During the holidays it is guaranteed to have Arroz con Gandules (rice with pigeon peas) accompanied with other traditional dishes. While having so much rice is not the healthiest diet, I love when my mom cooks up a pot of rice and peas. Let’s not also forget the slab of pork chop that’s perfectly seasoned and fried with a small green salad to complete the whole dish. The juice that drips as you bite into the pork chop is mouth watering as I type this description.
My family and I are very fortunate not to have suffered any loss during the massive hurricane that hit New York like a nuclear war missile. Our days were spent quite and waiting for when it was safe to go out into the world. Like those that feel the same way I do, it was pretty much a waiting game that was miserable at times. The only loss I can honestly say my family and i had was that of the kids not going to school. My daughter was home schooled for the days that the storm shut down the city. I let her relax for the first two days, but after that it was crunch time. We did go out, but it wasn’t without precaution and making sure we had enough fuel.
My group and I deceided to go to a local sandwich shop in the Flatiron District called Eisenberg’s Sandwich shop, “Raising New York’s cholesterol since 1929”. In my case that wasn’t as such becasue all I had was a typical tuna sandwich. I didn’t know what to expect when I arrived at the shop, but I was definelty surprised. One would not expect to see a place that looks like a trip into the past few decades still making business in a modern gotham city such as New York. Eisenberg’s was definelty a time warp, but not only was I surprised at the old 50’s diner grill setting, but the pictures of all the celeberties that have visited Eisenberg. All celebrties from past and present have each had a photo-op with the owmner.
To any person it’s just a sandwich, but to me it all matters on how it is prepared. A tuna sandwich is not just about slapping some mayonaise into a bowl of a can of tune, but its the quanity of mayo that’s put into it. We can’t put to much mayo and make it soggy, but we can’t put to little mayo and have it dry. Eisenberg’s put just the right amount of mayo and the right condiments amount of condiments that include the typical lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles. But to my suprise not only did I not expect the pickles, which is a fav of mine, but I was treated to two large pickes. Yummy!
I voted after work and I was determined to get my vote in even though I was tired and hungry. AND pissed at the way the election workers were handling the sites. Even though the line outside to get in the school was super long, it moved faster than the line I had to stand for my district. I stayed online in the cold for maybe thirty minutes. The line inside the school to me an hour and half. AND then we had to wait for a privacy booth. HELL NO, I filled my ballot in the open and scanned in less than one minute. That whole “system” needs to change ASAP.
I think the picture below shows how millions of Americans including myself felt after hearing that President Obama was elected for a second term. Although, I am not heavily into politics I am overjoyed to see a face in the white house that represents my community.
I was glad when Baruch College was closed, but by the third day I was losing my mind. I needed to go out somewhere. I had the urge like an addict has for his drug. I didn’t care where I went as long as I was out of my house and wondering freely in the streets of NYC. I do appreciate the rest I got from these days, but I also learned to appreciate the wrath of mother nature. I had never experienced a storm like Hurricane Sandy. Thankfully we didn’t lose power or anything for that matter. We are
The devastation and the heart ache that this storm caused is unfathomable. While my family and I were safe in our haven, thousand of people and children were going through what I can never imagine in my life. The story that rips my heart is of the mother in Staten Island who lost her 2 sons while trying to find them a safe place. What I don’t understand is why anyone would attempt to leave their home and compete with a hurricane. As a mother myself, I would’ve thought out a plan carefully to make sure that my daughter and I are safe and can live to see the aftermath of such a powerful storm that tore up our city. I can’t imagine any parent I know risking their lives and their children’s life the way this mother did. I am sorry if I sound harsh, but the truth is the truth.
It is customary in a Puerto Rican household to have café con leche with a piece of bread or crackers. Like every person we rely on coffee to start the day, to get us through the day and to end the day. Growing up I would wake up to the smell of Café Bustelo. The taste of coffee first thing in the morning on a weekday is soothing. Especially coffee that is made the traditional way that does not consist of a filter made of disposable paper. Spanish coffee is as addictive as chocolate, we can’t survive on just one cup or one piece of chocolate alone. Having that first cup of coffee in the morning gives me a rude awakening. The day will start off on a good note once I have that first sip and feel the hot and sweet caffeine that’s accompanied with milk slide down my throat and hit my belly like no other.
After watching Detropia I immediately thought that this documentary can be considered as a continuing part to Michael Moore’s Roger and Me. Detropia follows the similar angle that Moore did in his film by exposing the town of Flint insufficient lack of income and government support. Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady bring the city Detroit to a modern halt by showing their viewers that what is happening in Detroit is not a tale of a mishap where a knight comes to save the day, but a reality of what was once a shining star town is now a town consumed in unseen flames.
Detropia follows Crystal Starr: a video blogger, Tommy Stevens: a local bar owner and George McGregor the president of a workers’ union. These individuals give their perspective on their everyday lives and struggles to make ends meet. Stevens, who is trying to make his business stay afloat and McGregor tries to keep a smile on the union workers who know they will soon either face a pay cut or a lay off. We see families lose their homes due to foreclosure and then eventually have the house they once called a home torn down by demolition; erasing the memories that once existed.
We can take this as a wake up call in the sense that Detroit is just the beginning piece to fall in this domino effect. The poor keeps getting poorer and the richer keeps getting richer.
It was hard for me to choose a film in the genre I cherish the most because I only had six options. I didn’t feel a connection to either of the six films so I settled for Moving Takahashi. This film is eleven minutes long and is directed and written by Josh Soskin. The film centers around a young woman by the name of Juliana who doesn’t get along with her step mother. As the father and step mother are arranging to the move from one house to the next, Juliana takes a large dose of different medications in the attempt to kill herself. The mover, Craig, who is determined to finish the job he was hired to struggles to move all the belongings from Juliana’s room and she yells to him to allow her 20 minutes and she will soon be dead and he can continue with his job. Craig then contemplates whether leaving her to die or helping her live. He calls a medical friend of his and together they help the struggling young woman to survive this terrible ordeal.
As I am typing this short summary I come to realize that maybe it was kismet that the two young people met. Juliana now has something to live for and look forward to. Craig was at the right place at the right time. It’s like my husband always tells me, everything happens for a reason. At the end of the film they are like Bonnie and Clyde, he tells her that he is running away with the move and stealing everything and she joins him. Almost like riding into the sunset together to live happily ever after. The film has a lot of important points like suicide not being an option and living life with no boundaries. I appreciate this film and all eleven minutes of it.
“My Dearest Allie. I couldn’t sleep last night because I know that it’s over between us. I’m not bitter anymore, because I know that what we had was real. And if in some distant place in the future we see each other in our new lives, I’ll smile at you with joy and remember how we spent the summer beneath the trees, learning from each other and growing in love. The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that’s what you’ve given me. That’s what I hope to give to you forever. I love you. I’ll be seeing you.” – Noah, The Notebook
I can’t help, but smile as I read some of the memorable quotes on IMDb and picture the scenes that they all took place in. It was hard for me to choose a quote from what I consider to be one of the greatest love stories brought to film for my generation. Noah’s last plea to Ally is bittersweet and heartbreaking. Anyone who has seen The Notebook can remember how much of a tear jerker this scene was when Allie chooses to read the last letter in the 300ish that Noah wrote to her in the span of a year in order to win her back while contemplating suicide. I remember when the The Notebookwas released in theaters and wishing I had someone to go with instead of my mom. My mother is great company, but this is the kind of movie you see with a boyfriend or a potential boyfriend.
I am definitely a sucker for a weeping romantic movie; especially one from Nicholas Sparks. While I do love a good horror or action flick, there is nothing more that gets me more girly than a romantic movie with a hot guy like Ryan Gosling. Ladies, would you not wait seven years for this hunk of beef cake. Back in the day maybe, but now a days he wouldn’t last a day being single. Romance movies like The Notebook shows us the undying true love that Noah and Allie felt and didn’t give up. True love happens once in a lifetime and to embrace it the way these two characters did shows us young adults what our parents experienced and their parents. Romance movies is not just abut the “Hot” guy it’s about two people coming together and what they believe in.
I was drawn to this blog about former President Clinton because of the title, “Clinton Was a Bipartisan President, Except When He Wasn’t“. I didn’t know what bipartisan meant until I looked it up and found it’s meaning to be somewhat intriguing. Bipartisan means, of, relating to, or involving members of two parties. The photo above depicts Clinton talking about both parties with his hand gestures as saying we can co-exist. As I continued to read the blog fromThe Caucus, it seemed right to refer to President Clinton as a bipartisan president when he wanted to be. I would say President Clinton was the highlight of the DMC with his unanticipated speech nominating President Obama for a second term. As a first time reader of any sort of political blog, I found myself wanting to keep on reading and not just giving up at the first few sentences. The tone in this blog is appropriate for someone like myself who is not into politics.
“In that sense, the speech was a vivid reminder of Mr. Clinton’s famed capacity for juggling many different ideas, personas and narratives, and along the way rewriting the history of his own presidency. The story line of a relatively bipartisan era when Democrats and Republicans came together to overhaul welfare, balance the budget and expand the economy profoundly oversimplifies a much more complicated, messier presidency.”, as blogged by Peter Baker. President Clinton by far was in deed a president like no other. listening to Clinton’s speech and then reading about it gave me a little hope that maybe there is more to our future and the future of our little ones.
I particularly like the photo with President Obama graciously embracing former President Clinton with a warm hug after his powerful speech. You can see Obama’s appreciation to his predecessor as he closes his eyes and accepts what Clinton expressed in his speech.
Photo Courtesy of the NYTimes
The whole slide show was entertaining to look at and take in what the people of South Carolina were able to see front row and carry with them for the rest of their lives.
photo courtesy of www.puertoricanmeals.com.jpg)
