Thirteen Things I'd love to eat right now I don’t believe I’ve mentioned this in here before, but I am on a diet right now. I hate to say that, because I hate diets and don’t think they work, I’d rather say that I’m on a health kick, eating healthier than I normally do, and trying to fit in some work-out time…but, to put it plainly…I am on a diet. That said, there are several things that I have completely and utterly prohibited myself from touching until I make some headway with the weight loss. Thus, today’s TT… Thirteen things I wish I could eat right now: 1. Pasta Alfredo - OMG, I have visions of creamy alfredo sauce dancing in my head…this has without a doubt been the toughest thing to give up, as I could eat it EVERY DAY and not get tired of it…ahhhh….alfredo…sigh…. 2. Spinach and Artichoke dip - My favorite of all appetizers, and I’ve somehow managed to stay away from it so far. 3. Pad Thai or various other noodle based Thai dishes: I could so go for some really spicy pad thai for lunch today. 4. Breakfast burrito from McDonald’s. I don’t even eat these that often, but whenever I am on a “diet”, I find myself craving them like you wouldn’t believe it. 5. Steak and Cheese sub – once again, I don’t eat these very often, but knowing I can’t have one has me craving one with mushrooms and mayo and YUUUMMMMM 6. Chocolate Martini – Okay, so technically this is not food, however, since it contains more calories than your average cheeseburger…I’m sticking to wine for now, and I want some Godiva liquor!!! 7. Speaking of burgers…what I wouldn’t give for a nice, juice, greasy, cheesy burger… 8. French fries – I miss French fries…fried foods were the first thing to go, ages ago, so they are not part of my diet, even when I am not on a diet…but I miss them, and I want some. 9. Chinese Buffet stuff…just in general, all the crap you find when you go to a Chinese buffet…the fried rice, the noodles, wontons, the soups, everything that is oh so bad and yet, oh so good. 10. Mexican food – because it is ALL off limits right now. Guacamole, sour cream, cheese…sigh… 11. The Molten Chocolate Cake dessert from Chilli’s…because I was there the other night with friends, and they shared one, and I didn’t even so much as TOUCH it… 12. Mom’s spaghetti…plain, with just butter…because I have no idea what she does, but nobody makes spaghetti like mom does. 13. Portuguese bread – aka “Papo seco” with butter and a nice FAT slice of good Portuguese cheese or “queijo fresco”, which is the best kind of cheese EVER! Well, that was painful, and now I am STARVING, and going to eat my salad. At least it’s a really good spinach and shrimp salad, with a homemade mango/jalapeno dressing…aren’t you jealous?

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Wordless Wednesday - 1 - Sunset at the Merrimack

Friday Find

I have a half day at work today...we're actually closing in about an hour. And I'm finding it incredibly hard to focus, before the nice long Memorial Day weekend begins. So, I'm bopping around neighboring blogs, and found a fun little game over at a piece of my mind .

Basically, you plug in your name, followed by the word "Needs" and hit "Google Search", and what comes up is a series of funny stuff...

Here's a few, with added commentary, because well...I never can do anything without commentary, now can I?

1. Karina Needs...a friend: Well, okay then. I can always use more friends, so sure, why not?

2. Karina needs...to come out and play: This was a funny one, because it was actually "Angry Karina needs to come out and play, AND it is actually from one of my previous entries in this very blog...funny huh?

3. Karina needs...visitors because she is lonely: um...do we see a theme forming here people?

4. Karina needs...folks who are very nurturing and skilled: yep, definite pattern forming here.

5. Karina needs...to rely less on sex in her dancing: Whoa...okay...

6. Karina needs...to quickly change out of her striptease costume: um...

7. Karina needs no more of an introduction: How nice!

8. Karina needs to keep to the rules: Does this apply to the less sex in the dancing thing?

So, it turns out that there's a dancer named Karina on Dancing with the Stars, which leads to some funny finds...and I guess google things I'm lonely...but hey, at least I need no introduction!

What do you need?

THIRTEEN SONGS Watching Bette Middler attempt to sing "Wing Beneath My Wings" on American Idol last night...(I'm sorry, I LOVE HER, but she sounded pretty bad last night), brought back all these memories associated with that song...and it got me thinking...music has a way of marking times in our lives, at least it does for me..so, without further ado, thirteen songs that bring back specific memories for me: 1. "Wind Beneath My Wings" - Bette Middler: This song reminds me of 8th grade graduation, and my friendship with my then best friend Beth, as this was "our friendship song". It also reminds me of the two boxes of tissues I went through while watching the movie "Beaches". AS an aside, mom told me last night that this song reminds her of my Sweet 16th B-day party, because it was the song I danced to with my dad...how cute! 2. "One Sweet Day" - Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men; this song still makes me cry every single time I hear it. It was on constant replay on the radio right around the time my friend Leo was killed by a drunk driver...I pulled off the road more than once to cry hysterically when this song came on. 3. "Friends" - Michael W. Smith. Not that this song is EVER played on the radio, but not only does it have a strong relation to my memories of my above mentioned friend Leo, while he was still alive, but along with a list of quite a few other songs, it reminds me of my years of involvement with a youth group, which were some of the most important in terms of shaping who I am today. 4. I'll Stand By You - The Pretenders. Again, another song related to the above mentioned years, and again, another song I cannot listen to without crying. 5. "Insensitive" - Jan Arden and 6. "Don't Speak" - No Doubt. BOth of these songs remind me of the end one particularly turbulent relationship. Both of them fit our issues to a T, and I now smile when I hear them, but remember turning up the volume really high every time they'd come on, trying to convince myself it was time to let the relationship go. 7. "Shoop" - Salt N Pepa. Ah...my cousins would know why this song brings back memories...Oooh, bobby bobby...you had to be there...we were young, we had a crush on an older guy, and we were vacationing in the White Mountains in NH... 8. "Please Don't Go Girl" New Kids on the Block - Followed by every other song they ever recorded. Memories of a time when it was all about posters on the wall, pen pals from other countries and watching a concert from the nosebleed section, and still thinking "Donnie waved at me"...HA! 9. "Electric Youth" - Debbie Gibson. Coupled with a few more Debbie Gibson songs, memories of choreographing "dances" in my grandmother's basement with my two cousins. 10. "Hotel California" - Eagles. Shooting pool at Billiards, even though we didn't know how to play, always choosing this song from the jukebox, cheating ridiculously,making up our own rules. 11. "We are the World" - various artists. I had just arrived in this country when this song was popular, and my grandmother had printed out the lyrics from somewhere, and as little english as I knew, I remember memorizing them, and singing them over and over again. 12. "No, No, No - You don't love me" -Dawn Penn. I love this song, and at a college dance I won a gift certificate to a restaurant because I identified it within the first 2 beats of the song. Nobody else even knew what it was. I was so proud! Please don't let this keep you from checking back, things should slow down next week and then I can be my witty self and blog again. 13. "Material Girl" Madonna and also "I saw him Standing there" Tiffany...both of these remind me, again, my two cousins and I playing around with dad's video camera, making music videos. I wonder where those tapes are now? This is just a small sampling of memories attached to songs...there are so many more. And I probably even missed some major ones here...What songs hold strong memories for you?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Things we forget

I used to fancy myself quite the poet. I've written entries in here before about how naturally writing poetry used to come to me, and how now, it's a much more difficult process. I used to write without really thinking about it. I'd have pen and paper, and just start writing, and seconds later, I'd have a poem, that now, years later, I look at and think "wow, I wrote that? that's pretty deep"...or something along those lines.

Nowadays, whenever I attempt to be poetic, everything seems to feel contrived, and it just doesn't work anymore. Can someone STOP being a poet? Or am I just going through a dry spell? Who knows...

But back to my history as a "poet". It was during that time of poetic abundance that I entered one of those "poetry.com" contests...although, I'm pretty sure back then it wasn't through the internet, most likely it was something I mailed in (this was 1998, when the internet was available, but not all consuming, as it is today). Anyway, I never "won" the contest, but had the opportunity to have my poem published in a "book" which was then sent to me...a book which I PAID HIGHLY for, but I was young, and although I knew it was a scam, I allowed my parents to talk me into buying it anyway, because it would be cool to see my poem published in a book along with other poets' work. I had forgotten all about my involvement in this until Saturday, when my cousin e-mailed me a link to their website, so that I could enter their latest contest, because among my family, her and I are known as the creative ones. It was then that I remembered, and searched my name on their website...sure enough, there was my poem...how weird. I'd forgotten about the poem itself. And the memories those few lines brought up in me...how fascinating.

I still think the whole poetry.com thing is a scam. They probably make tens of thousands of dollars off poor suckers (like me) who just want to see their words in print somewhere. And yet, I had a moment of pride, and nostalgia, and...accomplishment, at seeing MY WORDS on the internet, somewhere other than a blog...how great is that?

Anyway, this is the poem that I'm talking about:

"Wrudu"

He speaks of miracles
that have yet to unfold
he speaks fondly
of stories long ago told
he speaks a thousand words all at once
of the way things will be
he speaks of futures to become
the very breath of me
secrets kept, he speaks of
as if each his own
tears wept, he speaks of
look how fast we've grown
then, he speaks slowly
of the reasons he lives
picking up speed with each word
and each thought he gives
he speaks of loving and dying
two faiths in which we all fall
he speaks of giving up trying
and then . . . says nothing at all.

Copyright ©2007 Sonia K. Ruas