A few words on Pinterest

A few months ago I began noticing friends on Facebook were talking about this thing called Pinterest. My obvious first question was, "What is this and how do you pronouce it." Didn't know if it was a new foreign word I hadn't seen before or a new cyber word like Google, Groupon, etc. The comments being posted by my friends were exuberant, verging on obsessive and made me curious. I have really well educated, intelligent friends and family so I thought, "what the heck, I'll check it out."

So, just before Christmas I decided to Google Pinterest (how 21st century is that) and find out for myself what all the fuss was about. Huh, I don't understand. What are you supposed to do with it? How does it work? What's it for? etc, etc. etc. Then my Nephew, Mike, asked his wifeMarisa, who uses Pinterest what it was...she explained that it was a website for crafty people. (All this was done via Facebook -- another obsession I have developed). Well, I'm crafty. I love to knit, crochet, cook, read, etc. I looked at the site again and I still didn't get it. I was beginning to feel really old at this point.

We went to Dallas after Christmas to visit my brother and his family and Mike and Marisa were there with their Blackberries, iPhones, iPads, etc. So I asked them about Pinterest and the expression on Maria's face went from "oh it's nice to see you Aunt Donna" to "here let me show how cool this site is and all the cool things you can do on it."

Well, today is January 24, 2012 -- a few days shy of a month since I was in Dallas and learning from my resident "expert" about Pinterest and I too am hooked. I have 12 followers now and I follow over 50 people. I have created several of my own collections of "stuff" and can spend hours on the damn thing looking around. I now understand all the comments like, I think this is going to be a problem and I spent hours on the computer today on Pinterest.

I too am a new joiner. I found a meatloaf recipe (Paula Deene) that I'm making tonight. I have found knitting stuff, quotes I love, recipes, and pictures of places I want to visit and I've only just begun. This probably won't impact my knitting time too much, but it's a great place to find things that you like, pin them, and find more.

Happy Pinning Everyone! If you haven't signed up for an account, I encourage you to do so and explore the things you love!

Just a quick update

It's been a really long time since I've posted anything here. I got a replacement iPad for Christmas (2011) and I've been busy adding bookmarks and finding stuff in the app store.

Roy had some serious skin surgery in the early part of December so we didn't get to Texas till after Christmas. Visited JoAnn in Longview for a few days, then into Dallas for a few days. I got to see all the nieces and nephews and met the newest member of the Frizzell family, Lucy, what a cutie. Kathyrn was so cute this year, not so shy and spent a lot of time sitting and talking with Roy. Sergei was home from Texas Tech and it was great to hear how he's enjoying college and studying architecture.

We then went to Houston for a couple more days. I got to spend a couple of nights with my friend Susan which was so fun. We went to Berings one morning. I haven't been there for years. THE BEST hardware store in the world. We also went to Goode Company Seafood for dinner. Another place I haven't been to in years. I had the sweetest, juiciest fried oysters --- yummy!!!!

The bad thing, for me, about going to Texas in the winter is I always get sick. So again this year, I got a sinus infection which I came home with. I've been back 11 days and finally am feeling better. I'm going to suggest that we celebrate Christmas in July!

Rain, Rain, Rain

Well, the rainy season is upon us in all it's glory. We've had Hurricane Beatriz come from the Pacific Coast and then Hurricane Arlene come from the Gulf Coast. It's been cloudy, cool, and wet for a week. A friend told me last night that Arlene apparently had enough steam to completely move across the country and has reformed and is coming back inland on the west coast. Amazing!

In between the first major storm in early June and the hurricanes we did have a normal period of sunny skies and rainy nights which is perfection.

I LOVE the cool temps and the green mountains but I miss the sun and I am affected by SADD. I look forward to the sun coming back out.

Also, finished reading Geraldine Brooks first book, "Nine Parts of Desire" about women in Islam countries. It was written in 1995 but is amazingly relavent today. Highly recommend it.

40 years ago today

I remember it as if it were yesterday. I graduated from Martin Spalding High School, Severn, Maryland 1971. There were 150 ladies graduating that day. It was one of those great days in one's life that closes one door and opens the next. I worked that summer at a department store to save up money for my big move to NYC to study fashion merchandising at Tobé Coburn School on Madison Avenue at 71st Street. While I was in school I lived at the East End Hotel for Women on East End Avenue at 78th street. Nice easy walk to school from there (weather permitting).

My brother Don came to my graduation which was really a special thing. I always thought that I annoyed Don because he was 20 years older than me, his children were my age, and we had little in common except we shared a Mom and a Dad. Now, looking back, I realize that I was important to him -- I was his baby sister! :-)

One of my high school friends and I have reconnected through Facebook and she's trying to organize a class reunion. I haven't gone to any of the others. I left Maryland the Sept following graduation and moved to NYC. I lived there for 4 years and then moved to Dallas, Texas where my Mom and Spence had moved in 1971. I never really kept in touch with any of my friends from HS, so it was nice when Nina Picciano found me on FB and we starting chatting. She's still living in the area, Washington D.C. so she's kept up with more old friends then me.

Anyway, just was thinking about what today was this morning and thought I'd jot down my thoughts.

1971 - Graduated High School, Maryland

1971-1974 - NYC

1974-1999 Dallas, Texas

1999 - Married, moved to Houston, Texas (and retired --wooohooo)

2005- moved to Ajijic, Mexico

Beach, Rain & Pink Eye

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico 2011

We went to Mazatlan over Memorial Day weekend (it's not MD here though) with Marta & Lupe et al and stayed at the Riu Mazatlan -- one of our favorite all inclusive resorts.

I love this picture 'cause the sun is reflecting on the ocean. Taken from our 11th floor balcony at the Riu Mataztlan.

I think the Pacific Ocean is so beautiful because of the rock formations that come all the way to the edge of the beach.

1st Day after 1st Rain of the Season

Morning after the first rain of the season. Lots of wind -- blew over the table and chairs on our neighbors mirador. I'm going to chronicle the changes to our mountain as the rainy season progresss. I want to see how long it takes for the mountains to turn green starting from the first official rain (that's when the water is running down the streets from the mountain to the lake).

Pink Eye

How in the world did I get pink eye????? I didn't ever get it as a child (which is when I thought you got this kind of thing). My friend Judy, who's a nurse, asked me if I'd been swimming recently. I just got back from a weekend in Mazatlan and I did got swimming in the pool, but I've been to this resort many times before and have never gotten pink eye! The day we were leaving (Mon May 30) I woke up with swollen glands and sneezing (not like allergies though) so I took some antihistamine meds I never leave home without and the symptoms seemed to go away -- hahaha!

It's very gross. I woke up on Thursday morning, June 2nd with my left eye crusted over and I googled conjunctivitis and figured that was what I had -- it's the infection kind, not allergic conjunctivitis -- oh joy. So by that evening my left eye was swollen almost closed and my right eye was getting yellow crusties in it too. Went to see Dr. Lastra on Friday morning and he agreed that was what I had. Still have swollen glands and sneezing like a cold. Dr. L said I probably was getting a cold and it settled in my eye -- Eye Flu!

Now on antibiotic drops and ointment for 14 days, but that's not doing anything for my swollen glands or overall feeling of exhaustion. Haven't been sleeping well -- feel achy all over my body and I have a low-grade fever on and off during the day and night. YUCK!

One good thing, we had our first heavy rains last night. Cooled everything down about 10 degrees which has been very nice today.

it's 5:20 a.m.

and I can't sleep ------- so pissed off. I'm exhausted, my legs are jumpy and my feet are aching. What's going on. I leave in 5 hours for the airport to go to Houston and I want to sleep but I'm sitting in the living room looking at the computer. ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH

Food & Wine Festival in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo

We are having dinner at the Ixtapa Marina -- (L-R) Elizabeth, Pat, Kae, Joan and me

Having comida at Carmalita's in Zihuatanejo. This was a wonderful surprise we discovered from Rick Bayless who tweeted about finding this place. He told us about it at one of the events and Carmalita (in the purple blouse) was visited by many of us who attended the Food & Wine Festival. BEST real Mexican food I've ever eaten. Her recipes are from her Mom and Abeulita!

I had the pleasure of going to "Food & Wine" magazine's Food & Wine Festival in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo - 32 Tastes of Mexico the last week of March, 2011. I went with friends from Ajijic Pat Owens and Joan Brummitt, and a couple of Pat's friends from Seattle, Elizabeth and Kae.

Rick Bayless was the featured chef and we got to see him cook twice. He has the most amazing countenance and spirit ALL the time -- it is real, not forced. It was such fun to meet him and see him work. We ate some amazing food and drank wonderful new wines from Baja California.

Señor Rick Bayless at the Market to Table event

This sign was in the lobby of our hotel -- I didn't make this up!

We also got to tour through 3 new homes in Zihuatanejo in a very private gated community of four homes called Monte Cristo. Our taxi driver had to leave his driver's license at the gate when he came to pick us up to go back to our hotel.

Casa Conte - the couple who owned this house were from Orange County, CA and actually were here for the event.

Casa Tulum - view from the infinity pool overlooking Pacific Ocean

Casa Alegría master bedroom pool -- nice!

This house had 5 swimming pools, 5 bedrooms, an amazing outdoor living area facing the wide open Pacific Ocean, and 3 casitas. The "owner" was a really rich man from San Diego who has never been to the house, and according to the architect just sent him lots and lots of money to build and furnish the house. Can you say laundered money! That was our story about the house! These are 2 of the 5 pools! The one above is off the master bedroom and the one below is off the outdoor terraza/living room.

Because the house is built on top of a bill the breezes were strong! At each of the houses there was a different vineyard represented and lovely tapas.