WebJournal - The blog will set you free
News of no interest whatsoever except to very close and patient friends and family members and maybe people with no life


Wednesday, August 31, 2005  

2:29 PM
1 comments

Saturday, August 27, 2005  

The one-person fan base is getting pissed

So here I go ... well, not much to tell ...
I just got back from dinner with M.A. at Sip Sak and maybe yes, there is something new to say. I have finally made up my mind: I want a divorce. I think I have given J.P. enough time and I really need, I really want, to get on with my life. I will be calling a lawyer friend tomorrow morning. I am not sure she will agree to do the job, given the fact that she is friends with both of us, but at least she will be able to tell me how to start the ball rolling. I will be single again next year. Such a mind-boggling concept but something I can hardly wait for.

A brief recap of these last few days:

Yesterday - Saturday -, after a lot of Japanese food and shopping at CompUSA, M.A. went off to a dinner with a lady who is both his mother's friend and his mentor and I took Melissa to see Skeleton Key. Fantastic scary movie! Twisted but just predictable enough. We both enjoyed it immensely.

Friday was very quiet. Annie came home after work for a little while and then left to meet her friend Paola. By then M.A. had arrived and we just stayed home, nursing a beer until we were hungry enough for a late dinner at a nearby Italian place.

Thursday ... what happened on Thursday? Oh, yeah. We met Carlos and Nuria, and Gema and Olivier at the Highline. I was the one who recommended the place, so fortunately everybody loved it. As usual the cocktails, the food, the place, all worked and our waiter was the cutest.

Wednesday all of us had dinner at Kenka.

Monday and Tuesday I really can't remember. Tuesday I think M.A. and I went to the Sutton Bar for maybe half a drink and then for dinner at Sip Sak, a place I had never payed attention to. What a mistake. Great food, good price, good service. Can't go wrong.

Undecided

I am not sure about this girl. Sometime I really like what she says and how she writes it. Sometimes she just seems like a self-centered fake. So, do I love this post or does it reek of drama queen?

11:58 PM
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A little Japanese afternoon snack, after a light Japanese lunch. Between Japanese food we made it to CompUSA to shop for computer goodies. I could live in that place.

4:08 PM
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Friday, August 26, 2005  

Worst manicure in town. Stay away .

6:25 PM
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Wednesday, August 24, 2005  

Thank God for the phone

Dinner was great and so was the company. Yet the best thing was all that time I spent on the phone before going out. Gabriela, you are wonderful.

12:58 AM
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Monday, August 22, 2005  

Forget Miami

Fort Lauderdale rocks. We left NYC on Friday with both our stomachs in knots. Everything seemed to be conspiring to make it difficult to get to the airport on time and we were both stressing out with texts we had to hand in before leaving. Eventually we got to Laguardia and spent some time chatting at the bar with a very nice lady from Fort Lauderdale, exchanging must-see places (she in Fort Lauderdale, me in Italy). The motel we were staying at was seedy and fun. On Saturday there was the wedding reception of a tattooed girl we had chatted up the night before at the tiki bar. Bikers and hard looking chicks. And not very clean sheets, by the way. Plenty of little creepy crawly creatures.
The beach on Saturday was great, the water incredibly warm. Lunch was next to nothing but dinner was wonderful, at in Italian restaurant in Las Olas. We took the water taxi to get there (spectacular), got off at the wrong stop, walked over to the wrong side of town, started walking the other way, realized it was way too far away, got into a regular cab and finally made it to where we were going. Jane had recommended Johnny V, but we were in the mood for pasta so we tried Noodles Panini. Real al dente pasta. Delicious.
Back to the motel, out in the morning. We went over to Jane's (coincidentally just a couple of blocks away) and her condo's private beach and spent a few hours walking on the sand and getting in and out of the water, until we found a really nice bar/restaurant with a Tim McGraw look alike DJ and plenty of fake boobs around us. From the bar to the water again and we were getting late for the plane again.

I am also late now. Gotta finish something and get home fast so I can shower, change and go out again. Life is such a struggle.

6:06 PM
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Saturday, August 20, 2005  

7:19 PM
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Friday, August 19, 2005  

Catching up

Back from a night out. As usual, I stayed on after everybody left. We had met Gema, Carlos, Nuria, a friend of Gema's and a friend of Gema's friend for dinner at O.G., one of those fusion Asian places on 6th S. between A and B (delicious Chilean seabass and chilled sake). From there we went to the Union Square Cafe and from there one of the girls and I cabbied to the Thompson Hotel for a last drink and one of those long-lets-get-to-know-each-other-soul-baring-slighty-boozed-induced girlie talks. Just perfect. A great way of finishing the week. Brief recap of the last days: Saturday a dinner at home (see pic) for a couple of new colleagues. Low key but nice. M.A. outdid himself with the food and one of the guys stayed until past 2 A.M. He's a keeper with a full, interesting life that must be explored. Sunday we went to Central Park and walked under the pouring rain, which is something I love. The sound, the smell, the wetness. By the time we got to the restaurant it was closed so we had lunch/dinner at home, stretched out on the bed watching a movie (a lousy movie, by the way: The jacket, stay away from it). Monday we rested. Tuesday we went out to Opal and this other place whose name I cannot remember, before meeting Carlos, Nuria and Gema at midnight at the Divine. Nuria and Carlos (girlfriend and boyfriend and, respectively, Gema's sister and M.A.'s friend) had just arrived from Spain and Carlos had been stopped for an hour and a half at the airport. Wednesday we both worked late and had a quick Italian dinner in the neighborhood. Tomorrow we are leaving for Fort Lauderdale.

And now, please enjoy the very little there is to be enjoyed in the it picture on the Net now. Ladies and gentlemen, Jude Law in all his relative glory:

1:31 AM
1 comments

Thursday, August 18, 2005  

Once upon a time



The little one is my sister Jimena. She was about 3 years old. I was 12 and we were strutting our stuff for a costume competion on the boat taking us from France to Uruguay.

2:53 PM
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Tuesday, August 16, 2005  

8:01 AM
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Saturday, August 13, 2005  

8:55 PM
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Closing shop?

Got home yesterday a little drunk but sobbing nonetheless and as I was furiously scribbling on my Moleskine I was also thinking that maybe I should stop blogging. Maybe not completely. Maybe a pause will do. Maybe I should switch to video and photoblogging for a while. Maybe I should simply shut the fuck up.

9:58 AM
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Friday, August 12, 2005  

Midlife celebration or maybe simply hormonal imbalance

The momentum is building up and I am getting more and more into a been there/done that mood.

Yesterday I called my friend Gabriela in Uruguay only to find out she was on a plane to Spain, on a rescue mission of one of her nieces, who has attempted suicide. One can only wonder the depth of despair that could push a young girl to try to kill herself. Life is indeed precious, too precious to be wasted. Sorry, that was s a pitiful cliché but life is indeed all we’ve got so precious or worthless, meaningful or pointless, whatever it might be, it is all there is.

I had an illuminating coffee with Fabián this morning. It was a little like talking to a clone, but it feels wonderful to be understood. So far I swing back and forth from elation and excitement at the endless possibilities to a just-let-me-cry-in-a-corner-by-myself sinking feeling. Fortunately the happiness still heavily outweighs the sadness.

We bought our tickets to Laguna today. We are visiting Eduardo and Benji for Labor weekend. I am dying to talk to them. Eduardo was my first guru, years before I discovered Tony. He is everything I like and admire in a person and I can’t wait to have dinner with them on the patio outside their condo, overlooking the ocean and bouncing ideas around. I expect it to be a nice intimate weekend full of fun and tenderness, which is exactly what I crave now.

4:31 PM
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Tuesday, August 09, 2005  

Absurd concept

We were at the Divine bar, watching a creative breaking championship on ESPN, sharing a chocolate mud pie and some port, then he said something about the "lucha canaria" and I lost it. I have no idea what struck me as so funny, but I could not stop laughing. I laughed so hard I lost both my shoes on the stairs on my way out.
Mildly embarrassing.

Geek follow-up

Sam and Jyve are up and going with my Skype at work. Jyve works beautifully. Sam I have yet to try.

11:14 PM
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Want freakish?

Got freakish.

9:07 AM
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Monday, August 08, 2005  

Excited to be back?

I am not sure. I kinda like being home yet I can't wait to leave again. These weekends have such a relaxed, easygoing pace to them, I can't help but miss them when I'm back. They are relaxed in a non-relaxed way. Unhurried but fun. And after spending so much time with M.A., reading his mind like a teleprompter is not an uncommon ocurrence. He can pull the feat with me too, which can be a little bewildering but it is mostly just cozy, not to mention word saving. In any case, I am already dreading the end of the Summer. I think I need Zen classes so I can learn to live the moment.

More geek notes

Must try all these tomorrow:

11:13 PM
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Ridiculous person

In life there are reasonable people, unreasonable people and ridiculous people. I am a ridiculous person. I wear sunblock religiously every day. Except when I go to a beach in the Caribbean and then I spend 10 hours straight in the sun with no protection. Right now I am sporting a very attractive lobster look. Argh.

Ridiculous system

You try to board a plane and you have to go through all sorts of useless controls. We were both pulled over twice for "random" checks. They went through us and our stuff with the band. M.A. had to forfeit about three lighters. We were stopped a few feet from the plane by the police checking on passports. All this circus but then, when we landed at JFK tonite there was no one, absolutely no one anywhere. For starters, the plane was pulled into the wrong gate. Then the towbar was not the right one, or so we were told. Finally, we walked out of the airport through obscure doors and halls, through a mess of luggage left completely unattended. Some bags were open, with their content spilled around. We could have taken anything. We just walked out. Anybody could have walked in just as easily.

Great place, great weekend

We even got to go to a party on Saturday night. I just love that feeling of entering a place where I basically know nobody. And then I get to work the room. This time the crowd was very friendly and I was dancing away less than 10 minutes after arriving.
Both Saturday and today we walked from our hotel, the Intercontinental in Isla Verde, to Ocean Park beach. Saturday we ate at Uvva, today at Pamela's. And while Saturday we went to the party, today we came back to the hotel and stayed in the pool and the jacuzzi, in the shade. And now I should try and get some sleep.

3:15 AM
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Sunday, August 07, 2005  

1:25 PM
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Saturday, August 06, 2005  

Beach ,again!

12:26 PM
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Friday, August 05, 2005  

Geek notes to self

2:29 PM
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Excuse me?

Tulane professor Arthur Brief said the study suggests that women should be careful about letting men open doors or lift boxes that aren't particularly heavy, because chivalry is "benevolent sexism."

Where do they find these pompous idiots? (they even get awards!)
The rest of the article is mildly idiotic, given that it is based on a study of just 164 women and that it identifies "flirting" as just a little less than flashing your thong around (Women who cross their legs provocatively, wear short skirts or massage a man's shoulders at work).

11:55 AM
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Thursday, August 04, 2005  

Packing phobia

Here I am again. Home after dinner with M.A. I have yet to pack. I'll try and do it tomorrow before leaving for work. If not, M.A. says we can always come home at noon, he will get food and I will pack. It's not like I need to pack 5 suitcases. Jeezus, it's just a week-end! We'll get there late at night, we'll maybe have time to get a drink at the hotel before going to bed. We'll wake up and it will be Saturday. We'll spend the whole day in and out of the water, walking from one beach to the other. We'll go out at night and then Sunday it will be the beach again. What can I possibly need? A swimsuit, a cover-up, maybe a burka, a black skirt, three or four t-shirts, flip-flops, maybe sandals. That's about it. Still, I can't seem to find the time/strength/will to throw these lousy few items plus some underwear and make-up in a backpack or carry-on. There must be a hidden meaning to this behaviour.

Bowing to the masters

This chick's blog rocks.

10:52 PM
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Off to work

9:24 AM
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Wednesday, August 03, 2005  

More about Nassau

We stayed at the Wyndham Crystal Palace, which is fine, I guess. The room was fine, just across the water, overlooking the pool, we even had a little terrace. The pool has a bar tended by, according to the hotel's literature, "flamboyant bartenders". Well, don't believe the hype. The bartenders are not flamboyant by any stretch of the imagination and they hardly tend the bar. There might be 6 or 7 of them at any given time, all busy trying to ignore you. Twenty minutes can go by without any of them paying any attention to customers. Service sucks here. The other problem is the added 15% gratuity on just about everything. A couple of times we stopped at the "deli" to get cheese, bagels and a couple of beers. We basically pointed at the plastic tray with the cheese in it and waited for the employee to toast the bagel and open the fridge to hand us the beverages. We were charged $15 for this service. And forget about food. They cater to the kind of clientele they have. Big, middle-America couples and families. A very friendly bunch, no doubt about that, but one with absolutely no discriminating taste in food. There's not much edible there. For more about the hotel, go here.
In case you think I am complaining, let me assure I am not. The beach is gorgeous. The colors of the waters are incredible. Sunday we stayed at the beach from 10.30 AM till 6 PM, going from the water to the bar, from the bar to the pool bar and back into the water. We did some sknorkeling without snorkel, took underwater pictures of little Nemos. Beautiful. Pinch-me-I-might-be-dreaming beautiful.

No panic

I found the receipt and the itinerary for Puerto Rico. Just a couple of days to go, or even one, if we do not count Friday.

Sorry to interrupt but ...

Early dinner with Annie today after a manicure/pedicure. Note to self: forget Wicked, the new toenail polish for me is Runway Reality now. Soooo pretty. Anyways, after dinner (shared a giant pizza with Annie and seriously considered giving bulemia a try afterwards) I met M.A. for a quick beer before coming home. Tomorrow we gotta go shopping for bathing suits and then I might go to a party on a boat.

11:53 PM
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A couple of pics


The view from the room

The beach

11:40 PM
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Panic

Can't find the confirmation number and itinerary for Puerto Rico!

7:39 AM
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Tuesday, August 02, 2005  

Back and out

Got back from Nassau yesterday evening, past midnight. I have yet to unpack and I am supposed to meet Annie and later on M.A. for dinner, so I will keep it brief: great waters, wonderful weather, lousy food, shameful attitude.

Sunday night we asked a cab driver to take us to a restaurant not for tourists. He took us to a tourist place, expensive and not very good (M.A.'s mahi-mahi was so overcooked we did not touch it, my grouper was O.K. but we barely had half of it between the two of us) but lovely, on the beach. Once we finished dinner, we went to the beach and walked around the building instead of walking out of the door . There were no taxis there so we asked for one at the restaurant and were told they thought they were no more customers inside so they had sent the cabs home. I believed them and it did not occur to me that the night before, much later, we had hailed a cab on the street. Doubts about the story started creeping in when another couple came out of the establishment, ruining the theory of "nobody was left in the restaurant". We were told not to worry, that a lady employee was going to drop us off on her way home. We waited forever to the lady to come out (and I had strange conversation with a completely drugged-out dude who was hanging out on the porch - I should have listened to him, he was high but honest and advised us to take a bus). In the meantime I got a giggling fit because the situation was getting extremely ridiculous. When she made her appearance, she had a friend in tow, so M.A., I and the other couple were supposed to squish in in the backseat. I do not know how we managed to do it. The guy from the other couple was huge, and I mean huge. I am not exactly tiny myself. I had to sit on M.A.'s lap and I was sure the day was going to go down in history as the day he lost his limbs. What really sucked was that, as the driver deposited us at the hotel, she charged us the same amount the cab had charged us to get to the restaurant. I am sure she charged at least as much to the other two folks in the car. A scam, clearly, and as soon as I have a minute, I will be writing to the Ministry of Tourism and a couple of e-mail addresses I found on the web.

More later, I am running late now.

8:06 PM
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