Curse?
Hello from Maui! Me and my Little Honey Bunch are celebrating our 20 year anniversary on a week long vacation in Maui. So far, The Straka Family Vacation Curse has not shown it's face. Unless you want to count this. We were at the pool last night and I felt a sting on my face. So, no big deal, I got bit. BUT, this morning, this is what was on my face.
So, I'll let you know if I end up in urgent care because what really happened was a spider laid eggs inside my face OR, I contracted a flesh eating bacteria. Stay tuned.
I'm staying off my computer because, you know, I'm in Paradise, so there won't be much blogging going on until I get home. However, I decided I'm going to start taking a picture of all the girls who are buried in their phones. Kind of like when Natalie counted Pruis' for two years. Anyway, there was a girl last night at dinner with her husband/date who was inside her phone the WHOLE night. I saw them leaving this morning, suitcases in hand, and, you guessed it, she was walking, buried in her phone. I wanted to ask her if she saw any of Hawaii.
I am posting Instagrams daily if you want a day by day. A million pics to be loaded upon our return. Here, however, is a little teaser. This is the infinity pool at our hotel.
And here is a shot from the Black Sand Beach at Hana Bay.
Four Twenty
For me, 4/20 has a much different meaning than it does for a lot of you. Some of you? Most of you? Who does that anymore? Homey don't play dat. I haven't toked since I was sitting at the benches at Berkeley High, getting high and saw a lowrider with hydraulics for the first time. I thought it was the weed.
Or was it the time we were at a friend's house and Lady Sings the Blues was playing? We were playing the whole album and if you haven't heard it, some of the dialog is in it. The part where the poe-poe are banging on the door to arrest Billie Holiday came on. My friend was toking in the bathroom and thought the actual police were at the house...she was climbing out the bathroom window.
But I digress...as usual.
So April 20 is the day my mother died, twenty-one years ago. I'm not going to go over that day again. I did post it here (click here) a few years ago. As I was driving home from my fabulous Zumba Class at In Shape Pittsburg, I had my mom on my mind. I thought, "I sure hope she sends me a sign today."
Just when I though that, I drove by a house that immediately transported me back to my mother's house. It was white, with the same green trim. Just like mom's.
Needless to say, I started balling. My eyes are still tearing up. I'd better pull it together....I'm subbing VJ's class at 4:00 at In Shape Concord!
It's been 21 years, Mommy, and I still miss you SO much.
Note: The fellows on the roof are Pookie, Ray and Timmy. Timmy is now my brother Chacho's brother-in-law. He was in my class at St. Joseph's. Pookie and Ray went to the public school but were neighbors. I don't exactly know why they were on the roof of my mother's house.
Note Note: Did you know TOKE is not in the Spellcheck Dictionary?
I Quit Drinking...
...so much. Yeah, I know what you were thinking. Gotta be an April Fool's, right? Well, ACTUALLY, I did quit drinking. So much. You know me, I'll never give up the alcoholic libations!
So what actually happened is, I was tired of being fat. Drastic measures! I decided to just have one glass of lovely Champagne at Happy Hour, then sip fizzy water the rest of the night whilst watching TV shows with my Little Honey Bunch. Friday is absolutely off limits since me and my Little Honey Bunch have our Date Night. I try, and have succeeded, to do my one drink/fizzy water thing on Saturday and Sunday, too.
GUESS THE F WHAT? I have lost almost 6 pounds in the last two and a half weeks. From not drinking during the week! I have also tried to get two Zumba classes in each day. Except for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, that has also been successful.
And the BEST part of this is, that the next time I see my doctor and she asks me how many alcoholic beverages I have a day, I don't have to lie and say, "Oh, one or two." Which was actually one or two gin and tonics followed by a bottle or two of wine shared, with my Little Honey Bunch. So yeah, drinking fizzy water....
Another funny thing is that my Little Honey Bunch went for a physical recently and actually told the doctor how much he drank. Doctor said, "Must check the liver." Guess what? His liver is fine. Liver of Steel!
I've had a blast this week going to everyone's Zumba classes. I think I'll post pics from those over on my Zumba Page shortly. I also had a really lovely day yesterday visiting my friend, Donna. My friend, Zelia, came along. Donna was checking with Spenger's about having a Presentation Reunion there. Me and Zelia goofed around with the Pay Phone Booth that is still there!
Then we went and had lunch at Cafe M, just off of 4th Street.
As we were sitting having lunch, our childhood friend, Kathy Villavicencio's daughter, Angela, came walking by! She also happens to be Donna's son, Christopher's, girlfriend. Are you confused yet?
After lunch, Zelia tells me there's this Brazilian place on Gilman and could we go by. I never knew it was there! It is on the property that used to be the Nursery at the corner of my mother's house! So of course, I had to show her my mom's house, too.
Amazing!
She told me he had another location above Shattuck on University so I headed up there. Who should be sitting outside but Pedro himself. Zelia had me roll down the window and she hollered at him in Portuguese. He came running over....I have no idea what was said but he gave us a flyer to some Brazilian happenings coming up in Berkeley. Must check them out!
Today, after a FABULOUS Zumba class with Bryan, Marisa and the rest of the Antioch crew, we had a lovely lunch at Eureka. Zumba Eddie joined Zelia, Patrizia and I. Had to have my favorites, Bacon/Egg/Cheddar/Jalapeno Burger and a Moscow Mule. WHAT? It's Friday! Oh, did I forget to mention I had a Pomegranate Mimosa at Cafe M yesterday? But still...only one glass of Champagne a week night!
More adventures tonight at Date Night. Heck, we might even pop into the Clayton Club and run into my sweet friend Mary, who (whom?) I miss dearly!
Happy April Fool's Day anyway, even though I'm not fooling!
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