This is just WAY too funny!!!

WIL WHEATON DOT NET: The Axis of Just as Evil

Just moved my office at work today. So nice to have a window! Even if it looks bleary outside, its a lot more sunlight than I used to get in my inside office! Who cares if its smaller, its SUNSHINE! Almost feels like a vacation to have all this light ;)

Now I have to get Frank to come do the "decorator" thing with me maybe next week and help me put up my pictures.

Snow.

Its snowing outside. Looks do pretty! I'm visiting our other office today, and my corner spot has huge windows on two sides so I almost feel like I'm in surround-o-rama or whatever that was called. Very cool!

Other than that I'm feeling chilly and run down, I don't know if I'm fighting a new cold or a relapse of the old one. I may leave work a bit early, what with the crappy driving weather and my not feeling so hot.

Went to a great New Year's party at my friend Lally's - she had puertorican food, yum!!! Its so great to meet up with her after loosing touch for like 20 yrs! And she's way way cool. Some people are cool, but she's several notches above regular cool. And I liked her boyfriend too - super nice guy! I was glad to see him & Frank got along as well.

Loved taking off yesterday - did lots of knitting while I watched the Pride & Prejudice videos Frank had given me from xmas 2001. Oh, they were Wonderful! Now I want to see more!! Maybe I'll rent some other Jane Austen adaptations, like Emma and Sense & Sensibility. Maybe I'll even reread some of my old Georgette Heyer bks...

Last day of 2002.

Was planning on thinking on what I learned/ liked/ etc. from 2002 and what I want to shape 2003 into...

Still in a kind of funky mode at work. I find it easier to just doodle than get stuff done. Partly because there's no huge driver, partly because I'm a doodler by nature. Gotta snap out of it, maybe I'll do it now...

I do plan to post my thoughts for 2002/2003 sometime this week.

Have a happy new year's eve, everyone! Wherever you are, may you find blessings.

Its the Saturday after Xmas, Dec. 28. Only three days left in the old year!
We had a quiet but beautiful Christmas. We went to my parent's for Xmas eve as usual, but it felt quiet with only my parents & my brother. We certainly missed having the rest of the clan, but I'm sure Juani & Fern are having a blast in their Italy trip. And Ali & Co. are in no shape to travel this year, hopefully next year will be different. Then we wen tot my inlaws for our usual Xmas morning gift extravaganza, back to mom's for some more presents and back to the inlaws for dinner. This year my inlaws invited my family to come - I was very flattered and happy to get some of my favorite people in the same room. There were some jittery nerves given that both families are so different, but a great time was had by all.
The only sad part is that the rest of Frank's family couldn't come because of the snow. And my poor brother Jorge had to work supervising the snow cleanup so he missed a great dinner. But we've got the in-law make up xmas party tomorrow Sunday, should be nice to see everyone!

Food was great as always - my mo cooks great Cuban food and my mother inlaw is also a fantastic cook. I thought I'd gained weight, until I weighed myself Friday morning - hey, I'll take a couple of lbs off as a belated xmas gift!!!
Got to play at church again this year - to a packed audience as usual. I was a bit nervous because I was still recovering from the flu but everything came out great. Even my usual bloopers were relatively minor.
Last couple of days we've spent shopping - not buying all that much but exchanging some things from Xmas. We loved everything we got but some things were the wrong size, etc.
Now we're off to Stacy's graduation party - yoohoo!! Should be fun going to her Uncle Nick's farm with the whole crew, like she's always wanted to do .
Here's to a fun day today!

Just a random political rambling... I really wish some people would do more action and less complaining. It bugs me to no end when I see people who pretend they care and talk a good talk, but when push comes to shove they let others do the work and then they criticize them to boot. And then people who don't know better (because they dont' know the whole story) think they're really caring just based on what they say. Hrumph! If they really cared they'd show it with actions, not words!! ARGH!

Yeah, it makes me mad.

Last night Frank and I went to see the 23rd Paul Winter's Solsctice concert in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. It was a WONDERFUL concert, one of the best in years! It had an African theme, with mostly African or African American performers, and they were a lot of fun to listen to and watch. This was only the 3rd time that the moment of solstice happened right during the concert. So they did their "longest night of the year" suite (with the gong!) pretty early into the show in order to have it coincide with the moment of solstice. Pretty cool!

Frank and I both have the flu. Yuck. We pushed ourselves to go to the concert (since we had the tx) but we're paying for it this morning, both feeling stuffy, draggy and generally crappy. So no church this morning (sorry guys!). I hate not being there because they depend on me for music, but I figure I need to get better for Xmas eve mass, which is only two days away. I may just make some chicken soup for dinner tonight ;)

Went to see The Two Towers yesterday afternoon with Frank.

It was GREAT FANTABULOUS AMAZING SPECTACULAR ... you get the idea...

I'm glad I went for the afternoon show, the theatre was only 1/3 full.

They made quite a few changes from the book. Most changes compressed the story (ie instead of several main battles there's only one) which I understand. There were a few additions that I'm a bit ambivalent (they almost kill one of the main characters in a scene that's not in the books. I think Peter Jackson just likes the "is he dead" cliffhangers, he put three in the last movie). New characters were cast perfectly. And the one animated character (Gollum) is done so well I kept forgetting he was animated. Plus of course the incredible New Zealand scenery and spectacular cinematography. I sense oscar nominations again...

Its going to be a Loooooooong wait for December 17, 2003!!

Just finished reading Wil Wheaton's website (very recommended, btw - www.wilwheaton.net). Anyway, he finished today's blog with one of my all time favorite quotes:

"Not all those who wander are lost."

Something to keep in mind as I wrestle with thoughts and concerns about life and loved ones...

I can't believe its over two weeks since I posted here last!! I did try to blog about a week ago, accidentally erased what I wrote and gave up for the day... Anyway... Since my last blog...

My high school friends Ceci & Fred got married!! They actually kinda eloped... I got a call from Fred a week from last Monday, saying he was getting married in Alexandria on Saturday 11/9. I hadn't talked to him in like 20 yrs, so I was VERY surprised and happy to hear from him. Then I ask if he'd talked to Ceci and he says - "shes' they one I'm marrying" and all I could keep saying was "NO! You're PULLING MY LEG!!" Then he put Ceci on the phone and she confirmed they were doing what they called an "invitational elopement" ie no family, just a few friends. I was pretty flattered to be invited (along with Frank of course). They asked me to play in the mass they were having afterwards, so I had to scramble and find our old high school songs, but it all came out great. CONGRATS you love birds!!

THEN the following Monday 11/11 I went to a special screening of the new extended edition dvd of the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (LOTR:FOTR). Way Cool Screening! I even got a free t-shirt, a free extended dvd and my very own "One Ring" (my precious!!). Only a true fan (fanatic?) would understand...

THEN last Thursday 11/14 I flew to Florida to help out my sister with taking care of my nephew. He's doing VERY well so far, keeping his food down, eating most of his meals and having great spirits. I'm hoping he can keep this up, we'll have to wait and see. I am glad for this special opportunity to spend time with him, he's such a wonderful little boy.

Last night was my night at the hospital, we ended up watching half of the new extended edition LOTR movie together, and he also showed me his playstation LOTR:FOTR game. Tonight is his mom's night at the hospital, so I'm in her house typing away here. Oh yes, I also gave myself a pedicure.
Well, I've meandered enough for one night, time to surft some more.

'till next time!

Saw my friend Barb from my old job, and we got caught up on gossip. I was sorry to hear how nasty things still are over there. It makes me glad I'm not there and sorry for those who still are. They got a new VP that sounds more grounded, I'm hoping he'll have a positive effect on the management there but somehow I doubt it.

Bought my tickets to go to Florida, yeah! I'll be there just in time to help my sister with my nephew's next round of chemo treatment. I'll be sad to see BIlly feeling lousy but I'm glad I'll be able to lend a hand. Now I have to find people to entertain Frank while I'm gone, I hate leaving him all alone for a whole 7 days! I'll be off on Thursday evening Nov. 14 for seven days, returning on the 21st.

Frank had most of the Halloween candy fun, but I got to give out some of it as well when I got home from work. Most kids were dressed up in costumes. My favorite was the little boy dressed in a Scooby Doo jumper, who thanked me and said it was nice to meet me. SOO cute! I wish I'd been able to see our neighbors girls, but they both came while I was still at work.

I just took peek at the Bonaire web cams... how I miss that place!!

Been a while...
Yesterday I gota phonecall from WFUV, and I taped a "concert memory" for the 'FUV scrapbook. Hope it sounds ok, but like most people I hate the sound of my voice. Here's what I said:

I'm WFUV member Ana Casacuberta, and the Monday after Paul Simon did his free concert in Central Park, I went to see him perform at the Garden State Arts center, an outdoor venue. It was raining pretty hard, and we had lawn seats, but we brought our chairs and umbrellas, determined to have a good time. It soon started raining so hard that it was raining THROUGH our umbrellas. My friend and I looked at each other, decided to forget about the umbrellas, and joined the crowd as we all danced to Paul singing "You can call me Al". It was a magical night, one I'll always remember! And that's my page for the `FUV Concert Scrapbook.

That was as FUN concert! I talked my neighbor Donna into going with me, and we had a blast even though we got SOAKED to the skin (you have any idea how heavy jeans get when wet?) Wonder how Donna is doing... last I heard she'd married a cop in North Jersey and they were making a mint buying/selling collectibles. Good for her!

Last Friday we went to see Lucy Kaplansky & Richard Shindell at Outpost in the 'Burbs. It was a sold out show, but for the life of us we couldn't figure out why. We were very disappointed in the concert, their songs weren't all that great (except one or two) and most of their stuff was boring sounding. We liked Jill Sobule's songs and show SO much more, she should be the more famous one methinks...

Work is SLOW this week. Which I guess is ok because its giving me a chance to catch up on some stuff that needed doing. But its kinda boring too. I'm sure I'll miss days like this in the future so I'm trying to enjoy as well.

Tomorrow is Halloween! I'm doing lunch with my friend Barabara, looking forward to hearing how she's doing, how she's surviving the old job, and planning our NYC daytrip. THAT should be a lot of fun.

Only 48 days to TTT and 15 days to Harry2 !!!

Today is Official Kevin & Kell Day! Go here to check them out: www.kevinandkell.com.

Yeah, Bily's fever went down! He should be going home tomorrow if all keeps going well ;)
Just finished watching the Birds of Prey show in WB. I absolutely LOVE watching something based on the Batman type comic books. I'm glad its not as dark as the Batman bks can get.

Last weekend was a rainy one, but we enjoyed it anyway. Sunday was a bit drizzly, but we rode our bikes anyway to downtown, where they were having a festival. Fun!! I love to walk and see all the tent booths, check out what's inside and just take in the festive atmosphere. There was a guy singing some oldies - older guy, dancing and singing alone with his microphone in the middle of the rotunda plaza. Somebody was showing off a flea circus with the "strongest" flea in the world. Someone else was trying to sell some mops in a manner that I feld I was watching an informercial. We were a big hungry so we shared a pretzel, and a vegetarian pita sandwich. popcorn holic that I am. I ended up stashing most of the bag inside my jacket on the bike ride back to the house.
That night my brother Fern came over, and I copied some CD's for him, then we went to Bennigan's for dinner. We had a "buy one get one free salad" coupon, so that was Frank and my dinner, and Fern had the ribs. We all shared a decadent icecream cake afterwards. Yum! The meal turned out to cost only like ten bucks because I had a gift certificate to add to the free salad certificate. Not bad for a night out!
Then I started reading the second Harry Potter book, getting ready for the movie coming out in November. Its pretty good! Now the movie trailer makes more sense, I think I'll see it again after finishing the book.
Billy is still in the hospital, but getting better. I'm dying to know how mom did during her night watch stay at the hospital, but I'll have to wait for a chance to chat with her.

In case any friends are reading this - yes I know its NOT purple. Blogger didn't have any starter purple templates I liked. One day soon I"ll ask Frank for help in chanigng the colors of this blog, but in the meantime it staying orange. Patience, my pretties!

I'm zleepy but I thought I better make an entry since I reference this weblog in my "Brand New" Webpage on AOL. Hoop dee doo. AOL's design features are crap, but its a start. And Frank promised to install software on our computer so I can create a REAL webpage, so that should be fun! I'd love to create a weblog like Debbie Ohi's (www.electricpenguin.com/blatherings) with a bulletin board and a guest book and all the bells and whistles, but I'll settle to start with something that allows me to be a bit creative.
Billy's in the hospital, he had a fever of over 101 (which was expected after the chemo treatments). Poor honey. My sister called from the hospital, she's staying the night there.
Its been raining pretty hard for two days. Yeah! We need that rain pretty desperately. But it makes it feel pretty raw when I'm outside.
Did our usual Friday evening ritual date to the Menlo Park Mall. They had a new crew, but at least one guy remembered us and even remembered how Frank likes his black bean burrito! Lucked out in Talbot's and found an nice red long sleeve shirt, then I stopped at the bookstore and bought the second Harry Potter book. Gotta read it before the movie! But don't think I'll start reading tonight, its waaaay past my bedtime and I need to sleep.
On that note - Good Night!!

Hello again...
Billy's finished his first round of chemo 3 days ago. The poor honey is barely able to keep any food. He's got to feel so incredibly awful I can't even imagine. ****here's lots of good wishes your way, sweetie! **** I so wish I could be there for you and your parents, especially your mom.
Workwise, its interesting... I like the work but I also try and stay politically correct which can be a challenge sometimes with someone who apologizes WAY too much (how about more Doing and less Apologizing?) But the again no one knows what everyone else is juggling in their lives and how that impacts their daily interactions.
My work presentation was postponned, gave it last Friday and it was VERY well received - was happy about that ;)
My visit with my h.s. friend was also a LOT of fun, gotta have him over more often!
Saw my friend Stacy yesterday for a quick bite after work. Its always fun to see her, she's got so much FUN energy. Love to hang out with people who live life to such max levels, its energizing. Even if she was bitchin' about work. She's still fun ;)
I'm trying something new on the crockpot today - put a whole chicken, covered in spices, nothing else. VERY curious as to how it will come out tasting!
Gotta go to my dad's place tomorrow, and do some light cleaning, per mom's request. She's down in FL helping my sister with my nephew, and dad's got company coming over on Friday. Knowing him, its probably a good idea for me to stop by and just make sure things look kinda tidy. Then again, it may be a losing battle, he'll have the house to himself a whole day before company shows up, there' sno telling what stuff he'll be leaving on the kitchen counter!
Gotta go and do some real work, will try and update sometime sooner - two weeks is too long an interval!!

Well, its definitely cancer, and mercifully its localized. But poor Billy & his parents are going to have a rough time for the next year. He could be starting chemo as early as tomorrow! Poor honey! I so wish I could be there for my sister and Billy.
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ON to OTHER THINGS
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Still at work. Got to prepare this training seminar for next week. Should be fun... somewhat ;) I enjoy doing training, and so far the writing part has been fun. Do have to admit there's always nagging doubts - willl I include everything I want in the presentation? Will it come out fantabulous on the first try or will I need to revise it because its bleah? Will I avoid judging myself on how this comes out? Or will I stop asking silly questions? on and on...

Tomorrow my high school friend is coming to visit - looking forwad to it.
Then its Frank's birthday weekend. OH boy, I'm in trouble... SOMEONE will be expecting to be spoiled (don't know who) Plans are to go to NYC and catch the Apollo 13 show on the Imax, then do dinner somewhere fun. Now I got to figure out if I have any of those old birthday cards I bought for him for previous birthdays, or do I need to buy new ones. AND of course there's the birthday present issue. What to do, what to do!!!

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Wondering what's up with my sister. If they've diagnosed Billy's cancer yet, and figured out the treatment. Wondering if they're still in the hospital. And if I should call or not.
Lot's of wondering. And lots of hope. So many friends are praying for them. Ali says she can feel the support all around her and that its helping her. Man I wish I could be there to give them all hugs.

How life can change overnight. Or with a phonecall. Then everything else seems so insignificant.

Thursday I got a call from mom, telling me my favorite one and only nephew has this 8" growth in his leg. He saw the cancer specialist on Friday morning, the did a catscan that afternoon. Now we need to wait for them to schedule the biopsy.

I've been heartbroken ever since. I SO hope and pray its something benign that can easily be fixed.

God bless my sister and her family. He sure knows how much they need it!