We all need someone...

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741

This video was sent to me by my friend Jack, I just had to share it with you. We all need somebody, enjoy. Thanks, Jack!

Marcia C

Happy birthday Miss Lauryn!

Three years old, wow! I remember the moment she arrived on this earth and cannot believe it has been 3 years already! A lot has happened since that joyful event; her cousin Elisa and sister Sydney came along to join her.

But I digress, this week it is all about the little lady turning three and all the excitement that entails. There will be a birthday party of course, Miss L will celebrate with friends and family; there will be cake and ice cream too. The one requirement--make sure the cake is pink! Our little Miss is a real girly girl! LOL! This is her new thing, pink is her favorite color. And before you ask "What does a 3-year old know about colors?" Believe me--she knows her colors, and numbers, and I-Touch, and PC, and which movies she likes to see, and... you get my drift.

She has a penchant for Curious George too, surprised she did not ask for a pink outfit for him. Dora the Explorer, is another favorite. But selecting a Halloween outfit this year was a hoot, our traditional “princess” had her dress all picked out until she came upon “Foofa” a character from the Yo-Gabba-Gabba children's program on the Nick Jr channel. You guessed it—that was the end of that! She will now be sporting her new Foofa outfit for Halloween; guess why? It is pink, of course!

Happy birthday, Miss Lauryn. Grandma and Grandpa love you, we will see you Sunday in the box, a.k.a. Skype! Yo-Gabba-Gabba!

That's what I am talking about!

Hola Abuela!

One of the things I talk about (among friends) frequently is the fact that time goes by too quickly; and to make that point clear I was greeted last week with a resounding "Hola Abuela" by our oldest granddaughter, little Miss Lauryn. It was like guess what I can do now, I can speak Spanish; and just to make sure I did not assume that was all she knew, she proceeded to recite the numbers too. Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco!

I was left speechless for a very brief moment, it was a totally unexpected gesture and it gave me such pleasure to hear it coming out of her mouth. You see, Miss Lauryn will be three years old next month and she can already talk up a storm, the surprise came when she switched it up to Spanish. Mom and I had already discussed the fact that she came home one day talking what sounded to her like "gibberish" not realizing that she was being introduced to Spanish in her EPS (Early Pre School) class. I was delighted to hear when "gibberish" turned into actual words, well spoken and delivered with gusto! Hola Abuela indeed!

So back to the time flying thing, we are now grandparents of two additional beauties, they are: Elisa Londyn, born on May 30, 2011 and Sydney Joyce, born on July 30, 2011, all girls all the time, yeah! Our two daughters special gifts this year, and we could not be happier. As you can imagine, the posts will be more frequent now and will be expanded to include all the girls; as of right now they are only 4 and 2 months old, but are already providing Abuela with lots of material to talk about.

BTW, I plan to make weekly updates, so please stay tuned and follow my posts. I love to read all your comments, but  please leave them on the blog site.

That's what I'm talking about!
Marcia C

Mother Nature scares me!

Hola, Hello, I’m back! 

I hope you noticed that I was missing in action for a couple of weeks or so.

Here’s the deal: I have a day job, this means I’m usually pretty busy most days of the week; by the time I leave work in the evenings it becomes a toss-up between going straight home and going to the gym. Two or three nights a week the gym wins; that means when I get home there will be nothing left to do but eat a quick meal and take a shower, after that give the brain a rest for the day—translation: mindless TV channel surfing.

This week, however, the need for self-expression came crashing back in more ways than one. First, the news was so full of unfortunate events that it just made me worry about where this world of ours is headed. I mean, there were the ongoing news of Japan’s nuclear reactors (after the earthquakes and tsunami) threatening to wreak havoc on the already extremely taxed nerves of the Japanese people (mine too). I can’t begin to imagine what to do in such a situation.

Then there were the “social networks” driven revolts in the Middle East, and ongoing threats of war. Here is my thought on this and please correct me if I am wrong, the power of God, (I am a believer) or whatever Higher Power rocks your boat, should be self-evident; we have no control over this earth and it appears, very little control over ourselves as well. My immediate thoughts after the Japanese events was Mother Nature has demonstrated to us once again that she is the ultimate “equalizer” and we should be taking notice of this fact and begin to treat each other with the utmost care, compassion and kindness.  Or as Rodney King would say: “Can’t we all just get along?”

It should be enough for us to know there are more pressing things (feed the hungry, educate our children, eat some ice cream) that require we put our collective energies into; rather than trying to tear each other down. When we die, and we all will at some time or the other, all our worldly possessions will be left behind and even if we managed to take something with us (can’t imagine why) I am sure whatever it is would be useless wherever we end up.

So come on people, let’s decide to help our fellow human beings in every way we can. We do not have to give money away; a little loving and caring should be enough in most cases. Most people would appreciate a gesture that says: I feel your pain, rather than a put down. An uplifting message is always better than a negative comment. People who are down, do not need you to remind them of that fact; they need you say you understand, and if you don’t, please keep your mouth shut!

And that is what I’m talking about!

Marcia C

Reality TV? Whose Reality?

First of all, I want to point out that I believe the world as I knew it has gone crazy; that said, I will repeat: the world has absolutely gone crazy. If you don’t believe me, check out the daily news for confirmation. If the news does not do it for you; check out the TV Guide to see what’s on. On any given day or night, the programming sucks, there is a proliferation of so called reality shows. Whose reality exactly? I am not sure. But the number of people who are willing to get paid for exposing parts of their life, those parts they should clearly be keeping to themselves, never ceases to amaze me. It is evident that we now live in a society which has given up on basic common sense, manners, and dare I say it… decency.

Go ahead and watch any of the number of “so called” reality shows and you’ll feel your “cringe factor” go up a few notches, “it will be kicked up a notch” as Emeril would say. It used to be that there was some level of censorship applied to TV shows who make use of “objectionable” language, and certain intimate scenes were deemed too risqué for general audiences (especially during daytime shows); surely, any kind of “sex talk" was out of the question; that does not seem to be the case anymore.

I am no prude, never have been, but I’ve now gotten to the point where I only watch some news programs, and select shows on TV; I dislike anything that displays a lack of sensitivity toward those of us watching, so that pretty much leaves out all crime shows (too much violence), some cartoons, and of course, most reality shows, especially the housewives series (what a joke!) as I cannot relate to any of them (NY, LA, ATL, whatever). None of the real housewives I’ve ever known behave like these women on TV do.

I am a fan of HGTV, because I am able to learn something from the shows I chose to watch, things that I can actually use; I am a dog lover, so Dog Whisperer tickles my fancy, so do many of the shows on PBS, History, and Discovery channels; again, because I can learn something.

One of the bright spots on the “tely” (as the British say) is CBS’s Sunday Morning Show. It “reports” not “fabricates” the news as many of the other shows do. That aside, the segment titled “Brain Drain” featured during a recent broadcast, got me thinking about the serious problems we are experiencing educating our children. Jobs are been outsourced to countries like India, Philippines, and many others because they have figured a path to success. They place a higher emphasis on education and training; while our students think the way to success rests on playing with a ball (football, basketball, baseball).

Many of the foreign countries have also decided that sending their children to receive their education in the old USA is their best investment to ensure they are in the best position to compete; they get trained by the best scholars money can buy, and go back to their countries—degree in hand, to apply what they learned, help grow their countries’ economies and surpass Americans at their own game. Genius!

This is serious stuff and we better get cracking to reverse this “brain drain” trend. Parents: YOU must step up to the plate ASAP to make sure your children receive the education they not only deserve, but desperately need in order to compete and to make headway in the increasingly global world we now live in. And, it would not be a bad thing if they also learn to speak other languages (once they perfect English, of course). Japanese, Chinese, or Spanish come to mind.

Who knows, the trends may soon reverse and mastery of a foreign language may be required of our students in order to get a job; be it at home, in China, Japan, Spain or anywhere else in the world.

That’s what I’m Talking About!

Marcia C

Balding heads, holding on to ponytails?

Okay, it is obvious to me that I live in Florida.

I say that to say this, I am old enough, been around and witnessed the days when White dudes wore ponytail and mullet hairstyles everywhere, and Black men (and women) sported afros of all sizes; that was fine back then; after all, they were all the rage back in the day. They were in vogue. I even wore my cute little ‘fro for a number of years—say it loud, I’m Black and proud, as the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, used to say. Lol! Yes, I am dating myself.

News flash! That was over thirty years ago! It is now 2011, a new millennium, dudes; and there have been many other hairstyles introduced since the sixties. So I submit to you there is no good reason for anyone to be still sporting any of those hairdos today (unless, of course, you are taking part in a play or movie) read: retro.

Recently, as I waited my turn in a jury selection box, I had to use all the will power in me to suppress the giggles as laughter threatened to escape me and possibly get me in trouble. Obviously, I had plenty of time on my hands, otherwise I would not have noticed the three--count them: one, two, three balding men still sporting their sixties ponytails! What are the odds? There were only about twenty five people in the courtroom, that’s got to be some kind of freaky statistic!

Anyway, I can see trying to hold on to our youth; heck, those were fun days and it was fun to be a hippie, or flower girl, or burn our bras and all that stuff. But guess what? Those days are over and they are never coming back, just like our hair! Let’s face it, we are now (Gasp!) our parents. We are the establishment, OMG! We grew up—or should have, to have our own jobs and children and homes. And now, we are quickly becoming our grandparents. Where did all that time go?

Anyway, I am ranting. But as we go into the sunset, let’s do it with the same gusto we displayed when we were younger, and please let’s find a hairstyle now that speaks to our new station in life. After all, our grandchildren are looking, and I think, they might be saying:

“No, I can’t like it” to our continued use of outdated hairstyles.

And that’s what I am talking about!

Marcia C

My Neck of the Woods

Port Charlotte? Punta Gorda? Where is that? It does not sound like there will be much to do there. This is usually how a conversation goes after the standard brief introductions with almost anyone that comes through this small town of ours. The explanation usually goes something like this: we are located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, right between Fort Myers (to the south) and Sarasota (to the north) and suddenly, recognition, an--Aha! Moment, as Oprah often says. I know where that is, my grandma has a house over there. Lol!

These days, when I listen to the weather reports, and hear about places up north being dumped on by many feet of snow, and enduring all kinds of minus -0 degree weather, I’ve been having my own “Aha Moments”! Don’t get me wrong, I will complain just like everyone else about the weather, at the right time, it all depends on weather conditions (hurricane season comes to mind).

But last night and the night before, I was very glad to be living in “my neck of the woods” (Thanks, Al). It was around six in the evening when I felt a smile begin to form within me, there it was again as I crossed the bridge--another SW Florida present, a beautiful mix of clouds and sun that is very hard to describe. A beautiful sunset, and I did not have my camera with me this time, plus I was driving. Ughhhh!

Sunsets are a spectacular sight in our area. I lived in Brooklyn, NY for many years before moving south and can honestly say I never paid as much attention to the skies there, as I do in Florida. Maybe that’s because most of the year, I was running in or out of subways or ducking people bump-ins in between high risers in Manhattan. Or maybe I was just too busy and frazzled, going about my business to stop and appreciate nature; even as I appreciated and explored everything else NYC had to offer; to this day, it is one of my favorite cities.

Funny thing is there are, more than enough things to do in Port Charlotte and its surrounding areas; it boasts some of the best beaches (Boca Grande, Manasota) you can find anywhere along the Gulf Coast of Florida. Sunsets are beautiful and plentiful, except of course when the skies open up and let out their fair share of rain, thunder and lightning. There are many festivals, music, arts, and lots of fishing and boating to keep the most discriminating soul busy for days on end. Totally worth the experience. So come on down!

That's what I'm Talking About!

Marcia C

No, I can't Like it!

This was our granddaughter’s way of letting everyone know, during a recent holiday visit, whether or not she was planning to accept whatever it was that was being offered to her; be it food, a change of clothes, diapers, or whatever, you name it. If she had previously been enjoying a bowl of cereal and all of a sudden did not feel like having any more of it, she would adamantly state: “No, I can’t like it!” to let you know she was having no more of it. We, of course, almost fell to the ground with laughter the first time we heard her come up with that one. (Still do)

Do you remember? During the late nineties, there was a show on TV hosted by Bill Cosby called “Kids Say the Darndest Things”? It was hilarious. It focused on young children and the things they innocently say and do; it shed a light on the little things we all take for granted when raising our children, and the effect it can have on the grown-ups around them too.

Out of nowhere comes a statement like that. What do you answer to that? Have you ever tried to have a logical conversation with a two-year old? Please note, I said: logical.

What I tried, went something like this: “What do you mean you can’t like it?” You liked it just fine a few minutes ago, what happened since then? She had been eating strawberries—which she actually asked for by name—and all of a sudden, she can’t like them? They are her favorite fruit of the moment, for God’s sake! But, she insisted, “No, I can’t like it” to which I then asked: So, what is it you want? You know what’s coming, right? She is a two-year old—I just told you that!

Strawberries, “No, I can’t like it!” Banana!

Banana? I said. You now want a banana? Yes, she said. Of course, I went for it; got her what she asked for and then… when she had had enough, guess what? Yep, you know it, “No, I can’t like it!”

I’ll tell you what Bill Cosby; they still do… Say the Darndest Things!!!

And that’s what I am talking about!

Marcia C

What can I do for you?


Ok, that was definitely not the question I thought I’d have to answer to as we entered this popular Italian dining spot on a holiday weekend Monday afternoon; it was 1:45 pm and my friend and I had just made up our minds to eat here after we discovered our first choice had recently closed its doors on our side of town, and moved itself across the bridge to a new location. Good thing my friend called earlier to make last minute plans, otherwise we would both arrive at the former location to find an empty place.

Ok, so now we are left trying to decide where to go for lunch; after the expected back and forth discussion, we easily settled on the Carrousel Plaza Mall location, just because there are at least five restaurants in there from which we could select from. We decided the Italian restaurant would do. Easy enough, right?

As we walked in, the hostess/waitress greeted us with “What can I do for you?” Huh? My friend and I both looked at each other with the same dumbfounded look as we wondered: “What kind of question was that? Is this not a restaurant? What did she think we could possibly want? Aren't  they supposed to be serving food here?

My response to her question? Huh, what about some food? To which she responded, “Come this way”,  We followed her to our seats. There were still a few people in there, in various stages of dining, so we settled in to have a nice dining experience. The meal was average, nothing to write home about, but the service or lack thereof was a different story. As it turned out, by the time we ordered our drinks there was only a ten minute window in which to order our food, the kitchen was closing at 2 pm, something our waitress failed to mention when she sat us down.

There is nothing more unnerving that being rushed through your meal, but then I would have nothing to talk about regarding this lunch date; if the hostess/waitress would have told us at the outset that we only had a few minutes in which to order our meal we would have left. We could have decided to patronize any one of the other four or five restaurants on the plaza. As it happened, we ordered, we ate and then kept looking over our shoulders—feeling as paying intruders in this restaurant.

Needless to say, that’s the last time they’ll see my Visa card at this establishment; the next time I feel like eating Italian food I'll cook it myself or pull out one of Mario's recipe books. But, I certainly would not visit the Plaza's Italian dining place or recommend it to anyone else.

That’s what I’m talking about!

Marcia C

A word about SW Florida winter getaways...

Some of us in SWFL absolutely, positively are not feeling this blast of arctic cold air coming through our beautiful Gulf coast; after all, this is the “Sunshine State” not Boston or New York; and we all smugly assumed we had left that cold stuff behind us when we moved south from places like Ohio, Brooklyn, and NYC.

Imagine my surprise this morning, when on my way to work and almost ten days after my last post, The Rose, (yes, the same one) was still in full bloom and seemed to be basking in the glory of the 30 degree weather we are experiencing. It looked like it was actually enjoying the chill in the air! All this while I was bundled up and cursing under my breath because I needed a heavier covering than what I was wearing (a sweater and scarf) and had to rush back into the house to pick-up a coat. A coat? WTH, I am not supposed to need one down here!!!

Anyway, I guess I am just ranting. I have no right to complain, there are 49 other states with snow somewhere on their grounds and we are still the “tropical weather” destination for our northern neighbors. I, for one, am not going anywhere near any body of water (except my own bathroom to take a shower) to take any kind of dips.


It is cold out there, people! You are not supposed to be wearing a bathing suit, pretending you do not feel the chill! I understand, you worked hard all year to come down to Florida to get your piece of the sunshine promise, but trust me you can still have a good time without catching pneumonia. And believe me; you are more likely to catch that, than the perfect suntan!

I speak from experience and with empathy; thankfully I never got pneumonia but I was once a “newbie” to the golden shores of the sunshine state, and believed that I too had earned the right to jump in a cold pool just because I could not do so whenever I wanted to when I lived in NY. But reality set in along with common sense, and now I actually wait for the other 9 months of the year when it is actually warm enough (or sometimes too warm) and when the beaches are in the best condition for me to enjoy; along with the drum circles, and other fun activities that make for a perfect day at the beach on a Saturday afternoon. Trust me; this is when you need to be in the water, when the temperature is a beautiful 80 degrees or more!

That’s what I am talking about!

Marcia C

Good morning sunshine!

This morning was not one of those usual and typical sunny mornings in my “neck of the SW Florida woods”, as Al Roker would say.

It started out as predicted by the weathermen, cloudy and gray, although with a nice and warm 70 degrees and a misty shower gracing the skies. Floridians know what I’m talking about.

I left home with the usual thoughts in mind: did I unplug the curling iron, turn off all other appliances? Did I remember to take my meds and thinking ahead to what I had to do at work today? You know, one of those days, lol!

As I got outside, it hit me; the $1.00 rose bush tree I bought on a whim and that the hubby had planted a couple of years ago was again bearing fruit or in this case a beautiful yellow rose. It spoke to me, it made me take a step back to appreciate its beauty; this is not the first time that this particular tree has produced a flower, on the contrary it has proven to be a prolific rose birthing little bush.

But the contrast this morning between the weather and this unexpected gift made me appreciate the little things in life more and more. This beautiful rose commanded my attention in a way that said: Look at me! I am beautiful and I am a gift from the heavens above and earth below; I am standing tall just for you so go ahead, take my picture (thanks to my Blackberry) and share me with the world! I did as was told, lol!

Take time, as I always do, to pay attention to your surroundings; sometimes the least expected things can change the tone and mood of the day ahead. This morning, this beautiful yellow rose right outside my door and at almost shoulder height, spoke to me and made me think of all the things we take for granted. From now on the camera goes with me everywhere. Watch out world!

That’s what I’m talking about!

Marcia C

It is a new year and a new decade begins!

It's 2011, does anyone still remember the Y2K scare? Can you believe that a whole decade has just passed us by, and that the year 2011 ushers in the new decade? What's up with that?

There was so much that happened during the last ten years: the economy collapsed after the Wall Street bankers gambled with our money... and lost. The financial scam wizzards were out in force, remember Bernie Maddoff? Unemployment rates are still in the double digits all around the country, two years later, etc, etc, etc.

Let us take the bull by the horns this year and take control of our lives; let's take a hard look at all the things that surround us and keep us stuck in the same place over and over again, and then decide once and for all to make a serious effort to change our circumstances. Make 2011 our year to shine, review finances, careers, relationships and anything  else that's holding us back and let's promise ourselves to change what does not work; because guess what... life is short, and then we die. So, there is no sense in living under the clouds of unhapiness when there are other options available to us.

On the other hand... if you are happy and you know it, clap your hands! I am clapping and clapping and clapping my hands all the time, because I've surrounded myself with happy, fulfilled and contented people and their energy and love spills onto me; and I make sure to pay it forward in every way I can. I have a lovely and loving family who fulfills my every need, and for this reason alone I consider myself a rich woman. This new year promises to bring great gifts and I am giddy with anticipation, I am very thankful for the blessings already in my life and look forward to the new year full of expectations.

Happy 2011 to all, let's make the best of it. That's what I am talking about!

Marcia C