Renewed Friendship

I need a day where I don't have much human contact. Phone calls and e-mails are okay, but I really don't want to see anyone I know. It is about keeping my immediate space sacred which revives me somehow. Today was that day after a weekend of interaction with others.

I ran some errands during the day. Minimizing my interaction with others was difficult as you don't want to appear rude and not smile when people see you in the stores. I only had a passing contact so no danger of encroaching upon my sacred space.

In the evening, my old school chum Sam called me and let me know that he just talked to our friend John. All three of us were elated to have found each other again. I talked to John for about two and a half hours after Sam gave me his phone number. He was driving from his job in Louisiana to his home in Texas. John works on oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico with hazardous materials and explosives.

Something he said made me pause. Apparently, he had been thinking about me too and wondering what ever happened to me. I said that I thought he would have forgotten about me, but he said I wasn't easily forgettable. He clarified that it was a personality thing. How sweet of him!

What John said reminds me of this picture that Kristey sent me last week. She said she saw it and apparently reminded her of me. If this is an image that makes her think of me...I am truly humbled and honored.





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Renewed Friendship

Just a Little...

Hmm...Sunday morning. Slept in a little...just a little. Did my Sunday morning routine sans coffee and replaced it with strong tea and cream.

I drove to the other side of town for my cooking class assistant orientation later in the afternoon. June from my cooking class was there. She had expected just the two of us for the orientation. I expected maybe six only. More than a dozen showed up which was good for the shop.

Our coordinator gave a rundown on safety, requirements, expectations and the benefits of this strictly voluntary activity. Whomever is assigned for a particular class has to be in no later than one hour before the start of class to prep the kitchen for the students and the chef. The job is no glamour job -- the assistant is expected to do grunt work like washing dishes and basic clean-up during and after the class. The benefit for the assistant is being able to learn new things in the class, receiving copies of the recipes, sharing in the food tasting and enjoying a 20% discount on anything in the store plus after the fifth class, the assistant gets to be awarded a bonus gift certificate amount enough for any future class. This gift may be used by the cooking assistant or passed on as a gift to someone else. Those are not bad benefits in exchange for being a kitchen slave.

It was a last minute decision to call my aunt's house for a visit. I saw them yesterday at their grandson's birthday party and visited, but I had time and I was just several minutes away. My aunt woke up from her nap a few minutes after I arrived. If you thought I had sleep problems, you should talk to my aunt. Not having Nan at home for now has allowed her to relax and sleep. She made a delicious dinner which we all scarfed down.

I wasn't sure if my aunt would let me borrow her serger, which is a four thread spool sewing machine that does one thing of cutting and finishing the edge of fabric. Turn your clothes inside out. You will see an edge of the fabric (like the side seams) finished in a web stitching to keep it from unraveling. It is a nice and more professional looking touch. She said yes without hesitation and put it in a box for me including the manual.

High-tailed it home for Cabal who I'm sure was crossing his legs and wondering why his mistress hadn't come home to walk and to feed him. I did. I just had to remind myself that I didn't have to get up very early to get to work. Sweet!


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Just a Little...

NIGHTTIME TEETH THING

Walked over to Tawny's around 8pm. She was dressed in (rare) all black and even painted her nails black for the event. Tawny was looking mighty fine for the evening. I was dressed more casual in jeans and a bright blouse. Her husband drove us downtown. A friend met us near the venue and then took us on a tour of the building they are all trying to secure as an art place. That's all that I can say about that other than it is going to be fantastic!

Kathy and Jamie met us inside the venue. We enjoyed the trio of gals singing some industrial/goth type music. Tawny's husband Jeff worked very hard to get them shown in the best light. They were supposed to start at 9pm; they came on at 9:40pm. By the time they came, the audience had swelled to capacity. What a motley crew of people dressed in various forms of black and goth!

Twenty years ago in high school, I was dressed in black all the time. I can remember one family vacation to Florida (from Wyoming) where a picture taken of me and my sisters had me as the complete oddball in black with pale skin and everyone else was dressed for the sun and had a nice tan.

Another incident was when my aunt and uncle were looking at houses to find their current home. Angie and I came with on occasion. This one incident had me pale, wearing black and Revlon's Cherries in the Snow lipstick color. I was teasing my uncle and lied down on a spacious tub and pretended I was a vampire sleeping complete with arms crossed...The very best was living in Chicago and wearing black all the time for my jobs. It wasn't a requirement, but it came with the type of retail territory.

What I am getting at is that at some point...you emerge from the shadows of trying to be different and being a part of a subculture that has black as the unspoken everyday uniform because you realize you truly are different. I still wear plenty of black, but it is usually softened by a bright blouse or sparkling accessory.

Snaps from the play tonight. It was more a fashion show dressed as a play. The designs were stunning.


My choices were to stay for the after party or have Tawny take me home. I chose to go home. It was past midnight by the time I got home.


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NIGHTTIME TEETH THING

DAYTIME TEETH THING

Awoke with a start, realized I had fallen asleep sitting on the sofa and that's how I found myself walking the dog around 3am. That was probably the only reason why he let me sleep in until after 10-ish. Wow! When was the last time that happened?

Another firsts in a long time was drinking some pineapple juice in the morning. It was canned, but it felt heavenly on my tongue. The only time now I drink pineapple juice is when I am drinking some rum with it. It would have been a bit too early to start that kind of craziness.

I also found myself melting some butter in a bit of canola oil for making eggs over medium (seasoned well with freshly ground salt & pepper and a sprinkling of onion powder) so I could put them atop my toasted slices of whole wheat English muffins. (Any excuse to use the toaster tongs from last night!) Slicing into the egg yolk so it can ooze into the muffin is very satisfying. Eating it is better!

Spoke to Kristey and Sharon...read some blogs...and sipped tea. I was trying to calm the anxiety that had been building up for a couple of days. I was invited to my cousin's house to celebrate his son's first birthday. You know family events always drive me crazy and cause freaky stress. No, I am not reminding you of all the whys right now, but I did call Tawny and let her know I wasn't going to carry any babies during the party.

Here's Baby Colton throughout his party. Notice him teething on the Lumpia (Filipino eggroll).


I was able to leave unscathed by inquisitive relatives. They still don't know I am on vacation! Headed back home to get ready for an opening band and a late play...


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DAYTIME TEETH THING

Peruvian Flavors & Wine Tasting

Bridget and I were invited to eat lunch at a Peruvian restaurant in town. I didn't know there was such a thing in Tampa; I was informed there were a couple. In Latin offerings, Tampa is dominated with Cuban fare followed by Mexican food. I've also seen a couple of Argentinian style barbecue places emerging around the Bay Area.

I found the Machu Picchu site and investigated the menu with Bridget who was reticent about the offering, but was willing to try something new that didn't sound too scary. There was nothing scary though there were parts of the menu whose ingredient mentioned octopus. Hee.

Bridget and I shared a gigantic pile of large rings of calamari, mussels, shrimp, fish and yucca (root vegetable). We followed it by desserts flavored with dulce de leche or caramel. The other four diners in our group partook in the sweets we ordered for a nice finish. Um..lunch ran a little loooooooooooooooooonng today. Don't tell our boss who is on vacation!



Wrapping things up before I left for vacation was to the wire! Who is not surprised? All I knew was that there was some wine and appetizers waiting for me somewhere. Kathy was meeting me for a free wine tasting at the gourmet shop. The drive home felt like an Irish Blessing where the wind was at my back leading me home very quickly so I could take care of Cabal.

There was a snag on the way from apartment. Traffic went from 70mph to 10mph. According to the radio, someone had a car accident at the exit I needed. Luckily, I know my way around town and took an earlier exit. Not only was I on time for my appointment meeting time with Kathy, but I was there before her! I felt like Holly Golightly walking about the three dozen people jammed in the culinary kitchen. I genuinely mingled after I got over my initial shyness. A lady in the store handed me a glass and the listing of wine selections. I said hello to the owner/head chef and to the assistant from my class the other night.

Kathy finally arrived and was soon accessorized with her own glass and wine listing. The wine tasting offered six different wines and platters upon platters of appetizers like herbed cheesecake, tortillas and different dips, ginger cookies with a type of blue cheese, French bread with pate or sundried tomato, marbled cheesecake.

My favorites were an Argentinian red wine (Famiglia Bianchi Malbec) and an Australian Chardonnay (Oxford Landing.) My least favorite was a different Chardonnay that reminded me of the taste of penicillin tablets! I quickly poured that out. Kathy's favorite which she bought was a bottle of was another humble Argentinian wine named New Age, a combination of Malvasia and Sauvignon Blanc wines.

A jar of tapenade, a Jalapeno Lemongrass Spice Packet and a set of toaster tongs made it home. I didn't love any wine enough to take home, but I am regretting not getting the Pacific Rim Riesling from the cooking class.


Still in the gourmet mood, I took this pic of three tall jars that adorn a part of my kitchen. Aren't they cool?


...I need a long nap after all the food. Might as well make it a good night's sleep. Sampling wine and food is tiring. Yes, it can be!


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Peruvian Flavors & Wine Tasting

Mold I Like

A small building pressure before my vacation hides itself in the back of my mind. I tried to keep it at bay. There is nothing to worry about. I guess it is just misplaced case of nerves...

Last night's cooking class had left an indelible feeling. I just can't believe how much I enjoyed myself. I said as much to Rob when he came on MSN Messenger. He was, as expected, already working on his next adventure. His spirits were good which settled my worries. The vacation he and his family are taking this weekend will be beneficial. Soon he will not only have a new job, he will be well enough to start working out like he used to before the accident.

My package arrived from the vendor. I received my four molds, different sized graduated cups and special implements to assist me in carrying out some design ideas I have for the resin pendants. I can't wait!

The individual photos were from the vendor..


My friend Kathy pulled a switcharoo on me. I was all set to have my favorite spinach pie at the Greek restaurant; instead she introduced a Thai restaurant further up the road. It was fine. I am always up for new places. I decided against Pad Thai and ordered the Green Curry Chicken. Our appetizer, entrees and dessert were flavorful. This place is now on the "approved list". There was enough of my entree to take home for a small lunch.

Kathy brought back my folding card table and matching folding chairs she had borrowed for an Easter dinner she hosted for her family. After transferring them to me inside, I showed off my molds and the different ideas I have for them as well as discuss the other mediums I will be exploring next week involving textiles. She is always amazed at the things I undertake. I think they are lame, but she thinks they are unique. Kathy has been on the receiving end of my past creations other than my handmade Christmas ornaments. I barely remembered that I painted her terracotta pots with bird houses on them. I've made her some other crazy things that have taken my fancy of which she is always happy to receive. Girl, get ready -- there is more stuff coming down the pipeline...


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Mold I Like

Cops and Chefs

I was on my way to making it to work early. Things were going well until I got stopped by a Florida State Trooper who gave me two citations that are going to be a pain in the butt to get rectified. My boss passed me on the highway. I talked to him after my little stop and continued the conversation until I saw him walking in the garage.

Yes, I am (in great shame) going to tell you about my traffic violations. One was for not having sufficient brake lights to suit him and the other for an expired driver's license I was going to take care of next week during my vacation. Sigh.

The trooper seemed to not want to give me the tickets. I had to prompt him if he wanted my car insurance after he had already taken my driver's license and was staring at me. My vehicle registration was also offered. I felt like I was doing his job and was more irritated at being late to work...

Not much later than when arrived, Bridget lifted up her shirtsleeve and showed me her new tattoo below. It is a classic style by a certain artist. It is big and she will have to find blouses that are more discreet. Don't other 37-year-olds get these done?



Work was okay. My excitement and anticipation over my class tonight was almost overwhelming. I couldn't wait for 3:30pm to arrive!

I realized on the way home that the trooper forgot to give me my vehicle registration and my car insurance card back. He barely remembered to give me my license before I drove off earlier. A couple of phone calls later, I was able to leave the trooper a voicemail which he will pick up tomorrow morning...

En route to my class, traffic slowed down to a nonexistent speed. I was forced to take the back roads to get to my class on time. I was the second of four attendees who arrived. The owner of the shop decided to make our class a hands-on experience as opposed to a demonstration. What a great surprise!!

I haven't had this much fun with people I don't know in a long time. We all worked well together in making all the delicious food. It wasn't until after we consumed two dishes that I realized I hadn't taken a picture of the food! You missed out on the Roasted Pine Nut Gorgonzola Timbale and Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs wrapped in Prosciutto with Balsamic Raspberry Gastrique.

Gulf Oysters laced with Chipotle Mignonette


A closer look -- that Chipotle Mignonette (picture in the middle) was super spicy yet delicious!


Grilled Asparagus Spears with Lump Crabmeat over Baby Arugula


The finale of White Chocolate Martinis


Our chef preparing...


Chocolate Truffles with Strawberry Amaretto Jam


Some of the plating were not so elegant, but the taste of the food was incredible! It was well worth the $50. I sipped Riesling most of the evening. It certainly made doing prep work more interesting. Ha. The whole experience reminded me how much I love love love to cook. I was in heaven. The class may have thought I was too cheery from my enthusiasm.

Made it home okay and later, over hot tea, I wrote the chef a note and sent pics. I also wrote the coordinator for the cooking assistants, who was present during the class. He never received my e-mail which has now been forwarded to another address he gave me. I will see him again on Sunday for orientation.

I'm still full from the incredible evening and I am tired from a long day. My bed is calling me.


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Cops and Chefs

Breaking News...

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Breaking News...

Sparse

Driving my car this morning was a pleasure. It felt better and there was no rain in the morning. I arrived a bit cheerful. My eyes widened when I saw two necklaces on my desk. Sharon thinks they are hideous and has re-gifted them to me. They are not that bad. My mind was racing ahead at the possibilities of reworking their designs as I took a picture of them. I can't wait until you see the before and after photos in a couple of weeks...

My boss was working from home, but where was Bridget? Logging into the e-mail, I saw her note that her car wouldn't start and she wouldn't be in. The joke between us is that if one thing happens for one car, the other gets it, too. It made for a quieter day all around.

I received some bad albeit not unexpected news. My trainer friend Rob was made redundant today in the other building. My company is slowly picking people off in different departments. He was in the division under the North American mother ship so I am not sure why his position was shaved off unless it was just personal. My own division (under this mother ship) failed to meet the market expectations and from what I know about our parent company in the UK, they shave off positions until they can show a better profit for the end of our fiscal year. They will not allow any division to fail so to speak. Sigh.

As of this post which is earlier than usual because I want to go to sleep early (I know -- suspend your disbelief!), I haven't heard from him at all. Rob should receive my quick supportive e-mail if he checked his Gmail account today. He's going on vacation with his family next week which should give him some mental respite as well as the opportunity to get a better perspective. He is knowledgeable and talented in his field; a better position is just waiting for him around the corner...

The online vendor where I bought my resin stuff sent me an e-mail with shipping information. If I calculate things correctly, I should receive my supplies on Wednesday. Woo hoo! Meanwhile, I need to take the dog out and make for hay. I am exhausted from too little sleep. My plans are to get to work much earlier than normal tomorrow so I can leave work earlier in good conscience for my cooking class.


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Sparse

Gifts to Myself

Cabal woke me up. Early. Mofo. Grrr.

Found myself making coffee at 6am after our walk and his feeding. My load of towels were dry, too. As I was inserting the yellow towels into my double ribbon, it occurred to me that I never took those pics I promised a while back of my bathroom towels.

The pics below are just one of the set of two I have hanging. Obviously, I don't use these towels. I could if I wanted to, but mostly these just hang pretty while I have another working set hanging elsewhere. I have a few more sets of towels before I have to use the ones below. They are washed at least once a month whether they need it or not. I love ribbon -- what an easy way to dress your towels and bathroom! I added the faux jewel ornaments after buying them on sale after Christmas. The colors were perfect, non?



There is a lady online who has a store on e-bay selling resin, resin molds and accessories. Her mold choices were more expanded than the online art supply stores so I bought four from her along with two different sizes of reusable plastic cups and pipettes. Those should arrive before the end of the week. Yippee!

On the other hand, the reply to my query e-mail from the gourmet shop has yet to arrive. Well, I couldn't wait anymore because the class choices were narrowing each day and the Cooking Class Assistant orientation is next Sunday. I had to find out whether there was still room today during a Pizza class. It was raining and for some reason I wanted to drive around in it.

After talking to a gal who apparently needed to suck down some serious caffeine, I was registered for the cooking class that will allow me to attend orientation next Sunday. Your AGOL was saved from taking the Pizza class this afternoon. The lady bragged that there was still a waiting list. More power to them -- you know I don't like pizza unless some conditions have been met in making it. High maintenance? Yep.

(Drum roll please..)

The class I ended up prepaying today was very appropriate for the AGOL: Aphrodisiac Foods. While I am sipping wine on Tuesday night, I get to watch a chef prepare the following tantalizing dishes:

Gulf Oysters laced with Chipotle Mignonette, Grilled Asparagus Spears with Lump Crabmeat over Baby Arugula, Roasted Pine Nut Gorgonzola Timbale and Goat Cheese Stuffed Figs wrapped in Prosciutto with Balsamic Raspberry Gastrique. The finale is Chocolate Truffles with Strawberry Amaretto Jam and White Chocolate Martinis.

Are you jealous? My mouth is already watering. I'll have to cancel on Happy Hour with the gang and tell my boss I am leaving at 3:30pm to take care of the dog and still make it on time. I'm sure the chef will allow me to take a few food pics to share with you...

My day was not to be wasted. I drove to two art supply stores for supplies, mostly related to resin. The grocery store took some more of my money on the way home because my freezer was near empty again. Is Grey Goose vodka a frozen dinner? To some, it might be. Ha! I needed to take advantage of some of the Buy Guy Get One Free deals. Making sure I have stock in certain staple ingredients makes it that much easier to put together a good meal quickly that is full of flavor.

Tawny was back in town tonight from her vacation with her sister to see their parents and to pick up Tawny's daughter for part of the summer in between college semesters. She texted me earlier to let me know when she was in Florida and when she arrived home. I didn't expect to see her for a bit, but she called me tonight to drop off a small gift and to show me some goodies that came in the mail for her. How I missed her! Not sure if she will be able to take one day off to play during my creative week. I will have to ask her again. Well, my lovelies, it is off to bed for me.


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Gifts to Myself

Two Saturdays in a Row

Two for two...I forced myself to go to the car shop again to have them check something out. Myrna called me back on the way and reminded me she was in Ohio with her husband for a relative's wedding and that she couldn't meet me for breakfast. Hmm... Too bad teleportation hasn't been realized yet.

There were already a few customers in the shop when I arrived. I was antsy. Really I just wanted more coffee. A quick call to my Filipina friend Sharon had her picking me up for breakfast across the way. We laughed the whole time until the cable guy called her to come to her new apartment for a new connection. She left me to wait a couple of more hours at the shop.

My time was spent starting a new book by Eckhart Tolle entitled, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose when my eyes weren't glued to the TV watching cooking shows. You can tell America is becoming more culturally diverse in their programming by the cooks allowed to have their own 30-minute show. (Make room for an AGOL?) One host was originally from Colombia (now living in Miami) and her show featured a brunch with Colombian food...

I love it when the mechanic brings me to the car to explain things to me. He was patient; he knew I was out of my element. After about 20 minutes of deliberation, we agreed on a couple of things which cost me a couple hundred more dollars. The thing is while my money to buy more art supplies went down for my creative week/vacation, my car seemed to be running much better. It is a bittersweet trade-off.

Rushed home to my dog. It had been raining most of the day so I knew his nerves were frayed. Poor thing. Spent a quiet evening starting a mountain of laundry and putting a list down of the things I need to have on hand for my creative week. My disappointment in not doing what I really wanted to do today was soothed by cups of hot tea in the evening.


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Two Saturdays in a Row

Vietnamese Nail Salon

OMG OMG OMG - This is like going to my nail salon!!!



...courtesy of my Asian mafia at work. LMAO.


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Vietnamese Nail Salon

Spice is Nice

My day didn't start out so well. Cabal had woken me up a little after 3am thanks to the distant thunder. He would not be appeased or threatened into submission. I took him for a short walk before heading back to bed. With two blankets and my pillow, I made myself comfortable on the living room floor so Cabal would feel calmer during the storm passing by.

Oh my gosh -- did it hurt getting up a little over an hour later! I went to my proper bed for another hour before getting up...Driving to work was annoying in leftover rush hour. I just wasn't comfortable. Parking in the garage almost set me off. Some people needed remedial parking courses as evidenced by the picture below. I almost over swung to hit the stupid car who didn't know how to park in the "compact" slot. Grrr. Had to take a cell phone picture to show Bridget. It's not like there was another car in the "open" slot. (Rolling my eyes.)



Settled on Classic Disco on aol's music channels to soothe my nerves while I went through my work e-mail and solve issues. This kind of music always comforts me and cheers me up. I was fortunate to have another surprise lunch (comfort food!) with Tab at a Korean restaurant we have never tried before. I kept hearing rave reviews about it. It was a cozy and an intimate setting. Nothing plush, but the best restaurants never are.

After ordering our green teas, Tab decided to play with [sterile] needles he somehow got from his acupuncturist. Tired me let him play with them at the table using my hand as a pin cushion. I have a high threshold for pain and I was bracing myself for stings, but I didn't feel a thing. He soon tired of that game. Ha.

I ordered a Korean bento box style lunch with Bul Go Ki (sliced meat marinated sweet then grilled) while Tab had the colorful and spicy tofu soup below. Look at all the accessories that arrived with the boiling soup.




The rest of the afternoon was spent handling more issues. Stayed later talking with one of the other ladies before heading home. I was still stuffed from lunch so I just had a small serving of soup. Caught up with my blog and watched another episode of Fear Itself on television. Walked Cabal and I felt confident there would be no more storms passing by this evening.


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Spice is Nice

Step in a Better Direction

The Internet greeted me early today as I searched for the website of a local gourmet food shop. It is a chain, but this is the first time I have seen them have a gourmet kitchen for cooking classes. Even when I worked for their competition part time in the early 90s have I not seen this kind of set-up.

My near demonic quest for information was fueled by a late night conversation with one of my close friends, Tab, who intoned that I have not been doing enough...or have not been consistent. He told me to stop wasting myself. He didn't start out lecturing me. It was very late and I was winding down when he came online. We were just having a conversation about nothing when one thing led to another.

As I said yesterday, on the surface you can read him as bastard, but I know the words he expresses are true. He's right. I've been distracted. My upcoming vacation was my cue to reset myself. I'm not sure if it is the restless energy at work, but my focus has been scattered. Keeping myself on task is a challenge. He just feels I need to step it up more.

Well, the least I could do as a response to his impassioned speech was to do something. At this gourmet shop, they have cooking class assistants. You must attend one cooking class first prior to going to orientation. When you assist, you get to attend the classes for free. Fair enough. This morning at home I found the site, but it was at work that I sent my query note to the head chef of the shop.

I need to do more networking. You can never meet enough people who might be the ones to lead you where you need to be or introduce you to other people who can lead you to where you want to be. The next step may not be the best, but at least it is in a better direction. Wish me luck, my lovelies!


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Step in a Better Direction

The Conversation

The following was an unexpected "Come to Jesus" midnight instant message conversation with Tab. What started out as nothing quickly became something more. He was saying I needed training (not that kind!)...This is very personal for me to share so I hope you treat it with a hint of deference. I've condensed the conversation in paragraphs. You may read him as a bastard, but he's telling the truth. He's the only one in my life who is not afraid of telling me the truth...the whole truth. I didn't feel angry, but I felt emboldened by his impassioned words:

Tab: little less thunder.. little more lightening…put your ass into it.. it being what ever you are striving for...stop f*cking around. go do it.. stop diddling..you are more than you think...go realize it…its painful to watch sometimes…sorry,,, that sounds terribly harsh but it is true…get on the edge…scare yourself a little..you are way too comfortable…you think big.. you dream big... but you "try" very gently..I see how you cool... I see how you capture your plating [food] with images...stop wasting yourself…cook...a sh*tty little online gig that you put everything into would be way better than plans for the most polished deal that never happens

Sarah: i know…i am hearing and understanding what you are saying to me. i know the path.

Tab: f*ck knowing…you can read an almanac.. you can find out how much it rains in tampa every year.. squeeze it and no water comes out…at some point... knowing is a lot like hoping.. you can worry that what you hope for won't come true... or you can hope you won’t worry that what you want wont come true,,, but in the end.. its wasted effort

Sarah: I guess what i am realizing lately...like very recently is that while i am looking for some guidance…there really is none for what i want to accomplish...it is up to me to blaze a trail...every time i come up with an idea, the people around me get excited and want to go along for the ride....now some of these people have better ideas...but it is as if they animate themselves when i animate myself..i guess what i've been trying to say…is that while i am looking for guidance from them, they are waiting for me to make the next move, a complete inertia occurs…during my STAYcation...i am giving myself permission to be creative for 10 days..i am having a professional costume designer teach me to use some skills better or polish them…i will be paying her to ensure her attention…those 10 days will be a great gift to myself...i am fortunate to be able to do it…it is basically up to me...where others can follow other people...i really don't have that luxury…people in general are attracted to my flame...like lost moths...when inside i feel like a lost moth

Tab: stop being afraid

Sarah: why do you see me so clearly? why do you take a pick axe and chip big rocks off me?

Tab: you are great just the way you are... you just don’t see what I do

How can I not take his words to heart? When someone believes in you with such passion? It is usually my role to do that to others. Now I know how they feel when I express my passion to them. Like they can fly.
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The Conversation

A Bit More Than I Thought

I made it into work before Bridget and that's saying a lot! She had overslept. Later I also found out that she had an incident with a hornet (or equivalent) making itself known on her side as she was nude in her kitchen (doing God knows what!). She had felt it crawling. After flailing to try to kill the bugger with a towel, she was fine...until she tried to use super glue on a shoe lining. When she tried to glue back her shoe lining, the glue squirted all over her hands and acrylic nails. (I know you're waiting for it..) Bridget touched her fingers together making an incredible bond of skin to skin. (I teased her at this point to see if she made the Vulcan sign...erm, no, she didn't. Darn.)

Somewhere synapses were finally beginning to fire correctly and she remembered that nail polish remover can help with this sticky (ahem!) predicament. She cleaned herself up and made it incident free to work. Just think what it would have been like if she did the super glue bit seconds before the hornet. I would have paid to have seen that and sold additional front row tickets!

It was quiet the rest of the day with a department cake break. They were serving cakes for the June birthdays today. Eh, not a bad pick-me-up two hours after eating my Chinese leftover lunch at my desk.

I went home a little early to see if my packaged had arrived. The beautiful necklace below is what I've been waiting to arrive from an Etsy.com seller. Truth be told, I bought it to expound upon it. I have a similar idea with some crazier thing to do on it. This seller even decorated the gift box it came in by using glitter pens on the top of the cover. It was actually cute. There were just a couple of details I would change in the finishing to ensure the image would last longer. Just you wait to see the pics from my upcoming creative week. I wish I had pics of the jewelry I have created over the years especially this one Swarovski crystal and velvet choker I made for a gal pal's daughter. She was annoyed that the necklace was noticed more during her dance than her dress or her. Oops.



I wanted some soup for dinner, but my soups tend to be hearty because I like for them to be more a meal. Before I knew it, I was thawing a couple of mild Italian sausages in the microwave while I chopped onion and garlic for a big pot that had been drizzled with olive oil inside.

When the sausage was more malleable (hee!), I emptied their contents from their individual casing to saute with the onion and garlic. Soon the onions were translucent and I added boiling water and a big Tetrapak box of fat free, low sodium chicken broth along with a couple of bay leaves. Once the water came to a boil, I added some mini ziti noodles. When the noodles had about three more minutes to cook, I added a bunch of frozen chopped spinach. (You can add some salt at this point, but with the sausage and the broth, you may want to taste first.) I ladled the piping hot goodness in a bowl and sprinkled a small bit of Parmesan cheese on top. The only thing that would have made this dish perfect was had I sprinkled some homemade croutons. Holy hell.



Spent the rest of the evening researching stuff online. Only had a few good nibbles of information for my creative week. Probably a good thing. My brain was already on creative overload.


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A Bit More Than I Thought

Wheels Go Round and Round

Myrna picked my up at 7:15am and waited for me while I checked in again at the shop. We headed for leisurely breakfast across the road before heading to our friend Terry with her embroidery business. Terry had some scrap fabric for Myrna's mother-in-law. Scrap fabric? More like yards and yards. Myrna let me have a look at them first so I could get some practice fabric. Hee.

I had a difficult time talking to the shop today and getting a status report on my vehicle. It wasn't until after we left Myrna's mother-in-law's house and we were at Frenchy's in Clearwater Beach sitting for Grouper Sandwiches. I received my status report at about 2pm (seven hours later!). It needed a new battery and new cables with terminals. I included my oil change which brought the total to a little over $200. Aargh.


Here are some colorful pics from Frenchy's:

Our mosaic outdoor table.


Some condominiums across the way.


Plastic birdie sculptures for sale.


Front of Frenchy's beach shop; my side was the restaurant.


I love the colorful signage.


Another pic of our table and one of the four benches around it.


Bright peach/orange Ford Mustang. You'd be hard pressed to lose that in a car park!


Mmmm...Fresh, flaky and moist grouper sandwich.


Art work on the wall near our table. I love it!


Another fish pic from my seat.


Myrna and I stopped at a thrift store for things I could re-purpose during my creative vacation. I found a puzzle piece mold, but unsure if the resin will work with silicone. She dropped me off even though my car didn't end up ready when we arrived. It needed a new alternator which was still under warranty. I waited another hour. Still not quite done. On my way home, I noticed that the temperature gauge was running high. A quick phone call to them had me turning my car around to have it checked. Grrr. Fifteen minutes later, I was told to watch the gauge and maybe we would need it replaced. Nice.

I texted and called different peeps all day to give them a status report. Thankfully all my running around with Myrna made me tired. I was also thankful that my repair cost was reasonable. All in all, a pretty good day.


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Wheels Go Round and Round

Friday the 13th?

Today was something else. I was a bit melancholy thinking of my mother's spirit day anniversary and missing her. All I wanted was a bit of peace and pleasant. Well, we can want, can't we?

Tab was in a bad mood at lunch. He carried his mood by finding ways of bickering with me starting when I got inside his vehicle. We were trying out a new Japanese/Korean restaurant for us and we thoroughly enjoyed the Japanese lunch and talking with our Korean waitress. We decided it would be our new favorite place. I could have done without one blemish...a complaint on my make-up of which was a light application. He hates any of it and calls it camouflage. I frankly don't care -- this is who I am and I have been wearing make-up since I was 12 years old. I didn't know I was having lunch with His Highness.

He further topped the mood by driving in such a manner that spilled Starbucks coffee on my seat belt. It took him seconds to ascertain that the hot liquid didn't land on my blouse or my skin before seeing the look of anger on my face. He then began to backtrack; he knew he had gone too far. I let him have it. He had an answer for everything. I was buying none of it. He's going to experience the AGOL deep freeze for a while. Jeezus...peace and pleasant?

By the time I got back from lunch, Bridget had left for the day so she could drive south with her boyfriend. Our boss was gone for his other sister's wedding this weekend. So it was just the temp and me. She talked to me, but didn't try to monopolize my time and then later left without saying goodbye. Fine. I was going to leave at 5pm, but it became more like 6pm which turned out to be a good thing.

My evening plans consisted of one thing before making my way home which was going to the bookstore. It wouldn't matter if I bought anything, I just wanted to spend some time around books. I had about an hour and half to browse. My car had other plans.

My car has been warning me of upcoming issues. This morning was a big hint. I thought I had pressed the gas pedal too much and that was why it was having a hard time accelerating. It sorted itself out and I thought I was home free. On the way home on one of the busiest roads in Tampa, my car began to lose power. Luckily for me, I was able to maneuver my car on a left turn lane for an obscure road, avoiding traffic and not causing any inconvenience to other drivers. I was also very lucky to have missed the precipitation that had fallen earlier. One call to my motor club assured me of help.

I called several of my girlfriends and Angie to let them know what happened and also to see if one of them could give me a ride from the shop to my apartment. I secured a ride with Jeff/Tawny and a ride with Myrna the next day. The tow truck came in 30 minutes and an angel of a man named Joey treated me like a China doll. It was odd and flattering. He was fascinated with my nails. I had a feeling he had a nail fetish. Now mind you when most guys gush or compliment me on my appearance, it feels creepy, but I didn't feel any of that with this guy.

Joey dropped me off at the shop where we checked in my vehicle for repairs. He instructed me to wait for him so he could help me from my high perch in the cab of this large tow truck. Apparently, the steps may have been wet and he didn't want me sliding and falling. How sweet! Like I said...China doll. He also called out to me later as Tawny and I were heading to her car to remind me that he had my keys and that I may need my apartment keys. Oh..duh. Embarrassed, I thanked him and we went our separate ways. I still have his card and even though he is not my cup of tea per se, I still think I would like to have lunch with him, but I don't want to falsely encourage him. It is not being mean -- our lives our vastly different based on our conversation. We would only both end up in frustration before long. I will have to think more on this.

Tawny teased me about him on the way home. I made her stop at McDonald's so I didn't have to cook dinner. She was to leave for Iowa in a matter of a couple of hours...I called Kristey to let her know that I wouldn't be meeting her for our walk in the morning. I also firmed up plans with Myrna the next day. Sigh. I was happy to be home to finally experience peace and pleasant.


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Friday the 13th?

The Sprinkles Life

Ideas for my upcoming creative vacation have been swirling in my head, only allowing a third of my brain to pay attention to my day job. I am no where near ready to quit the day job so I'd better find a way to tie the strings down on these thought balloons...

I noted that it was quiet on the instant messaging front with everyone too busy for even a moment to themselves thanks to conference calls. Tawny was also getting ready for her road trip to Iowa/Wisconsin/Michigan with her sister. (I am keeping my non-constructive and not-so-sweet commentary to myself, but I am noting that I am keeping my non-constructive and not-so-sweet commentary to myself.) I will have bags of chocolate ready and waiting for Tawny's return...

On the other hand, my cousin Angie is like the real sister I never had, which is odd because she has always been in my life in some form or another. She is my best friend in the whole universe, the true wind beneath my wings. I don't think she quite realizes the profound effect she has had on my life. The first time I recognized her hand in my journey was when she handed me a Harlequin book at age 11 to read so that my comprehension would get better. Her method was revolutionary but it got me read voraciously from that point on. I'm sure I mentioned somewhere that she was the one to introduce me to this site to get me blogging. Truth be told, I think it is her lazy way of being able to read my diary. I am such a gullible sucker. Here I am sharing my diary with the world. Of course, you don't get everything...almost.

The thing about Angie is that she always gives me gems (real and figurative). I am currently wearing two rings from her and one link bracelet with a dangling heart charm. While I love those pieces of jewelry and wear them everyday, it is all those figurative gems that I treasure the most. The most recent was her commentary on the male from Tuesday. She said that he wants the sprinkles life but then he backs away...he is a moth. It took me a couple of minutes until I reread what she had written: the sprinkles life.

I breathe deeply and let out a sigh. When I think of those three words, I feel and see so many things. What would it mean to truly have The Sprinkles Life? It would mean living with prisms of color everywhere (nothing gloomy!), spirited laughter, an incredible loving family of my own, loving extended family and friends, working in front of and with the public, constant growing creativity...and living the love that comes in doing and having them all. I'm lucky already because I have some of those I mentioned. It is a work in progress. I invite you to stick around for all of that or at the very least some more gems.


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The Sprinkles Life

A Glance Back

Don't you ever wonder what you were doing a year before or what you were thinking? Keeping a blog is wonderful tool to aid in recording portions of your life. This time last year I had received two gifts from Tawny, a mahjongg-inspired bracelet and a dragonfly silver necklace she had made. The entry talked about magic with the bottom paragraph punctuating the blog entry:

When you're a kid growing up in a less fortunate situation, you tend to have more faith and hope in magical things. In the shadows of them you know there is a reality which keeps you grounded. Hopefully, the shadows don't out grow the faith and hope of finding real magic as an adult. A glimmer of magic is worth believing in and fighting for even when things seem insurmountable, but that is why it is called magic because anything is surmountable with it. Abracadabra! or Open Sesame. It is not the words but the faith in knowing magic happens.

After rereading it, I can honestly say I sometimes forget who I am/what I am/what I can do and the words I have inside still waiting to have life breathed into them so that they may be released into the universe to live in other people's minds.


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A Glance Back

Lulu Found

A tired and teary eyed face greeted me when I came into our area of the building. Bridget was not taking well her son's leaving to go spend a portion of his summer with his father a few states away. She kept apologizing for being a "poop head". We still found ways to make her laugh during the day...

In my blog readings, I kept running into a website where certain bloggers have self-published portions of their blog or some other body of work: www.lulu.com. I sent the link to Pete via facebook and later to a few friends. Sometimes trying to get a publisher to like your work enough to publish gets discouraging especially when you get the rejection letters back in the mail. I don't know. I have nothing to publish yet, but it does get me giddy to think that it could happen just like that! with this site.

Remember Jill? I finally met her for lunch today at Maggiano's. It has been a year since she's been let go from my company and after a few false starts at different places, she is now at a new job where she is very happy. Can you believe she's never been to Maggiano's? You could have called me Doris Day because I found a sweet parking spot incredibly close to the entrance and it was eventually shaded by the tree near it as the sun glided across the blue sky...

I pre-ordered an appetizer of calamari which she ate, but later admitted she wasn't crazy about a bunch of it. Huh?! I thought she loved the stuff. Jill enjoyed her lunch anyway as we caught up on each other's lives. I made sure to invite her for Happy Hour with the gang. She misses our group on occasion.

There was some silent drama at Happy Hour I won't get into, but suffice it to say one chapter of man who's been hovering like a spectre for the last 10 years has finally been buried. I felt relief and no more pressure to make myself like him more than as a friend. I did at one time, but no more. Just because you have excellent rapport with someone and many people have told you that should be together, doesn't mean you should or you can. Reality was much more clarifying than the fantasy people have had about us. He is the man now I needed him to be at least five years ago. By the time he had caught up to that, my wants and needs had trajected to another universe.

It was raining out and our group disbanded earlier than expected so Jill and I decided to take a trip to the adult store before heading our separate ways. She ended up buying some cute things for her boyfriend while I ooh'ed and aah'ed at the contraptions, toys and potions glistening in their lollipop colored packaging. It has been said that a girl left to her own devices is a very...happy...girl.


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Lulu Found

California Soul

Really? It's the 9th of June already? I was still trying to enjoy May. My inner calendar needs updating. Coffee first though...

You could almost hear a pin drop in my area it was so quiet. Bridget was off today to see her son off to spend some time with his father. My boss was recovering from his weekend. The temp? I didn't ask. As for me, I was still lost in my thoughts from yesterday. My research on the Internet yielded more ideas for me to explore during my Staycation (as opposed to vacation since I am not traveling anywhere) later this month. I wrote everything down and now I am sifting through them.

Although my boss is my boss first, Bridget and I have developed an easy friendship with him that allows all of us to share everyday things of our lives. No, I have not shared my blog and will probably never do that. If he stumbles across it, well...he'll burn in a fiery hell. That's all there is to it. Ha! In informing my boss of my Staycation, I revealed that I would be devoting the whole time to creativity, most of the time getting whiffs of epoxy or polyurethane resin. Amazon.com just shipped a book to me on working with resins.

I also ordered a necklace from Etsy.com that has a similar idea for a pendant (just one of the many many ideas!) that I want to try. My jewelry making tools will finally breathe better when they are unearthed again. I am also going to be working with paper casting and using oilcloth for some other projects. That's for starters. A schedule would have to be put together so that I stay on track and explore all the things I want to explore during those 10 days.

Talked to Tawny a bit tonight and I have asked her to take at least one day off during my Staycation to play, too. Chinese food and some margaritas will have to make it in that day's agenda. What? We would need sustenance for the creative wheels to keep turning. Hee.

Oh! I found another TV ad I love love love! It is not the visuals, but the song California Soul sampled in the spot. The song is sung by Marlena Shaw. I have included the TV spot and the extended version of the song. It is the kind of soul music I love to sing. Isn't the groove like warm cognac? The burn gets your blood loose like running molten lava.

TV Commercial featuring California Soul



Marlena Shaw sings the full version of California Soul



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California Soul