Weight Loss and BIRTHDAYS!!

I have officially lost 105 pounds since January 26, 2006! YAY ME! I still have 85 more pounds to go but I have made the century mark! I didn't think I would be able to do it. Losing weight takes a lot of discipline, more than I thought I had. I have been working out at the gym, walking around the beach, just walking in general. It has made me realize how important movement is to your body. I feel 100 times better. I still have a ways to go, but I will get there.

On July 23rd, I celebrated my 39th birthday. 39 years on this earth. It is so hard to believe at times. I feel like time has flown by. Inside I feel 23, but at times, emotionally I feel 69. I went to Miami for my birthday. I went to a "club"...umm it was a "fun" club! I had so much fun. Miami is so relaxing for me. Being around different cultures, especially my caribbean brothers and sisters! I love it there. I think I need to move there. I always hate to come back home when I go.

Well Happy Birthday to me! Here's to 39 years of being on earth. Aww man next is 40!

FIFA World Cup

I am not a big sports fan by any means, but I become obsessed when the World Cup begins. I am a MAJOR soccer/football fan. I am so sad that France did not win the World Cup. I usually don't pick a team to go for; I just like the action that goes on, on the field.

France has the most "Black" player of any country, outside of Trinidad and Tobago and Brazil. France has 15 Black players on their national team roster. France's most famous player is Thierry Henry, is a Black man. He plays professionally for the Arsenal, an English major league team. Thierry has been subjected to being spit on, had trash thrown on him, called the "N" word in various languages, by European "fans". It sounds so much like the American South, doesn't it? It has been so bad for him and other "Black" players to play in European leagues, with the exception of Brazilian players. I have always thought of Europeans as being more accepting of "Black" people. They are so quick to criticize the world on human rights problems, along with the US. And it appears they have a pretty bad track record also.

Theirry, along with Nike, has set up a program called Stand UP Speak OUT! It is to help educate Europeans about racism in the soccer world. The web site has some of the most famous soccer players talking about what it is like for them at some games. It is a nice site. They had come up with these nice wrist bands that are black and white intertwined, but they have sold out of them and they were only available in Europe. I wish I had known about them before.

I was hoping for French Victory because of their black players. Soccer/Football has been one of the sports that we "Black" people just can't seem to break the color barrier as far as fan base and respect. The one exception is Pele . Pele was the most accomplished player in soccer's history, however, I have heard statements that he is Brazilian, not "Black". Ummm HELLOOOOO!!!! There are millions of "Black" Brazilians, as there are "Blacks" in other Latin American countries, and as we see in some European countries, such as France. It is all so ridiculous. I mean they are just trying to play a game they just like everyone else.

So France lost by a messed up penalty kick, but they are by no means NOT losers. Theirry, you and your band of brothers faught a hard fight. You showed the world that "Black" can fight the hard fight with everyone else. Vous avez joué un bon jeu !

And to my TnT players....You are still my SOCA WARRIORS!! The stars of the TnT national team are Shaka Hislop and my buddy Avery John. Even though Avery got a red card in on of the World Cup games, I know one of those Swedish A**holes said something smart to you. Like that Italian guy said to Zidane Zinedine (Zizou)...oh wait...sorry that is another story. Besos y Abrazos to my TnT boys!! And les étreintes et embrasse to my French boys.

While I am on the topic of soccer, I have to say how pissed off I am at the MLS for not putting my friend Avery on the list for the All Star Game. What is that about? Is this punishment because he isn't American? Or that he chose to join his fellow countrymen and represent his country in the World Cup? This is the second year in a row he has been "overlooked" and I am using that word loosely. He has been a very good defender for the New England Revolution, so why wasn't his name put in the running? Is this another way of showing racism in this country? It probably is but I am too stupid or naive to believe it is happening.

Oh and Shaka, welcome to FC Dallas. I will be happy to show you around any time, any day! LOL

What kind of Car am I??

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Guess who's Back?!

I know I have been absent lately. I have been trying to figure out do I want to be on Myspace or Blogger. I have decided I like blogger better. Myspace is cool but aesthetically I prefer blogger. I will try to maintain both pages but I don't know.

I just want to say I have lost a whopping 82 pounds since January. Amazing what eating less and working out will do for you. lol I feel lots better, physically and mentally. Although I freaking hate my job, I am working on that issue too. I have realized that I will probably never really be happy working. I am ready to retire already.

Here are some pictures of my trip to Cancun. I had a fabulous time. I usually hate photos of myself but I think I took good pictures this time.





Enjoy!

Immigration - Part II

I just wanted to respond to my girl Reese comment to my Immigration blog:

Reese,
Yes, you can get H1-B visas, but they are EXTREMELY hard to get! I know because I run my company's Immigration/Expatriate program, in addition to my other duties. The government only gives out 250 visas per profession per year per country. The profession has to be specialized in an area that the U.S. doesn't have, so doctors, nurses and IT people don't usually qualify for those visas. You can't come from a certain country. Let's just say Middle Eastern countries are the most difficult.The only exception to this rule is China. They will allow up more Chinese in the country because they are a communist country and we make "exceptions" for communists.
I agree with you that the U.S. is not ready for a guest worker program, but we had better get ready or this problem will never go away. I wouldn't mind paying more in taxes, if I knew that I was going to get health care and housing, like they do in Canada. All I know is we have to do better or things are going to get worse for everyone, including Americans.

Immigration

There have been rallys and protests to the proposed Immigration laws. Kids in Dallas/Ft Worth walked out of school 3 days in a row in "protest". One girl, when asked by the media why she was protesting, her response was to turn to her friend and ask her why. Ummmm okay....why are you walking out of school and you don't even know why. What is wrong with her? Oh wait, it was a "free" day from school...let me just follow the dayum crowd.

I have to say illegal immigrants are NOT just Mexicans or even Latino. There are illegal Irish, Brits, Australians, French, and Italians. They don't walk or even risk their lives to get here- they fly and never use their return ticket. So stop blaming Latinos for the immigration problems in this country.

One of the things the Bush Administration is pushing is the Guest Worker program. Is it too much to hope that maybe this will go through? Canada has had a guest worker program for the past 15 years. It has been very successful. Guest workers can come and go to and from their "home country" to Canada, up to 6 months at a time. Most immigrants don't want to leave their families, but they do because they need "more" for their families than what their country can offer. The Canadian guest worker gets a permit that is like a "green card" here. It depends on their profession for the amount of time they get to work in Canada. They work in Canada for 6 months then go back home for 6 months. How perfect is that? There aren't just construction workes or fruit pickers, there are nurses/doctors, computer workers, etc. They come from all over the world to work in Canada. The guest workers pay Canadian taxes, pay housing, etc, but it isn't done in secret, using false documents or in fear. They make the money they need for home and Canada gets the goods and services they need. What is the big deal? Guest workers get health care while they are there because Canada has a socialist health care system...meaning government funded health care. Guest workers who bring their children pay a small fee for school for the children. Why can't the U.S do the same? Canada's economy has not been hurt in any way. In fact, they have a very low unemployment rate and have very generous labor laws. We can learn a few things from our neighbors to the north. But we are to selfish and egocentric to try new things.

Americans think we are the center of the world, the example for the world to follow, but we AREN'T!!! We can learn from other countries and try some of their successful programs. I truly believe if we institute a program like this, it would alleviate some of the problems we are having with illegal immigrants. It just all seems too simple to me. It wouldn't take away jobs from anyone. It helps with "professional shortages", like nursing and doctors.

WAKE UP AMERICA!! WE ARE FALLING BEHIND THE WORLD!!! WE ARE NO LONGER THE EXAMPLE, BUT THE JOKE!!!!

LOVE IS...

Children are such innocent and simple beings. Every now and then I have to be reminded of things. Here are some examples of answers children gave when asked about love:

From a survey of children ages 4 to 8, here were some of the best answers to the question, "WHAT DOES LOVE MEAN?":

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." - Rebecca, age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." - Billy, age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." - Karl, age 5

Love is...
"When you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." - Chrissy, age 6

"What makes you smile when you're tired." - Terri, age 4

"When my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." - Danny, age 7

Love is...
"When you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more."- Emily, age 8

"What's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." - Bobby, age 7

"When your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." - Mary Ann, age 4

"...Like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." - Tommy, age 6

And a few more of their best thoughts on love:
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate." - Nikka, age 6

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." - Karen, age 7

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." - Jessica, age 8

See how simple they make it? Why can't we all do that?

Vacation

I need a vacation. I decided to take one. I am going to Cancun for 6 fabulous nights. I really wanted to go on a cruise but in light of all the crap happening on cruises, I decided I better stay on the land. I am going to stay at a resort I have never been to before. It is called the Tucancun by Barcelo Hotels. I hope this is a fun place. I usually like to stay at the Cancun Palace or the Moon Palace, but they both are closed because of Hurricane Wilma or Rita. I can't remember which one. The rate was really good for the Tucancun and I couldn't pass it by. So I am making my vacation journey in April 24th. I will be sure to take lots of pics when I go.
But I need a mental rest and break!

Cuban Feet

A Carnival Cruise line picked up 28 Cubans from the sea. I don't know where, but they were in the ocean in search of freedom. The cruise ship makes a stop in Galveston, TX. The migrants are not allowed to get off the ship because of the U.S law of wet foot, dry foot. The cruise line has to meet a U S Coast Guard cutter boat in the middle of the ocean and then transfer the 28 people from the ship to the boat. Then they will be sent back to Cuba. Because Carnival Cruise lines is not registered under the U.S., the dry foot rule does not apply in this case. So they have to sit on a ship while it is docked in Galveston, looking at the people come and go. I think I would be tempted to blend in and get off the ship. Cuban Rescue

If a Cuban makes it to dry land, without the help of someone on the land, they will be given automatic asylum in the U.S. If someone on the land helps the Cuban by pulling them to land, they can go to jail and the Cuban is "disqualified" and sent back home. That is MADNESS!! This kind of previledge is not given to any other group, except Cubans. I understand the premise of it, but I think it is wrong. I think any group that has to brave shark infested waters to get some place should be given the opportunity to stay. I am speaking in terms of Haitians in particular. Haitians are turned away in droves. NOT FAIR! The only difference between them and Cuba, is that they have a quasi "democratic" government. I am all for getting my fellow Cubanos here, but only if it is fair and equitable to everyone. I know there is going to be someone out there pissed off at me for saying this. Hey I am Cuban too. I know all too well the suffering they are living with, the oppression they are under. But we need to be fair to everyone.

I know we are trying to fight Communism with stupid embargos and trade bans, but we are hurting the Cuban people more than we are helping. Cuban exiles can only visit the island once every 3 years. You can only take less than $500 in cash when you go. You can only visit immediate family members, parents and siblings only. No tios no primos, etc. How is that fighting Communism? How is that helping the Cuban people? It is more frustrating than helpful. I don't understand the thought behind all of this. I know someone out there will school me.

I want Cuba to be free. I want to be able to go there and vacation, visit familia. Go to the places of my ancestors. I hope this happens in my lifetime. CUBA LIBRE!!

Quince

My baby turns quince today. I can't believe it. Where did all the time go? It seems like yesterday I was bringing her home for the first time, giving her first bath, kissing her sweet little face and tiny feet. Now, I am lucky if I can get a hug on a good day. Quince is a milestone birthday. You are basically 3/4th of the way to being an adult. Some literature suggest that everything that a kid learns morally and emotionally has already be formed and that they are just trying out what they learn. I certainly hope not because I still have a lot to teach!

Now I have to deal with boys calling, badgering to do home work, and screaming to get off the dayum phone. I have done all of this alone and it has been a definite adventure. I have been seeing those anti drug commercials, where the parents' voices are telling the kids to buckle up or give up a seat to a pregnant woman. I wonder if my voice is in her head saying "Save yourself for marriage!" LOL. Do you think she can hear me? I hope so. I wish her father could be here to experience all of this with me. But I know he is watching us and helping me along in his special way.

We are going to have a quiet celebration with two of her best chicas. I will be reflecting on how my baby is not really my baby anymore and how her life it just beginning.

Pray for me y'all!!

The US Gulf Coast

Okay I am on a roll today y'all! I was watching Oprah yesterday. She did a show on how we don't know what is going on at the Gulf Coast today, since Hurricane Katrina. She had Lisa Ling act as special correspondent on her show. Lisa went to Mississippi Gulf Coast. I was speechless. Families are living in tent cities. Literally miles and miles of these tent cities. The lucky families were able to get trailers, but those are few and far between. There has been no clean up done, since October 2005. Trash and debris is EVERYWHERE!! What da hell??!! Everyone has been focused on New Orleans, but we have all seemed to forget that Mississippi was hit hard too. Mississippi is the poorest state in the union. They have been devestated by the hurricane but we have all forgotten about them.

Where did all the money that was raised to help the Katrina Victims?? Why are people living in squalor? Where is the Red Cross? Why aren't they spearheading clean up and repairs. I don't understand. Then Lisa showed how there are lots and lots of trailers that people could be using, just sitting around. They have been paid for by the government, but haven't been put to use. Why? Well, FEMA's excuse is that they don't have the land to put them on. Ummm how about cleaning up the cities where the devastation occurred? How about repairing the utilities so they can be used? I was amazed and appalled. We are spending billions helping Iraqis, but we have the poorest of the poor in our country suffering worse that an Iraqi. I don't understand it. I just don't. Why aren't the congress people protesting this?! Why aren't we as a nation protesting this treatment of our citizens? I am so ashamed today of my country! I am going to try to figure out what I can do to help because I can't sit by and watch this anymore!

Olympics

I have been off from work for awhile and have been taking the opportunity to watch TV all day. Can I just say that Chad Hedrick has totally ruined the Olympics for me? He is such an ASS! I have watch him shun Shauni Davis, African American Olympian, act like a spoiled, penchulant child. All because Shauni said no to him and his team event. I couldn't believe Chad said that he was upset because, "Shauni didn't discuss it with him first before withdrawing from the team event. I am the team leader so he should have discussed it with me." Well, who the hell is he that Shauni had to discuss his decision with him?!! I am ashamed to say Chad is from Texas (Houston...YUCK!!), but he must have forgotten he is NOT in Texas right now. He went to Turino with the goal of winning 5 gold medals. Did he not think Shani had goals too? Shauni had much more at stake than Chad did.

I don't blame Shauni in the least. The USOC skating federation dissed him, by not giving him endorsements, allowing him to train with the rest of the team, just overall nasty to him. He had to go to Calgary to train. His mother worked 2 jobs for him to be able to fulfill his dream. He didn't have the cushy training facilities that the other speed skaters had, nor did he have the sponsorship to pay for his training, so he could focus on training and nothing else. I am so proud of Shauni for beating Chad AGAIN, even if it was with the Silver medal. I just wonder how many commercials in the US will Shauni have after the Olympics? Ummm...I am guessing none, because of this controversy that Chad started. Is that a new form of sportmanship?

Well I am going to just put it out there. It is because of his race. I am so not about the race card, but this is so obvious. The American Media has shown the world that America is still a racially divided country. It is crazy how the Canadian and Japanese speedskating teams came up, hugged and congraduated Shauni, but the US Speedskating team has yet to "recognize" him. Shauni has done the Jackie Robinson of the speed skating world, broken the racial barriers. Even though we are in the year 2006, it might as well be 1946 as far as speed skating is concerned. I am so ashamed by this whole thing. It has marred the Olympics for me, just as the Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding incident did when I was a teenager. But the difference in that is it was two WHITE girls.

I have to say that I have found the Olympics overall to be boring and uninteresting. I don't know why. I just hope this controversy doesn't make us look worse in the World's eyes...not that the Iraq War hasn't already!!

It's Over

This song, "So Sick" describes exactly how I am feeling right now. It is officially over. My boo has called it quits. He has decided that the changes I made for the New Year to better my health were too much for him and he decided to end 3 years of being together. I am on a weight loss quest right now and he doesn't agree with it. I am doing this so I can get healthy and not have so many medical issues. I was slowly killing myself with food and it had to stop. So for the New Year, I decided I was going to change my eating habits and exercise more. I have had some trouble, but overall, I have been doing good. I cannot understand a person that does not want their "mate" to be healthy and possibly live a longer life. He has been with me through my tumor, chemo, and surgeries, but he can't stand by me with this. I don't understand at all. He is not trying to help me understand. He just says, "It's OVER!!"

Another problem we are having is location, location, location. He wants me to leave Dallas and move to Miami...RIGHT NOW! I made a promise to my daughter that she could stay in one high school until she graduates. She only has 3 1/2 years left. He can't seem to understand that it is important to stay put for high school. It is hard making friends anyway and moving all the time doesn't help! I moved to the house I am in currently to get her in a really good high school, in a really good neighborhood. As a parent isn't that what I am supposed to do? I want to satisfy my own whims and wishes, but I can't be that selfish. He seems to feel that my not moving right away is somehow because I don't love him. He is wrong. I am just trying to do what is best for my kid. He can't seem to understand that I have to put her needs above mine right now. As a parent, it is my responsibility to do that. Right? HELL YES, I would LOVE to be in Miami right now on the beach, in the sunshine. Instead I am stuck in Dallas with ice storms and 27 degree weather!! But can't he understand the sacrifices I am having to make right now. How can I help him understand that? He has a 4 year old daughter but because he is allowing a Nanny to raise her (he is a widower), he is able to come and go as he wishes. I don't chose to live that way. I have tried to convince him to move to Dallas and he contemplated it, but felt he couldn't live with the weather here and the expense of the airfare for him to travel to and from the Dominican Republic. He is by no means poor. He has tons of frequent flier miles and he has a best friend that freaking owns a jet...so it sounds like excuses to me.

I am tired of trying to change his mind and think about the positives of our relationship. I am tired of trying to justify my decisions to him. I am just plain ole tired. So it is over! Stick a fork in me cuz I am done!

DICK Chaney

Okay anyone who knows me, knows I DON'T like Republicans. That doesn't mean that I always love Democrats either, but they are the lesser of two evils.

When Dick Chaney shot his friend and hunting buddy, I think he did the right thing by not reporting it to the media right away. What a lot of people have failed to understand is that his hunting buddy is no longer in the public life. Maybe he didn't want everyone to know what an idiot he was to walk in front of Chaney while they were hunting.How he didn't follow the rule of letting him know he was coming close to him ...announcing he was there far enough away. That is hunting 101. I used to go hunting with my grandfather and he always emphasized that. No I didn't shot Bambi! Just a few pheasant, quail and rabbits. Okay that is another blog! lol

Anyway, the man in the hospital, has the right to privacy. I would not want the whole world knowing my medical condition. Can he just be recover without the whole world examining everything? What gives the media the feeling of entitlement that they are supposed to know about everything about everyone? Okay fine, report about Chaney shooting the man, but leave it at that. Did anyone ever think that maybe Chaney was thinking about his friend before the news broke to the world.? I don't see what the big deal was that he didn't report it right away. I accept his explanation of things...he wanted to make sure his friend was okay before he broke the news to anyone. That is a normal reaction. Look what happened when it did come out. There has been a media frenzy at that man's hospital. Who can rest when you know there is media mayhem going on? What if this man didn't want the world to know his medical history? I am sure he and his family felt pressured to disclose hs medical condition, but what about his HIPAA privacy rights? He deserves to be able to recuperate without media scrutiny.

People are upset that Chaney didn't make a statement about it right away. Did anyone think that maybe he was upset and had to compose himself first? Shooting someone accidentally is not a fun thing, especially when it is your friend.

I, in NO way support DICK and his policies, but in this situation, I do support his decision to make sure his friend was okay before "breaking" the story. I know I am going get flack from my friends in DC and Texas for this post. But I just want to believe the world isn't always full of evil politicians. I want to believe DICK and give him the benefit of the doubt. But mostly, I would like for the man in the hospital to be able to focus on getting well and not on the press hanging outside his hospital room!!

I'm Back!

After a long hiatus, I am back! After the New Year arrived, I realized I needed to make some major changes in my life. So I took a break to make that happen. I will try to blog more often.

Lata for now!!