happy v day

It was two years ago today that my hubby proposed to me - such a romantic! In the past Valentines Day was never an important day for me, mostly because I was living in Japan and without a Mr. Valentine for so damn long.

Nowadays we make sure to do something special on V Day, whether it's with flowers or nice dinner or bottle of wine or all of the above. Since we just bought a house and are lacking in funds I decided to make reservations at a restaurant that wouldn't break the bank. I found the perfect place right around the corner from us that offered a romantic candlelit dinner. The waiter was extremely courteous and the food was fast, just how we like it. Plus, no one cared that our baby was at times causing a bit of a ruckus.

The best part was that our meal came to $30 including a generous tip. The worst part was that I had to stay close to the bathroom for most of the next day. I think it was that double bacon slider that did me in.

O to the Zone.

Yesterday's headlines in the Queens local section of the New York Post...

- 4th grade teacher arrested after setting up “fight club” ring in classroom so two students can duke it out over argument. One student gets fat lip and other slight concussion. Teacher tries to cover up incident by blaming injuries on an accidental head-butt.

- Middle school (female!) student punches head principal in the face after principal tries to break up fight in cafeteria. Student is arrested with assault charge. Middle school has been on New York City persistently dangerous schools watch list for some time now.

Both of these stories occurred in Queens…OZONE PARK, Queens. crap! They may not be the closest public schools to my new home, but they're definitely not that far away, either. When my kid starts up school I guess I'll be giving Catholic School a serious thought!

"no haggis here" coffee break espanol

I was saying earlier how no hablo espanol which will make for awkward times in Cuba with the in-laws. So I’ve decided to put some effort into learning at least a few basic phrases to get by, and have started downloading language-learning podcasts into my iphone to listen to on the way to work. Coffee Break espanol is by far the best podcast I’ve found so far, as it’s highly affordable (free) and once you get past those Scottish accents is fairly easy to follow along. The Spanish is beginner to intermediate and centers around traveling and meeting people – perfect for me! I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to build some basic Spanish speaking skills without wanting to shell out the pesos.

You can either download it from itunes or directly from the website here

http://radiolingua.com/shows/spanish/coffee-break-spanish/