Rubber Band Ball

How odd the only bout of nausea I've felt is when I am horizontal on my bed when I wake-up. It is only a tinge but enough to scare me to take my meds upon waking. The mental fog is still there and kicks in after one of my medications as drowsiness is a side-effect. On the other hand, from my neck down was not listening. I found myself cleaning large vertical blinds in my living room with Lysol wipes with scrubbies on one side. This exercise took about 35 minutes of my morning.

I decided not to tempt fate or my health and took it easy the rest of the day. Luckily, I didn't feel alone with the texts and calls I received or made. Kathy called me from her grocery store in Jacksonville and mentioned wanting to attend one of my upcoming chemo appointments. She's so sweet! I will take her up on it if she can swing the date. My friend Trish from San Francisco wants to visit me, too. She called while she and her boyfriend where walking in the middle of the city for a dinner meet-up with friends. Trisha iterated her desire from a previous facebook note to let me know she was serious. I am very lucky to have many friends like these gals!

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This was unexpected but I didn't tell you about the news my aunt and I received when we got back from my chemo appointment after my uncle got home from having dinner with us on Friday. We found out that one of my aunts in the Philippines had passed in her sleep. Fortunata died in her late seventies. I felt bad for my Aunt Maria who is set to visit the Philippines in about four weeks. She will be there for the traditional 60-day prayer vigil at least. The reason I am mentioning it now is we were just able to get a definitive on her health and how she died because she was in a different city living with her son's family. My aunt confirmed everything for me this evening. Fortunata was a shy sweet woman but full of smiles and laughter. I won't forget how she was when I last saw her through my 10-year old eyes.

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The one thing we can count on is life's never ending cyclical turns. Ever see a rubber band ball?



I feel that threads of life cycles move in this way and keep moving elastically in all directions. Sooner or later we touch each other or move away. As we go through our lives, more layers of us and others increase to make our world as we know it. We never die. We just change to some other energy form to keep evolving into whatever we direct in our minds and hearts. Scientists say we are made as the same stuff as stars. I intend to sparkle forever through your lives as you do through mine. Let us make a conscious pact to make sure we touch each others' lives positively to make our world a more colourful and beautiful place.

Love forever,
Sarah Sprinkles
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Rubber Band Ball

Reunion at Disney

Why did I ever agree to get my hair done at 9am? The salon was on the other side of town about 25 miles. I was miraculously 10 minutes early for Tania (tah-neeyah) who was surprised to see me. I have a lot of hair to darken which takes time. The warm red I have enjoyed was starting to annoy me and the cover-up of the old blonde hair at the bottom third was looking tired. It was time for a change to darken my tresses. I also felt that I needed to be taken more seriously. There is something about darker hair that exudes a perception of a higher IQ. (Don't argue with me - you know your AGOL is correct.)

My new hair color looks like a dark wine (almost black) indoors, but when the sun hits it I feel like a Japanese anime character. The sun illuminates the color into a brilliant wine. Dig it! It is a perfect foil for my geisha white skin - not to mention to goes well with my new wine lipgloss. Helloooooooooooooooooo Shallowville! After the hair came the trip to the nail salon. More Shallowville.

Truth be told, I could have waited for both appointments but I was meeting my old friend Trish from San Francisco in Orlando where she and her boyfriend were staying at a Disney resort to spend time with his family for a few days. It has been about 12 years since I have seen Trish in person and I wanted to put my best foot forward. She did the same thing the past few days, too.

The bad part was that their flight came in at 7:35pm at Orlando International. By the time they settle in it would be about 9pm. She made dinner reservations at 9:30pm. I tried to prepare for the lateness in things by taking an hour nap in the afternoon to make my drive easier. You may recall I suffer from night blindness which increases when I am tired.

Did I tell you I also had to drive to the other side of Tampa for a Korean dinner at Kim's for 5:30pm? I made it on time and ate some homemade delicacies including seasoned sesame leaves which was a pleasant surprise. My excuses were made to the dinner party a little after 7pm. I still had to stop at the store to get Trisha some much needed underwear her boyfriend forgot to pack. She called me while I was at the salon earlier in the day for the favor. I also bought a 4-pack of Starbuck's doubleshot espresso and drank one on the way to Orlando. Damn my car really zooms at 80mph or was that the caffeine?

Trish's boyfriend met me in the lobby and led us back to their room where a teary-eyed Trish greeted me. It would seem that time stopped on our faces since the last time we saw each other. Funny how our faces haven't really aged. The moment was surreal.

We honored our dinner reservations with a decadent meal. My Korean feast was still settling in my stomach so I had a small appetizer to go with the extra large margarita I was drinking. We had planned on me staying over, but it didn't work out. Several texts to Tawny back and forth had her worried about my late drive home. I was thankful she took my doggie out twice and asked her to leave my key under the mat. My drive home began after midnight and got home safely thanks to a long conversation on the way home with Angie in LA and another can of doubleshot espresso.

I have mixed feelings about my reunion with Trish. While our faces have not aged, our personalities have and trying to reconnect in a matter of a few hours was not enough to re-establish things. Still we made do and she very much wants me to visit her in San Francisco. We'll see. I was safely home at 2am.

Coffee injections should be invented, legalized and sold commercially. Just saying.
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Reunion at Disney

Rain Sweet Rain

For the first time in recent memory, we had rain all day and not just during the night. Cabal and I walked the rain together without umbrellas a couple of times. I loved it.

The Philippine Festival was this weekend and I completely blew it off. Tawny had invited me to the Renaissance Festival and I turned her down, too. Good thing I declined either event or I would have been covered in mud since both venues were outdoors. Maybe next year?

Trish beat me today by calling me first. She's been mourning the loss of her grandmother who succumbed to her complications from her hospital stay and medications a week ago. Grams was for all intents and purposes Trish's mom and best friend. Her own estranged mother has suffered mental illness which has worsened over the years.

I let her talk and tell me from start to present everything that had transpired. One of the coolest things she and her sister did was prepare their grandmother's body for viewing. Trish used her make-up artist skills and her sister used her hairdressing skills to transform Grams into a beautiful woman again. It sounds macabre, but I felt that it helped them begin to move through the process of grieving. They "talked" to her while they honored her to make sure she looked her best. Now only time will gift them more healing.

The rain continued to fall through the evening, gently nourishing the thirsty earth and washing away more dead leaves that had fallen on the sidewalk. Aah, rain.
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Rain Sweet Rain

New Year's Day

Greeted the New Year under a tequila haze. Answered a call from Trish from San Francisco about 15 past midnight. She and Dave were waiting outside for a cab to arrive to take them to their New Year's Eve destination (a member's house from the Karaoke Mafia? -- I can't explain it either.) Trish made a mental note never to call me under a tequila influence...something about being extra chatty and giggly. Heh.

My dog decided to wake me up 30 minutes before I had set the alarm this morning. We went outside in the cool dark fog and he didn't even do anything. He just wanted some attention and God forbid his mistress was trying to get some friggin' sleep! Grrr... I couldn't get back to sleep at all. Mentally began to get myself ready for my annual New Year's pilgrimage to the bookstore.

Today's agenda would be slightly different. I set aside my routine and accepted a text message invite from Lisa (and her adorable daughter Anna) to take me out to lunch. Her husband had taken their son to a major college football game in town for the day...

I chose a family restaurant next to my bookstore for convenience's sake. My parking worries at both locations were for naught. As I approached the restaurant from parking at the bookstore, something made me look down and saw a penny. When I stooped down to pick it up for luck, there wasn't just one or two or three...six pennies* total! Lucky AGOL on New Year's Day. I thought the wait to be seated would be long, but it was only 10 minutes and a booth, too. Took out some note cards that had to be written while I waited for Lisa and Anna Banana.

Anna being silly while I tried to take her picture.


I loved this mother and daughter shot.


Gonna get you, girl!


Full from lunch, we made our way to Border's so we could all get something. I picked two hardcover books and a small magazine right away while Anna spent about 20 minutes picking out a Disney book until her mom put a stop to her vacillation from one thing to the next. The store wasn't too crowded, but busy enough. Soon the girlies left me to my normal New Year's Day agenda.

Bought a mocha coffee to sip while I sat in the cafe. As if by magic, a table next to a window (and electrical outlet) became available when I was ready. (Could this be the New Year's miracle?) I happily set up my laptop and newly purchased treasures. Spent time cleaning up the drafts of my blog entries before publishing, surfed the 'net and read bits of my new books. By 5pm, I was properly relaxed and felt really great. Left for home and a blessedly quiet evening. Hooray!


*Researched this six penny thing which later made me think of the term sixpence and the group named for the same thing Sixpence None the Richer. Saw this and laughed....and laughed...and laughed. Okay...laughed inwardly because that would've attracted attention at the bookstore.
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New Year's Day

Trish Caught Internet Clap

Talk about spine-tingling! My very early morning walk with my Pretty Boy Dog was cold! I was bundled up with an additional sweater and a coat while wearing flip flops. My toes didn't mind it, but the rest of me did. Brrr. Went back to sleep and finally got out of bed a little after 10am with some pain in my back left shoulder blade. Nice.

Had plans to go food and other-stuff-I-don't-really-enjoy-buying shopping expedition...That fell through after receiving a call form Trish in the afternoon. She was telling me about eating a special brownie, drinking super dirty martinis (yum!) and going to a celebrity roast with her man -- Jesus Christ being the celebrity. Only in San Francisco. My girlie girl was hung over and sounding like a transsexual from her allergies. She was also complaining about having computer issues which I was more than happy to help her investigate, but she was too chicken to do it. Trish had me log in as herself on facebook so she could find out something. She said Dave would call me later to get help. In mid conversation, her phone died.

I put my hair up and decided to take a quick shower, slather on some moisturizer on my face and swish on some lip gloss before ordering and picking up my Chinese takeout order. When they say it will be ready in 10 minutes, they mean it and I ordered enough of a variety to last me the next couple days. They gave me a new scroll calendar. Kinda early? It will replace the one from last year I have hanging at work. Part of my order today was their version of Mongolian Beef and wow! was it delicious. I waited too long to eat so I had a very late lunch/early dinner. Fell asleep on the sofa for an hour. Hee.

Trish's boyfriend Dave called me to help fix her computer issue. I was able to walk him through it and joke with him about Trish who was lounging on the bed watching a DVD. She had some junk in her system that we deleted and now everything is working again. I teased her that going to those sites will get her Internet Clap.

Been watching some television and have now settled on my British sitcoms. God how I love the humor! Some of our American ones are good, too. Theirs is just consistently funny to me. Gotta make list for my shopping trip tomorrow while I watch. Can't decide if I am getting my nails done tomorrow or Monday. You'd think I was making a decision on national security as much time as I spend deciding. It could affect national security, you never know.
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Trish Caught Internet Clap

Abe Vigoda is Not Dead

I remembered to send someone warm wishes for his birthday last night for today and received a nice thank you back this morning. It is important to remember birthdays because it is unique to that person. It's not like sharing the holidays with your family unless your birthday and a holiday are on the same day which would suck if you were a kid. Birthdays now just remind me of advancing years. I guess I am not in that feeling the wisdom stage though I feel I have earned some of the wisdom thing.

I don't know what made me get on this kick today. In the 70s, a wonderful detective sitcom called, Barney Miller came to be. A memorable character named, Fish played brilliantly by Abe Vigoda was introduced. There is a running joke I have that is used as a punctuation to anything or a useless FYI that I on occasion end my conversations with, "Oh, by the way, Abe Vigoda is not dead." He is often mistaken for having crossed into The Great Beyond. In his 80s now, he is still very much alive. I sent my new boss the link as a joke. He had been receiving interesting news e-mail from me regarding our UK parent company and later decided to switch it up on him. Can you believe he has never heard of IMDB? Now he's sucked into IMDB. He also feels more secure now that he knows that Abe is still alive. (Not.) Certainly helps me sleep better...Wait, uh...I don't sleep. Scratch that.

My boss encouraged me to leave early as he was leaving on time. My day starts at least one hour later than his. Who was I to disagree with him? It gave me plenty of time to do some errands and still get home at my normal time. Hee.

Talked to Kathy while I was driving. She went to work and afterwards attended an unplugged (acoustic) concert at the House of Blues Orlando last night with her boyfriend Jamie. Her doctor on Wednesday had diagnosed her with strep throat and prescribed some antibiotics. Poor thing was worn out and stayed home today. She will not be attending Girlie Day tomorrow and she'd been looking forward to it.

Trish called me from San Francisco later in the evening. Things are going a lot better now that she and her boyfriend are living in the same apartment. Her job's excitement factor has leveled out, but she gets to meet celebrities. Simon Cowell turned out to be really nice and more handsome in person. There are more details I would like to share, but I cannot because I'd rather not air semi-dirty laundry. No, nothing remotely horrible, just odd tidbit. Too bad for us.

Making it to bed earlier. Really tonight I have no choice. My body knows it is the weekend. Tomorrow is going to be great fun with the girlies so I'd better rest up.

Abe Vigoda is Not Dead

Mangia, Cara Mia!

Received a happy call from Trish in San Francisco today. She had a wonderful going away party from her old job last week and her new job was going well. Her boyfriend Dave got a new job, too and has been making arrangements to have Trish formally move in with him in the city. Singing gigs for Trish were also coming in. I was thrilled that she was finally living la vida loca again.

I updated Tawny via text that I was declining her invite to her pool party with a couple of our other friends. My sociable mood was nowhere to be resurrected and the rain was off and on all morning. It decided to make its presence very known in the afternoon instead. Luckily, I was able to walk Cabal around and enjoy the lush greenery before the downpour...

I've not bought eggs in several months for two purposes: 1) I don't eat eggs enough to make buying a half dozen or a dozen worth it before it goes bad and 2) It is a deterrent to easily baking pastries and cakes. With the weather, today was a perfect Baking Day and I was compelled to cook something that took time. The next thing I knew I was making Sunday Gravy (as some Italians call it) with meat. Cooking can be a hedonistic activity if approached correctly and I was game today.

I left the canned whole tomatoes mostly in tact instead of crushing them further and added it after browning the lean ground beef in some raw olive oil, onions and lots of pressed garlic. Mincing doesn't extract all the garlic oil goodness. Added tomato paste to deepen the flavor, mixed dried herbs (fresh ones were not an easy option today) and some spices. I left out the wine today.

This was reducing nicely. I adjusted the taste by stirring in some crushed hot pepper. Later the secret ingredient (blowing a kiss!) because it has to be made with Love. Kinda hokey, I know, but that's how this AGOL does it.


Can you tell I am showing my Filipino side in the pic below? If you don't get it, good for me! I like to boil the dry pasta unbroken so that the long strands are kept. It makes it easier to twirl on a big spoon. (Ran out of spaghetti so had to settle for angel hair.) The pasta water must also be well seasoned with sea salt and the pasta cooked al dente. No wimpy strands on my fork.

Sprinkled some grated Romano cheese and more of the crushed hot pepper over this garlicky goodness. Just missing some of my famous garlic bread and a nice glass of Shiraz.


The sun shone again when this was served. The dish was tasty and the good food aroma inside intoxicating. Steam had built up against the sliding glass doors thanks to the condensation from the coolness of my apartment to the steam bath outside. In between bites, I remembered that tomorrow is a holiday.

Mangia, Cara Mia!

Cranky AGOL Gets Her Rain

Woke up tired and cranky from strange dreams. Kept the blinds closed from the mocking sun shining brightly throughout the day. Couldn't hide the whole time thanks to Cabal. We walked around a few times taking in the scorching heat that was like a well placed magnifying glass on each pore.

Received a call from Kathy who helped me tweak some aesthetic items on my blog (IE darker text on posts and other font color changes). The changes I really wanted to make weren't possible today. I was able to add a picture of my favorite accessory on the right margin, appropriately below the Love Quote of the Day. Just felt the need.

I called San Francisco Trish to continue our conversation from last evening. She and her boyfriend are thinking of moving in together sometime soon. Trish wants me to come and visit them once they are settled in. Would have to make a two-step trip with the other stop in Los Angeles to visit my cousin Angie. Eh. A thought for the back of my head as I consider things.

The weather finally matched my mood around 7pm. Maybe I should have taken a nap instead of doing chores and watching the boob tube to improve it? A deluge with continuous loud thunder came for a visit. The dog was not amused and kept trying to jump in my lap. Finally had to concede and read at the dining room table so he could hide under the table. Sigh.

The picture below does not do it justice, but I totally dig how the water droplets on the bottom left are in a state of suspension.


If you could see my uncharacteristic crappy typing right now, you'd order me to take a sleep aid and make a quick date with Mr. Sandman. Ooooooooorrrr I could always take the more fun route and do straight vodka shots and take up drunk blogging. I am quite the fun drunk, but certain conditions have to be present before that level is met. It's in the AGOL Handbook.

Cranky AGOL Gets Her Rain

Mmm...AGOL

Imagine my surprise this morning when my old friend Trisha (from back in my Chicago days) posted this on a comment on my MySpace account with the header HelloAGOL Simpsonized. She lives in San Francisco now and has been Simpsonizing her pals.



Been trying to do it myself before the weekend, but it wasn't working and now this. The fish motif on the shirt is especially significant. I love it!

Mmm...AGOL