On my morning walk

Crossing past Barry I literally stumbled into something carved into the sidewalk. I turned around to read it and it said;

"God is real. He love you."

Sounds like G^d needs some grammar lessons, huh?

I'm available.

I've Always Depended on the Kindness of Strangers

Rather than wait around for Hidden City to get out of work to drive me to publix, I walked. I walked to the library, returned Kitchen Confidential and checked out the incredibly apropros How Did I Get Here? by Barbara De Angelis. Then I walked to the bank to deposit a check so I can pay my electric bill before they shut me off. Of course I was 1 minute late so I had to deposit it in the ATM and wait till tomorrow to get the cash out to pay it but FPL is still powering things for now. Then I walked all the way to 90th and Biscayne to go to Publix. I live very close to Barry University to give you an approximation of distance. I got dog food and the ingredients to make chicken marsala, stuffed most of it in my Herve Chapelier bag I normally reserve for days on the beach, and slung a plastic publix bag over my shoulder as I began the trek home. I was at 103rd and 6th avenue when I felt like I must just sit and rest. But I kept walking. This isn't the gym, and I wasn't on a treadmill. This was life and I needed to get the fuck home and feed my dogs. I kept walking. Then, even though the end was roughly in sight, about 7 more blocks or so, the plastic bag was ripping something awful into my arm, sweat was rolling down my cleavage, and my tits kept trying to bounce themselves free of my bra and my hindsight-is-20/20-a-little-too-low-cut-for-walking-far shirt. They were pulling the same game on the way there but at least then I had hands to tuck them back in. A car pulled up next to me with an elderly woman inside. She had a strong accent that strangely enough was not Latin, but something like Polish or Russian, something that comforted me. She asked me if I needed a ride. I greatfully accepted. Violet lives right around the corner from where she picked me up, but said this to me that still gives me the chills remembering. "I see you and I am reminded of my friend. I don't know why but you just like her. I think if my friend walking with groceries and I think I must help."


Violet, thank you. You will never know how much that small act of kindness meant to me. I encourage you all to try being kind to strangers. The pureness of the act creates some sort of tap into the universal energy source for both giver and recipient. In unenlightened terms, it's a win-win....

The Mystery of The Cushion Mushin

For those of you who haven't heard me wax poetic about my Pottery Barn sectional, it was the biggest purchase I have ever made with money I made myself. Okay, that money was the commission I earned by being my own agent when I bought my current home, but still, it made the lousy year and a half I spent in Real Estate more worth it than the oft promised rarely delivered bonuses I got selling the Queen's condo's for him when I was his and the Fag Hag's assistant. It is huge, filling up my entire living room, and I even sprung for the ottoman, the down filling, and the matching rug. Sometimes we forget how much couch room we now have and you may find Richy, Me, Reigna, Lucky, and Nico all curled up one side of the couch as if it was the entire thing.
Fast forward to the mystery of the wet spots, as I blogged a few weeks ago, that was Lucky doing some overenthusiastic licking. Now I am starting to notice how mushed a few of my cushions are becoming, and since Lucky has gotten a bit fat for his size lately, I suspect him. Here's a pic of my mushed cushion

I've tucked a fleece dog blanket into the next section of the couch for my shedders, but of course the only one who hangs out there is Nico, the one who doesn't shed. Oy Vey. it didn't take me very long to catch the musher in the act, as represented here. Nobody will be surprised to learn who it is:

Right now it is pouring mushers and shedders outside!! Also, if anyone would like to comment on how I can make my food stealing Lucky lose weight, you will see above his head is rapidly shrinking....And that cushion is not exactly a piece of fluff....

Criminals in Your Neighborhood and Mine

I had forgotten the link to that awesome site that shows you all the criminals in your neighborhood until my amazing friend Jess resent it to me yesterday. It is Felonspy.com

I haven't used it since I lived in SoBe so I was excited to learn Miami Shores is scarce on criminals, but to my North there are two sex offenders, and to my west are three young stalkers. Due south of me is a robber. YAY.

It's on days like this I am thankful to have a 96 lb German Shepherd, a 20 pound jumping barking biting Min Pin that scares some people more than the shepherd , and ADT. Oh and a husband from Queens.

Every little bit helps.

Good Morning Miami

It's on morning's like this that I really feel the full effect of some of the priveledges my life (and husband) provides me. I love when I wake up before he goes to work and we have that 45 minutes to hang out and talk, smoke and watch the dogs run (and potty) in the yard. Those moments make me smile all day. Then he leaves and I'm all up and Twittering and watching the Today show and a little voice inside of me is all "Don't you want to go back to sleep?" and that's the beauty of it. Because I always can later.
Someone snuck in and gave Nico the crappiest haircut ever when I was sleeping. Oh no, that was me. It's really not that bad but a little more light and a little less bacardi would have gone a long way. He's still not ready for his close up. Is this terrible that I am seriously considering asking Alicia, my buddy Danny of Shampology Salon and Supply right hand gal, to fix his hair while I have Danny fix mine? especially because she has little dogs and knows how to handle them.
In other news, I have officially scrapped the summer volunteering at Fairchild. I am still in to assist in the office for the Fairchild Challenge in the fall but the commute, my low tire, the bugs, the heat, the potting, and finally my mysterious possibly mango related rash ( tk god that is going away) just all add up to "I can't possibly go" every week.
And finally, I just got off the phone with my gorgeous husband and it looks like the pink slips are coming down on a few more heads this week. Good riddance to all that slows him ( and our next payday) down. In this economy, it astounds me that some people can't afford gas and some are buying million dollar gas guzzling boats with 60K paint jobs. I guess I'm comparing Orphan Annie to Daddy Warbucks though.
MMMMMmmmm Grilled cheese sandwiches on Today Show. OOOHHH the grilled cheese invitational! Why was I not invited! I have the best grilled cheese recipe EVER! ( To follow) Oh man, I just heard a crowd of people shouting "We want cheese!" Or was that just the voices in my head???

A Belated Weird Song Wednesday

Is better than no weird song wednesday at all, I say!


This is sung to the tune of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel..


"Blogger Man"


It's nine o clock on a Thursday
The regular crowd all logs in
there's a random tweeter following me
and I don't know what state she lives in...


She says hey can you update my memory
I'm not really sure how it goes....
I'm not in myspace, and I haven't seen your facebook
And not even the googleman knows....


Sing us a song of the twitter feeds
Tere give us a blog tonight!
Cuz we're all in the mood for some puter time
As our fingers hit refresh all night....

Now Manola BBB is a friend of mine...
She gives me linklove for free
and she's quick with a pic or a blog or improv
Matheson Hammock's where she'd rather be..


She says B I believe this is killing me
as the smile ran away from her face
Well I'm sure that I could be a celebrity
If I could log out of this place...



Well Ines is a real estate bloggerist
who never has time for TV
and she's talking with Scary, who has a saleable story
but she's already blogged it for free.

And we use these sites as platforms for politics
and no one can tell if we're stoned
yes I'm sharing these links -in my loneliness
but it's better than linking alone....


Sing me a song of new blog comments
Yes please all come to my site
I think that you'll enjoy my melody
Cuz it's got me feeling all right


I got a lot of hits the day of my first article
and I turned to Gus and Michelle with a smile
because I know it's through MiamiBeach411
That you come visit my life for a while


And more thanks to South Florida Daily Blog
Who gave me more hits than he knows... and
now when I blog I know that it goes near and far
and I can reach Tel Aviv from here....


Sing us a song of the twitter feeds
Go read some blogs tonight!!!

I hope that you enjoyed my melody

It sure got me feeling alright.....

My favorite things to do during a hurricane

.Declare I am not leaving the house, loudly, to no one in particular, unless I am evacuated to the Ritz Carlton...
. 3 little magical letters; DVR
. GRILL!
. Make sauce and meatballs on the side burner of the grill if power is out( super special secret sauce recipe to come)
. play with my puppies
Watch the waves crash and the whole scene, smoking, from a high floor ocean view suite on South Beach, the crazy surfers, the beach patrol after them, the letters coming off of the oceanfront boutique hotels...
Drive around the next day taking photos of the damage... Hmmm, I know SamStyl has some from after Wilma.. Will have to hit her up for those..

Top Ten Reasons Why Having Your Own Pool Is Better Than Going To South Beach!

10. It's the Miami equivelent of being the house on the block with the huge hill aftter a snowstorm
9. The Chairs are free
8. The drinks are cheap
7. Dogs and inebriation are encouraged
6. There are no anorexic models on the next chair to make you feel bad about yourself
5. There are no jellyfish, stinging salt water, hidden sharp things, crabs, or sharks to make you feel bad about Everything
4. You can have sex and not get sand in your chotchke
3. You can have sex and the only person who might catch you is the lawn guy, and he's certainly not arresting anyone
2. You already have a parking space, and the walk isn't bad.
1. Two Words : Skinny Dipping!!

Daily Dose of Cute in Honor of the Amazing Blogger Farmgirl Susan,

www.farmgirlfare.com, or www.foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com
BTW
My FAVORITE BLOG EVER!!!

Sneaky's Post as told to me

Hazy Kansas Memories
My first memory is the day I was taken from my birth mommy. Loaded into some big loud monster in a smallbox with stranger pups who were just as scared as I was. Where was I going? without my mommy or siblings I was terrified.
The lady that seemed to be controlling the monster turned around and said "we're not in Kansas anymore ToTo." What is a cansas, and what is a toto?
Living on Duval Street....( DOn't any of you dare come down on me for puppy store buying - in me and Sneaky's Mind, this was a rescue !)
I arrived to a hot noisy place full of people that stumbled around, talked very loudly, and always had some human version of water in a cup that they would slosh and spill when they got excited. This is when I learned that sleeping a lot would make most of them leave me alone. Some human idiots think that the more excited a pup is, the better it will be. Takes one to know one I guess, which was nice b/c the dummies always left quick.. . I spent most of my days in a clear stinky window box facing the busy street full of loud men who sometimes fell down and laughed. imagine being in a window the size of a fish tank with a whole bunch of strange pups that were always fighting over food and love. Maybe this was the Zoo? There was never enough to go around. All day long humans oohhed and ahhed and banged on the glass rudely and held me tight. Although I was anxious to get out of the pink and glass,the hell I knew was better than any of them.... they put me back into the window and left me there like a toy they wanted to play with but didn't want to buy. The others fought for attention, all desperate to get to that place the humans call your "forever home". I became depressed as the weeks went on. Months went by, and I heard the people saying that the older I got, the smaller my chance of getting out of this window. The days kept passing, and I watched as my friends were adopted one by one.
The Waiting is the Hardest Part
Where was my forever mommy? I wasnt a lazy nippy dog who didn't like people - I was a romantic, doing my damndest to not settle for anything less than my soulmommy. By the time I reached three months, I was starting to give up hope. Then one day I woke up happy for no reason. I was afraid to get my hopes up too much, but then My forever mommy walked in.I knew it was her before she even walked in. Her smell told me all I needed. It was the first time I ran to be let out in weeks. We were in love at first sight. My mommy picked me up and I felt safe and loved and secure.. I was home. She did not want to put me down.. I didn't want to be put down, but I really had to go, so I peed on her arm. There's a test! and she didn't get mad anyway! Now everyone will know she's taken.. The other pups say you just know, which is hard to wrap my puppy brain around until it happened, she petted me gently and whispered "I have been waiting so long for you" in my ear and I clung to her, hoping this was it. She took me in the back where she watched me for a bit. I was so nervous! she started talking into some weird looking thing that is the human version of a leash and started crying. I was sure this was it. But if the alpha male said no, I was doomed. How could I convince her that I was hers? When she put me back in the window, I stood and cried, running across the window until she disappeared down the loud road. I was frantic. Then she came back. I ran to greet her, desperate to prove my love..

How much is that Doggie in the Window

This time when she held me I saw her go over to the tall thing where people run plastic cards through machines and then take home pups! She couldn't bear to lose me, I heard her say to my foster mom. My husband still hasn't said yes but I will give you money towards him to keep him for me. From the smiling faces I started to feel hopeful again. In fact I got so excited I peed on her arm. Oops!
Before she put me back with the others, she whispered in my ear, "you're my baby, and I promise to take you home."
The next day she visited again, this time though she went to the tall thing and filled out all sorts of paperwork. I was so excited because she was too, and together we picked out all sorts of nice things that were just for me! Except this stupid thingy called a harness. No thanks!
I sat in her lap the whole ride to my forever home. I fell asleep in my mommys arms. I was finally home.
Then I met the rest of my family. I have a big sister who protects me from vets and my brother who was jealous and tried to give me a hard time. showed him whose boss! I am small but I have what the people who live in this sunny place "cojones". And then my mommy will say "for now" and everyone laughs... maybe she thinks I will stop stealing toys and treats from my big bro- fat chance!
I hate to brag, but my life is pretty awesome! My mommy works from home and my brother and sister are always there to play with and teach me useful stuff like how to beg! Mommy tells me she loves me and plays with me all the time. She even lets me steal the other dogs toys, and lets me sleep in bed, and cooks for me!. i think I just might be the luckiest pup in the world... Now if I could only get on and off the couch myself...usually it just takes one cry and she runs to me. Peeing on the couch when she ignored me was one of the smartest moves ever!! From pink soiled paper bedding and the constant stress to the lap of love and luxury? I only wish every pet had a mommy, daddy and brother and sister like mine. It was worth the wait! I must end now, because I see a sock on the floor calling my name. Then I might bite Lucky on the leg... Heehee because I'm a baby he always gets in trouble. Thats why they call me sneaky. Daddy says I complete their family. I hope they mean that because I don't want to give up my baby status.

Happy Saturday!

I don't have much to say, but I know the blog is desperate for an update. I didn't do too much yesterday except go to Houston's for lunch in Aventura with Samstyl and Loehmans. Typical J.A.P's that lunch friday afternoon fare. Then I watched The Break Up ..
For about the five millionth time.."Baby Wanted 12" and "Come come on the kick drum, Gary" are my two favorite lines from that movie and definitely rank on my top ten movie lines of all time... Wait, that gives me an idea for a blog, or two. YAY. BBS if I can actually think of ten.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
Becca