Diva Las Vegas Baby

Okay, do yourself a favor and learn a new language! You don't even have to achieve fluency, just pick up a couple of phrases. I am realizing that since I was about six years old, it has been my dream to be bilingual, at least. Determined not to be restricted to only English , I set out to create my own language when I was about seven years old. I managed to create a vocabulary of just one word: "bilaca" (buh-LAH-ka), which means "melted ice cream spun until creamy with a spoon" (to this day, my Mother and I still use it). That's pretty much where my own language started and ended. I guess the task was too overwhelming. I then, around age 11, took up Ubby-Dubby like my life depended on it, and taught it to my partner-in-crime, so that we could gossip on the bus undetected. I now live with the deep desire (and complete impatience) to learn, oh, about ten languages, fluently, right now, instantly!! To sample the menu of global tongues, I've found the...

I have finally found an accessible rotisserie chicken joint in Las Vegas that is so tasty. El Pollo Loco is a chain here in Vegas, and the chicken is scrumptious. It was highly recommended by comedian George Wallace during his show, and he was not kidding, it is one of the tastiest rotisseries I've tasted (and I am keeping in mind that I've been rotisserie-deprived for months now). There was another small chicken joint we tried months ago, I cannot remember the name of it, but there was literally a man cooking chicken outside the store, right to the left of the entrance. And his chicken was also yummy. But the sides weren't as palatable. At El Pollo Loco, the sides matched the chicken in tastiness , especially their BBQ Black Beans (a culinary first for me!). Finally, another take-out dining option that doesn't involve frying (or fries!).

Well, it has been over a year now since I started this blog and moved out to Vegas, and what do I have to say for myself? Hmm...Well, I love driving. That's been an amazing development in my life and I look forward to getting better and driving on the freeway. I do love using my brain and consequently, I've enjoyed the rehearsal director aspect of my job, I am good at it (particularly the administrative part of it). I love our apartment, I love having my own office space. I enjoy the ease of life out here - I just go to work and come home, that's all I have to worry about, pretty much. I love our puppy, she's a very special dog. On the flip side, I do feel isolated sometimes, I don't do anything else other than work, I don't like the night life here, which sometimes leaves me out of the loop with castmates, including my husband, and I hate having asthma and allergies. I feel boring and old out here, and perhaps that's all my fault because I haven't...

I've just discovered, through a friend from college, the website, Shelfari.com, a site dedicated to book lovers. And I love it! You get to put books that you've read and/or love on a virtual shelf, so that friends can see what you've read, what you are reading, what you would like to read. And you can see their shelves and get book reading recommendations. What I particularly love is simply looking at my bookshelf online - I think that I am as addicted to book covers as I am to the actual book content. There's such a joy in walking in a bookstore and seeing all those books on the shelves. And I must admit that I've bought a few books based on the appeal of the book cover (I know, don't judge a book by its cover!). My only problem in having a book collection is that I rarely read a book twice. And so, I end up with bookcases stacked with books that just sit there. And when you've moved as many times as I have, believe me, packing and unpacking books th...

Happy 1st Birthday Brooklyn! October 3, 2007

We are loving our new place. It is really such a nice looking apartment, with views of mountains off in the distance. Makes it nice to come home. The area is still being developed, which to me is exciting. And I never realized how devoid we were of scenery until we moved away from The Strip proper (technically, we still live off of the strip). Driving home, the mountains loom over the roads, dark lumps of chocolate rock, reminding us daily of how miniscule we are in scale. We are still unpacking and have definitely decided not to pursue any other abode until our six months are up here (yes, we only have a six-month lease and will either have to beg for the lease to be extended or find brand new digs, AGAIN!). My allergies have improved, although I am experiencing some reaction right now, perhaps a new weed season has begun. I've just accepted the fact that out here in Nevada, I am an asthmatic. Oh well. We haven't yet explored what Las Vegas has to offer in our area -...

We've had a string of relatives visiting, I think just about every week from the last week of July up to now (pretty much), and it has been so nice - cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers-in law, brothers. My younger brother is here now, and it is great, if not a little bittersweet, only because whenever and wherever I am away from him, when he comes to visit me, I get so protective of him, and I worry about him and I don't want him to leave. But overall, it is great to have him here. I'm a little sad, however, because my Mother had to postpone her visit this weekend. She's been suffering from a strange, as-of-yet unidentified condition that makes her feet, ankles and legs swollen and has been advised to NOT fly. Yes, I am very sad. House hunting has me CRAZY!! I am an emotional wreck (not to mention premenstrual - I guess I did mention it). Haven't even begun to pack, not sure where we are going, and we have less than three weeks to figure it all out. New York ...