Happy Birthday to me!

raining...

'it's raining in my heart as it's raining in the square...'
...marino

Condolences

My heart is heavy and my soul aches for the senseless taking of lives at Virginia Tech. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.
May God bless them.

Hump day

Cool, clean, crisp, fresh air heavily laden and impregnated with the sweet perfume of star anise and other fragrant floral aromas. Water drops glisten off every tree leaf and blade of grass, heading into the sunlight give the dazzling appearance of millions of sparkling diamonds (April's birthstone and mine too!). Puddles of water everywhere, anxiously awaiting and anticipating the arrival of little children to splash, play and frolic in. Doves, pigeons, mocking birds and sparrows flit and flutter out of the way of my spirited gate. Past carefully tended gardens full of love, hope and optimism. Such is the way I start my day today...

just tues

I finally got back to walking. What inspired/motivated me was Sarah Ban Breathnach (author of Simple Abundance). She says don't call exercise by its name, call it "creative movement." So, that's what I'm going to do.
Yesterday when I walked, the first thing I saw were some beautiful flowers: yellow pansies, golden daffodils, sweet fragrant star anise, some tiny bright red flowers I don't know the name of, along with some other different kinds of flowers , one variety lavender, the other purple. Then there were the delightful songbirds serenading me along the way. About that time a wonderful aroma hit my nostrils, freshly mown hay. Not really, it was freshly cut grass. It still smelled good though! Walking is so marvelous, like a moving meditation. And I got to thinking of things. Things I'd like to put in my blog. I wish I could be more like Mikie (I admire her honesty and candor), tackling "deep" subjects and baring her soul for all to see. But I'm a little shy yet. At least on the blog. Gimme awhile, bear with me and I might get there! I can only hope that those reading my posts will enjoy them and that I might reach out and touch someone, hopefully, in a meaningful way.

Easter egg hunting and other adventures

Friday, after work, I saw a great movie: Namesake. If you get a chance, check it out! Saturday I finally got to attend the Japanese Festival in Hermann Park. I've always wanted to go, but somehow never made it. Same with the Japanese Garden, which is very nice. Anyway, it was a little chilly, but the morning pho helped! And speaking of which, eating as much pho as I have over the years, has given me lots of practice with chopsticks. Which helped because Masoud encouraged me to try this little contest at the festival. It consisted of two small bowls; one full of rocks, the other empty. The idea was to transfer all of the rocks (approximately a dozen?) from one bowl to the other (without dropping any) with chopsticks in 30 seconds. I really didn't think I could do it, but much to my surprise, I did! The "prize" was a really nice pair of chopsticks! Rockin!! Mom made it down to the fest also.
Afterward, we went to this really good restaurant in Chinatown. Delicious food, very reasonable prices, large quantities of food, even homemade noodles! I can't remember the name, I'll have to ask Masoud. Then Sunday it was over to Mom's for the belated Easter gathering. Mom made a delicious meal: stewed chicken, covered in a broth full of onions, carrots and potatoes. There was also asparagus(my fav veggie). Devereaux made a nice, freshly tossed salad and brought some champagne for mimosas! Masoud and I brought a baguette, some pastries for dessert and some chocolate for hiding. Later, after the meal, Mom hid some "eggs" (plastic eggs with chocolate & money in them!) in the back yard. Then Masoud, my sister and I went on an Easter egg hunt! What fun! Whoever said Easter egg hunting was just for kids has never given it a try! It was Masoud's first time but he made out like a bandit!! Must be beginner's luck!

Different things...

I was so horrified when I found out a person intentionally set that office building fire. How can any person, much less one with the training and skills of a nurse, think that arson can be the answer to any problem??!! It just boggles the mind. Now she has the deaths of three innocent people on her conscience. Ironically, her boss was quoted as saying that she was such a good employee she wouldn't have been fired for missing the audit deadline.
And what about this petfood poisoning??!! How atrocious!! How could this happen??!!
I was saddened to hear of the Cash home burning to the ground.
I just KNEW Larry was the baby's daddy.
I cut out several articles recently that sounded interesting: one was on the development of cell phones with the ability to scan, one was re: the Hatfield's vs. McCoy's feud saying it might be partly explained by a rare, inherited disease that can lead to hair-trigger rage and violent outbursts. And one on a flying car that's in development. I'll have to get back to you on these.
Why is it my mind often "says" one thing and my body another? For instance, my mind says to drink green tea. My body demands none other then bottled Starbucks frappachinos(sp).
My mind says do yoga or walk; my body says move off that couch and I'll kill ya!
My mind says to eat healthy, i.e. more fruits and veggies. But my body's addicted to TexMex and I'm a junk-food junkie!

The Neatest Book

I found the neatest book the other day. I was between tasks at work when I discovered the "gem" nestled in between copies of Interior Decorating and Entertaining on a shelf in my boss's bookcase. The book is "Simple Abundance - A Daybook of Comfort and Joy" written by Sarah Ban Breathnach; a book written by a woman for women. A comtemplative reflection on how to live a better and more fulfilling life. There is an essay for each day of the 365-day calendar year. Her observations are keen, thoughtful, insightful, uplifting, encouraging and empowering. I was so motivated by the book, I decided to find a copy of my own. When I checked on it online, I discovered it was published in 1996 and was out-of-print. I could've gone ahead and ordered it, but was too impatient; I wanted to get my hot little hands on it as soon as possible. So, after Masoud and I had our breakfast pho Saturday morning, we went to the Half-Price Book Store next door. And lo and behold, I found it!!! As a matter of fact, they had four copies and I bought them all: one for me, one for Mom, one for Elaine (her BD's in June) and one for my sister (who just had a BD). And what a bargain, they were only $3.98 for a hard-cover copy!!
Oh, and on another upbeat note, one of my fav celeb's is coming to town: Paula Deen "Queen of Southern Cuisine." She's going to be at the Hobby Center on Friday April 27th : "A Conversation With Paula Deen" to publicize her new book "It Ain't All About The Cookin." I wish she was going to be cooking though!
Alot of good things are coming up: this weekend is the Japanese Fest at Hermann Park. Next weekend is the I-Fest downtown (Sam Houston Park).

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter ya'll!! We sure had wild weather! In fact, due to my idea, my fam's going to celebrate Easter next Sun. My sister's sick and I didn't think it'd be a good idea for her to get out into the cold and wet(it was supposed to rain) weather. Not that this Sun and it's significance will go unobserved. It is very much observed by me, internally, spiritually.
I just got through consuming a most beautiful of Easter Sunday meals, prepared lovingly by my honey; flounder and shrimp, sauteed in garlic and butter, along with fresh steamed asparagus and brocoli, rounded out by steamed rice and fettichini. May this most sacred of holidays find you and your family together, healthy and happy.

a Perfect Food

You know, I do believe I've found the perfect food source (all in one) --- a crispy beef taco! Remember in school when they taught us about the 5 different food groups? Grains, Meats, Veggies, Fruits and Dairy? Well, get this:
taco shell = grains
beef = meats
lettuce = veggies
tomatoes = fruit
cheese = dairy
(I know, it's a stretch -- but let a girl have her moment! LOL)
Viva el taco!

Good Friday

The despair of Good Friday gives way to the hope of Easter.

If I ever...

If I ever win the lottery, here's what I'm gonna do: first of all, I'm going to do some world traveling. Next I'm going to create a foundation, in memory of my brother, to find a cure for AIDS and last, but certainly not least, I'm going to create an animal sanctuary (no-kill, of course). The shelter would welcome all kinds of animals, but mostly domestic. And cats and dogs in particular. They would be taken care of. But while they were there or until they were adopted, there would be some programs. Some of the pets could be in a program to visit senior citizen homes. Some of the pets could be in a program to visit terminally-ill people, especially children, in hospitals. Some of the pets could be in programs to visit veterans. And so forth. That way, the animals aren't euthanized, they contribute to the happiness and well-being of people --- it's a win-win situation for everybody.
Oh and of course, I'd help my family and friends!

Unconditional...

Did ya'll see that story on the news last night? About the man who had climbed so high up into a super-tall tree that he had to be rescued? The tall ladder fire trucks were sent out, but they couldn't reach him. Next came the police helicopter. They couldn't get him. Finally the Coast Guard was called. And at last, success! They were able to get him down. The reason the man was up the tree? To retrieve his pet bird. Kinda touching really. But I can understand. Animals are awesome!! Especially our pets!!! They give us unconditional love. They don't lie, cheat, steal or betray us. Which is more than I can say about some of our human counterparts. If my Elsa (cat) was up a tree, I'd do the same thing!

of Bluebonnets and rejuvenation...

I can't believe it's been a week since I blogged. My bad!! Anyway. After a productive day on Saturday spent painting (completed 2 paintings), I felt the urge to flee, so Masoud and I headed up to the hill country. We went to Brenham, nosed around in some little antique shops, had an ice cream cone and sat under the trees in the town square to enjoy it. The weather was so agreeable: warm, sunny, low humidity with a nice cool little breeze that caressed our faces. From there we headed to the Antique Rose Emporium (just north of town on the outskirts). They have such beautiful flowers, gardens, arbors, fountains and ponds. Butterflies floating along in the air. We took alot of pic's. There were so many different kinds of flowers, besides roses, which are still my fav. We also saw large patches of bluebonnets and Indian paint brushes on our way up and back. No matter how many times I've seen them, they still excite me. After the Emporium, we went to Lake Sommerville's Overlook Park. Surprisingly and luckily, it wasn't very crowded so we found a nice, secluded, out-of-the-way spot for our picnic. The whole experience was just so pleasant, so relaxing. We watched the sun set on our one side, while the moon rose on the other. It was a big, fat, white voluptuous moon; peeking from behind a black lacy veil of branches, gave me inspiration for an idea for a future painting. Nature is so awesome!!! It never ceases to fascinate, amaze, and inspire me! There's something about communing in nature that nutures the soul; so restorative, so relaxing, so rejuvenating!! It has a certain charm when experienced alone in quiet solitude. But there's also a special joy in sharing it with a kindred spirit --- someone who loves it just as much as you do. One who shares a love for nature and also for each other.