Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
It Simply Does NOT Add Up!
Ok, so it happened again. And THIS time, it happened on my watch. Let me explain--Years ago, when I moved here to South Florida, there was talk of snow flurries in Miami back in the '70s. I searched high and low and couldn't find ANYONE who saw it or even knew anyone else that saw it. I chalked it up to urban myth.

Then, last night, the late night news reported snow flurries in a couple of communities. Of course, all of the stations ran out into those communities and none were able to come up with a photograph or video. In this age of camera phones and portable video cams, NOBODY caught it? NOBODY?

What about the person that reported it in the first place? Wouldn't THEY have recorded it in some way? It just doesn't add up to me. Something's rotten in the cotton...

Your comments--priceless!!

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Above the Law

I realize that this is a pretty random rant but--Why do some people think the rules don't apply to them?? Why are there folks that feel that whatever the rule/law/expectation is--it's not meant for them? What is that about?

I know people that are above the law. And it doesn't matter what the law is. It could be something as simple as--McDonald's doesn't serve breakfast after 11am. Why is there always some Bozo who waltzes in at 3pm and can't understand why he can't get an egg mcmuffin?? What about the rule that says--No smoking while pumping gas? There's always someone who is pumping gas with a lit cigarette danging right over the pump? And let's not forget the restaurant rule--Shirts and shoes required. Since I live in South Florida, there's always a group, just from the beach, who have neither. Why should I have to eat my meal with the taco meat on your chest in plain view? Why? Why? Why?

There are reasons for rules. It can not ALWAYS be about YOU!! Abide by the rules!! That is all.

Your comments--priceless!!
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Beach Week
So, it's that time of year again. Next week is BEACH WEEK. It's the week that my family and friends descend upon South Florida for merriment, mirth, and mayhem. In other words, we have a ball!

Though I live very close to the Atlantic Ocean, I don't regularly visit. I do "see" if often, driving by. But next week, the visitors generally want to hang out on the beach--both Fort Lauderdale Beach and Miami Beach. We'll also visit those local attractions that they have come to love--including Sawgrass Mills Mall, Aventura Mall, Taverna Opa, Pollo Tropical, Bubba Gump's, the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, etc. etc.

This year, there are also planned jaunts to the Miami Dolphins training facility, Spa Boulevard, and the Dolphin Mall. I think they spend a lot of time online, trying to figure out where they want to go, but then we always seem to hit the same spots. Last year, we ate breakfast and dinner at the same restaurant--the restaurant staff found it quite amusing, since we took up half the place.

At any rate, blogging will continue, in fact, there may be pictures of some of the funniest moments. Please readers, if you don't pay attention to anything else that I've ever wrote, please digest this--FAMILY is the most important thing of all, at least for me. I love my family, even with all the craziness and drama. I was overjoyed to marry into another loving family. I would not be who I am today, had it not been for my family. I love them all, from the babies to the seniors.

What about you? What's your take on family? Could you live without them?

Your comments--priceless!!
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Barking Frogs


It's nearly June. That means ONLY one thing to me. NOT Hurricane Season. NOT school closing. NOT vacation. One thing ONLY-CUBAN TREE FROGS.

These are the most annoying creatures that ever walked the earth. They wait until the wee hours of morning, and then start loudly barking, like small dogs. They carry on like this for hours. One frog can keep an entire neighborhood awake.

They are the largest tree frogs in North America. They range from 3-6 inches in length and feed on insects, lizards, other species of frogs, and even each other. Wikipedia says that their diet includes "anything they can overpower." Cannibalism--YUCK!

Their skin secretes a toxic mucus as part of their natural defense system. This mucus can burn your eyes and nose, and can cause an allergic reaction. YUCK again!

There is something about our backyard that attracts these pests. They will spend all summer taunting me and my family. My husband has been known to go out with a flashlight in the middle of the night, in search of them and to secure a few hours of sleep. You can hear them from any room in the house. I fear that it will be a long summer...

Your comments--priceless!!
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Today is THE DAY!


So today is THE DAY. Not my birthday. Not Pay Day. But THE DAY. The day that I have to call my Dad and start planning the family's summer vacation.

I am so not looking forward to this conversation. If you are a long time reader, you know that this is no small task, talking to my Dad about the vacation. (If you are not a long time reader, please refer to my post of January 8th--you'll get our vacation history there.) I love him dearly. I love him more than life itself. I love him like French Vanilla Slimfast and Paul Newman lemonade. I can talk to him about nearly anything--EXCEPT vacation plans.

After many years of doing this, I've learned not to try to get him to decide too much at a time. So today, the only thing we need to confirm is which weeks he wants to come. Last year, this talk lasted about 2 hours. Based on our recent conversations, I'm blocking off about 4 hours for today's talk. He's hinted that rather than a week or so in South Florida, he wants to do perhaps a weekend in South Florida and then a cruise someplace else. And, we have more family members coming this year.

This is a man who takes 3 days to decide which sneakers to bring. That wouldn't be so bad, except NOTHING else can go into the suitcase until he puts the sneakers in. This is a man who gets to the airport AT LEAST 8 hours before the flight--he doesnt want to miss it. But he's also a man who has worked all of his life to provide for his family. I must say, he afforded me a wonderful childhood and until I was in high school, I thought we were rich! I have never not been able to do something that I wanted to do because there was no money. I have never not had the latest and greatest. And he has a good heart. If you meet him once, and he determines that you like, say Root Beer, you will NEVER come to his home again when there is not Root Beer there and when you walk in, he'll drop a 12 pack on root beer on the table in front of you and point you to the corner where 3 more 12 packs sit.

So, I will try to struggle through this today. Wish me luck!!!

Your comments--priceless!!

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Lizard Disturbance

My driveway has a palm tree hanging over it. The tree has a huge trunk and I often see little lizards running around on it and those suckers are fast! Sometimes, I stop and watch them fight, but I am truly afraid of them. Actually, afraid to the nth power.

So yesterday, I had to run an errand with my son. We got in the car and, since it wasn't scorching hot, I skipped the normal air conditioning and rolled down my car window. About a half mile later, I was sitting at a light, waiting to make a left turn, and watching what looked like a heated argument between some senior citizens in a bank parking lot.

My son, using a "dont look now" voice, says, "ummm, Mom, ummm, there's a lizard on your windshield." So I SLOWLY looked over, and there's a huge lizard sitting on my driver's side windshield wiper. I nearly had a coronary.

So here I sit--lizard peering through the windshield right at me, window down, light about to change. For once, gratefully, I didn't disintegrate. And the only reason that I didn't was because I knew that if I took my eyes off of the lizard for even once second, he would scoot right into my car through the open window. And then I knew I would freak out.

I thought about turning the wipers on, but I figured it would either push the lizard toward the window (and then into the car) or it would squish the lizard and i would have a squished lizard on my windshield. Before I could decide what to do, it hopped over to the passenger side wiper and then to the edge of the hood. The light had changed, folks were blowing, and I was petrified. Since it was over on the passenger side, I did push the button to put my window up and felt a bit better because it couldn't gain entry, but I still didn't know what to do. So I just started driving. I could no longer see the lizard, but my son could see it's tail. As I made my left turn, he hopped off my car and I finally took a breath.

That really could have been disastrous. Suppose the lizard had been on the inside rather than the outside? And did it come from that tree? That tree really needs to come down. I wonder how much it would cost.

Your comments--priceless!!
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I Don't Speak Spanish

So, I had to see a medical professional last week--one that I had never seen before. It was a bad experience. I saw it coming when we drove up. I didn't say a word to my husband, but I knew what was going to happen.

We walked in and I was immediately impressed with the office decor. It was very nice. There were 2 people behind the front desk. My husband went up and announced my arrival. Wait--let me also say that my husband is a first generation, American born Cuban. Though Spanish is his first language, he is truly bilingual. If you heard him speak Spanish, you wouldn't think he could speak English without an accent. If you heard him speak English, you would never think Spanish was his first language. He is absolutely fluent in both. But I digress...

The receptionist gave me the expected "first visit" forms to fill out. I did so and returned them to her. She checked and told me that I had missed a couple places where my signature was required. She told me all of this in English. Then she said that the doctor would see me. She said this in English, too.

We all went to the exam room. The doctor was a gorgeous Latina. The receptionist was there as well. The doctor asked if I spoke Spanish, I said no. She asked if I understood Spanish, I said no. She asked both questions in English. And that's where the story gets bizarre.

From that point, NOBODY in the room spoke English, including the husband. All communication was directed to him, in Spanish. After every volley of conversation, he would have to tell me what was going on. If I asked a question in English, they would turn to him and answer in Spanish. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. I looked at him and announced that I was ready to go.

How can you run a business and refuse to speak the language of your client/customer? Was I being unreasonable to expect to converse in English with folks that speak English and know that I don't speak Spanish? Was it cultural--did they only talk to my husband because he's the boss of me? And even if that is so, why did they not speak to him in English? Please help me with this one...

Your comments--priceless!!

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