Horse Therapy

Horses save the day!
I was in a bad way when I left work yesterday because of a situation that I took on as my own and it wasn't even about me, but we all do that sometimes, don't we? I think as women that happens more. Sometimes I wish I could be more of a guy and just let things slide a little more instead of internalizing them. Anyway, so, I was a bit bummed out and went to the stable early. I got there 30 minutes before my lesson and hung out with Cane for a while. His front leg is still pretty bad so I brushed him, gave him a butt and shoulder massage and sang a little while I did it. He was sad, I could tell, and tired too. His leg would crack and shake when he moved his weight onto it, which then made me sad. He hadn't eaten his food either, it was just hanging there in the bucket. I told him he has to get better, he has to eat and just kept rubbing his head. When it was time for my lesson I ran and got Apache. I was so excited to see him! He let me right in this time without a hassle with the halter, which was nice, even though I interrupted his dinner yet again. We walked and "talked" on our way to the indoor arena and while I groomed him. I felt a little bad because again, no one had ridden him since I rode him last Thursday. He didn't need turning out though and did really well yesterday. Still really slow, but we changed up the reins a little bit and used his rubber bit and he did so much better than any other time. He pulled out when he was supposed to and went almost to a trot. All of this goodness only worked going clockwise, counter clockwise is another story all together. We worked hard though and ended on a positive clockwise circle and then I took his bridle and saddle off and let him roll around a bit in the arena while I got my brushes ready to groom him. He ran around only once and then slowly lowered himself onto the ground and went to town rolling and moaning kicking his legs up in the air. He did this for some time and then lifted himself back up and just stood there staring at me so I ran around the arena to see if I could get him to run, bolt, anything and he just stood there with his sweet eyes, watching every move I made. I went into the area and put his halter on and took him to the grooming area and hung out with him for a while. Carol came over and asked me what I did to Cane. I asked her why and she said that he was eating the food that had been in his bucket all day and he was putting more weight on his right leg in the front. He had also moved from the position he had been standing in most of the day. I showed her on Apache how I massaged his shoulder and butt and told her I sang to him and little and told him he needs to get better, that was it. She told me to come back when ever I can to do that for him since it seemed to work. I thought it was pretty funny, but who knows, stranger things have happened right? I finished grooming Apache and put him back in his stall, I am glad he is really fuzzy right now because it is so cold outside.
When I got in my car to leave I had forgotten all about the way I had felt when I left work and when I did remember, I was able to just let it go - it wasn't mine to take on in the first place. Horses have something magical about them. It was like when I was talking to Cane he got it. We were both sad when we started off last night and then when the night was over and I left, we both were happy. Funny how things get put into perspective and turn themselves around.

Stay Tuned...

Photo: Kokomo, Apache's neighbor

The latest...

Hey there!

Tuesday is here at last, Monday just went by way too fast. I had my class last night at San Francisco Ballet and it was fabulous. We got a binder full of great material to read for class and also got a copy of the 65th Anniversary Book. We got an entire history of ballet last night in 2 hours, it seemed like 5 minutes to me. I could have sat there all night and listed to the instructor talking about ballet. Inside our binder is also and outline of what we are going to do at each class. Next time we meet we are going to have a technique class in one of the dance studios that the company uses. The class is being taught by Pascal Molat who is one of the principle dancers of the company. I am so excited for that class. In a couple weeks we also get a tour of the costume closet at the Opera Theatre where the ballet performs and see how all of the costumes are organized and kept clean for the dancers. The tour is 45 minutes so it should be cool. One week we get a tour of the theatre and that is 90 minutes! I am so excited about this class, I can't even explain. I am bringing my camera along with me each time I am there just in case I am able to take some photos.


After class I met up with Jadin at Max's for dinner. We closed the place down, we were there until about 10:30 and the doors were locked when we left. I had a nice glass of champagne and we sat and talked for hours. It was nice. She lives super close but I still drove her home, it was late and she was alone. She had ballet last night so we both shared what we learned in our classes, looked through all of my class materials and gabbed.


I got home last night and wrote in my journal and then hit the sack at about 12. Seems like I have been staying up later and later these days. No wonder I can't get up in the morning.


Tonight I am attending the first Women's Committee meeting of the year at the Maltese Club. I hope I don't set anything on fire this time, ha ha ha! I think we are planning the upcoming year's events so it should be fun. I am excited to see all of my friends. However, going straight home sounds really nice too. We'll see, I like to leave everything up in the air at moments like this.


Stay tuned...

Whirlwind

As always, the weekend went by way too fast, although it was lots of fun.

My class on Saturday was a blast. I loved it so much and am really excited about making another book soon before I forget how. Mine of course is pink and has horses on the front and back cover and yes, there is some glitter too, go figure. The class was all day (10-5) and then I went to dinner with Sara at her friend Katherine's house. We ate and watched India slides from Katherine's trip to India with her husband a couple years ago. It was a lot of fun, the photos got me really excited to see India.

Sunday was going to be jam packed, but ended up being mellow which was nice. Tim and I ran errands almost all day, came home and I made some vegan pumpkin muffins that ROCKED. I made them to have with breakfasts this week, but we ate a couple last night. They are so moist and fluffy and full of yummy goodness.

Here is the recipe if anyone wants to give them a try.

Yummy Pumpkin Muffins

In a bowl, sift together:

1 3/4 Cup Flour

1 1/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

1 Tbls Baking Powder

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground Allspice

1/8 tsp ground Cloves

1/2 tsp ground Ginger

In a separate bowl mix together:

1 Cup Pureed Pumpkin

1/2 Cup Soy Milk

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Tbls Molasses

Add wet stuff to dry stuff and mix well. Fill greased muffin tin cavities 2/3 full, more if you have enough batter left at the end and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes until cake tester comes out clean.

Too boring? Add one cup chopped fresh cranberries or walnuts or a mixture of both, mmmmm.

Tonight I start a 5 week class at San Francisco Ballet called Ballet 101. It sounds really cool, it isn't a physical ballet class, well, one week it will be with a teacher from SFB. It is a class about the history of SFB and a deeper look at some of the ballets themselves. We have a guest speaker every week, some times it is a current artist with the ballet or a choreographer, etc. I am excited. I am meeting up with Jadin afterwards for dinner at Max's Opera Plaza. She has ballet until 8 and that is when my class lets out so we though, why not meet up!

Stay Tuned...

Baby It's COLD Outside

Damn, I thought I moved away from the cold that chills you to the bone and wind that whips right through you until last night. I was so cold at the stable while riding Apache and this morning walking to the office from my car. The windchill right now is insane.

Anyway, I rode Apache last night. I got to the stable early and knew I was going to have to wait since no one was riding outside due to the weather. Carol asked if I wanted something to do so she put me to work grooming an old horse named Caine (Cane? Cain? you get it right?). He currently has an injured foot that is in trouble. If he doesn't heal, they will have to put him down which makes me sad. He is 31 years old and so sweet, and as soft as a kitten. He was eating when Carol introduced me to him and I got the curry brush and went to work on him. His hair was coming out like no ones business, you should have seen the hair ball I threw away. He had some dry spots so I put some oil on them and then brushed him with a soft brush to get all the left over dust and dry skin off of him. I massaged his back end and he was happy about that. The left side of him was so tight from him favoring it over the right which is hurt right now so I rubbed him down real good. He is a very sweet horse.

Apache on the other hand, was a little bratty last night. I think I would have been too if I was eating my dinner and someone came over to me to pull me away and make me work. He would not let me put the halter on him. I went in the stall too and he just kept walking away from me and I wasn't really in a "take charge" kind of mood. I told him I was going to walk away and we would try again in a few and wouldn't you know it, once I started to walk away he stuck his head out and Carol was on her way up to help me. He let her get in there and get him, sometimes I think he is testing me. I need to show him I am the boss though in order to gain his respect. We had a good lesson though, didn't get to turn him out first which I was bummed about, but he did OK. The last half of the lesson he was so slow though I had to keep kicking and started tell him, "hey-yah - come on" and he responded OK. Before I knew it the lesson was over. My legs are sore today, but in a good way. I groomed Apache and fed him carrots and then put him to bed. Afterwards, Carol and I were hanging out with Caine, feeding him and doting on him. I hope he is OK. I don't like to see a sick animal, especially a horse and an old one at that. I am praying for him for sure.

It is Friday and I am looking forward to the weekend. Tim and I were planning on seeing Miss Potter tonight, but I think we are going to go on Sunday so we can have a night at home tonight. I have been on the go and would like to get straight home tonight to spend time with my baby. Tomorrow I am taking a class at the San Francisco Center for the Book called "Fresh Start; A Personalized Daybook for the New Year". We are going to bind our own book to use throughout the year for planning, organization, etc. I am so excited. A full day of art and being surrounded by creative people is right up my alley. I have always met really cool people at these kind of classes. Afterwards, Sara and I are going to Katherine's house for dinner and slides from her India trip. Sort of a planning night if you will. Sunday the plan is to sleep in, see a movie and take down the Christmas decorations. I felt it disrespectful to take them down prior to the epiphany- hello, we have to wait for the wise men to come before we take the party down, right?

That is about it from me.

Stay tuned...

The year so far...

Has been wonderful!

I rode Apache on Saturday the 30th and it was awesome. We got to ride outside for a change since the weather was nice. We just had to stay on one side of the arena since there was another lesson going on, on the other side. Apache did so good, I think he was happy to be outside. He acts completely different when he is indoors. A little more nervous, jumpy, etc. It is a smaller space too and I think Carol gets closer to him with the crop (whip), he doesn’t like that at all. My lesson got changed to Thursday evenings which I am excited about because they were taking a chunk out of my Saturdays. I have a feeling he may buck tonight, but I am ready. I can’t wait to see him. I love him no matter what. I have been strengthening my arms at home by boxing so he can bring it on. Ha ha! I hope he doesn’t bring it on, whaaa. I get scared when he spooks or rears a little who am I kidding?

New Years Eve was pretty uneventful. Tim and I ran errands, went to lunch and then hung out at home. He went to bed early, I stayed up until about 1:30 AM working on my calendar and writing. It was nice to have the time alone that night, I really enjoyed myself.

New Years Day we just hung out since almost nothing was open PLUS I slept until Noon (yessss). We did go to the book store and out for dinner at Banana Garden (Malaysian Food) which was to die for. Very mellow holiday weekend, just how I like it.

Long weekend are always good and so is easing back into work afterwards. I have a lot on my plate right now at work but have been working on being more efficient and organized so it has helped a lot and has taken a tremendous load off. I have a couple little piles left to go though and I am done, that will be so nice.

Last night, I saw, The Painted Veil, starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts. It was wonderful. In a nutshell, they are British, she is spoiled and kind of bratty and he is a biologist (bacteriologist actually). They get married and move to Hong Kong where he is working, she has an affair, they move to rural China during the Cholera outbreak in 1925 where he is doing research on the epidemic. It is a great story. I don’t want to give too much away in case anyone wants to see it. The scenery was awesome and made me long for Vietnam in a big way. The children they showed in the orphanages reminded me of all of my little friends in An Nhon, I miss them. It was also kind of sad because some of the places they shot the movie are no longer going to be around since they are building new dams for the Yangzi river and some of the old villages are being taken out by the widening of the river as well. Pretty sad. I had to see the movie since I don’t know if I will ever get to those parts of China before the “rebuilding” takes place. They have already started a lot of the work and some villages that have been around for 100’s of years are going the way of the dinosaur. My heart goes out to those people who are being forced to move.

Tonight, it is all about Apache after work. It is raining so it may take some time for us to get in the indoor area since all of the other horses need to be turned out in there because the outdoor area will be muddy. Even if I just get to ride him a little while and then groom him and hang out with him, I am happy.

Stay Tuned…

Highs and Lows of 2006

This year went flying by.

I have been working on my high/low list for 2006 and this is what it looks like as of this moment. I have tried to put them in chronological order, they are not in order by how HIGH they were or how LOW they were. I may add to this, but for now, it is pretty much set. I encourage everyone to make a list like this or a list of accomplishments so you can see all that you have done in the past year, it is fun!



HIGHS

• Went to Vietnam with Mom and Dad
• Visited my Vietnamese Mother
• Adopted Bay-Lee
• Started a consistent Yoga Practice
• Got over my fear of horses through hypnotherapy
• Started taking riding lessons
• Beach House summer gathering
• Spending time with Emily in San Francisco
• Spending time with Mom in San Francisco
• Returned a dog tag (brought back from Vietnam) to its original owner
• Read a lot of great books
• Took some cool art classes
• Learned the art of mehndi
• Took a solo trip to Malta
• Cappuccino in Malta
• Visited Sicily
• Saw my Grandfathers old house in Malta
• Found family in Malta
• Malta renewed my faith in God
• Malta in general
• Started dancing again (ballet)
• Thanksgiving Beach House
• Angela is pregnant!
• Became a member of the Maltese American Social Club of San Francisco
  

LOWS

• My best friend Marley died but he is now in kitty heaven
• Slipped into a deep depression and didn't know if I would be happy again
• Got thrown off a horse during my second riding lesson
• I was way too gluttonous

Resolutions Anyone?

Do you all make New Years resolutions?

I always do, and most of the time I break them.

This year, maybe I will make some New Years goals, the sounds better to me for some reason.

Here are just some of mine, hey, there are some things a girl has to keep to herself:

• Drink more water
• Try to work 8 hours a day (I have been cutting them short lately with long lunches)
• Drink more champagne
• Recycle more than I already do
• Do something creative every single day
• Update my Blog more often

These just scratch the surface and are pretty easy, so I think I will be OK keeping up with them. I have some others that are a little more challenging but I don't want to post them because if I don't keep to them, I will be the only one that knows. HA!

Cupcake Crime!

It being the end of the year, I decide to live it up a little and get myself a cupcake for dessert after lunch.

Well, I get to the office and unload my car and as I start to walk away the spaceship looking plastic container in which my cupcake is nestled starts to take off and before I know it, it crashed to the ground. Like butter on bread, you know it landed frosting side down, poor little sprinkles got mashed into the concrete by the lump of sugary goodness on top.

I decided as soon as it fell it was a message from God telling me I shouldn't have the cupcake anyway, thanks God for covering my ass in times of weakness.

Here is a photo from the scene of the crime.

Happy Holidays

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.
I had a nice and mellow weekend to celebrate Christmas.
Saturday night (Dec. 23) Tim and I did our traditional outing to see the San Francisco Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker. It was wonderful. I got to see two of my favorite dancers dance in the same evening, which doesn't happen sometimes in a full length ballet. It was marvelous. I always get the chills when I see incredible talent right in front of me on stage. I brought my binoculars and felt like it was just me and the dancers in my own little world. It was an amazing night. After the ballet we went to Mel's Diner to get something to eat. All dressed up at a 50's diner is always fun! We went home with dreams of sugarplums dancing in our heads and our bellies full of food.

Christmas Eve, Tim and I went to see Rocky Balboa with his cousin Katie and her husband Mark at the new theatre downtown and then we went to lunch and hung out at our place until about 9:00 PM. We just sat around and talked, the guys played video games and Katie and I sat on the couch chatting it up. She is pregnant so there is a lot of exciting things going on with them. The rest of the evening was Tim and I sneaking around to fill stockings so we could try and surprise each other in the morning.

Christmas, Tim got up and made coffee, etc. I slept in until about 10:00 AM. I called my Mom and Dad and spoke to them for a while and then called friends that I hadn't spoken to on Christmas Eve to wish them a Merry Christmas as well. We ate a pannetone with coffee for breakfast and opened our gifts. We had a lot of stuff to open this year, it was fun, we felt like children. The rest of the day, we snacked, watched TV and hung out and then realized we didn't have any food planned for dinner so I had to make something out of nothing, which, I should mention, I am pretty good at.

Tuesday, back to work, ugh, not fun at all.

Wednesday, took the day off, bad allergies that wiped me out. My jaw is really sore for some reason, I think I slept on it weird or something. The power went out in our house for a couple hours due to the storm winds whipping through the city so I went to Target to make a return and came home and made a Holiday Binder to refer to for next year. Can you say, "DORK?"

Anyway, I am working on finishing up my highs and lows of 2006 list. I have yet to decide if I am going to publish it or not. I know, another dorky thing I am doing. I have to be able to look back and know that I accomplished something. I don't want to waste any time on this planet, there is too much to do in so very little time.

Mom's Kitchen

This photo reminds me of me of baking with my Mom at Christmas time. I don't know how she did it, but I remember she made SO many different kinds of cookies. They were kept in the basement on top of the chest freezer each kind in a tin or tupperware container of their own. My brother and I would to ask how many we could have and then would go down with a napkin and come up with our favorites. Honestly, I don't know how she did it.

Mom, what was your motivation? I need a little of that.

These are the cookies I remember:

• Merry Christmas Cookies (cut out and decorated)
• Thumbprint cookies
• Gingerbread Boys
• Russian Tea Cakes
• Springerle
• Peanut Butter Cookies with a chocolate star
• Fudge with walnuts
• White fudge with cherries and nuts
• Truffles rolled in cocoa powder

I cant remember anymore, but that is a LOT.

On top of the cookies and candy, she made chex mix and strung popcorn and cranberries for the tree PLUS her and my Dad made a gingerbread house and us kids would decorate it.

She is Super Woman!

Katie's World

First I would like to give a shout out to my sister Emily, yesterday was her 22nd Birthday. Happy Birthday Em, I love you and miss you so much. You make me laugh and always know the right thing to say when I need your help, feedback, etc. I hope you had a wonderful day and everyone spoiled you rotten. Hope your finals went by smoothly and you are enjoying your time off before school starts again. You are one step closer to graduation!
I love you!

Wow, I can’t believe that Christmas is this coming weekend! I need to get my shit together and send out some packages. I didn’t even do my cards yet! I am not sure what is wrong with me; I was planning on making the cards and cut things out, but didn’t finish them. I haven’t been very busy, I guess just lazy, like always. My ballet class ended last week so now I have one additional open evening a week until class starts again twice a week in January. I am waiting for confirmation from the school though.

I have been thinking back on the year 2006 and may put together my Top 10 Highs and Lows of the year. I don’t know if I have 10 Highs or Lows though, so it may be just 5 of each. I have a couple weeks still and have not yet decided if I am going to post it. I may embarrass myself too much, but what the heck, right?

Tonight Tim and I are going to make Chex Mix and fudge to send to the Somera’s and Lemke’s for the holidays. It should be fun; there will be some laughing in our kitchen tonight for sure. Once the music starts playing and we start mixing it up, there is no telling what will happen next. Either Wednesday or Thursday I am going to see Grease on the big screen at the Castro theatre. It is sing-a-long Grease so if anyone wants to come with me, let me know. Otherwise, I will be singing “grease is the word” by myself, which will still be fun. I can’t wait to hand jive!

Setting the night on FIRE!

Well, it was a night to remember at the Maltese Club last night. Most all the women were in red including yours truly in red pants and matching red jewelry from my Grandma's jewelry box. Dinner was prime rib (which I didn't eat), pasta and a twice baked potato and what is a Maltese dinner without bread and wine?

I sat with Rose, here on the left, looking fabulous as always. She is the sweetest lady ever and what a fire cracker! She is totally fun and can eat anyone at the club under the table. She clears her plate all the time and asks for more - a woman after my own heart.

After dinner, we had the gift exchange. I was feeling like I didn't have quite enough so I went our before arriving at the club and bought some note cards to add to my french snowflake soaps that were in a really nice box. I put them together in a gift bag and added them to the pile of gifts. There were 40 of us, I was number 39 and Rose was 40, how funny! When I approached to get my gift there was only 2 things left a gift and an envelope (gift card). I let the little girl, Gracie, help me pick so I took the gift. It was a handbag, nice, I like handbags. Rose goes up and takes the last thing and it is a Trader Joe's gift card, CRAP, I should have taken that one! Anyway, it was fun, but the excitement was just about to ignite.

Rose came over to check out the purse that I got and when we unwrapped it from the tissue paper the paper landed on one of the votive candles that were set on the table. The corner of the paper started to flame and the next thing I knew, the entire piece of tissue was a blaze! As the ladies tried to slap the flames out with their hands, I realized I was just sitting there watching it burn wondering if the plastic table cloth was going to catch. I literally was staring at it like Cindy Brady in the episode where she is on TV and cant stop staring at the red light on the television camera. It was so weird. As the women were starting to get concerned about the blaze, Marlene, who was behind me grabbed a cup of water and threw it on the tissue and with the hiss of a steam engine, it was out, but the excitement was not over. Once the flames were extinguished, large pieces of tissue that had turned into ash, the size of quarters but as delicate as butterfly wings came raining down on us as we looked at the sad burned tissue paper on the table as it rested in a pool of water. All dressed in red and jewels the ladies who were trying to snuff out the flames looked at their black soot covered hands and tried to gather themselves. I have never seen a fire put out with such panache and grace in my life. It was amazing! There is nothing like being the new person and lighting the table on fire let me tell you. EVERYONE there knows who I am now! One of the younger members claimed I did it just for attention and the others said maybe I was too hot for the club. We laughed and the incident was forgotten.

The rest of the night was nice. We sat and talked about next year and who the chairperson was going to be for the Women's Committee. No one volunteered so the President, John Stellini appointed a woman named Nimfa (spelling) and guess who is her second in command? ME! Yeah, it will be fun. I love the ladies of the club and they all told me that they are happy to have me as one of the people in charge, they are looking for a change and think someone like me could help out with that. I am looking forward to it.

Anyway, that was my night.

Today I am only at work until about 1:15 PM as I have to go and get a filling replaced. Ugh, do you all know that I am totally scared of the dentist? Well, I am, and I don't want to go, but need to get it over with.

Stay Tuned.

GIANT Update

Again, it has been a while and time has FLOWN by.
Phew!

OK, so last week was a little of a blur. Monday was fine, you know work, all the bosses were here, etc. On my way to work on Tuesday I suddenly realized that I was supposed to have jury duty the entire week. You just basically call in and the computer tells you if you have to show up. I call the city and they tell me, my group hasn’t been called yet and to keep calling the rest of the week. So, I have to go and tell my boss that I messed up my schedule and forgot I may have to go into jury duty. He was cool about it, I mean, really, what can you do…nothing. So, sure enough, I call on Tuesday evening and I have to report on Wednesday morning at 8:30 AM. I was supposed to get my biopsy results at 8:30 and now I have to report to jury duty. I called the doctor and they said just to call them when I can come in. I get to jury duty on Tuesday morning and wait in the room with all of the other unlucky people. Just as I fall asleep, they start calling names, it is now about 10:45 AM. My name is called and we all go up to one of the court rooms. The judge introduces herself and gives us a run down of the case, and starts listing names for the jury box. Then I hear my name, crap! I get to the box and then when 24 people are in place, we have to all answer some questions that are being passed around on a laminated sheet of paper. Name, neighborhood you live in, how long you have been a resident of San Francisco, education, occupation, if you live with any other adults what is their occupation and have you ever had jury duty before and when. After all of that, the attorney’s ask questions that may pertain to the case, does anyone have anything against the police, etc. bad experiences with the police, good experiences with the police. Does anyone not have a drivers license, anyone been incarcerated for driving under the influence, etc. They weed out the outspoken and I remain seated. Great, I have been picked to be on the jury of a traffic case that should last no more than 3 days. First of all, I don’t get paid from my job for it and they don’t give you an opportunity to tell them any of that. Well, I am in, I mind as well enjoy it. So at 11:45 AM they tell us we can go and come back tomorrow (Thursday) at 9:30 AM and the trial will begin. At this point, I am excited to be in the civic center and have the afternoon off. I make my way over to the adult immunization clinic to see if I need any shots for India. Oh, I forgot to mention that, yes, I am going to India at the end of February. I walk into the clinic without an appointment and just my luck, they can take me. So I get a polio booster and a flu shot, nice. I love watching the fluid from the syringe go into my body for some reason, I know, weird. When that is done, I walk over to the main library to use the internet because I don’t have my oral surgeon’s phone number and maybe he can see me this afternoon now that it is open. I get his number and call and sure enough, they can take me at 2:00 PM. I walk from civic center downtown, nice size walk and a little hilly so when I get there, I am sweaty and gross. I need to clean up, my doctor is very nice looking and I don’t want to look like I just “fell off the turnip truck” as my Mom would say. As a matter of fact, my doctor is HOT. I blush when he is looking in my mouth. Ha ha! How much do I love drooling and bleeding all over my doctor…so embarrassing. Anyway, he comes and gets me and first tells me that he is not going to put me in an exam chair, he needs to talk to me in this little private room on the side. He offers me water; I ask if I am going to need it. I mean, what on earth is he going to tell me? So, he then tells me that the biopsy came back stating that the thing he removed was a piece of bone which is very rare. He then admits his love for me and takes me right there on the table, oh, I mean, he then admits that he was a little scared that it was going to be bad news and was relieved when he got the results. So, I was happy and walked out, checked out the kittens in the Macy’s window from the SPCA and got myself a cookie and cappuccino at Neiman Marcus, sat and read my book for a while. I made my way back to Macy’s where Tim picked me up. Before he got to me I called Angela since she had tried me while I was in the store. We spoke for a while and she told me her sister has skin cancer. It rocked me. I felt sick all night. It was a weird day. I mean, I find out I don’t have cancer, but then find out someone very, very close to me has a sister who has cancer. I bring up a photo from my internal brain camera of dinner with her sister years ago, I remember her face and what she wore. I remember that she was cracking me up all night. I know she will get through this, I just feel awful though. Geeze, I would rather it have been me who had to go through that and not a 28 year old beautiful girl. Ugh, things happen for reasons we will never know. She is in my prayers and I know she is going to be fine. Tim and I go out for dinner at Max’s, I pick at my food. We go home; I have a good cry in the bath tub alone and go to bed. I sleep like a baby.

Thursday, I get to the court room and wait for everyone to get there. Why in the world can’t people be on time? You know, the two people that were late were in the Army, if they had been in the Marines they would have been on time! Ha ha, just kidding, well, kind of. So, they start the case and the entire thing in a nutshell without all of my personal input was, there was a man driving with a suspended license and he did not believe that it was suspended. The cop came in and someone from the DMV came in and it was obvious that the man had been notified. The twist was, you knew when he took the stand that he wasn’t right in the head, however, we couldn’t take that into consideration since it was not mentioned in the courtroom and was not on record. He was found guilty. The trial lasted a day and I was back to work the next day. Oh, one additional thing, I did have a nice lunch at Max’s (yes, I ate there again). I had a big salad and a glass of wine and sat next to a very vivacious 70 year old who was on her way to the symphony. She told me retirement is great and we got to talking and she knows one of my neighbors and was also familiar with the newsletter my aunt use to print when she was out here in the early 70’s. She was a librarian and was really active in the women’s movement. Super cool lady!

Friday, I went back to work and tried to catch up. It takes forever. Friday night I went to see my dear friend Sara’s calendar on display at San Francisco Center for the Book. It was an entire calendar show, it was fabulous and Tim and I did some Christmas shopping.

Saturday, I ran errands and then it was Apache time! We had to ride inside because it was pouring rain outside and thundering. The horses in the stable were acting very strange that night due to the weather, one kept knocking his foot against the side of his stall. Apache did really well. Learning the mechanics of a horse is not easy. Learning his idiosyncrasies is the hardest thing in the world. He bolted once, I just held on. I love him so much. We shared an apple after my ride. I would take a bite and then put it in my hand and he would eat it while I took a bite for myself. I love to spoil him. I walked him back to his stall in the rain and he slipped on one foot, it freaked me out, but I calmed when I realized he really didn’t even notice he slipped. When we got to his stall, I went in with him and took off his halter and kissed him on the nose and told him he was very good and I loved him. I shut the door and hung over the gate for a while and talked to him while we ate carrots.

Sunday, we put up our Christmas tree and cleaned house a bit so we could make room for the holiday décor. I usually change out my dishes and everything but didn’t do that this time. It was too much. Maybe next year. Our tree is plain and simple just like I like it. Bay-Lee is having fun trying to figure out why we have a tree in the house which is cute. He keeps trying to get on the table with the little tree but he can’t fit up there anymore.

Monday late afternoon after an offsite meeting in the city with AG (my boss). I went to SF MOMA to check out the Phil Collins video art installation (not Phil Collins from down under, the other one from the UK, the artist). He put up ads in Istanbul for a Smith’s Karaoke night and he filmed it. It is hilarious. It is like a train wreck, I got totally sucked in. It is worth checking out and good from some laughs. I also went to check out the Keifer exhibit, it was almost too dark for me, if that is it all possible. Lack of color and made me feel empty, blank and dark. It is called Heaven and Earth. It is interesting to read about his work though. My favorite besides the Phil Collins thing was the Alexander Girard exhibit, he used to design for Herman Miller, so things were very modern and colorful. It was a really nice way to finish off the day.

Now it is Wednesday. Tonight is the Women’s Committee Christmas Dinner and Gift Exchange at the Maltese American Social Club. Phew, that was a lot to get out. It should be fun. I am taking my camera, I hope to get some good shots.

I will be better about writing more often. Sorry to all my blog fans of which I am sure there are thousands, NOT!

Love you all!
The Maltese Kat

Pain in the jaw...

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was fabulous up on the Sonoma Coast. I didn't want to come back into the big bad city but really had no other choice. It was nice to hang with friends and cook together.

Monday back at work everyone was asking about everyone else's Thanksgiving, etc. It is fun to hear how other people celebrate the holidays.

Tuesday, I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. I had just been there in May and thought I had a corn chip caught in my gum in the back of my mouth so he looked at it and said he thought I had gotten it all out and it looked clean and should close up. Well, when he got in there this time, it didn't close up, it got bigger! There was a hole in my gum between my two back teeth with something sharp inside (I could feel it with my tongue). The hygienist cleaned my teeth and then took me to the oral surgeon on the floor above them. The oral surgeon looked at it, took some photos and x-rays and then told me he would have to cut it out, whatever it was. It was moving a little when he poked it with is poker tool, but was stuck to my jaw bone on one side. He told me he needed to do a biopsy. I told him to knock me out and go for it if he had time. Gosh, I was hoping he had time, the element of surprise is ALWAYS better for me when it comes to this stuff. I didn't want to have to come back and have it done. I would be sick until then because I am so scared of the dentist. Thank God, he had time. He numbed me with Novocain and then got the scapul and cut my gum between my two back teeth. He pulled a bit with the forceps/tweezers and then showed me this rock that was growing on my jaw bone. It was the size of a tic-tac with sharp edges and hard as a stone. He made sure he had everything by taking a file and rubbing it against my bone and then packed me with gauze and told me to come back in a week for the pathology report. I got excused from work for two days but only took the one. I was traumatized, went home and slept and took a lot of Advil. Yesterday I was still sore, but not enough to stay home. Today, I feel almost back to normal. The mouth heals pretty fast. I am just waiting for the hole to close up.

Life is an adventure isn't it? You never know what is going to get thrown in your path. I love it. I think we have better coping skills when things hit us by surprise, it forces you to be in the moment and go with the flow - at least it does for me. If I would have had to make an appointment for the biopsy later in the week, I would have been so nervous about getting in the chair, it would have been awful. I dont like the dentist, although I am starting to come around because mine is so nice and hot too!

My one regret is that the entire time I had my camera in my purse and I didn't get one photo to document the ordeal. Well, maybe next time.

Keep on flossing!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving.

I am excited about this year. Tim and I are renting a house with 2 other couples and their dogs and are going to spend Wednesday - Saturday together. The house is up north on the Sonoma coast and I hope the weather is good. If not, we have plenty to do indoors.

I am looking forward to getting out of the city and spending time with my friends.

We have quite a spread planned for the big day and I think it is going to be fun to be in the kitchen with everyone drinking, singing and dancing. I hope the three girls don't get on the three guys nerves! We are pretty loud.

Anyway, happy trails and enjoy your Thanksgiving.

Remember all of the things you have to be thankful for.

Positive - Negative

Why is it more and more often I run into people that are more pessimistic and negative than optimistic and positive? Why is the glass half empty for some folks? Is it that hard for people to be positive? I have my bouts of depression and I know during those times it is hard to be happy, but at the least I can stay positive and know that it is going to get better. I don’t know, I think maybe I am a little too Pollyanna sometimes. I think that being negative and pessimistic causes disease and sickness – maybe I am the only one that thinks that way, not sure. Just some random thoughts knocking around in the brain of mine.

Only Tuesday...

I keep thinking it is Wednesday today – buzz kill when I noticed it is only Tuesday.
I have a busy week this week and I am excited!
I attended the Maltese American Social Club meeting on Sunday for the dedication of a Santa Maria statue that was made in Malta. It was really nice. The president introduced to most everyone there, it was hilarious, I was the youngest there by probably 20-30 years. I love it, I love having friends of all ages. I am going there tonight to attend the Women’s Committee meeting and dinner. We are having a meal and then packing boxes for soldiers that are related to club members serving in Iraq. It should be fun. I think we are ending by 8:00 PM though because the ladies told me they like to watch “Dancing with the Stars”. I am in the process of becoming an official member which is pretty exciting.
Well, I gotta make this one short. I gotta go get my Jeep from the shop. There was a recall on a part so I had to get it replaced. I am on BART today and want to beat the crowd.
Wish me luck!
Ciao!

A Couple Changes

There have been a couple changes made to my blog, thanks to beta blogger.
So, if you notice things are a little diffrerent, that is why.
I have added a sound bite to my profile, which is kind of neat. There is a way that it can actually record your own voice, I have yet to try that.
Some of the headings of my links changed a bit. I need to take some time and work on this a little and get used to it.
Hope you are having a nice day!

The Maltese Cross

A couple people have asked me the meaning of the Maltese Cross, so I decided I would post an explanation.

The Maltese Cross symbolizes the eight beatitudes of Christ's Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5.3-10).
Blessed are:
the poor in spirit,
they who mourn,
they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
the meek,
the peacemakers,
they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
the pure in heart,
the merciful
as well as 8 chivalric virtues shown above and the 8 languages of the Knights.

Bay-Lee's Page

New addition to the world of my blog, you can link up to Bay-Lee's catster page by scrolling down and looking on the right for the link with his photo. Click on it and you will enter catster, it is addicting for anyone who loves kitties!
Have fun!

Weekend Recap

Hope you all had a nice relaxing weekend and found the time to relax and do the things you enjoy. It is important to treat or indulge ourselves and I think too often we forget that.

Saturday, I stayed in my pajamas until about 1:30 PM and watched the E channel (so trashy but I love it) and went through all of the catalogs and magazines I got while on vacation. I can’t believe the amount of catalogs companies send out before the holiday season. It is insane. Instead of keeping the entire catalog when I find something interesting I have resorted to tearing out the page since the phone and web address is on the bottom of most every page in catalogs now-a-days. If I don’t end up doing anything with the page by the end of the month, I will recycle it. It seems as much as I try, I always have a pile of catalogs next to my couch and I am trying to get rid of that and just keep the pages in a folder in my magazine bin. I hope it works, who knows though I have trouble sticking to things especially things I come up with for myself.

I rode Apache on Saturday and the ride was a total 180 from last week, which was nice. I didn’t feel defeated and it lifted the cowgirl up inside of me after she was knocked down last week. Apache needs someone to work with him more than once a week but until that happens, I am that person. It is kind of nice though because we are bonding and I am learning his little quirks and he is learning mine at the same time. He did get spooked by something in the middle of the lesson which in turn scared me a little but then I had to settle him and tell him it was OK and to keep walking. He calmed down and kept walking like I told him. It was weird though, all of the sudden his neck came way up and his eyes were bugged out and he started backing up and once I started talking to him, he was fine. I am learning from him how to be assertive and speak up and be the boss – it is a good lesson in leadership for sure. We can learn so much from horses. When I was done riding Apache there was a girl there waiting to ride him when I was done. I felt like I wanted to protect him and watch her ride him since she claimed she could get him to move faster than the molasses I am used to. So, I went and took a seat on the fence and watched her kick and kick and kick and finally got him trotting, which was cool. I could tell he was not happy though and he was tired. Right when I was about to leave, the ride was over and the girl asked if I was going to help groom him before she put him back in his stable. Well, this is m favorite thing, so I said yes, and I ended up doing all the work because she was too busy walking around and sticking her nose in everyone else’s business. She said she would scrape his feet and shoes and did one and then walked away – gosh, some people, I swear. I was happy to have him to myself though. When I was walking him back to his stall she followed me and said, “I hope I never have to ride Apache again.” I told her she shouldn’t talk like that in front of him because he knows what she is saying. She just giggled and asked me if I had any carrots that she could give to her favorite horse. I told her she should give some to Apache since she just rode him but that went over her head, she didn’t get it at all why she should reward him. I handed her some baby carrots and went to spend time with Apache alone and “chat” with him. After I kissed him and told him I loved him I went home. I hope I don’t have to deal with a distraction like that girl next week.

Sunday, senior citizen day for Tim and I. We went to breakfast, went to Cost Plus, Target and the bookstore and puttered around. It was nice. When we came home we watched a great movie called World’s Fastest Indian staring Sir Anthony Hopkins. It is a great story about determination and making your own dreams come true – we loved it. Check it out, http://www.worldsfastestindian.com/

Monday is now here and the week is starting over, I am motivated for a Monday, which is nice. A change from the usual dread that comes over me when I enter my office on Monday’s. I am trying to be as positive as I can, do my job and save money for my next adventure. I need to keep in the present moment here at work in order to keep the stress down, but at the same time have something in the future to look forward to, to keep me going. What ever works right?
Stay tuned.
Ciao!

Back to the Old School

Well, ballet class started last night! I know some of you know that ballet used to be a part of my life a long time ago. Anyway, I decided, it is great exercise and I used to love it, so why not try it again. So, I started a 6 week class last night and I love it. There are only 3 people in the class so there is a lot of individual attention which is great. All of us in the class are in our 30's and all used to dance back in the day, so it is nice because the instructor doesn't have to explain each and every thing, we just jumped right in. Not to sound like a snob, but it was the first ballet class I have ever taken and not had a pianist in person in the room. We used CD's for the music which was cool. It was fun! I worked up a sweat and tried not to be to hard on myself for things I can no longer do that used to come so easy. It was fun to get out all my funky dance clothes, I love looking like a reject from the cast of Fame!

Tomorrow I ride Apache. I hope it goes better than last week. He was so slow last week, I now have to hold a crop (whip) and slap his ass when he doesn't move, I don't like that, but I also don't like having to keep kicking at him. It hurts my legs and my heart. I would be happy just riding him around in slow circles, but that is not what I signed up for. My instructor was getting frustrated last week as well as me. I think part of it was me not riding for 2 weeks. When I approached Apache I knew there was going to be a problem because he put his butt in my face when he saw me and wouldn't turn around until I opened my plastic bag of apples. Then he started kissing on my neck and nibbling at my vest. I hope tomorrow is a good day in the riding arena or I am going to be one bummed out gal.

Nothing else planned for the weekend. Just taking it easy. I need to clean house, do laundry and all the other fun stuff that gets piled up for the weekend. I was trying to get my chores done during the week but it seems my body wanted to sleep more than work around the house so I gave in.

Anyway, ya'll have a nice weekend ya hear?
I am still basking in the buzz of my Malta trip.

Love you all!
Ciao!

Sleepy Head

Is anyone else as tired as I am after work these days?
Seriously, I have been sleeping so much, it is insane, like between 10 and 12 hours a night.
Maybe because it is getting dark earlier, not sure, but geeze, I am having a tough time getting up in the morning and have been falling asleep by 8:00 PM. Not tonight though, America's Next Top Model is on!
Well, I am on my way out.
I know, I haven't written in a couple days, but promise to tomorrow.
Ciao!

PS - Still searching for the perfect cappuccino - Bucci's in Emeryville is the closest so far.

Sahha Malta, Merhba America...

I am back in the , got back on Tuesday evening and am still trying to get back into my life here. I really got a jump start on some things I want to change about my life here while I was over in Malta. Every night since I have been back I have woken up thinking I am still there and then realize I am not, so sad.
Anyway, I wasn't to update you on the my last night in Malta. I had dinner with the family I didn't even know I had. I met 3 of my second cousins and their parents, who I guess are my Mom's cousin and her husband. Noel (one of my cousins - I will drop the "second" part, because it is too much) and his Dad, I will call him my Uncle, Frank came to get me and a hotel around the corner from my apartment. They pulled up and must have just known it was me, Frank jumped out of the car (the most exuberant 78 year old ever) and said, "Are you Katie?" when I said yes, he clapped his hands and jumped up once and said "Ha! I knew it!". He got in the back seat and I got in the front, Noel kissed each of my cheeks and was so happy the entire drive to meet me. We got to Frank and Mary's house in Naxxar and Mary and my other cousin Marlene met us at the door and greeted me with kisses and hugs. They have a pretty small family without very many visitors from the relatives in Australia and us from the U.S.A. They told me that they never thought anyone from America would ever come to visit because my Grandfather died so long ago and they though the culture must have been lost, etc. I told them different. I told them I have always known I was part Maltese but wanted to go there to learn about it, and hoped to find family. I shared photos of all of you and my family with them and then Frank said he had a surprise for me. I went with him to his office and he had his photo album open to a page and it had my Mom and Aunt Margie's graduation photos in it along with wedding photos of my Mom and Margie and notes about the family mentioning me and my brother. I told them about Emily and made sure they had all the names correct, etc. in order to keep everything updated. Frank showed me photos of my entire family from WAY back in the day in Malta. It was incredible to see photos of my Grandpa and photos of his sisters, etc. He said he had another surprise, it was in the stairway where there were some photos, it was a photo of my Great Grandmother Emilia. The funny thing is, I had a photo copy of the photo that I traveled with and used that to find family and there was the original hanging on the wall. Of course, they had to take my photo next to it, so funny! I had a wonderful time. My cousins there and I decided that we would keep in contact and I would come and visit again next year. We both have small families so we think it is important that we stay in touch, etc. Since we were out of communication for so long.
I want all of you to know that none of this would d have been possible without me meeting Joe Calleja on the internet. He was the one person that answered my mass email about finding family in Malta and he said he would help me and he did! God bless Joe and Carmen and their family.
Anyway, the flight home was awesome, smooth and mellow. Malta to London was quick (3 hours) and I had about 4 hours to wait in London. I recommend anyone traveling to Europe to travel via London, the airport was incredible. It is like the best mall in the world, Chanel, Gucci, Armani, Paul Smith, etc. I was in heaven. I spent some money there that I had left from my vacation. I got a bagel there for lunch and walked around shopping with a sesame seed between my two front teeth too, classy huh? I didn't notice the seed until I was on the plane. London to San Francisco I had the row to myself, awesome! I had my bag on the seat next to me and watched movies, worked on my journal and drank tons of water since I didn't have anyone to ask to move in order for me to use the toilet. It was incredible!
Tim came to pick me up and there were tears! He would kill me if he knew I wrote that, but it was very, very sweet. He missed me. I came home to fresh sheets, clean towels and a tidy apartment, my favorite way to come home.
Wednesday, I had the day off. I went an appointment I had at 8:00 AM and had the rest of the day open. I went to get a cappuccino at Peet's and drop some pastries and coffee off at Tim's office for the department he works in. I slowly brought the steaming cup up towards my nose and knew I was in for a disappointment, and I was. I tasted the bitter coffee that was so good when I was in Malta and literally almost started crying right there in Peet's Coffee. I thought maybe it was because I was not sitting facing the sea, but that wasn't it. It wasn't good at all. I drank it any way, I needed the buzz, but it was a sad buzz. I visited Tim and work and delivered the treats and went to Target. In the afternoon I went to the beach and slept for a couple hours and read. Vacation is over is such a sad thought. I am trying to grip on to the things I learned about myself on my trip and carry them through my life here and pray that I can return to Malta next year and see my family and all of the places that made me feel like I was at home there on that limestone rock in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.
My dreams take me back there at night and that will have to hold me until my next journey.

Whaaaa!

One more day would be nice! The weather has been perfect the last three days and I need more time on the beach, I came all the way here and have no tan to show for it, but have had the time of my life.
Saturday, I went sailing with Father Ray's friends, Anthony (Tony) came to pick me up and I wasn't sure what to expect when we got to the yacht yard, but the boat was incredible. It was a 50' sail boat. There were 3 others there to help sail, Mario, Daniel and Jonathan. Then Marsa and her husband Patrick showed up with a big ole pot of something and bags of food. James and Denise and their 2 kids, Christina and Matthew (6 weeks old). We took off from the harbor in Valletta and sailed to Saint Pauls islands and dropped anchor to swim, eat and chill. The Maltese know how to do it up, first they passed out wine, white to start. Then they opened nuts and chips. Then Marsa started cooking in the kitchen (yes, there was a kitchen on the boat and 4 bedrooms with bathrooms!). She made pasta aubergine (eggplant), it was INCREDIBLE. I helped shred cheese in between trying to get my balance, which was hilarious after a couple glasses of wine. The guys all swam, the ladies were not hot enough, it was cool out there, I had a sweater on the entire time. We ate dinner and then there was a cheese course with crackers, bread and two kinds of hard cheese that I have not heard of in the states. After the guys cleaned up (yes, they cleaned up!) we had coffee, cake and cookies. It was never ending. We were on the water from 1:45 PM - 8:45 PM, we came into Valletta harbor after dark and it was breath taking! I had so much fun. When we were done, everyone left. I helped Tony and Mario clean up a bit and then we all took off, Tony drove me back home. Sailing was incredible, the wind was really good and we went 7.4 knots at one point, I guess that is pretty good for sailing. The boat at times would tip and it would feel like you were going to get wet for sure, but then it would rock back to the other side when they switched the sail. It was amazing, I would love to learn how to sail. Being on the water was great and I didn't get sick, I did take my Dramamine though!
Yesterday, got up at 4:45 AM for my ride at 5:30 PM to the port to go to Sicily. I slept the entire time on the boat. The day was so packed, it was insane. A little too much if you ask me. There were so many people and the bus, ugh, need I say more. Next time I think I will take the boat over and stay a couple days to make it worth it. We did go to Mt Etna which was active, so that was cool. We could see it really well after dark.
Today, I got up, went shopping to spend the last of my Maltese money and laid on the beach for the afternoon. It is now 4:57 PM and I need to get back to my place so I can take a shower before the long lost family members come and pick me up for the evening. I called the guy I am renting from to confirm my ride to the airport tomorrow at 5:45 AM - ugh, I seriously thought about changing my flight to Wednesday, but also wanted that one day between coming home and going back to work.
Anyway, love you all! I just ate my final lemon sorbato! BOO HOO! Next year, I am coming for 2 whole weeks, maybe 2 1/2! And, alone again - ha ha! It was the best trip ever, no one else's agenda, just me and my shadow and Flowey (my stuffed buffalo).
Ciao Bye!
Please pray for a safe journey home for me tomorrow!
XOXO-
Katie

More from the Homeland

I called Father Ray last night and he is so sweet! He has two things set up for me and I am so excited. Today, his friends Anthony and some other dudes and dudettes I hope are picking me up to go sailing on Father Ray's boat! I was so excited last night I was listening to my iPod jumping around like Liv Tyler in "Stealing Beauty" when she is in her Tuscan bedroom! Unfortuatly, Father Ray has 4 funerals today and is very busy this weekend, but that didnt keep him from making plans for me and letting his friends take me out on his boat. Geeze, I hope I dont puke - Wendy you freaked me out about getting sea sick, actually you, Tim and Andrew. I have never gotten sick before on a boat, but this is the Sea, a little different than rivers in Vietnam and Lakes in Michigan - please pray for me that I dont make fish food over the side of the boat today. I have my alarm on my watch set for 12:30 PM to take my Dramamine one hour before departure. He said that they would bring me back to my apartment tonight around 7 PM or so if that is OK with me. OK with me? I practically peed myself in the phone booth when he told me about it. I get a personal tour of the islands on the boat belonging to a relative of mine who is a man of the cloth? God is here all over the place, I love it!
The second thing he set up for me is his Mother (Mary Rose) and his Father (Frank) are going to pick me up on Monday evening at 6:30 PM and take me out for my last night, I have no idea really what the plan is but I am game. Also, Frank is really into making family tree's and he is making me one. He had it complete up to my Grandfather Carmelo, but then it stopped until I came here! I know, I am gushing, sorry! I am bummed that my trip is coming to an end, but I have fun plans the last three days. Today sailing, tomorrow Sicily (I just went and got my Euros so I can spend some money) and Monday, more shopping at Marks and Spencer and evening with my long lost family and then my ride comes at 5:45 AM on Tuesday to take me to the airport. I will be back here for sure! I may even have to cash out all of my savings and stock options and move here for all I know. It would be easier for me to get residency than some others who have no family here. Tim would love it too! He could work securtiy at the Cafe where Carmen's friend Sherry works, she saw his photo and asked me if he wanted a job here!
Well, I better get the rest of my pre-Sicily errands run (snacks for the early morning boat ride, more sunscreen, etc.) and then I will have to be getting on to the Preluna Hotel where my ride (Anthony) is coming to pick me up. I dont even know this person, but since my 3rd cousin or whoever he is, is a Priest and he set it up, I am sure it will be AWESOME! I hope we get to fish, I want to catch a Lampuka - the National fish of Malta. Oh my gosh, I wonder if they are going to let me jump off the side of the boat into the sea? It is clear and SUNNY today too, about 85 degrees for once.
I could go on, but I wont, plus I onlu have 2 minutes left on the computer before my time is up!
Love you all!
Ciao!

PS - Wendy, you get your cookie and your Luzzu when I get back!

The Eagle has Landed - we have contact!

I met family today!
I met Father Ray Toledo today and we are related! He got his Mom and Dad on the phone and there was a lot of 'Carmelo Calleja, America, Katherine, Katerina, Katie his Grand Daughter, she is here! Carmelo, his daughter Emilia, her daughter' followed by a lot of squealing, hala hala hala la la noise, etc. I wish I understood the language - what a pity. Anyway, my Great Grandfather Giuseppe had a brother who died young (about 40) and Father Ray's mother is his daughter. I know it is confusing, who ever can tell me what kind of cousins we are, etc. or if Ray's Mom is my Mom's cousin, etc. I will give you a cookie. I am confused and so excited at this point and cant believe I have actually met someone I am related to. Father Ray is a very busy Priest, I am supposed to call him tonight at 10:00 PM to see if we can get together with his parents on his boat tomorrow night or Monday. That would be really nice. I am so glad I brought photos, etc. Everyone who has seen the photos think my Dad is Maltese too, they are very interested in his background - I tell them he is Mafia from Sicily and I cant talk about him, just kidding!
I just had a driver take me back to Grandpa's house so I could get a close up of the sign on the house and see if the church was open, but it was not, another pity, it is supposed to be beautiful.
Yesterday, I found out that Marks and Spencer carries cool jeans that actually fit me, dangerous. I bought one pair but am dreaming of another. I have also seen some really nice shoes but haven't bought any.
Mom, I have been trying to get the lace you wanted, but what they have here is not that nice - I don't like it, it looks like it was done on a machine and has colored flowers embroidered on it. Perhaps I will go back to Valletta on Monday and look some more.

Wendy, if my memory about your European adventure last summer serves me right, you loved chocolate chip gelato - am I correct? I couldn't remember what flavor you said, but think it was that one. I saw some being made yesterday, they piled the white heavenly creamy part into the silver freezer container and while they piled it in, they would take chocolate and make stripes all over it and it would freeze. I must have been foaming at the mouth because the young man assembling it gave me a taste and it about knocked me down. Damn it was good.

Angela, thanks for your comments you are so sweet! I am glad you are keeping up with me.

Wendy, one more thing, seriously, I read more than half of 'The Book of Bright Ideas' last night. I love it and couldn't put it down! Thanks for the great read. I am sure to finish it tonight. I love not having a TV but cant help but wonder who got voted off ANTM last night. HA ha!

Well, this gal needs to eat. It is 2:40 PM and I have walked about 5 miles today on nothing but a date roll and water. It is HOT and I am needing to refuel and get to the beach to take a nappy before it rains, again. The weather has been HOT but not sunny. Alright though, I am in heaven.

I have just inhaled so much cigarette smoke sitting here, I need to clear out my lungs outside as well.

PS - The computer I am using has sticky keys (unsettling) so I hope I haven't made too many mistakes on this posting.

Gozo no Go!

Didn't take my trip to Gozo today. The water has been rough and more importantly, Joe wanted to meet me this afternoon and take me to my Grandfather's village. I called the company to cancel and they refunded me, so nice. Joe found the address and knocked on the door in B'kara. A woman answered and Joe told her my story and she took us to a neighbors house of someone who knew my Grandfather's sisters Maria and Giuseppena. We knocked on the door there and a really old man answered and Joe spoke to him, soon after, his wife came around the corner and spoke with us. Again, they thought I spoke Maltese until Joe told them I didnt. They knew my Great Aunts and said that Maria sold the house about 10 years ago and checked herself into assisted living because she had a bad heart. She died soon after that as well as her sister. The man who bought the house is no longer there and it is empty, so sad. The number of the house has changed due to growth, etc. it used to be 8 St. Helens Square and is now 11 St. Helens Square. I took photos and the funny thing is the house still says Casa de Guiseppe in the cement (he was my Great Grandfather). I may have to buy the house, ha ha ha! A girl has to have a dream right?
You know that part in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" where Holly says something to the effect that she won't do certain things (name the cat, etc.) until she finds "a place where me and things go together, I dont know where it is, but I can tell you what it's like...it's like Tiffany's. I'm craaaazy about Tiffany's." I may have totally butchered that, however, my point being that ever since I was a kid I felt like I needed to find that place. So, I moved and came back home. Moved again, came back home. Moved again and stayed, but still feel like me and things don't go together. In Malta, me and things go together. Like Carrie Bradshaw and shoes, like Sonny and Cher, like Peanut Butter and Jelly, you get the point. I love it here. I feel so alive. I exercise every day and have been eating the best food ever. Ugh, cough, cough, I just got a mouth full of cologne from the man who walked behind me - phew! Better than B.O. which is also big here!
I found an internet place close to where I am staying so that is cool. It is about 7:30 PM here and dark already. It is pretty safe, the only scary part on my walk back to my place is my street is poorly lit so I walk super fast. To be honest I am more scared of the cockroaches and rats running over my feet than anything. Last night was the first night it didn't rain so I am hoping that the harbor ferries will be running tomorrow. I really want to get out on the water. In the morning tomorrow I am first going to meet a priest who is related to my Grandfather and his sisters in some way. His mother was very close with them from what one of the women in B'kara told me. At 10:00 AM I am taking a tour of ancient tombs, caves, etc. it should be really cool. I am going to try and reschedule my Gozo trip for next Monday if I can, not sure though. Sicily on Sunday though which I am really looking forward to.
Well, I am off to find someone to eat dinner with me. More than likely it will be my shadow or a stray cat or like the other day, the owner of the restaurant which was nice.
Love you all!
Ciao Ciao!

Ahhhhh MALTA!

I am in freakin Malta and I am in LOVE. With the island that is.
Sorry I have not updated sooner. The internet is not as easy to find here as it was in Vietnam. I am having a wonderful time. I learned very quickly that the National Bird of Malta is not the falcon, it is the mosquito and many have welcomed me to the country (thanks guys, especially for biting me on my palm, that one feels really good). The National Animal is the giant cockroach and one walked over my foot and up my leg the other day while I was talking to a woman in her shop. I just shook it off, she is the one who freaked out. There are many horses here pulling the old school carts around. There are a ton of cats just chillin and everyone here goes out at night and walks the promande with their dog(s). 80's and 90's music is very popular as well as designer knock offs and fake lables, it is great! Church is very important to the people here, sometimes the church even over rides the government. It is about 1:15 PM on Tuesday the 17th. Everything is closed for lunch and siesta but not the one and only internet cafe I came all the way to Valletta by bus for. I actually had some other official business to take care of here with my friend Joe Calleja and his wife Carmen (who I just LOVE). No, we are not related, but he is very nice and is showing me around and trying to help me find family (to no avail at this point though). Joe had to go and do some things so Carmen and I went shopping and to a cafe and she just left me to go and collect her Grand Daughter from school. I am going to hang out here in Valletta for the afternoon while it is nice outside. It has been storming each night and yesterday all of the ferries were closed due to the water conditions. I have been all over the island already too - I have seen fresco paintings from the 16th century and also have gone to where the apostle Paul was shipwrecked and the grotto that he stayed in when he brought Christianity to Malta. I have never seen things so old in my life. I also have gone to the Mosta Dome where a bomb went through the roof during WWII and never detonated - it was a miracle. I even saw the bomb. People here look like me and some come to me and try to speak Maltese to me too, I have to stop them and tell them English only, sorry. They ask if I am Maltese and I say yes, and then they try to teach me Maltese. The last two tours I have been on, I am the youngest and the only single traveler so I get to sit in the front next to the driver - so fun! The driving here is insane though so it can get a little scary.
I have bee walking every night with the people from Sliema where I am staying to Paceville (pacha-ville) for my evening stroll - about 2 miles or so - I feel great, it is humid as all get out and there is mold everywhere, but no allergies. Not even after my dinner of bread, cheese, olives and beer last night - YUMM! I am in heaven for sure.
I love you all and will write more when I can (if I can find another internet cafe.)

PS - Angela, can you please call Tim and let him know my blog address, and let him know that I am safe and having fun, etc.? I would really appreciate it. I have already called my Mom twice and forgot to ask her to do it because I have been preoccupied with her and asking a lot of family questions, etc. If he wants a more detailed update, tell him to call my Mom and Dad.

Tuesday before Malta

HOLY CRAP!
I am so excited to embark on my adventure this week.
I do have a lot of things to do though. I have to do a load of laundry after work and try to get back to Target because I forgot to pick up one thing this past weekend, ugh! I also have to go to the bank to get some cash. I hope to get all that done today after work so tomorrow I just have to work and pack.
Anyway, I know my posts haven't been very exciting or enlightening lately and I apologize. There is a lot going on in my head and I haven't been able to express it all.
I hope to be able to update my blog from Malta so you all know what is going on in my world. Anyway, I may post again later today, but if not, I will post tomorrow.
Stay tuned...


2 Days until Malta!

Monday before Malta

Not too much to report from the weekend. I have been trying to get motivated to start packing for my trip. I went riding on Saturday and told Apache I would not see him for a couple weeks. I hope someone rides him so he doesn't forget all of the work we have done so far. I will miss him, I love him and love being around him. Generally I procrastinate when it comes to packing and do my best work the night before, so that is what I will probably end up doing - after I watch America's Next Top Model of course.
I booked my day trip to Sicily at the end of last week and will be going there on the 22nd, towards the end of my trip. I am still waiting to hear about a couple other day trips I have planned, but I can figure that out when I get there if I need to. I am getting excited, nervous and anxious all at the same time so my tummy has been a little weird. It is so funny, I focus in so much on the flying part before I leave, but once I am on the plane, I am fine and it is then when I get really excited about the trip. Anyway, back to the grind.
Stay Tuned...

3 Days until Malta!

As Promised...

Here is a photo of the sweetest boy in the world.
Apache!

Current Soundtrack of My Life

8 Days until Malta!

Gum Anyone?

I know, this is silly, but had to share it with you. Most of you know, I am a gum chewer, I love my gum and I wanted to let you all know about a new one I just tried.

Someone, who will remain unmentioned (I don’t want you to be flooded with requests for this product) gave me a pack of “Cat Butt Gum”. I think it is hilarious. The front of the package is funny. It was hard to photograph, but the white bubble says, “8 pieces of kiss my ass attitude”. The back of the package is the best, it reads (typed verbatim):

7 helpful occasions to chew this gum

1. When you suddenly need to change your mood.
2. When somebody yell at you and you don’t want to listen.
3. If you are lack of attitude.
4. When you need to refuse.
5. When you want to be picky.
6. When you want to be selfish.
7. When you definitely want to say “kiss my ass!”

*chew more than one if you need extra attitude.
Made in Canada

I decided to chew 2 because like a cat, I am curious and I can always use some extra attitude. Actually the gum has a nice peppermint flavor, but it doesn’t last long. Also, I wish they had made it sugar-free.

I would like to thank our neighbors to the North for coming up with this product. It made me laugh and kept my jaws busy for a while.

9 Days until Malta!

Monday, Monday

I will say it again, I need one more day. I had a packed weekend and loved every minute of it. The highlight was that I got to visit with and ride Apache. When I went to get him from his stall, he recognized me and gave me a little kiss on my neck. He was so dirty, it took a while to get him clean and saddled up. When we got out into the arena he was testing me so I had to work really hard to get him to do what I wanted him to do. I don't think anyone rode him all week. My legs are sore, but it was worth it. I saw some wild turkeys during my lesson; they were beautiful except for that yucky red rubbery skin hanging down around their face and beak. There were about 5 of them running around the ranch. I took some photos of Apache, just need to download them on to my computer from my camera. The one thing I didn't do this weekend was chores! I didn't do my laundry so I have to do it during the week, which is OK; I like not having to "work" on the weekends, I will leave that for during the week.

This week I am going to try and book some day trips for when I am in Malta. I am trying to firm everything up, I have been pretty laid back about this trip, and I am surprised at myself. I usually try to get every little detail taken care of way ahead of time, but this time is different. It could be because I will be on my own; I can wing it more that way I guess.

I am hoping to return to yoga this week. I still have a slight cough and congestion, but I think I have to give it a go before I go crazy.

10 Days until Malta!