TGIF – No Kidding ?#$^*!

Emoticon What a week I’ve had.

First, there were the normal April end-of-tax-month work emergencies.

I finally resolved all of those late Saturday and decided to treat myself to a mani/pedi. The dh treated me to dinner, and I wore a new earring necklace combination. We went out to a fabulous Italian restaurant and had a great time.

The next morning the dh notices a rash around my neck. Smiley  Two hours later, I start itching like a flea-infested gorilla.

Wonderful. A new allergy. Fine. I put on my big-girl panties and take a strong antihistamine.

On the following evening, we come home to find that our kitchen fridge/freezer’s not working and the defrosted water’s everywhere. We eat a ton of seafood. You gotta imagine the stench. Now you have to understand that our garage fridge had stopped working in January and we decided, since it’s just the two of us, we didn’t need it anymore. We call our friendly repair man and, two days and numerous coolers and packs of ice later, the kitchen fridge is working again.

Right on that day the dh leaves to visit his buddy for his birthday.

Everything’s hunky dory. I’m even looking forward to a couple of days of intense concentration on my current WIP,  Torch the Wind.

Dumb me. Smiley

I drop the dh to the airport. The traffic is ridiculously slow – it’s rush hour. The dh informs me that I’ll be going against traffic on the way back, so it should be easy.

HA!

Not only does a tractor trailer overturn on the highway, and it takes me two hours to get to my exit, but there’s an accident at the gated entrance to my community.

*Banging head on desk* Three hours later, I finally make it back home.

That same afternoon, my mom’s due to arrive from Trinidad.  She flies into the Ft. Lauderdale airport and usually, her pickup’s a breeze. Actually, the last few times her plane has landed early and she’s been outside waiting for me.

SmileyHa again!

I head to the airport with my Kindle and proceed to wait in the cell phone area for her call. An hour and a half AFTER her flight’s listed as arrived – NADA. Zilch, nothing, no phone call. I contact my sons, ask them to check her flight status. The electronic board listing’s correct. She did arrive two hours earlier. Finally, I park, go in, and find out that the whole immigration network’s down, and they’ve been processing all flights manually.

We don’t make it home from the airport until 8:30PM from a flight that arrived at 4:15PM!!!!!

Aaargh.

I did what any semi-insane woman would do in that situation. I bought a bottle of wine and a lottery ticket!

Cheers,

Jianne

Stress, Humor, & The Rest!

Stress.

It’s unavoidable in our always-in-touch, not-enough-hours-in-a-day world.

Exactly what does the word, stress, mean?

The National Institute of Mental Health defines stress as the brain’s response to any demand. According to this organization there’s a positive side to stress. When we’re in danger, the stress response triggers body reactions, which can be life-saving: faster pulse, increased rate of breathing, muscle tension, more oxygen to the brain, all reactions crucial for survival. Stress can even boost the immune system.

Hooping Hoorah! *snort*.

If you’re like me, there’s no good side to being stressed out. The funny aspect of stress is that nine out of ten times, I don’t realize that I’m stressed out until my body reacts – my allergies flare up, or I come down with a flu.

This year I’ve resolved to do what we Trinis call ‘take in front’. The equivalent of the best form of defense is offense. My way of dealing with stress is to do the things that make me relax: Watching funny YouTube shorts, cooking, a mind-numbing Zumba class, gardening, reading, taking a walk on the beach, you get the drift.

Since my day job’s in finance, April is a cruel month—the tax man cometh.

I’m cramming all my stress relievers into this weekend. Here’s my YouTube short stress relief:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGtXyWOcYM0

On Friday night, the dh and I visited the Pompano Beach Seafood Festival—so yum, and such a soothing setting. Imagine sitting in a cool breeze on a pier while sipping wine, slurping briny oysters, and watching and listening to an Eagles tribute band on the beach. Heaven.

 PBSF - hotel view

PBSF beach PBSF Stage

PBSF stage 2  IMG_1903

 

Saturday, I whipped up this incredible Tomato Carpaccio using locally grown heirloom tomatoes. Pure foodie paradise. My mouth’s watering thinking about it:

Tomato Carpaccion wo cheese             Tomato Carpaccio

Yesterday, the dh finally deemed the pool water temperature right for swimming. So, we lazed by the pool, drank margaritas, and barbequed steak and corn. Of course, then there’s the ultimate relaxer *wink wink* *nod nod*.

Today, I’m ready to face whatever Machiavellian Monday crises erupt!

Bring it on!

Cheers,

Jianne

TBR Pile Thursday Teaser!

TBR - teaserCheck out the TBR Pile’s Teaser Thursday and win a $5.00 gift card and a free copy of the Viking paranormal, Branded by Étaín, and two other eBooks!

Link is here:

http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/1/post/2014/04/teaser-thursday-5-gift-card-and-3-ebook-giveaway.html

Have a Terrific Thursday!

Cheers,

Jianne

That Pearly Drop – Trailer

Check out this wonderful trailer The BookChick Designs created for That Pearly Drop!

What do the hounds of hell, time travel, a murdered girl, a coach ticket to Wye Castle, and a governess’ letter of employment have to do with waking up in 1763, the mate of wolf-shifter, Ian, the Earl of Wye? Emma’s about to find out.

Have a Merry Monday!

Cheers,

Jianne

My Dad

mourningToday is the twenty-first anniversary of my father’s death. While time has eased the acute pain of his loss, there is no day that passes without me thinking of him. My dad and I had, in my eyes, the best relationship possible between a parent and sibling. I was the apple of his eye and he was, and still is, my hero.

His tale is incredible. Born in 1933. He was the son of a white, Portuguese gold and diamond mine and plantation owner and his indentured Indian (as from India) servant. Rumor has it that my grandmother had absolutely no say in refusing my grandfather’s advances, and he had several other mistresses in different locations. My grandfather went on to father three sons, all of whom he legitimized, and he did provide for their education.

My father graduated from the University of Guelph in Canada with a Bachelor Degree in Science and a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Science in 1952 at the tender age of 19. An accomplishment even more incredible when you take into account that he was of mixed ethnicity.

Dad went on to found a conglomerate now present in almost every major English-speaking Caribbean island and some South American countries. But, though I relished and learned from his business acumen, what I admired most about my father was his commitment to his principles.

We lived on a 60×40 island, where corruption ran rampant. To receive a regular water supply (as in water in your taps for showering, cooking, etc.), you had to bribe the drivers and crews of water trucks and the workers at the reservoirs. We once went 60 days without a single drop of water in our faucets because my dad refused to pay the bribe. (We drove miles to a working pipe on the roadway, filled barrels, and that was the source of our daily water).

Dad instilled the commitment to your principles in each and every one of my three brothers and me. To this day, I cannot cheat — even in Pictionary (okay being Catholic convent educated may also have impacted).

So, to my father on this day — thanks Dad, for making me who I am today. I turned out all right.

Love you always,

Your daughter