Super me

I don't know why I have the sudden urge to do everything right. The house has to meet a certain threshold of organization, the Christmas decorations must be up before Thanksgiving and just perfect, Thanksgiving must be planned and executed according to plan, N's birthday must be beautiful, must get the right cake, must decorate correctly according to mental plan. Christmas presents must be bought and must arrive before Christmas Eve, presents must have a personal touch. Even then, I am critical about how i could have done things better, planned better, gotten started earlier, etc.

Heck, it's not like anybody is grading me. But I like it when people notice I've done a good job. There is no excuse for not getting stuff done. If there's not enough time, then stop watching TV, stop wasting time somewhere else, but get it done. I am the conserver of traditions, and the CEO of this family.

I want to be the best of two worlds: the stay-at-home mom who is working full-time.

If only I could apply such dedication and such performance to my studies, I'd be less stressed all the time! Schoolwork is coming in second to home life right now. It's a unique year, when else will I have as much time as now with a full-time paycheck?

Let's see if 2008 is better than 2007...

My First Meme

I've been tagged by Academom for a meme.

1. I am constantly surprised by the things I don't know about raising a child even though I am the oldest of 6.

2. I have recently started to cook all the time. Not for pleasure, but for variety and ease of cleanliness.

3. I am slowly against my will becoming a perfectionist. And very critical.

4. Did you know I graduated cum laude from Chemical Engineering?

5. I consider myself happy. In varying degrees sometimes, but happy.

6. I am very self critical but I am able to see my good qualities as well.

7. I found it incredibly difficult to come up with seven facts. Not because I don't have enough to put out there, but because I had a hard time selecting a set of seven. I felt all seven had to have a degree of connectivity, even though they ended up not having it.

A month later

So almost a month after my last post, a lot has changed. I've started school full time. Now my schedule is not my own, but my professors'. Everything revolves around due dates, papers, group projects, and the shadow of the thesis. Just like undergrad, except I have a family household to run now. There's bills to pay, appointments, service calls, oil changes, dinners, grocery shopping, quality time with a husband, quality time with a daughter, etc.

I am slowly falling into a routine of doing it all. Because in the end, you just get up and do what you have to do, whether you are single or married with 7 kids.

I guess I've gotten spoiled. After engineering, I was so burnt out I needed a rest. And I got one, an 8 year rest. Now it's time to go back in and show everyone my neurons are still firing. I was surprised to find out they are still firing!! I'm understanding the material, I'm even understanding the undertones of the material, but I'm still trying to figure the people out.

I think I have a thesis topic, it will have something to do with infectious disease I think. Not anywhere near my area of expertise, but that will just make it interesting I guess. I just keep thinking, it's only for a year. I can sacrifice a bit of time and sleep for a year. After a year I'll have my master's and I'll move on.

I got my first paper back, I got a 94%. Not bad. There was still that twinge of "why didn't I get 100%?" but I'm trying to squash that voice. I am going to learn to accept it and move on.

N in July & August of 2007

I know everyone loves pictures, so here's some of my favorite subject (no, not me...), N!!

Photos of Inarú - July & Aug 2007

A new endeavor

I have not forgotten about you, dear blog. It's just been busy lately, is all. I've been packing up my office the last few days, archiving files, tying up loose ends. I was also checking in to my next assignment: a Master's program.

I will be studying full time for the next year in pursuit of a Master's degree, in a program sponsored by the State Dept. I will have little time, but I will continue to attempt to post entries of interest. Classes start next week.

I am really excited but extremely nervous. It's been so long since I use my noggin', I may have forgotten how! I'll have to start flexing that muscle again...

I need rehab

Okay, it is official. I am addicted to Facebook.

I log on several times a day, even at home, and I NEVER used the pc at home. Now I'm going nuts scanning all the old photographs I can find and "tagging" all the people whose names I can remember.

It is definitely better than MySpace and Friendster. It's easier to find people, classmates, coworkers, etc, and has a cleaner look to it. It is consistent, so you always know where to find stuff on people's different profiles. And I'm sorry, but those layouts are very annoying and distracting on MySpace!!

Best of all, ads are subtle and off to the side, I haven't gotten any spam in my inbox yet (like the crap I get in MySpace!), and it just looks more grown up and elegant. The fun applications are cutesy and kitschy, but it's easy to get rid of them to clean up your page. And my virtual garden and aquarium are growing nicely, thank you.

It almost makes me wish everyone had a facebook profile, it would make it so easy to plan get-togethers, reunions, and share photos. I feel like I fell off the face of the earth once I graduated from college and lost contact with everyone, and even worse when I went to China. Now I feel like I came home to find everyone there, a little older, married, with kids, with serious jobs, but there all along after all.

So, will someone show me the way to the nearest Facebook Rehabilitation Facility?

Stranger Than Fiction

Last night we saw a strange movie for Will Ferrell. It is not his usual slapstick comedy. Stranger than Fiction is about a boring IRS dude who has no life, but starts hearing his life narrated as he moves through life. He hears a woman's voice narrating his actions and thoughts. Eventually, his life is no longer routine, and he starts doing new things, getting out of his routine and his comfort zone. And suddenly, he hears the narrator say he will die. He realizes he doesn't want to die now, because his life just got interesting.



The narrator's voice ends up being a real writer, who is writing a story about the IRS dude. Believe me, it is much less complicated than it seems. It is not a typical Ferrell comedy, and if you are expecting one, you will be sorely disappointed. On the other hand, if you watch it with an open mind, you will find it cute. Not an Oscar winner, but cute.



Emma Thompson is your typical neurotic, chain-smoking, quirky, depressed writer. Well, at least she is all those things when under stress. At the end she looked very normal and well-adjusted. Dustin Hoffman as professor is semi-credible. He almost seemed an older "Graduate". Will was cute as a strait-laced IRS auditor, and Maggie Gyllenhall was perfect in her role. Except that Will and Maggie looked a little odd as a couple. Am I the only one that feels Will looks a little awkward in his body?



Adal didn't like the ending, felt it was too Hollywood-y. But hey, THEORETICALLY speaking, if the whole movie goes on about someone's almost-inevitable death, it would make sense to not kill the guy. If you kill the guy, there is no twist. I don't know, it felt okay to me. But hey, try arguing with a writer, a person who studies this type of thing. I can only relate from the reader or viewer's side.

And I loved the little special effects embedded in the movie!

Middlesex

I just finished a great book by Jeffrey Eugenides, who also wrote The Virgin Suicides. This one was called Middlesex.


It is basically about a Greek family who emigrates not from Greece, but from a Greek-populated area near Smyrna, now called Izmir, in Turkey. If anybody has ever talked to a Greek, well, they hate Turks and everything that has to do with Turkey. To be honest and unbiased, it went both ways, with both Greece and Turkey dishing it out. The Ottomans were cruel to everyone in the area, especially Armenians, so maybe the regional hate towards the Turks was warranted. Who really knows who started it?


The book is about the immigrant experience in the Detroit area. It is about a Greek family, and all that being family implies, and I enjoyed understanding the Greek expressions used in the novel. It is also about a Hermaphrodite (?!?), but believe me, it makes sense once you read the book. It is also about finding out who you are as a person, no matter what gender you are.


It was written from a semi-omniscient Cal Stephanides, grandchild of the original immigrants from "Smyrna". S/he narrates events predating her birth as if s/he had been present, making for a unique perspective.

Catching up!

Sorry! I was enjoying my family who was here for 3 weeks only : ( and taking advantage of so many able-bodied people to move my furniture up and down stairs, put together IKEA furniture, and put art on my walls.

I have art on my walls! You don't understand. I haven't had my art or decorations up on my walls since we lived in Greece. I didn't want to ruin the great paint job in the MD house since I knew we were selling it.

So I lived two years here without art. Now I have art! And a real living room! And Inarú has a PLAYROOM! Yes, can that child be any more spoiled?? She has a bedroom and a playroom. With her own TV and DVD player. S-P-O-I-L-E-D.

I miss them so much, my family. It's so unfair to be so far away. I mean, I wouldn't mind at all if my mom and dad moved in with me. I would move to a bigger house and make it more comfortable for them if I had to. They are really my life. Friends are great, but my family really make me happy.

Anyway, enough homesickness. I don't want to cry yet AGAIN...

Once upon a time in Mexico...

A and I just got back from a vacation in Mexico. We didn't go to Cancun or Acapulco. We went to Matamoros, in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, right across the border from Brownsville, Texas.

I hadn't mentioned anything before because it was a surprise for one of our best friends from college, Hector. His wedding was on July 6th and we didn't tell him we were flying in. But his face was worth it! To see the shock on his face when he saw us at the airport was so worth it... So we arrived to jump head in to the wedding preparations and the gazillion errands that had to be done, to include the completion of one wedding dress.

We had such a great time, just hanging out and getting away from our jobs and the stress. And of course, being with friends is the best way to spend your vacation.

Having not gone to a touristy part of Mexico, and spending our time hanging out with locals, we got a real taste of how people live there. It was frustrating dealing with local businesses, since they seem to operate on their own time. The dress, which the local bride wanted to have in hand a week before the wedding, was not ready until 7 pm the NIGHT BEFORE the wedding! And there was no excuse, not a single excuse for not having it ready. And so it went with everything else. The bride and groom had to go to each and every service they had requested (i.e. flower store, caterer, dj, band, trio, photographer, videographer, etc) and REMIND them the day before that the wedding was the following day. But not that it mattered. The bride and groom were ready to go before the flowers were set up in the church. There were no mantels on the tables in the reception hall until after everyone arrived, luckily there were some nice appetizers outside the hall. The photographer arrived literally photo finish to the ceremony. And so it went. And yet somehow it all got done, everyone drank, ate, danced, and was merry.

Most shocking to me was how people just like you and me, i.e. plain average middle class, lived there. Houses are usually delivered with the basics: no paint, no floors, just a husk. And most people don't have the money after buying a house to install tile flooring or fancy cabinetry. And when they do, well, the workmanship was not what I expected. We stayed at a beautiful villa where the reception was held, like an old-style Rancho, with a pool and several buildings. I immediately notice the corners did not meet, a basic construction no-no. Also, the grout between the tiles was not neat, and there was grout all over the tiles, making it look dingy and old when in reality it was brand new, the newly painted cabinets had dripped paint all over the backsplash, and on and on.

I was expecting to see dirt cheap prices for everything, but in reality, most items were more expensive there in Mexico than in the US. Allowing for the considerably lower salaries, how did people survive there??

After all, everyone had a great time, and I'm sure we'll all be talking about that wedding for years to come. It was a memorable and fun vacation, and it was also an eye opener for me.

Everyone should go to another country to see how other nationalities live, we would gain incredible insight into our own lives.

Memoirs of a Geisha

I just read a great book, "Memoirs of a Geisha". I have not seen the movie yet, but the book was fab. I had read "Autobiography of a Geisha", but it was much more slow-moving, and, uh, boring.

It reminded me of living in China, although Japanese culture is very different. But it is closer in societal thinking than, say, European thought. The way everyday things are described and metaphored to nature sounds very much like traditional Chinese literature. The elegance of simple items, such as the colors in a kimono, a hair ornament, or the bitterness of the Sake are exquisitely described. Also, it gives great insight into the world of Geishas and how Japanese do business. If you were a feminist independent woman in Japan, you would want to be a Geisha, as they were allowed more freedom and education than most any other group of women.

I guess as you grow older in life, you start having more patience, especially with books. It doesn't have to be an edge-of-your-seat book anymore, you have more patience and appreciation for the book to reveal itself to you, to slowly unfold its pages to you as you leisurely imagine the backdrop and the characters.

The irony was, I couldn't put it down! I finished it in like 4 days. Great book!

Got Curves?

The world of health and fitness is a vast market. There is always the next best thing. Plenty of close friends of mine go to the gym on a religiously regular basis. I even have a friend who is a marathon runner. But I am not. I ASSURE you, I am not a fitness nut.

It has come to the point where I now have to do exercise for my health, and not for aesthetic reasons. You don't understand, I HATE doing exercise. Yucccc! The only type of exercise I could see myself doing is maybe swimming every day, but for that you have to belong to a club or gym with an indoor pool.

Well, being the lazy ass that I am, I think I found something. Curves offers a quick, complete, efficient, no-frills, get-out-as-soon-as-you-can 30 minute workout. Prices can range from $29 to $59 a month. Since you guys already know me, I did a lot of research and checked reviews on Curves. The secret seems to be in the machines. There are anywhere from 8-12 machines normally at any Curves facility, although where I joined there were 16, a few were repeated. They are in a circle, and next to each machine is a rest platform. Each machine uses hydraulics to create resistance in both directions in which you move it. The faster you do arm curls, for example, the more resistant the machine becomes. It does not use weights. It uses resistance which a) makes it easy for someone to just use the machine right after you b)there's no weights to put on or take off c) it is difficult to injure yourself d) you control how hard you have to work at it.

So this is what you do. You go in, look for an open spot on the "circuit", and step in to the machine. There's music in the background, and every 30 seconds you are told to change stations. You go from machine to platform to machine. On the platform you march, or jog, or jump to keep your heart rate up. Each machine is designed to work at least 2 parts of your body. You do this for about 28 minutes, then stretch out for 2 minutes. And that's it. You can leave.

They swear that if you do this 3 times a week, you WILL lose inches. I've gone twice now and don't feel ANY soreness or tiredness.

Now obviously this isn't for everybody, there is a specific target audience. It is only for women. Women who don't work out very often or not at all would do well here. If you are older and extremely overweight, you would do well here, since there is nobody leering at you.

If you are young and in shape, you may not like it here. It may be too easy and too boring for you.

The fascinating thing is that there are Curves all over the world. Except in PR! If anyone is interested in opening a Curves franchise in PR, you can make a lot of money.

Getting Hooked...

Okay, I don't know if it's just this month's flavor of the month, or if I'm really getting addicted to this.

I have a Myspace account, a Friendster account, AND a Facebook account now. I find MySpace a bit childish for me, but I have a very good friend who invited me so I figured what the heck. But I can't figure how to do anything on the site. Friendster I joined because I have a bunch of filipino friends who use it (don't ask, long story). Apparently, most of these sites are specific to different types of communities. For example, MySpace seems to be popular with gay guys. Friendster seems to be used by filipinos a lot. And Facebook is apparently the site of preference for Australians and Puerto Ricans.

Maybe it's just the people I know fall into these categories. But anyway, I'm finding people I haven't heard or seen in YEARS. It's kind of fun, actually. But I feel very... um ...self-conscious that I'm getting old for this.

I don't know why. Technology is not reserved only for teeny-boppers. And the people I have found are all my age or older. So why do I feel inconspicuously old on the internet?

Anyway, I will keep you updated on whether this is another passing craze for me...

Reminiscent Rambling Fears

I was looking at old photographs from China and Greece and everywhere in between and thought how far away that life seems to me now! A life of contant travel, where I had to lay in bed wondering where exactly I was that day. A life so far away from family I considered myself lucky to speak with my parents once a week, finding it so hard to describe everything we had seen or done.

Adal and I lived in virtual isolation from everything that was familiar; friendly faces, friendly voices, languages we understood. We only had ourselves to rely on, which made it very scary if we ever argued. I always had the thought running through my mind: I hope I didn't piss him off so much that he will leave me here alone in this god-forsaken place!

It got very lonely for us. I think we made the time pass faster by doing things. Shopping, antiquing, travelling, partying, going out to eat, going out to meet friends, anything. I think it did us good.

To meet people now that have never lived anywhere except their city or have never traveled overseas before is so strange to me. I can't understand why anybody would not want to travel to as many places as they can.

Now my biggest fear is having to take N far away from our family. There is always the possibility I may be assigned somewhere overseas, and eventually it WILL happen. How will I bear to tear her away from the little family she's able to see? This is something I haven't been able to resolve in my head. It doesn't seem fair that our little family is relegated to a nomadic existence. These last two years I have escaped my reality by concentrating on being pregnant, giving birth, and taking care of N, but I have to wake up and smell the coffee. Our life will not be normal.

Work Sucks...

Besides the fact that work naturally sucks because, well, it's work and it interferes with everything else I want or need to do, my job in particular sucks. I move around every 2 or 3 years. Which is the good part. I move on, don't get too bored, always end up doing something different.

But it is particularly difficult to deal with government people. There's your lazy ones, the ones that never show up, the ones that make a big deal about everything, the slow ones, the fast ones, the ones that take your credit, and the ones who should've taken credit. It is hard to work in a place where people are not only inefficient, but that are rude as well.

I have the fun chore of working in place that a) the only other hispanics anyone knows are the cleaning people b)the only other females that work here are secretaries and c) there's no one else under the age of 35.

And it's a shame. Because the majority of people I have come to know here are genuinely good people that really worry about their customer and about working together. But there is always a chauvinistic ex-military prick that has to ruin it for everybody. And we are supposed to be his customer! The only thing that goes around in my head like a mantra is "I hope his daughter has to work for a prick like him someday."

I'm getting what they call "short". On my way out. Ready to get to my next assignment. It's a bit like Senioritis. I'm outta here in August and I'm starting not to care. Except for Mr. Prickman. Why is it that people like that get away with it? If it was me acting like that, I'd have to get formal counseling. It annoys me that he gets to stay and "win" the waiting game, and he gets to continue to get away with it. I've spent too much energy cooking up schemes in my head to "get back" at him, when in reality I could never do any of those things. I just have to "let it go", but it still annoys me!

You can say "well, just stop thinking about it", "Don't let it get to you", "Don't let your blood pressure get high over him", but it doesn't work. I try not to think about it, but I really feel slighted. He has really been a prick to me, and it feels unfair. Yeah, go ahead and say it, Life isn't Fair. But people should try to make it fair as possible, and not let Prickmen like him get away with it!

It's just been an awful week for me, and I don't even know how to act anymore. I want to stand for justice, and I want to win sometimes too.

I guess this time it is another "retreat" for me. I'll be retreating to my new assignment soon enough.

Stare at the frame

Well, my father's day gifts were a hit. I'm so glad. I got both of N's grandfathers a digital frame and a memory card with 1,073 photos on it. Grandpa Si just sat and watched the pictures fly by. Apparently, it takes several hours to cycle through a thousand pictures. Grandpa HG liked his, too. From what I heard, both my dad and my mom were entertained looking at the pictures for a while.

All I have to do is update the grandpas with a new memory card. Now A wants one too...

Happy Father's Day!

Things my Papi taught me:


1. How to swing a plastic bat at a plastic ball

2. How to roller skate will *real* metal skates

3. How to ride a bicycle with training wheels

4. How to ride a bicycle without training wheels

5. How to collect stamps

6. That the New York Yankees are the best team in the world

7. That we hate any team from Boston

8. How to paint the house

9. How to pack the car to go to the beach

10. How to pitch a tent

11. How to check the car's oil and water levels

12. How to change a tire

13. How to play badminton

14. How to catch a baseball

15. That you have to practice hard to be good at anything

16. Not to be a quitter

17. To always save money for a rainy day

18. To not be frivolous with my money

19. That hard work is always rewarded

20. That everybody has the right to keep their vote secret

21. How to be an upright, honest, and responsible citizen

22. How to be a good father


Happy Father's day to all the fathers in my life.

New Right Hand Feature

To expand upon the neat idea of using initials vice names ripped off from Academom, and upgrades to the idea suggested by A, I'm including a Cast of Characters. To the right, you should see a list of all the "characters" in my life that are referred to by initials. And some of them are real characters, I tell you.

Great deal on a Flat Panel TV!

If you are looking to take the plunge to a flat panel TV, look no further. Wal-mart has a great offer right now on a 32" High Definition LCD Flat Panel TV.





The price is perfect, it has all the features of more expensive models, great resolution, and lots of inputs. So in case you want to connect a DVD player, your playstation, your Wii, the MP3 player and still have a spare input, you'll be ok with this one. Viewing angle is 170 degrees, so no more worries about having to sit directly in front of the TV to see it. The only thing missing for us was an integrated DVD player, we like to combine devices as it is a huge space saver. We had held back from even looking at them because of the high prices, but this may be the year's best deal yet.


Other reviews include Blog A, and a mention in that blog.


Hmm. Me thinks I may have found a good father's day gift...

N, my favorite Photo subject

While I was taking pictures this weekend, I remembered I hadn't posted shots for while. Actually, since March. So I cleaned up the camera's memory card and uploaded to Kodak Gallery.

Here are the latest photos from March to Yesterday!

A lot of people ask me why I take so many photos. Sometimes I try the same shot several times. I tell them that all photographers take tons of pictures, then they pick one or two that are the absolute best. They look for that sparkle in the eye, that fleeting smile, the perfectly accidental wisp of hair across the face. I'm not a professional by far! But I love to take photos and on a digital camera memory is cheap. I post all of the decent photos (not the blurry, dark, or unfavorable ones) to kodak gallery because the idea is for the viewer to select his own favorites and order their own prints. That way my family can have the pictures they like best.

Kids really do grow up fast. I was looking at N's pictures from last year, and she looks so tiny compared to now. She's had a camera in her face since the minute she was born. I think it is my own fear that something wonderful and happy will happen and I won't have a picture of it to remember. Some people will say that you will always have your memories. We tend to recreate our memories around photographs, filling in the space between the lines. But my grandfather has Alzheimer's and he doesn't have any memories left. He can't even talk about them. All that's left are the photos of happier times with his family. When he's gone, at least the photos are a testiment to his existence.

I guess I am evidencing N's path through life, I'm proving her existence. Giving her something she can sit down with her grandchildren and try to tell the story behind the photo.

That's why I can't take enough pictures of her.

The in-laws brought the summer heat

The heat has started.

It broke 100 degrees F last Friday, the neighborhood pools are brimming with hot kids, and it's getting dark at 9 pm. This means everybody is out doing something to take advantage of the summer.

My father-in-law and his live-in female companion of many years arrived last Thursday night to spoil his granddaughter N. And she has let herself be spoiled by them with glee. You should see her abusing her grandfather Si, tugging at his wrinkles, showing him all her toys one by one, taking his food. He's in heaven with his granddaughter! He told me all he has left to live for is that granddaughter, that he wakes up and the first thing he does is gives her photograph a kiss.

I took N to a carrousel at the mall with Nana So. I'm so proud of N! She's a brave little girl, hanging on by herself, not getting scared at all; just the opposite, I couldn't get her off. She didn't even want me to hold her back, just in case. I gave her only two rides because I want her to know when enough is enough. Frustration is part of her development. I got some great photos of a tickle session too!

Today she is staying with the grandparents all by herself. I have a feeling they are both going to be very tired by the time I get home. I love it when N spends time with family, since she doesn't get to see them all the time like other kids. We are a very close-knit family, and culturally, we are used to hanging out with family all the time. It is very hard for us to be so far away from our families, even after all these years, and we always get the feeling we are getting cheated of valuable quality time with them. Not to mention we feel we are somehow cheating them of quality time with their granddaughter.

So these two weeks A and I will focus on giving them all the quality time we can with N.

Amen.

Blehhhh...

Is it 4:00 yet?

Ahhhh! My feet are itchin' to leave work! It's Friday, and like most Fridays in the summer, no one is here. Everyone is out having fun 'cept me.

Wait a minute. I'm in charge around here. I should lead a mutiny against the system! I should round up the few stragglers wasting their time on the internet (like me) and we should organize a strike. We'll make armbands and posters and graffiti the Anarchy sign to the side of the building. We'll walk out and throw our posters into a pile and burn them. Yeah!

Hum, hummm, hmmmm. That's it. I'm dismissing everyone early today. We're not getting anything done anyway.

Have a great weekend, people.

Let me tell you a story...

I'm going to tell you a great love story.

This is the story about a girl and a boy who met playing music in college. They became good friends and hung out a lot together. Neither thought what they had was anything serious. It was fun, they both had lots of friends they hung out with, and enjoyed each other's company.

Then one day the girl realized she really dug this guy. She really really liked this guy. She even *dare she say it* l-o-v-e-d this guy. She told him and mentioned the *L* word. He didn't run away, but didn't return the *L* word. The girl was not bothered by this, hurt a little maybe, but not bothered. She had been honest with him at least.

Then, a few months later, at a fraternity dance, he had the band make a public announcement. The boy wanted to say hi to the girl, and let her know he l-o-v-e-d her! The girl was so surprised and happy and caught in the moment she even cried a little. Not too much, though. She didn't want her make-up running.

The girl and the boy lived happily for several years. The girl and the boy had come to a time where they had to leave college. The girl was about to graduate and had gotten a job far away. She told the boy that no matter where she worked, she wanted to be close to the boy. What good was it to make a lot of money if you are lonely? So the boy decided to go with her, and they both decided to get married.

They travelled all over the world together. They saw the Great wall of China, they saw beautiful beaches in Thailand, they drove all over Australia, they dove in the Great Barrier Reef, they went to a mass at the Vatican, they walked all over Rome, they threw euro-pennies in all the fountains in Rome (quite a lot), they saw Michaelangelo's David, they frolicked in the mediterranean sea, they travelled to Turkey, they visited a gazillion Greek Islands, they touched the Parthenon, and they still loved each other.

The boy and the girl were getting lonely. So they decided to have a baby. The most beautiful baby in the world was born to them. The sleepless nights came, as did the the chronic fatigue, the growing bills, the long commute; but still they plowed on with life.

The baby grew and started laughing, and crawling, and standing up, and walking, and running. The boy and the girl could now take the baby to the park, to the playground, and lots of other fun places. And still the boy and the girl loved each other.

Before they knew it, eight years had passed since the wedding. The happily ever after never came. It was just happily. The boy and the girl, happily living life.

Happy Anniversary to Us.

*Note: I've glossed over all the fights, all the arguments, the days we didn't speak to each other, the stressing over money, the 7 times we've moved, all the illnesses, all the tears, all the inconsiderate little moments. What matters is the big picture, and the big picture is that we truly are happy and lucky to have each other. The girl loves the boy very much.

A place to call Home

I just moved a month ago.

I won't go into the details of the agony of prepping a house to put on the market, or the work that goes into staging a home for an open house, the stress of doing everything at the last minute, or the pain of packing every single belonging, only to forget where you put the baby's favorite binky.

No, we won't go there.

We won't mention the anxiety attacks over where we are going to live, of not finding something you like in your reasonable (or so you thought) price range, of strange communities you can't find your way out of, of thinking "I just sold my house and I am homeless".

Nah, water under the bridge.

We will focus on how happy I am. Because I am genuinely, authentically, "the hills are alive", "who's your daddy", "it's your birthday" happy.

We found the perfect house. Well, technically, an end unit townhouse. We went from a single-family home in the middle of nowhere, to a townhouse in the middle of everything.

It's not about the house per se. It's about the huge improvement in our quality of life. No more commutes of an hour and a half. Each way. With a tired baby. We can WALK to stores. We can take advantage of public transportation. We are closer to the airport. We get home and have time to unwind before getting up and doing it all again in the morning. I can sleep in an hour later. We can take N to the park at the end of the block.

Don't get me wrong, the house is beautiful. It's a newer house, and there's nothing we have to do to it. It was painted beautifully and not a spot on the walls or floors or (yikes!) creamy beige carpet. But more importantly, it feels like HOME.

Some people ask me how I was able to sell my house in MD so quickly and how did I find such a perfect unit. The secret was in the real estate agent. Some people don't believe in using agents and insist they just take your money. I disagree. My realtor was a professional and brought a lot of knowledge and experience to the table. There's no way we could have done it all ourselves. Sure, you can do it yourself, but don't complain if it doesn't sell right away or for the right price...

I told A the other day that I feel I live in a vacation home, I'm that happy. There's still plenty to do. I haven't hung anything on the walls, and seating is limited, but I am content to take my time. I have the rest of my life.

Am I Greener than I thought?

I have never made much of an effort to be environmentally friendly. Well, I haven't. I'm honest. And lazy.

But I think I am greener than I originally thought I was.

Granted, sometimes it pays to be greener. I have a hybrid car, a Prius. I can go two weeks without filling up. And when I fill up I may pay $25, even now with high gas prices. I can usually get 48-49 MPG out of my Prius. Yes, it was more expensive than a Corolla or maybe even a Camry. But it looks so cool and futuristic, and it has all these buttons... I love buttons. I was surprised at the low MPG many luxury cars offer. It's ironic we have both ends of the spectrum; one of the most efficient cars, the Prius, and one of the most inefficient vehicles, a Jeep Grand Cherokee with 4 wd. 'Nuff said, we hardly use the Jeep.

I recycle a lot. Our recycle bin is considerably fuller than the rest of my neighbors. I don't take extra napkins at the restaurant. We don't use straws at all. I try to buy products that have been recycled, like printer paper. Even A has changed out all our lightbulbs to fluorescent lightbulbs, which really reduce our electric bill. I made a point of buying a newer house with more efficient windows and super efficient HVAC unit (okay, that was a side benefit). I cover my windows with multiple layers to improve the efficiency of the HVAC. A uses public transportation all the time. I pick products that don't harm the environment. But it's almost subconscious already. I swear I don't do it to be trendy! It just happened!

After reading an article in Time about how crappy the environmental situation is and what people can do to make a difference, I realize I already do a lot of those things. I am probably greener than 90% of the world. And I wasn't even trying, I swear! I think most of it has rubbed off from A, who's (first) B.S. was in Biology and loves all animals, especially the ugly and yucchy ones. I think we do most of the things we do because in the long run it helps us save money, but if we're doing our part to reduce our "carbon footprint", then great.

The shocker to me was realizing that there are people that don't believe there is anything wrong with the environment and we should do nothing about it. Hello!?! One guy at work, who was offended I am not a conservative but talked to me anyway, told me "Thing is, I don't believe in this global warming crap. I read an article in yadayada that says there is no proof of global warming."

I looked at him with those beautiful big brown eyes of mine and asked "Are you serious? Do you realize this is science, not like a myth or something, but actually a fact? That the ice caps are really melting and there really is a hole in the ozone? Like, for real? Like, not a myth?!?"

What an ignoramus. Yes, Virginia. There really is an environmental crisis.

Why you shouldn't take little monsters to see big monsters

(The idea of substituting initials for names is completely ripped off of fellow blogger Academom)

N, my almost 18-month-old daughter, has changed. She has transformed into a little devious imp. I don't understand how she can shriek bloody murder one second and then laugh so innocently the next. Why does she look at me as she's doing something naughty on purpose? What happened to my angel?

She became a toddler.

I don't know how to handle her. Just when she is at the perfect stage to take her places to discover new things, like petting zoos and parks and playgrounds and carrousels, she is impossible to control.

We took her to see Shrek III. It actually went better than I thought. She was laughing and attentive for 3/4 of the movie. The last 1/4 was what I feared. She wanted to get out of her chair and run around and shriek. So we became THOSE parents that have the annoying kid and spent the rest of the movie walking out of the theatre, then back in to watch a bit, then back out when she started shrieking. A did most of it. I was back up. Next time, I will buy the tickets online and bring her straight in to the movie, instead of waiting around. And maybe wait till the grandparents take her : ) ...

I have the manual, but I must have the wrong model. The "What to expect: the toddler years" suggests a time out when she knows she is doing something wrong. But no details on how to actually physically get an 18-month-old to do "timeout". hmmm.

My husband A, being worse than I am about being a cyber-addict, googled Time Out. And he found some helpful tricks on actually getting a toddler to understand time out and doing it. It came down to holding her down and counting to 20. That's enough for either a) get her REALLY pissed and exercising those vocal cords or b) get her to forget why she is being held down to begin with.

I think I'm getting the hang of it. When I hold her down for time out and she ends up screaming louder than when she started, that means she is tired and it's time for a nap. When scenario b occurs, I try to put on a cheery face, make her laugh, and steer her to a toy.

All I can think about is those parents that have more than one child, or twins or triplets, and I'm ashamed to complain...

Looking for that one-day sale?

Some people are lucky. They have so much spare change they don't know what to spend it on. Well, for those people, and those that are lazy, there's a website that features one item for sale per day. It's usually something techie and non-essential, and it's at a really good price. The catch? You can only buy it that one day. After that, "no ticket no laundry".

Why is the website called Woot? No idea. I welcome any guesses, though...

How to save carpets

Those that know me well know that I am the ultimate shopper. I make it my business to find solutions to any problem on the internet (I found out how to clean Whirlpool jets), and I will find the best deal from the most reliable cyber vendor. Most importantly, lots of research hours go into any major purchase I make, such as a digital camera, car, GPS, refrigerator, etc. It took me two weeks of research to decide on Creative Labs Zen:Vision MP3 player for my husband's Christmas gift, even over the iPod. I have my own personal shopping mafia. And I'm not stingy with information, as I will gladly share the fruits of my research (with anyone that will listen).

Where is this rant going? Well, we just bought and moved into a new house (more details some other time at another post). The previous owners had pristine very light beige carpeting that looked like new in the upstairs bedrooms, hallway, and down the staircase to the main level. I'd like to keep it that way. Pristine. But how? My current solution is a plastic adhesive liner thingy the movers installed to not dirty the carpets when they moved our stuff in. It's been there now for a month, and yes it looks a bit tacky. I feel like a grandma, with plastic covers everywhere. And eventually I will have to take it off to vacuum the stairs, or it will get grimy some day. I thought, I'm not the only one who wants to be anal about keeping her carpet looking like new. I had found a carpet cover in a home solutions catalog that, big surprise, was a carpet itself. Except it was washable, durable, and claimed to stay put. Even on stairs. The catalog sold it in 15 ft and 20 ft long segments, 30" wide. I wanted to see if I could get it cheaper. So I turned to the internet of course.

Behold Carpet Saver! The next best thing since sliced bread, according to the web site. It sounds perfect. Almost TOO perfect. And they sell it by the foot, however long you need it. Since I'm desperate to get rid of the plastic adhesive liner thingy, and looking to protect the entrance to the basement and basement stairs as well, I will be measuring this weekend how many feet of this wonder cover I will need. I'll have to update on how well this thing works.

Another inane stupid home problem solved. I can't believe I spent like 4 hours looking for this crap.

I should've written about the two back-to-back parties we hosted this weekend...

The Start of Something New

I had a blog all about my pregnancy, I have a blog about my daughter that I share with my husband, my husband has a blog for his writing in Spanish and another for every day musings, and I had nothing about who I am. Nothing about what movies I like, what books I read, what my vices are, what happened to me today, well, all the other inane small stuff other bloggers blog about that people seem to read.

This one is all about me.

Of course, it will include references to my daughter, to my husband, and to everybody else who surrounds me. Because they make me, well, me.

Some people not familiar with Spanish or with Hispanic culture ask what Luna Boricua means. Boricua is a person or object that is from the Island of Puerto Rico. So translated crudely, it means Puerto Rican Moon. And believe me, you have not seen the moon until you see it reflected on an ocean, bright and clear. It has been my screen name in Yahoo! since 1996. I've slowly been able to migrate it to Google, and now Blogger.

As you can probably tell, I'm from the island of Puerto Rico. I went to the engineering college there, known as El Colegio or UPR-RUM (University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez Campus), and graduated in 1999. I'm now in the Metro DC area. I will soon be starting an M.S. degree full-time for a year.

So, here I am. Come in, get comfy, and let's get it started.