I leave for Puerto Vallarta this Thursday. It was a great deal especially considering how expensive other locations such as Playa Del Carmen or Hawaii are right now. I paid $800 for the flight plus five nights at a really nice hotel with an all-inclusive package. All-inclusive food is usually just okay but getting the beverages and alcohol covered is where it's at. Friends say Puerto Vallarta has a ton of great restaurants so we'll likely be eating out a couple of nights. Can't wait! Checked the weather out last night and it was 80 degrees even at night. Hurrah. Kind of wish it was a longer vacation, just an extra day or two since my days are pretty action packed. When I booked three weeks ago I was kind of afraid of sitting on the beach for five days with nothing to do. Eeeek, what if I got bored?? There would be the usual tanning, building sand castles, playing frisbee and reading. And Nick would be there so it's not like I wouldn't have conversation. But what else? What else?!! Food. Beer. And?
So I bought a travel guide (because as hard as I try I cannot travel without doing the homework first). For a few extra dollars, we'll now be spending our days riding zip lines across the jungle, driving VW buggies to San Sebastian, snorkeling and kayaking around Marietes Island, and I left one day for hanging out on the beach and walking around town. :D Hopefully I'll come back with a little bit of color.
I am quite possibly the only person in my group of friends that doesn't love this book. Anita pestered me all summer about it, rambling on and on about how spiritual and meaningful it would be for me. Isn't that what therapy and yoga are for? For Christmas Cindy gave me a stack of books along the lines of "know yourself and love life". Not sure if I need to be worried about my girlfriends or me here...
This book was the first in the pack and I just finished it last week. Despite the rave reviews and the soft spot I have for stories on perseverance and the human soul, this book was disappointing and at times downright boring. The only saving grace was probably the author's wit and humor but even that was lost in the lengthy descriptions of love and life gone bad.
"Eat" was interesting enough as I could relate to the joys of food and even more so, the love of pasta. But it took me two months to get through "Pray". Good lord, I was literally crawling through the deserts of India searching for inner peace with Elizabeth. That many pages on praying and meditation? Not so much. Mom should hear me now. "Love" moved a lot quicker and had the most interesting bits (and the sex with the Brazilian expat), though it was perhaps much more flighty than the rest of the book.
But hey, maybe that's the read I was looking for.
I couldn't resist given the cute Sanrio characters at the bottom. Of course.
My mom turned 70 years old today. Yes, she's pretty ancient - I mean that in the most loving way of course - but she still has a lot of spunk in her. Recently she was slapped with a speeding ticket for not paying attention to the road, something about driving 50mph in a 25mph zone. When I asked what happened, she just shook her head in disbelief.
Mom: The car it run soooo well honey. Last week, I just go. Press on tha gas and it went bon-bon-bon. You know very easy, I did not know it was fast!!
Me: "Bon-bon??" Well, you should really look out for the signs. Be careful mom!
Mom: Oh honey, I can't see sign anyway.
:/
Hmm.. Not good. These are photos from our Vietnam trip. Isn't she cute? And yes, someone shorter than me. Btw we're wearing dust masks, not dressed up like bandits.
Mirabelle and Leonard had extra tickets to see Chris Rock last Friday. Luckily they thought of inviting me. I've never been to the Paramount Theater in Oakland but it's a lovely venue. Reminds me of old Hollywood or downtown Las Vegas, especially when you see it light up in the early evening. Very surreal since this part of downtown Oakland clears out once the work crowd heads home. The theater iteself is done up in ruby and gold tones, with plush seating and great lighting. They needed a few more bartenders as the lines were insane. I downed an entire glass of champagne in under a minute thinking I couldn't bring the drinks inside. Um no, you totally can.
Here are some of the quotes from his act:
1. "My kid is spoiled. He asked me for a new bike the other day. I told him HELL NOES! Your daddy never had a bike. I was sooo POOR…I was 9 years old before I reached your age... of 5."
2. "Why is McCain running? McCain was too old to become president 10 years ago. He’ll be dead before seeing the effects of his policies."
3. "The only thing we can be guaranteed of when Hilary becomes president? She can forgive like no one else."
4. "How is Hilary going to handle becoming president? Man, imagine having to sit in that oval office where your husband got #$&*%*$&%. She’d redecorate that shit into the rectangle office."
5. "Barak can’t become president because that means we’ll have a black woman as first lady. And that ain’t EVER going to happen. Yea I said it! In OAKLAND too. Booyah...
Now lemme tell you why… It’s because all black women want to be president. “You ain’t gonna tell me what to do. We become president together. Oh and make sure Keaky is Secretary of Defense. She can fight!”
6. "I face racism every day. Every day. I live in this beautiful gated community in New Jersey…in a nice multi-million dollar home. There are four black people in this community. FOUR: Mary J Blige, Jay Z, me and Denzel Washington. Each one them, exceptional.
Mary, the hip-hop and R&B queen. Jay Z, needs no introduction. Me, I did the Oscars. And Denzel Washington, one of THE best black actors in the world.
And do you know who lives next to me?
Some white DENTIST!! That’s right. Just a plain ol’, yank your teeth out dentist. Ain’t no plain ol’ black dentist ever getting into that community without millions. Not unless he starts performing some miracles too."
