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Jan 30, 2012

Pollos y Gatos

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chickens (pollos) and cats (gatos)

“Chickens & Cats”  Vacation in Mexico!  Spanish followed by English.

 

El año pasado viajé a Playa del Carmen Méjico por un semana.

Recib una oferta spectacular para  alquilar  un auto para cinco dias.  Sólo cuesta tres mil trescientos ochenta y uno pesos.  ¡Es una ganga!  Conduje mi auto de zona arqueológica de Chichen Itza.  Me gustaba el arte hecho a mano y me compré una bolsa azul y negra.

Nadé en de cenote de Dzitnup.  El agua de cenote es calido y limpio.  Busqué en el parque de nacional marine.  Me gustaban la tortugas gigantes y el pez de colores hermoso.

Muchas mujeres de Maya venden quesadillas para cincuenta pesos.  Yo compré dos y fue deliciosa.  Yo pregunté a la mujer “son de pollos y no gatos.  ¿Verdad?”  ¡Si! ella dicha.  Ellas todas reido conmingo.

Soy Tonto,

~P.

Last year I traveled to Playa del Carmen, Mexico for a week.  I received a spectacular offer to rent a car for five days.  It cost 3,381 pesos.  ($311.00)   It is a bargain!  I drove my car to the archeological zone of Chichen Itza.  I liked the handmade art and a bought a black and blue purse.

I swam in the natural spring of Dzitnup.  The water in the spring was warm and clean.  I scuba dove in the National Marine Park.  I liked the giant turtles and the many colored fish.

Many women of Maya sell quesadillas for fifty pesos.  I buy two and they were delicious.  I questioned the woman “they are of chicken and not cat. True?”   “Yes!” she said.  They all laugh with me.

I am silly,

~P.

 

Filed Under: College, Spanish 101 · Tagged: , , ,
Jan 30, 2012

My favorite class is recess

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Ask a child in kindergarten what their favorite class is and I bet 9 out of 10 say recess.

I have to agree with them.  Recess is a blast!

Here’s how we have fun at recess and in class.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Volunteering in Tesla’s classroom is very rewarding.

~P.

Filed Under: Tesla · Tagged: , , ,
Jan 29, 2012

Facebook Mad Lib #2

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His Majesty, the King

The year is 17, and Canada`s heart with Indonesia is History.
In his continued efforts to outdo the President of Indonesia, His Majesty, King Harry Potter VIII, has invited some of the country`s most creepy doctors to create for him a dresser fit for the most nude of all fire fighters: himself.
Unfortunately, His Majesty`s purple dogs are turning his once-funny kingdom into Canada`s sexiest pole dancer.  In an act of desperation, Queen Lady Gaga has convinced a silly Dutch police officer to beg her husband`s beloved country with a much-needed blanket.  Only three things stand in the way of this happening: the police officer`s easily offended lollipop; a pair of doctors who may not be who or what they seem; and the king himself.

Run all this news with some ugly and fiesty lagers in our The Scarlet Letter.
Filed Under: Facebook ·
Jan 29, 2012

Facebook Mad Lib #1

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Candle lit deer

Personal Ad Mad Lib Contributed by Dannielle Albert
              I enjoy long, sexy walks on the beach, getting landed in the rain and serendipitous encounters within hospitals. I really like piña coladas mixed with beer, and romantic, candle-lit deer . I am well-read from Dr. Seuss to Dale Earnhart. I travel frequently, especially to Argentina, when I am not busy with work. (I am a truck driver.)  I am looking for table and beauty in the form of a Hispanic goddess. She should have the physique of Sharon Stone and the nose of Tracy Meckley. I would prefer if she knew how to cook, clean, and wash my horses. I know I’m not very attractive in my picture, but it was taken 30 days ago, and I have since become more hairy.
Filed Under: Facebook · Tagged: , , , ,
Jan 28, 2012

Off with his head

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Choosing the next King

Almighty God used his servent Samuel to establish the kingship of Israel.  Samuel was instructed to invite Jesse, a sheep herder to a sacrificial ceremony.  During this ceremony, the future king was to be appointed.  Jesse arrived in Bethlehem with six of his seven sons.

Each son was brought before Samuel for God to decide if he was worthy of the kingship.  Jesse’s six sons were presented and each rejected.  God instructed Samuel to ask for the seventh son.  Jesse had let him in the fields with the herd.  When the youngest son, about seventeen years old arrived, God found him to be worthy of the title “King of Israel.”  David was immediately anointed a chosen man of God.

The Philistine’s were gathered in Judah on one side of a mountain while the Israelites were gathered on the other side of the creek.  The Valley of Elah separated the Philistines from the Israelites and there they engaged in an ongoing war.

The Philistine champion, Goliath of Gath made trip to the valley each morning and evening for forty days.  He was a giant of a man, standing over nine feet tall and armored to the hilt for battle.  He taunted the Israelites challenging them to “choose a man and have him come down to me.  If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”

David was in Saul's camp and Goliath in the Philistines camp

David, still a teenager was sent to the battle zone by his father with food and words of encouragement to his seven younger brothers.  When David arrived, he saw and heard the words of the giant Palestine but he did not run in fear.  Fearless, David declares he can slay the giant because he is a chosen servant of God.

The Israelites were dumb-founded by the young man’s bravery but not convinced he would be their saving grace.  They offered him their best spears, swords and armor but David passed on their gifts.  Carrying his shepherds’ staff, he made his way to the creek choosing five smooth stones from the stream and put them in the leather bag at his waist.  David approached Goliath with his sling in his hand and said “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin but I come against you in the name of the Lord.  Today I will strike you down and behead you.”

Enraged, Goliath charged David.  David slipped a stone from his bag and slung it at the Philistine.  The stone struck Goliath in the forehead and he fell, face first, onto the ground.  David ran to the giant’s body, pulled out the dead man’s sword, and sliced off his head.  The Philistine’s retreated in fear and King Saul was pleased.  He appointed David a high rank within the Israelite army.

Michelangelo's "David with the head of Goliath"

 

David was the underdog.  How David stacked up against Goliath?

David:

  • Scrappy teenager
  • Sheep herder
  • Rags for clothes
  • Slingshot and 1 stone
  • Faith in God

Goliath:

  • 9 Foot 6 Inches
  • Trained warrior
  • Fully armored
  • Multiple weapons
  • Defied God

What it boiled down to was faith.  David had faith in God to protect him from Goliath and lead him in slaying the giant who defied God.

Give it up for the little guy!

~P.

Filed Under: College, Professional Writing Class, Religion · Tagged: , , ,
Jan 28, 2012

Money printing and torture

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A Tale of Two Cities

Charles Dickens writes about two cities in his novel, one in France and the other in England during the year 1775.  He contradicts himself in the opening of his novel stating, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”  The state of good or bad times depended on who you were in that era.

France was printing and spending money wildly, but that didn’t solve the country’s financial problems.  The country had stooped to torture as punishment for committing a crime.  The punishment did not fit the crimes committed.

English government was unorganized and the country was consumed with crime.  The citizens were spooked by religious prophecies and tales about ghosts.  No one was safe from the threat of robbery or the possibility of death in leaving one’s home.

During this year, the people living in these two cities continue forward on the road of life before them regardless of personal danger.

(Summary of Chapter 1)

~P.

Filed Under: College, Professional Writing Class · Tagged: , , , ,
Jan 28, 2012

Take that Friday!

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It’s something everyone dreams of having but rarely ever achieves.

Every new day is a chance to give it another shot.

You start at perfect because you just woke up.

Within seconds you determine your situation.

Alive and …….

 

  •             kissed by Dale as he left for work.  He’s in just so freaking awesome.  I take my turn in the shower at risk.  Dale takes long showers, the water may be cool to cold.  Errr….

  •             ah….the shower is hot!  I grab a pair of jeans and I like how they fit (Goodwill bargain new size 14 Old Navy jeans $5.99,  a YCP T-shirt (L) $5, matching socks, and Nike sneakers (Goodwill, $4.99) and finally my Harley jacket ($350.00 Laugermans; my former life.)

  •              drove my reliable Honda ($42) safely to campus with no red lights and I wasn’t even trying.  Seriously.

  •             pulling into my favorite area to park a student waved and pointed towards her car.  I smiled, put it in reverse and was ready….cause no one but me was getting this prime parking spot!  I grab my book bag and coffee and make a bee line for the doors.  Out of the corner of my eye (perfect vision $24o0. Lasik) I see Allyson Rump, a friend who is involved with the campus newspaper (The Spartan.  Check it out!) and we gravitate towards each other.  I asked how she was and she said good.  She inquired in return and I gushed how awesome my day had been so far.

  •          woke up on time, coffee is made and delicious, car started, no traffic or light issues and I’m ready for the day.  It’s been great.  Allyson stops and says, “I’m going to make it even better!” 

 

  •           for the first time I notice she has a baking tin in her hands and I stop also, taking a swig of my perfect coffee.  “I have cookies!” and she pulls back the tinfoil covering the sugary delights!  Allyson rocks!

  •          continuing towards the humanities building, I see my friend Justin smoking outside, but not 25 feet from the building and I resist the urge to bum a smoke.  I refuse to waste any money on cigarettes but don’t want to become a cig bummer.

 

  •          someone held the entrance door open for me and  I followed a trail of students up a floor.  Again, the door was held open.  Arrived at Geography class, door propped open and took my chosen seat (first seat in the first row, desk and chair not welded together and closest to the door.  I’m the special person in the class.)

 

  •          Books and pen were in my bag and I placed them on my desk, began eating my cookie and  actually had time to jot down some notes for this blog.  I had no specific reason why I wanted to take notes, but I am glad I did.

  •         class wasn’t bad and my professor’s lectures are at least interesting.  She has travelled extensively and I’m wildly jealous.  Fifty minutes later I was out the door first and on my way to Tesla’s school.

  •          I arrived early and had lunch with Tesla and her classmates.  The pizza was pretty damn good but I passed on the carrots.  So did Tesla.  I finished the little bit of pizza Tesla didn’t want to eat.  We went outside for recess and I was surrounded by fifty little kidlings.  We played tag and ran around the playground trying not to crash into each other.  All the kids wanted to be “it” at some point, the bad part was they all wanted to tag me!  Tesla and Bria each held my hand walking back into the school.   

  •      we worked on journaling in Ms. Dettinger’s class.  I don’t just help Tesla of course, but all the kids.  They are so adorable!  You need the patience of a saint to be a teacher though.  Volunteering works perfect for me.

  •       back on the road, listening to my fuzzy sounding radio but thinking at least I have one.  Immediately the radio shuts off and I was WTF?  Thirty seconds pass and it comes back on.  I sighed and rolled my eyes upward, “Yes God, I am thankful for even little things.”

  •        ran into someone I knew and talked a bit about both our divorces.  According to this person, the word is John isn’t to happy with his latest girlfriend.  I had to giggle as it’s not the first time I heard that.  John will never be happy with any female in his life. 

  •       on a whim I stop at a kids clothing consignment shop and find three gymnastics outfits for Tesla.  One is brand new from Danskin!  ($14 total for all three)

  •        called Tesla and told her about the outfits.  She was very excited and wanted to know when I would come pick her up.  I told her I would talk to her dad about spending some time together.  She wanted me to talk to him immediately, but I’ve found email and texting to work much better.  Tesla and I chatted a little more and then she had to go.  It was just awesome seeing Tesla at school and not having to deal with her father, his gf or any of their drama!

 

  •        talked to Dale and we decided to meet at Chili’s for dinner.  We had won a gift card awhile back and not used it yet.  I took a seat at the bar and waited for Dale to arrive.  The classic margarita was soothing and the surrounding smells made my mouth water.  We moved to a booth and had chicken alfredo and steak for dinner.  I fell in love with Chili’s guacamole sauce.   Yummy!  🙂

 

  •        went home, walked Ying, talked to my mom and later to my sister.  Suz is all moved into her new place and lives right up the road from us.  Awesome!  Tesla and Blaine will see each other so much more!

  •       watched some TV with Dale.  This show about a store called Obscura is really bizarre.  I liked it! 

 

  •     climbed into bed, next to my awesome man and realized “in my world, I had just had a perfect day.”

I’ll take that Friday and many more, just like it!

 

Life is good, enjoy,

~P.

 

 

 

Filed Under: classmates, College, Dale, Divorce, Family, Tesla · Tagged: , , , , ,
Jan 27, 2012

Chips & Salsa $1.70

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Jarrito's Mexican soda

Move over big bagels, burritos are in town!  The Azteca Mexican Grill opened on Grantley Street four months ago, taking the place of Big Apple Bagels.  I stopped at Azteca for dinner and to chat with Ayala, a full time employee of the grill.

Ayala said he enjoys working at the Mexican grill and the rush of student customers keeps him busy.  During the busiest parts of the day, he has one or two employees join him in making Mexican meals quick and easy.  The restaurant décor is southwestern with colorful sculptures and pictures on the walls.  There are seats at a bar area as well as individual tables.  A unique display advertises Mexican soda called “Jarrito’s” and is available in multiple flavors.

Pork quesadilla

The menu is simple: burrito, taco, quesadilla, fajita or salad.  Decide if you would like vegetarian, chicken, steak, ground beef or pork.  I had the pork quesadilla with fresh Pico de Gallo salsa.  It seemed a bit dry to me and I immediately began eyeing up my boyfriend’s chicken burrito.  He graciously shared it with me and my taste buds did a little happy dance when I bit into the juicy, bean and rice loaded burrito.  The burrito blew the quesadilla right off my plate.

Ayala told me the salsa and chips are made fresh so I asked him for a few to sample.  The tortilla chips are kept in a toaster and came out warm and crunchy.  The homemade salsa was mild, chunky and obviously fresh.  A handwritten sign on the counter informed me of many future lunches.  “Chips & Salsa $1.70.”  A second sign advertised a large coffee for $1.00.

My conclusions of Azteca Mexican Grill; the menu is reasonably priced for college students, the serving portions are large and overall the food tasted good.  The Flex card is accepted for payment and the college WiFi signal is available while dining.

I’ve already been back once since my first meal at Azteca, just for the chips and salsa.

“Chau!”

~P.

Filed Under: College, York College Spartan · Tagged: , , , , ,
Jan 26, 2012

I’ll call the police

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“I will call the police,” I heard, walking towards the gymnastic center’s doors.  I could not believe Heather was threatening to call the cops on me.  Well, actually I can.  She sounded just like John.  His voice was still on my mind.

John and I ran into each other earlier that day, at our family doctor’s office.  John had Heather’s son at the office.  I was just leaving after a follow-up concerning my meds.  My stomach was nauseated almost daily for a month and I couldn’t control when I might throw-up.  It didn’t even have to involve John.  It crossed my mind I might be pregnant, but the test clearly showed only one line.  Anyone need the other pregnancy test?

I asked my future ex-beloved to explain why our doctor had no record of Tesla’s atv accident and he said he had not spoken to John about any possible injuries.  John insisted our doctor would put that in writing for him and I said, I will believe it when I see it.  Which is worse?  Not telling me Tesla had an accident on the atv or telling me he had her checked by a doctor when he hadn’t?

Tesla has gymnastics once a week.  My time with Tesla on a personal level is severely restricted.  When I do get time with Tesla one-on-one, I have to sign an agreement that it’s a one time visit.  John is adamant that this is how the judicial system wants our custody agreement handled.  I think he is just a control freak.  Now this week at gymnastics, Heather had Tesla and her girls at the gym but John wasn’t present.  He texted me “sick” after I asked twice why he wasn’t there.  Now I had just seen him earlier in the day at our doctor’s office.  Less than four hours later he is too sick to take Tesla to gymnastics?  Why wasn’t I contacted so I had the opportunity to spend more time with Tesla while her dad was “sick?”

Gymnastics is over….the waiting room is jammed to the hilt with squealing children in spandex and parents trying to get them in or out.  Tesla’s coat was on and I took her hand to walk towards the door.  I had already asked John twice if I could take Tesla home because, I knew she would ask me.  No go…he was fixated on Heather taking Tesla home.  When changing clothes, Tesla asked me in the bathroom if she could go home with me.  I told her I couldn’t take her home with me.  Next, of course, she asked me to take her to her dad’s.  I told her I couldn’t, she would have to ride with Heather.  Tesla was not happy, but I told her I would see her again, as soon as possible.

“Pattie!  Pattie!  Stop, Tesla is going home with me! I’ll call the police!”

Now I am no fool and I have no interest in having the cops come to my daughter’s gymnastics studio.  Heather must have had it in her head (or it was put in her head) that I would sail out of there with Tesla in tow and she would be left behind with only her daughters.  How the hell would she explain that to “The Man?”  What made me giggle inside, though I was nearly at my boiling point on the outside, was “what the hell would she say to the cops after I left to take Tesla home?”

9-1-1 Operator:  911, what is your emergency?

Heather:  I need the police to chase down Patricia Crider.  She left with her daughter, Tesla and is driving her home.

9-1-1 Operator:  Your name is?

Heather:  Heather King.

9-1-1 Operator:  Your relationship to Patricia?

Heather:  She is my boyfriend’s wife and he told me not to let Patricia drive her daughter home because…..we just don’t want her to…..

Obviously, Heather did not call the police, even after I told her to “go right ahead.”  Just more ridiculous threats in front of all four children.  Heather insisted I started the drama because I yelled at her.  Seriously, I barely speak to Heather and she was the one “chasing me down.”

Heather has no business telling me what I can or can’t do with my child.  I don’t want to hear her telling me to “take it back to court if I don’t like the decision.”  What I don’t like is her big mouth filling my ears with what she thinks.  I don’t care what she thinks.  She is just a tool and hasn’t realized it yet.

I wonder what people at church think about Heather and John’s newly formed family.  Does the pastor dance around the fact that they are both married to other people?  I am embarrassed that I can’t get John to go forward with the divorce proceedings.  I don’t want my child growing up thinking it’s ok to be married to one person but screwing someone else.  Neither of them seem to mind that they are setting a terrible example for their offspring.

No shortage of writing material here.

~P.

Filed Under: Divorce, Heather, John, Tesla · Tagged: ,
Jan 20, 2012

Chill Preach!

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I take comments on my blog without flinching.  Whether you are on Team Pattie, my classmate, part of my family, a friend, or my husband’s girlfriend I read what everyone writes.  I’ve never had my feelings hurt by comments.  Good or bad…I take, learn from them and move on.

There have been many “religious people” commenting on my blog about my faith and the dangers of creating a new religion.  I read your comments.  I let you preach.  It’s all cool.  I’ve managed to grow super thick skin.  A personal fact about me:  I have a very stong, undeniable belief in God.  Now today I noticed a pastor had posted on my Facebook “sick” under my Lady Gaga blog.  (http://girlboxer1970.com/2012/01/01/lady-gaga-leader-of-the-church-of-ga/)

I asked her if she read the paper and she said yes.  I asked if she knew it was fiction and she didn’t care what it was in my world, to her it was “sick” and the rudeness of her answers followed by “Anything else?” prompted me to write:

Nope, nothing else.  I’m glad my Religions professor liked it.  Your rudeness makes me glad i don’t even know where your church is.

That comment on FB caused her to shoot me this private message:

Look, first off missy I don;t know why you even ever requested my friendship. I ignore all the weird things that you post and quite honestly I don’t mind just deleting you so goodbye. Oh and Patty… if I would ever have to put the book down for a minute I would.

Fine by me.

Amy deleted me immediately.  Now most of the preachers and religious folk realize it was a college final paper.  Some even complimented me on it.

Amy did not and now….she is gone.

I’m sorry I couldn’t save her.

~P.

Filed Under: College, Facebook, Religion · Tagged: , , ,
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