Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Cause of a Thousand Sighs

I am drawn to airliners and they are drawn to me.  My brain seem to be sending out distress signals that I am one of them, to hurry up and rescue me from oblivion.  They are my people.

The deli is right smack in the middle of airline hysteria, crash pads and Jet Blue headquarters.  That's why I've met pilots, air-traffic controllers, dispatchers, flight attendants and crew schedulers.  I've become friends with some of them but I've  never told them about my sordid past, 8 years of airline experience.

Heard in an ale house two or three nights ago--

Guy who works as a flight dispatcher:  Once you've worked in an airline, then resigned, you will always want to go back.

Me (audible sigh):  I know, I know.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Thanksgiving Night Football

 
Laban!  Laban!  


 Exhibit A:  Distorted leg and foot of a non-player

The Jets clobbered the Bengals at the new Meadowlands Stadium Thursday night.  My dad wanted so badly to see a Jets game so there we went.  It was exhilarating watching all those crazed, maniacal fans drinking beer and having a party even before the game started.

Me:  May I have a regular Budweiser, please?

Smart lady selling beer:  Can I see your ID?

Me:  What?  I'm 31.  (Pause.  It dawned on me that she just gave me a compliment.  Julia Roberts smile, eyes beaming.)  Can my mom buy it for me?

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Goo-gen-heim

I was itching to go back to work this past Monday and Linda already told me I could go back for Monday and Tuesday.  But of course, the asswipe Roberto intervened and told me they don't need me.  I would've had the decency to feel hurt with that insensitive statement then I remembered it was the cowardly skunk who uttered it.  So I shrugged it off, though I felt a little uneasy that I might not have a job next week.  I'm sorry for comparing him to a skunk, the man should be so lucky. 

Anyway, we finally went to the Guggenheim on Monday, the museum I am most intrigued by because of its awesome swirly shape.  I got to practice my art-lover poseur pensive look staring at all those Picasso, Degas, and Chagall paintings.

Dad has all the other photos and it's just typical that he forgot to bring the essentials so I can download it on my laptop. 


Friday, November 19, 2010

Cloistered

So my parents are here with me and I feel like I've never been separated from them for more than a year.  My mom had the brilliant idea that we go to the Cloisters in uppermost Manhattan beside the Hudson River.

It was gorgeous!  The museum itself was beside the point.  It was exceedingly boring, it was like these people had too much old French furniture and decided it would be profitable to pair up with The Met and put up a mausoleum/museum.  But the view...  Oh my egad!  The view!







Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Travel Light

Miguel, my Salvadorian English student, was in one of his serious talk moods last night.  Haha.  He asked me, "Charisse, how come you look like you don't have any problems?  Everything seems not so heavy for you.  You always smile and laugh."  I am phrasing it on how I understood his question.  Good question, huh.

I wanted to tell him, "Because I want to travel light.  Crying doesn't fix things, though I cry a lot.  Because I come from a naturally happy, crazy family."  As my dad said, "Happiness comes to those who seek them."  Or was it Yoda who said that?  I didn't get to answer him, throngs of customers suddenly packed the deli.

Which reminds me, I haven't thanked my parents enough for bringing me up the way they did and for growing up with my sibs.  Everything is lighter because of them, my seven samurais. 

Friday, September 3, 2010

40-Love Part Deux


So, it's time for the US Open again and I found the dreamiest McDreamy tennis player ever in Feliciano Lopez of Spain. All the Argentinian players (footballers, polo players, tennis players) were blown out the window.







Yup, that's what I did the whole time. Just took pics of this awesome piece of hunky beefcake.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Wild for Cape May, Part 2


We drove over to Cape May on the second day and OMG, I loved it and I'm so sure my mom would love it too. The contrast of Cape May to the wildness of Wildwood is glaring.

It's calmer, civilized (Neruda's word-Wildwood is chaotic), lovely (my word), romantic, classic and the houses and inns were gorgeous.

A gorgeous beach town

I still don't see why people have to take dozens of pictures of sunsets. One is enough.



After the beach, we went to their shopping district and then it wasn't too long when I started complaining about being hungry. Off we went to the Boathouse Restaurant in Wildwood where I already know what I was going to order, Maryland crab cakes and breaded Jersey scallops. Awesome I tell you! Neruda ordered an equally calorie-packed pasta with jumbo shrimps, scallops and clams.

There's nothing else interesting to tell after that except for our lunch today on our way home. We found The Crab Trap by accident because I wouldn't stop whining that I was hungry. I wanted seafood again and I didn't want any fastfood poison. That's where the GPS pointed us to. Garmin saved the day.

Wild for Cape May, Part 1

Wildwood in the morning


Neruda and I just came from Wildwood and Cape May, New Jersey.

There are two types of people in Wildwood. People who willingly stay in Wildwood for the "fun" atmosphere on the Boardwalk and semi-oldies like us who would like to stay in Cape May but are too poor to book two nights in a B & B right in front of the Atlantic Ocean at the southernmost part of New Jersey.


I am not really high maintenance but can you imagine how nervous I was as we were driving around looking for our inn/motel/resort? And our room... all I can say is that we overpaid for it and it was the cheapest motel I could find on the dates we wanted. It's so not worth $203 for 2 nights.


Wildwood at night


The view from our paraguas para la playa