Diva Las Vegas Baby

Hopefully it will be a rainy Monday. Brooklyn got me up particularly early today, licking my entire face until I opened my eyes (which is not the worst way to wake up!). The last couple of mornings, clouds have slowly taken over the horizon, but the sun has still managed to reclaim the sky by mid-afternoon. This morning, however, there is an ominous weight above, clouds just heavy with precipitation, and the tension is mounting. Will it rain or not? Yesterday morning, as I was driving home from Wal-Mart, there were the daintiest drops bouncing off the windshield, but only for five minutes at the most (and lucky for me, since I haven't discovered how to turn the windshield wipers on - "Things to do today..."). This morning, about five minutes into my walk with Brooklyn, sure enough rain drops started to fall. Again, only for about five minutes. As I type, I see outside my window that the pool is riddled with tiny rippling circles, so perhaps the clouds have finall...

Top of my list of new favorites: Trader Joe's. My fellow dressing roommates always stack up the goodies shelf with treats from Trader Joe's, and I've always heard wonderful things about the store, but I'd never had the opportunity to experience its splendor first-hand. There was a brand new store in the Union Square area back home that opened up about a year or so ago, but I never made it through the doors because there was always a line of eager shoppers snaking around the corner. Well, I put that all to an end when I DROVE to Trader Joe's yesterday, and it was heaven. It wasn't a big store or anything like that - I think Whole Foods is bigger. But I still enjoyed the offerings - mostly everything is automatically organic, but the prices don't vary all that much from non-organic fare. I had a complimentary demi-tasse of store brand coffee, along with a tasting of asada beef complemented with sauteed corn and arugula (and consequently bought the beef!)...

Okay my friends, it is HOT. Upwards of 109 degrees by noon, and still in the high 90's at midnight. And sure, it is a "dry heat", but have you ever thought to turn your oven on, up to about 450, open the door, and then put your entire face inside? Dry heat, right? Yeh, it's about as comfortable as that - dry or not, hot is hot. Brooklyn just melts into the grass during her afternoon walks, which we keep down to a few minutes at most. I think my days of complaining about New York summers are over. My husband and I just found out that Monsoon season is right around the corner. MONSOON? Apparently, due to a shift in winds from north/northwestern to south/southeastern, combined with the rising temperatures, heavy rainfall washes over the desert, and in a matter of minutes. My cousin told me that in Arizona, they get about 4 feet of rain, enough for her kids to go out and float down the street. I don't remember hearing ANYTHING about monsoons (or "monsoon...

Ah, just had an amazing visit from my college buddies (we call ourselves "The Posse") and it was just too short!!! But so nice and felt completely normal, as if no time had passed since our last visits (DDG, we missed you!!). We have the kind of friendship (and I am blessed to say this is true with all of my friends) that doesn't rely on time or place - we can be anywhere and any amount of time can pass by, the friendship stays strong and fulfilling. I dedicate this entry to all of my friends (and this includes family members, after all where is the line drawn anyway? Friends are family and family are friends!): Thank you for enriching my life with your presence, your heart and your soul!

I am listening to the swish and whirs of our dishwasher and it occurs to me how my city upbringing has made simple, commonplace items seem very luxurious. I am even somewhat humbled by the excitement these little things bring me, taking me back to my childhood self, when dreams were big and the cup overfloweth with possibility. For instance, I remember the first time (though I can't recall the exact place) I had a sink with the hose attachment - this was big, this was like on TV, the mother dutifully cleaning the pots and pans after a family meal, little Johnny sneaking up behind her, giving her a little scare, she turning around in surprise with the hose in hand, giving little Johnny a playful spray of warm water, the two sharing a good laugh, cut to a closeup of bottled dish detergent, Mom and little Johnny dripping wet and still laughing in the blurred background, and then back to our scheduled program. I mean, this was suburban ecstasy. I remember I was in a hotel on tour wh...

Brooklyn, Valedictorian, Class of 2007 PetSmart, Las Vegas, NV

In three days Brooklyn graduates from obedience school. She's been going (or rather WE'VE been going - let's be honest, the class is really for us) for the past five weeks and it has been extremely informative. But there are times when my husband and I step out of ourselves for a minute and just have to laugh. What the heck are we doing in a puppy class in Las Vegas!?! All of us dog owners, standing up in a closed-off pen, cooing our dogs' names, trying to get them to sit, or lay down, or shake. Brooklyn is definitely the life of the party, she just bursts into class in leaps and bounds, literally. Her best friend is Kiko, a male Chihuahua who belongs to our other married friends in the show. They love to rustle and tussle, and then they french kiss, Kiko biting Brooklyn's tongue. Then there's Crypto, who is a bit manic and nervous, although I believe he's opening up and calming down. He's a white, close-shaven little dog, perhaps a Maltese, I r...