What I want for X-Mas.......

I spent my teen years in New York during the eighties and one of my first jobs was working at Todaro Bros on Second Avenue.  I had not been exposed to such delicacies in my 16 yrs of life in the Boogie Down Bronx! The experience of working in a gourmet food store and learning as well as tasting all of those fascinating flavors made me into the self-proclaimed foodie I am today ....Thanks, Lou & Phil!  Anyways.......

During my time at Todaro's, I became good friends with a young man named Tony.
Tony was my first openly gay friend.  You see, if I had gay friends before I certainly was not informed of their...you know...gayness.(is that a word?)  I did know of a few gay men back at the block but Tony was different.  Tony was my friend.  We would just have a blast whenever we were together we would frequent lots of gay bars & clubs but the greatest impact was made by The Monster.  Talk about a mixed crowd!  When you walk into the monster the beautiful piano bar draws you in and the lounge atmosphere keeps you there.  Once you've had a couple of drinks while socializing with an array of personalities the urge to dance & express comes over you.  The winding staircase takes you beneath the city to an underground night club where the music, vibe and everything is just right!  Anyways, I digress, the point is that it was Tony that opened up a wonderful world of new people.  People that weren't afraid of who they were even though people around them tried to make them feel inferior.  My relationship with Tony developed me into the accepting person I am today.

I may be straight but I am NOT narrow. 

Dear Santa,

For Christmas I would like the Repeal of DADT.  Is that asking too much??

    Bid to Repeal ‘Don’t Ask’ Law Draws Support in Senate  
Repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Advances
Huffington Post DADT Entire Page
DADT Repeal Act 2010 (How They Voted)

Why it's important Jennifer Grey won Dancing With The Stars

Bristol came in 3rd last night, Kyle 2nd and of course Jennifer won the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy. Amazingly and a huge surprise to the majority of Americans, viewers got what they wanted. But not what they expected. The fact that Bristol Palin was able to make it to the final 3 was very scary to some of us. Questions of the Tea Party came up. I mean; Is it possible that all the conservative talk show hosts  like Rush, Sean etc. Aren't lying or exaggerating?! What if 75% of Americans DO believe what these assholes are spewing!! What if there ARE more "Right Wing Wackos"  than we thought?? Obviously, there aren't and brains will win over brawn in 2012. Obama will get re-elected. We will offer this man enough time to attempt to repair the damage that has been done by the 8 long years of the Bush administration. Obama has great intentions for America and I am not jumping ship just because we run into some bumps on the road. We need 8 yrs of NOT attacking other countries, NOT forgetting our poor and NOT making education even worse for our country!!

 Happy Holidays to All!!

I Wish my parents were still around :)

The Sushi FAQ - The Definitive Guide to Sushi and Sashimi

On Friday I enjoyed dinner with a co-worker at Domo in Downtown Norfolk, Va. Definitely fed my craving for eel & salmon. The person I was with is an inexperienced Sushi/Sashimi diner. You know, California Roll purchasers. The great thing about this girl is that she is not afraid to try different types of food so she discovered that eating raw fish is not the end of the world.  (Unless you're allergic or sitting out for a long time :( )

I also enjoyed dinner at NaNa in Suffolk, Va. on Sunday with another friend. He is a sushi expert, especially since attending High School in Okinawa, Japan many moons ago. We had a blast together!

I found this site for those of you that like sushi rolls but don't know much about anything else.

The Sushi FAQ - The Definitive Guide to Sushi and Sashimi

Has anyone heard of Yoga Teacher Training ? LOL -- Beth Shaw of YogaFit is giving away a few FREE Yoga Training DVD Downloads. These are full DVD's and nobody even asked me to buy anything. I think someone forgot... LOL

P.S. The free downloads are kinda hidden look on the left for "Free Yoga Training"

10 Great Things About Getting Old

1. I am way smarter than people half my age and have common sense

Did I say 10; I meant one.  I got nothing else :(

10 ways that I can tell I'm getting old:

1. I'm always the oldest person in the room
2. No one in the room gets my jokes or references
3. I reminisce about watching the Twilight Zone at night instead of info-mercials for P90X
4. Nobody cards me....ever :(
5. Guys that I would absolutely love to fudge the hell out of refer to me as ma'am
6. I actually use the words absolutely, fabulous and fudge
7. Thongs are no longer the most comfortable underwear ever
8. My clothes match but sometimes my socks don't
9. I actually own many watches and look at my wrist throughout the day even when I don't have one on
10. I'm not embarrassed by being corny, nerdy or dressing like a square 

Getting old can't be helped but in order to do so gracefully you must maintain a sense of humor.  When I come up with a list of 10 great things that happen when you get old; I will most certainly post it :)

Joe Biden Drops F-Bomb During Historic Health Care Signing? Yes He Did (Update) | Mediaite

Joe Biden Drops F-Bomb During Historic Health Care Signing? Yes He Did (Update) Mediaite


That's because it is a big FUCKING deal!

Checking the Math on Health Care - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com

Checking the Math on Health Care - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com

It's actually my birthday today & tomorrow will be the historic vote on health care. I work twenty hours a week, entry level pay & of course would love to have health care at 41 years of age, but that is not an option. I would love a public option or medicare for all included in this bill but that seems highly unlikely. I don't mind paying premiums that someone in my current situation can afford. That may be possible with this bill and I look forward to my first mammogram and colonoscopy. That would be the best Birthday gift I could possibly get!

Lady Gaga-Telephone - AOL Video

Lady Gaga-Telephone - AOL Video

I so enjoy Lady Ga Ga's style!  Her music is fun & it makes you move.  Such a unique & refreshing force!

I have posted the full version of telephone which offers a peek into women in lock-up & the daily struggles that they face.............view through Ga Ga lens.  I Love It!

Ga Ga makes prison stripes a hit & the cigarette shades are to die for..............literally!!

Beyonce is a hit with her Bettie Page look! Unfortunately Bettie didn't get to visit her stylist before this mug shot. Definately worth viewing!

Chilly

IT has been a week since the frigidness of winter set in and I am now looking forward to an early spring. (what will Phil's prediction be this year, I wonder?) This type of cold holds a sort of nostalgia for me since NY winters start much earlier than January. By Thanksgiving we would be playing two hand touch in freezing conditions in the PS 85 school yard and at night sleding down sheets of ice and mini mountains produced by the Bronx, Dept of Sanitations 24 hr. a day snow plows. Even the buses had chains on their tires in those days. Business as usual.Loving it!

It is interesting to me that people are ready to deny global warming from one cold winter when we have experienced about a decade worth of unusally mild winters and a host of natural disasters. With this type of logic lets just have two seasons; winter & summer. Spring & Fall are nearly non-existant anyway.

In my experience, people that argue against solving the problems associated with climate change are inching closer to facing their own mortality and cannot see past their own little bubble for a second to be concerned with a future that they will NOT hold a stake in. (God forbid that instead of building elaborate golf courses or state of the art condominiums we would even consider the thought of building elaborate public housing or state of the art public schools!!) The complacency of our representatives mixed with a splash of bureaucracy is what holds Americans in the grip of the ignorance of the past. This resistance of people in power is just holding us back from taking the lead in eliminating our dependency on oil, protecting our natural resources and taking the lead to create a more unified global existence.

1st Day; Second Decade; 21st century (1/1/2010)

I have always been obsessed about keeping a blog since it was made a possibility. I think the main reason that I have not completed this seemingly easy task is my lack of typing skills & the fact that alot of my life, I would rather let go than commit to paper. Well, I'm 40 and the fact of the matter is that all of those difficult moments & experiences or perhaps my solutions, have created the woman that I have become. I have come to the conclusion that, I am not so bad and actually I am a good person that cares about living beings...most of them. ( I still have a time with crickets! ) I love myself and it's ok to document the good but we have to write about the bad as well so that there is no chance of repeating mistakes.I spent my New Year's Eve with folks that don't know me too well but welcomed me into their home anyway. Allowed me to socialize with their children & pets. I was honored and glad that I made the effort to be there. Because doesn't life and all it's wonderful gifts just require a little bit of effort? Shared in laughter, mixed spirits we welcomed the thought of a better year than the last. The truth is, every year has its ups & downs and that's just life & living it. I am bound to have some lows because without them the highs wouldn't seem as wonderful as they always are. Happy New Year & Decade!