Of Greetings and Goodbyes

My grandfather passed away Friday, March 19th at 3:09 pm.

Despite my quick blurb about it last week, my grandfather's illness wasn't insignificant. When he had his heart attack two weeks ago, it was devastating. All I wanted was for him to come home but he had another heart attack and died days before he was going to come back.

I'm twenty-four years old and have never NOT lived with my grandfather. In all these years there have been a grand total of sixty days I did not speak to him, and many of those were days I spent at summer camp. He and grandma were the constant in my life, the one source of unconditional love that I wholeheartedly trusted, no matter what severity of teenage angst I was currently experiencing. Grandpa was in every way my father; I called him papi, the greatest endearment I gave anyone.

He walked me to school every single day from ages four through eleven. When I turned twelve and demanded some independence, he trailed a block behind, ever watchful of my steps while giving me space to bloom. He doled out allowances easily, a penny-pincher who didn't give a second thought to getting me ice cream after school or a Slice and a slice (a slice of cheese pizza with a can of Slice soda).

Grandpa and I were odd ones out; we were Mets fans in a household of Yanks. We leaned fiscally towards the right (though he didn't blink twice when my rainbow flag assured I'd always be socially left of center). When I showed off my head of blue hair, he waved off the family's shock and told me I looked fabulous...My grandfather made me feel fabulous every day of my life. He taught me to read and write in Spanish and marveled at my bilingual skills when I picked up English at school. He praised my penmanship when it looked like chicken scratch. He taught me to pick avocados and oranges, his favourite. He taught me to be creative, crazy, daring; When my grandfather discovered an orange tree in the public park he knew it was fair game. He spent half an hour in the backyard and when he came back in, he was wielding a weapon of epic harvesting proportions. Grandpa had taken a broom handle, a curtain rod, a wire hanger, and some duct tape and fashioned himself an orange whacker. He marched to the public park every day during the summer months and would return with bags upon bags of Florida oranges. Even now I still smell the faint whiff of citrus from the bedroom he shared with my grandma, his wife of sixty-four years.

Grandpa was also the best comforter in the world. He understood the disconnect between my head and my heart, the way I could rationalize sadness and go about my day with a smile and tears coexisting on my face. At those times he started all his sentences the same way: "So..."

When my dog died: "So you mourn, you feel better, you get another dog."
When I skinned my knee: "So you wipe it off, get up, and go back and play."
When my aunt died: "So you remember the good times, take a deep breath, and keep on living."

These were the good times.

I've taken my deep breath.

Here I go.

My mouth! My beautiful mouth!

Jumping right in: I was in pain this past Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The pain was right between my two front teeth, at the gum line. I made an emergency visit to the dentist Thursday because the pain got so bad, I couldn't speak. Doc said I had an infection in my gums that was due to an old cavity and some plaque, loss of bone in my jaw, and that both issues were being affected by overgrown frenum. Now, I've always had a problem with my mouth. It works just fine, don't get me wrong, but I've always felt like my lips and teeth were abnormally connected. Every time I so much as frowned my lips would pull on my gums which was causing me a lot of pain. Alas, that is a problem no more.

The doc opened his clinic on their day off to fix the issue. Two hours and a nifty laser later, my frenum has been cut down and I have enough antibiotics to kill the black plague.

In a month I go back to do the top of my mouth. I also have a tight frenum under my tongue (an issue known as "tongue-tied") but the thought of cutting under my tongue squigs me out. I think I'll keep the tongue as is.

That's my exciting update for the day!

The Fandom Gives Back

If you haven't heard, a group of fanfic writers are auctioning off their time and skills for a great cause. All proceed go to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Click here for more info about the fandom gives back.

I am auctioning off my goods as well. Here is my auction.


You're bidding for a Mary, Full of Grace outtake, $30 starting bid. If the bid goes over $50, the winner gets to choose the outtake.

I'm also selling a one shot for $50, any pairing, any plot, etc. I'm basically at the winner's fancy.

I plan on bidding on other writers myself. Go on and join the fun. ♥

The Venom

Let me start off by saying I love wi-fi. I adore wi-fi. I think it's the greatest thing since Susanna Hoffs did that sweet eye thing in the Walk Like An Egyptian video (SOTW, btw). The best part of Wifi is seeing the names assigned. Someone of them are boring. ITT's wi-fi is called ITT campus, for example. Not very creative. Sometimes I'll come across a few like "Sally's internet" or "Mike's wifi". The best, however, comes from right next door where one of my neighbours operate online as...The Venom.

Now, if you met my neighbours, you'd understand why this tickled me so. Neighbour #1 is a young father who plants individual grass blades and goes to medical school. Neighbour #2 is an insurance salesman who think his Bougainvillea is the most beautiful on the block. Despite their modest daytime personalities, I can't help but imagine one of them going into his computer room, turning off all the lights, rolling up his sleeves, and delivering a total beatdown to someone in Guild Wars or maybe WoW. Perhaps he's more of the Crysis type. Either way, game on, Venom. Game on.

I'm Bigger Than the Sound + SOTW

Cecilia broke down. Cecilia got fixed.

Kyle is going to Italy next year.

I'm going to be a Biology teacher in a few years (if I don't chicken out and switch to business).

I haven't picked up yarn in over a month.

I love UU.

I need to put away my clothing.

I want to write a story.

Song of the Week: Sing, Theresa Says by Greg Laswell

Colour With A "U"

My room is a mess. I mean, really, A MESS, caps needed. I decided it was high time to catalog my yarn and craft supplies. Why is it that the biggest messes always seem to be in the name of organization?

The good news is that I got rid of three garbage bags full of junk I didn't want nor need. That clears up a lot of space for new craft supplies. *rubs hands together evilly*

In other home decor news, we're painting one of the bathrooms with a whole new colour scheme. Right now my mom's bathroom is pink and she hates it. I picked that colour, yes, but I picked it on her suggestion that pink would make a great choice. This time she chose a beige, blue and brown combination and already bought the new bathroom linens. I've chosen the colours based on the curtain. These aren't the exact colours but you get the idea.


I'll post pictures of the bathroom when it's done, I'm sure. In the meantime, I'm going to be adding a ravelry widget to this blog soon. If you're on Ravelry, add me as a friend.

Until next time,
♥ Jess

Ketchup Catchup

For one reason or another, I haven't been able to update this blog. I've been writing, oh yes, but the posts either stayed nestled on my hard drive or in the saved section of blogger. *shakes head sadly* If it seems like ten posts appear overnight, forgive me.

My birthday was relatively uneventful. We had already celebrated the weekend beforehand at the bowling alley. Still, my family decided two cakes were in order so i went through the whole song and cake routine again on my actual birthday. Hey, it was chocolate ice cream cake; I'm not complaining!

In other news, I finally got my hands on a copy of The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. If you didn't know, Wally Lamb is my favourite author. He brings such unbelievable depth to his characters...sigh. Anyhoosen, the library was holding the book for me but I was 86 out of 90. In other words, there was about a four month wait. Thankfully, one of my friends bought it for herself and let me borrow it. I've read the first chapter but I'm waiting to read it until I can really devote a day to it (because I just know I'll finish it in a day).

I did manage to pick up Creepy Cute Crochet and Amigurumi World at the library. I've been meaning to get my hands on these for a while so I'm excited to start some projects from them. I already promised my cousin a little bunny pal. Speaking of pals, I've been working on another Moogie.

After I started putting her together, however, I decided the stitches were too open for my liking. She'll get a run through the washer and felt a bit before I put her together.

I suppose that's all the news fit to print today.

♥ Jess

Happy Birthday To Me!

I'm 23 today. Holy hell.

♥ Jess

I. Love. Bowling.

It's hard to believe, but I had never been bowling until last weekend. Yes, I know. I know. Many of my friends thought I was just kidding. No no, I never bowled although I always wanted to. Imagine my excitement when my aunt suggested we go for my birthday! So last weekend my aunt, uncle, their daughter, mom, Kyle, and I all set out to a local alley to celebrate.

Note: Please note my birthday is actually this weekend, on the 24th. None of you missed it. :p

It was INCREDIBLE. If I had known I would have fallen in love with a sport, I would have gone so much sooner. And not only did I have fun, but I WON. Turns out I'm pretty good at rolling balls (minds out of gutter, thank you). I guess I have a special kind of move though because everyone took a turn mimicking the way I throw the ball. Funny thing is, my uncle got a strike out of it!!



Okay, so the rails helped him with that strike. We still found it hilarious. Next weekend we're all going back and this time, no rails. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion I'll be bowling quite often so I'm even giving it it's own label. I might even start playing wii bowling.

I bet you I'm going to win. :D

Until next time,
<3 Jess

Of Resolutions and Goodbyes

Happy New Year! Here's hoping 2009 is as wonderful as I think it will.

I'm not really making a resolution. I try to stumble through one for the first month of every year and that gets old fast. Instead I'm just going to try and focus on myself in 2009. My goals, my dreams, that sort of thing. Let's see how long that lasts. :)

Not much happened this Christmas. I gave some really cool presents, I got some really cool presents. I'm the proud owner of Nightmare Before Christmas, the special edition DVD. Since that's my favourite movie (ever) I'm quite the happy camper. And dinner was fantastic, if I do say so myself.

I have quite a few pictures to upload but I can't seem to find my camera at the moment. Once I do, I'll be sure to share.

Happy 2009!

<3 Jess

What I Have Done

Borrowed from Maria @ The Pied-A-Terre

The bolded are things I have done.

Swam with wild dolphin
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
Been inside a Pyramid
Held a tarantula
Taken a candle lit bath
Said I love you and meant it
Hugged a Tree
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightening storm at sea
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Seen the Northern Lights
Gone to a huge sports game
Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Grown and eaten your own vegetables
Touched an iceberg
Slept under the stars
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
Watched a meteor shower
Gotten drunk on champagne
Given more than you can afford to charity
Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Bet on a winning horse
Asked out a stranger
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Held a lamb
Seen a total eclipse
Ridden a rollercoaster
Hit a home run
Danced like a fool, not caring who watched
Adopted an accent for an entire day
Actually felt happy about your life, even for a moment
Had two hard drives for your computer
Visited all 50 states
Taken care of someone who was too drunk
Had amazing Friends
Danced with a Stranger in a foreign country
Watched wild whales
Stolen a sign
Hitchhiked in Europe
Taken a road-trip
Gone rock climbing
Midnight walk on the beach
Gone sky diving
Visited Ireland
Been heartbroken longer than you were in love
In a restaurant sat at a stranger’s table and ate with them
Milked a cow
Alphabetized your CDs
Pretended to be a superhero
Sung karaoke
Lounged around in bed all day
Posed nude in front of strangers
Gone scuba diving
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Played in the rain
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
Toured ancient sites
Taken a martial arts class
Played a computer game for more than 6 hours straight
Gotten married
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Gotten divorced
Gone without food for 5 days
Made cookies from scratch
Won first prize in a costume contest
Ridden a gondola in Venice
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Been on television news program as an “expert”
Got flowers for no reason
Performed on a stage
Been to Las Vegas
Recorded Music
Eaten shark
Had a one-night stand
Gone to Thailand
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone
Buried one/both of your parents
Been on a cruise ship
Spoken more than one language fluently
Performed in Rocky Horror
Raised children
Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
Picked up and moved to another city
Walked on the Golden Gate Bridge
Sang loudly in the car and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
Had plastic surgery
Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have
Wrote articles for a large publicatio
Lost over 100 lbs
Held someone while they were having a flashback
Piloted an airplane
Petted a stingray
Broken someone’s heart
Helped an animal give birth
Won money on a TV game show
Broken a bone
Gone on an African safari
Had a body part below the neck pierced
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Eaten mushrooms gathered in the wild
Ridden a horse
Had major surgery
Had a snake as a pet
Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Slept for more than 30 hours over 48 consecutive hours
Visited more foreign countries than US States
Visited all 7 continents
Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
Eaten Kangaroo meat
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the paper
Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
Gone back to school
Parasailed
Petted a cockroach
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Read the Illiad
Selected one important author who you missed in school to read
Killed and prepared an animal for eating
Skipped all of your school reunions
Communicated with someone without sharing a common language
Been elected to public office
Written your own computer language
Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
Had to put someone you love in hospice care
Build your own PC from parts
Sold your own artwork to someone that didn’t know it was yours
Had a booth in a street fair
Dyed your hair
Been a DJ
Shaved your head
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life

Gizmo Has Been Sick

My Pomeranian has an auto-immune disease. He's a member of the family so we spared no expense and are now $775 poorer than we were a few days ago. That's absolutely fine...although it certainly presents a challenge for me at the supermarket. So I'm going to be stringent about our budget and posting my totals and receipts here. Let's hope I can keep it up.

The good news is, of course, that Gizmo is doing much much better and we're hoping he pulls through this a happy pup. Send good vibes.


<3 Jess

Fay's On Her Way

Despite my feeling like a Floridian this will be my first hurricane experience here. The last two years have been quite mellow on the West coast which worries me that we're due for something a rough. But we've got the plywood and emergency bags ready, we have money and quarters, we have a cooler full of ice, we have food...I think we're prepared. Hopefully it's not too bad.

I'm having, dare I say, a fine time with the arrangements. I cooked up five pounds of chicken breast (one of those magical foods that taste good hot and cold) and some salad veggies for chicken Caesar salad. I also bought bread and cold cuts for sandwiches. I figure most of the storm will be sitting and waiting so all the board games are out and ready for playing.

I'll take picture if anything exciting happens.

Best of luck to my fellow FL bloggers.

<3 Jess

Not Dead...

Just awfully silent.

<3 Jess

Buying Our First Car

In case you've never lived in NYC, let me explain something: New Yorkers don't drive. There are no need for cars in a city that's built around public transportation. Hell, I could take the express train and get to most destinations faster than a car could. So it's understandable that my mother, grandparents, and I never learned how to get behind the wheel. It just wasn't necessary.

In case you've never lived in Florida, let me explain something: Floridians drive everywhere. From the corner store to the amusement park, there is no other way. We have an express bus that takes 45 minutes to get me to Walmart, an unbelievable amount of time when you consider it takes three minutes by car. To call public transport in Florida just "bad" would be like me saying the Titanic was a rowboat...

So it was only a matter of time before my mom buckled down and decided we needed a car. A few driving lessons and DMV visits later and we're ready. All we need is a car...

Easier said than done.

Right now I've got my eye on a 1997 Mercury Tracer Trio. It's midsize, no accident reports, only one owner (Thanks, Carfax!), and not too bad on the eyes either. So, here's hoping it'll be there on Tuesday. If it is...congratulate me! It's our first car!

<3 Jess

We're Going to Play A Game Called "Catch-up"

Boy, it feels like forever since I've posted here. What's that? It's only been a couple of days? Oh...I see. Well, on to the food then!

Kyle requested chili a few days ago and since he made Dean's List, how could I say no to him?



This is Red & Black Bean Beef Chili. Wow, that's a mouthful, ain't it? I sprinkled a bit of parmesan cheese on top and served with crackers. It was the right amount of spicy for the family (of course it was too mild for me but what I consider mild, some people consider deadly). Some day I'll post the recipe here. I just need to tweak it a bit more.

I finally booked my tickets to NYC! I will be arriving at my lovely hometown June 24th and will be staying until the 17th of July. I'm going to be staying with my father, mostly, but have every intention of crashing on random couches throughout my stay. So if you're a friend, get that sleeping bag ready for me.

In other news, I went food shopping today. I'll post my receipt/total tomorrow (like I have done in the past) but I have to admit, I went over budget on this one. Way WAY over budget. I'm almost embarrassed. Ah, well. The food will be tasty, that's for sure.

Also, I decided to post pictures of what my fridge and pantry look like. It was very spontaneous so do excuse the messes.

Tomorrow's dinner will be BBQ ribs with a side of cornbread and coleslaw or some other cabbage dish.

Until next time,
<3 Jess

Low Carb? Aw Geez...

Yes, it's true. I'm doing the low carb thing. Not as extreme as most people, I might add. I recognize that carbohydrates are a very important part of any diet. I've just been eating the wrong kind and for someone who is insulin resistant, the wrong kind could make me sick. So, today was my first real foray into the low carb world.

It was tougher than I thought. On Sunday (yesterday) I decided to have a last meal of sorts. I baked my usual lasagna recipe and it was fantastic (see picture above). Too bad it had enough calories to sustain three small children.

Dinner tonight was a bit better, calorie and carbohydrate wise. I made chicken according to my empanada recipe except I added in two (2) cups of chicken broth, four (4) cut carrots, and two (2) cups of egg noodles. The green beans I steamed separately. The meal wasn't soupy at all, it was just a good, tender meal. I call it "Sticky Chicken and Pasta".



It was the best new meal I've made in a while. I can't wait to make it again.

Until next time,
<3 Jess

I Have A Problem.

There comes a time in some people's lives where they have to address their vices, their addictions, and their demons. It is time for me to do the same. Hello, my name is Jessica and I'm addicted to Sriracha.

If you don't know what this is, it's a very spicy, very delicious, chili sauce that can be used on anything. I don't think anyone uses it as much as I do. I add it to eggs, I eat it with rice, I drizzle it on tacos, I spice up my soups...My family is begging for freedom from this spicy madness.

If you haven't tried it, go out and find a bottle!

Jonah Passed Away

My cat, Jonah, passed away. He was eighteen (18) years old.