C Note(s)

I remember November 30th, 2008 like it was yesterday. It was just another Manic Monday for most Americans, but not for me. Honestly, I didn't think I would remember it so vividly after 9 years. But I do, and I'm gonna tell ya about starting over with a blank slate ... My sister and myself were in different parts of the Seattle Metroplex but we're in the same situation: Needing to move out. I was experiencing a divorce, and Charrina's lease expired, and she wasn't renewing it. So we moved in together into an apartment sight unseen - that's right! The first I saw it was when I was moving my personal items into it. Blank Slate: Tabula Rasa Day Speaking of moving items, Charrina and I muscled into the Great Room (10 feet by 17 feet) that overlooked the Issaquah Valley. We plopped down on the cushions with a huff. Not only was it heavy, but bulky to boot. I digress . I grumbled, "For the amount of stress, and what I've been through, I deserve a me

Happy Thanksgiving 2017! Over the years, I noticed that my Thanksgiving celebrations are inconsistent. However, most folks have traditions that are entrenched into their family history. It's inconsistent because I usually just adapt to what's going on in my life that particular year. But I noticed it's the type of holiday that is usually passed over like a middle child of a large family: largely forgotten . I feel bad, too, for those that love Thanksgiving and eagerly anticipate it each year. And yes, I understand the origin is another unsavory aspect of early American history - I get it. Even still, it can be a happy Thanksgiving 2017 for all of us - if you think about it. Scrolling through my social medias feeds (yes, multiple - #Twitter #Facebook and #Instagram) on November 1st, I noticed there's a void between those that love Christmas and those that follow tradition. There are some that love the magic of Christmas so much that they start playing music, an

November seems to be the month that American tend to be more thankful / grateful than usual, so it's been a few posts since I've written a funny story, and thankful I lived through it. I combed through my mental archives, and landed on a business trip to Mexico. Cancun Craziness In my many years with a travel company, I was given the opportunity to visit and rate several destinations. One of them was Cancun and it's craziness. I spent five days there and it was more than enough to experience it. The last night was the epitome of Mexican craziness - it was all my fault, too. Based on my observations of the tourists, this was the Las Vegas of Mexico. And I love Las Vegas. So my plan started earlier in the trip. I built a quick rapport with our driver, Juan, which I dubbed him as El Capitan. Then I started asking him about the night scene, and his connections there. I told him I would love a site inspection / behind-the-scenes tour of the most popular night club. He qu

Happy Halloween! Well, it's a day late because I was enjoying Halloween. However, that makes me wonder - what's your Favorite Halloween Tradition ? Is it traveling from neighborhood to neighborhood to trick-or-treat? Is it decorating your home with decorations such as spider webs? Is it pumpkin carving after your family and you picked one out from the patch? Favorite Halloween Tradition - What's Yours? As you can imagine, mine has changed over the course of my life. My current favorite Halloween tradition is creating my costume versus buying a pre-set one. This year was a last-minute, 11th hour decision to be Woody from Toy Story . Even though it wasn't a perfect duplicate, I think it received more compliments (props, LOL) because it was original, and my own creativity instead of someone's manufactured idea. Several friends and coworkers asked how I did it, which I thought was odd. With a Google Search History that'll read rather funny, I downloaded an im