “you spanked her, you spanked … Proud … Mary.”

2. Tuesday was Celeste’s third birthday. Woo!

I ran to the store at the last minute to pick up a two liter of coke, some mixed nuts (oh please let them be heavy on the Brazil and Cashews) and some pretzels, since we were having another family over to eat cake. As I was waiting to turn left onto our street, “Proud Mary” came on the radio (the CCR version). I was really happy and I thought about the number of times that song has been playing just when I am that content. Hence this post.

1. When Beast and I were in California in 2004, we had a rented car we drove from LA to my grandmother’s house, and he had brought two briefcases full of CDs, which we listened to from the car stereo while at the pool. We had gathered with my mom’s side of the family. I was as relaxed and pleased as possibly I have ever been in my life. CCR was playing in the car. My cousin and a family friend joined us later, and just as Proud Mary came on, turned up the volume.

break on through

2008-02-04T10:51:00.000-05:00

Life often looks better on the other side. About a year ago when my parents were here to help with the care of Celeste feels like the last time I was able to actually relax.

I thought of the other side part just now because I was buttering and spreading cream cheese (cholesterol, shmelesterol!) on a bagel leftover from a meeting Friday. Yes I live dangerously (sorry Tizzy) with the expiration dates of foods and especially those of dairy products.

I remembered when I worked in a café in downtown San Francisco where we often ate bagels with butter and cream cheese. Do I need to qualify that the person who started us on that (those of us who weren’t vegan) was French?

Just now, I started to almost yearn for that job. Not because it was better--I couldn’t deal with the public and food, shoot I can’t deal with the public and Internet--but because it wasn’t this. These days whatever is happening at the moment seems to pale in comparison to the other.

Then I felt lighthearted again (probably I need meds) and I thought about restaurant work, so here’s a list:

The top five things about working in a restaurant:

1. It’s the only place where you can ask a coworker/friend that is not your lover to prepare you food without feeling awkward (see bagel story above).

2. Cash tips!

3. The smoking culture and smoke breaks.

4. You can turn a good mood and a short skirt into some extra cash without compromising your morals (too much) or risking pregnancy.

5. Make a good friend in the kitchen and you have custom dinner breaks for the life of the job, or either or your departures, whichever comes first.

and bonus just for Tizzy: the dairy products are almost always fresh!

freedom

2008-02-02T20:18:00.001-05:00

I must've been on the floor
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

This set of pictures (if you click on this one it will lead you to flickr where there are more) I took while Celeste was eating the cupcake I bought her the day we finally felt the actual ransition to panties (pronounced with an English A).

She didn't finish even half the cupcake.

Surprise: suddenly no more constipation. Simultaneous luck, or else not a coincidence.

Today I realized I know quite a bit about Warren Harding from books other than his biography.

The sight on the way home of a 1990s era black Cadillac with eaqually aged red and blue kayaks strapped to the roof had some kind of charm.

Cold Sunday off

2008-01-21T08:03:00.000-05:00

Those are what I made yesterday. Yum! Empanadas. This is my third or fourth? and by far most successful attempt.

Celeste ate two!

I'm glad B. convinced me to eat meat again.

This may be the coldest winter in Florida since I got here.

Actually I wanted to start a blog mainly to talk and post pictures about food. Not to complain about work, so I'm finally after two years getting down to business.

It feels good.

bilingual or baby talk?

2008-01-03T20:09:00.001-05:00

DSC01174
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

I don't know which is cuter.

My two favorite sentences since 2008 are:
Quiere help me
and
Move sit down.

Help me is just help but I guess she's never heard it alone. Sit down is a reference to a chair not to the act of sitting.

They have to be this cute because when they break your plant pots and strew sod all over the carpet it is difficult not to want to shut them in a room.

Christmas morning

2007-12-26T19:22:00.000-05:00

For as much as B wanted to have a little soccer player, he's certainly playing in to her feminine side.

I like his idea of cheap and not long lasting but big for the effect. It works. Don't tell Al Gore.

foot covering fet*sh

2007-12-19T18:54:00.001-05:00

primeros nies
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

That's how B. pronounces niKes.

What he said to her was, "Celeste you have your first nikes at three years old when it took twenty years for me to earn mine."

I think that's an exaggeration. She's not yet three.

No. Ha ha. I mean about the twenty year part.

She chose them. We gave her three options and these were the resounding favorite among family members.

Unfortunately she's already a bit "over" them, requested her hand me down princess tennies today.

damn I miss my long hair

2007-12-14T12:15:00.001-05:00

braids
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Already. Sometimes.

This morning Cele was in a really good mood. While she ate the chicken from last night's salad. Yes. Animal Protien in the morning is a good thing. Ask a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor.

While she ate it, with knife and fork! Yet still cannot use the toilet, I braided her hair.

It was one of my best mornings ever.

you ain't gettin no haircut either!

2007-12-11T13:55:00.001-05:00

short hair
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

It was time. The reason was right. Lady who did it a queen.

Bonus: you can sort of see the yellow living room. Or you could if our camera had cost more than $50.

My new problems: I cannot gain any weight in my face, have to keep my eyebrows updated, purchase new, mysterious, and expensive hair products, and maintain a permanent grin.

Either I'll fall in love with it, or it will grow out, either way satisfaction will be elusive.

Thanks for listening!

straight jacket ... medium ... one

2007-11-15T16:54:00.000-05:00

There are these three ritualistic things I do that I realized might seem strange to someone not living in my head. I don't know why but I want to share them:

1) I lather and rinse my hair in cold water. No matter the temperature outside. I do all kinds of body contortions to avoid the water touching my body in any way, but it's the only temperature I'll use on my hair. I really have no idea if this prevents frizziness but that is the goal.

2) Every time I slice up and eat an apple, which is almost daily. No, I'm sorry, I don't eat them any other way. I eat a seed. My aunt said when several of us descended upon her in Chicago in 2000, that the seeds are where the power is. So I get myself a bitty dose [almost] every day.

3) When I am in a resting position, but conscious (ie insomniac lying there wishing I were sleeping) I make sure my hands are open. I tend to clench my fists, and jaw since we're talking about it. Somehow several years ago, I think I balled up my fists really badly when I was pregnant. So I decided it made a difference and that things would be better if I were to relax/open my hands.

I know, it's OCD! And I just admitted it to the internets!

halloween

2007-11-04T16:55:00.001-05:00

or "scarecrow"
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Mostly she got chews such as tootsie rolls and these other off brand fruit flavor.

It's all in the makeup dots on her face which would make a "costume" out of I don't know--her bathing suit.

Tizzy knew she wouldn't want to put on the overalls. Things bother those water signs that I just don't get.

do not mess

2007-10-19T12:21:00.001-04:00

do not mess
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Sunday was my 35th birthday. My first sober one.

I am a very fortunate lady. Rae came down to help celebrate. Tizzy and Sistah and AZ treated me like family. My blood family also made me feel considered and remembered.

Last year I spent from about 11 am drinking wine. B had planned this escape and I could barely form a complete sentence, let alone enjoy my surroundings.

The year before was my first year as a parent, we got away that year to a tiny island.

Holy crap! I think the heaviest squirrel I have ever heard just lumbered across our roof.

The previous year I was pregnant and emotional and did not drink.

Thirty one, my first year with B and my first year in Florida etc. I cried a lot.

One of the strangest was thirty when I had just told this ridiculous oaf I was seeing I didn't want to date him anymore. I had no plans and ended up mostly smoking in a bar with great ladies who were not very close friends. One of them left me her pack of Marlboros, and when I tried to get her to take them, she ironically said, "my gift to you on this birthday: lung cancer and emphysema."

On my twenty first I met my first husband. By my twenty ninth we were separated.

The year I turned twenty three was the first year I lived in a place where leaves changed, I had a great night in a fun midwestern/college bar with fellow waitresses.

I know it rained the year I turned fourteen.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to many good things this year.

check out the archives

2007-10-02T22:00:00.001-04:00

of other bloggers!

This post has been brewing for several weeks, about the relief from angst I have learned from other Mother-Bloggers. So here they are:

Ms. Armstrong (she certainly doesn't need my link but context!) in this newsletter to her daughter gave me an idea. I, too have a mole on my face but I'm not savvy enough to photoshop it out of photographs. I decided uupon reading this entry I was going to do the same thing. I knew my baby was going to notice the mole and wanted to be positive about it instead of shy away from my imperfections. Whenever Celeste touches the mole on my face I kiss her all over until she is overcome with tickling laughter. Thank you, Heather

I only started reading Ms. Tsao this year. I know. What is wrong with me?! And I didn't even discover her myself, Sistah did that for me. Mary's resolutions at the beginning of this school year number five I have incorporated. Mine is similar, "oatmeal or 'chicha is best, but a cereal bar is better than nothing." I really appreciate you relieving me of that angst, Mary.

Fussy which was one of the first blogs I began following, during NaBloPoMo wrote this post which I would like to recite, including the comments, to every (usually Argentine) who asks me when we're going to have "the other" or "look for the boy." I deeply admire M. Kennedy's spirit, which comes through so beautifully in her writing.

yes I am childish

2007-09-06T20:15:00.000-04:00

okay so last time I said I would explain about the smoking and chips but that will have to be a later post.

One night earlier this week I couldn't sleep and I ended up lying in bed thinking about this couple my ex-husband and I spent a lot of time with in Greenville. They were either really good for us or a terrible match.

It was our second wedding anniversary, and they took us to a shi-shi place for a drink. It might have been a country club? I think she and I had red wine. It might have even been "f-ing Merlot." I have no idea what the husbands had. At that time in our relationship, I was complaining often to my ex that we didn't spend enough time alone as a couple.

We were going to the Thai place for dinner, but I was enjoying myself so much with them that I wanted to continue as a foursome. Ex reminded me that I couldn't later tell him I was disappointed we hadn't been alone if that were my choice.

He was always so reasonable!

During the trip from the bar to the restaurant, which we made in her forest green Jeep Cherokee (why on earth do I remember this stuff?), the friend husband and I doused our hands in that alcohol gel sanitizer. I think I was probably at 2.5 to three glasses of wine. He described how he did not like the smell of the gel but he used it to be clean anyway.

Dinner was delicious, some of the plates we ordered were quite spicy, which the husband and I preferred to the milder dishes. I had ordered something I've never seen again which I swear was on the level of Vindaloo in burn your mouth up. It was a gravy-brothy chicken and friend husband and I could not stop eating it. I know more wine ensued.

When we piled back into the Cherokee. Oh, who the hell drove?! Friend husband pumped that gel several times into his hand and suddenly looked up with this horror on his face and yelled, "WHO SHIT!?!?"

For a split second I thought he was re-referring to how he hated the smell of the gel. But then I smelled it. Someone had passed gas. I was helplessly crying in pain with laughter.

To this day I think it was him. He never confessed to it. She always admitted to her farts, and my ex, though he might not have said it there, to them, would have confessed later alone to me. I'm PJ so I don't fart. No, I mean, I do know it wasn't me.

WHO SHIT!?! is probably one of the five greatest expressions of all times. I wish I could say it at work.

The reason I thought of that evening, I realized during that long night of reverie this week, was because B. had farted in bed and I had an incredible urge to crank up my decibles and pose that question to him.

I didn't because I would have woken him up. He wouldn't have found it funny in any case. But I did disturb his sleep with my giggling. Completely oblivious he asked me, "honey, issokay?"

Am I batting 500?

2007-08-17T22:03:00.000-04:00

The top 10 things my parents did NOT raise me to do

10. Own a pet.

9. Drink coffee with cream and/or sugar.

8. Wear makeup. Hence when Sistah asked Tizzy to pick her up some eyeshadow (you really had to be here), I had no idea what she was talking about when Tizzy replied, "cream or powder?"

7. Talk for an extended time on the telephone.

6. Eat fast food or chips (see #2).

5. Be late. Especially to the airport.

4. Imprudently spend.

3. Prevaracate. I'm not good at it either.

2. Smoke, as evidenced by the very next post I will write.

1. Forget to put out the garbage on collection day.

the next day

2007-08-05T14:46:00.001-04:00

the next day
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Here are some photos from our short trip (my first) to Miami last weekend. Unbelievably, taken with a disposable camera.

We had the pleasure of swimming in the ocean during a gentle rain, eating Argentine "factura" baked that day plus the most delicious coffee I have ever drunk, and walking along the beach on Saturday morning.

See sistah for wardrobe details.

Lengthy

2007-07-26T13:37:00.000-04:00

My best friend from Kindergarten (can I call you that, Ki?) invited me to participate in a group blog over at

Work Mom Work

I posted there today. And before one time. There's a link also now WIHM on the right.

This is going to make NaBloPoMo difficult.

As if!

too much

2007-07-24T09:35:00.001-04:00

My chewbacca eyebrows were bugging me so much for the past week that last night I opted to just go straight to some place I saw in the mall. Rather than to the Y. It was -- an experience.

I just walk in and ask, how much? Tizzy told me sometimes with non-salons you can pull that, and for some reason I have a block about making appointments. So this lady who I later find out is Vietnamese and named Gina yanks me into a room and says, lie down.

I'm acting hesitant because I don't know how much it costs yet? When I lie down she starts to look at my bacca brows and says "you too much!" She giggles, "when you last time?" Then she starts touching my lip "I do here too." "Too much." I say, "I only have 20 dollars." She says "it okay, i you like, next time you come back you gi' me big tip." This is getting too intimate! I like to do those other parts only when nobody is looking.

She points at my eyelid. "You close." Wax is going all over my face and I'd be scared if it didn't smell so comfortingly much like super sweet chocolate. She shows me a couple of the strips, "look, too much."

Except I love it kind of. She was real aggressive with the brows and I have these super dramatic arches. It goes with the look of constant surprise on my face (that I cultivated without even knowing it--I have lines where women twice my age are smooth). The worst is that B loves it, he says I'm in High Definition.

So now I am forever addicted like meth or vike. I'm going to have to go at regular intervals and have more and more done. And go more often.

We're supposed to be *cutting back.* Oh well.

Hey look at this meme I found

2007-07-17T15:46:00.000-04:00

I'm reading Mary Tsao's archives and I found this from November.

1. Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 - in the book closest to you right now, what does it say?
The book closest to me is "One Frog Too Many" and has no writing

2. If you stretch out your left arm as far as possible, what are you touching?
A CD --Mano Negra, best of

3. What’s the last program you watched on TV?
Yesterday morning B was watching some kind of documentary on punk music I have no idea what it was called

4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
7:09 ... 7:09 but I had looked just a few minutes ago

5. Aside from the computer, what can you hear right now?
The A/C and a fan--this is South Florida and it's late July, people driving by with the base on their stereos at high decibels--this neighborhood is not as "working" as I had originally thought and not a lot of the "wives" in the population

6. When was the last time you were outside and what did you do?
Yesterday we went to the Y pool and there was thunder so they sent everyone under the overhang so we went to the beach. Turtle Beach has been refurbished and it is a huge improvement

7. What are you wearing?
Cork soled black sandals, Sand and Frost nail polish which I just threw in the garbage because it's not the color for me, the green skirt sistah handed over the computer monitor to me on Friday, a black v-neck teeshirt from 2003, I think they called them "jersey" because they have little pinprick holes in them, glasses, oh and Diamond Liptreatment lip gloss in ... Blushing Bronze. I rarely feel this put together

8. Did you dream last night? If you did, what about?
Yes pregnant ladies

9. When was the last time you laughed?
That movie yesterday made me laugh. Punk musicians are so-- reliable?

10. What’s on the walls, in the room you’re in right now?
scribbles, a painting that says "TV tray table" that I've been meaning to move into the living room, a couple of B's soccer medals, and there's a towel hanging from the door

11. Have you seen anything strange lately?
The other day I saw a new bug parked next to an old bug and that was pretty striking

12. What do you think about this meme?
Fun! Certainly more fun than work

13. What’s the last film you saw?
Oh, actually B had some crappy movie called Marine I don't even think made it to theaters on last night. I don't want to change what answers were natural earlier, though. I didn't watch that Marine thing all the way through. Our little romance with Netflix is over anyway

14. If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money?
Spend, share, give, save

15. Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
I'm afraid of going cross-eyed

16. If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt, what would it be?
The large discrepancies

17. Do you like to dance?
yes

18. George Bush?
Dixie Chicks

19. What do you want your children’s names to be, girl/boy?
Celeste! We had discussed Nathan

20. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Always wanted to be an expatriot. Expatriate

21. What do you want God to tell you, when you come to heaven?
It did matter

22. Who should do this meme?
no pressure, but if you do, would you drop me a line?

actually, I'm surprised

2007-07-06T12:56:00.001-04:00

You Are a Carnation

You are down to earth and grounded.
You tend to be more traditional than trendy.
Your confidence gets you through anything.
People trust you and are very loyal to you.

What Flower Are You?

New Month

2007-07-02T21:59:00.001-04:00

Nutella
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Hey.

I'm feeling about like miss Bliss right now.

Ideally would be giving notice and getting ready for Blogher.

Has anyone had one of those ice cream cakes from Target?

Delicious. Crack. But more expensive.

Yet another post without a picture

2007-06-16T16:28:00.000-04:00

Sorry!

Actually most of the day I've been thinking about how to be more like Tim Gunn. When am I not? I think he would say, "I apologize."

Carry on.

I'm at work. Yes. I have done no actual work today other than put 17 books on hold for a lady who wanted to max her and her husband's cards. And I balked at that. I have no ethics.

I wish I could go home to an empty house so I would be able to

-cut my fingernails in a slightly even fashion
-pass out sleeping
-write a pen and paper letter
-post a picture
-read
-contemplate what Karmic mishap I must have created to cause me to remain ill for this long
-not have to consider an evening meal
-stress about fathers day

Just kidding. I think the only one I actually want to do is sleep. Perhaps after cutting my nails? Then again I just might surprise you with a picture.

This maybe later will be some funny. Now though I not laugh.

2007-06-06T15:16:00.000-04:00

#1 me flu = nauseous + hot + freezing + tired. one of each at all times
#2 Celeste coughing night -- no sleeping me.
#3 Water in guest closet!
#3a call plumber about washing machine which must be spilling water.
#3b chau chau $130
#3c still watering in closet.perplexion?
#3cc removing wet carpet stepping on nails
#3ccc pain foot
#3d hearing dripping sound when airconditioning on. Hot as hell and humid so mostly on. Lifting filter and to see much much water. Pool.
#3e B arranging 3 different people to come simultaneously for fix airconditioning me leaving work early to try and sleep not knowing people coming.
#3ee me home resting
#3f arriving first fixers. Me heart racing when ringing doorbell. county coming to check me lying? fix quick $99. numerous dead frogs in air intake pipe. Serious gagging.
#3g more fixers call on way me why already fixed no come please me want sleep.
#3h Me sleeping B waking call: one man to come for air. Me: air already fix. B segura? me ¡SI!

I am losing precious vacation days not resting.

Not expected to be invited back

2007-05-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

So, yesterday B planned that I would get together with his friend's wife and they would go fishing (?) On a side note I wonder if the influence of their big house and his other friend's boat are what psychologically keep influencing him/us to live beyond our means? He wants a pool and a boat and we can only barely pay the mortgage-ho!

But I'm the antisocial. I almost want to say "and proud of it."

The host's daughter and their neighbor were playing with the million toys that girl has and excluding my girl. Which included snatching things directly from her hands that were previously not important to them.

When Celeste went from disgruntled to crying, I began to quiz them about their behavior, nothing out of the ordinary. "Why do you have to have it if you weren't playing with it up until now?" "When you go to other people's houses do they let you use their toys?" and "Do you like to make her cry?" That last one was kind of low.

The answers I got were not pretty. No they don't have to go to anyone else's house because they have their own stuff. She can't play with it because she doesn't know how, and finally, I don't care that she's crying.

Oh and, she belongs in the kitchen w/you.

Luckily B came in at that moment and asked me what are you doing? and I said, my eyes burning with tears, "these girls are horrible, we need to go. now."

Because I'm big like that.

wedding favor

2007-05-16T22:49:00.001-04:00

wedding favor
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

This, the day after, I'm sorry to say, was the best part of the double wedding.

Although, the wine, was delicious.

No ... I'm posting this picture for Ms. Verde-e because I've been ranting so much there wasn't a picture on the entire page.

How hilarious is it that I brought home a sleek silver pen that says Viagra from a literacy conference?

Perhaps not at all hilarious. To anyone but me.

I'm lighthearted again

2007-05-12T10:15:00.000-04:00

Even though I haven't had a glass of wine for 6 days. Or maybe because I haven't.

Okay so this post reminded me of a happy time in my little old tower in SC.

Several years ago I had a possum in my apartment. It came in the dryer exhaust pipe when it was a baby (I had no laundry equipment to block it) and ate my cat's food and the fruit I offer to Buddha until it was too fat to go back out the way it came. Plus, why leave when you have free eats?

I heard it several nights in a row and thought I had rats and told my cat repeatedly to do his job and stop sleeping with me. One night I actually thought the cat was seeing ghosts because they must have had an encounter and all the recycling was loudly knocked over. Yes all the recycling. About 75 empty wine bottles for the week.

Then I had a friend over, a semi-new friend who I thought was funny and smart and pretty and I liked the way she dressed. A "girl crush" if you will. Well while we were eating the snacks I had carefully selected or prepared so I wouldn't seem like the type of person who would have a rodent ... actually they're marsupials but boy they carry the fleas like the rodents ... in their apartment, drinking wine; the possum came slinking out from behind my refrigerator to eat more catfood.

I was so embarrassed! I knew my pretty new friend thought I was dirty and unsanitary and nasty and would never want to see me again! Or share clothes.

Before much more wine and several hours, we tried luring the possum out with bits of catfood. Then my delicate friend hauled the refrigerator away from the wall. She made me put dish gloves on to protect me from? Those 50 teeth? "You put those on."

So when she swept it into a box, we began turing in useless circles around my kitchen, me with box, her with broom. And screaming. Finally she opened the door so I could barely step outside with the box whene the scared fat toddler possum jumped down and scampered into a nearby field.

Over the next few days, my friend thanked me at least three times for that "fun" evening, and did end up letting me borrow her clothes at some point.

Open Letter

2007-04-27T12:24:00.000-04:00

To the old bag from the reference desk today,
Here is the INfoPass site, it is available in many languages. I would hesitate to assume, like you did about me, it really smarts to be that wrong, doesn't it? I think you'll be pushing the button for instructions in the HAG language. I'm sorry that is where my ability to help you ends because I can only understand several words of RACIST and I never learned to read it.

Top 10 things

2007-04-21T09:36:00.000-04:00

on which I am now putting Bag Balm (this one's for you Miss Verde-e)
1.) My crow's feet
2.) B's feet
(he had a terrible condition last summer that looked like it was going to crack the skin open. We spent some insane amount on this cream that only mildly worked. Bagbalm knocked it out of the park)
3.) Diaper rash
4.) Cuticles
5.) Mosquito or are they flea? bites
6.) Turkey neck
7.) Tattoos
8.) Forhead wrinkles caused by my near constant expression of surprise
9.) Cuts or scrapes
10.) Anywhere else Celeste asks. Demands.
Ahem, yes I will accept sponsorship my dear little green can.

I heart subjunctive

2007-04-17T16:32:00.000-04:00

But I'm not hot for you.

The ongoing saga of the man I was mistakenly overfriendly with at the Vietnamese lunch months back with Tizzy -who is the person he actually wanted to hit on- continues ...

So he comes to the desk and says in Spanish (I'm so glad we broke that barrier because I can respond to him more frankly) "there is an excellent concert this Friday of Spanish music, to bad that you are [subjunctive] married."

I grinned at him, because I'm hot for the subjunctive. I didn't bother to respond at all. I think I feel like laughing a little because I can't imagine being the least bit interested in him even if I were single.

Hey, subjunctive, now I'm hot for me.

I wish he would just hit on the tall girl instead.

Okay

2007-04-14T22:21:00.000-04:00

That was my last try.

Where is my freaking duck in the heading?

I changed my template "background" everywhere I could find and now I just ended up with this weird albino blog.

Also, this parenting, it's for the birds.

It's only been two days and I already don't care to try to force my daughter to learn another word. Which by the way the only thing I got her to say that she didn't already say before was a reluctant version of "yes" which comes out "tchsi."

I've spent 60 hours straight worrying about her language skills. I dreamed last night she was little again and had some horrible reaction to something and her beautiful face discolored and swelled up. I just want now to cover my ears and yell "STOP."

Who cares if she's not gifted with language? I supposedly am but where did that get me? I don't earn more and I'm not a better person for it.

Okay just cool down.

//end rant

What a Luxury!

2007-04-12T17:18:00.000-04:00

I was able to meet B. today for lunch, and at the silly expensive organic cafe, there was a piece of spearmint in my salad!

I got to work the desk with not hot but somehow spicy BW and he said a wise, wise comforting thing. "The Internet, I know, is addictive. The thing is, as humans we always think there is something more we're missing."

Damn. Sign me up for the Church of BW.

spelling

2007-04-10T12:39:00.000-04:00

There was a big sign yesterday morning driving up Tuttle Avenue: Garge Sale

What is that? A garage with a loser face?

... to my surprise the sign was still up today.

a chocolate egg

2007-04-07T22:01:00.001-04:00

a chocolate egg
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

With a toy inside.

Yes that is a Valentine's day shirt. It was cooler today so I had to find something with long sleeves. I think she has three. This one has ruching at the cuffs and is extremely romantic.

Unlike B. Who I would currently re-marry for a random quote. Several months ago I brought home the book "Everybody Poops," which he did not like because in the series of photos of beings pooping, "Where is the mamá?"

I still have not admitted this to him directly but he's right.

Back to the vow renewal. I ran to get the camera while Cele was opening that egg, and he began to sing to her,
>>It's not that everybody poops>>
>>It's that everybody is full of shit>>

As long as I can remember that I will never.ever. question as to why I married him. ever.

Off today

2007-04-06T16:00:00.000-04:00

And loving it.

I was going to post a picture, but the camera is in B's car.

So, other than work and play and Semana Santa, what's going on?

Well, my salary was "adjusted" and supposed to see it in the next check, but oh well it didn't appear today.

Not so happy letter from the Mortgage Company. We're not carrying enough "wind insurance." Separate from the coverage for hurricanes.

I'm going to attempt to read only non-fiction other than what I already have on hold and am waiting for ... Ondaatje, Murakami, Parker for the rest of the year.

That Janet Evanovich is making money hand over fist, she's already up to 12-sharp. I'm so glad I stopped enjoying her at 9.

The other experiment, with straight hair, I'm loving, both down and in a ponytail. In fact I think a straight ponytail (at least on me) is a superior ponytail.

Oh and one more experiment suggested by Rae and B, wearing things when I am not working that I absolutely could not wear to work. Come and get me, girls.

random and a list

2007-03-30T13:57:00.000-04:00

I opened one document and started another on top of it and inadvertently formed this sentence. "e-commerce is referred to as the bermuda triangle." It causes me great hilarity.

Oh the list I was going to write was about things that used to make me anxious that now just sort of took care of themselves:

1.) My fingernails. I used to go into almost a depression if I broke a nail. I wanted long ho-nails with dark or red polish. Now I prefer them short, and if I had time I would keep them painted light colors. Sometimes I do. But I'm not devastated if I don't. It just went away, the angst.

2.) Vomiting. When I was little I was so afraid to throw up. I would pray I was never ever going to be sick again so I could avoid it. Drinking and then pregnancy cured me of that. I heaved on each block of Fruitville road between my old apartment and the library when I was preggos. I'll puke anywhere now, and it doesn't phase me.

3.) Being right. I was so satisfied at being right. I guess that's nice but I've realized that it is very rare that you win something or make friends with people by exuding correctness.

4.) Not eating "mammals." Boy I'm glad I'm over that ... Bacon is good; porkchops taste good ... I actually weigh less and eat fewer sweets with meat in my diet. And all the things I can cook now!

Unfortunately, I'm sure each one of these was replaced with another.

Cele took this one

2007-03-30T07:15:00.001-04:00

Cele took this one
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

This is the best of the 67 pictures Celeste took a few weeks ago at the park behind our house.

You can look at the rest of the flickrs from that day by clicking on it.

I think.

kissy

2007-03-14T22:45:00.001-04:00

DSC00794
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

but not really I'm pretending to cool off my noodle

I'm posting a photo tonight

2007-03-14T22:38:00.000-04:00

#of flies killed on the monitor in process =3 how do you do that crossout thing? blogger is no help 4
ooh, oh, 5, the last one in a clap, Karate Kid style
#of glasses of wine consumed =2
#of children sleeping =1
#of important soccer games playing =god it would be hilarious if I said none

okay let's see if this "new" blogger which for the most part is crap, will accept my flickr photo.

Thanks for listening.

How many cover letters have I written in the past week?
Shhhh

Did you know the Ramones weren't really brothers?

2007-03-13T16:38:00.000-04:00

Okay so I was more of a rap fan.

I was reading the most reliable entry on them this morning with poor Tizzy when I laughed harder than I have in a long time.

I had a very strange dream where I was in the Tennessee Volunteers stadium. Orange was exceedingly prominent. I can't think of how that would come up now as the one guy I dated who was into the Volunteers I told and then had to put in writing that I wouldn't see him anymore (for other reasons than being a Volunteer fan) multiple years ago.

Missing

2007-02-22T09:52:00.000-05:00

I have not been able to post because I didn't want to sign up for a Google (TM) account. I had to give in eventually because I wanted to post. Whatever, I shop at Target, sometimes Wallmart, and get an occasional caffe latte at Starbucks as well. My not signing up is not going to prevent them from taking over the world.

So, thanks, dead Presidents!

We had a fantastic Monday, where we went on a walk in the park behind the house, Cele took the camera and filled the little memory stick taking pictures of her belly. I will post one later. Ahem. Clothed belly.

Smackdown

2007-02-06T10:36:00.000-05:00

Hello, I'm sorry I have just enabled "word verification" in order to comment on this blog. I want to continue to allow anonymity because hell I don't even believe there should be caller ID.

But. I hate "but" I have been receiving comment spam which is exceedingly disappointing almost as bad as an old Twix in the vending machine (and what was the other thing, Sistah?) which they are now selling at 70 cents. Cripes~!

Not only has it been spam but it's been. EEEWW.

Coming next post: I'm putting up ads. Ha ha. But no, really. I am.

Hello Freud

2007-01-27T10:36:00.000-05:00

I dreamed last night that we were on the California coast, visiting a shop where my dead grandpa used to work. I guess it was hot, which it was certainly not in real life during the night where we sleep in the addition to the house which is not properly insulated and feels like a barn. On the coldest day of the winter. In the plains.

back to the regularly scheduled dreaming ... I guess it was hot because B bent over the above ground carp pond outside the shop and splashed his face with the pond water. I looked around and all the tourists were staring at him, and I said, honey don't do that, there's shit in that water.

Then in some strange turn of events, we were putting a much smaller Celeste down to nap, and when I went in to get her, there was baby poop all over her, the walls, and the bed.

make the bed

2007-01-23T22:44:00.000-05:00

make the bed
Originally uploaded by sarahquieta.

Okay my new tag line is yo ho ho three in a row. This feels like a first.

Actually it's the third entry but a first that I enter three days ... you knew what I meant.

So "we" were "making" the bed Sunday and it was fun, until I actually wanted to put bedclothes back onto the bed which I didn't realize is not part of the program.

It's hereditary, though. It took me my entire adult life to decide I did actually want to make the bed. I've been away from home since 1990 and have made the bed a scant handful of times. I'm not saying it's the end all of Feng Shui. But it feels nice, for one who has spent, mathematics? 17 years studiously leaving bedclothes in a rumple.

This one is for theTall Girl

2007-01-22T18:55:00.000-05:00

The man from this previous post was in the library. I think he wished to speak to any other librarian but we are busier than - I can't think of a witty comparison - we're busy. He asked me for "books on pHOtography."

Dude you are such a Spanish speaker do not tell me "Chicago is where I'm from."

I say "in the 780's." I really do smile at him, it's not as awkward as I think.

"fine," he replies, not unfriendily either, and makes to walk away.

I say, "but wait I want to get you an exact number." It's 787 because Sistah would want you to know.

Then he does some thorough investigation. So-o-o obviously, he points at my ring finger. I'm sorry because it would make a better story, I do not remember exactly what he said, it's some comment about the "ring."

"I'll never lose it," I say. Meaning: you idiot you never should have hit on me before looking at my ring finger.

He leaves, and it's alltogether not as painful as I would have imagined it to be.

Um, and darling Tall Girl, the fact that he recognized you in the restaurant and not me all those months ago was because you would be the one he would rather have hit on but I was the dumbass who took the friendly pill.

Those were the days

2007-01-21T08:47:00.000-05:00

1.) When I could fill my 1987 used Honda Civic's tank with gas for 10-dollah. In California!

2.) When Rap music that was ironic and funny was the norm.

3.) When what I really wanted to do, was run.

4.) When hand writing didn't seem like it took forever because it wasn't faster to type.

5.) When I could drink three caffe lattes in a day without feeling remorse.