football, boys, and faith, or? how i spent my weekend

happy monday mi gente.  (that's "my people" in spanish)  or what's left of monday anyway.  what's up in your lives?  so the start of a new week is upon us.  i don't know about you, but i'm in serious denial about the fact that thanksgiving is next week!  next.week.  don't misunderstand, i love turkey day.  it's just that time is flying by so fast it's making me dizzy.  or maybe it's just my ongoing bout with vertigo that's making me dizzy.  i digress.

the weekend
let's see, where to begin?  i went to a friend's birthday party friday night.  i was so tired from my crazy work week, that i almost bailed on the party.  but fearing severe repercussions from the birthday boy, i sucked up my tiredness and went.  and i'm glad i did.  i had the best time!  it was held at a restaurant in midtown.  after the dinner crowd thins out, the band takes the stage, the music starts, the lights are dimmed, and viola!  a pseudo night club emerges, complete with bright lights and men in dark suits, feigning the look of respectable body guards.  when i arrived, the birthday boy was already feeling no pain.  so what do i do?  bought him a shot, naturally.  this guy.  this guy has tons of female friends.  and it seemed like every single one he's ever known was there that night.  seriously. strangers kept asking who he was, thinking he was some kind of celebrity or something.  he's a great guy.  hails from new york (it's okay, he's not a mets fan), is of salvadoran descent and is a very good friend to all.  i love him to pieces!  we danced the night away.  literally.  i swear by the time i got off the dance floor my legs felt like jelly.  it was  like i had just endured an hour of zumba, but in dressy clothes and heels, not workout clothes. good times, good times.

sunday-funday
this glorious day began with brunch in the company of one of the musketeers, complete with mimosas of course.  then she and i went to see a play at a local theater.  the play was called "girls only: the comedy secret of women" -it was a two women act show and it was hilarious!  i laughed so hard my stomach hurt.  the play is about women in various stages of their lives beginning with puberty and ending with senior citizen status. there was trash talk involving men. -did you have any doubt there wouldn't be?  and there was audience participation as well, so you can just imagine the zaniness that ensued.  after the play, we headed to to a local bar to meet-up with maricela (the missing musketeer) to watch the texans destroy da bears. and oh.em.gee did they ever!  the game was played in chicago. the weather conditions were deplorable.  hello? can you say, retractable roof??? we're spoiled here in houston.  but not to worry, not to worry.  my boys conquered rain, wind and slippery ground and in the end, beat the chicago bears 13-6.  that's right america, the texans are now 8-1.  take THAT espn!

But it was not all about football yesterday in my fair city.  as you know, or may have heard, we're a pretty diverse town.  there was another type of important game taking place here yesterday.  soccer.  the houston dynamo came from behind to beat d.c. united 3-1 in the first leg of the eastern conference finals.  they are undefeated at home.  un-de-feat-ed -got that?  good.  i was not a big soccer fan until we acquired a professional soccer team and i saw some of the players. um, can you say HOT???  i think it is an unwritten rule that soccer players must be good looking.  i mean, i may not know all of their names, but dammit if i do know how they look! and i'm not just talking about houston's players, i'm referring to soccer teams everywhere.  sigh, so many, so many...

moving on.

yesterday in spite of my busy social calendar, i managed to make it to church.  and while i don't normally write about my religion or my faith that often, tonight i just felt the need to do so.  so indulge me. pretty please?

the sermon was about faith. in ourselves, in our god, in the world around us.  the priest asked if we only had faith when times became difficult or is that the time that our faith diminishes?  he wasn't referring only to our belief or our faith in god.  he was referring to our every day life.  for example, in our jobs or in someone we know.  do we give them/it/us the benefit of the doubt and trust everything will be okay? or do we automatically assume that they/it/we will fail?  i guess that really strung a chord with me because i'm going through a lot of inner turmoil with certain things going on in my life right now.  but how i deal with it, is what actually saves me from falling down that ever present dark hole of mine.  and that is, by my faith.  not just in god, but in myself.  i've been learning to trust my decisions, to trust myself and believe in what i'm doing.  believe in me.  perhaps some of you reading this are thinking i'm full of baloney or just a little crazy.  well, guess what? i am. sometimes i'm full of baloney, and sometimes, a little crazy.  (act surprised) but really, i struggle with believing in myself a lot. i've done so since i was young.  i know a lot has do with my self-esteem issues and the subsequent issues that followed me into adulthood.  and let me tell you something, it's taken a long, long, long time for me to learn to accept this about myself.  it's a huge step for me.  which brings me back to the sermon at church yesterday.  do you walk by faith?  now don't go getting all your undies in a knot.  i'm not preaching to you or at you or asking you to tell me about religion.  i'm merely asking if you live your lives just by watching it pass by or by actually believing in yourself to get you to where you want to be in life, or with your career or with your significant other.  that's what i'm asking.  i think the election rattled me more than i thought.  here we are almost a week later, and the hate and the anger and insults that people were spewing, has not died down.  on the contrary, it seems to be getting worse.  we are so divided, it's really sad.  but i have faith in humanity that somehow, some way, everything will work out.

boys
come on, you didn't think i was going to end on a such a serious note did you?  no matter how old they are, or think they are or act like they are, men will never cease to make me want to pull my hair out. never.  so on saturday i ran into an old friend.  we mostly keep in touch via the occasional email or shout out on fb.  he lives in another city. was home for the weekend. ran into him on saturday afternoon, had lunch with him and  had a great time catching up.  boy left pouting because i refused to go back to his hotel room with him.  called me a prude.  did i mention he has a wife? um, yeah.   ugh.  can't a woman be friendly to a man without the man all of sudden thinking that he was going to get lucky? and he was married for crying out loud!  i know his wife very well.  wtf is that about?  needless to say, it left me feeling very dejected and just plain sick.  later that same evening boy text messaged me and apologized. said he had had too much to drink.  he had one beer.  asked me to please not mention this little misunderstanding to his wife.  of course he did.  i now want to go out and by yarn and learn how to knit and get a fake cat ( i loathe cats), sit in my rocking chair and make scarves for the rest of my life.  just me and my pretend cat.  stupid boys.

the end.

now aren't you glad you stopped by to visit?  :)

...Sweet Land of Liberty...

Election day is only hours away for our country.  More than any other election that I have ever voted in, I feel this one, will be the most important one in my life.  Why? Because the world is in turmoil.  There is unrest and the masses are not only restless, but downright hateful as well.  What? It's true.  One only has to scroll down my Facebook news feed to see the spite and mud slings being flung about.  Friends and family alike are taking things to the personal level and tempers are flaring. Or watch the local news and/or CNN or the Internet.  I wish it was already Wednesday morning, so I could un-hide all of the people I've hidden on Facebook or purposely avoided during this election year.  It's not that I don't like a good political debate among friends, I do.  What I don't like and  have a problem with is the ignorance and downright idiotic things that these people (some who are close friends and/or family) spew.  It's like arguing with a child.   Example:  "I think my picture is better than your picture."  "Uh uh, MY picture is better than yours!", "You better take that back and like my picture best!",  "No you take it back and like MINE the best!" ----and on and on and on.  Yeah, that's what it's like with some of the people that I know.  They argue for the sake of arguing, offering no objectives, no proof, nothing to substantiate their beliefs or their arguments.  But I digress.  The purpose of tonight's blog was merely supposed to express how emotional I am about this particular election.  It's a scary world out there people.  Everyone needs to do their part and vote.  If you aren't voting, and are registered, why the hell not??? If you aren't registered, why the hell aren't you???  One of my  coworkers, is a twenty-nine year old single woman.  She's an American citizen, born and raised here in Houston.  She has NEVER voted in any election.  EVER.  ----Can you explain that to me???  I was beside myself when she told me.  We were discussing how some employees were going to be late tomorrow or leave early from work, in order to go vote.  I offered to cover the employees during lunch time, so they could have a chance to go and do their civic duty.  (I early voted last week)  Well, she turns to me and says she will not be late because she will not be voting.  She's not registered, never has been and probably never will be.  -Her words verbatim.  Her reasons were poor excuses.  "My vote won't count anyway",  "Nothing is going to change", "I don't care"  That one bothered me the most.  "I-DON'T-CARE"  

-and therein lies the problem with our country.  Most people, "don't care".  I collected my thoughts and took a lot of deep breaths, before poking her in the eye smiling at her and saying, "Cool.  So you'll be here on time then?"  and walked away.

I'll be frank with you, politics bore the hell out of me.  But I live in a country that is free and great and strong.  Maybe we're a little broken right now.  But certainly not shattered.  Not dead.  If we don't participate, who will?  This is why I vote.  This is why I encourage every American to vote, regardless of your political stance.

That same coworker later asked me, "How can you care so much?"  to which I retorted, "How can you not?"    

Good bye October

Happy Halloween bloggies! How is everyone tonight? So did you go trick-or-treating or watch scary movies?  Do tell!

When last we met, I was in a tizzy about trying to find the perfect socks to go with my costume.  You will be glad to know that I did indeed, find them.  If I don't chicken out by the time I finish this post, I will show you the picture where I channel my inner Shirley Temple. Maybe.

This past weekend was all about the Halloween parties.  I attended two on Saturday night.  The first party was at the home of a dear  friend of mine.  The theme was "Haunted Hollywood" -go as your favorite dead movie star.  They had a red carpet at the front of their house and spotlights.  Fancy...The only catch to be allowed in was that you had to take a canned good to get into the party.  At the end of the night, the hosts would load the boxes of canned goods collected onto a truck and deliver them to the Houston Food Bank, which is a local organization to help the hungry.  I thought it was a genius idea! .My friends tell me they collected four boxes worth of canned goods plus some anonymous monetary donations.  Is that cool or what? So anyway, M&M (Michelle and Maricela aka my partners in crime) and I, took pictures with every person at that party I think. Michelle tends to get camera happy sometimes.  Heh.  People were very creative with their costumes.  I dressed up as Shirley Temple, Michelle was Bonnie minus Clyde, Maricela was Cleopatra.  But we saw Elvis, his brother Elvis and his other brother Elvis!  Frank Sinatra was there too, as was Audrey Hepburn, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Lucy and Desi, Carmen Miranda and on and on, it was a star studded event complete with a live band, singing and lots of dancing.

Party No. 2 was held at another friend's home and it was also a hit.  There were games to be played, karaoke to be sung and scary stories to be told.  The weather could not have been more perfect.  As most of you know, I live in Houston, where our schizophrenic temperatures wreak havoc with our lives but even more upsetting, our hair!  But Saturday night, it was as if the Great Pumpkin himself, asked the weather gods to be kind to us.  The temperatures were in the low 50s, it was cold, windy and crisp!  I should know, the air going up my dress kept reminding me all night.  The most interesting costume at this party was a friend of mine who happens to be male, dressed as a woman.  But we couldn't really tell what woman. He donned a blond wig with ringlets that rivaled my own, wore a cute sundress with a blue jean jacket and his boots.  HILARIOUS.  By the end of the night he was answering to Honey Boo Boo, Betty Sue and Ugly Barbie.  His make up was even perfect.  Well, it was until he got plastered and ruined it.  Sunday was all about recuperating and reliving the funnies of the night before.  I'm still having flashbacks!  Tonight I met up with the girls and we headed to a Halloween Happy Hour.  And it was there that I saw him.  No, not the infamous "HIM", this him, was Indiana Jones.  IN.THE.FLESH.  Ok, ok, not the real Indy, but he was close enough. I couldn't pass the opportunity for a photo op, so I grabbed Michelle and we stalked approached him and asked if he would mind taking a picture with me.  He  flashed a Colgate smile and proceeded to scoop me up in his arms, asking, "How's this for a picture?"  I was at a loss for words (it happens sometimes, believe it or not) Michelle took the picture and we bid him adieu.  But not before chatting with him and making plans to meet up this weekend.  What? I was networking.

And so boys and girls, that is how I spent my weekend and my Halloween night.

 I would be remiss if I did not mention the devastation that Hurricane Sandy has wrought on New York and the surrounding areas.  My heart breaks for each life that was taken as well as for all of the people who have lost their homes be it to the flooding or fires. Watching the news and seeing how the subways  are now submerged under water and full of debris, scares me.  It's alarming and unsettling, that this can happen to a city that is so vibrant, strong and alive.  Once again, the city is brought to it's knees.  This time however, it was not by an act of terrorism, but rather, an act of nature.  Relentless and unbiased mother nature.

 The aftermath always seems more daunting and at times, hopeless.  At least that's been my experience with hurricanes and tropical storms.  But things will get better, you just have to keep telling yourself that over and over.  Godspeed New York.  Godspeed.

Good bye October, you've been simply grand.  See you next year.

But wait. There's more...

 Go ahead, laugh. I did.  :)

Awakened Inhibition

The black lace stockings caressed my skin, gingerly, almost like a feather.  The black stilettos, bold and daring and very unlike me.  I stared back at the woman in the mirror, not recognizing her.  Who was this seductress staring back?  I had prepared all day for this, from the heavier make-up, to the tousled hair, to the black, satin, cleavage down to there, bra,  Panties were not necessary.  Per his request.  I looked back to the bed, where he was laying.  Spent.  Exhausted.  Satisfied.

No one knew I was doing this for money.  No one knew this side of me.  I didn't even know it myself, until tonight.

Grinning, I made my way back to him, kissed his forehead, gathered my things and left.

As I drove home, I glanced at the wad of money in my purse.  Not bad for a forty-five year old wife, mother of two and president of the PTA.  Not bad at all.
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From Write on Edge: This week we asked you to use this photograph to inspire your post in whichever direction your mind should wander.  You had only your imagination (for fiction writers) and your experiences (for memoir writers) to limit where you took this piece...oh and 450 words.
(Image courtesy of Sebastian Dooris (via Flickr Creative Commons)

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Sunday, Halloween and Knee-highs

Happy Sunday Fun day everyone!  What's the good word?  Annnd, exhale.  At least, that what I just did.  Sundays always make me antsy, my mind races to the new work week ahead, the worries that consume my time, the anticipation of the weekend.  You know, the usual.  What? Doesn't everyone freak out before the start of a new week?

Have I mentioned that I love the month of October?  I really, really do.  Besides the obvious and most important reason (duh! My birthday), I also love it because Fall is around the corner (or in Houston's case, somewhere between now and December)  but most of all, I love it because it's time for Halloween.  The pumpkin patches, the costume hunting, the parties, the scaring little kids -don't act like you don't enjoy doing it.  See? What's not to love about October?

So I had a really nice, quiet kind of weekend.  This was the first time in about six weeks that I had NOTHING planned.  Shocking isn't it?  I know, I know.  I chilled at home on Friday night, watched A Streetcar Named Desire -an old fave of mine, and drank some wine.  Saturday I had to work half a day, then I scurried all over town, searching for accessories for my Halloween costume.  I've got two parties next weekend and my costume is still not complete.  There are several costume places in and around Houston.  But by far, my favorite store is one that's been around for years and years.  It used to be set up in a small department store kind of place, (think a Chevron gas station, minus the people outside begging for money and the gasoline tanks.  That's how small that place used to be)  but they quickly outgrew it and bought a huge lot in the outskirts of downtown.  When I say huge, I mean ENORMOUS!  They built a warehouse and moved their tiny store to their new home.  It's filled with rows and rows of costumes, accessories, costume make-up, more than eager employees to help you find your perfect mask.  Anything you need  for Halloween, you will likely find it there.  I love going there this time of year.  (Yes it's open year round.  What can I say?  Costumes are in high demand on a daily basis, here in the H.  Alright fine! Some Htowners are freaks ok?)  Anyway, so Saturday afternoon, I found myself there in a tizzy.  See, I'm going to dress as Shirley Temple this year.  I have the dress, the shoes, the gloves and the hat.  I am missing the lollipop and the knee-highs.  Which was what I was in a tizzy about.  I'm wearing a sailor girl dress, similar to the one Shirley Temple wore in the movie, Bright Eyes, when she sang "Good Ship Lollipop".  The socks I need have to be a certain kind, with a certain color bow.  But the store was out of my color and my size and I started freaking out.   After spending over an hour in there, not just freaking out, but looking at all the costumes and people watching, wondering what kind of party they were going to, was it a themed party? What was their costume going to be? -Stuff like that.  Yes I know, I'm nosy.  I left there slightly dejected, but determined to find my socks. And I will.

I had a kids Halloween party later that afternoon to go to.  One of my oldest and dearest friend, has a seven year old son, and every year she has a Halloween party for the kiddos.  She always invites me even though I don't have kids of my own.   We are child-hood friends and one of my nephews is friends with her son.  So I get to go.  Yay!  Those parties are always so much fun!  I love watching the munchkins parade around in their costumes.  Yesterday I saw Rapunzel, a human hot dog, Peter Pan, Batman, a Lady bug, Princess Fiona, and some ninjas.  My nephew Ethan, was a green Ninjago.  They also had an intense pumpkin carving contest.  When I say intense, I am referring to the parents of course.  Never have I seen such looks of determination on their faces!  It was nail-biting to say the least.  But in the end, my sissy won first place!  And yes I squealed like a little kid.  What? She annihilated those parents She did a great job! All in all, it was a great day and I ended it by writing not one, not two, but THREE chapters in my almost completed novel!  I didn't go to sleep until 4:00 this morning, but damn I'm proud of myself! Good stuff, good stuff.

Today I woke up at what felt like the crack of dawn, but I think it was more like 6 hours later.  I had to get my church on and then go and meet M&M at a local sports bar to watch the Texans kick some Raven ass!  The boys came through and won 43-13.  Ahh, the thrill of victory!

And so here I am, typing away, hopefully amusing some of you good people.  But enough about me, what's going on with you?

You know the drill, make it a great week!

now THAT was a party!

Where to begin? Where to begin?  I suppose since I have to start somewhere, the beginning would be nice, right?  Alrighty then.  When last we met, I was in a tizzy about my upcoming birthday.  Unlike in the past, I was not looking forward to celebrating or even acknowledging it.  Which that in itself is a big shocker, since I am ALL about celebrating my birthday! So much so, that I start celebrating the last week of September all the way through the last week of October.  Seriously. Ask my friends.  It's fun! I love the month of October, it's my favorite time of the year.  But alas, this year I just wanted to crawl into a rock and sleep until the day was over.  Maybe it was because I'm still trying to figure out what Yvonne's life is supposed to be, or maybe because I have yet to face certain issues/situations, that need to be faced, in order to move forward.  Or maybe it's because I get down in the dumps because I am not dating or seeing someone that gives me warm and fuzzy feelings.  Sigh... I was all ready to just go into the Witness Protection Plan until my birthday was over, when my sidekicks, Michelle and Maricela, went into Operation Birthday Palooza 2012 mode.  These girls talked a good game and somehow threatened me with bodily harm convinced me to see the error of my ways.  Which I finally did.  So in no time, a party was planned, and my calendar soon filled up with activities for the entire month!  I have been a social butterfly these past few weeks, let me tell you!

My Birthday Party -The Aftermath

The festivities began last Saturday evening.  My sister was my designated driver.  She and I met M&M at their apartment for pre-festivities drinks.  From there, we all piled into my sister's car and drove away.  Destination:  Downtown Houston, to a swanky bar/club.  We were quickly moved to the front of the line (much to the guffaws of those left in line) and escorted into the premises.(it pays to know people that KNOW people)  The atmosphere was electric.  The music intoxicating.  We quickly found our spot, up close and at the front of the stage (is there any other place, really?) The band took the stage, my guests began trickling in, a lot of hugs and best wishes, a lot of offers to buy me drinks, from strangers even!   We're VERY friendly here in H-town you know.  Lots of dancing, lap dances on stage and other shenanigans. What's that?  Oh yeah, you read correctly.  I wrote, LAP DANCES ON STAGE -given to yours truly and from yours truly.  Scandalous I say!  Ok so here's how it went down.  I was minding my own business, talking to some friends, who had driven from Austin that afternoon, just to be with me.  When all of a sudden, the singer of the band, and owner of the club, starts calling out for birthday people to get on stage. I ignored the numerous attempts from my family and friends alike, to go up there.  I had NO intention of doings so thank you very much!  But my friends being my friends, practically carried me to the steps, so I could walk up and join the other birthday peeps.  When I walked up, the percussionist, who happens to be a friend of mine and Beyonce's former percussionist (true story), leads me to the side of the stage, away from the others.  They go through the whole shspeel of telling the singer your name and then dancing for him as he sang to you.  Well, then it was MY turn.  I just wanted it to be over and get off that stage, but no, no, that would have been too easy.  And as you know, nothing is easy when it comes to moi.  After they escorted the last person before me, down from the stage, Scott, the singer, pull up a chair from out of nowhere and plops in it. Keep in mind, this is on stage, while they are performing, in front of friends and family and complete strangers.  The crowd is going crazy, chanting and clapping and having a great ol time at me expense.  He's smiling at me and waiting for me to dance for him. That's right, dance for him.  "The quicker you dance Yvonne, the quicker you can get off the stage!" At least, that's what I kept telling myself.  So, armed with a lot of liquid courage and just plain terror, I began sauntering over to and made my moves.  I danced in front of him, I danced around the chair, I touched his face and his chest, and then I sat on his lap and gave him a hug.  I learned that night, that should things go south for me at work , I may have found alternative options.  Fer real.  He smiles and wishes me a happy birthday and stands up.  Thinking foolishly that I was done, I start walking towards the steps to get down. But no, no, again, that would just be too easy.  I like things the hard way, apparently.  Scott grabs my hand and sits me down in the chair where he had just been sitting, and then steps to the side.  All of a sudden one of the musicians stands in front of me and begins shoving his butt in my face -uh yeah.  Then, another musician comes and starts dancing very, very provocatively behind me, and this one wanted physical contact, because he grabbed my hands and started swaying them back and forth.  Finally it stops and I again, breathe a sigh of relief, only to be surprised AGAIN, this time by some random guy from the crowd.  A big, football player looking kind of guy who was wearing reflector sunglasses.  -because he's cool like that, I guess.  This guy pries my legs ajar, with his legs and is quickly gyrating and giving me more action than I've seen in a while.  Ha.  By far, he was the best dancer, technique wise,  I mean.  Wink, wink.  Finally, it was over and I was led down the steps.. My friends acted as if I had just homered at a baseball game, they kept high-fiving me so much!  I was sent over many drinks and shots from fellow friendly H-towners.  I told you we were nice.  The rest of the night we danced it away and then like Cinderella, made a mad dash to leave.  We went back to Michelle and Maricela's place and proceeded to laugh and laugh at the night's craziness.  It was an unforgettable night and so worth the hangover I had the following morning. 

My actual day of birth was last Wednesday.  It was a great day! I worked but was taken to lunch, received flowers, and then that evening, had dinner with my family.  I was so excited because all of my nieces and nephews were with me.  It;'s very rare that we are all together at one time.  (usually around holidays)  So this was a special treat for me.  My facebook page looked like someone spilled confetti all over it.  I had over 150 wishes from friends and family.  I am loved.  It made me feel very special. And I am grateful for that.

So I've conquered the fear of turning forty-six.  I stared it in the face and growled at it.  Age is just a number.  And right now I feel twenty-nine.

poetic monday

I'm extra emotional and sentimental these days.  It's coming up on the one year anniversary of the demise of what was once a beautiful friendship.  Or, a friendship gone bad.  So, because this person has been on my mind lately, I wrote this.  It's in Spanish but I tried my best to translate it.  However, as you and I both know, something always gets lost in translation.  Especially in the Spanish language.  It's a very longing and sad piece.  Full of melancholy.  At any rate, here is the way I originally wrote it and below is the loosely translated version.

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Todo Un Año..

Como te hecho de menos

hace casi un año que se de ti

que escuche tu voz, por ultima vez

Las lagrimas terminaron

pero parte de mi corazon

sigue basillo

Tu ausencia me persigue hasta en mis sueños

Cuanto te extraño

Eres ya parte de mi pasado

Pero nunca te olvidare

Bien o mal

Siempre, siempre te amare.

________________________________________________________ 

How I miss you so!

It’s been almost a year that I heard your voice

for the last time

The tears are long gone

but part of my heart is still empty

Your absence follows me

even in my dreams

You are now part of my past

But I will never forget you

Good or bad

I’ll always, always love you