Daily Living

"Wow, look at these faces! You did a really good job, mija!" I exclaimed realizing that my lil girl can now draw faces.

"I know," my daughter confidently states while smiling her mischievous smile.

I'm still getting over the amazement of it all and showing her art work to my dining companions while I hear she say:

"Aver, mami, let me add some mocos," and she pulls the page back and adds some decorations.

Yay to a child's imagination and creativity...and for coming up with the most random moments ever.

A Dream?

With scalding hot temperatures that continue to escalate here in Laredo, one might overlook the fact that it did rain this past week. What?! You don't believe me? You thought you were dreaming?

Aqui les va:

see, we did receive a sprinkle

I love rainy days. Too bad they're so rare here.

Blog Viewing at Sam's

There's a certain tactic required when attracting attention. Subtlety seems to work best when making sure readers keep coming back over and over again. While running some errands, my co-conspirators (stupidity needs company) and I took over the computers at Sam's Club. The blog became the greeting page for anyone shopping for a laptop. Catching them off guard was our perfect plan.

Picture it: an unknowing shopper is testing out the machines when they're greeted with a masthead of a pic of Lake Casa Blanca. It looks familiar to them and they start browsing the page and instantly get pulled in by the quirky, random posts. Bam! They've hooked. They immediately write down the URL to search the site at home and the blog's got another reader. My work is done.

Ok, ok, I'm just kidding. I'm not starved for attention. Frankly, I shy away from the limelight cuz I just wasn't born for it. In reality, my accomplices and I were bored and had some time to kill. The opportunity to promote the blog at the store was just a stroke of luck. It's a section visited often and the advertising was free! That just can't be beat.

I'm thinking of printing t-shirts with the site on them and handing it out to the 'pedestrians' over on San Ber. I'd definitely get some attention then. Keep an eye out....the possibilities are endless....

'Cholo Adventures'

My brothers are geniuses at finding funny stuff on YouTube. I don't have to search since they gladly share videos that gets them to laugh (which really doesn't take much). A couple of weeks ago, one of my brothers showed me this video:

Yes, stuff like this cracks me up... Oh well. After viewing this video, I realized these guys have made a couple more videos of parodies of Mexican characteristics. I found the videos on How to Know If You're Mexican to be particularly funny. These were the situations that pertained to me:

I remember the sound of el cinto would  make my brothers and me snap to attention. My mom would use 'el chamuco' more often then she would 'el cucuy' but both were very effective. As per previous posts, our water park was also on the front lawn. I have received phone calls from people who were on the toilet-no, I have never done such a thing! My brothers and I knew that our uncles were officially drunk whenever we'd hear 'ey, mijo...I love you'. The only thing that made our Cheerios edible was a spoonful (or two) of sugar. My sis-in-law threatens my daughter with 'te va llevar el señor'...I really don't have a clue as to what 'señor' she's referring to.

I recommend a viewing of these vids not necessarily to find a solution to any problem you currently have, but just to have a laugh. It's all meant in good fun. What I found most interesting about these videos is that almost all have had over 200,000 viewings. Many are even in the millions. 

So whenever you're bored, check them out. Remember: One- I have nothing to do with them, my brother just ran across them on the Internet. Two-I am not promoting racism o nada de eso. Three-I never said my blog would be educational in anyway, shape, or form. 

Que viva la raza!!

Finally Back

My heart had been on vacation for the past year and a half. It left without much notice; packed its bags and decided to hit the road. I'm sure it explored exciting lands, tasted interesting foods, interacted with unique characters. I'm sure it had a blast; while I was left void, to fend for myself. I wasn't doing a good job, not at all. I tried my best to keep afloat but I kept sinking with every lil move I made. I was fighting a losing battle.

Well today, my heart returned from its trip. It greeted me with open arms and told me all about its adventures. I wasn't jealous of the stories being told, I was just very much relieved at the fact that it was home. Now I'm going to be complete again. When it left, my heart had carried a lot of anger and resentment. It also took with it a lot of baggage. When it returned, I found that it carried an air of serenity, it seemed nicer, it even was a bit lighter. It said that it had forgotten some bags somewhere in Italy.

I've come to see that perhaps now, there's hope for me.

Public Displays of Affection

I had to attend some event for work a couple of days ago. I'm all for these field trips cuz it means that I have a reason to not do my regular duties. Then again, sometimes I dread them because it means that I'm probably gonna be falling asleep at some point. Normally, I'm alert and attentive. I ask pertinent questions and usually take over the seminar (uh-huh, sure); but my sleep patterns have been so off that sleep has become somewhat of an estranged friend.

It's hard to take discreet pics while in a meeting..but they weren't being all that discreet either
p.s. my apologies to my friend...I couldn't take her out of the pic

Anyways, so, I'm there listening to the presenter while fighting to keep my eyes open when I look at the table in front of me and see this lady basically caressing a man's back. At first, I thought they were close co-workers. Maybe she was giving him a pat on the back. While I continued to stare at them-sorry, it was more entertaining than the presenter-I see the lady start giving the man 'piojito'. That's when I realized, they aren't just co-workers. The event lasted six hours and that's how long that massage/groping/piojito session lasted. It started with the lady, then the man reciprocated the favor, then so on and so forth.

I'm not an affectionate person by nature, but I'm not against others expressing their own feelings towards their partner. But the problem here was...this was a business event, in a professional setting. It's not some poetry reading at a local cafe or restaurant. It was just plain weird; but at least it kept me awake and I'm sure some of the information provided was able to creep into my unconscious mind. I just kept wondering how the man wasn't falling asleep with the lady giving him a massage, I was sure falling asleep just watching her do it. Then again, maybe that was the only thing keeping him alert (ahem).

Si, si..to each their own. I just thought it was such a random thing to see at a conference. Much power to the couple.

One another note, I ran into this lil tree while roaming the streets. I didn't think couples still engraved their names into trees. I thought they'd resort more to Facebook, Twitter, or anything involving technology. Somehow, I think an action like actually taking the time to find a sharp object, keeping an eye out to make sure the police aren't around (it's vandalism I'm sure), using arm muscles to carve the names into the trunk is much more meaningful. Here's a toast to young love and all the possibilities that it carries.

You think Jose N Jocey are still together?

I'm Done

Thanks to Border Town Blues, I've met my goal for the year! I officially have two followers so I can take it easy. I don't have to stress out with coming up with fantastic, quirky posts in order to attract attention. I can just focus on coasting for the next six months. No more frantic searches for my camera whenever an interesting photo op comes up, no more over analyzing my life, no more worrying about my grammar...nope. It's all eazy-peazy from here on out.

But, just for shits and giggles, I'll still put in my 100% effort at my blog posts. Besides, what more do I really have to do?

Muchos Thank You's

I started this lil blog with the intention of entertaining myself in a positive light. I've been writing since I was in elementary. Back then, my writings were about the major crushes I had on these two boys in my class. I was going through those journals a couple of months back...wow. Talk about being pathetic, but let's be honest, have things really changed? Sadly the answer would be a resounding no.

Writing, to me, really isn't just a means to pass the time. It's the only way I can truly express myself and the only real way I can understand myself. When I was introduced to the blogging world, I thought it was too complicated for me. I'm not at all computer savvy, but after a while, the idea of having my own blog became somewhat of an obsession. Then my own 'page' was born. If I would've known then that the name would be soooo important, I would've actually gone over a few other ideas instead of settling on 'Furniture in Life'. I've been made fun of so many times. I've also gotten weird looks whenever I've said the name. The explanation of how the name came to be is always on hand, which isn't as interesting as it was before. I've been told that maybe I should set up some advertising for Maldonado Fine Furniture. I was a bit offended, exclaiming that why couldn't I advertise for Ashley's or even Lack's! In all honestly, my blog would be better compared with Maldonado than with any other furniture store. It might even be safe to say that Maldonado is probably more sophisticated than mi blog. But I've seriously pondered the idea of promoting the store, perhaps I can get some new furniture outta the deal but I'm sure Maldonado is doing just fine without any help from me. I bet I'd only hurt their sales.

Right now, I want to thank some people for helping me along my lil journey into the blogosphere. If I hadn't been  DeLaredo's protege (ha) I would've never started anything. His blog has comforted me when I was intimidated by other more sophisticated blogs (just kidding!...). Thanks, sir DeLaredo, for opening the doors to the appreciation of all random things.

Border Town Blues included my lowly blog in a couple of his posts and I was so excited. I'd honestly say I could compare it to the excitement DeLaredo felt when he was visited by Loteria Chicana. Thank you, Mr Border Town Blues, for including me somewhere in your formidable blog. I'm just glad I don't write about politics because I'm sure I'd sound like an idiot. That's why I stick more to the things that I do know about...like my life; which often confuses me anyways.

And to my number one follower, Que Fregados. Muchas gracias for taking the time to 'follow' my insignificant space on the Internet. I very much appreciate the fact that someone who really has writing talent takes the time to read the crap stuff, I include in my blog.

I have big plans for this here blog of mine. I really do. I'm gonna start researching important topics. I'm gonna start providing life changing information. I'm gonna make it my life's goal to change the world. Alright. I am joking. Sorry. But I do have big plans. I make it my life's duty to work on having one more follower by the year's end. Even if I have to pay one of my brothers, I'm gonna do it. Yes, I have my sights set on the horizon. It's all gonna be sunny from now on. I think I'm gonna hafta start wearing my shades. Yay for me.

Oh and just to clarify things, the blog's title came from the line:
"I like being a piece of furniture in your weird life."
It's a line from the movie Juno...I tooooold ya I was sad.

No real need for an explanation. I just like the song...and it brings back memories.....

Rated X

To start off with: I don't drink often. For those who know me well might disagree based on what they saw when I was younger. But that was years ago. Things are different, I've matured, and I've seen the error of my ways (ahem). Anyways, this past weekend, I was gifted with this here pretty, pink bottle.

I shamelessly dropped hints with friends, relatives, and others to see who would buy me a bottle to celebrate my early bday, or as a late housewarming gift, or a 'just because' trinket. Someone finally got tired of my incessant nagging (or just felt sorry for me) and got me some X Rated Liqueur.

I'm a sad, boring individual (not that I really have to point it out) but I'm being completely honest when I say that this is/was the first liquor bottle I've ever owned. Yup, it's been mainly wine coolers or 'girly beer' for me. I was excited to bring this bottle back to my place; have it in the freezer for one of those dreadful days or to share with company whenever visited.

Unfortunately, the bottle didn't even make it home. I took the above pic at 7:58pm. The following pic was taken at 9:35pm that same night. So sad, so, so sad...

it was goood while it lasted

Pero para eso es, verdad? I guess it's a good thing that it was done with quickly. I've never been a fan of drinking alone. Now that I think about it, I've never actually done it. I prefer to be around company, to have conversation. Drinking alone seems like the loneliness sets in a lot quicker and a bit heavier (duh).

Hasta la otra...now I have to find another reason to have people gift me another bottle; or I could even dish out the cash to buy the bottle. Aver que.

eHarmony Treasure

Ladies and gentlemen,

The following is a sample of what eHarmony has to offer. Check it out....

A friend on el Facebook (si, tengo una cuenta) posted the video and at first glance, Debbie here, freaked me out. I didn't exactly know what to feel. I felt sad for her but mostly, I wanted to see about referring her out to get a psych eval done. After viewing it a second time, I figured out, this chick is just joking around. At least that's what I'm gonna tell myself so I can sleep at night. Te imaginas?! How'd you like to run into a person like that on a dating site? You go in with the hopes of finding your 'soulmate' (deny it all you want, deep down you know it's true) and you run into a person like this. Believe me, se te van a quitar las ganas de encuentra amor. Mejor sola(o), no?

But for those already on the dating sites, buena suerte...pero cuidado con los locos!!!



Just Because

It's one of those times when reason and purpose really don't have a place. It's because I can, that I will.....

it'd be nice to laze around all day long...hang out with ur best pal

I had a brief glimpse of what that lady in Birds felt ...kinda creepy

score one for brothers willing to look ridiculous for their sister

miss days when pride wasn't a factor and forgiveness was abundant

this billboard made me look twice before I actually understood the pic...
I was soooo wrong the first time around



competitive game of loteria between these older women...they don't let anything go



random lunch of wings with amazing company=great combination of stupidity and humor



for some it's the little things that matter...like figuring out how to use your own phone





hooray for desserts intended to mend broken hearts...too bad they don't work



spontaneous trips are always fun and absolutely necessary

Y al fin:

music adds spice to everything

Sheer Bliss

pic taken by a friend on Hwy 83.....serenity does exist in the desert

Everyone's in the search of happiness. Even if they deny it, it's just a force of nature that we all want to be happy. Who in the world would want to suffer? I ain't picky. It's the simple things that bring about that small thrill of bliss. Of course, my daughter, family, friends bring me happiness. But there's something about the random occurrences in daily life that brings that shiver of nirvana....

-Listening to Pandora dish out a tune that makes you want to break out in dance
-Being smacked in the face with the sweet, sweet smell of freshly baked bread at a panaderia
-Receiving new office supplies (yes, I'm a dork) and it's even better when the agency pays for them
-Taking a break from the maturity of adulthood by flying down a giant slide at a park
-Realizing that any man that's gonna truly love me is gonna hafta have a tire swing in the back yard
-Waking up in the middle of the night and seeing that only an hour has passed since you went to bed...there's still a bunch of hours of sleep left
-Opening bleary eyes to the morning sun and dreading the day ahead...and then remembering that it's Saturday and there's no work
-Stripes having freshly fried burritos
-Someone at work buying breakfast...for everyone
-Watching Benny and Joon, Pretty in Pink, or Sixteen Candles on the TV instead of having to put on the DVD
-Finding out that Jem is still being shown on some random channel on cable

Last but certainly not least:

-Waking up to a rainy morning and having the kiddo sleep a couple of extra hours while I'm afforded the opportunity to watch a movie that was recorded on the DVR months ago without having to hear "mommy, I want_____" over and over again.

Like I said, it's the simple things that bring me pleasure. Offer me a shopping spree and believe me I won't turn it down, but I'm sure I wouldn't feel the same satisfaction as from the above list. Happiness is really super fleeting, there's so many obstacles that get in the way of it. I'd say appreciate every opportunity you're afforded to grasp a piece of it. Enjoy looking for it....

emotional eating isn't healthy but a lil pick-me-up ain't all that bad