The Book Of Mormon

1. There is a guy who owns one of the companies we order supply from. He is one of those older jovial guys - nice but probably one of those conservative Republican types (if I am to go by stereotypes) So anyway, he was at the office and out of the blue went to my desk and said, "Hey Buddy...are you ready for the big game on Sunday?" I assume he is talking about the Superbowl, of course. I played along, and he started talking about football stats and I thought, I hope my eyes weren't glossing over. But the more important thing was, I guess I can still pull of "straight" because why else would he, all of a sudden, talk to me about sports. Bizarre.

2. Our secretary, Jacky, started telling me a story earlier. She said she took her husband, who does construction work, to this family who wanted to have extensions done to their house. In the process of their conversation, the woman told her that she just recently disowned her 13 year old on. The reason: he came out to her. Jacky was saying how bad she felt about the kid, and she said it was probably because the family were Mormons. I told her these people were despicable. Mormons can have as many wives as they want, but they cannot accept a gay son. 

Impromptu

Sometimes spontaneous is best. We were all just having dim sum on Sunday morning, when my brother and sister in law suggested going to Los Angeles. At first I was hesitant about going - I had envisioned a relaxing weekend - but I called Pipo and he said, what are you talkign about? Get in the car with them and just go! It's not like you will be driving, he said. So three and a half hours later, we were eating at Max's in Glendale.

The Memory Of Scent

I went to the movies today and behind me was a woman who was wearing Chloe Narcisse, and I tell you, it brought me right back to 1997. I remember when I used to wear that scent that even Tim was saying that whenever he smelled it on other women, it always reminded him of me. The dominant note is daffodil, but it also powdery and has hints of sandalwood. I haven't worn it for the longest time, and don't even own it now, but I have this sudden desire to wear it all of a sudden. Since it is from the 90s, I am sure the scent has been reformulated and I wonder if it smells the same, although what the woman was wearing swells very close to how I remember it to be, so it should be close enough. But it is funny how smells bring you back to a time and place. Or maybe I am just thinking about this because I am currently reading a book about time travel. Mixed media. 

Let The Long Weekend Begin

I realize I have not posted here, things have been a little hectic, beginning of the year stuff and all that. But as the long weekend honouring Martin Luther King begins, I am going to try relaxing just a little bit. I need some time for myself, and maybe I will call Lolita and get a massage, yes that would really be nice. It seems kind of weird that there is a long weekend right after the holidays but I ain't complaining. Truth be told, I thought we were open on Monday, but since it is a Federal holiday, apparently we observe it, so happy yipee yehey!

The New Year Is Here

I will not declare a resolution for 2012 because I will feel like I am just setting myself up for failure, since we all know more often than not those are abandoned by January. I will have challenges, and promises, though. One of my challenges is from last year. I wanted to read 100 book, but I fell short, accomplishing only 55. Well, they say if at first you don't succeed, try again, and I am trying again. Hopefully this year will be better. I won't make excuses for last year, since I know I should have made it. Another promise I will make this year is to always be in the moment. I noticed that when I was lookign at our family Christmas photos, on almost all of them I was on my iPhone doing God knows what - texting, facebooking, twittering. Looking back, it was disgusting. I will spend a lto less time online this year, because I know I spend a lot of my time, especially in the evenings, on my computer. I will limit myself to two hours at the most. I don't care if I watch television, or watch a movie, or read - those activities can be as wonderfully spent as looking at a computer screen. And yes, I do get the irony of writing these things while I am blogging. But it just has to be said...and done.

Celebrations, Too

More Celebration pictures

Celebrations

Pictures from celebrations of friends :

The Last One For 2011

My last post for 2011, and I better make it worth the effort. Last year at this time I made a decision, and here I am a year later and I am in a much better place in my life, with very little regrets. There are things I miss, but there are things I will always miss, and I am blessed enough to not want important things in my life. And that's that. It's funny, because on all the news reports on Times Square, the balminess over there is what everyone is mentioning, and I just went to throw the garbage and felt a chill. So it looks like I have a colder New Year's Eve here. So there, for better or worse, are the facts. 2011 was a pretty good year for me, but then they are all good years nowadays, since I want to always look at the good things. You know what, too? 2012 will just be better, better than the best. I know it will be. Let's all do this together!

Ratty - Out!

I have started my (now) yearly tradition of throwing 100 things before the New Year. I realize that I am still finding things I brought from the big move that can be disposed of. There are quite a number of things I brought that are still in boxes, and between now and Saturday, I will dig a lot of them out, and chuck them. Just last night, I am finding T-Shirts that are really ratty looking. And I had planned on using them for lounging at home, but I have enough lounging tees so I am eyeing the real ratty ones to throw away. Or even the halfway ratty ones, they could go, too. I am just glad that I got rid of all the kitchen stuff from long ago, but there are times when I do miss them, like the other day when I needed to use a tong and couldn't find one. But, those instances are few and far between.

"A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral."

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

There's Got To Be A Morning After

And just like that, Christmas is over. All the stress, all the preparation, gone in 24 hours. But it's not over yet, that spirit of giving and kindness can be left in our hearts for the rest of the year. I am just getting read now for the New Year, and this may be the last year of our lives if, indeed, all the predictions for 2012 being the end of the world, prove to be true. Let's live this year fully and make it count. 

"Where there is much light, the shadow is deep."  - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This Christmas I Give You My Heart

Christmas is almost here, and it's quiet right now. I marvel at how stress-free this one has been. I bought my gifts way back when I was in New York, and whatever I bought recently - not really much - has just been "incidentals."  My life now is just totally more quiet, and I like that. With old age comes a desire for serenity. I love how it's not nearly now about material things for me, for I value life experiences  much much more nowadays. In an hour or two, we are all going to my brother's house where there is a little bit of a spread. I have my specialty "Pernil Puerto Rican Style" roasting in the oven and it should be ready by then. Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

A Day

Here is the photo of the Botteha Veneta.  Ever since I got my iPhone, i have been taking Daily Pictures for the photo blog I created: 

luhaday.blogspot.com

A Picture A Day takes the Luha away !

The Gift

The Holidays are really here, whether we like it or not. I got my sister's gift today. She had been harassing me in regards to what to get me, and I honestly didn't want her to get me anything. I told her that I understand times are tough ow, and she has kids, and I wanted her to make them her priority, but she was insistent, and was incessantly texting me, so I acquiesced. I told her to get me the small bottle of Bottega Veneta. I have been admiring and testing the thing for a couple of times now, but every time I try to get it, something better always comes up for me to buy. Every time I sniff it, the combination of jasmine and the buttery leather always gets to me, and it's a reasonably-priced gift, too so I am happy about getting this now, and will be wearing it tomorrow. I finished the last lot of my Christmas shopping last night, at the mall, of all places. I can't remember the last time I went mall shopping, and I thought it was going to be a madhouse, but it was surprisingly pleasant. I did the bulk of my shopping in NYC when I was there the beginning of the month, so this year I am not as stressed. It will definitely be a very different Christmas this year, my first here at the desert. I look forward to it, there's a novelty to the whole Holidays here that I am enjoying. My first Christmas somewhere else after 27 years, who would have imagined?

Hunting Hunter