Martha Released From Prison

Martha Stewart (news - web sites), the lifestyle trendsetter who built a media empire, is to be released from a West Virginia prison early on March 4, 2005 after serving five months for lying to investigators about a stock trade. Stewart, whose trial and sentencing last year captured national attention, was expected to go to her 153-acre suburban New York estate to resume a whirl of TV and media projects despite having to serve a further five months of house arrest. Stewart is shown outside federal court in New York on March 5, 2004. (Peter Morgan/Reuters

Would That Make It A Catfish? 

Fri Feb 25,11:48 AM ET

A carp with a face resembling a tiger swims in the Wulong Pool at a park in Jinan, east China's Shandong province February 25, 2005. The strange fish was found by local residents and has drawn hundreds of visitors in the past two days. Staff at the park said some fish-lovers even called the park and offered a high price to buy the fish. REUTERS/China Newsphoto

Heads Off To You! 

Pippi Longstocking & Friends during recess.Tsk, Tsk 

Who Needs Makeup?

I was just clicking through the channels and came upon Stars Without Makeup. Click. People can not really believe that these stars are all natural beauties. Bite the lips and pinch the cheeks and they’re ready to go. Hello! There are some of us that look a tad better with some color applied to our faces, for me it’s lipstick. If I didn’t have lipstick on I would look like the walking dead. I actually tested this theory once. One day at work I took off my lipstick and no sooner than you can say MAC, a co-worker asked if I was feeling alright. OK, that did it, never leave home without lipstick.
Every once in awhile, I’ll attend one of the makeup events at Sephora,
I’ve let them have their way with me and have walked out with a totally different look. It’s almost the same feel as if you are were wearing a mask, quite fun.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

Disturbing Blogs

I have been reading other people’s bogs, and find some quite amusing. But, then there are those that really disturb me. It’s the ones from young people talking about cutting himself or herself, or being mentally abused by a parent and we are not talking about a child not getting their way, we are talking about real mental abuse. Then I came across a gentleman’s blog, he has a wife and a child. The blog is about how he hates life and wants to die and that he was also self-mutilating. His last post was in December and he stated that this was to be his last post. I really hope this gentleman got the help he needed.

When I was young, my mom had to hide the newspapers from me as I was way too sensitive and would cry and all the terrible news. I am not naïve to think that there are not horrible things going on all around me, but it still makes me feel helpless. I will continue to post my comments in hopes that someone will seek out the help and/or assistance that they need.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

What a strange view. 

J&R's backyard. 

Wise Words From A Bumper

I saw this bumper sticker while on my way to the East Bay:

Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History

So true, so true.

The Family Says Goodbye To Uncle Lee

We had a memorial for Uncle Lee last night. It was held at my cousins Joe’s house in San Lorenzo. My cousin Gloria was there along with her husband, who I have never met. Joe’s 3 children were there: Chrissy, Carry and Joey and his wife Arlette. Gloria’s niece was there, I guess that would be my 2nd cousin, her name is Carly. John a friend of Joe’s from high school was there too. Gloria had made a poster of pictures of Lee, these included pictures of Emma, and their grandchildren. A picture of my mom was also included, she was so cute. Everyone had a good time. Joe called Gloria and I together and said that we need to make an effort to keep in touch. He wants us to get together at least 3 times a year. That would be nice, I really did have a good time with them.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

In The Chips

Well, I made $10 last night at poker. I lost some hands that I shouldn’t have due to bad judgment. I also stayed in some hands that I should have folded. There were six players; there were two others that wanted to play but the hostess felt that six was enough.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

Just Deal Them Cards!

It’s poker night again and with each game I tell myself that I will be more discipline and play tighter. I miss John P. , but since we have been playing on Saturday, he hasn’t joined us.

It’s raining here in San Francisco and I will have to watch out for umbrellas turning in to lethal weapons.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

He is so cute! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day From The Queen!!

Today is also known as chocolate overdose day. There is chocolate everywhere!! I came to work today and there was a big red-foiled chocolate heart on my desk, in training today there were piles of chocolates in the center of each table.

It’s a rainy day in good old San Francisco; I am so ready for spring. I talked to my aunt today; she just lost her husband this past Saturday. I was glad to hear that she is doing so well, she is already thinking of the future and planning a trip to Las Vegas. My aunt spent almost 12 years caring for her husband, it is her time now, she is 85 years old so she does not have the luxury to bide her time.

There is going to be a small memorial for my uncle at my cousin’s house. My aunt wanted me to invite my friend JG, she really likes JG and she was so happy to hear that he was going to attend. She told me to tell him that she was going to give him a hug. My aunt is so different that my mother, my mom was very demonstrative and so am I, but my aunt is just the opposite. So I like to tease her that I’m going to give her kisses, she runs away going no, no. I get the biggest kick out of her reaction to my attempts of affection.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

The Queen Bids Goodbye to Uncle Lee

My Uncle Lee passed away this morning. It has been 2 months and 1 day since my mom died. I had called my Aunt this morning to check on her, her son’s wife, Sharon, answered the phone and I knew right then that Uncle Lee had passed away. I talked to my cousin, he let me know that him and his wife were going to have his mom stay with them for at least a few days. Knowing my Aunt I’m sure that she’ll protest, but will give in in the end. My Uncle had been ill for a long time, I think it has been about twelve years. My Aunt has taken care of him all this time. My Aunt is a very independent woman and doesn’t like asking for help. It was sad since she had such great plans for when the two of them retired. She had wanted to travel, see places that she only saw on the television, but that was not how life played out for her and her husband.

My Aunt is 85 years old and is in incredible shape, I hope that it is not too late for her to do things that will bring her joy. I hope that this spring or summer she takes that trip to Yosemite she had put off.

Well It’s Shuffle Up And Deal Time Again

It’s poker tonight at Lisa’s, this is the 3rd week that we have played on Saturday. John can’t play with us on Saturdays since he’s a regular at another game. Marissa will probably play and she’ll be glad that John won’t be playing, Marissa just hasn’t warmed up to John yet, maybe in time she will.

Once again I am telling myself that I will be more discipline in my playing, we’ll see how long that will last.

Gray, Gray Go Away

I will be getting my hair colored and cut today. You know that I have to keep up that youthful appearance.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

Ask your doctor, she'll know. 

Not Fit For A Queen

I think the owner of the Laundromat down the street from me should be arrested for false advertising. The place is so neglected that it is depressing. No longer can you buy individual boxes of soap or fabric softener should you run short. The dispensing machine still hangs on the wall, the cover is missing. Dust and little white flakes line the empty machine. Over a third of the dryers are not operating. It is not that they are in need of repair but are new dryers that have never been fully installed. They have been there over a year now.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

Gung Hay Fat Choy from the Queen of the Universe

The Lunar New Year dates from 2600 B.C., when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the zodiac. Because of cyclical lunar dating, the first day of the year can fall anywhere between late January and the middle of February. This year, it falls on Feb. 9, 2005 -- Lunar Year 4703, the year of the rooster.

The sign of the rooster indicates a person who is hard-working, confident and unwavering. This means roosters can really crow about their own accomplishments.

I know that you are curious to know what sign the Queen of the Universe is, well I was born in the year of the ox.

People born in the Year of the Ox are Keeper of tradition, the Ox maintains a classic and sophisticated style. Iron-willed, they remain true to their beliefs. A strong leader, their hard work and dedication are an inspiration to all. Ox people never stray from their chosen path.

……………..I work in the field tomorrow, no not that type of field silly. I will be in the city of Alameda providing technical assistance to one of my clients. I was in Alameda earlier this week and boy has it changed from when I was a kid. I hadn’t been to Alameda in at least 4 decades, it has grown. I remember Alameda as being a little sleepy town with houses that were built in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Now there’s housing developments, malls, and of course Starbucks.

I don’t care where you go these days, there’s a Starbucks. Now don’t get me wrong I am not a Starbucks hater, but they are such clones. I prefer a coffeehouse to have character, I like eclectic furnishings. Give me a place with overstuffed chairs and loveseats. Give me a place that has lots of AC outlets so if I need to I can plug my computer in, a place that plays good music and somewhere that you feel comfortable bringing in your own music to be played. That’s why I like the Javacat Coffeehouse.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

Deal Them Cards!!

The regular poker game was held on Saturday, with the usual suspects. Sam is back to playing. Due to a falling out with the hostess, he had not been playing. John didn’t play as he has a regular game on Saturdays and he plays with us on Fridays. Marissa, played, she is he newest player. She doesn’t like John, she finds his personality a bit abrasive. It took me awhile to get use to John and his ways, but he has grown on me. Rafael played, he is a tough player to figure out. I know he bluffs a lot, but then he’ll surprise you with a great hand. Keeps you on your toes.

I walked away $6 up, every bit helps. I have been telling myself that I was going to start playing differently, play a bit tighter. I find that I don’t fold at times when I know that I should fold. Taking the chance that I will force someone out, or that someone is bluffing. Sometimes it works, but it is just the odds.

One thing I do need to do is to start playing with my glasses as opposed to my contacts. I just can’t see down to the far end of the table, it’s a bit of an eye strain.

We played Assassin a couple of times last night, I found the game in the “Little Black Book of Poker”. It’s a five card draw game. Deal 5 cards, bet, draw up to 3 cards, if someone discards a Jack they are the Assassin and they can take anyone out of the game. The number of Jacks that you discard is the number of people that you can take out.

I dealt this game first, everyone checked the bet except me, then we went for the draw, I was taken out by the player to my right. The game is risky, but fun.

Well, I’m off to a friends house to visit and play games, until then…..

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

She Speaks!!!

Friday was a long day, I had to be up early since we were taking a friend to lunch for his 51st birthday. I wanted to have enough time to have a cup of coffee and a little something to eat. I had stayed up too late on Thursday and I really didn’t feel like getting up, but I did, but I was moving very slow.

We had lunch at Houstons, as always the food & service was excellent. We started with a grilled artichoke, just yummy. Then Richie and I had the Clam Chowder soup, I could just jump into the bowl and die happy. Then I had the Hawaiian Rib Eye Steak with mashed potatoes (they make them with chopped chives and leave some of the skins on). Richie had the double pork chop, with mashed potatoes, my god that chop was huge. JG had the ribs which are his favorites, they come with fries and coleslaw. Johnny had the prime rib with mashed potatoes. We left there happy and full.

Then it was off to get ready for the party being held at Johnny and Richie’s for Kathy’s 50th birthday. The party was also for JG, but since it was Kathy’s 50th birthday, she was the main focus. I had to stop downtown to get JG’s gift. I had bought him a present but then I remembered that he had mentioned that he really wanted some aprons, so that is want I got him.

The five of us worked to get the house in order and the fruit and vegetables all cut up and arranged on platters. We washed off the outside furniture, and made a nice seating arrangement around the terra cotta chimney they have in their yard.

Since it was Kathy’s birthday she did the inviting, so there were several people that I had never met. Kathy’s friends were all so nice. One of Kathy’s friends named Helen brought her guitar, she played and sang. She had just completed cutting her first music CD. She had a great voice. We were all sitting around the fire and singing, I asked if she could play Goody-Goody, she could so I sang Goody-Goody. That song always reminds me of my mom, so that is a good thing.

I pooped out at about 12:30 and called a cab and went on home. Tonight we are playing poker.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

The Queen Says Goodbye To Cecil

Cecil was the Best

I received an email from my friend today letting me know that his cat, Cecil had passed away. Cecil was the best cat ever, if he saw you walking down the street, he would prance up to meet you and walk you down to the house. Once inside he would jump up on the counter and say (in kitty talk) notice me, pet me. Once that was done, he would go on his merry way. Cecil will be missed not only by his owner but by those that have known him and loved him. There was only one Cecil.

I didn’t get to post last night, as I was unable to access the net. It was an absolutely beautiful day yesterday. I had a staff meeting at 10:00 a.m. for about an hour and a half, and then I had a 2-hour conference call. I disconnected from the conference call at 2:00 p.m., the call was still going on, but it was just Q/A. I had to get outside, I headed downtown, it was soooo nice out, I went to Compusa to purchase Adobe Photoshop Elements. I ended up with the Photoshop Elements plus Premiere Elements. It was a bundle deal, I’ll get a $30 rebate since I was updating from Adobe Photoshop Deluxe. It was hard going back to the office; days like this just make me want to retire sooner.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

Tibits From The Queen

Someone emailed this to me today and I thought I would share it.

Subject: Stress Management

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water & asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.
The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. "
"In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. "
"And that's the way it is w/ stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on".
"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while & rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. "
So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.
Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"
And then he shared some ways of dealing w/ the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
* Never buy a car you can't push.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
* The second mouse gets the cheese.
* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
* We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty, & some are dull. Some have weird names; all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
* A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

In The Chips 

The Queen Says Shuffle Up and Deal......

And The Winners Are……

Last nights first Texas Holdem tournament was quite an exciting night. There was 7 of us, a $25 buy in got you $1,000 in chips. We started with blinds of 10/20 then after 45 minutes we raised them to 15/30. During the first break we all discussed how different this game was, and how tense we all were. We were all playing real tight. We all agreed that the tournament was fun, but we liked our regular poker games. We continued to increase the blinds, 20/40, 25/50, 30/60. Then we jumped up the blinds to 75/150, then 100/200 and finally to 150/300. It took close to 3 hours before the first person was out, then followed closely with the 2nd and 3rd person. A losers lounge was set up in another room. The room had another poker table set up and chips available to buy and there was music. When enough players had been knocked out of the tournament, they began a regular game of poker. We are now down to 4 players, only 3 players will walk away with any money. We decided to have 3 winners, 3rd place would get $25, 2nd place would get $50 and 1st place would get $100. As the blinds are now 100/200 the 4th out was quick. Now the people in the losers lounge were starting their own game and they somewhat lost interest in the tournament (do you blame them?). There are now 3 left in the tournament, we are all moneyed winners, just the amount needs to be determined . It takes quite a few hands and about an hour to get it down to 2 players. Meanwhile, in the losers lounge the poker game is in full swing and it sounds like everyone is having a good old time, everyone has more or less lost interest in the tournament. The last two players only take a short time to play it out and declare a winner. I am pleased to say that I came in second place.

I’m glad we did the tournament, you play different in tournament play then you do in a regular poker game. Our regular games are Dealers Choice, so in the course of an evening we may play 10 different poker games.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

More Blah Blah Blah from the Queen of the Universe

I’m at the Javacat coffee shop, a few of the usual suspects are here. On Thursday I brought in 3 cd’s of Madeleine Peyroux and 1 of Rosalie de Souza so the café would have some of my music. Gloria, counter person just changed the cd and low and behold she put on one of the Madeleine Peyroux cd’s.

Don’t have much time this morning, as I’m off to meet JG at Thrifty to pickup the car. We’ll drive to Hayward and I’ll approve the headstone, once approved the stone will be sandblasted.

Shuffle Up and Deal

Tonight is our no-limit Texas Holdem tournament, I remembered to bring the books that I found with the clear cut definitions of the blinds and betting. I do not want any confusion. I plan on playing a little different tonight since this is a tournament there will only be 3 winners. I plan to be one of those winners!!I wonder who will be the first one to go all in, and who will be the first one to go bust. We are starting earlier than usual tonight since tournaments tend to go on longer.

Is Your Bet In??

I was having a discussion with a fellow poker player and he was telling me that sometimes he thinks that there are some players that try to get away with not putting their proper bets in the pot. The discussion was brought up as I was reading poker etiquette from one of the poker books I found. Bets should be added to the pot so that the amount of the pot is easy determine. I think everyone should put their bets in front of them, this way it is easy to see who is in, also, it allows for a clear path for dealing the cards.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

A Few Comments From The Queen

My jury duty is over!! It ended up being a mistrial, so we were dismissed. I really though the judge would make us go back for a few hours and try to come to an agreement. Not that I’m complaining.

Grave Thoughts

I’ve been thinking a lot about the headstone and my adding Queen of the Universe to it. Then I was thinking that if I have to think this much on making a decision, then maybe I just shouldn’t do it. Case Closed

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder

The Queen says GRRRRRRRRR

It’s Thursday evening and I had hoped that my jury duty would be over with, but to my dismay we are to report tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. Well that means that I will have to be up at 5:30 a.m.; I hate to rush and then I’ll want to stop for coffee. So hard, so hard.

Going for a Ride

I take cabs quite often since I can’t stand the buses at night, too bright and too crowded. The best cab company in San Francisco is DeSoto Cab, 970-1300. I flagged a cab from the courthouse today and the driver was going along just fine, well except that he was weaving in and out of traffic like a madman, until we got about 3 blocks from my destination, then he made a left turn, and I immediately asked him what he was doing. He told me that we could not get to my destination the way I had pointed out to him. Since he had already gotten us off track, I told him where to turn to correct his error, he kept mumbling about how we could not get to my destination going this way. Well golly gee, guess what, we arrived,. Since I’ve taken cabs to this destination several time, I knew the fare and that is what he got.

On Gravestones

On Saturday I’m going to approve the gravestone for my mom. The stone will serve as my stone too, as I will be buried with my mom, it’s a double grave. When I went to pick out the stone, I was asked if I wanted to add my name, birthday and a phrase to the stone. I thought about it, and decided that since there was no additional cost doing it now, then I would. I had the phrase Beloved Daughter added, but now I been thinking that maybe I should put “Beloved Daughter, Queen of the Universe”. I like to think that someone walking by the grave would get a chuckle out of it and it would put a smile on their face. I know that my mom would get a kick out of it. I don’t find it disrespectful, since I believe that once a person dies that they are no longer with us, the soul has left the body.

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

Oh my God!!! If you ever thought that you had a dysfunctional family read this book.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder.

Ice-Breaker Game from the Queen of the Universe

I am still on jury duty and I hope that we finish up today. I think the attorneys will present their closing arguments and we will begin deliberation. I really can’t see it taking too long. But in the all and all it will take as long as it takes.

I did some research for my friend regarding ice-breaker party games, I found a bunch on the web. The one I like is as follows:

What you need: 1 colorful picture for every 4 to 6 people
1 piece of paper or cardboard a little larger than the picture
Tape or glue

What you do: Show everyone the pictures
Tear each picture up in either 4 or 6 pieces
Have everyone take a piece of a torn picture
Instruct everyone to write their name on the piece of picture
Instruct everyone that they are to find the missing pieces to their
picture
Once all the pieces are found, tape them together on a sheet of
paper/cardboard
Award a prize to the fastest group (something silly)

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder.

Poker Wisdom from the Queen of the Universe

I’ve been reading up on Texas Holdem blinds, and I think I’ve got it Bucky!! The person to the left of the dealer is the small blind and makes the first bet, if the blinds are 1/3 chips, the small blind puts in 1 chip, then the person to his/her left is the big blind, that person puts in 3 chips. The dealer deals two cards to each player and the betting starts with the person to the left of the big blind. All this is done before the flop, after the flop the betting starts with the active player to the left of the dealer.

The Little Black Book of Poker has lots of poker variations for stud and draw poker. I’ll have to try out some new games at the next regular game. The book contains some saying that could and do relate to gambling, here are some of them:

“‘Nobody is always a winner, and anybody who says he is either a liar or doesn’t play poker”……..Amarillo Slim

“Winning and losing usually comes in bunches. Limit your losses. Sometimes it just isn’t your night”…….John Payne

“(Gambling) is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, and the father of mischief
George Washington


“Cards are war, in disguise of a sport” ………..Charles Lamb

“It is true that you may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all the people all the time”……………..Abraham Lincoln

“There’s a sucker born every minute”…………P. T. Barnun

“It takes more courage to get up and walk when you are stuck than it does to keep playing”………….Richard Allen

“The smarter you play, the luckier you’ll be……Mark Pilarski

“Hours of boredom and moments of sheer terror--that’s tournament poker”
…………………Tom McEvoy ‘83 WSP Champion


“One should always play fair when one has the winning cards”… Oscar Wilde

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder.

More Blah Blah Blah from the Queen of the Universe

Woke up last night to the sound of rain, it seemed like a pretty good downpour, but it didn’t last long. I drifted off to sleep and woke up around 7:30am showered and dressed and set off to the coffee shop. The usual suspects are not here today, usually there are around 3-4 people here with their laptops. The coffee shop also has 2 computers that you can rent by the quarter hour and right now one is in use.

The owner of the coffee shop is on duty, I didn’t realize that she was the owner until the early morning counter person told me. The morning person plays classical music and the owner plays an eclectic mix of music, usually something in French.

I have to perform my civic duty again today and I hope that we start deliberation today, so we can wrap it up by Thursday. I really don’t want to have to come back on Friday.

I found two books on poker yesterday at a bookstore on Polk Street. One is “The Little Black Book of Poker” and the other is “How to Play Poker” by Peter Arnold. They were both used copies and I purchased both for $9. What a deal!!

Just got off the phone with a friend who called to chat and to let me know that him and his partner were asked to host a 5oth birthday party for another friend. She wants the party to take place on February 4th or 5th. My friends house is a great place for a party, there is enough room for dancing, a buffet, places to sit and chat, etc. My friend asked me to think of some ice breaker games for the party, so I am off to search the web, so until then……………

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder.

I think I was taught by this nun and the dog looks familiar too.
 

Blah Blah Blah said the Queen of the Universe

I’m at home now, I stopped off at the Twilight Café where my friend works to visit and have a tuna sandwich and a cup of soup. I’ve been able to hook up to a wireless network from the café, the connection was a tad slow, but oh well.

I just posted a new picture, it was of a little German Sheppard dog and a toy nun. The German Sheppard dog belonged to my mom. She use to put in the basket of her walker and ask it questions, of course it would always nod yes. It was like playing to her, and I use to join in on the fun, I would ask the dog questions too, it would always make us smile. I now have the dog on my desk next to a picture of my mom and I continue to talk to the dog and it still makes us smile. It’s ok to play.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder.

Ramblings from the Queen of the Universe

Well, I am still here in one of my favorite coffee shops, working on my 1st cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal with a banana. I am listening to an itunes playlist that I made with a couple of my favorite jazz musicians. Here is the playlist:
Song Artist Album
Blue in Green Miles Davis Kind Of Blue
First Light Freddie Hubbard Jazz Moods - Hot: Freddie Hubbard
Flamenco Sketches Miles Davis Kind Of Blue
Freddie Freeloader Miles Davis Kind Of Blue
Sky Dive Freddie Hubbard Jazz Moods - Hot: Freddie Hubbard
Straight Life Freddie Hubbard Jazz Moods - Hot: Freddie Hubbard

Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, can’t get much better than that.

It is days like this that I think maybe I’ll retire this year. I could spend my days updating my blog, making jewelry, taking quick trips up to the Indian Casinos, listening to good music, reading good books. Sounds good to me. But alas, I think it would be best if I worked for 4 more years.

I need to get to a bookstore this week, I want to find a book on Texas Holdem. I want to make sure that I understand the rules on blinds and betting in a no-limit Texas Holdem tournament.

I think after court is finished for today I’ll go to see my friend who works at a café. The café serves Middle Eastern specialties and your standard deli sandwiches. They have great Humos, but I tend to always get a tuna sandwich.
Well it is getting close to the time that I need get on the road and do my civic duty, I’ll continue my rambling later on, so until then……………………

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder.

Thinking of my mom

Here it is another day. I am sitting in one of my favorite coffee shops, it has good coffee and free wireless. As I mentioned in my first post that my mother had passed away on December 11, 2004, she had Alzheimer. When my mother died she did not know who I was, but she liked me (that was a good thing). Alzheimer’s is a terrible disease, it robs you of those that you love before they actually pass away. I have been missing my mom a long time . I missed the look on her face when I come to see her, I missed talking to her. My mom had stopped being able to carry on a conversation, she would answer question. When I went to see her, I would sing songs that we use to sing together, songs such as Goody Goody, The Lady in Red, all those old songs that I learned from her when I was a kid.

I hope that anyone that feels that a loved one might have Alzheimer, seek help to understand the disease. A great resource is the Alzheimer's Foundation of America the web address is: http://www.alzfdn.org/


Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder.

I think these guys are going to be the next hot boys band 

Update from the Queen of the Universe

Well, I was just about to set off to meet my friend for lunch and continue with jury duty, when I received a message from the courts, no jury duty today as the defense attorney is ill. So my plans have changed, I called my friend to cancel and reschedule lunch and then called another friend to see what he was up to today.

I decided to stay at the coffee shop and have a cup of ginger tea, I already had a x-large cup of coffee with 2 shots, so that was enough coffee for this morning.

I am going to go over my other friends' house later, we usually play games. We play Five Crowns, Quiddler, Rummy Tiles, etc.

A guy just came into the coffee shop and took the chair across from me, so we are sharing the table between the two seats, his computer is about 3 times the size of the one I’m using. His is a Toshiba which looks like a large attaché case, my laptop is a Sony Vaio T150, very small, everything about his set up is big, big headphones, no earplug type for this guy, big mouse. Makes you wonder.

Right now I am listening to Rosalia de Souza, the title of the album is Garota Moderna, very mellow. I have always liked Bossa Nova style music, it transports me.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder.

Greetings from the Queen of the Universe

I like to think of myself as Queen of the Universe. Now don’t get too concerned, I know that I’m not really the Queen of the Universe (wink, wink). When I found out that someone else had used the web address, Queen of the Universe, I was ready to call out the guards, but being the Queen of the Universe I can afford to be generous.

It is a new year, and I have decided to start a blog. Really wasn't sure what a blog was but did a little research (didn't take too long) and made the decision to create my own. My mother passed on December 11, 2004, two weeks before Christmas. She had Alzheimers for the past 6+ years. For the last 6+ years I have been seeing to my moms needs, now that she has passed I find I have more time for me.

I have been going up to the Indian Casinos and playing the slots and of course the weekly poker game. It really is a small world, I was at an Indian Casino on Saturday and the woman next to me looked at me and said my name, I hadn’t seen her in over 20 years, such a small world. This coming weekend we are going to have a no-limit Texas holdem tournament.

I have jury duty today and I think it is going to go until 1/27/05, that is what the judge and the lawyers think. I hope they are right.

I am sitting in my favorite coffee shop which has free wireless, I love wireless computing. I am meeting an old friend for lunch today, she lives near the courthouse, we went to high school together. After not seeing each other for over 30 years we ran into each other and now we have lunch ever so often.

I am listening to a Stan Getz and Oscar Peterson Trio CD it is just great. I have been discovering a lot of new/old music since I bought myself an ipod. I didn’t think I would get so much enjoyment from the ipod but I just love it! I have been downloading songs and albums from itunes. I just discovered Madeleine Peyroux, she has a great voice. Her voice and style reminds me of the old female jazz singers. I purchased an itrip for the ipod, and it works great. For those of you that may not know the itrip allows you to play your ipod music through your FM car/home radio, so no more lugging around your cd collection.

Well, I'm off to meet my friend for lunch and then off to do my civic duty.

Find joy in what you do and smile at strangers, it will make them wonder.