True to the Title

Blogging as fun as it is and as much of a great outlet it is for me; I'm so tired of being on a computer after work that I don't want to sit and type anything else...I hate my job, it really does suck! 3 years ago I would have told the world how much I loved my job, at it was true.

The two things I do love spending time doing no matter what is cooking and baking. And fortunately everyone I know loves to eat! The title of my blog is Occasionally Sweet and the sole reason I picked that title because it's my dream to open a bakery, whether I'm involved in the creative side of it or not, I love to bake and I love baked goods. So I try new things and I have a list of proposed menu items for my bakery and I decided this holiday to attempt to add to my collection. This holiday season I stirred up a few new recipes which I am certainly proud to say that they were GREAT! Here's the list...if you're interested in any of them, please let me know and I will email you the recipes...

1. Apple Cobbler: I've always been a huge apple fan and this new recipe is simple and absolutely hard stopping delicious! the crust is very crispy and apples are still firm but sweet and lots of texture. I added cranberries the last time I made it, nice added tangy-ness.

2. Red Velvet Fudge Brownies: Subtle Chocolateness...This is nice but not rich by any means. It's lite and decadent. Who KNEW!?

3. Butterscotch bars: This recipe blew my socks off. These bars made me proud. I was so shocked by the crispy edges and soft centers...so nice so nice. Everyone loves these, I am now making my third batch in the last month..

OK, only sharing those 3 today.

I am woman...

I love being a woman!! Trisha Yearwood says it perfectly for me in her song "Real live woman" that song captures exactly how I feel right now. I am very comfortable with where I am, who I am and how I got here.


Enjoy the lyrics...check Trisha out, she's an amazing artist...

REAL LIVE WOMAN (Trisha Yearwood)
I don't buy the lines in magazines
That tell me what I've gotta be
I don't base my life on a movie screen
I don't fit the mold society has planned

I don't need to be nineteen years old
Or starve myself for some weight I'm told
Will turn men's heads--been down that road
And I thank God I finally know just who I am

I ain't a movie star
May never see the view from where they are
And this old town might be as far as I'm goin'
But what he'll hold tonight in his hands
He swears is so much better than
Anything that this ol' world can show him

(Chorus:)
I'm a real live woman
In love with this man I see lying here next to me
Lost in the way that he's holdin'
This real live woman
In the arms of a man where I'll fall asleep knowing
There's nothing on Earth he loves more than
This real live woman

I work nine to five, and I can't relate
To millionaires who, somehow, fate
Has smiled upon and fortune made
Their common lives a better place to be

And I no longer justify
Reasons for the way that I behave
I offer no apologies
For the things that I believe and say
And I like it that way

Thirty something...

With age comes wisdom

Blueprint 3

I'm counting the days until 9/11/09, Jay Z has done it again!!! I am SOOOO incredibly excited! I need some NEW good music to enjoy and am eager to see what the master has brought to us now...that's all

and Purple Rain is on TV...that's just great :)

Michael Jackson

My burst of blogging wouldn't be complete without a word or two about the legend and icon, Michael Jackson.

We all have our opinions about this legendary man and unfortunately the world isn't as forgiving and people still continue to disrespect this man even after he has passed on. He is a MAN for peats sake, let him rest in peace. I remember MJ as the man in the mirror, as the monster in Thriller as a man with an incredible voice and an incredible talent for moving his body! I want my kids to know MJ as I did a music icon. I will play his music and remember his life for all the good it brought the world. Let's remember him for his positive contributions to the world instead of dwelling on his alleged mistakes.

Remember the good people have brought to the world and forgive for the bad.

RIP Michael Jackson, your memory lives on in all that cherished your music and talent.

Movie Rentals

Netflix has to be one of the best things that has happened to movies since Blockbuster. I have never been so happy with a DVD service in my life. Well there is Sugar DVD (a porn DVD service like Netflix) that's pretty cool too.

So I decided to make a list of some of my current rental favorites...we could all use some suggestions when renting movies, because there's nothing I hate more than renting a movie and it isn't as good as expeted. Here's my list of top 11.

1. Burn After Reading (Non-stop laughs and If you've worked in a gym before this movie will remind you of all the quirkie people at work.Brad Pitt's character is spot on.)
2. Gran Torino (Amazing! Clint Eastwood did a tremendous job directing and starring in this film. This movie pissed me off at first but ended very well. Great movie! MUST MUST see!!)
3. Valykrie (I didn't know the story prior to this movie and found it interesting. Tom Cruise did a good job as well)
4. Taken (Liam Neeson was a bad ass in this movie. Great action thriller flick)
5. Seven Pounds (If you're in the mood to shed some tears this is the film for you. It was a great story that touched my heart.)
6. Frost/Nixon (Good political film.)
7. W (Great job by Josh Brolin! A crazy depiction of our former president. The scary truth about the Bush family)
8. Milk (Great political film. Interesting insight into the gay movement in the sevenites)
9. Body of Lies (Another great movie. Leo DiCaprio did an excellent job.)
10. Hancock (Will Smith has a history of making good movies and this is another one. Good family film. Just watch the language)
11. Changeling (Sad story, great film!)

The Hangover

No this isn't going to be a story about me and a hangover, I havent' had one in a very long time...

Anyhow, Mike and I went to see The Hangover on our anniversary (year #2, woohoo!). And this movie is a RIOT!! First of all we rarely go to the movies, 1 it's expensive, 2 rude people in the theater and a plethora of more reasons. So we decided on the anniversary to do something we rarely do. This movie has to be one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. I was crying tears of laughter throughout most of the movie. It was great. I highly recommend this movie it's worth the $11 or if you're smart you'll go to costco and get the gold ticket passes good for any movie for $7.50. Vegas movies are never really bad, ok well not all are as great as this movie either.

Let me know what you think...

Half Year Resolutions 2009

HALF of 2009 has come and gone in a jiffy. It's so amazing how fast time scurries by. As if we don't notice it picks up and moves along. In the 6 months that have past I have been to a wedding, a funeral, a baby shower, a bridal shower and a birtday gathering, but no family holidays and I find that odd. My apologies for the tangent.

Here's what I am working on for the second half of 2009...

1. Read a book a month
2. Lose 20 more pounds (10 down, 20 to go)
3. Start Sparing (Muay Thai)
4. Work on my communication skills (personal)
5. Find a new job

I think that's manageable, most of it I've already start working on, but I'd like to have accomplished and/or actively be working on the above. So why do I need to do the above...

1.Reading...I don't think I have read enough books in the last several years. Right now I'm reading The Four Agreements a practical guide to personal freedom(by Don Miguel Ruiz) and I was told it would help me tremendously. The next book on the list is How Successful People Think. Any other suggestions for business and/or self help/empowerment books????

2. Weight..Over the last 1+ years after I was laid off in 2008 I have gained back some unwanted pounds and have started on the path of shaving those pounds off. I've lost 10 since June 8 and continue on the hard battle.

3. Sparring... I train in Muay Thai fighting. It's liberating, empowering and a tremendous stress relief to kick the crap out of something. I have learned how to effectively punch and kick a person. I feel incredibly confident in my ability to protect myself. I would like to continue to expand my experience and start sparring. I figure when the next fight night arrives I could be ready for it, if not, then that's ok too. I just want to be able to protect myself and learn this amazing sport.

4. Communication...In my personal life I don't believe my communication skills are as good as they should be. I feel as if I should be better at communicating with my friends, family and Mike. I may seek a class or the help of my friends to work on this part of my life. Anything I can do to help grow into a better person is always good growth and worth every minute.

5. Job...Holy Cow, if I don't find a new job, I don't know if I'll have one by the end of the year where I'm at. I'll just keep working on that. Any leads, please let me know.

Thank you to all for a good first half of the year...I'm going to wrap this year up with more than I did in the first half and hope for progress.

RIP Michael Jackson

SPRING FOREVER!!!!

Can't it be spring forever? I love the beautiful San Diego Spring. It's not as if we actually have seasons in San Diego, but instead we have 2 seasons Summer and Spring. The seasons after Summer and before Spring, really aren't truly the true definition in comparison to most other cities in the world. Fall is not nearly as cool as it is generally elsewhere, fine by me! Winter is more like a bridge from Fall to Spring.

But Spring, Oh Spring. Baseball, blooming flowers, amazing colors, March Madness, amazing smells, begining of longer daylight, it's just a wonderful time of the year. It makes me happy. It's the most comfortable weather out of all seasons in San Diego. I feel like it goes by too quickly. Well everything goes by quickly if you don't slow down and appreciate it. I need to take my photo tour days this spring. Carlsbad Flower Fields, I'll be there tomorrow. I want my MTV.

Oh but what I love almost more than Spring time in San Diego are those in Boston. Oh Boston how do I miss thee?? I would love to raise my family in Boston, the picture above are the tulips that are planted each year for fresh Spring bloom in the Boston Commons. The Boston Marathon takes place on the 3rd Monday of April.

Spring brings out the most beatiful flowers...I LOVE LOVE LOVE tulips!!!

March March March

March on! The third month of the year..and it's gonna be a good one...March is a lucky month. I think I should buy some lottery tickets. I definitely should buy lottery tickets..You should too..oh wait no, then my chances of winning diminish...

Groove is in the Heart

Deee-Lite - New Music - More Music Videos

One of my favorite songs ever...no matter what mood, where I am, I still have to move when I hear Deee-Lite's Groove is in the Heart. What ever happen to Deee-Lite? This video/song is the bomb...Bootsy Collins, Q-tip...damn that was the jam! I still love to jump on my spin bike and roll out to this song. And it gets me through cleaning the house...it's the jam!!! Grove issss in the heart! DIG? la la lalalallalala

Not feelin so Sassy..

As I approach the brink of my 32nd year on the 3rd rock from the sun, I am feeling confused and a little pensive. Where am I headed? I have no regrets but I can't help to wonder why I've made some of the choices in my life that I have. If you know you have hopes and dreams, why would you choose to be lazy and not stay focused or have to much fun instead of taking advantage of the great opportunities you've been fortunate to have? A bunch of "what if's" run through my mind...What if I would have finished my degree at BU; where would I be now? Would I be with the man I thought was the best thing ever? Would I be working for an amazing company doing amazing things? What if I never would have accepted the job at Club One nine years ago? Would I still be with Pottery Barn, I hope not.

Life is full of forks in the road we choose what we think is best based on our innate and learned mind's thoughts, reasonings, etc. Or is it destiny?

I know some things would still be true, I would still have my great family (maybe even a family of my own) and I would still have the few friends that have stuck around throughout my life. Maybe it's just the position I'm in now, not happy at work, not feeling good about myself, stressed at home and just wished sometimes things were different. at least I have Mike to vent to and not feel guilty about doing it..and there's this blog..It's a rough time on this planet right now for a lot of people and OF COURSE I have SO MUCH to be greatful for. But I just wonder is it something I did or is it a decision I made that makes me feel this way. I feel like I need a sabbatical from life, I need to explore the world and continue to explore myself. It's to bad I'm not in the profession that allows that. I just need time to make myself happy with everything, I have been before. I need to do it for me! I need to re-focus on me and making me right again. I think being laid off last year hurt me in so many ways. I think it broke not only my pocket book, but also my spirit, pride, self-confidence, it broke me. I don't want the old me to be gone, I miss the old me. I love managing people and seeing them succeed, I love being respected, admired and looked up to at work. I think that is a big part of me considering I've been a leader since I was a kid, I think that's HUGE piece that's missing from me right now. At work now I'm noone, I just sit in a closet with a computer all day and talk to people who scream at me. I absolutely HATE IT!!! It makes me soooo frustrated and miserable. I don't even want to do my nails because I don't give a shit about myself...and that sucks. I need a new job and NOW! FUCK! Work shouldn't make a person, but being a leader makes me happy and I'm not right now, I work for fuckin Napolean and I hate it..funny, he speaks French too.

Heart Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!! A day for love...a day to appreciate those you love. Remember those cute little valentine cards we use to pass out in elementary school? That was so much fun. I loved writing all of them and passing them out. The valentine candy was always a plus too. February has to be the greatest month of the year. Besides valentine's day, all the wonderful people in the world were born in February...me, my honey, my nephew, my honey's niece, my step-dad, and so many other friends.

As I snuggle up with my cup of coffee and my two dogs, I reflect on the love I've had and have in my life. All the family and friends that I love so dearly have always been supportive and encouraging. I love them all. Love is a cause for many things...good and bad, heartache, happiness, anxiety, celebration. Love is a wonderful thing.

Happy Valentine's Day! May love carry you through.

Start them engines......

OK, so the beginning of the beginning of my time to kill....

I'm sure I'll have a lot to say, I always do, but don't always say it. So here's my place to do so. I may have already said it, but why not say it again in print. Keep record of life in general, life in detail and life in perspective.

Sometimes I may be short, well technically I'm always short in height that is. I may be short in what I have to say, some times I may be verbose and of course I may be able to ramble for days. I want to use this as my creative outlet. No matter what the OCCASION, laugh, smile, think, reflect...

AND AWAY WE GO!!!

LOG!

Ren and Stimpy was a great cartoon when I was young. I loved the Log commercial. I can't believe how happy this little jig makes me...It's so funny. It pops into my head on occasion and I smile.See the you tube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0xsqV3zk1Y

.....Ren and Stimpy Rule!!!