Flowers

I got together with my friend Joanne on Saturday and we went to the Flower Mart, downtown. We had so much fun. We each bought a lot of flowers and spent under $12 each. After having breakfast in the neighborhood, and checking out a few yard sales, I went home and had a great time fixing my flowers. I bought a Christmas wreath ($7), which I hung out on the front door. I also bought mini orange carnations for $1, pink Gerber daisies for $3, and Sweet Williams for $2. I made two gorgeous arrangement using two of my favorite vases. I spent the rest of the day reading and looking at my flowers... Joy!

Happy Thanksgiving

I am happy to report that I had a very satisfying Thanksgiving this year. Yesterday I spent the first couple of hours of my morning cleaning house. (Loyal readers know quite well that cleaning house gives me such a high) I then went to the store. Made coffee. And I proceded to baking for the next 4 hours. I made a pumpkin pie, two dishes of bread pudding and chocolate chip cookies.
At around 4 p.m. I was picked up by my sister Monica, David and Victoria, and we went to Karina and Frank's house where we all gathered to have a family sit-down dinner. My mother, as usual, was photographing us all with her cell phone and digital cameras, and filming us with her recorder. My aunt was telling jokes. And we were also there to gawk at Karina and Frank's three week-old baby, Francisco. My two-year old niece is always fascinating to watch around her new cousin. When she hears him crying on the baby monitor, she will cry as well. This is either out of sympathy or attention. She then wanted to lay on her baby cousin's changing table and once she was on it, she began to act like a baby herself. Dinner was great, but I only had small portions, since I had another party to go to...
I arrived at my friends Oscar and Jerry's house a little after 8 p.m. We had a huge feast there. Jerry prepared the most delicious, succulent turkey I have ever tasted. There was also a ham, chicken wings, yams, collard greens and green beans, mashed potatoes. And much more... It is a good thing there were some twelve (plus) guests to eat it all. We also drank much champagne ,wine and cocktails. The desserts were also abundant, and I am happy to say my bread pudding was a hit!!!
There is much I am grateful for this year. A lot! But above all else I am thankful to have such loving friends and family around me. I feel truly blessed!

That Song, New Cinema & Scorpios

For some wierd reason I have that annoying song by the Black Eye Peas, "My Humps," stuck in my head... Shoot me now!

I have not gone the movies in over a month. I guess I have been too busy or something. I can not wait for Syriana to be out in theaters next week, and I really want to see Jarhead. I did see a great film on D.V.D. the other day, named Cronicas. It was excellent! The director of the film, Sebastian Cordero, is Ecuadorian and the film is set in Ecuador. A few years ago, he found a lot of success in the film festival circuit with a film entitled: Ratas, Ratones y Rateros. I never saw it. It just looked too gritty. Cronicas is also a gritty film, but very well-written and well-acted. The film follows a Miami-based, Spanish-language tabloid news reporter, his camaraman and producer who are in the town of Babahoyo, Ecuador to report on a serial killer on the lose, who is killing children. The reporter (played by John Leguizamo) then befriends a local man who was lynched for accidentally running over a child and has been encarcerated. This man then begins telling the reporter chilling details about the killings supposedly confesed to him by a man who once hitched a ride from him. The details are so vivid that the reporter then starts suspecting the man in jail. That is as much as I can say about the story without giving much away. What I loved about this film is the moral raised of how far a journailst sometimes go to get a juicy story. There is conflict between the reporter and his producer (played by Talk to Her's Leonor Wattling) on what is the right or wrong thing to do. The film's ending is anything but predictable.

I find it exciting to continue to see much wonderful cinema coming from Latin America. We have already fabulous, world-recognized directors coming from Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. I love that Sebastian Cordero has now put Ecuador on that list.

I have so many Scorpios in my life right now, I thought I'd acknowledge them here, publicly!
Cheers to: Claudia Orellana, Amy Herrmann, Serene Ford, Chico Maiva, Chandra Faulkner, Kim Jones... And for the last two years, my niece, Victoria Fierro. And for the last two weeks, my nephew, Francisco W. Enriquez. Bless you all!

My New Nephew (and My Niece)

A week ago today, on Friday, November 4th, my dearest sister, Karina, gave birth to a healthy baby boy at around 9:08 in the morning. Karina was actually due in late October and had to have her birth induced because she could not handle the pain any longer. The girl was ready! Let's just say...
Our family and friends couldn't be more thrilled. In the last two years I have been made an uncle twice. I now have a two-year old niece, Victoria and a week old nephew, Francisco. It is amazing to see new generations begin and continuing a family's legacy. My mother couldn't be more overjoyed at becoming a grandmother again. My niece seems fascinated with with her cousin. She has met him twice and has insisted on holding him each time. When I finally met my nephew this past Tuesday, (I was unable to see him sooner since I was stricken with a cold yet again), I felt such love for him as I was holding him in my arms. My niece sat by my side and also made herself comfortable on my lap, as if reminding me, "Love the new baby, but I am still here..." It was so funny and amazing to see.
Baby Francisco is so cute! He is so wide-eyed and alert. He was awake when I met him. How well he could see me, I am not sure. But he seemed to be studying me up and down when I met him, yawning ocassionally. He feel asleep in my arms, as I sang to him. Victoria at my side...